Category Archives: Meals

Winner Winner (Not Chicken Dinner)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! I’m so psyched for the weekend. I’m going to hit up Group Step after work, go have dinner with an old friend I haven’t seen in forever, and head home to catch up on the DVR. Ah, the life of a working girl-grandma hybrid.

I have been on a bit of a winning streak lately. Yesterday I found out that I was chosen in the lottery for Conan O’Brien’s NYC show taping tickets, so in early November I will be hitting the Big Apple to go see Conan! I am beyond excited and can’t wait to find out what guest will be on that day, though I won’t know for a couple of weeks. I’m hoping for Leonardo Dicaprio since J. Edgar starts showing at film festivals around that time. Yeah I know, dream big, but how amazing would it be to be in the same room as Leo AKA my favorite actor?

Who doesn't drop everything whenever "Titanic" comes on TV? Swoon.

I also recently won an Odwalla Bar giveaway over at Katie’s blog, and a marketing book from a Good Reads giveaway that I can’t wait to check out:

I hate to brag (but really I don’t), I’m feeling quite lucky lately, and am hoping my luck will hold out in the 50/50 raffle at work today that I just purchased 5 tickets for. Proceeds support the troops so even if I don’t win, it’s all good, but it would certainly be nice to head into the weekend with a little extra cash!

I shared my breakfast yesterday, and no need to do so again since it’s the same almost each day, except with a different kind of PB (and maybe an english muffin thrown in on weekend mornings). But today I thought I’d show some pics of my lunch and snacks, and again I most likely will not be sharing these again since my workday lunches and snacks are fairly consistent day-to-day, except my salad beast ingredients change with what we have in the fridge.

Salad beast, fruit and cottage cheese, english muffin and Laughing Cow wedge.

Just to give you an idea of what a typical lunch-size salad for me would have in it, today’s includes:

  • leftover meatloaf
  • spinach
  • banana peppers
  • both bread n’ butter and dill pickles
  • tomato
  • vidalia onion
  • red pepper
  • kalamata olives
  • sundried tomatoes
  • baby carrots
  • snow peas

Some snacks, TJ's veggie chips and a bosc pear.

To finally explain this post’s cheesy title, last night’s dinner was not chicken-related in any form. I got home from class and was absolutely ravenous. I tore through the fridge like a tornado and grabbed the best leftovers I could find. I reheated some Giovanni’s veggie pizza in the oven on low broil (mmm crispy burnt crust) and heated up the last piece of leftover filet in the microwave. It was a super tasty dinner and was followed with an ice cream sandwich.

Veggie pizza with tzatziki sauce, filet with spicy yellow mustard

Thanks to Android Headlines for the below image.

These never fail to take me back to my childhood!

Finally, yesterday was made a little bit more fun by the fact that it was not too cold out, so I could wear my fun Forever 21 leopard swing coat! It has 3/4 sleeves so the time of year I can wear it consists of a very narrow window (early fall, early spring). But whenever I do, I feel so glamorous. The inside is hot pink too – PERFECT.

Who is your favorite actor? When was the last time  you won a giveaway/raffle/lottery/etc and what did you win? Did you eat ice cream sandwiches as a kid?

Mealin’ and Movin’

I’m taking a cue from the lovely Janeetha today and blogging about some mealin’ and movin’ I’ve been doing over the last couple of days. My photos have tended to accumulate in my camera since I haven’t gotten on a good daily upload schedule, but I am getting better!

Let’s start with Monday’s dinner:

Baked potato skin with Mariah's Sweet n' Spicy Chow Chow Relish, swordfish with mango salsa, steamed broc.

Last Friday, my Whole Foods tweeted that swordfish steaks would be on sale all weekend for $9.99/lb. I texted my mom ASAP and she jumped on that deal, so that was dinner Friday night. Well she bought so much that we had tons of leftovers, so despite the fact that I felt like I was eating a gourmet meal Monday night, it was actually mostly leftovers! The swordfish was beyond perfect. I know you’re not supposed to eat more than a certain amount of it per week since it contains higher levels of mercury, but I rarely get to eat it so having swordfish every day Friday-Tuesday can’t do me too much harm – right?

And of course the Mariah’s Sweet n’ Spicy relish from the farmer’s market was awesome and has continued to be awesome.

I made the mistake of not eating breakfast before I left the house yesterday, and was starving by the time I got to work, starving, but not so starving that I was too impatient to snap a quick pic of Wednesday’s breakfast:

PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams and the most inappropriate looking banana I'd ever laid eyes on, seriously.

Lastly, moving on to Wednesday’s workout:

I left work a few minutes early so that I could get to one of my favorite classes, Interval Training. You can read more about it here. I felt challenged and energetic, thanks to the Thomas english muffin and Chipotle Laughing Cow wedge I had right before class,  and left with a strong, accomplished, albeit sweaty, feeling.

I know I'm lookin' pretty gross…

 

…but I was feelin' pretty damn good!

I have to brag for a second and show you my awesome sneakers. They seriously give me such a boost each time I lace them up.

Purchased from the Adidas Outlet. Wish I could've bought the lavender ones too!

And while I’m sharing workout gear, I have to say my gym bag gives me a bounce in my step too.

Vera Bradley small duffel.

