Learning Lessons the hard way!

I really wish I could put a "do not authorize" payment prohibitor on fast food purchases via my debit card.

I did really well today, and then was starving by the hour drive home from volleyball practice tonight at 9:50pm.

Needless to say, the best option I had was Jack n the Box at that point. The only food at home being unable to be cooked because my parents were in bed (aka means kitchen is closed because I'm too noisy-another disaster of living with the parents).

I just killed any and all activity I did today by scarfing down those damn eggrolls...

I went with good intentions- their chicken terriyaki has vegetables in it at least that are real...and it isn't fried.

Needless to say they were "out of rice."

And my stomach gained control over my brain and said, "eggrolls, Damn you! EGGROLLLLLLS."
And I foolishly listened.

That just means I'll have to be extra good tomorrow. 

Diets aren't ruined by messing up. Diets are ruined when you don't learn from your mistakes and let Mr. Tum-Tum decide 24/7.

PS for your reference they're approximately 133 calories per eggroll (AND FLIPPING DELICIOUS).

My fajitas bring all the dieters to the yard & they're like....This is low carb!

So we all know about the HCG diet, where some miracle drug helps you stay on 500 calories a day for like 30 days or something.

YEAH. Like that doesn't want to make you laugh in the face of everyone on the planet who tries it.

First of all, you can't drink on it. Strike one.
Second of all, you only eat 500 calories a day. Can we say exemplifying the definition of "hangry" people x10 here?
Third of all, rumor has it that it messes up the baby-maker. So if you're already through menopause, no big whoop.

But for those of us who someday unfortunately wish to spread the genetic code of our ancestors further- there is no way in hell we are doing this. Not to mention even if you don't- it's just insanely unhealthy.

So what's the purpose of this rant?

I am really glad they have seasoning and salad dressings to use on the diet because they don't contain salt or sugar.



I'm testing them out on some boneless, skinless chicken breast strips tonight. I'll let you know the outcome.
I figure either way I'm going to make me some fajitas!

Fajitas a la Haley
boneless, skinless, chicken breast-baked @350 degrees Fahrenheit (seasoning optional)
Veggies in your drawer, chopped into strips (I'm using green peppers, mushrooms, and red onion)
Put veggies in hot skillet, the key to good fajitas is the TOMATOES! Are you thinking what tomatoes?

I'm talking about the tomatoes I'm telling you to use instead of oil for the fajita stir-fry.
Cut up some fresh ones, squeeze them & throw them in.
You can also use stewed or whatever you have on hand (but fresh is best, and canned is getting into high sodium territory).

Cook it up, slap it on some tortilla shells, and call it a day!

Voila. Easy as pie.

Garnish with lots of lettuce or avocado slices.

Update: I found a salad dressing

Okay, so practically putting my foot in my mouth on this one but I found a salad dressing I do enjoy.

It's called "Simply Dressed; Champagne"

 

Check out their line of salad dressings, and if anyone has tried their other flavors, leave a comment and let me know how they are!

Haley's Awesome Tuna Salad Salad

So I started healthy eating this week- and so far I've lost 7lbs since my weigh in at the doctor last Monday. Mostly I've just been calorie counting so I can still eat what I want, but it's more like portion control, fillers that have zero calories, and not eating past 7:30PM if I can help it. (Currently on medicine requiring food when taking it and you have to take it before bedtime...so I save a few calories for a  little something).

I've always had a thing of hating most salad dressings so I thought I would share what I enjoy. I eat tuna salad on top of a big plate of lettuce. Sounds gross, but it's really good. So below I've shared the recipe and an approximate calorie count.

Haley's Awesome Tuna Salad Salad
1 Can Tuna, drained
1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
Celery, chopped
Red Onion, chopped
3 tbsp. Reduced Fat Olive Oil Mayo
Mrs. Dash and Crushed Red Pepper to Taste!

Mix ingredients and add to a plateful of lettuce (Romaine mixed with red cabbage was used in the calorie count) and VOILA! Magnifico filling and tasty salad without nasty dressing.

