Quick Post

I am working this morning for a private party, so I am taking the train downtown this morning.   I like working private parties because I usually get to put the appetizers together and may be able to demo some of the recipes.  And I love this chef I am working with.  Her name is Tara, she’s a couple years older than me, but she has a 10 year old daughter.  I am not sure I could have a 10 year old at 50 years old, but I guess it would be strange for her to have an almost 25 year old like me!

I stopped at the store on the way home from my Mom’s house Sunday to just pick up a few things to have on hand to throw together.  I am working the next five days in a row (yeah!) so I didn’t do a true meal plan this week.  I always stop by the 50% off bin at Jewel/Osco.   I bought four thin pork chops for $2.17.  Nice!  Each one was between 3-3.5 ounces.  I for some reason wasn’t hungry when I woke up yesterday and ended up eating this brunch around noon.  A pork chop (3) with a fried egg on top (2) and a sliced peach on the side.  A filling 5 point meal.  Again, the runny yolk was for photographing purposes only – I cooked the crap out of it after that picture was taken

I had a bunch of errands to run and found myself with a bit of time before my haircut appointment.  It was after 3 and I was getting a bit hungry, so I stopped at Culver’s which is across the street from the salon.  The WW app showed that each buffalo chicken tender was 3 points each (I ate 3 for 9 points) and instead of getting fried cheese curds (um, yes please!) I got a side of green beans.

As I was eating my chicken I started tracking my food on my phone and was shocked to see that the serving of green beans was SIX smart points.  WTF?!  They must be sauteed in butter or a lot of oil.  Dangit.  So I ate half for a 12 point late lunch.  By the way, Culver’s has THE BEST chicken fingers.  Not greasy, actual chicken breast meat and so spicy good. 

No more ponytail option!  It just looks so much healthier.  It will probably never look like that again until I get it cut again, but it’s nice for one day!

Our weather has felt more like summer than fall – when I was driving the car said it was 82 degrees and at 10 last night, it was still 77 degrees and so windy.  While I loved the wind, I would have liked it to be at least 15 degrees colder.  It was weird sitting on my couch with a tank and shorts in the middle of October.

As I was driving home, I was happy there wasn’t a car behind me so I could take a picture of my favorite tree.  Tony used to make so much fun of me when I would declare “oh look how pretty my favorite tree is!” when the leaves started to turn every year.

I wish I would have had my DSLR with me, but that isn’t a bad iPhone picture.

Dinner was nice and simple – while it was national pasta day yesterday, I had grand ideas to make homemade pasta and sauce, and well, that just didn’t happen.  No worries, beef to the rescue!

Four ounces of sirloin steak with Hardcore Carnivore Rub (4) 1/2 a cup of Alfredo pasta (5) with garlic green beans on the side (1).  Oh, and a teaspoon of chimichurri sauce over the steak for an additional point.  So simple, so good.  Love.

I have to give a big shout out to my blog friend and now friend in real life (we’ve met 3 times!) Robin and her husband for publishing their first book.   She had a giant kitchen in her old house, hence the name of her blog, Big Red Kitchen.  Two years ago they turned their lives around by downsizing their 5,000 square foot house to a small 1,500ish square foot cottage with their three children.  I’ve actually been in the cottage and it’s adorable and everything just fits so well together and is so cozy. 

The book is available free for download in the short term, so check it out when you get a chance.  It’s so true that it’s not the stuff that makes you happy, but the family and friends you have in your life.   So proud of you Robin!

Alright, I have to get ready for work – make it a great day!