Let’s go back in time for a bit, shall we? Maybe 25 years ago, I ate TWO apple fritters on the way to work. Then I would get a frappuccino with my co-workers when I got to work. That would be 41 points right there and it wouldn’t even be 10:00 a.m.!
Lunch would be Sbarro – it was right by my old office and I used to get a combo – slice of deep dish meat lovers pizza with a side of bread sticks with garlic butter dipping sauce. That meal would be 25 points on today’s program.
Afternoon snack? Garrett’s combo popcorn – duh! That would be 15 points.
And let’s say I met my friends out for dinner at an Italian restaurant – I’d order gnocchi alfredo, and have a couple drinks – dinner would be 43 points.
Total for that day?! 119 points! And I would do it all over again the next day – no wonder I got to 211 pounds!
Work treats are a constant it seems. But I made it work in my breakfast – I cut 1/4 of an apple fritter, had my egg, and melted two teaspoons of reduced fat peanut butter in the microwave to drizzle over my apple – this was a filling breakfast! And guess what? I savored every bite of the apple fritter.
The Biz and Jenn show is back on the air! I think I hadn’t seen her in like 10 days with her work schedule and my vacation. It was nice
It was a perfect day in Chicago yesterday – 73 degrees, no humidity and blue skies as far as the eye could see.
I can’t wait to grocery shop this weekend! Other than lunch, I’ve been able to put breakfast and dinner together with what I’ve had on hand. Yesterday I grabbed a buffalo chicken side salad from Freshii, and added sliced apple and string cheese when I got back to my desk to bulk it up – this was really tasty. Oh, and I added everything but the bagel seasoning – I put that shit on everything.
I was thinking in my head on the way home from work about what I could make with shrimp. I knew I had some in the freezer and that I had bacon, and suddenly I thought, “I can make my skinny shrimp carbonara!”
Hannah, however, was giving me crap because she had a bag of chopped veggies – broccoli, bok choy and mushrooms – I asked if I could use that for my dish and she was like “but those are Asian vegetables.” What? They weren’t seasoned with anything, so they became pasta carbonara veggies! I also had some leftover corn and jalapenos, so that went in the mix too. Trust me, this combination works!
The egg and parmesan cheese is the sauce to this dish – I also reserve up to 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water to add to the sauce – I probably added 1/4 cup of the water to the sauce. To avoid cooking the egg/cheese mixture – once you add the hot pasta, stir for three minutes, adding pasta water as needed.
I cheated and used bacon bits, but the result is the same – a nice salty bite to the dish. I cooked the shrimp in 1 teaspoon of grapeseed oil, and once cooked, removed to rest, then cooked the bacon bits, leftover corn and about 3/4 cup of the “Asian” veggies in a skillet and cooked for a couple minutes, then mixed it all together and topped it with the cooked shrimp.
[sp_recipe]
This dish is a food memory for sure. It was one of the first dishes that Tony made for me after we got together. I’d never heard of this dish before. He cooked up about 6 slices of bacon, left all the bacon grease in the pan and tossed the noodles in the bacon fat – delicious, but holy balls I don’t want to think of how many calories that dish would have been. My plate comes in at 9 points: 6 for the one cup of pasta, 1 for the oil, 1 for the bacon bits, and 1 for the Parmesan cheese.
And um, yeah, I am going to have to get this recipe from Hannah – she made it last night right before I went to bed – it was delicious and not too sweet, which is why I loved it. It’s low carb and sugar free too! I’m such a proud Momma
I killed it on the steps, although I wish I would have paid attention to how close I was to 17k steps yesterday!
I had to work late yesterday so didn’t hit the gym – hoping to not have to work late tonight so I can get some strength training in – I know I am fine on the walking for cardio, but it’s time to kick it up a notch.
Happy Thursday! Make it a great day!
We must have been twins.
23-25 years ago…I didn’t cook.
I would walk the mile to work underground through the DC area. I would pick up a ham, egg, and cheese bagel on the way in.
For lunch, I would wander back to the underground with my coworkers. I had three favorites. From the deli: Reuben or tuna salad sandwich (you k now, the fattiest things you can get!), or from the Mediterranean place, a vegetarian wrap.
Of course, being in the Navy, I worked out several days on lunch break – aerobics, running. I was taking night classes a couple of times a week, and volleyball the other nights.
On the volleyball nights, we’d go play our games and then go to the sports bar. Beer, fries, spicy deep fried chicken sandwiches.
It’s a wonder that I only capped out at 140-ish back then, but I was working out a lot.
Then I moved to California. My workouts dropped to some elliptical at the gym and some walking along the bluffs. My husband was in Finland for that summer. So I started eating lunch out with my coworkers. Big salad and a personal pizza. Almost every day. Sometimes burritos instead. As big as your head. No surprise there that I was at 158 within 6 months and 175 within a year and I capped out at 182 – because when hubby came back I matched him bite for bite. All before ever having babies. (I didn’t even hit that weight with my first pregnancy.)
For sure one of the best things about not being an “adult” aside from no bills is not having to think or wonder about calories at all. Heck I don’t think I even knew that was the measurement used for food until way into my teen years even then I didn’t know what a carb or protein or fat was. I never struggled with my weight until I started eating fast food and dating when I was 16 then I learned really quick you can’t eat as much as your boyfriend and not expect to gain a lot weight duh..
Did you say apple fritter? Yum!! I have such a hard time with sweet stuff. If I buy it I want it all. I bought a Tiramisu the other day and ate the whole thing in two sittings. I did enjoy each and every bite. I may have actually smiled as I ate each bite. Your pasta dish looks amazeballs and also the cake thing Hannah made. Hope to see that recipe on her instastory soon.