_bbR3iY5lLSjzaZNziPYc6VX6tk Inspiration CAN be found EVERYWHERE!: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Happy Monday

Oh wait - It's Tuesday ...........

Gotta love those long weekends -

they make for great short work weeks!

Energy Foods

On Healthmad.com I found a great list of foods called


1)Oatmeal
2)Peanut Butter
3)Avocado
4)Blueberries
5)Citrus Fruits
6)Watermelon
7)Yogurt (mmmm I love Greek Yogurt)
8)Apples
9)Sardines
10)Spinach

Ok I'm good ... I actually like all of these foods (and eat them as well).  Well I can't do number 9 .... unless of course its "hidden".

But it says ... don't forget

1)Figs
2)Beans
3)Lentils
And .........
4)Coffee (Ok I'm set)

Monday, May 30, 2011

God Bless the USA on this Memorial Day

I so love this song by Lee Greenwood.  

God Bless The USA

Memorial Day 2011

Happy Memorial Day to all.



As we indulge today in things like this .........


And having fun with friends and family doing things like


Let us remember the REASON for this day ........

To all who serve or who have served ........ THANK YOU

Friday, May 27, 2011

Her Divorce reasons explained

Take a break and read this funny story.

Why I Am now Divorced

Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up on that morning.

I went downstairs for breakfast Hoping my husband would be pleasant and say, 'Happy Birthday!', And possibly have a small present for me.

As it turned out, He barely said good morning, Let alone ' Happy Birthday.'

I thought.... Well, that's marriage for you, But the kids.... They will remember.

My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfasts And didn't say a word..

So when I left for the office, I felt pretty low and somewhat despondent.

As I walked into my office, My handsome Boss Rick, said, 'Good Morning, lady, And by the way, Happy Birthday! '

It felt a little better That at least someone had remembered.

I worked until one o'clock , When Rick knocked on my door And said, 'You know, It's such a beautiful day outside, And it is your Birthday, What do you say we go out to lunch, Just you and me...'

I said, 'Thanks, Rick, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day. Let's go!'

We went to lunch. But we didn't go where we normally would go. He chose instead a quiet bistro With a private table. We had two martinis each And I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

On the way back to the office, Rick said, 'You know, It's such a beautiful day... We don't need to go straight back to the office, Do We?'

I responded, 'I guess not. What do you have in mind?' He said, 'Let's drop by my place, it's just around the corner.'

After arriving at his house, Rick turned to me and said, If you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom For just a moment. I'll be right back.' 'Ok.' I nervously replied.

He went into the bedroom and, After a couple of minutes, He came out Carrying a huge birthday cake
Followed by my husband, my kids and dozens of my friends and co-workers all singing
"Happy Birthday".

And I just sat there ......

On the Couch .....

Naked.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

My week of The FreshDiet May 2oth

Here are some of the meals that I've received this past week while eating The Fresh Diet way, from the NY kitchen.  My wonderful TFD Delivery Person (Owen - HI Owen) just treats me so well.  He always leaves my bag right outside my door in the same place each night, so all I need to do is open the door and bring in my meals.  Even when its 5:30 in the morning - I can get my meals without worrying what I might find outside my door.  Thank you Owen for always putting a smile on my face.

I unfortunately don't have pictures of everything I've had this week - the gremlins are having a field day with my picture placements - but I will include those that I have available.

Monday May 16th was the start of an interesting week of meals.

Breakfast was Roasted Poblano Pico De Gallo Omelet with Queso Bianco & Whole Wheat Toast.
Although this was a rather thin omelet (I know it doesn't look like it) it was really good - the pico really made this an over the top breakfast.  They did omit the Toast ... but I added my own since I had whole wheat bread at home.

Lunch was a Philly Cheese Steak Whole Wheat Wrap with Sauteed Bell Pepper and Mozzarella Cheese.  Remember that commercial "Where's the Beef"?  Exactly what this reminded me of.  It tasted good but I didn't find any meat.





