Caroline Dines

This morning started out the best way possible: cottage cheese, citrus fruit and a good book (Precious, saw the movie, now want to read the book!) I tried a new brand of cottage cheese today which I can’t say that I loved. I think this is the first time that I actually preferred the non-organic brand (Hood) to the organic brand (Organic Valley). It’s edible but it just has a slightly weird taste.

Before my run I wanted to give myself an extra boost of energy so I thought it would be a good day to try this Trader Joe’s Super Green Drink. I mixed it with the Whole Grain drink (which I am actually not crazy about) and hoped for good results. Unfortunately it was inedible. I am not sure if the Whole Grain Drink had gone “off” or what. I made up another batch using just water and was able to stomach it but just barely. I was terribly sad since I LOVE amazing grass shakes (straight up with water even!) and had high hopes for this. Oh well, back to Trader Joe’s it goes. Did you guys know about their return policy? Apparently if you try something and don’t like it you can bring it back opened and without a receipt for a full refund. I am going to try it tomorrow. This thing was 20.00 bucks so I feel it’s worth the effort. This is probably the first and last time I will ever need/want to return something to Trader Joe’s. Normally they are right on the money!

Even though we had some misses with my earlier eats, I felt properly fueled for a 5 mile run along the Charles. I geared up from head to toe and was pleasantly surprised with how sunny it was outside. The wind was the hard part but I made it just fine and felt totally refreshed when I got back. I love nothing more than a good run! Oh well actually I take that back, a good wrap is hard to compete with and this one was certainly a contender. The same as the other day just with more spinach and less turkey. Crunch, crunch, crunch (that’s the sound lots of spinach and pickle slices make)

My afternoon turned into a lovely “date” with my cousin Meg. I got all cleaned up and even put on my new scarf made just for me by my Nana. She reads the blog so I wanted to show her how good it looks against my black coat! I love the ruffles too, I guess it’s called a “Potato Chip” scarf, fitting for a food blogger, let’s just make sure it’s a potato chip of the baked variety! Thanks for the beautiful scarf Nana!

Meg and I had plans to see a movie downtown but before we hopped on the T we had to make a very important pit stop at Berryline. Meg had been browsing on line the other night and found that the Fenway location was now serving Nutella and Maple Raspberry flavored Fro Yo. She texted me immediately to let me know and from there our day was planned. After sampling both flavors, and tweeting to get your opinions, I went with both! The Nutella was amazing but the Maple Raspberry was equally stunning in quality. I got a few pieces of waffle cone as a topping. I hope you all appreciate the lighting on this picture, I literally almost lost the whole cup when a huge gust of wind hit. I was quite the scene trying to photograph and eat ice cream on a 30 degree December day!

Once we were safely back in the car I got one more shot. I recommend you run, not walk to this Berryline if you are anywhere within a 5 mile drive. The flavors will not last, they rotate them out quite frequently and this one is totally worth it! 

 After my fun afternoon “out” it was time for work. At least things here are quiet and it’s my Friday so I can’t complain. I enjoyed a few slices of cheese pizza and some left over broccoli and carrots from last night which were even better the second time around.

And even though I already had a dessert treat earlier today, I had to try the chocolate cake that was baked from scratch here tonight. It was literally just delivered to me as I sit so how could you say no. It had a buttercream frosting too, my favorite. Can you say “holy yum”!? Enjoy your Thursday night!

P.S. How creepy do I look in the mirror? I have a couple places in the office that have o.k. lighting for pictures and sometimes that means that I end up in the background!

So I am assuming you all guessed by the picture that our last little stop in Bethel was to purchase this years Christmas tree? We didn’t waste any time setting it up (it went up Saturday night) and have both been enjoying the comforting glow ever since. Christmas trees are very personal in my opinion. Everyone has their own taste and opinions about lights, garland, tinsel, ornaments etc. Growing up my family always had the BIG colored lights because that’s what my parents grew up with. While most people frown on these lights since they could be considered a fire hazard (whatever!) and are generally accepted as “tacky”, I still love them. I consider myself especially fortunate to have a boyfriend who feels the same way I do about Christmas lights.  Big colored lights all the way (and a few strands of tinsel for good measure!).

