Couch Vacation
Instead of going to Vermont for the long weekend, Mal and I decided to do this…
… that’s right, a lot of sitting on the couch and relaxing. Mal and I both had really hectic weeks, and with being in Newport all last weekend, we thought another weekend away might just stress us out, especially since we never got our lives organized this past week. (We STILL have no food in the house!) While Mal and I are both generally social people, we definitely value our downtime.
Check out “Michael Scott” in the background on the TV. We watched yesterday’s Office episode while eating dinner and drinking wine.
Dinner tonight was “healthy” junk food… well, healthier junk food: Alexia Mozzarella Stix and Morning Star Chik’ n Nuggets, both of which have been hanging out in our freezer for a few weeks now. The Mozzarella Stix were fantastic– almost as good as the regular version. When dipped into marinara sauce, you couldn’t even tell the difference between the “fake” and the “real deal.” The Chik’ n Nuggets were sort of weird. I know they’re not chicken, but the flavor was a little off to me. The soy protein tasted sort of bland and too healthy… if that makes sense?
Our evening on the couch also included a bottle of Smoking Loon Chardonnay. The bottle is already half empty! Oops!
Lunch
Sorry that I didn’t put up a lunch post this afternoon. I went to lunch with a bunch of my coworkers, so I wasn’t able to whip-out my camera and take photos. I mistakenly revealed too much on the blog about my future career plans, and I don’t want my coworkers to know quite yet. Anyway, we went to Penguin Pizza for a leisurely pizza lunch. There, I ordered an enormous piece (basically 2 pieces) of 3 Tomato Pizza, which was made with 3 different types of tomatoes, pesto, and a 4-cheese blend. It was out of this world! 
Even after finishing such a huge piece of pizza, my stomach wanted an afternoon snack. I made myself a packet of Quaker Maple and Brown Sugar High Fiber Oatmeal, which was carby and sweet, but somewhat artificial tasting.
I’m baking tonight! I can’t even remember the last time I baked! I’ve missed it! So, I arrived home tonight, did a few things around the apartment, then blasted the Once soundtrack while mixing ingredients and jamming out in the kitchen! I’m such a dork, but it was such a fun Friday evening activity!
Posted by: Tina 18 comments
Posted in: Uncategorized, products
Tags: wine
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Hell yes for ‘The Office’ and for baking!!
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
ooh, I passed by the Penguin on my exploring today
hehe, sounds like this is exactly what the doctor ordered!! have a great weekend and I can’t wait to see what came out of your oven…
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Sounds like you’re doing exactly what I’m doing tonight! Friday downtime is always good. Yay for baking again, I hope you post what you made!
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I spent most of my day baking – it was great! I love the MS Farms Chik’n Nuggets. Maybe it is because I don’t eat meat, but I actually love the flavor of them and don’t think they are bland or off at all. I also put a lot of mustard on them, because I love mustard.
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Yo Tin.. I THINK I was in your neck of the woods today! Unless I’m completely wrong.. and you live in an entirely different area in Boston.
You can add me to the list of “just chillin” tonight =] As a matter of fact.. you can also add me to the list of NO GROCERIES. I’m contemplating Copley Farmers Market tomorrow.. and/or TJ’s. Most likely both!
Are you still interested in a meetup?! Pumpkin Spice everythings are back at Starbucks.. as if coffee needs an excuse!
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Enjoy your relaxing night! Those are always the best!
on Oct 10th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I am FINALLY gonna check out a Whole Foods this weekend and I’m SO excited!! I made a very lengthy list with things I have been reading about on various food blogs and this shopping trip is gonna be quite costly. haha.. Anyways, just wanted to ask what your top 3 Whole Foods non-perishable products are. I don’t wanna get home and find out a missed out on a great product! Thanx Tina, as well as other readers!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Good for you for relaxing this weekend! I wish I had Monday off! I need more time to relax!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 7:56 am
sometimes a relaxing night at home is more enjoyable than going out and get exhausted. Enjoy!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Tina, what type of dressing did you use for your salad- do you use bagged lettuce? Also, what motivates you to always cook- which leads to dishes yuck! I am a student and find myself so tired. Microwaving makes food taste not as good as baked food. But I am usually starving when I get back from meetings etc that the last thing I want to do is make a salad and healthy dinner to go along with it.
Also, do you ever find you salads have tons of calories? I usually find by the time I add dressing and all my toppings I should have just had a more “high cal” option from the beginning since they both end up equal.
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 8:21 am
That sounds like a lovely night together.
I LOVE THE OFFICE!
Have a great wknd doing some self-care!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Erika,
I think you probably were! I work in Brigham Circle, which is right down the street from NEU. Let’s try to meet up. What’s your schedule look like?
Jaime,
Yay, Whole Foods! I LOVE it! I could spend hours there!
My favorites are their produce (amazing quality and selection), hemp milk, Larabars (excellent selection), their cheese and bakery departments– I always end up finding goodies there!
Lisa,
I typically don’t use salad dressing on my salads. If I do, it’s usually a balsamic or cabernet vinegar. I’ll occasionally use a light Italian dressing. I do use bagged lettuce– it just depends what’s on sale at the grocery store!
As for calories, I try to stick with mostly veggies and limit the “fun” toppings on my salads, usually just some feta and beans.
Most of my meals are very quick and easy to prepare. I’m not much of a cook and I’m usually starving when I get home! I think my best tip would be to have fresh veggies already on hand and ready to go when you get home from class. It makes it so much easier to throw together a salad/healthy meal if it’s easy. Feel free to go through some of my old posts and check out some of my meals. You’ll see that most of them are very quick and easy to make.
Hope this helps!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 8:49 am
That looks like a pretty amazing Friday evening, you can’t beat the Office + wine!! And I love baking too, hope you enjoyed it!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:58 am
If you want really yummy fake nuggets, look for the Quorn brand. Their products really do taste like real chicken.
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
have you tried the morningstar buffalo wings? i’m not a huge fan of buffalo sauce, but i love these!
on Oct 11th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I don’t like fake nuggets. Try the Spinach Patch Veggie Nuggets
http://www.veggiepatch.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/272
Sounds like a perfect weekend!
on Oct 13th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I second BethT on the Quorn brand. Of all the types I tried in my time as a vegetarian, these were my absolute favorite. Hands down!
P.S. First time commenter and I love your blog!
on Oct 13th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Thanks for all of the product suggestions!