Thanks to everyone who shared their worst date stories yesterday – so fun to read! š
Yep, our balmy January has been replaced with snow. It’s just so weird that on Wednesday I was running outside with just a t-shirt (well, and pants too!) and today the high is going to be 20 degrees and we have 6 inches of snow on the ground?
I had the last of my MIL’s bread – same plate as yesterday, except I added 1/2 cup of cherries to the mix – no new picture though – still an 8 point breakfast.
Work went by fast because I had a half day. Tony had his one month check up from his hernia surgery and I wanted to see how things were going. I think we both thought he’d be farther along in his recovery by now. The verdict? While moving slowly, Tony is healing – no sign of infection at all! He still has a drainage tube in and we go back in a couple weeks to see if it can be removed then.
The doctor also said to stop taking an antibiotic CIPRO that he’s been taking since his knee infection in 2008 – he’s been taking 500 mg twice a day for almost 4 years and just doing a tiny bit of research that may be the cause for his insomnia, lack of energy, etc. Any of my blogging friends know anything about this drug?
Before we left I made a quick sammie – ham/salami/spinach and cheese arnold thin sammie – with lots of jalapeno mustard – lunch comes in at 8 points.
After running a couple errands, we were back home by around 4:00. I nearly always have a stack of recipes printed out of things I want to make. One of them was Nicole’s banana cranberry granola bars – mostly because they actually turned out into bars – both of us have had trouble keeping the bars whole and not crumbling when they were cut.
So I pull out her recipe – only to discover I have hardly any of the ingredients. What the hell was I thinking? So while my recipe in no way, shape or form is anywhere near Nicole’s, I am saying her granola bars inspired me and my ingredients were put together with what I had on hand.
Orange Pecan Granola Bars (makes 10 – 175 caloires, 7 fat, 26 carbs, 3.3 fiber and 3.4 protein, or 5 WW points)
- 3 cups quick oats
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 4 ounces orange (pulp and juice from one orange)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 ounces chopped prunes
- 3/4 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 350. Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet. My pecans were already toasted, so I skipped that step. And because I am a lazy cook sometimes, I just threw all the ingredients into the bowl and mixed well.
Pour mixture on a baking sheet and using a bench scraper, make the sides straight. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is brown – mine took 35 minutes. COOL COMPLETELY. Remove parchment paper to cutting board and cut into 10 servings.
The verdict? Delicious! I love the bright citrus note and the chewy chopped prunes – suprisingly not too sweet either, which I like. I can see myself having half of one of these prior to a morning workout. š Hannah didn’t like them at all because they weren’t sweet enough for her – that’s okay – more for me! They actually stayed together – woot!
Tony didn’t eat lunch until we got home at 4, so dinner was solo again for me. I had defrosted chicken breasts and couldn’t decide what to make, so went with the obvious – chicken tacos!
- 3 tostadas (4 points)
- 3 ounces chicken (3 points)
- 100 calorie wholly guacamole pack (2 points)
- red and green peppers (0)
- cilantro (0)
- lime (0)
9 Points total – nice!
I didn’t end up working out yesterday, so Thursday will be my rest day and I’ll work out on Sunday.
I have to be honest, my snacking was back this week big time – I ate the last the Chex mix one night before bed (about a cup) and last night? Four handfuls of pretzels before I stopped myself – I just can’t have that shit around, its too tempting for me. Weirdly a plate full of cookies can be on the counter and I am not tempted at all.
What are you – sweet or salty snacker, or both?
Still going to WW tomorrow though – have to face the music! Maybe my exercise this week will be my saving grace? Happy Friday!
Unfortunately I am SUCH a salty snacker that I can’t even keep pretzels in our apartment. I eat them at an alarmingly fast rate…
Your meals look so delicious, for some reason that egg made me REALLY want to hard boil some of the ones in my fridge.
I know what my afternoon is going to look like, eggs and granola bars! Thanks for the recipe š
I am madly in love with the Beaver mustards… and the 12 year old boy who rules my sense of humor likes to say beaver. Beaver. Beaver. Beaver! š
Definitely a salty snacker. I have had bowls of chocolate on my counter since Christmas and I might eat 3-4 M&Ms in a day. But I can eat tons of chips and crackers.
Glad Tony is progressing, even just a small amount.
I made them and they rock. I used dates instead of prunes and I added a couple of tablespoons of splenda. My orange didn’t yield as much juice as yours but it was still orangey and good.
Still no snow here in MN but the cold is here!
Woot! Glad you liked them!!
I love salty stuff, especially right before that time of the month!
Pre WW I was SUCH a sweet snacker but now I crave saltier foods!
I howled when I read your worst date story from yesterday. Just imagine what your life would’ve been like if you would have started dating that guy.. That would’ve made a horror story! š
So you finally got some snow! Not much snow here in Finland. Yesterday it rained, now if freezes so I refused to get out today..