Now that you have seen our little tree in all it’s nightime glory, let’s rewind to talk about the delicious food for today. With no food in the house, breakfast was kind of decided for me. It was an o.k. meal but I am kind of getting sick of these muffins and the little yogurt cups from last week.

It was enough to get me through a SUPER intense yoga sessino though so I can’t complain that much. I started up with Baptiste Power Yoga again yesterday. I took the month of November off due to sickness and injury but am completely committed (financially and mentally) for the month of December. It feels great to be back in the 96 degree studio even if I was dying today after what seemed like the 98th Chaturanga Dandasana (low plank). After yoga, I made my to Stop and Shop to pick up some things that I find hard to get at TJ’s. I got myself home as quickly as possible since it was raining and I had a heavy load (I always buy too much on foot!). I was also starving by the time I arrived back (close to 1p.m.) and made myself exactly what I was craving.

I drank an entire bottle of Poland Spring Seltzer while devouring this salad plate. It consisted of the following: regular spinach, hummus, sliced Boar’s Head turkey (I hadn’t had my fill from T-Giving), organic baby carrots, feta, and balsamic vinegar. This has got to me one of my favorite lunches of all time. The way that the balsamic mixes with the hummus? I am truly salivating right now and I just ate dinner!

The perfect ending was this delightful clementine that I bought on sale today. There was a whole bunch of them in the “reduced” produce section and I scored about 15 of these little guys for $1.69!!! It’s citrus season!

After lunch I just “bummed” around the apartment. I had every intention of cleaning up a little bit but somehow I ended up on the couch watching a movie! I think yoga wiped me out. I got myself up and showered just before work (sometimes it’s really nice living where you work). I grabbed a handful of these before heading into the office.

Work was particularly busy tonight so I didn’t get to eat until around 8:00 p.m.! Luckily I had pulled out two containers of Chili and two pieces of cornbread from last month’s Recipe Night for Darin and myself. Nothing better than an already made meal on a night when you have no time to even eat. This chili tasted exactly the same as it did a few weeks ago, if not better.

I added shredded cheese and crumbled the cornbread right over the top so that it soaked up all the flavor. Chili is my ultimate comfort food I do believe, chili and cornbread that is!  Every bite was a blend of veggies, ground beef, beans, cheese and corn bread. I love mixing the textures and flavors.

And since I had a somewhat “light” day of eating I decided to go for a petite vanilla scone which were donated by Starbucks.

Are you bored of breakfast shots yet? I am. The hard thing is I rarely feel like making anything in the morning and cereal is just so darn comforting to me that it wins out every time. This morning my Shredded Oats were strewn across some Apple Yogurt. I actually went back for another scoop of cereal, this time with some Almond milk. No matter how hard I try if I have cereal and milk around I just need a bowl at least once a day.

Today was one of those days where there is a lot that needs to get done but you feel yourself dragging with every task. Laundry x3, Baking x2, and cleaning consumed most of my morning and early afternoon. I took a break with a fresh out of the oven Apple Cinnamon Muffin. The recipe is from Elana’s Cookbook so I can’t share the exact proportions but I will give you an idea of the key players. These guys had Almond Flour, Agave, Grapeseed Oil, Apples, and Cinnamon and a few other ingredients that you probably suspect. I was pleased at how cakey they came out and how rich the cinnamon flavor was. They got a little bit burned on top which probably has something to do with the Agave which tends to burn faster than sugar. All in all they tasted great and I am happy to be bringing them to Maine for a breakfast treat this Thanksgiving weekend. That is, if I don’t eat them all first.

After all the laundry was folded and the apartment was starting to look recognizable again, I broke for lunch. This was one of the quickest and most satisfying lunches to date. Left over Spaghetti Squash. Feta and Marinara sauce are definitely one of my favorite combos. Some might find it weird but I just can’t get enough. The spaghetti squash didn’t lose any of it’s “al-dente-ness” from last night. It still tasted like pasta to me!

I managed to get my squash dish all prepped for dinner on Thursday too. I basically made them but didn’t top them with cheese for the second baking. I’ll do this right before we eat so that it’s fresh and bubbly out of the oven! I think I am going to pick up a little more squash tomorrow and make it up with some butter and brown sugar (the way my Grandfather loved it) to have on just incase anyone wants the regular version. Also, it will mean left overs which I think you can tell are my favorite part of any meal. Dinner was a classic that I haven’t done in awhile. Tuna Fish Sandwiches!

Since today was Bagel Tuesday, I wanted to incorporate the super fresh bagels that had been taunting me all day long. I scooped out the middle (I know I saw someone on here do this but I can’t remember who!) which left me with a perfect shell to scoop the Tuna Fish. I really recommend this method for any of you who love bagels but could do without all the calories and carbs. My favorite part of the bagel is the outside anyway and I really didn’t miss the handful of doughy bread that I scooped out.

My Tuna was made with Light Hellman’s Mayo, Garlic Salt, and Pepper. I use a lot of Garlic Salt which probably isn’t the best for you but I need my Tuna salty, it’s just the way it goes. On the side I had some carrot spears with a little dipping sauce (mayo and ketchup! weird I know but it’s tasty), and pickles (the last of the jar).

This meal totally hit the spot and left me pleasantly full. I am trying to avoid the Fro Yo tonight because I might have had a bit too much last night. My sweet tooth may allow me to skip dessert and replace it with a cup of hot tea tonight. I know that the next few days are going to be full of decadent desserts so I am trying to balance things out early!

Happy Friday, Thursday everyone! I get confused because it’s technically my Friday today since I don’t work Fridays. It truly was a happy day though today and it started out on the right note with a comforting bowl of Shredded Oats, Banana and Almond milk. I ate my cereal while watching the Today Show. I know it’s not really news at all after the first half hour but it’s kind of a routine now and what can I say, I like it.

This morning I attended to some tasks that I have been putting off. This mainly consisted of emptying trash, vacuuming etc. Then I attended a work meeting. Not the most exciting of mornings but necessary. The whole time I was in the meeting, I was thinking about my yummy left over lunch waiting in the fridge. I was going to eat the heated up squash with crackers but then at the last minute added a sliced apple to the mix.

Good thinking on my part. The squash and apple on top of the cracker was the perfect flavor trio. Creamy yet savory and sweet and crisp. Delicious. And there’s still more in the fridge! I am telling you one squash goes a long way when you bulk it up!

Immediately following lunch, my cousin Meg showed up for our weekly Thursday chat. Instead of hanging inside we realized that we could walk and talk outside. I think this will become a new routine since we both like walking. We also incorporated a trip to Trader Joe’s which we both LOVE too. Let’s just say that a lot of conversation on the walk revolved around food choices and what we were going to be purchasing on our trip to TJ’s. I picked up some essentials as well as a few treats. We came home to enjoy a nice cup of coconut tea…

and a…crumpet! I absolutely adore crumpets; the doughy texture and the holes that hold the melted butter so well. These were Cinnamon Crumpets to be precise and the smell of them in the toaster almost made me think I was waiting for a warm cinnamon bun to come out of the oven. I kid you not! At 110 calories, 0 fat and 2 grams of fiber, I think I might be incorporating tea and crumpets into my diet more often!

And if you guessed that I would be dining on pizza again you were right. I had to pick up the latest installment of our J.P. Licks Ice Cream supply (Vanilla and Chocolate Chip Cookie Yogurt) so by the time I got back I was starving. Lucky for me the pizza had already been delivered. All I had to do was heat a couple slices up and dig in.

I added a salad after I ate the first piece. Gotta get in some greens!

And my day finished the same way it began. With a banana. Although this time it was in the form of an ooey gooey cake made by our “Top Baker Volunteer”. Cream cheese frosting, super moist, and big banana taste…THE PERFECT ending to a long week.