My snack was Mini Whole Wheat Sweet & Sour Sloppy Joe.  There was so much "meat" that it needed more whole wheat whatever - but that does seem to be a problem - NY does not seem to understand portions or combinations of items needed for an entree.  Granted this was a snack - but seriously, under that mound of meat is a little piece of bread/crostini and there was still meat in the cup!

Then came dinner, Grilled Chicken Breast with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce with Orange Glazed Baked Yams and Honey Glazed Beets. 


Dessert was White Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Cheese Cake ........ they still do make the best cheesecakes.  At least some things remain consistent.


These were from Tuesday May 17th.
My breakfast was the Fresh Fruit Salad, but all I have a picture of (or the only one I can find) is a rather nasty looking banana ...... and I'm sure you don't want to see that one.


Lunch was Whole Wheat Pizza Topped with Tri Color Bell Peppers and Mozzarella Cheese & Marinara Sauce.  I have always like the pizzas - they have some of the most interesting "toppings".  This one, although not that unusual, was very good.


Baked Sweet Potato Stuffed with Spinach and Gouda Cheese was a good bridge to dinner.

 
This was dinner of Szechuan Style Chicken Stir-Fry with Bamboo Shoots and Shredded Carrots, Chinese Black Rice and Roasted Green Asparagus.  This was not one of the better dinners.  The chicken was not chicken, it was tofu, and the sides were either overcooked/old/undercooked.  As I said not a good dinner.


May 18th brought a hope for a better day from the NY kitchen.

Breakfast was the Ham and Asparagus Strata with Whole Wheat Bread.  Now I had this entree before and absolutely LOVED it.  As you can see here this was an "afterthought" addition to my bag of meals.  The entire meals had 1 small dice of ham and a small dice of asparagus cut in half.  The egg and "cheese" didn't even cover the entire piece of bread ........ 3"x2"x1" was no where near enough to constitute a breakfast serving.  To say I was disappointed (and hungry) is an understatement.


Lunch was the Fresh Salmon Salad with Green and Red Tomato, European Cucumber, Baby Lettuce and Citrus Ponzu Dressing.   The greens were a little wet, before the dressing was added, and the red and green tomato was rather interesting since it wasn't either - it was a "partially" ripened tomato that was sort of green and sort of red.   And yes the cucumber consisted of 2 thin slices of cucumber.  Come on NY what is the problem?  I guess the cat's away so the mice are playing again ........ and NOT in a good way.


Dinner was Chicken Breast and Basil Pesto Roulade with White Bean Puree and Steamed Broccoli Rapini   I will admit when I saw this in the container, I was not at all happy.   But at this point I was hungry and decided I had to eat whatever was there.  I was pleasantly surprised - this was a good meal.  The chicken, that really looked rather blah in the container, had a nice flavor almost throughout, because of the Basil Pesto that was INSIDE a good part of the chicken. 


The Cranberry Orange Muffin was a good snack, but not enough to quell the hunger from the unsatisfying breakfast or lunch.  I bet if I had cut this in half and toasted in the grill pan with a little ICBINB it really would have rocked!


Dessert was the Lemon Zest Tea Cookies.  I have had these before, and until recently, it was always only 1 cookie.  Now we seem to get 2 on a regular basis - these are soft and chewy and very tasty. 

May 19th's dawned with the hope of the kitchen getting their act together again. 

Breakfast was a Mexican Style Omelet with Green Salsa, Sour Cream, Chives, Cilantro & Whole Wheat Toast.  The omelet itself was really thin but the salsa and sour cream made this pretty good.

I had a new entree for lunch Grilled Skirt Steak and Nopatitos Salad with tomato, cucumber, spring mix and cilantro lime vinaigrette.   I did take the skirt steak out for the salad and cut it into bite sized pieces before putting back into the salad but was pleasantly surprised with this salad.  The Nopatitos almost looked like green beans in the container - but had a nice bite to them and were definitely NOT green beans!  I really enjoyed this lunch - hopefully this will appear again before my time with TFD is finished.


