Done with Dracula

Happy Monday, my dear friends

Sorry, I just can’t get enough of this new camera!

How was your weekend?  I hope you’re all feeling relaxed and refreshed.   Monday sure comes quickly, doesn’t it?!?  It seems to come especially fast when you’re glued to the TV every Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday and running on minimal sleep. 

I’ve been feeling a bit off for several weeks now because of this, but it’s all been worth it.  Let’s just hope they pull it off and my efforts have not been in vain!

Speaking of TV…

Remember growing up when the summer meant staying outside until it was dark out?  Those were the days, weren’t they?  It didn’t matter if Family Matters was on a hiatus for the season.  There was Kick the Can to be played!

Now?  Times have changed, my friends.  I live by my TV.  I never considered myself a TV buff until I moved home from college.  I settled into the working life and TV just seemed the appropriate way to relax at night.  For the first few years, my summer TV watching struggled.  Thank goodness for Law & Order in syndication on TNT.  My summer evenings from 2005 – 2007 were quite depressing.

But then, something exciting happened.

Namely, this:

 

I remember the first season of SYTYCD.  It was life-changing.  Not only am I an ex-dancer, but I was also desperate for SOMETHING to fill up my summer nights.  Props to Fox for being the first network to figure out that summer time doesn’t mean we should be devoid of all things television!  When you’re an adult, there’s no Kick the Can to pass the time!

Now, Mr. KD and I look forward to this

 

This

 

And this (Okay, fine. This is only me)

And, as always, there’ll be a little Sox action in between.

I’m hoping that the first episode of True Blood is already OnDemand.  It’s the only thing vampire that I can get into.  I think it’s really entertaining, but often think they try a little too hard to make it risqué.  I’ve seen more nudity on this show than appears necessary.  But, I’ve got to hand it to HBO.  Overall, the show is great.

Speaking of vampires, am I the only one that thinks this is one trend that needs to go away?  I understand that everyone is into the Twilight series.  I haven’t read them yet, but I’m sure I’d like them if I did, so I’m okay with this.  I’m also okay with True Blood because it came out around the same time as Twilight and was something completely different and edgy for TV.

But, is this really necessary?

Who knows – this could end up being the next big hit.  I just wish the networks would put a little extra something into their planning and at least attempt to come up with something original.  I haven’t been intrigued by any of the new shows I’ve seen advertised.  I think it’s time the networks came up with a little something extra.  Don’t you?

 Today’s food was pretty standard.

Breakfast: A raspberry Chobani, Cheerios, walnuts and frozen berries.

Summer deliciousness

Lunch: Turkey and light mayo on a Flat Out.  I had planned to whip up a side salad with this, but once I arrived at the salad bar, I determined my body was craving veggies.  I went from side salad to main course salad and my measly little wrap served as a side.  There were only two slices of turkey in it.  I definitely needed the salad.

In the mix here:

• Mixed greens
• Red onions
• Shredded carrots
• Chickpeas
• Edamame
• One egg white
• Feta
• Barley Salad with mixed veggies (This was SO GOOD!)
• Asian green beans
• Sunflower seeds

This was so satisfying and delightful.  It held me over until dinner.  Can you believe I didn’t have a snack today? 

Dinner: Parmesan Chicken with Broccoli and Rice.

The star of the show:

Love those ingredients

The perfect summer meal!  No oven required and it’s nice and filling.  And, what is easier and cheaper than brown rice and frozen broccoli?  Love, love and love!

Check out that juicy chicken. Perfection!

Okay, I’m off to scour OnDemand for True Blood and get a good night’s sleep.  I also plan to have a spoonful of peanut butter.  My dinner was lacking fat and I’m still a bit hungry.

Adios, mis amigos! :mrcool:

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite summer show?  Anything new you’re looking forward to watching? 

Where are the shows?

Hey there bloggies!! 

How are we all doing tonight?  My day went by relatively quickly for a Monday, so that’s always a good thing!

I have one question though: Now that the Olympics are over, why aren’t any of the shows back on?!?  I was looking forward to House tonight and it’s a repeat.  Boooooo!  Not a fan.  At least I’ll get to see 24 tomorrow on my DVR (I go to bed at 9.  Lame, I know).  Have you guys been watching this season?  I’m not sure what to make of it, but I would never give up on Jack Bauer.

