April 2010
1 post
2 tags
Healthy Breakfast
“Best of Life” Peanut Butter & Banana Sushi
1 flatout wheat wrap
1.5-2tbsp peanut butter (all natural Skippy for me)
1/2 banana
Served with:
1 cup skim milk
Illy Dark Roast Coffee
February 2010
9 posts
1 tag
Hearty Breakfast for Cold Morning
The Place:
Kitchen Table
The Food:
1/2 cup oatmeal (cooked in 1 cup milk), topped with approximately 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, and a light drizzle of honey
Illy Coffee
2 tags
Lazy Dinner
The Place:
My sofa after over 2 hours exercising
The Meal:
Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Pizza (not too bad if you don’t think of it as pizza and are okay with having lots of sodium)
Mixed Green Salad topped with chopped carrots and dressed with an Olive Oil Red Wine Vinaigrette
Table Red Wine
2 tags
Lunch
The Place:
My Desk (Bad Food Belle!)
The Meal:
Healthy Choice Tomato Basil Soup (Okay, but has WAYYY too much sodium and isn’t very thick; kind of a creepy milk consistency)
Wasa Fiber Crisps topped with brie and Applegate Farms Roasted Turkey Breast
Bigelow English Teatime Tea
2 tags
Breakfast
The Place:
Kitchen Table
What:
Whole Wheat English Muffin toasted with tomato slices and Cabot 50% Cheddar Cheese
Illy Coffee
2 tags
Early Lunch
Where:
My Desk
What:
Cottage Cheese (2%)
Wheat Germ (approx 2 tbsp) http://www.quakeroats.com/products/more-products-from-quaker/content/cereals/kretschmer-toasted-wheat-germ.aspx
Chopped Walnuts (approx 2 tbsp)
Mixed Fruit—Blueberries, Green Grapes, Sliced Strawberries
Bigelow English Teatime Hot Tea
1 tag
3 tags
Breakfast
Where:
My Kitchen Table
The Meal:
Illy Dark Roast Coffee (http://www.illyusa.com/)
Thomas’s Whole Wheat Bagel (http://thomas.bimbobakeriesusa.com/product.cfm/upc/4812125505)
Reduced-fat Cream Cheese (Publix Brand)
Plant City Strawberries, sliced (Only $1.97 at Publix currently!)
January 2010
3 posts
Food Alone
Really am curious. What DO y’all eat when you are alone? I’ll post about mine, y’all share your favorites? Let me know if you’re interested via facebook page, as I feel that tumblr does not promote easy sharing of information? (Let me know if this is not the case…)
1 tag
Tonight's Dinner
Nothing pithy or long for this post. Just a good, tasty, home-cooked meal on a cold night.
The food:
Lemon Chicken
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Whole Grain Rice Pilaf
Wheat Baguette w/ Organic Valley Butter (salted)
Pure Evil Chardonnay
The Verdic:
Scrumptious combination of in-season foods, on-sale chicken, and tasty grains!
Roger Ebert, on not being able to eat any... →
December 2009
10 posts
1 tag
What do you eat when you eat alone?
Have just begun Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin’s book What We Eat When We Eat Alone.
What do you eat when you eat alone? When there’s no one else around, and you are completely by yourself?
For me, it depends on where I am. In New York City, I loved nothing more than a good glass of wine (preferably red), fresh, smelly cheese from Fairway, a hunk of baguette, and maybe a few...
2 tags
Dining Alone
11/14/08. Lunch-time. Central Cafe & Organics.
As I look down at my very veggie lunch wrap in the patio of Central Cafe & Organics in downtown St. Petersburg, I can’t help but look around. Several glances confirm my suspicion: I am the only solo diner. I pause mid-bite, considering. I find myself wondering: what is it about dining alone? Why do I fear it so?
Since moving to St....
MERRY CHRISTMAS
In light of the holidays, it will be a light posting time! Happy Holidays everyone! In the mean time, enjoy a post I wrote over a year ago on the perils of dining alone in a new town…
1 tag
Green Golf Balls
“Want some GREEN GOLF BALLS?” My best friend’s Dad used to ask when we were growing up.
