Snippets
Today is a day for snippets, because it’s stuff I want to get off my chest, but not stuff I really want to get into the nitty gritty, per se.
Everyday, I make salads for Sweets and I to eat at lunch. The other day, I added some left-over salmon to our salads. That night, I had the worst workout I’d had in a long time. My stomach was bloated. And I kept burping up salmon (gross, I know). As Sweets and I were leaving the gym, he told me he was burping up salmon his whole workout. The salmon ruined our workouts! Mental note: Salmon is good for dinner, but not a few hours before working out!
Last night after the gym, I met up with my favorite make-up artist turning aesthetician at her school. While she was performing a dreamy facial (oh, my dry skin!), she mentioned she’s going to another school, starting in April. Not because she’s quitting aesthetician school (in fact, she’ll be close to graduating at that point), but because she also wants to become a licensed massage therapist. Clinical massage followed by a facial? Yes please!
Sweets and I quit the Jenny Craig program last week. We’ve both plateaued for a while. Neither of us expected to be on the program this long. The program costs a good bit of change (they try to get you to think you’re spending the same as you would otherwise. I say, if you’re eating like a horse, maybe, but for most normal people looking to lose 10-20 pounds, you’re spending a lot more than you would otherwise.) Quite frankly, I need to find my inspiration within before any program will work. Plus, we have all these lovely kitchen tools and electronics going to waste when we don’t cook for ourselves. Wish us healthy luck!
Sweets and I are very much looking forward to our vacation this March. It’s my first-ever mid-winter beach trip. I’m 35 36 years old and haven’t ever gone to the beach in the winter (unless you count that one time in college when I went to Panama City, Florida; I don’t). So, it’s off to Grand Cayman we go. As a total Top Chef junkie, I was introduced to world-renowned chef Eric Ripert and I have found one of his restaurants where I want to go when we’re on vacation. Of course, only if I get a pretty bonus at work, since dinners costing in the triple digits are not in our normal repertoire. But, hello, Mr. Ripert! One of the few only French people with foreign accents I find majorly attractive. I’d love to bring Sweets to Blue by Eric Ripert as one of those special, memorable meals.
Over the holidays, we were gifted a subscription to Taste of Home. Not normally a magazine I’d read, I will admit there are some interesting recipes in it. In particular, there’s a recipe for asparagus bruschetta and another one for monkey bread (first time I’d ever heard of it) that I think I’d like to try for an upcoming potluck dinner where we said we’d provide appetizers and dessert. And now I’m looking forward to future issues for more inspiration in the kitchen.
Tell me, what would land on your own list of snippets?
February 4th, 2010 at 5:02 am
Wow, I’ll have to remember the salmon thing -- was going to have it for lunch before heading to the gym!!! Definitely wish you luck with the whole healthy thing, I’m trying (in vain) at the moment to lose 47lbs but I just can’t get started. I’m not putting on weight which is good, but it’s not moving either!
Whereabouts is Grand Cayman? Is it part of the Cayman Island, or is it actually the Cayman Islands? Geography was never my strong point, but if it is there how relaxing!! Would love to see pictures :D
February 4th, 2010 at 7:21 am
Your get-away in March sounds fantastic!! I am also a Top Chef junkie so would love to go to an Erick Ripert restaurant! I think you guys should treat yourself to a meal there. Try not to think about the cost too much… I think it will be worth it. Plus when you watch the show in the future, it will be cool to know that you’ve eaten one of his restaurants!!
February 4th, 2010 at 7:30 am
I love Eric Ripert! He is my favorite guest judge ever on Top Chef!
February 4th, 2010 at 7:47 am
I am soooooo jealous of your March get away. I’ve never done a real winter trip to someplace warm either. You guys are going to have such a blast.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:05 am
I love monkey bread!! My snippet is that I got the Keurig coffee machine for an early valentines gift and I am TOTALLY overwhelmed by the choices and varieties of coffee. They need some Maxwell House or Chuck Full of Nuts for people who can’t understand the insane coffee talk.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:13 am
I have that same magazine and just made monkey bread with my son and daycare kids for the teachers last week. It was interesting to me that some knew immediately what it was, while others had never heard of it. I was just excited to finally find a recipe that was home made instead of made with biscuit dough. We had a lot of fun goofing around trying to figure out why they call it monkey bread though. The 2 year old actually told his mom that a monkey helped us make it. Kids are so funny!
February 4th, 2010 at 8:52 am
I have never had sweet monkey bread, I have had it savory with herbs baked in and served with warm butter, it was heaven!
My snippet is that I want to get away and go on a vacation this year, I have so many places that I want to go to but, it is getting harder and harder financing it.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:02 am
Monkey bread is all sorts of delicious. I used to get that magazine but after a while it sort of seems like the same thing. I use the online site for fun new recipes though. There was a recipe for a braided caramel bread a few seasons ago that is to die for.
I hope you and Sweets are able to have that special dinner. That would be fantastic and make your first mid-winter getaway to a tropical location very memorable.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:52 am
I have never tried to make or eat Monkey Bread, but supposedly it is a Northeast recipe and CP says that it is great! Let me know if you end up making it.
