Junk Food I'm deleting from my diet

So I've decided to cut certain foods from my diet, as in I won't buy them for myself, no matter the desire to so!

• Ice cream -Blue Bell is MY WEAKNESS! Especially chocolate chip cookie dough...the best in the country.
• Chips - Cheetos Popcorn have been the most destructive staple of my life.
• Fried Food - stuff like french fries, onion rings, chicken fried steaks... oh dear. Southern cooking
• Fast Food - I'm cutting way back, I'm only going to eat if I'm beyond desperate. 

That's it for now, I mean that's a big enough change, include my anti soda thing... it's a whole lot of healthier eating going on here.

Pulled Pork sandwiches

So, what do you do with a bunch of leftover pork meat that you slow cooked the day before and shredded? Why pulled pork sandwiches! I got to have one  of those little things for lunch, and to make it awesome I added a slice of smoked gouda on my whole wheat bread. I laid it out in two halves, and broiled it for about 2 minutes on high just to goo the cheese and heat the pulled pork. The bread was a little crunchy on the edges and it was delicious with a large glass of water.

BBQ Pork

Mmm, BBQ Pork Ribs. I made my own. =)
So, the recipe was really a package of pulled pork mix and it said to add a little ketchup, some brown sugar and let it sit 8 hours. I added half a cup or so of pinot grigio, a teaspoon of lemon and then I left it alone. It smells and tasted wonderful. I've decided to finish pulling it apart so that I can have some sandwiches this week. The wine... added goodness.

Mmm Poptarts!

Poptarts... the quick easy breakfast food. =) I don't eat them unless that's all that's supplied. But When I eat them, I eat the edges first then the filling last. MMMM the only way to eat them.

Denton #2

Another local favourite, this time... for BBQ: Metzlers. While they have a large amount of wine... they have plenty of other alcohols for you non-wine buffs. Otherwise, I go for the BBQ. Each person in my family has a meat that makes a place good to eat BBQ. My mom's is the brisket, my father's the ribs and mine is turkey. Brisket is the perfect BBQ meat, and always will be the Texas staple.  Ribs are a tough meat to get, just because here, we want it off the bone. =) But for me, the hardest meat to cook BBQ style is the turkey. The bird in general is difficult, always easy to over cook (which is why I prefer the deep fried turkey, it holds moisture) and it shows me that the place really knows how to cook if they keep it tender and moist. Metzler's bird by the pound... awesome. It most definitely holds the moisture that I crave in a turkey and the BBQ sauce gives me some tang.
So if you need BBQ fix and you're around Denton... You best head on over to one of the two locations! On the site, the original is off londonberry.

Mmmm, CHEESE

So, I drove out to Plano today, doing errands, but I knew I had to stop by Sprouts and Central Market since I was strolling through the neighborhood. I wanted to see how much their Manchego cheese was, since at Scardello it was 34.99 a lb... (side note: Manchego: This is probably the most famous Spanish cheese and has its own Denomination of Origin. The Denomination of Origin is located in the center of the Peninsula, in the Castilla-La Mancha region. According to the regulations of the denomination, the cheese must be made from the milk of Manchego sheep, Entrefino breed. It is piquant, buttery and has a nutty flavor as well. It is soft and crumbly in texture)
They didn't have it but Mr. Cheese Specialist didn't want me to go away empty handed! He instead, tried me out on another couple of cheeses, one goat then my new Gouda (see picture!) Apparently, aged gouda gets tangy... I thought, well yes it does! So it's a great new cheese find, an affordable little chunk came home with me. =) Oh delicious cheese.

Why I have to give up Sonic...

So, technically this is nothing against Sonic. I have to give it up because it's become my biggest tempter, with the happy hour Rt44 easy ice Diet Dr. Pepper. I want it and I can't freakin have it. GAH! resolutions are hard, especially resolutions to give up something you really really like.

