Satisfying my sweet tooth

My new gloves and toboggan were necessary for this morning’s ride to work. It was a chilly low 60 degrees ride, but I assure you it felt much colder than that!

Breakfast consisted of a pb and banana sammich. I don’t have these very often, so the pb melting into the warm muffin and banana felt like a treat.

 
Deconstructed view.

Constructed view.

All the housework I’ve been avoiding this week was sitting on my to-do list for today, along with some with some errands I’ve been needing to run around town and do. But, before tackling those chores I needed to fuel up, because after work this morning I had a date with Jillian that left me with a gnawing tummy.

Level 1 Day 2 of 30 Day Shred went surprisingly well today. I think I found the key to making this DVD work for me without it becoming a bore to me like it has in the past: turn Jillian’s voice off and crank up the tunes.

My girl, Jillian, posted a new workout playlist on her twitter a few days ago, so I used my YouTube account to make a playlist of her recommended tunes for November. The only drawback to not having Jillian’s voice is you need to be able to see the TV to know when to switch moves. But, I made it work and actually really enjoyed my strength training session, followed by a 20-minute YogaDownload.com Gentle Hatha Yoga practice to stretch out my muscles.

Perfection.

With my workout complete and my stomach growling, I headed downstairs to rummage through our cabinets and refrigerator in search of the perfect mid-morning snack.

I came up with this combination: the rest of my plain yogurt container (approximately 100 grams), 1/3 cup of granola, about two teaspoons of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and a few dried blueberries.

This combination was a winner in two departments: taste and clean up. Not only was it really delicious, but I didn’t have to wash an extra bowl to enjoy my yogurt-mess. Success!!!

A broom, a swiffer sweeper, and a vacuum later my housework was done. And I was breathing a sigh of relief. I’m not the only person who hates to clean, am I?

A really good portion of the rest of my afternoon consisted of lesson planning and playing blog-catch up.

I paused for lunch around 1:00. Being true to my word and my November goals I picked up some eggplant at the market yesterday. Allison showcased an Eggplant Spinach Stack recipe on her blog a few days ago that I was excited to try out with my new vegetable friend.

 
I was a little unsure about my feelings towards this tricky vegetable. I mean, what veggie is purple on the outside and green on the inside?

Per Allison’s advice, I peeled the eggplant before slicing it up.

 
I tossed the eggplant in some olive oil, basil, oregano, and black pepper before putting it in the oven at 400 degrees to bake for about 15 minutes. (Wanted to make sure it got good and done… no raw eggplant here, please.)

 
Layered baked eggplant, fresh spinach, pasta sauce, and cheese into a bowl. Didn’t make the pretty stacks that the original recipe suggested.

The verdict? I think eggplant tastes fine. I tried some without all the sauce and cheese and it wasn’t terrible. Combined with the other ingredients, I think this recipe is great. I think I might enjoy the vegetable more with some pasta, though.

Fruit on the side.

And then, it was errand-running time. Which also, coincidentally, meant it was bike-riding time since I do not own a car.

First stop? Post office. The lucky winner of my first giveaway has a package in the mail.

Up next? The bank. I actually love going to the bank from our apartment because even though I have to bike up this huge-ass hill, there’s a sweet reward waiting for me at the top.

This guy:

I love coasting down this hill at full speed and letting the wind just blow through my hair. It reminds me of being a care-free kid all over again. So much fun. 

Bank business was followed by a quick stop at MaxValu (the Wal-Mart of Japan) because J informed me last night that he wanted to take some of the Mexican Stew leftovers for lunch tomorrow, but that required restocking his supply of taco-flavored Doritos.

 
I got super-duper excited when I realized that the ice-cream/sweets stand I saw when grocery shopping yesterday was still set up inside the store. I decided against stopping yesterday, but had already made up my mind before setting foot in the store today that, if the stand was there, I would be partaking in ice cream.

 
I picked out the kind of ice cream I wanted to try. Chocolate and vanilla? Yes, please! I tell the gentleman who is manning the sweets stand what I want and he points to a sign that says there’s no more ice cream.

 
Feeling a little bummed, I sulked up the escalator in search of taco chips.

But then I remembered that MaxValu has ice cream in their frozen section (and good ice cream, at that), so it was decided that it was time to put my three-day craving for ice cream to rest by having it as my afternoon snack.

I’m still a little amazed that I buy my ice cream cone in the grocery store looking like this:

So, I got my chocolate and vanilla ice cream even if the sweets stand guy wouldn’t sell me his. And I made sure to enjoy every little bite and lick of my cone, which I am convinced made it more satisfying.

No Sweets Week continued with tonight’s dinner.

On the menu: Spicy Honey-brushed chicken breasts and Betty Crocker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

The chicken came from a Cooking Light recipe, but I substituted breasts for thighs since that’s what we had and what we prefer. The potatoes were our side item, and while I would have preferred they be made from scratch, they were tasty and quick to bake. I had a piece of toast with mine.

I liked the chicken. It had a good mixture of sweet and spicy, but it wasn’t so hot that it set my mouth on fire. J said he thought it was okay, and he did eat it all, but thinks it might have tasted better as a marinade instead of a rub and glaze.

No dessert tonight, folks, because that ice cream earlier did just the trick to zap my sweet tooth that has been gnawing at me for days. See, sometimes it is better to just enjoy a little bit of what you’re really craving.