Monday, November 16, 2009

I <3 Fresh Herbs

by Meghann on November 16, 2009

There is something about the addition of fresh herbs to everyday meals that always bring them over the top. Dry herbs just don’t seem to cut it the way fresh herbs do. Unfortunately I was born without a functional green thumb and fresh herbs from the grocery store tend to carry a heavy price tag.

This particular dilemma is where Farmer’s Markets play an important role. While strolling through one of my favorite Farmer’s Markets this past weekend I discovered plants of fresh Basil and Oregano for roughly $1 a piece!

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I immediately bought one of each. I figured for that very low price tag I can have fresh herbs in all of my favorite dishes until I either pick the plant dry or it dies on me. Its the perfect win-win situation. :)

The fresh basil and oregano were the perfect addition to my Roasted Vegetables with Marinara Sauce this evening.

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For this particular variation of my favorite combinations I roasted Acorn Squash, Tofu, Onion, & Broccoli with a little S&P at 420 in the oven for 25 minutes. When the veggie were soft I coated them with marinara sauce and some brie cheese from my FoodBuzz swag bag.

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Of course as I mentioned above, the fresh basil and oregano I sprinkled on top were what made this dish a hit. The fresh herbs gave the dish a very fresh taste.

On the side I got some carbs in with a piece of whole wheat toast.

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For dessert I was finally able to enjoy my Carrot Cake Cupcake i brought home in a to go container from the Food & Wine Festival yesterday.

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The cupcake was moist and tasty, however it was seriously lacking in the icing department. I know they were going for the chic cupcake look, but a cupcake just isn’t a cupcake without a good amount of icing piled on. Am I right?

For a snack this afternoon I had a piece of Pumpkin Cornbread.

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Still madly in love with this stuff. I froze a few pieces so you can expect to see it every once in a while on the blog for a couple of weeks. ;)

Calling all Tallahassee Runners…

Any Tallahassee readers out there willing to join me for a run this weekend? E-mail me at graduatemeghann@gmail.com if you are interested! :)

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Only Full Week of November

by Meghann on November 16, 2009

You know what I just realized today? This week is my only full week of work in the month of November. My trip to San Francisco shortened my first two weeks of the month and next week is Thanksgiving. I always knew November was one of my favorite months. ;)

To kick off my first full week this morning I had a serving of Mixed Nuts for a snack.

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For lunch I had the rest of my Black Bean Salad from Saturday.

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I served the black bean mix over a bed of spinach with plain yogurt and shredded corn tortillas layered on top.

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Twas a very delicious & festive lunch. :)

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I forgot to bring in my left over cake this morning, so I grabbed it when I was home at lunch and set it out in the main kitchen upon my return.

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I grabbed a piece myself to make sure it hadn’t gone bad overnight or anything. ;)

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Still good. And I’ve already had a few co-workers comments on the cake and ask for the recipe. Success!

Thanksgiving Challenge Update…

This far I had been very proud of myself on the Thanksgiving Challenge front. Before this weekend I had managed to only spend $25 and some change on food for the month of November. Unfortunately the keywords in that sentence are *before this weekend.* Somehow I lost all of that great control on my finances in the past two days. Le sigh.

Friday night and Saturday morning I was lucky enough to have my Dad treat me to dinner and breakfast out, so neither of those charges were factored in this weekend’s total. However, the combination of eating out on Saturday, the Food & Wine Festival on Sunday and two impromptu visits to Publix more than tripled my total. Ooopss…

As of today – not counting my San Francisco weekend – I have spent a total of $80.04 in the month of November on food. That leaves me with a little less then $20 for the rest of the month which includes a road trip to Tallahassee this weekend and Thanksgiving the following weekend.

Hmmm…. after spending so much money this weekend alone, I’m not sure I’m going to make it. Yikes! I am still going to give it my best effort though – Wish me luck!

Don’t forget you can follow my Thanksgiving Challenge progress here. :)

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[me] & goji Giveaway

November 16, 2009

Good Morning! I hope everyone’s Monday morning is going smoothly. Mine has been about as good as could be expected for a Monday. I woke up did some yoga, worked on my core, and did various arm strength moves. Breakfast was a wonderful bowl of cereal. 1/2 cup Peanut Butter Puffins 1/2 cup Kashi Go more »

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