Make More Memories and BSI – Salsa

I loved all your comments yesterday about taking time to hang out with Hannah.  Even more so when I read this sad news.  I’ve been to her blog off and on, but she’s much younger than me and I’ve never commented before.  Sophia brought my attention back to her blog this week.  Turns out Monet’s sisters family was in a car accident on their way home from a cruise in Florida over spring break.  A mother, father, and two sons.  The youngest son died pretty much at the scene.  He was only 13.  The father has brain damage and has yet to ask where he is.  The mother didn’t survive her injuries and died yesterday.  The 15 year old son, the driver, was the only one wearing a seat belt and I believe pretty much just walked away.  It was a one car accident.

And then there is this story.  A husband and wife are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child.  They end up having a c-section, so the wife is not able to hold her daughter right away.  The time comes for her to hold her daughter, she stands up, says “I feel light headed” and they rush her back to her bed, but it’s too late.  She’s had a pulmonary embolism and dies the day after her daughter was born.  Her husband became a father and a widower in two days.

I don’t mention these posts to be morbid.  Quite the contrary.  When I read events like this, it nearly stops me in my tracks.  I think we get so caught up with the day to day shit that we don’t stop.  Take a breath.  Appreciate what we have, not what we want.  Make sure to tell those around us that we love them.  Because you literally never know if it will be the last time you see them.

So let’s all make a pact to make more memories – okay? 😀

I was on a Mexican theme for breakfast and lunch as soon as I opened my jar of salsa.  Breakfast was 2 corn tortillas, 1 egg, 1 ounce of black beans and sliced peppers, covered in salsa. 😀  Breakfast was only 5 points but it was surprisingly filling.

I knew I wanted to run on the treadmill at lunch.  My blood sugar was 160 prior to a workout.  I think I’ve found the perfect pre-fuel snack – a banana!  It was perfect, it wasn’t heavy.  After my 5k run, my blood sugar was 110 and I felt great the entire run. 😀

You know I bring lunch for two co-workers.  They always rate my food.  Yesterday’s zucchini lasagna made my one co-worker say “today was the best day of the week because it was lasagna Wednesday.”  I always tell Tony that I am “changing lives, one day at a time!”  But he doesn’t like most of the food I make, so he kids me and tells me that they probably don’t have any taste buds, and that’s why they like my food!

But yesteday’s lunch just made #1 on my friends list of dishes I’ve made.  I literally put it together before work, its that easy.   I had the giant leftover grilled turkey breast.   I planned on making 12 “tacos” but had enough filling to make 13.  The best part – 3 tacos are only 5 points!  Thanks for hosting BSI this week Tina!

Turkey Tacos

• makes 4 servings (3 tacos each) for 5 PointsPlus

Ingredients:

• 13 corn tortillas
• 5 ounces cooked turkey breast, diced
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1 cup grilled poblano pepper, chopped finely
• 3 ounces black beans from a can, drained (which is only 1 point – I would have added more!)
• 1 cup salsa (or make my baja fresh salsa shown above!)
• 2 ounces Pepper Jack Cheese

Mix the turkey, zucchini, chile, black beans and 1/4 cup of the salsa together.  Steam the corn tortillas for 1 minute so they are pliable.  Divide the turkey mixture between 13 (or 12) tortillas.  Lay them face down in a baking dish.  Pour 3/4 of the remaining salsa over the top, and cover with the pepper jack cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, just until the filling is hot.

Slight problem – the corn tortillas really crumbled after the baking, so for my portion, I just cut it up with a knife and fork, spooned the mixture over 1 ounce of tacos and kinda had turkey taco nachos – each splashed liberally with Tabasco!  Out of the oven they looked pretty though!

I have been enjoying the cookbook my PIL’s gave me.  One of the recipes that caught my eye was a recipe for Involtini, or beef rolls.  Because these recipes are from a Tuscan kitchen, the recipes are somewhat vague, but that’s what I like about it.  You can almost imagine making this in a Tuscan kitchen, tasting as you go along.

The base of the sauce was one 28 can of whole Italian plum tomatoes that I cooked down with a splash of red wine, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  After about 15 minutes I pureed the sauce with my stick blender.

Meanwhile, I took two 4 ounce pieces of round steak that were pounded thin.  Added 1 ounce of mortadella over the top of each piece of meat, then 1/2 an ounce of shaved Parmesan cheese.  Roll up, secure with a toothpick, and brown on all sides in a non-stick skillet that’s sprayed with Pam.

Once the rolls are browned, simply add them to your tomato sauce that’s been simmering for about 20 minutes, while the potatoes are cooking.  Mash the potatoes.  Place on plate, with the meat on the side and pour the tomato gravy over the top.  My plate comes in at 11 delicious points – if I could have licked my plate I would have! 😀

And I apologize for my dinner picture . . . that’s what happens when your blood sugar is low – I only took two pictures before I had to eat!

Stats for Thursday:

• 38 points (including veggie chips and wine later in the evening)
• 45 minute treadmill, 5k run of 38:10 😀
• average blood sugar, on the low side – 91

Any weekend plans?  Tony may be up for seeing a movie – we’ll see!  Make some good memories! 😀

Don’t forget . . . Monday I’ll pick 4 winners of the new Rocco Dispirito’s Now Eat This Diet cookbook! 😀  Click here to enter and good luck!