Meat Man

Ryan does all the grillin’ in this household and I’ve dubbed him my meat man. He know exactly how I like my chicken cooked (slightly burnt) and he even entertains Sadie in the backyard while keeping a watchful eye over the meat. Quite the multitasker!

He put his grilling expertise to work today when he grilled up BBQ chicken and a red pepper for dinner.

Grilled Red Pepper and BBQ Chicken

Meat and Veggies

While he was busy outside, I packed our lunches and steamed some broccoli and cauliflower to eat with the grilled goodies.

Everything was ready around the same time andI fixed myself a colorful plate.

My Plate

I was amazed at the sweetness I tasted in the grilled red peppers. They were slightly charred and very flavorful.

Pretty and Tasty

We have a lot of chicken leftover and it will be featured again in tomorrow’s lunch, which is fine by me because I love BBQ chicken!

Question: What’s your favorite veggie on the grill?

Mac and Cheese Fo’ Me

Leftovers for lunch!

Last night Ryan had soccer practice and came home famished so I decided to cook up some Annie’s organic white cheddar macaroni and cheese for my super-schweaty fiance.

Annie's Mac & Cheese

This pasta delight doubled as my lunch today. Both of us love white cheddar macaroni and cheese, so when I saw this lil’ baby sittin’ pretty in my parents’ pantry the last time I was home, I snagged it! It’s been taunting me ever since we brought it back to Orlando.

I love several things about this boxed pasta:

1. Whole wheat pasta shells!

2. It’s made with real cheddar cheese (listed as the second ingredient)

3. One serving provides a decent amount of protein (9g) and fiber (5g)

Compare the ingredient list of Annie’s mac and cheese with Kraft‘s famous blue box and the “real cheddar cheese” is replaced by “cheese sauce mix” followed by a slew of other ingredients. Yum??

Making the macaroni and cheese was beyond simple… So easy even a caveman could do it, Geico might say.

First, boil water and add the whole wheat shells, returning the water to a boil until the noodles are slightly soft (though I prefer them al dente).

Pasta Shells

Then add 1/4 cup of milk and the cheese mix, stirring until the shells are covered in ooey-gooey cheese.

Cheesy Shells

I LOVE pasta shells because each little noodle holds the possibility of housing a pocket of delicious cheese sauce. It’s like a cheese explosion!

I added some Morningstar Farms chik’n strips to my macaroni and served it with a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower to round out my lunch.

Chik'n Strips

This macaroni and cheese did not disappoint.  Looks like Miss Annie is here to stay!

Question: What was one of your favorite childhood dinners?

Would You Like Some Yogurt with That Granola?

After polishing off my homemade granola in one weekend, I snagged a bag of Udi’s natural granola to munch on throughout the week.

Udi's Granola

This stuff if so delicious, it’s dangerous!

Though I was initially attracted to the yummy look of the granola, I bought it after reading its simple list of ingredients: Thick-Cut Rolled Oats, Wildflower Honey, Canola Oil, Raisins, Banana Chips, Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds, and Pistachios. It doesn’t get much more natural than that!

This morning I topped my Greek yogurt with sliced strawberries and lots o’ granola.

Yogurt! Are you in there???

I stirred in a lot of the granola because I adore the crunch from the nuts and the flavorful banana undertones and wanted the granola to be the highlight of my breakfast. Boy was it ever.

Yummers

To complete my breakfast, I made myself a hot cup of Yogi Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut tea. Delish.

Thursday's Breakfast

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In other breakfast news, some of you may remember my post on childhood cereals and the crazy amounts of sugar in our old time favorites. Well, here’s a zero-calorie way to enjoy Froot Loops for you lovers of the colorful o’s:

Cereal Light

This is a cereal light! Looks delicious, but I wouldn’t eat it…

Question: What’s your favorite kind of granola?