Garlicy Dinn-ah!

Since I began fostering my love for Brussels sprouts this year, I’ve only tried a small handful of recipes involving the yummy vegetable. 

Fresh Brussels Sprouts

I typically limit my Brussels sprouts preparation to tossing the sprouts in olive oil, salt and pepper before roasting them. 

When I saw that this week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient was garlic, I knew I wanted to use garlic in my next Brussels sprouts dish. 

Garlic

To begin, I chopped up the Brussels sprouts, getting rid of dingy leaves and the hard bottoms. 

I then tossed the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper before roasting them at 400 degrees for 13 minutes on one side. 

Pre-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I then flipped the sprouts and roasted them for another five minutes on the other side until they were soft, but slightly crispy on the outside. 

Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This recipe was fan-flippin-tastic. I loved the added oomph of flavor from the garlic and balsamic vinegar. Delish! 

Though the Brussels sprouts were the highlight of my meal, I also enjoyed a salmon burger on a whole wheat Arnold sandwich thin with cucumber and plum tomato slices and a dill dijonaise sauce made with  light Miracle Whip, dijon mustard and dill. Great dinner! 

My Dinner!

Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts 

Ingredients:

• 1.25 lbs. Brussels sprouts (roughly 5 c. chopped)
• 1.5 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop Brussels spouts, removing hard ends and wilted leaves. Combine all ingredients, tossing to coat the Brussels sprouts in the mixture. Spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes before flipping the Brussels sprouts and baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Is .wordpress.com a Big Deal? 

I have a question for all of you blog-followers out there. Do you think having “.wordpress.com” in the domain name of a blog hurts readership?  

  

Wordpress "W"

 I am not computer saavy at all and have toyed around with making the jump from WordPress to my own domain name (I even purchased peanutbutterfingersblog.com – peanubutterfingers.com was taken. 😦 ) I am happy using WordPress right now, but know it’s much easier to remember blog names when it’s just the blog name.com. 

Please share your thoughts! 🙂 

Wedding Dress Input 

Thank you to all of you who commented on my simple vs. sha-zaam wedding dress post! It was so interesting to read such a wide variety of opinions. No wonder there are bazillions of wedding dresses out there to choose from. I hope I find a beautiful dress and I will be sure to keep you guys updated on my progress. 😀

Comfort Food

I’m not one of those people who dread leftovers. I actually love them!

I think this stems from my childhood when one of my favorite breakfasts was leftover spaghetti… I’d even eat it cold.

What are your thoughts on leftovers? Love ’em? Hate ’em?

Today my lunch included a hunk o’ BBQ meatloaf from last night’s dinner with sauteed portobello mushrooms and carrot sticks.

Leftover Lunch

Comfort food to the max!

Comfort foods like mashed potatoes, pot roast and homemade chicken noodle soup make me smile. 😀 For me, meatloaf is one of those smile-inducing comfort foods. What are your favorite comfort foods?

Free Bag of Stacy’s Pita Chips

Are you on Facebook? Then click here to receive a free bag of Stacy’s pita chips!

Stacy's Pita Chips

These chips are yummy and oh-so-crunchy. (This offer is limited to the first 65,000 people, so hurry, hurry!)

Simple or Sha-Zaam?

This weekend Ryan and I are heading to my parents’ house in St. Pete for more wedding planning.

I have an appointment at a bridal boutique to look for a dress which prompted me to search the internet for examples of what I like.

After my first experience trying on dresses, I found out what I did not like: beading, the “bedazzeled” look and tons and tons of poofy stuff under the dress.

My taste seems to gravitate toward two completely different types of gowns: a simple lace gown or an elaborate ballgown. Simple vs. sha-zaam!

Here are a few examples of the lace dresses I like:

Lace Gown (minus the sash)

(Dresses in the middle and on the right)

And the sha-zaam ballgowns:

Big and Beautiful Dress

Ballgown

Wow-zaa

Pretty

I don’t think any of the above dresses are the dress, but I’m curious as to what you guys like…

Do you prefer simple or sha-zaam? Which dress can you see me in?

Knowing me, I’ll probably end up in a dress nothing like any of theses… something like my mom’s!

Remember that one?

Me in My Mom's Wedding Dress

Workout

Today’s workout was true to my normal Tuesday routine: all cardio. I started with 10 minutes on the stair master before walking on a slight incline on the treadmill for five minutes. Then the fun began! I did the treadmill HITT workout I saw on Jessica’s blog for 20 minutes. I worked up quite the sweat! That workout is no joke. It doesn’t seem that hard at first but the last five minutes really got my heart rate pumpin’! I cooled down with 15 more minutes of incline walking. Thanks for the great workout, Jessica!

Breakfast

With the holiday season comes tons of treats and goodies around the office. Fortunately yesterday we got a healthy delivery. Harry and David pears!!!

Harry and David Pear

Anyone who has tried one of these pears can attest to their amazing, juicy flavor. I ate one as a snack yesterday afternoon and packed one up for my breakfast this morning.

Breakfast was a pear sammie consisting of Canadian bacon, Laughing Cow light Swiss cheese and pear slices on a whole wheat Arnold’s sandwich thin.

Open Sammie

This sandwich was awesome and I enjoyed the combination of the sweet and salty flavors. Yum.

Tuesday's Breakfast Sandwich

I had several pear slices leftover and enjoyed them with my breakfast sandwich.

Slices of Delight

Carba Nada

Sadly not everyone could win my Carba Nada giveaway, but Lisa is hosting one on her blog today. Check it out! These noodles are beyond amazing.