I had hoped to post a recipe for a PB2 granola that doesn’t taste like ass and is low in points, but that my friends, hasn’t happened yet.  But I had a parfait on my breakfast menu, and darn it, it’s just not the same without granola.  Why does granola have to have so many points?!   I had Kashi Go Lean in my desk drawer at work, but I still wanted granola, so I splurged (point wise not $$ wise) and picked up a box of Nature Valley oat and honey granola bars.  Two bars is 7 points, and while that seems like a lot (most granolas are 7-10 points per half cup!) the Oikos brand granola I bought was only 2 points, and I made a blueberry/cranberry one point fruit sauce, so 10 points for breakfast.  This was surprisingly filling even though it was so delicious I ate it in less than 10 minutes.

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It was near 50 degrees in Chicago, even if a bit overcast and rainy.  I’ll take it.  Today’s high will be about 20 degrees colder.  I spent 30 minutes eating my lunch and 30 minutes walking outside.  Since I mostly meal planned out of my freezer, I didn’t realize how much beef I had in the freezer, so the night before last I cooked off a 3 ounce piece to have for a steak salad.  I think I’ve talked about this salad dressing before (Randi and Rhonda told me it’s a Kroger brand) so it should be readily available.   Two tablespoons is 2 smart points.  And I do have veggies in this salad, they just all fell to the bottom of bowl.  Three points for the beef, 2 points for the dressing a 1 for the drizzle of shredded Parmesan cheese.

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If you live in a big town, you may have Divvy bikes – or bikes that you share.  As I was walking past and saw all of these bikes ready to go, I thought it might be a good idea to maybe get a membership to switch it up this summer?  They are all over the loop area, and the lakefront.  It’s $99 a year for a membership – but only for the first 30 minutes – then you have to pay $1.50 for an extra half hour.  But here’s my thought – what if you ride one bike for 30 minutes, put it back, and then just get another one for another 30 minutes?!  Worth looking into at the very least.

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So far I’ve enjoyed spacing out my weekly chores over the week, instead of doing it all on one day over the weekend.  Last night I had to get my tax stuff together, I registered my new insurance card online and at Walgreen’s, got gas, did a short Sam’s Club run before they closed at 8:30 (weird time to close!) and even purged a garbage bag of clothes from my closet to give to Goodwill.  So much adulting last night!

I am not sure I mentioned it before, but I’ve drastically reduced my t.v. watching.  Tony had the t.v. on 24/7 and I am more of a music person.  But that’s not to say I didn’t have my share of shows that I would DVR.  But every year I go through my AT&T bill and see what can be cut, and I realized the two channels I watch the most – HGTV and Food Network cost me $50 a month – the cheapest t.v. package that included those two channels cost me $69 a month.  Basic cable costs only $19.  Huh.  I suddenly realized how many times did I actually see a show I hadn’t seen before?  So many re-runs.  Was I really getting $600 a years worth of entertainment from those two shows?  When put in that context, the answer was a big fat Hell No!  So now Friday night is usually my Netflix night and I can watch This is Us on my AppleTV on demand. 

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I made a delicious FIVE point dinner, and you’ll see why I did that in just a minute.  Not a shocker – more beef!  This time a 5 ounce New York strip.  This recipe is so simple it shouldn’t even be a recipe, but I am going to type it out anyway Open-mouthed smile

You’re welcome!

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Gah, I cannot wait to have natural light again at dinner time.  This picture doesn’t do it justice, but this was a whole lot of goodness.  Perfectly cooked steak, crisp green beans and that hint of horseradish in the pan sauce was amazeballs.

So you want to know why I had such a point friendly dinner?

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Guess who got Enlightened Ice Cream in the mail?!!  That would be this girl.  And the funny thing is, I am not much of an ice cream person.  Hold up.  Let’s just say when I grocery shop it’s rare for me to throw any ice cream in my basket.  But this stuff?!  It’s delicious.  Low sugar, high fiber and most of them are 3 smart points per half cup, and that’s plenty for anyone’s sweet tooth.  I had 7 points after dinner and had 1/2 a cup of the frozen hot chocolate (amazing!) and a bite of the peanut butter, mint chocolate chip and oatmeal, and each one is amazing in it’s own right.   There is no “artificial” taste to them, they just taste like really good ice cream.  Mom, next time you come over you’ll have to try some!  I just called my dessert 7 points to make my day 30/30.  #bluedotstreakcontinues!

Time to get my stuff together – I haven’t put my food together for breakfast or lunch yet, but it won’t take too long.  I hope to make the potato and chick pea curry dish for dinner tonight if everything works out to plan. 

Question of the Day:  Love or Hate Indian Food?!

Make it a great day!