This is kind of the way our car ride went this morning. Every other station that Darin turned to was some Christmas song and I just wasn’t having it. His face kind of lit up with the sounds of Bing Crosby, Andy Williams and especially when Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time” came on. It was hard to say no, but I have to stick to my guns. For me Christmas is such a special time of year. I feel that if I start listening to the music and decorating early (before Thanksgiving) then it will lose it’s sacredness and become ordinary. I understand that so many people start listening earlier and earlier each year because it is simply fun, but for me I have to keep Christmas relegated to November 28th through January 1st. On another note, Darin was pretty good and sick this morning which prompted me to walk to CVS to restock our Comtrex supply. On the way back I thought it would be nice to surpirse him with a breakfast sandwich from Bruegger’s, plus I was craving this irresistable combo.

A pumpernickle bagel toasted with light garden veggie cream cheese. A little Sunday treat for myself and boy was it ever worth it. We ate our bagel delights while watching Season 7 of Curb Your Enthusiasm. We’re about 5 episodes in and it’s starting to get really good with the whole plot revolving around a Seinfeld Reunion! Seinfeld is probably my top show of all time. I could watch re-reuns every day and it would still never get old.

The day was spent cleaning, writing, reading, and a little more t.v. watching. I put together this re-run of last night’s Indian food for lunch. A little bit of everything, but this time placed on a bed of baby spinach for some extra GREEN.

Since my mouth was still craving more after the Indian Salad, I gave in to a Cranberry Vanilla Pudding. This one was almost all Cranberrry sauce which I didn’t mind at all

So far I haven’t gotten hungry for dinner. I had this perfectly ripe and juicy pear at 6:00 p.m and am still waiting for the real hunger to kick in. I think tonight might end up being cereal since I had more of a “dinner” meal for lunch.

A rainy Saturday is actually the most comforting of days in my opinion. I don’t feel the pressure to get out do something and it’s totally acceptable to stay in your pajamas ALL day. Darin and I have been “holed” up here in the apartment all day. He’s sick and we’re both pretty content to not have to go anywhere. This morning I had another bowl of cereal with a mug of tea.

Lunch was very small since I wasn’t that hungry and wanted to use my small plate again! It contained an array of roasted veggies, creamy hummus, crackers and baby spinach.

The afternoon was scattered with naps, reading, blogging, and eating. I munched on some peanut butter filled pretzels and washed them down with a diet root beer! Yes, I drank a diet soda this afternoon and it tasted so velvety smooth that I wondered why I have eliminated them from my diet. Oh yea, artificial sweeteners aren’t that great for you. At least this one didn’t contain aspartame. Is Splenda any better?

I was trying my hardest to get us motivated to leave the apartment for dinner but after making my case I realized it just isn’t that nice out there! It has been POURING all day long. Why bother? We’ll get out tomorrow I am sure and tonight take out was just too enticing to pass up. We ordered off of Foodler.com which is really great in my opinion since it has lots of options organized by type of food. We were craving Indian and went with Gourmet Curry House in Coolidge Corner. We ordered the following: Bhel Poori, Chicken Korma, Saag Paneer, and of course Nan. All three of the dishes were delightfully pungent but a little heavy (the cream in the korma hit me hard!). The good news is that the portions were small and we don’t have tons of left overs. I am sure Darin will eat them all anyway

Dessert was a repeat of last night. I think the extra 24 hours in the fridge really made the difference.  The tartness of the cranberries was perfectly subdued by the sweet vanilla cream.

Happy Friday All! As you can see in the pic below, I made it out of the house for the first time in two days! Despite the cloudy skies and windy conditions it felt AMAZING (and my ankle felt great too!) I had my trusty ankle sleeve on and tied my shoes nice and tight. I took it really really slow too. I would have worn my air cast but you simply can’t put a shoe over that!

Before my walk I had a bowl of what else, Barbara’s Shredded spoonfuls. I couldn’t bear to take another picture of it so I didn’t. My appetite has been weird again today (probably just getting over the cold and not exercising) so I didn’t eat again til around 2:00 p.m. when I got home from my walk. I did a little window shopping and some actual shopping in Coolidge Corner. It was fun to look around and get some ideas for Christmas but I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to buy a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need. I actually stuck to it and found three awesome deals: a shirt from gap for $2.97, a plate from Pier 1 for $2.00 and a place mat from Pier 1 for .98 cents! This was 6 dollars well spent in my opinion. I didn’t waste any time using my new purchases.

