Pet Peeves.

Pet Peeve #1: When people are pushy about religious topics & manage to shove their opinions down your throat.

With that being said, I give you the verse of the day.  These verses are posted everyday to give an encouraging word and start your day off on a positive note.  It’s just an aspect of my life that I find valuable and want to share with you, for no other reason but that.

VOD:

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.”

- Job 19:25

Breakfast was an old classic filled with fiber & protein.

Greek yogurt + SF Log Cabin with Fiber Select for crunchy topping.

Lately on the way to work, I’ve been hitting crazy amounts of traffic.  I’m not sure why because I haven’t had issues since winter when the weather conditions weren’t so great.  There have been no accidents, rain, or anything else that would hinder the flow of traffic, but somehow people FORGET how to merge onto the highway. 

Pet Peeve #2:  Drivers who are NOT passing but are content to drive in the left lane, staying even with the people in the right lane & allowing NO one to pass. I lie.  Pet peeve #2 is simply drivers with no common sense in general.

Desk lunch.

 Can you tell I <3 Fiber Select?  It’s like honey, cinnamon, crunch, and oatmeal flavor all rolled into one filling cereal.

I packed a typical veggie tub of cucumber fries, cherry tomatoes, orange pepper, cauliflower, & 1 single celery stick (from the middle of the bunch, the whitest of the white!) with some homemade honey mustard for dippage.  Then I blended some chocolate mint protein milk (Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Mint + water/ice) for eating with my cereal come lunch time. 

Pet Peeve #3: Being called a “vegetarian” at work because I eat healthy.  Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against vegetarians or vegans or any type of eater for that matter, but it’s annoying when the foodie-uneducated just make assumptions and even after CORRECTING them, continue to call you the “vegetarian-weird-health-food-eater“.  Hellooooo, do I get on YOUR case for eating McDonald’s everyday for lunch? No?!  Then leave my veggies, protein shake, & cereal alone, please! Thanks. 

Orange snacky.

These two partners in crime were consumed after work before hitting the gym.

Cinnamony & microwaved.

At the gym, I tried really hard to stay focused on interval work while I was on the elliptical to get the most out of my workout .  I stayed on that sucker for about an hour and 3 minutes doing about 9 miles & burning 710 calories.  No, I don’t aim for a calorie burning goal, more like a distance goal.   

Pet Peeve #4: The girls at the gym who do ABSOLUTELY no work.   They simply walk around sipping their water bottles, talking to all the guys or yapping on their cell phones.  DRIVES ME NUTS!  Who can afford to pay for a gym membership and not even TRULY use it?! Anyone else feel my pain on this one?

After cardio, I hit the machines for a quick circuit:

• 4 sets of 15 sit ups on the incline bench
  (totals: 60 right elbow to left knee, 60 left elbow to right knee, & 60 middle)
• 3 sets of 25 hip adductors (110 lbs.)
• 3 sets of 25 hip abductors (110 lbs)

By the time I got home, I was craving veggies as usual.

I sliced up some cauliflower, sprayed a non-stick baking sheet with Pam, re-sprayed & sprinkled with garlic salt & pepper.  I popped the tray in the oven for about 25 min. at 375º.

  

roasting action.

 

While it was roasting, I ate the last little bit of my noodles (less than a serving!) 

 

Fiber gourmet rotini with Light Ragu.

and threw together a kitchen-sink salad as Iowa Girl would say, with all the veggies I could find in my fridge.

 

topped with homemade honeymustard.

 I found this gorgeous bowl in the cupboard and decided it was DEFINITELY blog worthy. 

 

gorgeous!

Later on, I found out that the bowl was my Mom’s great grandma’s and that if I ever touched it again, I could consider myself crucified. Note to self:  don’t blog bowl search within the FF household.

Before I knew it, a “ding” went off in my head to check the cauliflower.  Perfect timing!

holy deliciousness.

I washed it down with a shamrock shake chocolate mint protein smoothie. Optimum Nutrition strikes again!

Chocolate Mint.

Using the xanthan gum that THIS doll sent me, this shake was so thick and creamy.  Janetha B.  YOU ARE THE GREATEST.  Thanks so much.  I will be ordering this. 

Then, I packed my lunch & my girl Mandy came over to watch past OTH episodes and catch up since it had been awhile since she saw it last.  We watched the episode when Hailey’s mom passes away & it ended in tears for us. 