Crockpots I

So, a crockpot is something every 21st century lady needs in her arsenal (and men, the ones who cook!) It's about as simple as boiling water. You add the meat, ribs, pork, stew, etc. You then can add carrots, onions, potatoes, etc. Then  half a bottle of salad dressing, salt and pepper, BBQ sauce, or a large can of tomato sauce and broth. Then set either high (4 hours) or low (8hours). My new crockpot has 4, 6, 8, 10, or warm. After you set, you forget! It'll be something fabulous  when that time is up! My new crockpot also automatically turns to warm once the set time is finished, so it's just darn awesome. Today I took a lean beef, poured on some balsamic dressing, a little salt, and 4 hours. Then I added a cup of water and some diced potatoes. Set it & forget it. =) I also set some long cooking brown rice in about an hour or so out, and I had rice ready with dinner was! I just love crockpots.

The unsung hero

A new and delicious snackage I have found is so uncommon, they aren't found at all retailers. That unsung delicious hero? The Cheeto...left overs. Oh goodness they're like puffed cheetos but softer, meltier, delicious-er. You can get them in butter or cheese, and of course the cheese is the best. I do think its better.

Cravings?

So, just a short thought for today... does anyone else crave Chik-fil-a when they're closed? Because I do it all the times... I was glad that Chik-fil-a was open today.

Wheaties?

So, I've decided there are two type of people: White & Wheat. Mr. White is all about the gooey, fluffy, starchiness that makes up your white 'enriched' grain people while Mr. Wheat is all about the fibery, firm, textured whole wheat pasta people  (For this moment Mr. Multigrain is falling into line with no one and thus doesn't exist in a two sided argument). 
It doesn't seem to be a battle of who's healthier. No one disputes that 100% whole wheat is way better than overprocessed white enriched flour. It really comes down to a wheat tastes nasty dispute.
Here's a few things about wheat that make me choose it when I get the option:

• Less starchy. I personally don't care for soggy pasta.
• The grains! I love the taste of grain, a nice earthy taste.
• More fiber!!! Oh the need for fiber, we americans fail there. Unless we use a substitute.
• Lastly, more filling with less pasta! The slower digesting grains keep you filled longer

So for me, there is no dispute, no taste discrepancy, or failures to wheat pasta. I also feel the same about breads, rice (brown), and Oreos, the darker the better!

Knock Knock!

Who's There?
Orange
Orange Who?
Orange you glad I started the post out this way?

... I guess not.

Anyway, my only exciting food today was the lovable, citrusy, Orange.
Miniature History lesson:
Oranges originated in southeast Asia.
The original oranges were only bitter oranges, but later they were found in 15th century Europe as sweet oranges. They were brought over by Columbus to the Caribbean and the 16th century saw the Spaniards bringing them to Florida (The home of the Florida oranges).
There are four main varieties; Blood, Navel, Valencia, Persian.
If you want to know more: Good Eats

Anyway, I zested my oranges before I ate them, and froze the zest for future use, it's awesome to have already on hand. So, for reference, you can freeze all zest from the citrus fruits. Never worry about needing a small amount of zest again! But yes, I ate two oranges for breakfast already shaven. My friends saw me and asked if they were molding, so that was my explanation.

Applebees

Okay... not my most favorite experience of Applebee's.
Just wasn't my night. Got the A-1 burger. Fail from the beginning, the top bun had no proper condiments, then the fried onion strings were completely clumped, and unchewable. I sent the bun back before realising the onion strings were bad. So, I asked for the manager and then discussed with him my two below par pieces. At this point I choose to not be rude, I hate when family/friends freak and chew out the waiter, it's not their faults, usually. So, I'm stressing kindness, being polite about everything. They bring me the bun, I start to eat, I had subbed steamed vegetables for fries (a littttttttttle health conscious) and the bottom bun was so gooey. I about cried, my roommate was just laughing at me. I sucked it up and ate the soggy bottom. I hate being a hassle, the bottom could have possibly been my fault. I don't know. Either way, it wasn't the best night, but the waiter got a decent tip!

I LOVE LEFTOVERS!

So, I'm reiterating my love leftovers. For Christmas this year we had soups. Three kinds, Italian Wedding Soup, Pasta Fagioli, and Tomato Basil (store bought). I love Wedding soup, ever since we first had it at Spaghetti Warehouse many years ago. My mom made it from scratch, and I ate a lot of it. Of course, I begged for some frozen chunks to defrost for later. I've just started my bag of pasta fagioli (famous from Olive Garden). I put it in a crockpot and let it defrost for awhile.
It's been a delightful dinner, but I want more! It's something I don't grow old of on a regular basis. Olive Garden's version is very oily and very liquid but my mom's version is very much less the oil. It's thicker, chunky, and rightfully delicious.
So, soup's on!