I have never owned a square plate before and was so excited to use it! The food I put on it wasn’t half bad either It was only the sweetest carrot, the creamiest hummus, and some extra crispy reduced fat wheat thins (TJ’s). This snack totally hit the spot when everything else I thought of kind of made my stomach turn.

My cousin Meg decided to stop by tonight since her plans changed for the weekend (feel better J!). I was psyched to hear she was free since Darin had plans of his own and I was looking for company. We got busy prepping our desserts when she arrived. I mixed up 1 box of Trader Joe’s vanilla pudding with 2 cups of cold skim milk. I have had this pudding on hand for awhile now, just waiting for the perfect excuse to make it up. Do you remember the cranberry sauce from yesterday? Well with only 1 tablespoon (roughly) of agave added to the whole bag, let’s just say it came out rather tart! I wanted to find a way to sweeten it up with out adding a bunch of sugar…and then it hit me!

Cranberry Vanilla Parfaits! I made up 4 ramekins for the week and then artfully prepared these two goblets for Meg and myself to enjoy later on.

Dinner HAD to focus on the amazing “roast up” and there was no better way to serve them then on a bed of fresh baby spinach. I added a drizzle of balsamic to awaken the flavors. I heated the veggies before adding them to the spinach which actually served as a nice way to wilt the spinach ever so slightly. Who needs to go out to dinner anyway

Meg had some left over curry from Thai Night and I scored a bit of her sauce to add to my salad.

After dinner (I know we were a little backwards tonight), we made ourselves a POM cocktail. We kind of didn’t have as much alcohol as we expected (probably a good thing) but they were tasty none-the-less.

Annnnd the pre-made dessert did not disappoint.  Mmmmm….the perfectly balanced spoonful

Happy Friday! I had a leisurely morning, taking advantage of the fact that I had nothing important to do today and that it is technically my Saturday. I woke up with Darin at 7:00 (per usual) and then ended up reading up on some blogs and watching Dexter in bed. I fell asleep again and woke up at 9:30!!! I guess I needed it Anyway I was hungry at this point and made myself a simple bowl of Barbara’s Shredded oats, almond milk and raisins. On the side I had mango green tea and some sweet apple cider.

I had to take a picture of the time to document how late this breakfast was! Not typical at all!

After getting my act together I decided to go for a run. I had planned to run the river again but this time go in the Cambridge direction. I love running along the river and this route reminded me of my training for the marathon last year. I used to run the whole length of the river and then some during really long runs. Today I thought I would do about 7 or 8 miles and packed my fuel belt up with some sport beans, water and of course my camera. I also brought my T pass, my credit card, and an I.D.  just in case. When I run this far away from home I need to be prepared. It wasn’t super sunny but the weather was mild and quite enjoyable. I ate four sport beans and drank some water at which I now realize was about the 6 mile mark.

So I kind of just kept running. I had my iPhone synced up with some awesome Pandora radio stations and I was in the zone. I ended up running a lot longer than expected and was really surprised when I mapped it out on gmaps pedometer back at the apt. 11.1 miles!? The good part is that I feel great. My hip is awesome and I really don’t think I over did it. I made sure to ROLL myself out and stretch for a good half an hour (while watching the Biggest Loser!). I ate this apple as soon as I returned home.

After a lovely HOT shower I made myself some lunch. I knew I had a lot to replace so I went big. I made a wrap using the left over chicken korma and havarti. OH man this was delicious.

For some a veggie component I had some cauliflower with bean dip on the side. And of course a pickle!

Laundry, CVS, and putting together my Halloween Costume are on the agenda for the rest of the afternoon. Enjoy your Friday everyone!