I got in a great workout this morning on the treadmill that I wanted to share with y’all (I love that I keep writing “ya’ll” on this blog and I have never used this phrase in my life!).  I should let you guys know that I have never been an athlete so if some of my workouts look a bit easy to you, simply increase the speed or the incline on the treadmill.  One thing I can promise you is that I honestly push myself with every workout.  Scout’s honor

• Warmup: 5 min RPE 3 – 4
• 2 min RPE 5
• 2 min RPE 6
• 1 min RPE 7
• Repeat minutues 5 – 10 three more times
• 1 min RPE 7 – 8
• 1 min RPE 4
• 1 min RPE 5
• 1 min RPE 6
• 1 min RPE 4
• Repeat Minutes 30 – 35
• 2 min RPE 5
• 2 min RPE 6
• 1 min RPE 7
• 1 min RPE 7 – 8
• 1 min RPE 4
• 1 min RPE 5
• 1 min RPE 6
• 1 min RPE 4
• Cooldown: 5 min RPE 4 – 3
• Time: 50 min
• Total mileage: 4.86 

 

Note: RPE = Rate of Perceived Exertion.  10 is the rate you cannot maintain for more than 10 seconds, while 1 is the level you could work at all day long (basically, at rest).

I love the RPE workouts because they are easily adjusted to your own preference.  My speeds were as follows:

• 4 – 4.7
• 5 – 6.2
• 6 – 6.5
• 7 – 6.7
• 8 – 7.0

Before getting into dinner, I wanted to share my salad at lunch.  Remember how lame it was yesterday with only dried cranberries on it?  As promised, I really vegged it up with work’s salad bar and also decided to add about a tbsp. of sunflower seeds for some crunch.  The salad and sandwich were so filling, I couldn’t even eat my Fuji.  I ended up snacking on it at about 3 pm and saved my applesauce and cottage cheese for tomorrow!!

Isn’t that salad gorgeous??  Note in the top left corner, I’ve already started my grocery list so that I can have more success this coming week

I just liked this closeup.  It’s my attempt at being artsy

Came home after work and decided to make an easy, yet satisfying and delicious dinner: Parmesan chicken with broccoli and rice!

Every house has their staple meals and this is one in the KD household even though I hadn’t made it in some time.  I’m sure you’ve either had or created something very similar to this before, but I’ll share with you anyway!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken tenders, cut into chunks
• 12 oz of broccoli (I used frozen)
• 2 cups of brown rice, cooked (cooked in either water or low-sodium chicken broth)
• 1/4 light Italian dressing (I used Ken’s light)
• Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

Heat skillet over high heat and add dressing.  Once dressing starts to slightly sizzle, add chicken to skillet.  Meanwhile, cook broccoli in microwave (if frozen) or steam if fresh.  Continue to cook chicken until it get BROWNED from the dressing.  This generally takes 10 - 12 minutes.  The dressing almost carmelizes and coats the chicken.  Add cooked broccoli, so that it will also brown up (if you’re using frozen, it has just the right amount of water after it’s cooked to really help this browning process along).  Toss with rice and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Serves 4.

I highly recommend cooking your rice in chicken broth, but I used all of ours last night for the soup.  To compensate for the lack of flavor, I added 2 tbsp of ICBINBL to the cooked rice (less than tbsp. a serving).  It helped with the flavor, but it is still better with chicken broth. 

Yummy.

And now for the closeups, so you can see that nice, browned up chicken!  Mmmmmm!

 

Again, so easy and delish!  Definitely a must try, folks!

All right, I’m off to hang out with Mr. KD and relax for the rest of the evening.  Thank you all so much for reading.  I’m really enjoying reading your comments, so keep ‘em coming!

P.S. I have the biggest blister of my life on my foot after my run today.  Let’s hope I can run tomorrow like I had planned, but it might be an elliptical day

P.S.S. There were seven cookies left this morning and I brought them into work for co-workers.  Mr. KD has not stopped talking about it.  You’d think he wasn’t allowed to have cookies again for his entire life!!!

Until we eat again…