Saturday, December 19, 2009

"It's Not Christmas if the Snow Don't Fall"

It's a winter wonderland here in Pa! This is our first considerable snow fall of the year, and boy, what a fall it has been. They say we will end up with 20 inches when it's all over. Crazy! But I do always enjoy a White Christmas. ;)

Last night, we probably should have gone out to run the errands that we were planning for today; however, staying home and warm was much more enticing.

Speaking of enticing, dinner last night was just that.

We usually have something fun on Friday nights, like fajitas or pizza, but last night, I thought I would switch it up just a bit and made calzones.


My calzone was glorious! It started with a base of whipped cottage cheese, capers, greek yogurt, spinach and artichoke hearts. Then I added some sauteed Red Onion and Mushrooms in a Balsamic glaze.


The only downside to these was that I was forced to use white dough, because the store was out of whole wheat. Not such a big fan of refined white carbs, but I digress.


Toly's calzone was ricotta/feta mixture with sauce, pepperoni, bacon, and multiple cheeses.

I served some sauce on the side for dipping.

And a salad with Romain, Cabbage, Avocado, Mandrin Oranges, Cranberries and Balsamic Poppyseed dressing.

Wonderful dinner with lots of leftovers.


And now, for a terribly embarrassing story...


This morning, I set my alarm early for my usual Saturday morning long run. I haven't done one of these all month (with being sick and recovering from surgery) so I was pretty excited about it.

I actually woke up a little hungry and with 8 miles ahead of me, I decided to munch on 1/2 a Cliff bar before I ran out the door.

Well, I started my run and felt great! After about a mile, that is when it happened. I got a SUDDEN bout of the worst stomach pain and got really sick. Needless, I had to stop my run early, not even getting in 2 miles. :(

This whole Colitis thing is killing me!!! I have struggled with IBS in the past, so this is not new to me, but I have not had problems for years and now I am dealing with it once again. If you know anything about Colitis or IBS or Chrones Disease (and I know this girl does, as does this girl), it is a terrible inflammation of the large intestine. Mine seems to be due to a bacterial build up from a bad reaction to antibiotics but I am wondering if my history with IBS has something to do with why I have developed this again. Anyways, there really is no cure or medicine, and all you can really do is learn how to live with it by doing dietary eliminations and additions. I know that dairy, red meat, anything fried or remotely fried, and processed foods are "triggers" for me, so I have decreased or eliminated these from my diet. I was able to eat a little dairy which is good because I adore Greek Yogurt and ice cream; however, I am thinking that it's the dairy that is causing these recent flares. Hmmm, the Cliff Bar....Processed and Dairy? So sad! :( Hopefully, this is not permanent because I don't think I could live without Greek yogurt!!!

Okay enough of that rant, instead of getting upset about my "situation" this morning, I found a great way to drown my sorrows was with Pumpkin Oats and Gossip Girl.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Oats to be exact.

Made everything better!

And I thought this was so cute, but Toly was so proud of his Home Fries this morning that he wanted to show you all.


I was supposed to go over to my parent's this morning to "help" my mom and sister bake Christmas cookies, but the snow put a stop to those plans.


I spent the morning cleaning instead. Not the most exciting alternative, but it does feel good to have a clean house.

Lunch was an exact repeat of Thursday, which was this....

Leftover Butternut Apple Squash Soup with Spinach, Carrots and AB, sliver of Pumpkin Cranberry bread and fruit


And going with the theme of plans getting nixed, our original plan of going out to dinner with my family was not happening in 20 inches of snow.


Since we are also limited on groceries, I had to come up with something with limited ingredients.


That is why I love the convenience of Miss Annie and her Mac and Cheese. Always on hand for situations like this.


Veggie Mac and BBQ Tofu






Does this qualify of the adult version of Mac and Cheese? I really don't think you ever grow out of your love for Mac and Cheese, you just find ways to make it more sophisticated. Although I am not too sure how sophisticated dowsing it in ketchup is, but I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Toly opted for Chicken and more extra cheese for his veggies.

We'll see how this little dairy sits with me.

Well, this snow day has turned out to be pretty nice. Too bad it wasn't a weekday and we had to sacrifice a Saturday, but none the less, it was a good reason to do nothing.


We are about to start "Love Actually" with some hot coco and cookies. I'd say that's a wonderful way to end the night, wouldn't you?


Sleep tight! :)

14 comments:

  1. Thank you for the mention - I definitely know what you are going through!! Hang in there, girl - stress makes the condition worse (as does colder weather), so try to stay positive. Trust me on this ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. pumpkin gingerbread oats sound phenomenal! & im sorry about our troubles w/ the surgery and everything :( keep trying to figure out what might be cuasing flares and do things that u think might help them :) you'll get through this!

    xoxo
    shelley

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the mention. I've totally been there too... Worst feeling ever :( It's what got me out of running (FEAR... fear is such a terrible thing)

    The other thing that is a huge trigger for me is BOOZE!!! Thank goodness I was never much of a drinker!!

    Thinking about you!!!!!!!!!!

    Jess

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi sweetie!
    Oh man, your mac and cheese and BBQ tofu combo looks so good for some reason. I really hope you don't have to give up dairy, too! I could never live without it.
    The calzones look delicious with the cottage cheese...are those completely homemade?! Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  5. JUST found your blog and love it! wanted to say hello ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my gosh. I would much rather have your delicious dinner over ANYTHING in a restaurant. Everyone is eating Brussels (even Alton Brown last night) and I am feeling so left out!!

    Haha I love your 'help' in quotations with baking. I think it's all mental. I bet you are a great baker deep down. I don't think I could ever go without dairy. EVER. I went without it for a couple days during finals and was going crazy!!

    Your calzone looks amazing!! I ate so many gooey yummy calzones when I waitressed. MMmmmmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  7. aww I love reading your blog...it always puts me in such a good mood! Love actually does sound like a fantastic way to end the evening. It is adorable that Toly was so proud of his potatoes he wanted you to take a picture of it! :) I always love all the food you make Lauren...i wish i had the creativity to make 3 wonderful meals a day like you do.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I heard ya'll are getting CRAZY amounts of snow. Stay warm up there!! awww :( Sorry about your tummy issues. Such a pain in the behind. I had my share of tummy issues this time last year, so I can relate. Love Toly's home fries :) I love photographing Josh's creations and putting them up! Enjoy the movie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds like a perfect evening : )

    I'd had runs like that, too. I've actually had to pull into the forest a time or two. TMI? : )

    ReplyDelete
  10. i'm sorry to hear about your tummy issues. my mother in law has crohn's and i know it's not fun. love actually sounds like a wonderful way to spend the evening.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey little miss Lauren! Just catching up. Ugh--I have been so behind! Sorry to hear about the continuing medical issues, but so relieved you have a real diagnosis and treatment plan.

    Your calzone is a vision for sure! And I'm lovin all the balsamic roasted veggies, too. Thanks for the holla in you last post, I;m so glad you liked it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. No!! Sorry you got sick :( I hope that it clears up and you're fine when all is said and done!

    Mac and cheese with tofu?! Calzones!? Toly's home fries?! At least you guys are eating some tasty meals despite being snowed in! Love Actually = One of my favorite movies! Sounds like a comfy night :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tummy issues stink! So sorry it cut your long run short :( Hoping it resolves quickly! As usual, you food looks delish and is making me hungry!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. GIRL i am so behind! i am slowly going to catch up on you and your beautiful life~sorry about the colitis :( marshall has chron's and it is hard for him to live life. i can't imagine a life without greek yogurt! ahh! anyway, lots more to read, sory i was MIA for so long <3

    ReplyDelete