Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Tofu for the first time

Hey everyone! How has your past couple of days been? Mine have been swamped and I have been a lil sick. Sorry for being MIA for a couple of days. Well today is officially my 3rd day being vegan. I joined a bunch of people online to do a vegan challenge. It has taken me out of my element and I have been trying lots of new and exciting recipes. I think after this week I will definitely try doing meatless Mondays sometimes. Here are some of the eats this week:

 

I went to Panera and got a Garden Vegetable soup with Pesto and a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich with no cheese.

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Made some black bean burgers…

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Grilled Portobello mushrooms…

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And today I made a tofu stir fry which came out fantastic!

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Print this Recipe: Tofu Stir Fry

Also on Tuesday was my really good friend and co-worker Sharon’s birthday. A few of us got to work before she did and decorated her workspace.

 

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She was really embarrassed and everyone who stepped into the medical clinic said something. She was thankful at the end though..I promise!

On another note, I have been planning two of my friend’s baby showers. They both picked the same theme from Party City so it helps with planning. I am so excited for both of them! Here are the decorations:

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So cute!

Well I am off to bed….I will talk to you guys manana!

Ciao!

Teresa

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Sunday, February 6, 2011

New Orleans Wrap Up

Hey everyone! Happy Superbowl Sunday! Well my weekend was very exciting… I went on a mini vacay with some good friends and experienced some many good eats at the Big Easy. I am definitely pooped from the long weekend but it was definitely memorable.

On Friday, we drove to NOLA(New Orleans, LA) and checked into the Best Western Landmark hotel.

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We went to Pat O'Brien's for an appetizer and drink while waiting for our friends to get into town.

We had some gator bites which were really good with a honey mustard sauce:

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I had one of their famous hurricanes. If you go to NOLA you have to go to this place and sit in their nice courtyard and enjoy on of these:

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Shortly after finishing our drink, our friends arrived and we went to this famous oyster place. There was a small line outside and we waited about 15 minutes. The wait was worth it. We had excellent service and their oysters are phenomenal!

 

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Along with the oysters I had an Abita beer. This is a seasonal on and is my ultimate favorite flavored beer! It is not your traditional sweet/flavored beer. It is a beer infused with strawberry flavor but does not taste syrupy at all. It is malty and delish! I recommend this beer if it is available to anyone trying Abita.

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The next morning we went to brunch at Elizabeth’s Restaurant right outside the French Quarter. I got crab cakes with poached eggs and a hollandaise sauce.

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My friend James got a salmon with brie dish…I can't remember the name.

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My husband got a fried catfish breakfast that was marinated in hot sauce. I tried this and was not a fan. I would not recommend this dish.

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Our friends went to the Audubon Aquarium but since Brian and I had been there we decided to walk around the French Quarter. We stopped and grabbed a drink (Abita Strawberry Harvest.)

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When our friends finished at the aquarium, we headed over to Café du Monde. This is yet another place you have to go to if you visit NOLA. They are famous for their Beignets.

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While walking around, we stopped at this candy store and grabbed a chocolate and pralines to share.

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While walking around the French Market I got this:

peacock hairband

I fell in love with it when I saw it.

Here is the famous Jackson square:

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That night we went to Jacques-Imos. I made reservations for this place about a month ago. All I have to say is  O….M….G! This place was amazing! We actually talked about going again for a day just to eat at this place again! We all shared our plates and I can honestly say that not one.single.thing was disgusting.Everything just had a perfect balance of flavor. The owner is so personable and walks around socializing with customers. He also gave our group drinks on the house. I highly recommend this restaurant!

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The ceiling has artwork:

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They make reservations for 5+ people. If you don’t have reservations, you will probably be waiting a while.

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They brought us cornbread with some garlic and parsley.

