A Preview of How My Weekend is Going

It's my birthday weekend. It's been fun. I plan to update you all with a really fun birthday post and a more "serious" post on Childhood Obesity very soon.

Here's a sneak peak at my awesome weekend so far.

Tootles for now!

Sea Salt and Salads

Sea Salt on salad is pretty much the best combo EVER!

Did you know? I didn't know... I feel like I've been deprived all my life.

Our lunch-y food stores are pretty depleted right now. Being the not-starving, but still pretty poor writer that I am, I tend to buy only what the hubby takes for his lunches and nothing for me, so I just "scrounge" for lunch. Today, I made a salad and used some plain penne in it for my grain.

The pine tree branch was giving me too much shade and totally messing with my shot.

Other stuff in there:

red leaf and butter lettuce

persian cucumbers

low fat string cheese stick

roma tomato

dark red kidney beans

and SEA SALT

Omg. Sea salt is amazing in a salad. You need to try it. Seriously.

On the side, I have a blueberry chobani and a clementine. I'm still eyeing the yogurt and fruit. The salad was big.

Now, I'm off to write my day away. I spent the morning dropping Ryan off at work and having coffee with a friend.

On the docket tonight is a nice long solo run (Ryan doesn't run on Tue or Thurs) and cuddle time with hubby. :)

P.S. Did anyone else think it was INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE that Crystal Bowersox didn't win American Idol?

(Source)

:( I loved her!!! Oh well. So goes it. That other guy was good too.

**Silly Survey**

Did you watch American Idol?

Will you miss Simon?

Crystal or Lee?

A Day in Santa Monica (in Pictures)

Hey all!

Yesterday, I had to go up to LA to meet my agent. Afterwards, JGago (who drove me up there) and I went to Santa Monica's 3rd and Promenade to have lunch and walk around.

We ate at Le Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread). It was diviiiiine. Very authentic French country.

I ordered a tartine with ricotta, figs, and agave nectar. To die for. My phone pictures don't do it justice.

Jess ordered the lemon custard for dessert. I was far more interested in hitting up the Coffee Bean for a pure chocolate light. I love those things. It's like a frozen blended hot cocoa with no sugar added. Score!

Her dessert was pretty, though.

Then, we walked around to check out all the shops. I was being good (frugal), so I didn't buy anything. Next week, we're going to Disneyland for my birthday, so I'm saving up for that. We decided to walk the two blocks to the ocean, where we spotted the pier.

San Diego has nothing like this - we were SO excited. We walked all the way to the end, despite the fact that it was freezing. We were rewarded with an adorable little seal. My camera's memory was full, though, so that was the last picture I could take. I forgot my camera. I know. Bad bloggie. Sorry. :(

Today, I've just been playing catch-up. Hubby and I plan to go for a run tonight and spend some quality time together. I'm making spaghetti and salad for dinner.

Tootles,

**Silly Survey**

Have you ever been to LA? Santa Monica?

Where's your favorite city to visit?

Do you prefer vacations where you relax or hit the town?

A Birthday Celebration of Hippie Sushi

Sorry I disappeared again! Weekend life is just way too exciting. :p

Over the weekend we celebrated our friend Christina's birthday with a wonderful sushi dinner at Harney's in Old Town.

I absolutely love sushi, but the husband can pass on it, so it was the perfect time to have a girls night.

Here's all of us at Harney's.

While we waited on the rolls to arrive, Christina opened her presents.

She got a great spa lotion from Dana, a starbucks card from Julie, a cool hiking book from JGago,

(JGago toasting the occassion)

and a leather bracelet from moi.

JGago and I decided to split three different rolls. We got the eel roll, california rolls, and the hippie roll. The first two were okay, but they paled next to the hippie roll. It's a food blogger's kind of food. Seriously.

Here's the restaurant description of the Hippie Roll:

Yes, I just took a picture of my screen because I don't remember how to do a screenshot. :p

It was great. The whole table ended up ordering a total of three of these rolls. Harney Sushi is really a fun time. They have a live dj and a club-type atmostphere with a wide selection of speciality sushi rolls at reasonable prices. In addition to the one in Old Town, which I'm guessing is original since it's on Harney Street, they have a location up in Oceanside, too. (Website)

Hippie Sushi - tempura and sweet potato, be still my heart...