“Ewww… No!” We’d respond, repulsed by the very idea.
Then. One day. I tried one. A Green Golf Ball.
And I learned…
Brussels Sprouts are TASTY!
But yeah, they do involve eating strange, weird, golf-ball shaped green vegetables. And they can be done badly.
...
1 tag
2 tags
Spare, not Strike for Bowled
As all my friends will tell you, I’m a terrible bowler. Really, I’m pathetic. Once, back in high school, I even rolled my ball into the next lane! But my lack of skills doesn’t mean I quit playing the game. And it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the sport. I just have a lot of room to grow. And with every game I play, I get a little bit better. Someday, I will...
3 tags
Glutton for Punishment
Why does my craving for coffee continually lead to my consuming sub-par food, purchased at Starbucks? Venti Christmas Roast and the fruit and cheese plate. That should be hard to mess-up, right? Right?
WRONG.
I grabbed some Wheat Thins from home on my way out the door, deciding that Starbucks would have to be my lunch for the day. The gloomy weather, car trouble, and sleepiness would make me...
3 tags
3 tags
Blazing Buffalo from Boar's Head
On the encouragement of my friend, I ordered the Blazing Buffalo Chicken from Boar’s Head at Publix on Monday. Come lunch yesterday, I was excited to try this new sandwich and deviate from my normal lunchtime blues… Sliced thin and paired with Swiss Cheese (Publix Brand), Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread, Lettuce, and Pepperidge Farm Whole Wheat Bread, the sandwich proved...
3 tags
No Biscuit for Starbucks Breakfast Sandwich
The holiday season is officially here! I received my first gift yesterday—a $5 gift card to Starbucks. So, instead of my normal morning routine I hit up the Starbucks in downtown St. Pete for breakfast today. With a whole 13 cents to spare, I bought a Venti Coffee (Unfortunately, just the standard Pike Place) and a 340 calorie “Egg-white, reduced fat turkey bacon breakfast...
3 tags
Rollin' Oats Detox?
A return from vacation is always a difficult thing. Never you fear, I shall have many weeks of happy eating posts pop up in the next few days. But for right now, I battle an empty fridge and a full stomach.
Rollin’ Oats (http://www.rollinoats.com/) seemed the perfect solution. With the Christmas season now approaching, I am needing to save my pennies while simultaneously putting...
November 2009
45 posts
4 tags
Perfectly Wrong Hair Leads to Perfectly Right...
Whack!
It’s every girl’s nightmare—as her hair suddenly, without warning, drops across her face… and onto the floor. It’s gone. No mas. She looks in the mirror. Eyes widen in fright. She’s just had the worst possible thing. A thing that causes mass hysteria and tears in women around the world. She’s just had… a bad hair cut!
Now, to be...
3 tags
Food, Fizzy Strongbow, & Friends
So, I like to go out. That’s a fact. But there are nights when I want nothing more than good companionship, flavorful, affordable food, and beer/wine. Toss in some live music, TVs, and comfy booths and you’ve got me pleased.
On those nights when I want nothing more than to stay close to home. And Old Northeast Tavern (http://www.oldnortheasttavern.com/) fits the bill! Be it a...
2 tags
Zoom to Burrito Border
I’ve always been a Bud Light girl. For YEARS. The only beer I would drink was Bud Light. (Well, let me be truthful, Bud Light or PBR. But PBR was/is decidedly harder to come by when you are dining out. Some silly people think it is not classy? I’m still a fan. If you are a bar/restaurant and serve a PBR Tallboy, chances are, regardless of food, I’ll be back.) But then. Over...
2 tags
Beware the cheese!
As has been established, I really like cheese. Almost as much as guacamole. Almost.
So I was quite excited to make Southern Pimento Cheese last night. I borrowed my friend’s Cuisinart. I went to the store and got all the ingredients. I began to prepare the tasty treat.
Alas. I forgot about the dangers of cheese!
