FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

A Rapid Do-Over

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Yeah… Not really the happiest of campers when I pulled coupon-attached noodles out of the fridge today.  And the thing is, I don’t care so much about this 50 cents.  This 50 cents wouldn’t be frustrating if I didn’t pull coupon-attached X out of the fridge 99% of the time I buy something with a coupon attached.

I wonder if I totaled all missed coupon opportunities over the years, if I’d have enough for something like… these boots that I want oh so very badly!

I bet I would.  I also bet that I knew recreating my souped up soup was going to be a huge fail before I even started.  You see, shirataki noodles are pretty gross. They are entirely too slimy and tasteless for soup.  Depending on kale and miso to liven up slimy and tasteless wasn’t my finest idea.

I strained, rinsed, and topped with jarred marinara.  Do over!

The noodles were MUCH better with the flavor of the sauce and the crunch of the kale.  I ate the entire bowl and could barely tell I was eating funky 25-calorie-per-serving-noodles.

Have you ever tried shirataki noodles?  What are your thoughts on these slimy, low-cal critters?

Welcome Home Salad

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I mentioned yesterday that I bought a bunch of greens on my way home from the airport.  What I didn’t mention is that they were completely uncoordinated greens.

As I set out the veggies for their photo op, I thought to myself ‘this doesn’t look very good’.  But I kept coarsely chopping in preparation to use the salad chopper I’ve been unintentionally neglecting.

In hindsight, I should have left out the red onion and green pepper – I wasn’t in the mood for such strong flavors.  And the olives were neither a good nor bad addition.  Romaine, avocado, carrots, and cucumber would have hit the spot.

But then the choppedness happened and, aside from an occasional oddball onion/pepper bite, all was well in my world.  Perhaps I should leave the chopper on the counter as a constant reminder of how good I feel after a vegilicious lunch!

What is your favorite chopped salad combo? 

Greens For Granted, In Pictures

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Breakfast: Airport Food

Lunch: Orange Faux Chicken and Mushroom Barley Soup

Dinner: Spaghetti & Salad

It’s so great to be home!!  Even though nothing I ate today was ideal (airport, frozen meal, then Junior League meal), I was able to stock up on a ton of produce for tomorrow.  Light at the end of the tunnel.  Swear I’ll never take greens for granted again.

What’s your favorite meal to make after you’ve been away from your kitchen for a while?

Good Times At Hard Times

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Thanks to excessive Facebook status updates, my old roommate, Lex, noticed that there would be an ever so slight overlap in our DC work trips this week. And since my office is located in Alexandria (near DCA), it ended up being super convenient for her to swoop over and meet me for lunch after her plane landed.

I had eaten at Hard Times Cafe once before and was pretty impressed by the intentionally veggie options at such a meat centric place.

I ordered fried pickles as soon as I sat down with hopes that Lex and app would arrive around the same time.  Good thinking, cause it worked.  It should also be noted that these friend pickles were pretty delish sans sauce (since I don’t do ranch).

I ordered the chili salad, nixing everything except for lettuce and tortilla chips. A few shreds of cheese found their way on my plate,  but they were slight enough to push aside.

I was so happy to see the little Lex, even if it was only for lunch!

Are you a picky diner?  What are your signature special requests when dining out?