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On a Roll May 5, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Dessert, Dinner, Food, Goals, Motivation, Weight Watchers.
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More good news at my weight-in today!!! I have officially lost  removed 45.6 pounds since joining Weight Watchers. As my leaders says, lost implies that I can find it again, and I certainly don’t want that!

As a reward, I bought salmon from Whole Foods for dinner tonight. I realize that rewarding myself with food isn’t what I am supposed to do… but as my reward is a healthy meal, I decided it would be alright. Just this once.

For my ‘congratulations to myself’ dinner, I decided to grill salmon and corn on the cob with a side of quinoa salad. For a very special treat, a strawberry daiquiri to complete the meal.

This was my first attempt at grilling… and it came out quite well, if I do say so myself! For the salmon, I just put a touch of butter, salt, and pepper. Simple is sometimes the best. The corn was a little more difficult. Mostly because I didn’t realize that it took 20 minutes of presoaking in water. Still turned out to be very tasty, though! The daiquiri was a particularly delicious addition to the evening. I didn’t quite have enough strawberries, so added in some frozen mixed berries. Absolutely delicious celebratory meal!

 

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait September 2, 2011

Posted by cirellih in Craving, Food, Goals, Lunch, Travel.
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I GOT A JOB OFFER!!!!

Let me try that again….

I GOT A JOB OFFER!!!!!! Hurray!!!!

I realize that a month isn’t all that long to look for a job, but it seems like a long time coming! I’m going to be working at Chris’ high school alma mater, Fairview High School, as a school support assistant in the counseling office. Definitely pleased to be working full time and with benefits! Again, hurray!!!

Anyway, to celebrate I got myself a box of strawberries and paired them with my quinoa salad. Delicious!

It was just so pretty a day… all of the pictures look so beautiful! This week is shaping up to be a pretty great one. Got a job, got my 25 pound award, and this weekend Chris and I are going to a wedding! Definitely great if you ask me!

Quirky Quinoa August 27, 2011

Posted by cirellih in Food, Lunch.
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I have come to the realization that grains are not particularly easy to cook.

My first attempt at quinoa was salty.

My first attempt at wheat berries was an epic fail as you may have guessed… no appearance on the blog means that I burnt the entire pot after 45 minutes of simmering. Sadness all around.

My latest attempt at quinoa was a little overdone and bland. However, when I added in all the rest of the ingredients, it made for a delicious salad.

I decided to go in a Greek-ish direction for this salad. Lots of chopping was involved, but it was so worth it. Cherry tomatoes, carrots, cashews, and kalamata olives were all chopped up and added to the quinoa. Put a little feta cheese on top; have a little gingerberry kombucha on the side and you are in business.

The cashews and carrots added in a nice crunch. The feta cheese and olives gave it just the right amount of salt. It was a nice light summer salad all around.

Hopefully my next attempt at cooking grains will go perfectly… although I thought the third time was supposed to be the charm!

Gimme Some Grains August 23, 2011

Posted by cirellih in Food, Lunch.
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Today I went outside to check on my plants. It was supposed to a high of 95* today, so I wanted to make sure that they didn’t wilt away in the heat. Luckily, they seemed to be coping pretty well and my tomato plant had produced several delightful little fruits! Because of this, lunch was based on the bounty of my garden!

I give you a cold quinoa salad with carrots, my cherry tomatoes, and a chiffonade of basil from my garden as well. There is nothing like vegetables from your own garden. The freshness and satisfaction are beyond compare.

This salad was so easy, and took a relatively short amount of time. I simmered the quinoa for 15 minutes in one cup of chicken stock. While the quinoa was simmering, I collected the veg from my garden and chopped up the carrots. Let the quinoa cool a bit and then combined them all together. Easy peasy, and so yummy!