You can’t use store bought shredded cheese for stuff like this. Oh no!...
3 tags
Cedarlane's Breakfast Burrito
Had one of the new Cedarlane Organic Breakfast Burritos (http://www.cedarlanefoods.com/p0318.htm) this morning. Contained egg whites, turkey bacon, vegetables (including potatoes and bell peppers), cheese, and (obviously) a wheat (ish) tortilla. Not bad for a three-minute breakfast in the microwave. I added a bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top in the last 30 seconds of cooking, which made a...
3 tags
“The North thinks it know how to make corn bread, but this is a gross...”
– That’s what Lee Roy Selman’s on Tyrone (http://www.leeroyselmons.com/) felt like. Not as bad as the North’s attempts to be Southern, but still a terrible imitation. The cornbread casserole, so lauded by our server, was dry and inedible as a result. The sweet potato fries were...
2 tags
2 tags
Frozen Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken
Realize I have a Kashi Frozen Lemongrass Coconut Chickenhttp://www.kashi.com/products/kashi_entrees_lemongrass_coconut_chicken) for lunch. No time to go elsewhere today. Unfortunately, I am not overly fond of coconut (unless it is in a frothy drink or encrusted on shrimp and consumed by the water) or lots of lemon in entrees. And, it appears, I am not fond of them when they come in frozen food...
2 tags
Straight, no chaser. Just a shot of yummy cream...
After a not so fabulous lunch at Cafe Bohemia (see corresponding section), a trip to the Cupcake Spot (http://www.thecupcakespotinc.com/) was a vital Saturday necessity. Only problem? I LOVE cupcakes, but only like to eat the frosting.
I know. It’s weird. Who doesn’t like cake?
I’m not saying I never eat cake. (Let me eat cake on occasion, please). But really—I’m a...
3 tags
2 tags
Nobody's Perfect... Bagels for Lunch!
Woops! After enjoying my Venti Starbucks Coffee and Pumpkin scone, Einstein Brothers Bagels appeared at work. I was able to hold off until lunch-time, but then had to give in to one and a half whole wheat bagels with cream cheese. Only to be met with disappointment. Now no room for lunch and only nostalgia for the bagels in my former home of New York City.
Alas.
5 tags
Chill in the Air, Warmth in my Belly
So it’s finally reached a decent temperature in Florida. Made me realize how much I miss Autumn. Don’t get me wrong, I love Florida. But there is something to that crisp breeze, colored leaves, and sweater weather of the North that I miss. Fall is my favorite season. (Granted, I didn’t like it when Fall was only two weeks long sometimes up in Massachusetts!!) I love Fall. I...
3 tags
Turkey for Lunch
The Meal:
Lunch
The Place:
Office Desk
The Food:
Pepperidge Farm’s Whole Wheat Bread topped with mayonnaise (Hellman’s), spinach, swiss cheese, and smoked turkey (Going to have to take a turkey break for a few days after this, in preparation for *the* Turkey Day!)
Sliced squash and zucchini
Nature Valley Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola Bars (as a snack)
4 tags
Apologies, Tears, Beers, and Buffalo Sauce
I like country music.
I know, I know. You are groaning. Rolling your eyes. Plugging your ears.
But I like it.
My friends like it, too.
So after a restorative yoga class at St. Petersburg Yoga, we decided to meet at Midtown Sundries (http://www.midtownsundries.com/st_petersburg.html) for dinner. Baseball season is over. There are NO football games on Wednesday night. Certainly, on one of...
4 tags
Grits are Groovy!
The Meal:
Breakfast
The Place:
My Apartment
The Food:
Quick Grits (made with skim milk), Earth Balance (decided butter was too rich for a workday), mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, dash of salt/pepper
Whole Wheat English Muffin (Thomas’s)
Venti Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend Coffee (From the Starbucks at 900 4th St N. Sorry Kahwa, I needed more coffee in my cup and I needed it...