I’ve been a bit neglectful of the blog today since I was on the move most of it. An early morning yoga sesh got the day started on the right foot. I then had to woof my breakfast down (not fun to do with such a delicious bowl of oats) in time to take a shower and get to the Haley House on time. Here’s my oats:

The T was so late. I literally waited for 30 minutes for one to come and then when it did it was too full so I had to wait for the next. I was aggravated because I didn’t want to be late for my shift. Even though I am volunteering they do rely on me to take over the shop and I need to be there on time! I was only 15 minutes late which wasn’t TOO bad but I felt like a loser anyway. It was somewhat of a slow day due to the nasty weather outside. When customers did come in they ordered hot soup and hot coffee. I sampled the soup (per usual) and had a corn muffin on the side. Today’s soup was African Peanut which has been deemed my favorite thus far.

The corn muffins are also stellar. I read up on the ingredients when it was slow and found that they contain organic grits. So that’s what makes them so “gritty”. I love me some texture. They’re also small, the size a homemade muffin usually comes out, which is the way they should be in my opinion.

I really wanted one of these bad boys but I held myself back, barely.

On my way back home I made a pit stop at the Copley Place mall to pick up a few things. By the time I left the light drizzle had turned into an all out downpour. Good thing I was prepared with my umbrella. And too bad it basically snapped in half the second I stepped outside. It was a wee bit windy. Oh well, at least I was on my way home. Once I arrived, I promptly changed into comfy clothes and ate some more leftovers for lunch. They looked exactly like yesterday’s (but I served it in a tupperware container which wasn’t very photogenic) if you care to peek.  Work time came on fast and before I knew it dinner time was around the corner. I had intended to get some groceries on my way back today but due to the monsoon I opted to run straight home. Tonight I looked in the freezer for inspiration. Hmmmm…TJ’s individual chicken breasts, ezikiel bread, broccoli….and on my pantry cart some Korma Sauce. Sounds good to me

I cooked the chicken in the microwave (most of the way) and then cut it up into bite sized pieces and added it to the Korma sauce that was already heating. The sauce was purchased at TJ’s awhile back and has just been waiting for the perfect night. I even threw in some raisins because I love they way they taste in this sauce.

Darin kind of laughed when I told him on the phone what we were having. He always calls to ask and tonight I said “chicken, broccoli and toast”. I admit it sounded a little odd but once again it all came together nicely. Darin actually ended up saying “wow this is really good for being a ‘throw together meal’”. I took that as a compliment

This afternoon I went for an almost 6 mile run. The total distance was close to 5.8 miles and there was a pit stop at Best Buy to replace some headphones (Darin’s) that I accidentally washed and dryed this morning…ooops). The run felt good. Rolling before and after definitely loosened me up a bit. I wouldn’t say that all my pain is gone but it’s manageable where before I felt like I couldn’t sit down without pain. I was pretty hungry by the time I returned home (2:30 ish!) and made myself a bowl of leftover goodness from the other night. I could have eaten the whole portion but I wanted to save some for tomorrow since it was good enough to want to savor. I heated the whole mess up and then drizzled balsamic over the top. I then sprinkled some pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries for added crunch and sweetness. I really couldn’t get enough of the hummus today so I added a plop of that as well. Why are roasted veggies soooo much better as left overs!?

 Dinner was one of those “we have no food!” meals. I called Darin from work to find out where he was in hopes that he would stop at TJ’s and pick something up. Instead he talked me out of buying more food and just focusing on what we already had in the fridge. This was a smart idea because we had enough to make something decent and delicious as it turns out.

Behold. A turkey bologna, havarti cheese quesadilla with honey mustard! Carrot fries were served on the side of course. I find this is the best way to eat carrots that have somewhat gone soft if you know what I mean. It’s strange. I buy carrots from the Farmer’s market and they get soft after 5 days or so. I would think they would stay fresher longer since they are just that, fresh. When I used to buy baby carrots (which really don’t taste like carrots to me anymore) they would keep forever! What gives?

 Anyway. The quesadillas were to die for. I mean anything with melty cheese and honey mustard is good in my book. The Turkey Bologna was thrown in to use it up before it went off but it did add an interesting flavor.

Dessert was similar to last nights. Actually it was exactly the same and it was just as delicious. Just to point out the museli is completely unsweetened. This is no honey sweetened crunchy delicious granola. If it were I might not be twitching as much as I am thinking about the candy corn out on the kitchen counter. Breaking the habit is hard!