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New blog:

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something new

Hey guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates. :( It's hard to get "into" my blog when I RARELY make any updates. To tell you the truth, blogger is NOT user friendly at all. I'm looking into new outlets and formats.

Don't worry though, I've got tons to blog about! (NyC trip). :)

Bagels without Guilt

I LOVEEEE bagels. But with my chocolate obsession I don't need additional fatness to be added to my daily intake....that is until I found these!! These bagels are the exact same size as the big ol' Sara Lee bagels but only HALF the calories!! They taste delicious also! Glenn even eats them because it's 140 calories for one, 14 grams of protein, and 72% daily dietary fiber!!
http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/natures-grain/carb-check-original-bagels

Buffalo Meat!!!

I love me some whole foods!! Why? Cause I get to try all these different types of meat and fish! I saw an article on buffalo meat and decided to buy some lean ground buffalo meat the other day and make some burgers!

The meat was darker than regular ground meat. Glenn cut up some red onions and mushrooms and used Worcestershire sauce.

Ha. My Iphone camera doesn't make it that look that appealing but it was REALLY juicy! We topped it with a slice of melted cheese. It tasted like a regular hamburger but they are suppose to be a "leaner" red meat! Yum!

Lettuce Wraps

The only reason Glenn and I go to BJ's is for their chicken lettuce wraps. We had purchased some ground turkey meat and since we already had burgers this week I decided to try something different. I tried to follow the online recipe for PF Chang's Lettuce wraps but I forgot the soy sauce!! What a bad Asian. :( So I just followed my dragon lady insticts and whipped something up from what I had!

Marinated ground turkey in Worcestershire sauce, chopped up red onions, mushrooms, and water chestnuts.

Cooked the turkey meat with seasoning salt and pepper.

Then I added the mushrooms, onions, water chestnuts with some seasame oil, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar.

I was bit scared it wouldn't be good but it was pretty tasty!!!

Even Glenn was excited! The only thing missing was the chinese hot mustard sauce!

And yes we ate this one the floor in front of the tv cause UFC fights were on!

Packaged goods

Glenn and I finally had people over for the UFC fight. Here's a quick pic of what we had for little finger foods:

1) Mini dark chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate chips->a hit! Loved the combo!

2) Edible arrangement that Glenn got for me "just cause". :)

3) chips and dip

4) frozen pinwheels I got at target. They were (except for 5) all gone by the end of the night!

Chola Indian Food

Glenn and I think we "know" Indian food just because we went to my friend Avani's wedding and we've seen Slumdog Millionaire. We've had it about 3 times now but we always want more, to try new things. A resident at Scott and White told him about a place called Chola in Roundrock that we should check out. After singing "I lean like a cholo" a million times we found out that chola means chickpea in one of the southern Indian languages.



Glenn and Azeem RUNNING in to get food.


Excitement followed when we found out they had a lunch buffet on Saturdays. Apparently, Indian buffets offer a great variety and do NOT lack the quality of individually ordered dishes.







I don't know the names of anything. Starting on the top: rice cake, Tandoori chicken (soo juicy compared to Red Onion indian bistro), eggplant, goat, and chicken tiki marsala. In the middle is a piece of tilipia in indian spices. Everything had heat and had that kick of spices I have always wanted!!! The pita bread wasn't as soft and they didn't have the garlic flavor option. :(






YUMMY ALERT: Dosa: an light, crispy crepe (thinner than dessert crepes) with a mix of potatoes, peas, onions, and spices.

I could eat this all day long. The crepe tasted like a really thin fortune cookie and the creamy, spicy filling potatoes on the inside made the whole thing sooo flavorful!!! It was like an indian breakfast taco...only lighter (not calorie wise) and better!!! YUMMMM.




I forgot what everything was. These were my "oh I can still try some more stuff cause I'm not that full yet" dishes. Pass on these and get the curry stuff.

Dessert: WHY MUST YOU FAIL ME?! Where are the typical baklavas that Indian restaurants have?!?! UGH!!!

Clockwise:On the top is a sweet rice pudding (veryyy watery and barely sweet), that brown thing was AMAZING (fried dough smothered in sweetened condensed milk), mango mousse (where is the mango flavor? all I taste is cream fat!), and a SOUR rice with veggie mix.

