Wacky Wednesday with a side of Fried Zucchini

I left my phone at the office today. :-(  So, yeah, that sucks!

Recipe of the Week:  Fried Zucchini with Chive Mayo

It looks just like it did in the magazine, so that's a good start (sorry the picture isn't very good, I had to use my work Blackberry to take it!).

I'll give this one a "good for parties but I certainly don't need to eat this entire plate of zucchini" rating.
It tastes pretty good, but you don't need a ton.  And it requires more bowls (3 plus a put full of oil) than I'd generally want to use if I'm cooking just for myself or the two of us.

Directions (I cut the recipe in half):

• Whisk 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 beaten egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  
• Heat 4 cups canola oil in a large pot over medium heat to 350 degrees
• Toss 2 zucchini (cut into spears) in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Coat the zucchini in the batter
• Fry in batches, until golden, 4-6 minutes.

Chive Mayo (I used Greek yogurt, worked great)

• Combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup chopped chives, and 3.4 tsp seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay),

Serve with the zucchini and lemon wedges.

It's a keeper and may make an appearance at the New Year's party this year.

Trying again...

It's been over a year but I'm going to try to resurrect this blog!

I was definitely doing better with workouts when posting on here - some accountability even if no one is actually reading my blog :-)

I also have a plan to try a new recipe each week and post the recipe and my review. 
The recipes will be rather random.  I've decided to blindly pick one from my "must try" envelope each week and, no matter what it is, I'm making it.  If I REALLY don't want to try it, it'll go directly into the trash and I'll pick another.  I swear some of these "must try" recipes have been in that envelope since 2002 - maybe earlier.
This week's recipe: Fried zucchini with chive may (see, random).  At least this one's fairly new, from Real Simple's July 2014 issue.
I plan to take Rudy to camp tomorrow so I should be home early enough to do some experimenting in the kitchen. 

Fitbit Flex

I'd be thinking about getting a Fitbit for a while and in honor of my new commitment to weight loss I finally pulled the trigger.
My new Fitbit Flex arrived yesterday and I got it all charged and step up to use today.  10,000 steps is a lot. 
It's pretty cool how it works and how it syncs with myfitnesspal.com

Last week was pretty successful food-wise, still struggling to get my workouts in.  The scale was friendly though. 
We did well this weekend.  I got new running shoes yesterday (bright pink, yikes) and went for a 3 mile run on the bike path.  Today I did Insanity with Brad.  We didn't do the entire DVD because we had to get to the bar for the game.  I managed to resist the bar food and ate a salad at the game.  So I'm pretty proud of myself.
Hopefully I can do better this week with the workouts.  My boss is out for the week so maybe that'll make it easier to get out early and make it to CrossFit.

Happy Sunday.

Happy Tuesday

Every week should start on Tuesday, Mondays are overrated.

I did well today, kept food in take under control.  I had to pick Rudy up from camp, he was staying there while we were in AC, so I couldn't make it to CrossFit.  I did get in a 3 mile treadmill run though.  Yay!

And I got to wear one of the new dresses I bought this weekend :-)

Now Rudy is fast asleep on my lap.  Love it when he's tired from camp!

Labor Day Weekend in Atlantic City

B, J, and I went to Atlantic City for the weekend.  We'd been trying to go all summer and finally just pulled the trigger and went.  It's insane how much hotel rooms in Atlantic City cost, thank God for Starwood points!

We played some blackjack, hung out on the beach, shopped at the outlets, and had yummy dinners at PF Changes and Ruth's Chris. 

In the spirit of my recent commitment to weight loss, I also managed to get in a 3 mile run.  It's hard to eat well while traveling and during the holidays but I think I at least did better than I normally would have.  That has to count for something, right?

The gambling was a bit of a roller coaster but we all ended up taking home more than we went there with, not something you can always say!
I made some great finds at the outlets too, can't complain about that.

Now back to a normal (though short) work week...

Wake up call

So I've been a lazy bum and it needs to stop!
I've been convincing myself that it's no big deal, and then I saw the pictures from our beach house weekend with the family.  Ugh, NOT GOOD!

For some background, my brother and K rented a house on the sound shore in Clinton, CT last week with T & E.  B and I went to hang out with them Thursday and Friday, took a little detour to Mohegan Sun and then headed home.
The days at the beach house were fun.  The kids are cute and old enough to do fun, interactive things with now.  We (the kids) tortured some fish and crabs they caught on the beach.  We had some kayaks to paddle around in and went to check out the sandbar at low tide.  We had a bonfire on the beach and made s'mores and drank beer.  I got eaten alive by bugs.  All in all, a great summer experience.
I was excited to see the family pictures when K sent them over, since we don't have that many with the kid and me and B.  And...BAM...reality hit.

I was going to share the pictures on here but, frankly, I'm too embarrassed to.  I will just say that I need to lose about 10lbs and my plan is to try to use this blog to help me stay on track.  I'm going to commit to working out more consistently, thinking before putting anything in my mouth, and posting about my progress (and pitfalls).

Probably dangerous making this pledge just before leaving for Atlantic City for Labor Day Weekend.  Or, maybe it'll help me avoid doing too much damage this weekend.  Fingers crossed...

Awesome and easy chicken recipe

B found this recipe recently when faced with making dinner for himself at home.  Turns out, it's really good, and easy too!

Sorry, I'm out of practice, no picture today.  At least I'm blogging again :-)

Original recipe from: The Ktchn

What You Need

Ingredients
1 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon freshly chopped herbs (optional)
Olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
Equipment
10-inch sauté pan with lid

Instructions

1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness with the handle or flat of a knife.
2. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts.
3. Mix about a half teaspoon of salt in with the flour along with a little pepper. Chop the herbs finely, if using, and mix in as well.
4. Quickly dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, so that they are just lightly dusted with flour.
5. Heat the sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the olive oil and butter. Let them melt, and swirl the pan.
6. Turn the heat to medium. Add the chicken breasts. Cook for just about 1 minute to help them get a little golden on one side (you are not actually searing or browning them). Then flip each chicken breast over.
7. Turn the heat to low. Put the lid on the pan. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and walk away. Do not lift the lid; do not peek.
8. After 10 minutes have elapsed, turn off the heat. Reset the timer for 10 minutes and leave the chicken breasts in the pan. Again, do not lift the lid; do not peek.
9. After the 10 minutes are up, take the lid off, and tada! Soft, tender, juicy chicken breasts that aren't dried out in the least. Doublecheck them to make sure there is no pink in the middle. Slice and eat.