Cali Roll. Standard.

Eel roll. Meh.

Surprise!

This is The Perfect Strawberry. Toasted cinnamon-encrusted strawberries served warm over vanilla ice cream.

It reminded me of Chi Chi's fried ice cream. Do you remember the song? Happy Happy Happy Birthday! Happy Happy Happy Birthday! Happy Happy Happy Birthday to you to you to you OLE!!!

I think she liked it. :) Happy Birthday darling!

We might have helped polish it off...

Well, this morning I was "punctured" as I always say after accupuncture, and now I'm about to furiously pound out five articles. Because tomorrow I'm going to LA! Pictures to come.

Lunch right now:

Muh!

**Silly Survey**

What's your favorite "birthday restaurant?"

What does the perfect birthday look like to you?

Have you ever had a HORRIBLE birthday? What happened?

Recent Articles by Jasmine Myers

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What Are Dietary Reference Intakes?

All Things In Moderation

Kosher Organic Cheese

Kharabhath and Hominy, Cajun Crab Mac n Cheese

Today, at EMW, we're having a two for one special!

Two "recipes" in one blog.

Gawd, you people are so lucky, I can hardly stand it!

The unfortunate part of the is all the food came from a box or a can. Sigh... It's like when I got married the first time... I bought my dress my a dress shop that gave away a "free honeymoon" if you bought your dress with them. You got to pick three different locations from a list and they "surprised" you at the end. We got our first choice: Asheville, NC, but the hotel ended up being Motel 6. We switched to a nearby Ramada or something after two days. You get what you pay for, folks. Except... really... this stuff actually tastes good, so I guess that was a bad analogy. Oh well. Whatever. :p

So, anywho, my lunch came out of a box, but holy yum, it was amazing. Here's the box:

Ready to eat Indian food? Sign me up. Best of all, this was only like $1. Awesome!

Here's the description:

Basically, "savory" cream of wheat. I was a little scared at first.

I decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to eat all of it, considering that added up to 450 cals, so I served it over some yellow hominy. Basically, I was cleaning out my cabinets of all the things my hubby wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. Indian food, check. Hominy, check check.

So, the box suggested serving my Kharabhath with "chutney."

Let's get real. Who has chutney on hand?!? Okay, actually, I'll be honest. I don't actually know what chutney is. In fact, the only thing I've heard of is mango chutney, which seems like it would be sweet. So, I improvised.

Another item my hubby won't touch because he thinks it might be remotely healthy and therefore tasteless.

Ta da!

I took this picture outside on our little work-in-progress.

We're getting there with our little yard. :)

So, after lunch, I wrote three freelance articles. By the time I was done, hubby was home. I had planned to make crab cakes and macaroni and cheese (Yes, I know. I'm such a gourmet.), but after I opened the first can, I realized I was out of eggs, thanks to my poached egg lunch yesterday.

I had an open can of pink crab and no eggs. Hm... And, a new recipe was born.

Cajun Crab Mac n Cheese

Start with crab (which I found at the 99 Cent Store). I only used one can.

and a box of mac n cheese

Boil your pasta yada yada. Drain.

Then, time for the fun. Start with some butta and the crab meat. Like so.

Next, you will need garlic powder, red pepper flakes, ground red pepper, cumin, and some other spices.

Or, you can just use this:

BAM!

Add the cheese stuff and milk. I don't measure. I just add enough milk so that it "looks right." Obviously, this isn't very scientific. In fact, it's more like magic. Yeah. That's it.

Add in your noodles, and voila!

Quite good. Quite good, my friends.

I hope you have taken away two things from these recipes: 

1. It's possible to make a decent meal from a box or a can (because sometimes life requires such quickeries).
2. I am obviously an awesome cook. Obviously.

Now, I'm about to write some more, and then I plan to make my way over to our miniscule gym to elliptical-ize this slightly chubby body o' mine. My sister-friend-soulmate, Charlene, may be coming to visit soon. Did I mention she's a model? Like, a real one? No pressure, or anything. :p

**Silly Survey**

Do you have any can/box dinners that taste pretty good to you?

What's your favorite short-cut tip for cooking?

Do you know what the heck chutney is?

Tootles,

Five Not-So-Obvious Reasons to Exercise

Hey lovies!

It's a beautiful Humpday here in Southern Cali. Dontcha wish your weather was nice like mine? (Don'tcha? Don'tcha Baby?) Yes, that was to the tune of Don'tcha by the Pussycat Dolls.

I have discovered the cure to my insomnia: EXERCISE!

Five Not-So-Obvious Reasons Why I Must Exercise

1. It helps me sleep! There is a drastic, and I mean drastic, difference between the type of sleep I get when I exercise daily and the kind I get when I don't. I feel more rested and ready for the world the next day. That's reason, enough, considering I've been experiencing mind-numbing insomnia.
2. I eat better! When I exercise regularly, I feel healthier. Somehow feeling healthier leads me to be healthier all around because I don't want to undo the good efforts I've already done.
3. My skin glows. Has anyone else noticed this? I swear it makes a huge different in the tone and "glow" of my skin. Perhaps it's the Vitamin D I get while I'm outside?
4. It affects my mood. This is a major one. Exercise is an incredible mood booster, and that's especially true with outdoor exercise. The sun, the fresh air, the exercise. It just makes me happy (afterwards).
5. It allows me to be a positive influence. My husband has told me many times that my exercise routine is a huge motivation for his routine. Knowing that the things I do influence other people to make good decisions is a HUGE motivator for me. Goodness is contagious, people!

So, suffice it to say, I really want to focus on getting in 45-60 minutes of heart-pumping cardio per day. I also need to add in some good strength training, but that will have to come a bit later. I need to get back into a more regular cardio habit, stat!

Speaking of goodness, here's lunch:

• Two poached eggs w/sea salt and pepper
• Salad with romaine, oh-so-sweet cherry tomatoes, snappy green persian cucumbers, walnuts and light ranch
• One slice whole-wheat bread with Best Life butter

Okay, I need to get back to work. The rest of today looks like this: 

• Write two more freelance artices (one on DRIs and another on Portion Sizes)
• Go for a run with the Hubs
• Get a One-Hour Massage!!!!!!!!! (I haven't had one since my wedding day in March 2009!)

Tootles, 

How to Make the Perfect Omelet

For lunch today, I made my very favorite kind of egg white omelet: Parmesan Broccoli and Corn. This combination of flavors is divine!!! Trust me.

I wanted to give you some tips on how to make a great omelet.

First, I highly recommend using liquid egg whites. So much simpler.

These cost about $3.75. Significantly more than a dozen eggs, but they save so much time. Worth it.

I use frozen veggies, so I give them a quick nuke in the microwave to thaw.

Meanwhile, Get a medium pan, 6-8 inches(ish) across at the bottom. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and throw in your veggies.

The trick to a good flip is using a verrrrry thin layer of egg whites. Just enough to keep your veggies sticking together. It doesn't need to cover them entirely.

Sprinkle a bit of parmesan in for flavor.

Make sure you have your pan at just over medium heat. You don't want the eggs to cook too fast. They will burn!

You'll know your omelet is ready to fold when you start to see bubbles appear all over the omelet. If there's excess egg white still floating on the top, slide your spatula under one side and let the liquid flow beneath it.

The most important thing to remember about making the perfect fold is that it doesn't have to be perfect!

Slide your spatula under one side. I like to scoot the whole omelet to that edge, so that I can tip the pan toward the fold. Then, just... fold!

After the flip, turn your heat down to low, so the inside of the omelet can continue to cook without fear of the whole thing burning.

Not so perfect, but tasty is perfect enough for me.

**Silly Survey**

How do you take your eggs?
Do you eat the yolks?
Have you jumped on the whole egg whites in your oatmeal bandwagon?