I was very pleased that I got to try so many dishes!!! I found about 5 or 6 things I REALLY enjoyed (tandoori chicken, the tilapia, all the curried dishes, the fried dough dessert). Is it healthy? no. Would I go again and get more and eat too much? yes. Even our friend Azeem (he's brown) said it was good!

LuLu's Cafe

As I've blogged about before, I LOVEEEE Man V. Food. The way Adam loves food and his excitement about each destination is such a treat to me! I feel his fattie pain everytime he "overdoes it" and starts sweating! I do that on a weekly basis too Adam! Anyways, on his season 2 opener, he visited San Antonio. One of the restaurants was Lulu's Cafe, known for their chicken fried steak and HUGEEE cinnamon rolls.


Adam sure left his mark at this restaurant! The front of the menu features his picture with the staff!!












Here's a picture of me with the gigantic cinnamon roll!! OMG. I was expecting something that ran out of flavor in the center of the roll and expected the outside of the pastry to be really dry because it took so long to cook...BOY WAS I WRONG.

They premake the rolls and warm them up in the microwave when ordered.

When we got the cinnamon roll, it was warm, the outer layer slightly crispy but the hint of cinnamon and the rich frosting was TO DIE FOR. IT was soo good! Mrs. Baird's...EAT YOUR HEART OUT! I tried pieces of the cinnamon roll on the outside, innerside, and middle (for "testing" purposes of course) and it was DELICIOUS, flavorful, sweet, decadent from the inside out!!! Only $5.99!!! All hobos should save their change and eat this cinnamon roll!!

The rest our meal came out after a 45 minute wait since the restaurant was PACKED. I got migas and I wasn't very impressed. NO ONE in our group got their well known chicken fried steak which was a disappointment. I saw someone order one in the table next to us and it covered the WHOLE dinner platter. delicious looking. I will definitely go back to try that and believe it or not...I want another cinnamon roll!!!

Alamo Pizza

On our trip to San Antonio, Marcos and Lindsey told us about a place near their house, Alama Pizza. It's a real small pizza place with pizza slices, personal pizzas, calzones, wraps, pasta, etc. Outside is a pretty decent sized area where they have local bands play on the weekends.

Never heard of Alamo Pizza before but was super excited to see that it has been the winner of Readers' Choice pizza many years in a row!

I ordered a personal pizza veggie lovers. It had olives, green peppers, and red onions. You can see that a I got a piece of Roxann's pizza which had italian sausage.

NOT greasy at all!!! The crust was not too thick or thin but very crispy. The sauce wasn't that flavorful and it wasn't loaded with tons of cheese but it was still pretty tasty! I wish I had tried the other pizza flavors they offered: BBQ chicken, an Asian fusion one, etc because although my pizza was good, it tasted like a South Beach frozen pizza I can get at HEB, just a little crispier. I'm thinking the veggies didn't really add a kick of flavor like other toppings usually do. Overall, I would definitely give Alamo Pizza another shot!

Dead Fish Grill

Dead Fish Grill is a nice restaurant in Belton that overlooks Belton Lake. Really romantic/nice place to go drinks and hang out in the Temple area. Glenn has been trying to take me there for awhile but I always want sushi!















Beautiful sunset view when we went. Here's a picture of me giggling. Glenn LOVES this pic since I look like a Mii character or some sort of Japanese chubby doll.
















Appetizer: Crabcakes! I love crab cakes. These had a great flavor to them although they were on the thin side. Pieces of crab were in the cake! It could have been fresher tasting. I mean it was good, just not memorable. The sauce did nothing for me though, didn't taste like anything!














Since I had a big lunch (a post on that later) I ended up getting the Ahi Tuna Mediterranian Salad: artichoke hearts, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, blue cheese, new potatoes, and ahi tuna.

GREAT presentation. The ahi tuna had a kick in it's flavoring and the pieces were not too thin or too thick! The artichoke hearts added saltiness to the dish. The garlic bread was DELICIOUS. Full of butter and crunch! The new potatoes threw me off (since it was a salad after all) but the garlic and buttery taste had me at "Hello".

I would definitely get this again!





If you are ever in the Temple/Belton area, this is THE place to go. I didn't get a dessert or a mixed drink this time but I want to go again soon. For everything we ordered, plus tea it ended up being 30 dollars! NOT bad for dinner by the lake! A great bargain if you ask me!