The tacos look beautious!
Have a great weekend, Biz!
Those granola bars are screaming my name! Can you hear them “Come to me Skippy, Come to me!” Dang those look good.
I know nothing about Cipro, sorry, but glad Tony is right on schedule for healing. I bet his appetite improves when the remove the tube. Don’t know, but that is what I am hoping.
I am neither snacker – I have never, ever been a huge fan of sweets and well. . .salt just isn’t an option anymore. But I will have an occasional chip with fresh salsa – but I can stop at one chip because it is just enough. If I do snack it is either on veggies or cereal. I love dry cereal. Go figure. [I think it is the “crunch” factor. My husband thinks it’s funny when he sees me eating dry cheerios or Special K. Meh.]
Chronic antibiotics are no fun, but not uncommon if you have an infected joint because those are just tough to treat. I work with an orthopedics clinic and I see this a lot. Good that he can get off those, though!
I imagine it will help his body along to start working on things itself. Not sure if that makes sense or not.
I must try those granola bars.
I feel you on the snacking this week but luckily we’ve had some great weather so we were able to get outside! I think if we focus ont hat it’ll make us feel better…right?
No snow here, but hopefully we are going to get some rain next weekend…we’ve gone almost two months w/o any rain and that’s majorly bad for CA…it’s means we are going to have some gnarly bad fires this summer. No fun.
Man that snow makes me jealous! While it will be colder here, I don’t think we have any white stuff in the forecast š
So glad to hear Tony is doing so well!
Lately, I have been in the mood for both salty and sweet. I indulged in a few pretzels with nutella the other day..just amazing!
Have a great weekend, Biz!
Hehe – so glad to hear you wore pants with your tshirt to run! š
I’m a snacker, too, but bring on the sweet stuff. I have a hard time resisting frosting! My finger seems to swipe the frosting every time I pass a piece of cake or whatever has frosting on it. Lol.
The tacos look so good! I love colorful food.
The lack of snow around here is kinda creepy to me. Its 50 degrees out today!
I guess I’m a salty snacker, since I tend to go for nuts…but clementines have been calling me like mad this week, so there’s some sweet, too.
Holy moly on the 4 years of Cipro! I had no idea they would keep you on an antibiotic for so long!!! Glad to hear Tony is healing so well – continued good thoughts on that end for him. š
I go for the salty! I’ve been trying to find those potato chips from your previous post but can’t find them here in WA.!
Those tacos looks great, and so does your sammie. I love jalapeno mustard too! š
I’ve not heard of anyone being on an antibiotic for that long, but sure hope that going off it helps Tony feel better and get some sleep! :0
We have snow in our forecast for this weekend and the beginning of next week; we will see! It’s cold now, 23*! Have a good weekend Biz!
I just got up to check if I had an orange and I do, I am totally making these bars today. Right now in fact. I don’t have prunes but I’ll use dates and I might just add a bit of splenda as I like a bit of sweetness. So I’ll listen to Hannah when she says they aren’t sweet enought. š I’ll let you know how they turn out.
I definitely lean towards sweet. Ice cream, chocolate, peanut butter, cookies…doesn’t matter. Every once in awhile I’ll want something salty so I steal some of my husband’s snacks. š
Drink lots of water and hopefully that flushes the salt out of your body. Wishing you much scale love!
I was on CIPRO for a week for a bladder infection and got nervous after doing some research, like you. But I was concerned about tendon rupture (even after the treatment is long over!) since I work out a lot. The doc/drug co say it’s a small risk, but the anecdotes on the web by people who have taken it are alarming. So…..I just think you are smart to look into it .
I go for the sweet stuff. Frozen yogurt, ice cream, chocolate. But my salty downfall are tortilla chips, I love them so much!
Those granola bars look so good. I would make them more often but my kids don’t like mine, grrrrrr. Kids taste change so often I should try again in a few months.
I’ll ask my sis and Dad about that drug. Unfortunately we are very well acquainted with drugs in our family.
Yum, I’m going to try to make those bars when I get back home. I don’t like them too sweet either, so those will be perfect for me!
We’re getting snow now too, I guess we got lucky with a mild winter for that long.
jalapeno mustard? I must find. The bars look fabulous. Great job working with what you had on hand. Glad Tony is progressing without infection! I’m soooo all about the salty. Hope the weigh in goes well
Mornin Biz! I think those granola bars turned out great! I wouldn’t mind if they weren’t super sweet, although I would put a few chocolate chips in there š
No snow here but that cold weather is headed our way. Talking about single digit temps overnight. Even with my treadmill in the garage, that’s tough!
I now have so many recipes I want to try I have decided to put them in a 3 ring binder organized by category. I’m tired of all the 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper all over the kitchen lol!
Have a great weekend š