Shrimpin' Boats with a side of Pancakes

We always like to do a Low Country Boil but instead Morgan had a great idea of doing a Low Country Grill. I have to say it was so good. Morgan grilled the corn while in the husk after he soaked them in water for about 30 minutes. The turkey sausage went on the grill as is and then we cut that up after they came off. Morgan tossed the shrimp in EVOO and old bay. He grilled them all to perfection and we had dinner:)

Now we did not eat all of this because Morgan does a good low country sandwich with the left overs!

I'm sure all people think we do is eat  BUT I am doing this to show everyone that eating "low fat" is not boring or even hard. It's what you are willing to put into it that makes it.

This Sunday morning I decided Pancakes were the way to go. I buy the Bisquick (just add water) whole wheat blend and it is very tasty plus I add my own touch. I put orange zest in the mix and blueberries in the pancakes while they were cooking. I used spray butter instead of the real thing and instead of syrup used the juice from the orange.. They were delicious and full of flavor. I also went and did an hour of cardio after all this :)

Blueberry Orange Pancakes

For dinner Morgan made Low Country sanwiches. We just used left overs and gave them a rough chop. We omitted the corn because we both had enough of it from the night before. 

We got hoagie rolls from the deli at publix ( they are 69 cent for one and you can get the amount you want)
Morgan put the spray butter/ olive oil and garlic on the bread and put them face down on the griddle to allow them to toast. Meanwhile he made an sauce for the low country. We normally would use mayo but seeing that is full of unwanted fat and calories he came up with his own recipe

• Greek Yogurt
• 2 limes ( juice and zest)
• little but of cocktail sauce
• little bit of Old bay
• a pinch of salt

Now don't hate on the greek yogurt because it is your friend when it comes to sauces and snacks!!

Because it is Memorial weekend I normally would make Buffalo Chicken Dip and Everyone know there is about 1000 calories per bite.. maybe not that much but it's definitely not a good choice so I made a bean dip full of flavor and color. We ate it with Blue Chips found on the organic isle.

• One can of drained corn
• One can of drained black beans
• One can of drained Chick Peas
• Cut up cilantro ( as much as you like)
• Finely chopped Jalapenos
• One chopped avocado
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3 tbsp or garlic
• 4tbsp of EVOO 

I am going back to doing home work since the tropical storm showed up :) Happy Memorial Day! Thank a solider after all they are the reason we get a day off!!

Hello to all my imaginary blog readers :) lol I think sometimes this is just somewhere I can talk to myself and not be called insane or crazy.  Well it's Sunday night and I just finished a paper for school and Morgan cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. I am currently recording My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding because I like weird shows and this one is up there with the weird ones. So this weekend I lost 3 pounds.. WOOHOO!! Can I get a halleluiah!! Now those 3 pounds are from 2 weeks.. not just this weekend. If I could get AF (aunt flow) to leave me alone it might be more but I am pretty proud of those three. Saturday Morgan and I went and had lunch at Panera. I got a cup of soup and half a salad all for UNDER 500 cal and so did he.. (I have to brag on him because he is down 5 ( probably more) pounds.) We went to Bed Bath and Beyond and OMG the day I get to register in that store is going to be AHMAZING!! I don't know who will go crazier me or Morgan. We left there with a paper towel holder for under the cabinet, an over the door hanger for the laundry room for items such as hats, hats, and bras. :) It was hard to leave knowing that I left the memory foam bath and kitchen mats.. O I could just make a trail through the house with those bad boys.. LOVE THEM!!! We also went to Lowes. Now I am normally not a fan unless we are getting gardening things or really anything but wood. Every time I go to the back to look at the wood I mean it all looks the same.. BORING!!! Paint them colors or something ppl!! I feel like Suzanne Sugarbaker when I go in those places because it' just so terrible. lol We did leave with 2 waterhose holders, miracle grow for my flowers and some fire ant killer bc they just suck and need to die. We made some awesome dinners so I will post those recipes after this. Morgan did the majority of the cooking this weekend because he loves to cook. I got really lucky I guess. He cuts grass, makes dinner, does laundry, and can put out fires..Yep Yep pretty cool huh :) ( I will say I do cut grass too though) Stay tuned for the recipes from this weekend. We used Saturdays dinner for a leftover recipe that is DELICIOUS!!!!

My Top Twenty Bucket List

My Bucket List

•  Run the half marathon at Disney World
• Marry my best friend  (Morgan)
• Graduate college
• Get certified to teach ZUMBA
• Visit New York at Christmas time
• Get "M" tattooed on my foot in memory of my grandfather 
• Have a more beautiful marriage than my wedding
• Go to Carlos bakery
• Go to a Drive in movie
• Have a boy and a girl
• Spend a week somewhere tropical without any technology
• Learn to sew
• Be a parent like my mom was
• Be an inspiration to someone
• Visit Holland
• Meet Miranda Lambert
• Ride a horse on the beach
• Have a picnic on the beach not prepared by me :)
• Own a Pig named Petunia
• Go back to a Red Socks game

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Sides

On Monday night we had what I like to call a thrown together meal. I can't make a menu because I never know what I want until a couple hours until dinner, but I always lay out 2 chicken breast. you can't go wrong with chicken. Morgan always makes really good marinades for meats when we grill. Here is dinner and recipe is below. Enjoy!!