Fiber One Muffins

I've been a fan of the Fiber One products for a LONG time. Name it, I'll love it! Cereal, bars, yogurt....I love them all! When my friend Amanda told me about the muffins, I was beyond excited to try them out! I chose banana nut instead of the other flavor, apple cinnamon, because I know Glenn's loves banana nut anything!

For Glenn's sake I used egg whites and applesauce instead of oil to make the muffins even healthier! I also made mini muffins instead of the usual serving size.

DELICIOUS! So soft and flavorful. I went back and got the apple cinnamon flavor to bake next week!!! They did not feel low fat or high in fiber at all!!! As I said again, I love fiber one products!!!

Turkey Burgers!

We've been thinking about getting a grill for awhile now. We just don't know either to get a gas or a charcoal grill! We are also...lazy! Anyways, I got this little stove top grill some time back but I haven't used it yet. Glenn had gotten some ground turkey meat so I decided to use it. AMAZING! This stove top grill doesn't give us the satisfaction of the mesquite or smokey flavor that comes with a regular grill but it sure was easy, quick to clean, and tasty! I will definitely recommend this grill for apartment dwellers like myself!

"grilled" some red onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos.


















Turkey burgers: seasoned it myself (thankyouverymuch) with Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, pepper, onion powder, chopped jalapenos, red onions.

















Cut up a sweet potato, seasoned with seasoning salt, pepper, and olive oil. Threw it in the oven at 450 degrees for 40 minutes.

















When the burgers were almost done we added a slice of gouda cheese and some guacamole.

OMG. I hate to say it, but I'm amazing!!! Maybe it was the Worcestershire sauce....but either way the burgers were flavorful and juicy!!! I think since I made them on the smaller side, they didn't overcook or have time to get dry. The veggies were good but I overdid the pepper. The sweet potato fries? delicious as usual!!!

Even as I type, I'm already planning my next turkey burger making!!!

Shrimp and Scallops

Glenn and I loveeee seafood. I was craving big chunks of scallops and so I busted out my cooking light cookbook and decided to "treat" Glenn to a homecooked meal.

Ingredients: dijon mustard, shrimp, scallops, zuchinni, carrots, and onions.

I don't have the recipe with me :(

Overall the dish was delicious! I ended up cooking the shrimp and scallops to the right texture! The sauce was a bit on the tart side but once it was mixed in well amongst the shrimp, scallops, and vegetables it was a-ok. I'll try to find a link to the recipe but for now, just know that Scallops+shrimp=crazy delicious.

Yoplait Delights

New product alert!!!

I LOVE yogurt and I love chocolate! Chocolate pudding cups believe it or not, do NOT satisfy me. Glenn was nice enough to pick up this product for me at HEB. Yoplait has made a new product that is a chocolate YOGURT. I tried the chocolate yogurt with raspberry yogurt topping. DELICIOUS. Not only did I get my active cultures for the day, I also get a sweet treat! Try them! Flavors are: chocolate&raspberry, creme caramel, lemon torte, triple berry creme.

HELPPP MEEE

Someone needs to rescue me! I can't stop going to Sonic! Their icecream is just soft serve and the toppings are things you can get at the convenience store...then why can't I stop going there? I look forward to the thick and fatty soft serve on a 3x weekly basis!

HELP. ME.

Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

I admit it, I haven't been cooking alot of new recipes lately. That's why on my first weekday off I decided to cook something for Glenn. He was on call the night before so I wanted to cook him something easy (for me) but healthy (for his sake). I found a recipe for Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables and decided to give it a try.


Cut up some zucchini, onions, roma tomatoes and mix with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Top with chicken breast that had a coating of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice.

Baked for 40 minutes with a midway tossing of vegetables.













The veggies were great! I love the flavor of cooked fresh vegetables with olive oil. The chicken? :( I tend to over cook chicken because I HATEEEE raw chicken or undercooking it. It was a bit dry :( But the flavor was there...but still dry.

New Snack Obsessions

Good news: Granola bars can be a healthy meal replacement or snack if you are on the go. Bad news: tons of calories and sugar and I eat them as snacks...ALL THE TIME! Either way, I love granola bars!!!! They are sooo good! I would actually choose to eat a granola bar over a candy bar. FACT! My favorite thing is to browse the granola bar selection at Whole Foods! They have almost every flavor of every brand out there! HEB disappoints and good luck at Wal-Mart!

