veggie heaven.

Happy Monday, folks!  I'm one happy girl right now because a) I just finished off a big bowl of my homemade low-fat veggie stew and b) I'm watching Biggest Loser, which is one of my favorites!  I had to make a decision last week--follow the Bachelor or follow Biggest Loser.  I knew I didn't have time to follow both shows, so Biggest Loser won out.  I figured it's much more positive PLUS it motivates me to get my butt moving.

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So, let me catch you up from yesterday.  I left you all to head in to the kitchen to do some prep work for my crockpot concoction I would be cooking today.  Veggies were chopped successfully with no cuts or bandaids needed.

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Post-chopping, I was able to sit down and enjoy a meal with my best friend.  Did I mention he made it with all kinds of love???

 Fresh veggie stir-fry...

Add half a sweet potato and baked salmon...now that's what I call a dinner!  A glass of red wine really topped it all off.

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Ok, so back to the stew.  This morning, all I had to do was add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, a can of Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, and some seasoning.

It looks crazy-good, right?!  Turn the crock-pot on low for 9 hours, and voila!  To thicken up the soup some, I added a mixture of 3 Tbsp. cornstarch and 3 Tbsp. water.

The tiny sliver of bread is a piece of the Ezekiel bread I got at Harris Teeter tonight...decided to indulge and buy myself some after hearing the rave reviews from an old co-worker.  It's reallllly good!  Two thumbs up from me :)

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Ok, I can't go without mentioning my breakfast this morning.  I honestly didn't intend to talk only about food today (that's what happens when you're in love with food), but it just kind of happened that way.  I went to an early morning breakfast with Bo and his mom on Sunday before she left town.  She and I splurged and bought scones at the restaurant--she chose cranberry-orange and I, of course, chose the chocolate espresso.

I couldn't justify eating the WHOLE thing this morning, so I cut it in half.  I could eat one of these things everyday for the rest of my life.  20 seconds in the microwave and it's perfection.  I enjoyed mine with a cup of coffee.

 

Enough with the food yap, I've got some things to get done to get ready for the rest of the week.  On the agenda for this week:

• Dinner with some great friends at Ratty's in downtown New Bern.
• Small group on Wednesday night...and I'm leading it.  Yikes.
• Thursday -- BO TURNS 33!!!! He's decided on Mexican and Margaritas (score!).

Bring it on :)