5 tags
Amy's Palak Paneer
The Meal:
Lunch
The Place:
Office Desk
The Food:
Amy’s Palak Paneer (http://www.amys.com/products/category_view.php?prod_category=18)
Whole Wheat Pita (Really would have loved Naan, or been able to toast this on the stove top in some olive oil. Alas, those things do not exist in my office’s kitchen. Naan. Stove Tops. Olive Oil. Alas.)
Endangered Species Natural 88% Dark...
1 tag
I'm too nice--gave the black bean brownies a...
Co-worker 1: You need to eat this.
Me: (Silence)
Co-Worker 1: You need to eat this, too.
Co-Worker 2: Okay!
Me: (Silence)
Co-Worker 1: Here you both go! (Hands us densely textured "brownie")
Me: (Silence)
Co-Worker 2: Wow this is good!
Me: (Silence)
Co-Worker 1: Yeah, isn't it!
Co-Worker 2: So good!
Me: You can really taste the beans.
Co-Worker 1: Yeah right, you'd never know that this brownie is made with nothing but cheap brownie mix and black beans, would you?
Co-Worker 2: Oh.
Me: Sorry, still don't like it.
Co-Worker 2: It's really good.
Co-Worker 1: I know! And it's low-fat, low-sugar, low-calorie!
Me: I don't really like low-fat food.
Co-Worker 1: I think everybody likes it. You can't taste the beans, unless you have a "sophisticated" palate.
Me: Sorry. Got one of those. But thanks for letting me try.
Never again do I allow myself to fall victim to a cardboard food disguised as something healthy. Just say no to black bean brownies!
3 tags
3 tags
Turkey Burger with Florida Avocado Guacamole
The Meal:
Dinner (Yesterday)
The Place:
My Kitchen Table
The Food:
Applegatefarms Organic Turkey Burger (http://www.applegatefarms.com/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?id=398) cooked in skillet (as I do not have a Grille)
Muenster Cheese Slice
Guacamole with Florida Avocado, diced tomato, and Hellman’s Mayonnaise
Whole Foods Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun
Dee Amore “All Natural”...
2 tags
400 Beach Seafood & Tap House
I had a dinner meeting tonight, so a few of my friends and I decided to hit the bar at 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House for a glass of wine first (http://www.400beachseafood.com/drinks.html).
Other than the Grand Opening Party, this was my first visit to the new spot to see and be seen in St. Pete. The wine and beer list is impressive and the friendly Bartender helped. (Although she miss-heard...
2 tags
Refrigerated Double Chocolate Milanos Make Me...
Two of them in fact. With a tall Starbuck’s Pike Place Coffee.
Not my healthiest snack ever.
But always produces a smile.
1 tag
“But here’s an interesting thing: Even though people anticipate spending...”
– Laura Reiley, Mouth of Tampa Bay, referring to study done by AlixPartners LLC predicting dining trends in 2010, http://blogs.tampabay.com/dining/
2 tags
3 tags
Kashi Dinner
Making Frozen Food into (somewhat) Fancier Frozen Food
The Place:
My Apartment Sofa
The Entertainment:
Movie: Sweet Home Alabama
The Food:
Kashi Frozen Entrees “Chicken Florentine” (http://www.kashi.com/products/kashi_entrees_chicken_florentine) livened up with some caramelized mushrooms and added grated Parmesan Cheese on top.
The Drink:
Folie a Deux Menage a Trois Red Wine...
2 tags
Breakfast
At home after a morning run along the Bay.
The Meal:
Egg Whites scrambled in olive oil with Parmesan/Mozzarella
Whole Wheat Toast with Earth Balance
French Press of Jim’s Organic Coffee Italian Roast (again, gonna have to keep drinking it until I run out…)
4 tags
Sense of Home at Harvey's 4th Street
So you know that place. The one your friends suggest you try. And you say “Yeah! That sounds great! I’d love to go there.” And then one thing leads to another. You forget. You remember. You forget. You don’t want to deviate from the norm.
Then, one Sunday, it hits you. You NEED to try this place for brunch. You get a couple of gal pals together and head to...