Tasty Tuesday

Good Morning!!! This week Tasty Tuesday is brought to you by Cooking Light. (Check it out, they usually have free 2 month trial!!) This is one of my favorite magazines. Every month I read it 2-3 times cause there always seems to be things I miss. In honor of summer, I have a another salad to try. It's perfect for cookouts!

Pita Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber and Herbs

Yield: 8 servings (servings size: 1 1/4 cup)

Calories 183; Fat 10g

3 (&-inch) pitas

4 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce

2 c diced English cucumber

2 c halved cherry tomatoes

2/3 c crumbled feta cheese

1/2 c finely chopped red onion

1/2 c chopped fresh mint

1/4 c thinly sliced green onion

1/4 finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

6 T fresh lemon juice

1 t sugar

1 t pepper

1/2 salt

1/4 c EVOO

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Arrange pita on a baking sheet, bake at 375 for 14 minutes or until dry and crisp, turning after 7 minutes. Set aside; cool.

3. Combine lettuce and next 7 ingredients (thru parsley) in a large bowl. Break pitas into bite sized pieces. Add pitas to salad; toss gently to combine.

4. Combine juice, sugar, pepper and salt in a bowl. Gradually add oil stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat. Let stand 30 minutes; serve at room temp.

BON APPETITE!

Mama's gotta brand new bag!

So in my birthday card from my parents I got this:

(How cute is my mom that she actually had a Coach tag)

Now my bday was back in June, but I already had my eye on a few bags. Of course I had to wait for them to make their way over to the Outlet by my parents house, per the IOU stipulation. No easy task. Sometimes it takes forever, especially with the new bags. I perused the store when I was home in July. Nothing really caught my eye, so I decided to hang on to the IOU a bit longer.

Fast forward to today

I'm walking through Macy's...by the purse counter of course....and notice a sign that says "Coach 50% off select items." I go to check it out. The saleslady shows me which ones are included in the sale and then points me to another case with a 65% off sign. OMG I'm in Coach heaven. Someone pinch me. This can't be real. And there, on the bottom shelf I see it. The most beautiful leather bag, soft as butter. (Yes I just compared a purse to butter) I ask if I can see it, so she pulls it out of the case. Oh it's so yummy. It's a gorgeous creamy tan, perfect for all year round, and the liner is pink. Eek!! I glance at the price tag. Hmph. Still kinda high, and probably not going to qualify for my Bday IOU. But wait, she scans it to see the discount. What?!? The tag didn't already include the discount. Seriously. Someone pinch me. They're practically giving this bag away. She sees me eyeing the matching wallet, which of course is also a freakin' steal. That's it. This bag must be mine. And according to the receipt my total savings for the day was $439.40. Holy crap! And people say I don't know how to bargain shop. Haha! Thank you mom and dad for my fantastic birthday gift.

It's not always puppies and rainbows

Sorry in advance for the downer post....but I'm kind of in a downer mood, so if the shoe fits right?

So as most of you know the hubs and I are living apart for awhile until I can move to Kansas City. I don't do long distance very well. I don't deal with change very well. It tends to bring out my horrible negative side. A side I'm not very proud of. As a defense mechanism when I'm sad, I tend to pick fights with the people I care about most....so in this case, my husband. Everyday we talk on the phone and everyday I ultimately ruin these phone calls by fighting about something small, trivial and most often ridiculous. I guess in my crazy mind if I'm angry, I can't be sad. And somewhere along the line I've decided dealing with anger is easier than dealing with sadness. Horrible right? But it's how I've been as long as I can remember and old habits die hard. Well this morning, after one of our typical horrible phone calls, I awake to this in my email box.

So everyday I sit at work thinking about talking to you at night,

I try to remember everything that has happened to me today so I can tell you when we talk.

You sound so cheery and excited to hear my voice,

I know you have so much to say and don't know where to start.

Deep down I know you wish you didn't have to tell me this way,

These things are better said in person.

Laughter soon gives way to silence,

Everything has been said.

Boom!

The conversation has shifted.

Laughter gives way to sadness,

Sadness gives way to anger.

This is not how I wanted the conversation to go.

