Looking Forward

One thing I am very good at is having a pity party for myself... Currently in one now - I feel like I have been good diet and exercise-wise this week and I am getting no results. As I discussed in my weight loss journey, I need to redirect my thoughts and remember that I am healthy - and sometimes the scale does not always reflect 'health.' I jogged two miles today!

So in a public attempt to redirect my thoughts, I am going to list out a few (non-scale) things that I am looking forward to during the rest of 2011! A central theme: lots of good family time!

Disclaimer: this pic is from November 2007 - holy cow I am getting old!
This weekend/part of next week in Raleigh. Two words: State Fair. Ok, I am excited about more than that! I get to see almost all of my friends, my family, and my little brother (see above: not so little) turns 21! Hopefully he will let me celebrate with him.

I am going to Raleigh for work (a recruiting trip at NCSU), which is one of my favorite things to do (work-wise). I really should be a recruiter... I am good at it! My family happens to live in the Raleigh area - very convenient!

Also, this Friday I am taking a vacation day! Sometimes I think I forget what 'vacation' is, and while I will be doing some schoolwork... I am looking forward to a three day weekend.

I miss you, NC State!
Las Vegas. Somehow, I convinced my parents to take us to Vegas for Thanksgiving this year. I gently suggested it (read: started brainwashing) around Christmas last year, so there was plenty of time to plan and process. I am BEYOND excited. This will be my first trip to Las Vegas, and my brother will finally be 21, and something tells me my parents will be having just as much fun as he and I will be ;-)

My 24th birthday happens to be on Thanksgiving this year (24 on the 24th! This is gonna be an awesome birthday), and my goal is to not spend a single dollar on drinks (and hopefully get free dessert everywhere we go). For the cherry on top of this alcohol infused sundae, by the time I get there, I will have taken my last final (ever) and completed my last presentation (ever).

Which brings me to...

Graduation. On December 16th (65 days), I will officially have my MBA and this long journey will finally be over! I am very grateful though that my final semester I only have to take one class, and it has not been excruciatingly painful (like other classes *ahem* management science). I chose my professor wisely; the other sections have a 140 page paper to write. No thank you. Mom, Dad, start planning my baller graduation party!!! Yes, I am having one because Dad did, and mine had better be epic!

While my life is completely different than when I started this blog, I am glad things turned out the way that they did. And in 65 days I will be able to say I survived grad school while working a full time job. Never thought I would say that! It is hard for me to believe that it is mid-October. Where has the time gone?!

Thanks for letting me share some things that I am looking forward to this year. How about my readers? What plans are you looking forward to the most for the rest of this year?

OATrageous Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Courtesy of Hungry Girl, I made some delicious chocolate chip pancakes this morning. Gasp! I followed a recipe?!

Ok so, they didn't turn out incredibly gorgeous, but they did taste very good. Note: these are very dense pancakes. If you are looking for a light and fluffy recipe, this is not the best choice. Also, I only had regular sized chocolate chips which probably upped the Points Plus values a bit, but I wanted the chocolat-y flavor.

You can find the recipe here! The newsletter recipe differs slightly from what I made (out of the 200 recipes under 200 cookbook). The only major difference is I swapped fat free milk for fat free vanilla yogurt.

I have made these pancakes before... which turned out a little prettier. I made one large pancake instead of several mini ones. And at 4 points plus, this recipe is a breakfast steal! And they definitely taste 'bad.'

Because they are so dense, you could whip these up the night before and re-heat in the morning for a delicious at-work breakfast, and I don't think you would know the difference! They definitely kept me full until lunch as well.. which is always a feat! Let me know if you end up trying these pancakes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Mushroom Mac and Cheese - Lightened Up

I really enjoy cooking simple, healthy recipes... and I have quite a few in my repertoire.

One of my favorite (unhealthy) things to make is homemade macaroni and cheese, and I do admit I am pretty good at it... I think the lightened up version is good as well! I was craving some comfort food tonight and had all the fixin's, so I decided to make a mushroom version of lightened up mac and cheese. I must admit, this is one of the best recipes I have made - ever. While I fly by the seat of my pants in the kitchen and don't usually follow recipes, I will try and recreate this so you can try it at home!

This recipe is for one large serving... This recipe would also make a good sized portion as a side dish for two. I cooked everything in 'stages' in one medium sized pot.

1.5 Servings - Ronzoni Smart Taste Elbows
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh Mushrooms, diced
Dash of olive oil
1 tbsp light butter
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 c. skim milk
Pinch of red pepper
Pinch of dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
2 oz. low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Stage 1:

Cook pasta and drain. Set aside.

Stage 2:

Saute garlic and diced mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil on medium heat until cooked through. About 5 minutes. Set aside.

Stage 3:

Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and combine. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Add skim milk. Cook over medium heat until it comes to a low boil, stirring constantly. Sauce will begin to thicken. If it doesn't, add more flour as needed. If it is too thick, add more milk as needed.

Add cooked mushrooms and garlic, stirring well. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt, pepper, red pepper, and dry mustard to taste.

Put cooked pasta in to sauce and combine until pasta is completely coated.

Stage 4:

Serve immediately and enjoy!

This is a really easy and filling recipe. I calculated 13 Weight Watchers Points Plus - you definitely get your 'bang for your buck' with this macaroni and cheese. It tastes really bad, but you are using lightened up ingredients!!

Let me know if you end up recreating and how you like it! There is enough sauce that comes out of this recipe, you could add additional veggies such as broccoli or asparagus, or add more pasta.