Odwalla Bars: Decent size for a snack (hahah I eat alot) and depending on which flavor you get, you get little chunks of deliciousness. The strawberry pomegrante, banana nut, and the sweet and salty peanut are my favveeeesss. Seriously, they taste homemade!

Kind bars. Delicious. I like to get the fruit and nut delight, almond & coconut, and walnut and date ones. Big pieces of nuts (heh) held together by a sweet coating that tastes like marshmellows! Soo good! I'm drooling as I type. I tend to want two when I do eat them though so watch out! Apparently they sell them at Starbucks now!

Red Onion Indian Bistro

Glenn and some of his College Station buddies decided to have an Indian dinner. We had to drive all the way to Killeen (30 minute drive) but I was pretty excited. Other than the one time in NYC, I have never really had Indian food! The place is right off the highway in Killeen.

Instead of ordering an individual meal, we decided to order a group dinner meal that fed about 4-6 people. Glenn's friend assured us it would be plenty of food...NOT! I was still hungry! Oh well.

I forgot what all the dishes were but we had some Tandoori chicken (marinated in yogurt and spices), Chicken Tikka Masala (chicken cooked in a creamy sauce with fresh tomatoes and oriental spices), garlic Naan, Naan, seasoned white rice, Palak Paneer (Indian cheese cubes and spinach cooked in spices and herbs), Vegetable Malai Kofta (cheese stuffed in vegetable balls, cooked in mildly spiced creamy sauce).

The naan was good, but who doesn't like bread! My favorites ended up being the vegetable malai kofta and chicken tikka masala...why? CAUSE OF THE CREAMY CURRY SAUCE. It's the WORSE thing for you but the creamy, spicy, sauce was delicious with the rice! I loved every carb/fat filled moment! The group meal was great cause I got to try everything. I was not THAT impressed with the other dishes...now don't get me wrong! It was good, but I expected more Punch! more heat! and it just didn't deliver. Would I go there again? Yes! There are so many more vegetable and lamb dishes I want to try! All in all, it was good...but I expected more flavor.

Lamb Treat!

Lamb is sooo good!!! If someone tells you it isn't, then they haven't had properly prepared lamb! It's actually extremely fatty so that's why Glenn and I usually have lamb on special occasions or on "oh what the hell" days. We got a pound of lean cut lamb at Whole foods and instead of following a recipe, I did my own thing!

It actually came out pretty delicious. I marinated the lamb overnight in soysauce and brown sugar. I cut up some onions, mushrooms, and cooked the lamb in additional soysauce, cinnamon, rosemary, salt, pepper, and a dash of cumin. Served it with some brown rice and broccoli (Glenn's favorite)! The lamb was so tender! It wasn't dry at all! The dish was a pretty sweet dish so I think next time I'll go easier on the brown sugar but increase the saltiness with some Worcestershire sauce!

LAMB IS YUMMY! Good bye!

ZTejas Southwestern Grill

Ztejas is the place for first dates in Austin. So of course, Glenn has never taken me there. I'm a fan of southwestern cuisine (actually any food to tell you the truth) so when it was suggested we go there for Brunch....I said a "hells yea". Deliciousness and fattiness ensued.






















Fresh warm cornbread greets you while you wait for your food. Soft, moist, and it even had pieces of crunchy corn in it with each bite! Yummy! Especially with a ton of butter!

















Everyone except me ordered brunch. When you order brunch you get your choice of an apple bran muffin (which is to your left) or a banana nut muffin. The banana nut muffin was sweet but super soft and fresh. Glenn's apple bran muffin was TOO DELISH! It had chunks of carrots in it with a sweet cinnamon flavor. It was basically a fluffy carrot cake without the frosting. YUMMMY.

So while the guys got protein in a form of eggs, Diana decides to get the smoked chicken chile relleno: grilled poblano pepper stuffed with chicken, pecans, apricots, raisins, spices, and jack cheese served with picante sauce and black beans.

OMG. I've been wanting to try one since Bobby Flay made one on his show "Throw down with Bobby Flay". It was really good. The chicken was sweet from all the fruit pieces but you also got the heat from the spicy peppers! The cream cheese just enhanced the savory dish!

. Heavy meal but damn, was it good! The chicken inside the pepper was so tender! I couldn't stop eating this!

Now I understand why this is a date place...the food is freaking good! Aphrodisiac! Everyone in Austin has probably eaten here already but if you haven't, please check it out! Ztejas