This is not something that was planned.

What I look forward to the most everyday

Is now tarnished by some small thought.

How could something so small cause this much trouble?

How could something so small cause so much tension between us?

This is what I think about before I go to sleep.

This is what causes me to stay awake.

Having this kind of conversation everyday is tiring.

Especially when it's with your best friend.

I love my best friend.

My best friend is my wife.

I hope these conversations end soon,

Because I only want to hear what makes my best friend happy.

Everyone is made up of negative things,

But those things eventually turn to good.

There can be no set time for this,

Only time will tell.

I have nothing but time,

Because I will always have my best friend.

I love you.

Talk about a wake up call. I'm not sure what I did to deserve this man. Someone who will put up with all my crap and still love me at the end of the day. Cause that's what love is after all. Unconditional.

Someone let the crazy girl out!

Some months I get PMS. Some months I don't. This month happens to be on of the crazy ones. Joy. My version of PMS doesn't just mean irrational moodswings and general bitchiness, it also means emotional overload. I told my boss, whom lately I've HATED, that I was quitting. I got out, oh, 2 words before the water works started. Seriously?? I cried giving my 2 weeks notice. Oh lord.

Then today at Target I had this sudden urge to buy Oreos. Read, my crazy hormones told me if I didn't consume something sugary, chocolate and delicious soon, bad things would happen. I tend to give in to the crazy girl. Once in the cookie aisle I discover a problem. No real Oreos. Ok, they had the boring old original ones, but I felt it was a double stuff moment....which meant I had to buy the Target version. Ok. No biggie, an oreo is an oreo right? Wrong! Do not. I repeat DO NOT by generic brand oreos when that's all they have. If the choice is Target brand or nothing. Go with nothing. Some things just weren't meant to be generic....I now add Oreo's to this list.

Tasty Tuesday

Hello lovelies! Today Tasty Tuesday is brought to you by my 3 favorite ladies from Cook Yourself Thin. If you haven't checked out their book or watched their show on Lifetime, you really should. They take your favorite foods and make them skinny but still delicious!

Fruit Smoothie (my new breakfast fave!!)

Serves 2

Calories per serving: 205

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup chopped banana (freeze 10 min before chopping)

2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (I used simply orange with pineapple...yum!)

Place all ingredients into blender. Whip until smooth. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hrs.

Oven-Baked Crispy Chicken Tenders with Coleslaw

Serves 4

Calories per serving, chicken and slaw: 519

For the chicken:

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1/4 t thyme

1 bay leaf

2 t salt

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1/2 c nonfat buttermilk

1 pound chicken tenders (about 12)

1 1/2 c cornflakes, crushed to medium crumbs

For the coleslaw:

1 1/2 (10 oz bags) cabbage slaw mix

1 red bell pepper slices thin

2 T thin sliced red onion

2 T shredded fresh basil

2 T shredded fresh mint
1 T low fat sour cream

1 T nonfat buttermilk

1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar

2-3 dashes hot sauce

1/8 t salt

1/8 t pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam.

2. For the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, spices and buttermilk. Add chicken and turn in marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

3. For the coleslaw: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage slaw mix, pepper, onion and shredded herbs. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the sour creak, buttermilk, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the veggies. Toss to coat.

4. Places the cornflake crumbs on a plate. Drain chicken tenders. Coat chicken with cornflakes. Place on baking sheet in a single later. Bake at 400 degrees about 15 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

BON APPETITE!

I Kelly take you....Kelly

Ok. So I know they aren't related, but it's still a little werid. Check out the same named, soon to be Mr. and Mrs.

My laminated list

So the other night I get the most random of texts from the Mr.

"If you could sleep with one celebrity, who would it be?"

Now me, being someone who's not really into celebrity gossip or having celebrity crushes, didn't feel like playing along. Party pooper, I know. Well after much persistance, I finally gave in. So here, in no particiular order is the list I gave him.

Brad Pitt. Pre-Angelina.

Bradley Cooper

Gerard Butler

Taye Diggs

And the wild card....I'd totally go gay for Jennifer Aniston.

So who's on your laminated list?? (sorry, I couldn't resist a Friend's reference)