General Tso's Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup, Sticky Rice, Edamame

Last night Jonathan and I decided to take it easy and order Chinese from Chinatown. Jonathan ordered Shrimp Curry and I ordered General Tso’s.  We then proceeded to sit on the floor and watch back-to-back Bones…’cause we’re slothful like that

Usually I love Chinatown’s food—they’re an interesting place for your typical Chinese. A huge menu and an even bigger winelist—and usually, usually the food is super good. But my General Tso’s sucked last night. Too much fat, too much dark meat and just…gross. I ate maybe two-and-a-half pieces. Jonathan liked his, though.

We ate it with another Navarro wine, the ‘Edelwicker’.

Navarro Vineyards "Edelzwicker": Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris

Perfect match for Chinese food! A little sweet, a little full and a dry finish. Perfect for fatty and sweet/sour tastes.

Kung-fu Kitty looking for Chinese food

Ninja! From under the couch.

This morning I got up early and had a peaceful breakfast.

Spinach smoothie, Yogi Digestive Health cereal, PG Tips tea w/ milk & sugar

Loving this cereal!

For lunch I made up a couscous pilaf.

Moroccan-spiced couscous with currants, chickpeas, carrots and spinach

Moroccan Couscous

1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 c. broth, vegetable or chicken

1/4 c. water

Dashes of: cinnamon, cumin, cardamon, coriander, salt and black pepper

1/2 c. currants

1 c. chickpeas

1 can chickpeas

1 carrot, grated

Walnuts, chopped, optional

Greek yogurt, optional

Vinaigrette, optional

Spinach

Directions

Bring orange juice, broth, water, spices and currants to a boil. Add couscous and chickpeas, take off the heat and let seat for 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Place spinach on a plate. Spoon pilaf over spinach, sprinkle carrots, walnuts on top. Dollop of yogurt or drizzle with vinaigrette to taste.

The plan for the day is to write, run, go grocery shopping and then fix French Onion soup and grilled cheese for dinner. See ya later

Healthy Tasty Sloppy Joes

1 onion, diced

1/2 lb. bison

1 can red beans

1 box frozen pureed winter squash, heated (I used Cascadian Farms)

1/4 c. BBQ sauce

Whole Wheat Buns

Directions

1. Drizzle canola/olive oil in a pan. Add onions and sauté for about a minute.

2. Add bison, cook through. Drain any fat. Salt and Pepper at this stage.

3. Add beans and squash, heat through. Stir in BBQ sauce.

I served it with Easy Coleslaw.

If you’ve followed this blog or my previous one (The Fat Pants Diet) then you know that while I love my mayonnaise based salads and spreads, I hate how caloric they are for no real taste benefit. No one needs a cup of mayo when 1 tbsp. will do! Coleslaw is the perfect example of one of those salads. Here’s my toss together version of ‘slaw.

1 heaping ‘dinner’ spoonful of mayo

1 glug (about 1/4 c.) of apple cider vinegar

~1/2 tsp. caraway seeds, smooshed in my hands to release fragrance and flavor

1 ‘dinner’ spoonful of sugar/agave nectar/honey/whatever floats your boat

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix together the mayo, vinegar, caraway seeds and sugar until blended.

2. Add cabbage and toss.

3. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Jonathan and I thoroughly enjoyed this dinner! Lots of veggies and flavor.

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THREE BIG NEWS ITEMS!

1. I have three more yoga weekends until I am a certified yoga professional–200 hours with the Yoga Alliance. I can’t believe it…test weekend, practicum weekend and then graduation! I can’t believe that I’ve been doing this since May. It seems absolutly surreal…

2. I am participating in NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writers Month: 30 Days and Nights of Literary Abandon. That means by 11/30 I will have written (hopefully) 50,000 words. I’m aiming to finish my first novel. I get giddy thinking about it. Word count? 2,356. I’ll keep you posted.

3. I’m starting training this week for the Austin Half-Marathon on February 14. It’s another thing I can’t believe…I never imagined I’d attempt another one, but I thought about it last night and it felt right. I knew it was time to try again.

So that’s it! Whew. I’m excited…I just wish I had pictures. Tomorrow is cleaning day so hopefully I’ll find it…Felix the Cat has a shifty look in her eyes…I wonder if she took it…

Today I made lunch out of Making the Cut. I wanted to get a feel for the recipes in the book.  I’ve made recipes through my fair share of diet books—South Beach, Atkins, The Mediterranean Diet—you name it.  All I can say is: how many different ways can you cook a chicken breast? Ick.

Making the Cut is a bit different. Sure, there are the go-to chicken recipes, but also lamb, beef, bean and pasta. Plenty of veggies throughout. It’s also portends to an  international flare: there are “Moroccan”, “Peruvian” and  “Pacific Rim” dishes. Interesting.

For the first recipe I tried something that, if I didn’t like it, I could easily fix: Bean Salad with Artichokes

Verdict?

Aesthetically pleasing? Check. The colors in the salad were really beautiful. Reds, greens and creams.

Taste? Umm….YES. Frankly, I was kind of surprised. The dressing was a balsamic/lemon/feta with herbs and…wow. I chilled the salad for 2 hours, but I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow.  The salad tasted sweet, tangy and savory, and there were chewy, crunch and smooth textures. Win-win-win…(the Office, anyone?)

The plan for the rest of the day: watch Barefoot Contessa (the woman is truly inspirational), Yoga flash cards, yoga, running, weight lifting, Whole Foods…ah, another typical Tuesday.  An the best thing? Our first disc of season 4 of Weeds is arriving tonight…excited? Yes.