Approximately 300 or less calories!
(I rounded up because I didn't measure the lettuce and red onion by ounce)

Hosting a Work Meeting

Aside from the everyday Carlson Blue button downs and the almost obsessive need to have a coffee maker in the room, what does the art of hosting a work meeting entail?

If it is before 11:00AM you better have a breakfast option, the same goes for lunch from 11:30-12:30.

But what it certainly does not entail is having to rely on only yourself to produce a well maintained meeting. If you are part of a team of co-workers they should be there helping set up and definitely helping clean up and take down.

Also? Do not ever think of just leaving any space a mess for the janitor to clean up. I don't care if you are Bill Gates or Barack Obama...okay, they probably hire people for that....but it is still rude as can be.

But mainly I shouldn't have to ask you three times to get up from your cubicle to come help me clean up a pigsty that resulted from a two hour morning meeting.

The end.

(Conference Room Pictured Not Actual Conference Room)

Foodie Friday

Currently I await the results of my first attempt ever at making my sister-in-law's broccoli cheese casserole. Unfortunately I altered it a lot due to my inability to prepare for last minute cooking.

Normally the recipe calls for the following (and is delicious, I promise)!

Kathy Blume's Broccoli Cheese Casserole (sister-in-law's Aunt)
8oz Cheese Whiz
1.5 C Minute Rice
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
10oz package of frozen broccoli (cooked)
1/2 an onion (white or yellow) sautéed in 1 stick of butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

You cook the broccoli according to the package. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Saute the onion in the stick of butter, add the rest of the ingredients. Do not add the rice until ready to put in the oven. Cook 30-40 minutes.

Haley's Off-Brand Messed Up Version (yet to be tasted)
8-10oz Light Grocery Store Brand Velveeta knock-off
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1.5 tbsp minced garlic sautéed in 1 stick of baking margarine
1.5 cups brown rice
10 oz frozen organic broccoli florets boiled about 3 minutes in hot water
Sea Salt, Pepper, and Onion powder to taste

New life lesson? Always have every kind of onion and always have instant rice.

Theories of Decorating

The inverted proportionality of the penniless decorator theory:

The more I want to decorate, the less money I have.

The more I want to decorate, the less time I find to spend on decorating.

So perhaps I need to test the theory out and see if a reversal of me wanting to decorate results in more money and more time? I'd be happy to sit on the floor if it meant more and money and time.....so that I can decorate! (This might be a challenge to test out).

Seating Woes

Currently my place is a black hole of emptiness. I literally can sit in a computer chair or on my bed as an alternative to the floor. I have been looking religiously on sites like craigslist and eBay for cheap seating- couch, love seat, chairs, etc.

So far? Nada.

To the right you see my pitiful excuse for my dining room. Excuse the beach bag and empty boxes I've been meaning to get rid of.

Ideally I would like it to be a warm buttercup color with the white trim and tons of plants. Insert a cute white wicker dinette set or settee and voila! Instant sun room.

I've seen multiple examples of what other renters do with this room and honestly I have no intention of actually eating in there. I just want a nice place to sit with a book, maybe some storage for extra kitchen items, and my dog crate.

Here, also pitiful, is my living room. Can we say sad? However! I shall not get discouraged dear readers. This place is going to have seating, color, and a certain panache reserved for quality entertainers like myself. So, depending on the find, I'm aiming to reach the goal of seating for either one of these rooms. I think once I actually find something to sit on I will be able to design better, no? Now if I only had more than $4.78 in my bank account and $11.50 in savings I might actually get this accomplished.

A New Quest!

If you are looking for a place to express yourself there is no better place than Austin, TX. I could fall in love over and over again with the use of color in this town. Upcycling is the new black...and while that is all fine and dandy, it does make finding key pieces difficult or pricey. The market demands for vintage, kitchy, or practically anything outside the parameters of 'normal' styling can put a serious drain on the pocketbook. As I am seeking to decorate my new apartment I have serious qualms over spending money on it. I can not even find a bed frame for under $60! I have taken it upon myself to set out on a new blogging (and consequently decorating) quest. The Chronicles of the Penniless Decorator. Simply put-I'm going to try and find free to very cheap items and DIY projects to make my home fabulous. I'm going to give myself until the first of July.