Finger Lickin’ Teriyaki Chicken

“DOG PARK!” Ryan and I yell these two simple words to get Sadie all hyped up for a trip to the dog park (as if she actually needs any help getting excited). After yelling and dancing around with the dog, we piled into Ryan’s 4Runner and headed for Sadie’s stompin’ grounds.

En Route to the Dog Park

Sadie was feelin’ awfully friendly and ran around with several of her dog park buddies. We call Sadie the dog park tease because she rolls over whenever a dog asserts dominance, but gets up and runs away the minute they try any “funny business.” 

We piled back into the 4Runner once my tummy started tellin’ me it was time for dinn-ah! Ryan fired up the grill to make some teriyaki chicken breasts while I chopped and prepared roasted summer squash and asparagus.

Chicken On Ze Grill

The kitchen smelled wonderful as the veggies were cooking in the oven.

Summer Squash and Asparagus

Veggies

As Ryan took the chicken off the grill, I took the veggies out of the oven and fixed myself a plate.

My Plate

And Again

Now I’m sippin’ on a sugar-free French Vanilla Cafe drinky and catchin’ up on this ol’ blog before settling down for the night with The Lost Symbol. Gotta love that Dan Brown – he sure knows how to write a page-turner.

Meaty Mushroom

I grew up a mushroom hater. The taste, texture, color and overall look of the fungus repulsed me. The fact that it was called a fungus certainly didn’t help.

After learning to love sweet potatoes and broccoli a couple years ago, I thought I should give mushrooms another chance. A couple months ago I bought portobello mushrooms to ease my way into the mushroom craze. I grilled them up and incorporated them into a sandwich with cheese and other “taste distractions.”

I was amazed at how meaty the mushroom tasted. It really held its own in my sandwich and even added to the flavor! Imagine that. I am now a big mushroom fan (with the exception of canned mushrooms – ick! They’re slimy!).

Today’s lunch was an ode to the mushroom.

Portobello Mushroom Sammie

I placed a portobello mushroom cap atop a whole wheat Arnold sandwich thin spread with a light Laughing Cow French onion cheese wedge and topped with plum tomato slices and light Miracle Whip.

Looks Like a Burger!

I served this with some pickles and a sugar-free Jello cup on the side. Yum.

Sugar-Free Strawberry Jello

I leave you with a mushroomy joke:

One day a boyfriend mushroom was wondering why his girlfriend mushroom loved him so much. Upon asking her this very question she replied, “It’s because you’re such a fungi!”

Hardy har har!

Gnarly Barley

I loooove oatmeal and the sticky, creamy consistency that comes with a big bowl of hot oats. Barley has always reminded me of oatmeal, but in a slightly more chewy, less creamy way.

Yesterday I cooked up some pearled barley and refrigerated it to toss into my Greek yogurt this morning.

Greek Yogurt, Barley and a Choconut Almond Cookie

WOW! This combination was amazing! I loved the chewy, almost nutty flavor the cold barley added to my yogurt.

I topped the concoction with an Almondina Choconut almond cookie.

Almondina Choconut Almond Cookie

Package of Choconut Almond Cookies

The choconut cookie added a little crunch and a nice touch of chocolatey sweetness. Add a hot cup of Yogi Mayan Cocoa Spice tea, and my breakfast was complete!

A Filling Monday Breakfast

Yogi Mayan Cocoa Spice Tea

This bowl was surprisingly quite filling and should have no trouble holding me over until my mid-morning snack.

I love eating a filling whole-grain after a good workout. 🙂 This morning I woke up to the lovely beeps of my alarm and hit the gym bright and early for a 5:45 a.m. BodyPump (total-body weights) class, followed by 25 minutes on the elliptical and my daily 2.5 mile walk with the puppers.

I think Sadie is still a little pooped from yesterday’s run in the heat because she didn’t bring me any toys to throw for her as I was getting ready for work… highly unusual.