I had so much going on before work yesterday!  I had a blog reader ask how I could make granola before work and I have a secret.  Well, it only takes less than 5 minutes to mix everything together and 30 minutes to bake.  I make sure that I leave myself at least 20 minutes before leaving for the pan to cool slightly.  Then I take it to work on the pan, put it on my back seat, roll down the window and it completely cools by the time I get to work.  It’s best when its completely cooled before breaking it into pieces.

I actually wasn’t very hungry for breakfast yesterday, so I had a mango Chobani and 1/2 a cup of granola.

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For lunch I had on our Friday grill out menu Coney Island hotdogs, orzo salad and chips.  Around 11:30 I started to prep – and you have to give me props because I chopped up white onions for my co-workers.  Apparently they all love onions!

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I knew storms were coming, so I quickly got the grill going – about 15 minutes after I shut off the grill, it was a major downpour.

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The recipe for the coney sauce came from here.  The only thing I left out was the onions.  Duh.  I figured out the calories to be 61 calories per two tablespoons, which is plenty.  It has a nice mustardy kick to it.

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The orzo salad recipe I got from here – (well, tastespotting is down, so I will have to link to it later).  I did adapt it though:

Summer Orzo Salad

  • makes 8, 3/4 cup servings
  • 201 calories, 2.6 fat, 38 carbs, 2.8 fiber and 6.5 protein

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked orzo (from 1.5 cups dry), cooled
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • juice from one orange
  • zest from one orange
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
  • 1 cup corn – I cut off corn from 3 cobs I grilled the night before
  • 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

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I would have loved to add chopped jalapeno to kick it up, but everyone loved this.  They also loved these chips!  #sodidI

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On my drive home I am always flipping the XM channels – I stopped on Britney Sprears because it reminds me of my step daughter-in-law – she puffy hearts Britney.  I sent her a text of this picture saying “jamming to Britney!”  She replied “Yay!”  And it was 1999 Britney to boot!

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I think its fair to say that when you move to a new town, once you get the lay of the land, one of the first things you try to do is find a good Chinese food place.  We found one in Barrington, can’t even remember the name of it, but the first several times it was stunning.  Then the quality started to dip, but we kind of went with it.  Until the last time we went, Tony ordered something with beef and it was completely raw.  Not too long afterwards, the place went out of business and now it’s a realtors office.

There is place in Fox River Grove that has turned over at least 4 times since we’ve lived here the past 13 years.  But really, all they did was change the name, the menu was practically the same and the food was mediocre.

So a couple weeks ago, I was driving home and yet another sign said “Now Open – Yummy Asian Bistro.”  In the same damn location.  I looked it up yesterday, and of three yelp reviews, all were very positive.  Huh.  I suggested to Tony that I bring some home, sent him the link to the menu, and he chose the chicken lo mein.

Me?  I love, love, Tom Yum soup.  And after the storms passed through the temps were about 68 degrees, so I ended up getting that, a small brown rice, an order of steamed potstickers and Tony’s lo mein – $20 bucks out the door, including tax!

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While Tony loves sushi – the raw shit I mean – he was leary to try it at a place that just opened, so we will wait to see what other people think of it.

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Oh.Em.Gee.  That Tom Yum soup was probably the best I’ve ever had.  You know I love spicy, but it has to be flavorful spicy.  This was perfect – it took the heat level up to a place where it was  almost too spicy, but it wasn’t.  Two giant pieces of shrimp, some veggies and only $4!  The pot stickers were good too – the ginger dipping sauce was excellent.

Tony loved his lo mein, just wished there were more veggies, like bean sprouts, carrots, etc.  I hope this place stays open because we will definitely order from there again. Open-mouthed smile

So, you made it all the way down to see how my Week 3 of the Diet Bet and Insanity is going.  While I am only on Day 16 today out of 21 days, I don’t care – I’ve been pretty consistent – I never thought I’d last the 16 days to tell you the truth!

May 31 I was 175.8.  Today I am . . .

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168.6!!  That’s down 7.2 pounds since May 31!!

But I know I earned it.  I’ve been drinking a minimum of 2 liters of water a day.  I abstain from alcohol Sunday through Thursday, I work out most lunches and I have pretty much kept up with Insanity.  So maybe my 10 pound weight loss goal I should reward myself with a pedicure! Open-mouthed smile

I haven’t told you yet, but I am going out of town again the week of July 4th.  My Aunt has a lake house in Roanoke.  Longtime readers will remember my Uncle passed away there last year – I love that he made it to the lake to pass away, it was his favorite place.  But it’s a big property to maintain, so my Aunt is selling it, so we are headed there for one last hoorah.  It will be great family time, good food, lots of swimming and I plan on bringing Insanity with me!  (I know, I am insane!)

My mom’s cousin posted this picture in a group family email.  This was 1969 so my Mom would have been 29 and my Dad 31.  My sister and I are probably 15 months, so my brother was 3 1/2.

1969

I can’t believe how dressed up they are!  I can assure you I will be in my bathing suit, shorts and a t-shirt the whole time. Open-mouthed smile

Alright, off to clean out the fridge and freezer, it way too full for just two people so I think I’ll try to menu plan based on things I have on hand – should be interesting!

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday.