I woke up with the sniffles this morning!!
Last night..ur…this morning, rather…at about 3 am, I was sweating bullets in 60 degree weather, so I knew something was up. Then my throat started hurting a little later, and my immune system is still trying to fight something off. Blah…at least I got sick on the right kind of day. I’m home, in my pj’s, no plans…perfect timing! I just need to feel better for tomorrow so I can meet up with a college friend for a lunch date. ;)
Thankfully being sick doesn’t mess with my appetite at all. 
Here are some of today’s Highlights!
HIGHLIGHT #1: Artisan Bread
My family has this thing for good bread. I remember sleeping over my Memere’s house and watching her bake homemade bread. Then she’d cut each of us a thick slice as it came out of the oven, slabbed on a bit of butter, and topped each slice with a thick layer of cheese whiz! Then we’d grab a glass of milk and have a night-time snack…I always thought it was the best thing ever
I’m still a big “bread person.” As in, I love a good, old world style bread. Especially Artisan breads. Minus the cheese whiz. 
I’d love to say I made this loaf…haha. :D I had plans to make one, but I didn’t feel up to doing much of anything today so ended up going to the store to find a good one. This one was amazing. Fresh, crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside…yum!
HIGHLIGHT #2: Lunch
…Speaking of salads, this was the entree of today’s lunch. Cranberry, Walnut and Feta Salads. I’m telling you, this is one of the tastiest salad combos!!
I topped a big bed of mesculin greens with:
- cucumbers
- tomatoes
- red onions
- 1/2 c. white beans
- 2 T. dried cranberries
- 1/4 c. feta crumbles
- 2 T. candied walnuts (toast 1/2 c. walnuts for 3-5 minutes, throw in a T. of butter, take off heat and add in 2 T. brown sugar, a pinch of salt & pepper, and cool)
The candied walnuts and feta cheese pretty much make this salad! Just a little goes a long way with flavor, and adds so much to the salad.
The homemade dressing was very light tasting, a little vinegary, and subtly sweet. Perfect for the salad.
DRESSING:
…as seen in Taste of Home-Country: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Festive-Tossed-Salad-3
HIGHLIGHT #3: Return of the Avocado
It’s been too long.
I was feeling super hungry for dinner, and made myself a veggie burger topped with red onions, tomatoes, lettuce, 1/4 an avocado, and catsup. All between a whole wheat roll, homemade oven fries on the side, and some green pepper slices because I felt like crunching. Perfecto!
Nothing fancy, but it sure hit the spot…
Keep your fingers crossed that I feel better tomorrow!! I haven’t seen my friend since last semester, and I’m refusing to let myself be sick. If I’m feeling better, I have a 3.5 mile run planned for the morning too. But I’ll be more then happy to sleep in a little if my body seems to need it too…
Without further ado…
It’s Just My Your Opinion
A couple weeks back, Cristin from Self’s EatLikeMe blog had asked people what they thought of eating a little bit of the “real thing” versus eating a lot of something lighter. For example, would you rather have a slice of full fat cheese that was out of this world delicious or a couple slices more of a “just okay” cheese that had less calories and fat per serving?
I’m curious to see what you guys think. I, for one, feel like I’m in between depending on the food. I love a good, whole milk robusto cheese. There was one I had bought from whole foods a while back that had little crystals in it, and it was such a strong cheese that just the tiniest bit satisfied me. And since it tasted amazing, I was never looking for other foods in order to compensate for the lack of flavor. Of course, there are some foods where I go for lighter versions, because I can’t tell a difference (such as Edy’s slow churned vs. regular icecream.)
Then there’s the ongoing butter vs. trans fat free margarine debate!!!!
What do you guys think??
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Can’t wait to see what you’ve all been up to this weekend! I’m about to chillax with a cup of hot green tea (decaf of course! ) and a magazine in front of the tv with the thickest, most comfortable socks I can possibly find…haha. Have a great night everyone!
Love your weekend highlights and Just Your Opinion! My mom used to buy my sister and I french bread when we were younger and it worked out because I liked the soft inside and she liked the crunchy outside of the bread!
I need to try salad with feta! I recently tried feta and was pleasantly surprised that I liked it!
As for my opinion.. I’m in between too! Like I don’t like PB2 at all- I’d rather have real peanut butter! But I do like some lower calorie foods because I can eat more of them!
http://ajangel25.wordpress.com
Hope you feel better! Get some rest!
Good job on your weekend long run and good luck on the 3.5 miler! Hope you get better; rest well.
I’m in between, too. I buy non-fat yogurt. When baking, I replace butter with less rich substitutes. I don’t use sugar subs though. I think that just like everything, moderation is still key.
Hope you are feeling better!
To answer your question:
I think it depends on my mood and the reason I am eating. If I want quantity (which seems to be often), I go for the lighter version. But sometimes I really want quality, and only the good, rich stuff will do!
love all of the weekend highlights
that salad looks delicious!
I think it really depends on what im eating and how hungry i am etc. Sometimes if im really craving something, il go for the real thing…but if its quantity i want, then il go for the other version..its just a matter of how i feel at the time i guess.
Enjoy your night!
wow that picture you took of the salad looks amazing. i love me some good freshly baked bread as well— my favorite way to enjoy it is to dip it tomato sauce cooking up on the stove
and regarding the question of the day- im not raelly sure i think it depends on what it is that i am eating. when it comes to cheese i like part skim cheese if its shredded but if its feta chunks of goat cheese- give me the real deal please. and same deal with ice cream- i like froyo and slow churned. but if its something like PB- i dont want any reduced fat version. or reduced sugar ketchup or anything like that
oh man I am totally jealous of your homemade bread
taste so much better than packaged!!
i am all for the real thing! I hate fat free cheese – it taste like rubber to me.
I would love to have out-of-this-world cheese no matter the nutritional information. Usually, though, i buy low fat sharp cheeses. These tend to pack more flavor than anyone ever needs anyway.
That bread looks delicious! I buy skim milk & non-fat yogurts. I never will buy reduced-fat crackers/cookies, etc. I do like to buy frozen yogurt and slow-churned ice cream varieties over the full-fat version…but I will eat the full-fat version sometimes! As with cheese, I usually go for the full fat cheese…occasionally I will buy part-skim…never, never fat-free.