I love Fridays! I love them even more when the husband is off from work and the daughters have school. Instant date time with no sitter required ! Our big date plan was to go for a walk together. I know, we’re really wild and crazy ;P
I made sure to get in some breakfast, but one that wouldn’t be too heavy. Yogurt sounded good this morning, so I went with some plain nonfat Chobani with fresh strawberry “syrup”. I topped it with some granola crumbs. It was really good…
Because I was using the plain yogurt, I decided to sweeten it with a packet of NuNaturals NuStevia that I received a while back…
Now, I have to say that in my quest to reduce the amount of artificial sweeteners (especially Splenda), I have tried stevia as a sweetener in my coffee/tea. One word –blech. I wanted to like it, but I couldn’t get past the bitter aftertaste. The NuNaturals product claimed to be non-bitter, so I was interested to see if that was the case. I used about half a packet in my yogurt this morning and it was great! No strange aftertaste and just the right amount of sweetness. I think with stevia, less is more and you do need to play around with the amounts to get the level of sweetness that you like. For me, half the packet was perfect. I’m looking forward to trying it out in some coffee or tea and see if it still holds the non-bitter claim. Also, Ron at NuNaturals was kind enough to send me quite a few of their products to try out which included baking blends and extracts…
Might make for some good sugar-free holiday treats! Thanks, Ron:)
After the daughters were off to school, the husband and I set out on our walking date. With the dog :) We walked at a good pace for about 50 minutes and 3.5 miles. It was a beautiful morning!
On the way home, I had a craving for coffee, so we stopped for a small Pumpkin Latte Lite…
I can’t believe I’m saying this, buuuuut, I think this was better than Starbucks! Gasp!
Lunch was a fiber powerhouse – Mixed Bean Melt and a pear the size of my head…
The Mixed Bean Melt…
- Joseph’s Lavash Bread
- 1/2 c. pinto beans, mashed
- 1/4 c. chick peas, mashed
- 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge
- handful of baby spinach – you know I put it in everything
Spread beans and cheese on one half of the Lavash. Add spinach and fold over. Spray skillet with nonstick spray. Cook until browned on both sides and warmed through.
Very filling…
As always in this house, Fridays are pizza night! I usually make our pizzas and alternate between making my own dough and using Trader Joe’s pre-made dough. I have fooled around with my own dough recipe quite a bit, trying to tweak it and get it just right. I’m always open to new recipes and when I saw Biz had a No Rise Pizza Dough that’s ready in 5 minutes, I jumped all over it! I doubled the recipe to get two pizzas and actually ended up making 2 and a small one for me. For my pizza, I used Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade for the sauce, added some baby bella mushrooms, Chavrie goat cheese and a tiny sprinkle of mozzarella…
It was fab! I ate quite a bit of it along with a side salad of arugula dressed with evoo, red wine vinegar and a shaving of parmesan…
Now, that’s a pizza!
ONE GOOD THING: I indulged in pizza tonight. Guilt free. That hasn’t happened in a loooooong time :)
Happy weekend, everyone!
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10 comments:
You're making me sad that we have no DD around here! Or at least I don't think we do. Do we? I've never looked for one. lmao
I've been thinking a bit about my sugar intake as I truck along this journey to a more physically fit me... I don't think of my self as some "naturalist" but after thinking about all the processess that are even going on in stuff that's "natural" and of all the artifical sweetners ingrediants I can't even name I've gone to:
SUGAR
Yup. Maybe if I lived on the edge I'd try honey... but I think the difference now is thinking about only using one packet (10 calories) and one flavor mini-moo (30 calories) in my coffee... It is just not the bucket fulls I use to use.
I think normal soda is out and I'm starting to limit my diet soda too... I'm starting to get in my mind I really don't want to eat it if I can't pronounce or identify it.
Did you ever think about how we like to take pictures of our loved ones? Our close family and friends... of precious moments? Why are you taking pictures of all your food?...Oh, never mind.
Just teasing! Hey, I think the chinese buffet place I go to has a table that may get one of those bronze plates on it with my name when I pass on!
At Foolsfitness we believe in limiting your eating... we only eat at the time when we are awake!-Alan
So I just hear that DD has pumpkin spice lattes. I LOVE Starbucks this time of year just for those.
I must go and try the competitions :)
I want to try a pumpkin spice latte from DD!!!! We don't have any in California. :(
That pizza is lovely! What a great combo, yum yum :)
That is so funny- I think I like the Starbucks ones better than the DD. And normally I prefer DD coffee over Starbucks. And as to your date- you sound as animal as us ! You go walking, we go to Borders and look at books. It's life on the edge, I tell ya !
Thanks for that pizza dough info - I try to make my own as well, but I like the idea of a no rise crust. I'm going to try it tonight!!
That pizza looks just fabulous! And my friend gave me some pumpkin spice coffee that I just loved. How fun to have coffee for every season.
Have a great one!
Glad the pizza dough turned out good for you and LOVE the impromptu date :D
No DD where I live. I have to settle with Sbux and The Coffee Bean.
Hope you are having a great weekend with your family.
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