I’m jealous of your trip to Grand Cayman. We are heading out to do some skiing in March and it will NOT be warm.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:12 am
If you need some cooking inspiration, I can help. IT’s what I do best. And MOnkey Bread is the best. We serve it with softened cream cheese and butter to make it all the better.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:24 am
LOL the burping up salmon thing cracked me up. I think a beach vacation would be awesome. Y’all will have fun!
February 4th, 2010 at 10:38 am
You are going to have such a blast on your trip!
As for my snippets list: I am training my indoor kitten to walk on a harness so I can take her outside when we travel and what not. Cruel? Funny? or Smart?
February 4th, 2010 at 10:49 am
The feeling uncomfortable while working out because of something you ate happened to me yesterday. I had a small bag of salt and vinegar chips about 2 and half hours before yoga, but oh man could I feel it while I was shifting from pose to pose! HORRIBLE.
Not sure what I’d put on my snippets…maybe how ridiculous it is that we are getting this much snow??? (We’re even suppose to get MORE next week on Wednesday and Thursday.)
February 4th, 2010 at 11:35 am
oh the grand cayman! have a fantastic time, i’m so jealous! though i live in arizona right now, so i guess i can’t really complain…but the ocean (etc etc)!
J and i are hoping to save up enough money to get tickets to go Barbados in December for new year’s…but it’s just so dang expensive, just for the flight. it’s not looking good, so here’s to us winning the lottery we never play sometime this year.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:39 am
oh you’re going to LOVE having a good friend in massage school! my mom graduated last summer… it was so nice! they have to get a certain amount of “free hours” in… and im thinking right around the time of the spring with your running will be perfect for that!
ps- im jealous of your warm weather vaca!
(im trying out linking to this blog for fun!)
February 4th, 2010 at 11:47 am
Grand Cayman! Ack! That is TOTALLY my absolute fav solo vacation spot. I’ve been 4 times in the last 6 years. If you’ve never been, email me for some spots you MUST check out.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I can’t believe you’ve never heard of monkey bread. It is sooo divine! Let us know how you like it.
My snippet today is:
I’m ready to get out of my job and move to Monterey with my husband. I want him to have a job he loves, and I want an opportunity to find something I enjoy more, too. Plus, call me crazy, but the thought of moving to a place where we know basically NO ONE is exciting to me. It’s a chance to put ourselves out there & meet new people, and I kind of love the idea of having no one within a two-hour drive that will expect us to visit them every weekend.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I am so jealous of your beach trip! You are going to have an awesome time.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Ah, I’m jealous of your beach trip :) That sounds fantastic. I’m crossing my fingers for a vacation at the end of March, but we’ll see.
As for the salmon comment, I’ve had similar issues with tilapia. Fish in general, maybe!
February 4th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Monkey bread is one of the best things ever invented. I just saw that recipe somewhere among mine and thought I HAVE TO MAKE THAT AGAIN. It’s soooo deluuuurrrcious. Can I please come to Grand Cayman? The beaches in CA don’t always cut it in the winter. :)
February 4th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Good healthy luck to you. I am also trying to lost 10 lbs. The whole doing nothing and just trying to eat less isn’t working so well.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Oh! The Cayman Islands sound amazing! March is the perfect time to go too, I’ve been away a couple times in the dead of winter and while it’s nice I always come back and had to get used to the horrible cold all over again. March is perfect because winter starts to ease off.
Can’t wait to see how you like it!
February 4th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Okay, so 1) Yay for the Caymans. I’m officially jealous. And 2) I think I once had a subscription to that mag too. My Grandma signed me up and didn’t tell me for A YEAR. I had no idea what it was (came packaged in plastic) so I’d been throwing them out with other junk mail. Oops. Hope you get better use out of it! :)
February 4th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
I’m all about healthy cooking, especially if you two can do it together! I have felt so good (outside of pain) since I started my nutrition plan. Plus you love to cook so no love lost with Ms. Craig.
One little snippet… I am going to go to Canyon Land next weekend for a long hiking weekend! I went last year at the same time and loved it. It is really giving me something to look forward to. The BF and I are celebrating Valentines this Saturday since I will be out of town.
Also, have you heard of Avenue Q? We are going to see it tomorrow. I guess it’s like Sesame Street for grown-ups.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Oh my gosh your trip sounds AMAZING! I’m so jealous. I have to definitely schedule something fabulous like that.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:32 am
i hope you get to go to eric ripert’s website (there is a lot of selfishness in that wish, i want to hear/see all about it!) sounds like a fun trip you have lined up. gross about the salmon burps, i hate when that happens! part of the reason i prefer morning workouts, you don’t tend to have yogurt or oatmeal burps (or at least i haven’t yet!) i’ve heard of monkey bread and it sounds delicious but i’ve never had it or even seen it!
February 5th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Oh gosh, I have to avoid certain foods before working out. It’s so weird. The other day I had a boca chicken salad for lunch, and I ran 7 miles about 4 hours later and I just felt so awful!
Good luck being off JC! You guys will do great! I didn’t even think about the cost of it. Boo on that!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Your trip sounds fantastic, Nilsa! March is a great time to get away to somewhere warm.
I had a Taste of Home subscription given to me a couple years ago. I found the recipes too unhealthy and meat-centered for me at that time, so I passed it along to my mom last year to see if she felt inspired. I hope you keep finding recipes you like!