It’s so weird to see Christmas decorations in stores when it feels like the beginning of summer!  But, true to Chicago weather, I predict in three weeks we’ll have a measurable snow – that’s just how it works in the midwest!

While I had pumpkin pancakes on my brain, I decided for 1/2 bagel egg sammie with 50% reduced fat Cabot cheese, 1 egg, 1 piece of bacon and 1/2 a jalapeno bagel (which I found in the deep freeze – score!)

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Hannah had to work today and Tony met Joe for the Bears game.  I was alone in my house!  This hardly ever happens, even with just three of us living here!  My first thought was to just veg in front of the t.v. and watch FoodTV.  But then I knew I had to straighten up the living room, dust, vacuum, laundry, etc.  I decided to give myself one hour of blog reading and FoodTV watching, and then I had to get going! 

By the time the chores were done, it was almost 1:30!  I wanted to take our dog on the trail today.  He gets so excited driving in the car!  Sadly, all the trails I normally take him to are closed due to deer shooting.  One weekend in the fall and one weekend in the spring the nature preserve thins out the deer population.  As we passed each trail Ed was whimpering louder and louder!   So I basically took him on a 10 minute car ride!  I did walk him around the neighborhood for 20 minutes – that made him content!

When I got back from the walk, I was HUNGRY!  I remembered I had leftover pizza dough, so whipped up a quick red pepper pizza.  I ate half which was 4 ounces of dough, 1/4 cup sauce, 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese.

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And of course no Sunday could go by without some Bizness in the kitchen!  My friend at work is coming back from a long weekend in Paris – lucky girl!  I thought she might not have had a chance to go to the store, so I am bringing her and her husband my spicy chili.  I wondered what I could make to go with it, and cornbread seemed like a simple solution!

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Easy Cornbread

  • 2 cups corn meal mix
  • 1 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs

Heat the oven to 450.  Grease a 9×9 pan and put it in the oven.  Once the oven comes to temp, add the mixture to the sizzling pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

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Then I made stuffed shells for a dinner later this week.  I love coming home and just popping something in the oven!  I’ll post the recipe the day we eat it! 😀

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Chicken breasts were on sale for $1.29!  I decided to make chicken tostadas when I saw these in my grocery store:

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They were really light and crispy!

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I marinated the chicken in the juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and garlic.  I fired up the gas grill since I knew they wouldn’t take too long.  The only downside of grilling in the dark is you sometimes can’t tell if the meat is done!  Happily, they turned out perfect – nice and juicy!

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My plate: 2 tostadas, 2 ounces of chicken, 2 tablespoons guacamole, 2 tablespoons refried beans, lettuce, taco sauce, banana peppers (added at the table!) and diced red pepper.  At the table I nibbled on about 1 more ounce of chicken and 3 tortilla chips! 😀

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Stats for the Day:

  • 1272 calories (+ about 200 calories for licks and tastes while cooking!)
  • 47 fat
  • 144 carbs
  • 74 protein
  • 18 fiber
  • 20 minute walk with dog
  • chores! (yes, I am counting that as exercise!)

I had a great grocery shop weekend!  It feels so good to be prepared for the week!  Between two stores I spent $124.

Breakfast:

  • pumpkin pancakes
  • stuffed apple with cheddar and granola
  • taco egg burritos
  • herbed goat cheese potato and zucchini frittata
  • Biz classic egg sammie on tiny whole wheat bagels

Lunch:

  • pumpkin soup with romaine salad
  • ham and spinach grilled cheese with veggies and hummus
  • spaghetti squash chili
  • taco soup with chicken cheese quesadilla
  • veggie pizza on low carb wrap

Dinner:

  • pork chops with scalloped potatoes
  • chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella with garlic mashed potatos
  • super stuffed shells with spinach salad
  • teriyaki turkey tenderloin with steamed broccoli and brown rice
  • party pizza Friday??!! :D  I think I may make a Mexican Pizza on Friday if Tony isn’t sick of pizza!

Check out Errign’s Giveaway – A Bead of Love Bracelet and a Bag of Goodies! 😀

Hope everyone had a great weekend like me! :D  See you tomorrow night!