What to do when you’re feeling sad?  HAVE DESSERT, of course

I made Mandy a thin mint milk shake with vanilla ice cream, girl scout cookies, & some peppermint syrup + milk.  For myself?  Why, I TOO indulged in a girl scout cookie flavored dessert

Boo yahh.

Deep chocolate Vitatop topped with a mixture of Oikos greek yogurt + Walden Farms calorie free chocolate syrup + SF peppermint syrup.  Duhh.  Heavenly.

Sooo guysssssss that was my night….now, tell me…

What are some of YOUR pet peeves?

Allen’s Vegetables + Recipe Contest!

 

Exciting news in the wonderful world of vegetables!  The largest privately held vegetable company in the nation, Allens, Inc. has announced that it will be holding a FEAST YOUR VEGGIES ON THIS recipe contest in which the finalists will be judged on innovation, flavor, and visual appeal for a chance to win a ONE YEAR SUPPLY of Allens brand vegetables. 

Runner ups will receive a SIX month supply!  In celebration of the contest, Allens was kind enough to send me three of their tasty blend to try out! 

Allens is a family-owned and operated company, which I’m a total fan of and are headquartered in Siloam Springs, AR with a wide variety of canned goods and frozen blends, along with seasoned blends and original varieties.  Almost anything you can think of!  Greens, beans, hominy, cabbage, carrots, peas, succotash, and potatoes.  I didn’t even put a DENT in the full list!  The three cans that I received included:  Seasoned Pinto Beans with Vidalia Onions, Seasoned Green Beans & Potatoes with Vidalia Onions, and Squash with Vidalia Onions.  Good thing I like vidalias, huh!?

Squash with Vidalia Onions

First up was my favorite.  I absolutely LOVE squash.  I love it even more when I don’t have to prepare & season it myself! The convenience of these cans which are already seasoned to perfection make quick and easy side dishes that make pulling together a healthy dinner easy peasy. 

Each serving is only 25 calories!  That’s probably for the better since I could eat the entire can in one sitting.  No shame.  Haha.  It’s okay!  They’re vegeeeeeetables.  The only thing you have to be careful of is the sodium content.  Being canned, I expected those stats to be a lot worse, though!

Another weird note:  I liked this cold!  Straight from the can.  I’ll bet it’s yummy warm though, too! 

Seasoned Pinto Beans with Vidalia Onions.

Seasoned Pinto Beans with Vidalia Onions.  This had mexican dish written all over it.  As you may remember, I used mine to make bean burritos

Perfection!

and mexican salads!  Deeelish.  The onions in these canned goods aren’t overwhelming and strong.  They’ve got more of a subtle sweet taste that only adds to the spices and beany flavoring. 

They’re packed with protein & fiber, as you can see:

And contain 20% of your DV Iron in just 110 calories!

Last but not least, we’ve got the Seasoned Green Beans & Potatoes with Vidalia Onions.

Seasoned Green Beans & Potatoes with Vidalia Onions

Being that I’m not particularly a fan of white potatoes, I tossed those from the can and just ate the green beans and onions.  Don’t worry!  They didn’t go to waste.  I microwaved them for about 1 min. added a splash of milk and butter, mashed them, added a dash of parsley, and served them to the ff sister, who DOESN’T even like onions, but LOVES mashed potatoes.  She asked me when I had time to make homemade mashed potatoes?! Haha.  When I told her they were from a can containing a food that she despised, she couldn’t believe it!  That’s how mild the oniony taste is.  The green beans were good by themselves too!  If you like home cookin’, these seasoned blends are for you.  They taste buttery and homemade just like the ones you get on holidays with rare family get-togethers.

However, unlike the fat laden dishes around the family table,  this green bean medley has just 40 calories per serving along with 10% of your DV Vitamin C!  Sodium again, is a little high, but what do you expect from the canned stuff?

As I was trying these products on their own, I was conjuring up alllll kinds of different ways I could use them in some KILLER recipes.  I know you guys are creative, so now is your chance to be rewarded for it!  Here’s how to enter:

To enter the contest, all you have to do is complete an entry form online or you can send a post card or 3X5 index card with your name, address, and contact information, along with your original recipe to: The Allens Feast Your Veggies on This Contest c/o 6110 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus Ohio, 43231 or you can post it on Allens’ Facebook wall!  You’ve gotta hustle, though!  Contest ends May 15, 2010 and winners will be chosen June 1st!   For more information, checkout the website!  Thanks for the info, and hooking us up, Lesley!