Take a load off, Annie

(And Fanny too, while you’re at it.)

Well hello! I hope you’ve had a marvelous day.  Mine was pretty good, thanks… the morning and early afternoon were spent in the library, before I broke for lunch.

We had tacos again for lunch… I think this just happened a week or so ago… or maybe my brain is just fried.  Anyway, I had refried beans, ground tofu, yellow rice, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and a little cheese.

For dessert, I had 1/2 each of a magic bar and a PB chocolate chip bar.

I went back to the library to finish my edits and handed in my English capstone- almost two hours early!  Even though I still have another paper and a review to write, I was so happy and proud to be finished that I decided to take the rest of the day off and just enjoy life. (Did I mention that I get shmaltzy when I’m not stressed? Bring on the corn…)

I did some non-academic reading on the grass (and even got a little pink strip of sunburn!) and had a grapefruit.

I went to my last Step class today.  I hope I can find a gym that has sessions… it’s such a fun way to exercise!

Total time: 59:20 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 182 (91%)

Average heart rate: 129 (65%)

Calories burned: 397

I was a little sore from doing bicycle crunches two days in a row (they’re not apart of my normal ab series), so I decided not to strength training and just go home and relax instead.  It was a good night.

Tips for how to let the good times roll:

#1: Put on your favorite T-shirt and comfy pants (circa junior year of high school).

#2: Splurge on some good wine and enjoy every sip.

#2.5: Have a rebellious snack while pondering life’s fine things (see #2 & #3):

#3: Make a delicious and satisfying dinner.  Get creative and experiment!

Believe me when I say: this was one of the best salads I have ever had. The star was broiled coconut shrimp, which made the meal feel really indulgent, despite how healthy it was.

Sweet and spicy coconut shrimp

• 3 tsp light coconut milk
• 1 tsp brown rice syrup

I use brown rice syrup as an alternative to agave when I bake vegan treats; it has a milder taste than honey.

• pinch chili flakes
• pinch ground ginger powder
• 6 frozen shrimp, thawed with tails removed
• 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients in a broiler-ready pan.  Toss shrimp in, coating them nicely and coat them in coconut.

Return shrimp to pan and broil for about 5 minutes, flipping once about halfway.

Meanwhile, I toasted some hazelnuts at 400˚ for 7 minutes.

I then used the back of a big knife to crush the toasted nuts and make a delicious dressing.  I combined the leftover shrimp/coconut mixture (I saved the extra bit in the bowl) with hazelnuts with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

I made a huge salad:

• Romaine
• tomato
• green peas
• Sweet and spicy coconut shrimp
• 1 navel orange
• feta cheese
• hazelnut vinaigrette

I also steamed some carrots and had some green water:

There were more peas than would fit on my salad plate (I can’t wait to go home and have big bowls again!), so I ate them with the carrots.

This was the perfect meal.  There were so many tastes (sweet, salty, toasty) and textures (crispy, crunchy, chewy) that came together really well.  The wine was also some of the best I’ve ever had! I think this was my first time having Fumé Blanc (Robert Mondavi 2005) , and I became a quick fan.

Dinner held me over for a good two hours before I started to think about dessert.  To finish up my comfort meal, I had dried fruit (apricots, dates, prunes, figs) with almond butter (my Justin’s squeeze pack experience was more pleasurable than last time) and dark chocolate.

And finally, tip #4: Relax with Pam, Jim, Meredith, Izzie, Blair and Serena all in one night and don’t feel an ounce of guilt. Woohoo!

Have a great night.