I forgot yesterday!

So, I didn't post yesterday, not because I didn't have anything, but because I forgot to log on and talk about my fabulous lunch... Oh the things that happen when you get busy!
So, fabulous lunch #1...
If you ever come to Denton, there is a few places you should go to for food. We have local, crazy cuisine that's usually cheaper, larger portions and awesome. Thank you Denton for being a big college town!
The place of great food? El Guapo's!! They're in the middle of updating their website, but even just the picture in place of the website is reason enough to come in! That handsome man is the proprietor. (El Guapo means the lady's man or the handsome one) It's delicious Mexican-Texican food, from fajitas, to burritos the size of your liver to thick homemade tortillas still warm from the grill top, El Guapo's is friendly to the budget and you can definitely make two or three meals out of what you order. The only thing I wouldn't order? The Nachos, it's the one thing that most people have found to fall flat but over all, El Guapo's get's a 4.2 out 5!

Convenience Store Food!

So, I know, I know. Most convenience store food is junk deep fried and long lasting in hot boxes. My parents have a store, which thankfully has a pizza shop in it. But today... I got one of my favorite things; a bbq burger! My mother thinks I'm nuts for putting two toasted buns, a scoop of bbq & 1 slice of cheese. =) I always loved cheese on manwich, so I'm keeping up the tradition!

Pizza ...again!

So, I find that I eat a lot of pizza, most of this is because my parents own a pizza place.
While, pizza isn't the best for you, it's also not the worse! You can easily get some veggies, a little protein, and some grains in, in one serving! Whoot! =) But tonight, since I was at the store, my mother made it extremely thin, with an electronic roller. So, not so much bread.
Are you a thin crust, medium, or thick crust kinda person? I'm thin all the way. I like that crunch you get from it, and I don't like eating so much wasted bread. calories.
So yeah, that was the food choice of the day!

New Fastfooding!

So, Arby's jumped on the band wagon! They finally added a $1 menu! I've always loved Arby's (side story there) but their food was always so pricey for a roast beef with two packets of arby's sauce.
You can get curly fries, a jr. roast beef & a soda for 3.30! FAbulous, but I gave up sodas (on my other blog) so... milkshake!

Today... Leftovers!

How many people don't like cold pizza?! It's a fabulous way to get rid of it, especially for breakfast. Mmm, cold pizza, burgers (undressed), and muffins are awesome. I don't know why I like cold hamburgers, but I do. It's simple.
So yes people, that's what I got to eat today, cold pizza and a cheap Taco Bell burrito! So healthy right? :)
Anything delicious on your end?

PIZZA! Homemade stuff... Mmmm
My parents have a pizza store (Pizzazz Pizza Mt. Pleasant, TX) so I get dough, A LOT. Then, it's just easy peasy from there!!! <3

Chicken Salad Sandwiches!

Lunch was delightful today, my old roommate left me her canned chicken breasts, which always means chicken salad to me! Here's how I mix up some quick chickenness:

• 1 can (well drained) white chicken
• 3 TBSP Light Mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP Pickle Relish
• 1 TSP Dill Dip Mix (or just dried dill if that's all you have on hand)
• 2 TBSP Diced Onions (optional)

After draining the chicken well, add the mayonnaise, and stir until all chunks are evenly mixed. Then add the relish and onions. You can then optionally sprinkle the dried dill in the chicken salad or use it as a garnish when serving.

Well, that was lunch! Then at Kroger yesterday they had miniature pita pockets on clearance so I gave them a shot. I sliced those in half and place small TBSP in between the slices. It was good. I've never been a big fan of adding grapes, walnuts, apples, and other fruity 'fancy' additions to my chicken salad. When I think chicken salad I think parks, picnics, other old fashioned things. Thus is a small part of my soapbox on people trying to 'dress-up' old ideas. There are some great improvements for sure, but sometimes, you just want a childhood favorite. Or, at least, I want a childhood favorite every once in awhile!