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And a spinach salad with an oyster and Asian dressing:

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Here are some eats:

Jambalaya:

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Blackened tuna with champagne brie sauce:

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Smothered chicken:

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Grilled duck breast with orange soy glaze, shitake mushrooms and pecans:

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Blackened Sirloin of lamb with sundried tomatoes and mushrooms:

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Country fried venison:

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Gumbo:

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After we went to Pat O'Brien's for a hurricane and we went to Tropical Isle for a Hand Grenade.

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This morning we went to breakfast at Stanley’s in Jackson Square:

I got the Eggs Stanley which is a English muffin, Canadian bacon, poached eggs, oyster fried with cornmeal batter topped with hollandaise sauce. Yummy!

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Tomorrow starts my 7 day Vegan challenge. I will be posting my experience with it. If you want to join in on the fun you can go to Facebook Vegan for a Week.

Well I am gonna get ready for tomorrow and go to sleep. Night!

Teresa

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Cirque Du Soleil

Hi everyone! Hope your Thursday has been great! I have had a good couple of days. Yesterday I had a Biology lab quiz and rushed after to go eat at the Shed BBQ. I had a BBQ chicken with their homemade sauce and the best potato salad ever. After that, we went to watch Cirque du Soleil Dralion. It was fantastic! My husband was very impressed. Here is a sample of the show.

Cirque du Soleil

I was a bit tired today since the show ended around 10 (my bedtime). But it was well worth it. He now wants to go to other Cirque du Soleil shows. I think we will probably go to the one in Vegas once we move to Cali.

On an other note, bloggers and people that I know are doing a 7 Day Vegan challenge. My hubby Brian and I have decided to try doing it next week. So of course, today I made filet mignon and some Mexican style mac n’ cheese. My mom used to make it for us when we were kids and her mother used to make it for them. It is actually passed down from my great grandmother who was born and raised in Mexico. It is a super simple but delicious recipe.

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Mexican Style Mac n’ Cheese:

Ingredients:

  • 4-6 oz. of cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 pkg. whole wheat penne or elbow pasta
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 white or Vidalia onion
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • a few tablespoons of skim milk
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 sml  can of tomato sauce

Directions:

  1. Make pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in pan
  3. Chop up about 1/2 a white or sweet onion
  4. Chop about 1-2 cloves of garlic
  5. Sautee onion and garlic until onion is translucent
  6. Add pasta and tomato sauce and stir
  7. Add cheddar cheese
  8. Add pepper and salt and mix well
  9. Add 1 tbsp. at a time until the mac n’ cheese is a creamy consistency
  10. Enjoy!

I am so excited for this weekend! We are having a little getaway and taking a weekend trip to New Orleans. I reserved the hotel about a month ago and we will be going to Bourbon Street, and also eating some Cajun cuisine. I will be updating the blog with some restaurant reviews and lots of pics! Well I am off to bed! See you tomorrow for the 1st night recap of New Orleans!

G’night!

Teresa

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Chocolate Milk?!?

Today on Fitblog one of the questions was “How do you refuel after a workout?” My answer for a long run was chocolate milk. When I was training last year for my first half marathon, the coaches told me that it was the best recovery drink. I of course was a lil skeptical. But according to Medical News Today, “Chocolate milk's combination of carbohydrates and high-quality protein first made researchers take notice of a potential exercise benefit. The combination of carbs and protein already in chocolate milk matched the ratio found to be most beneficial for recovery.” Plus it is also very inexpensive compared to all those specialty drinks.

Did you guys watch Oprah today? It was on going Vegan for a week and also guest starred Michael Pollen. He is a great author with a lot of insight on the food industry and what to put in out bodies. Do you think that Oprah will influence a different audience on being more mindful on what you are eating?

Here is a link on the show: Do You Know Where Your Food comes from?

On a lighter note (literally) I got my hair done today! I am happy with the results and am gonna truly miss my friend Jessica doing it. I am very picky on my hair and now when I move to Cali, I am gonna have to find a new stylist. Here are some pics of the results…(excuse the no makeup,did not reapply after workout):

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Well off to study for a quiz manana and to bed. Night everyone!

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