Came home and rewarded myself with a feast: turkey burger, turkey sausage, sauteed onions, grilled asparagus, green beans, and 50,000 Ore Ida fries with spicy mustard. Mmmm the gym does good things to my appetite.

I woke up before my alarm this morning, which was awesome because I had time to get in a 30 minute Exercise TV Yoga Sculpt video on our cable’s free on-demand. It was my favorite kind of yoga: quick, but super challenging, so that I was out of breath and sweating by the end. Workout done, and I wasn’t even planning on having time to work out today, so that was a nice surprise!

Are you a swordfish fan? Do you have any cute gym gear that makes it more fun for you to work out?

Farmer’s Market Finds

On Sunday I went to the Coventry Farmer’s Market, and was in absolute foodie HEAVEN. I entered the premises and was first confronted with an Agave cart selling tacos and burritos. Yes please! I got in line for one before realizing that, duh Caitlin, what other foodie opportunities await you here, especially when you have an Agave LivingSocial deal to use and can go there in Hartford any old time?

So I entered the rest of the market and was blown away. I got to try tons of amazing and unique samples. I had the chance to chat with vendors about their products, personally compliment them on their amazing offerings, and best of all, support them by purchasing some of the tasty treats. No, I don’t know how much money I spent, but I’d say it’s worth it for local stuff that is of a good quality that’s hard to find in the grocery stores. I must have looked pretty goofy, this chick in sweaty workout clothes and bright pink sneakers, walking alone through the muddy fields of the farmer’s market with what was probably a ginormous grin on my face, but I couldn’t help it – this place just made me smile! I highly recommend this market to any CT resident.

Oh and in case you are wondering, after I filled up on samples I ended up settling on a spinach pocket from a Yantic, CT-based Lebanese restaurant owner – soft, pillowy dough filled with spinach, lemon juice, thyme, and other spices. So good, and my cheapest option after I’d already dropped too much of the other kind of dough on the following finds:

Beltane Farms: chive goat cheese!

The guy at the Beltane Farm booth was so nice, and was kind enough to let me know about their wine and cheese tasting happening this Sunday! He let me sample this chive flavor, as well as a dill-wasabi that was out of this world, on some wheat thins. I’ve never cooked with spreadable goat cheese, only crumbled, so I’m curious – anyone got any recipes involving goat cheese in this form? It seems harder to use when you can’t crumble it on top of or into a dish!

Yummy Hummy: pico de gallo

The woman at the Yummy Hummy booth had lots of great samples. They  had already sold out of the pumpkin spice hummus unfortunately but I hope to catch it at my next visit. She sampled her hummuses (hummi?) on veggie chips which was awesome because I’m addicted to them, I buy them in bulk at TJ’s whenever I can. I tried an awesome chipotle hummus as well as a garlic hummus. The chipotle was very unique and the perfect amount of spiciness – I hope to pick some up next time. The garlic was pretty good but not interesting enough or any better than Cedar’s for me to consider getting some. But this salsa really won me over. It was so fresh and chunky, just the way I like my pico. Had to get some!

Christine's Community Kitchen: kosher dill chips!

If you don’t already know, I’m a pickle addict. I’m also a garlic addict. Imagine my delight when Christine’s Community Kitchen’s tent was sampling both pickled garlic and garlic pickles! And then…the guy in front of me bought the last jar of pickled garlic. Thanks, guy! I tried it though, and it was pretty awesome. The garlic pickles however, were meh. I couldn’t get enough garlic flavor! So I went with a jar of the classic dill chips, perfect for my daily lunchtime salad beast.

Mariah's Chow Chow Relish: sweet n' spicy!

Mariah’s Chow Chow Relish is available in four different flavors and was sampled on what looked to me like Food Should Taste Good chips. This was the first flavor I tried (the flavors go in order from sweetest to spiciest and this is the second sweetest) and I jumped on it right away as soon as the woman at the tent said that it goes great in baked potato skins. I am a baked potato addict and frequently fill my skins with salsa or pico of any kind. I tried this relish in my potato skin last night and this woman (Mariah herself?) wasn’t lying – holy crap it was wonderful! I can’t wait to see what dishes I could whip up with this relish too. Any ideas for recipes that call for a sweet n’ spicy condiment?

Capa di Roma Roasted Garlic marinara sauce

Finally, I purchased this Capa di Roma marinara sauce specifically because a) I love garlic, b) the sample of the regular marina was amazing and I knew garlic could only make it better, and c) I knew a spaghetti dish was on the menu that night at home. Their both also had samples of their balsamic vinegar, which I fell in love with, but didn’t purchase since it was a bit out of my price range at $14.

Sunday night dinner

We absolutely loved the sauce, but unfortunately the whole jar was gone after one meal! My mom mixed with with browned ground turkey and veggies, and we served it over whole wheat spaghetti. The garlic flavor was phenomenal!

Steamed broccoli, plenty garlicky too.

My favorite side dish to have with Italian dishes is broccoli! I went back for seconds of that, as well as seconds of the sauce and meat combo. This was one awesome meal – thanks to the Coventry Farmer’s Market for making it even more memorable! And for making last night’s dinner memorable too with that relish!

What’s the best find you’ve come across at a farmer’s market?

Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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