My snack was Whole Wheat Chicken Tortellini with Fresh Basil - NOT a snack I would ever get again.  It tasted like the refrigerator tortellini you can get in the grocery store - but totally dry and crunchy - not even close to satisfying.


Dinner was Mediterranean Lamb Meatballs with Red Onions, Green Chiles, Cranberries, Cashews and Cucumber Yogurt with Pesto Pearl Barley and Portabella mushrooms.  I had this before, and thought that this was not improved over the weeks.  The cashews were whole, which made everything fall apart and to be honest, had better flavor before.  The Cucumber Yogurt was so watered down it was like pouring colored water over the top.  No this is NOT going to be added again.

Dessert was a Hazel Nut Espresso Muffin - not a bad ending to the day - but I'm not sure where that picture ended up.

Friday May 20th was a toss up of entrees.

Breakfast was a fruit salad that was not one of the better fruit salads I've had.  The strawberries were sitting in either water or juice (not sure which) that made them rather soft, the grapes were a mix of sweet and sour, the pears were a mix of brown and white, firm and overly soft.  The mango was diced so small I wonder if it was fresh or canned?


I had hope for the BTM Panini for lunch.  Even though it was a half of the roll - why I have NO idea really - but the mozzarella was a "full size" slice and the basil was a nice size piece - not a dice.  I did heat it up (after this picture) in a grill pan to make a real "panini".  It really needed something.  It was a "flat flavor" that even the tomato didn't do anything for.    But this could have potential.  Next time I will add my own salt and pepper to see if it helps with the "flat" flavor quality.


My snack was artichoke bottoms with cheese - these are always really good.  I could probably make a whole meal with these and a whole wheat ciabatta roll!


Dinner was a beef kabob with roasted artichoke hearts and garlic spinach and arugula  I'm not sure how I felt about this one.  The beef kabobs were more substantial than anything I've had this week for dinner and the artichoke hearts are huge!  I think I need to have the spinach and arugula again to decide if I like it or not. 

Dessert was a new one for me (and relatively new for TFD) White Chocolate and Rose Cheese Cake Cup. This was a very soft cheesecake, hence the cup.  But it did have a very nice flavor and consistency.  It is a tiny dessert, but it is a nice one to end the day with. 



If you want to check out the other pictures that people are posting of their meals - from kitchens all over, although it is mainly NY, CA and Chicago, you really should check out their photos on Facebook.  This are pictures that clients post of what they have received for the day.  I sometimes check these out when I'm trying to decide what to have in the coming weeks.  That way if something is "new to me" I can see what to expect.  I will admit, I usually look for those from the NY kitchen so I have an idea about what I will get, since kitchen similarity/consistency hasn't worked, in my opinion.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Fresh Diet Meals

I don't know if you've been missing my daily posts of my meals from The Fresh Diet, but I have missed posting them.  Even though I hadn't been doing posts I was still taking pictures, still trying to decide which meals I liked, which ones I loved, which were ok and which would be better not gracing my little buddy again.

So without further ado, I'm going to share a few of the meals I've had lately.

How about the Cape-cod wrap with spinach, smoked turkey, caramelized  red onion and cranberry relish


Or White Albacore Tuna Salad with Baby Lettuce on Spinach Tortilla


Here was an Orzo Salad that is part of the new menu options - for me it was a pass.  I have been told that the first time it was offered it was different and much better.  Hopefully they will go back to the "original" of this salad.


How about an Angus Beef Burger?  Everyone was hitting "The King" for lunch one day and I just smiled and had my Burger and didn't feel like I had failed ....... I felt like I cheated and was pretty proud of it!



And who says you have to give up pizza when you are on a diet?  Certainly not The Fresh Diet.  They have some great options here too.  How about Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato?  Before TFD I wouldn't have thought of this but it was really good.



Or a snack of Turkey Taco with Sour Cream, Cheddar Cheese and Salsa on a mini corn tortilla.  I had to fight off one of the girls in the office who is doing Weight Watchers with this one ...



