Possibly the best quick meal

Recently my favorite quick meal has become pierogies and peas. It's low on calories and fat, and high in protein and fiber. I love this meal and eat it when I know I am eating a big meal later or have already had a large meal for the day. Bonus: it is quick and easy, has only three ingredients, and tastes like comfort food.

You will need:
Mini Pierogies
Frozen Peas
Pam spray (fat free)

Spray a pan and place on medium heat
Add pierogies a flip them immediately (so they get a bit of Pam on both sides)
Add Peas and let cook uncovered for 3 minutes
Flip and stir contents
Cook until pierogies are lightly browned and hot

Below is the info from the brands I use. Pierogies and Peas are two things Kevin will not eat, so I only make this for one.

Mrs. T's Potato and Cheddar mini Pierogies
Serving: 7 mini pierogies
130 calories
1.5 grams of fat
1 g fiber
4 g protein

Frozen peas
Serving: 2/3 cup
70 calories
0 fat
4 g fiber
5 g protein

Pam Spray:
Serving: 1/3 second burst
0 calories

Meal: 200 calories; 1.5 g fat; 5 g fiber; 9 g protein

Photo from Mrs. T''s

Weight loss Wednesdays, I want results!

Yet another week of attempted weight loss. And I am down, but not nearly enough, why does tons of exercise get so easily ruined by a night of wine, cheese, and cake?

I did eat better this week, for the most part, and I exercised pretty regularly. Kevin and I did a workout at Bally Monday that I am still aching from. The sad news for tonight’s workout plan is I definitely hurt my foot at dance last night. Better rest it for a day or so...

The three dollars a day savings plan is working pretty well and I rarely have pop anymore (soda for you non-Michiganders).

Food: I tried the Chili’s Guiltless Black Bean Burger. Guilt free in so many ways, low fat, and at $5.99 it is one of the most affordable meals on the menu. This was one of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. It was flavorful, zesty, a splash of ranch and the perfect texture. The steamed veggies it was served with were still a little crisp, no mushy baby food, an excellent meal all around.

Lose that muffin top! That is my primary visual goal for the next few weeks. I refuse, REFUSE to buy pants that fit, I own plenty of pants, and I can wear them all, provided I wear a billowing sweater on top. I did some digging and found some muffin top banishing tips, and unfortunately, they did not include eating the tops of muffins. The workout is basically interval training i.e., a burst of cardio and then some targeted ab moves.

Do’s and Don'ts for the week:

Do
Exercise at least 4 days
Make good food choices; side of veggies, yogurt, fruit
Drink water
Lose muffin tops
Try on a current pair of jeans you own that don't fit quite right; make fitting in them better the goal for March!

Don't
Weigh yourself daily
Obsess over food
Eat dessert unless you've had all your fruit and vegetables for the day
Snack out of boredom
Eat muffin tops

Hey is that about me?

Do you ever read the paper and think when did I give that interview? When reading the paper I stumbled upon an article that defines so many situations in my life I really thought I must have wrote it, or at the very least, been the inspiration. I didn't and I wasn't, but, when it played out in my head...

For those that don't know, I am a vegetarian, and my husband is, well not. He actually detests most things green (edible, not eco-friendly). The article talked about the toll it takes on relationships, how some can make it through, and the challenges faced in daily life.

Over the years Kevin has learned the importance of separate spoons. For those of you out there thinking of cooking for a strict vegetarian, spoon to sauce contamination is a big thing to watch out for.

Note the two spoon rests in our kitchen

The same holds true for any spread you may use from a jar, once the knife has touched the meat infested sandwich it is not welcome back in the condiment, so take what you want the first time!

This rule holds true for a second element of the article, dealing with those gluten starved celiac patients in your life. Well, at least, dealing with the one in mine.

I am always emailing restaurants trying to find out what she can eat and what she can't, but mostly our system works like this.

Chipotle, Red Robin, Chipotle, Recipes, Chipotle, Red Robin, Chipotle Recipes...

If you haven't figured out what comes next, was there ever any hope?

The moral of the story,

Learning to live with a vegetarian is, well, a challenge I'm sure, but with patience and tolerance, possible.

Living without gluten is, I am guessing completely unacceptable, but necessary.

Letting a vegetarian and a celiac sufferer dine together...who on Earth would've let us find each other?