Filo Cup Stuffed with Guacamole, Black Beans and Corn.  These were so cute and  really good, could have been a little spicier ... you know with a little salsa, but hey I still enjoyed them - really hit the spot and will be on my list of "pick me" items.






And cookies?  Oh so good ... almost makes you feel like you are cheating - 2 cookies and good sized cookies at that on a diet?  Yes it is possible.  These are Lemon Zest Tea Cookies.  Sometimes the zest is on top and other times its "part of the cookie".  Either way these are really good.  I love that they are nice and soft but still have a chewy texture. 


Now these were just my way of trying to make myself feel special after a horrible day.  I put my Vanilla Pecan Pudding in these cute little cups (long ago somebody brought these as part of a dessert tray).  It really did make me feel better and really hit the spot.  Because they were in 2 cups, I was able to make these into 2 snacks ....... so that day I got 3 "legal" snacks.  See I really was able to make myself feel special ........


And just in case you aren't a breakfast person - no I wasn't before TFD either - they really do make breakfast an event. How about some Roasted Poblano Pico de Gallo Omelet with Queso Blanco and Whole Wheat Toast for breakfast?


Or one of my favorites from the "new" menu options The Ham & Asparagus Strata with Whole Wheat Bread.  Let me tell you THIS is a keeper for sure.


I have to say this is a great breakfast item.  Although this was the breakfast I had on May 5th and the "plating" was so appropriate for Cincho de Mayo ... I always do the plating of this dish this way - makes it seem even more special.  Granola and yogurt or Granola and ricotta cheese with fruit is a wonderful way to start the day.  And yes it is surprisingly very filling


Here is another surprisingly filling breakfast - Italian Style Scrambled Eggs with Herbs, Diced Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese with Whole Wheat Toast.  I have to say that I really enjoyed this one and was surprised that I wasn't starving by lunchtime.  You really should try this if you haven't already.

Peanut Butter Muffin with Honeydew melon and Yogurt.  I love all the muffins that are offered.  They really are surprisingly filling - even though at times they are small - but I'm sure its the whole wheat and sometimes oats that help with the filling feeling.  I haven't had one in about a month - I'm thinking I have to go change my menu options to add one soon.


And strawberry stuffed french toast is another favorite.  They have an apple stuffed french toast too that I really like - gonna have to look for these options.  I've been doing a lot of eggs lately .... might night to revisit my options again.


Now you see that being on a diet is NOT eating cardboard.  It is NOT eating out of paper cartons or powdered drinks ..... you really can eat REAL food and be happy while the weight continues to drop. 

I will get back to posting every day, I promise.  I do enjoy filling you in on my options and now that things have calmed down I have no excuse for not doing so.  I promise I will start letting you see my world of food so that you can decide that The Fresh Diet IS the way to go.  If you are ready, give them a call at 1-866-FRESH50 and tell them I sent you - Sales and Customer Service ROCKS!  And if you are looking for some great support ....... check out The Fresh Diet Facebook Page - we are one big happy (well most of the time) family.  And they have some awesome contests that the Fearless Leader likes to run.

Stay tuned for today's meals coming to my page in the morning.

Monday, May 9, 2011

9 Things that Women Say that SHOULD make men afraid - very afraid


1) Fine
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2) Five Minutes
If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3) Nothing
This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4) Go Ahead
This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!

5) Loud Sigh
This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6) That’s Okay
This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7) Thanks
A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’, that will bring on a ‘whatever’).

8 ) Whatever
Is a woman’s way of saying F– YOU!

9) Don’t worry about it, I got it
Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’ For the woman’s response refer to #3.

Now men, you have been "clued in" or "warned" however you want to look at it - so now repeat each of those points so that you will have committed them to memory.  We don't want you to be making any mistakes would we?

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

guess who i get to see?

Im so excited, I can hardly contain myself.

I get a visit from TFD Fairy tonight !  I cant wait.  Pictures to follow .... tune in tomorrow for the return of my Fresh Diet Buddy