The rice is Minute Brown Rice and instead of water I used chicken broth

• 1 3/4 cups of broth
• 2 cups of rice
• follow directions on box

The green beans are pinterest inspired. This is the linked to one of my favorite blogs!

•  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/01/recipe-for-roasted-green-beans-with.html

The chicken is a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

• Juice from 3 lemons
• sprinkle lemon pepper seasoning on them
• A little garlic ( we really don't measure) 
• Coarse salt and Pepper

Grill for about 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken

Weight Loss Journey

This isn't just a weight loss thing that I am doing to look good in shorts or just to say I'm "Skinny" instead it's an opportunity for Morgan and I to get healthy as a couple not just as individuals. Morgan has lost a significant amount of weight in his twenties and I lost a lot in high school as well. With the crazy life we live we got caught up in the homework, working late, and the inconvenience of making healthy choices and working out. As of now I am a full time student that studies a lot . Morgan is a full time paramedic student that also has a full time job plus he works overtime at least once a week night plus a day on the weekend. For my birthday he got me a membership to the YMCA and I have been everyday but Sunday since I have had it. We also made the decision to stop eating out, buying snacks, and cooking unhealthy food. I am a huge snacker but since I go workout I don't want to ruin it by eating crap. Getting up after a strength reminds me how hard I worked and somethings just aren't worth it :) I have some photos of our dinners that I will share but tonight I just have time for two. Morgan worked overtime on Wednesday night and I had our steamed corn and black bean mixed left over. ( they have this at Sams Club and they steam in the microwave in about 7  minutes) The night before we had chiptole honey salmon and it was AMAZING. ( again at Sams Club) The salmon has 220 calories and 11 grams of fat. Perfect! I decided to make a salad with fresh mixed greens, the corn mixture, fresh salsa and I baked a piece of salmon and laid it on top. The dressing consisted of the juice of 1 lime and the zest as well, EVOO, and 1 tbsp of hot sauce. wisk together until it is mixed. Don't go crazy with the EVOO just add enough to where the lime juice is mixed well not overly oily. I took everything but the salmon and mixed it a giant bowl. put the mixture on a plate and the salmon sat so pretty on the bed of greens. Dinner was served.

It was so Yummy!!

Tonight I made cookies that are low fat and low calorie. I got the recipe from my taste of home everyday light meals cookbook. The recipe is as follows: 

• 1 Cup of chunky peanut butter ( I used whipped)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour ( I used self rising , lets be honest who keeps baking salt and soda just lying around when self rising already has it in it)
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tsp baking soda ( again I don't do salt and soda) 
• 1/2 cup miniature choclate chips
• Mix this all together, pre heat oven to 350 degrees and bake 8-10 minutes, When placing the cookies I take a small spoon roll the mixture into a ball and smash them. They will rise but not much. 

 I am a huge baker and love making treats so this is fun for me :) These aren't the prettiest cookies I have ever made BUT these bad boys are yummy and since Morgan and I have done so well this past week I made a treat that was healthy and wouldn't hurt what I spent 1hour and 45 minutes in the gym today for! Give them a try!

My Birthday Weekend

Happy Monday!! I have been on break for about a week and a half and during my break I celebrated my 26th birthday! First of all I can not believe I am 26, but I at least I have 4 years until I am 30 :) My mom, Jenny, and Minnie came down and we celebrated all of our birthdays since they are so close. Here is the cake that Ethel brought for me:)

            The Lady left off the "E" but it was still yum. A chocolate on chocolate cake is always amazing!!!

The Thursday before my birthday I had an outpatient procedure done and Morgan thought it would make me feel better if he got me these:) 

and it did :) It's my mason jar soap dispenser and wine glass

On Friday I spent the day at Blue Spa getting a massage, facial, and a pedicure! It was simply amazing!

The morning of my birthday I was awaken to my stack of presents from Morgan

In those boxes were lots of goodies all for me :) I got 3 bras (yes he did went all by himself) colorful socks, bare minerals summer makeup, a dress, and a pink polo hat. I also got a YMCA membership :)  I loved all my presents but I was most excited that he didn't work that weekend and we got to spend time with each other and no books or homework to worry about. 

 Griffey had a blast in the wrapping paper!

After I opened up all my presents we decided to go to the pool at his parents house. It was a shot in the dark since it was cloudy and I don't do well with clouds :) I put my new make up on btw I love it and we went to grab breakfast at the omelet house. A chocolate chip waffle was on this birthday girl wish list! We went to publix for a surprise which was MY CAKE :) 

 So pretty!

I received the sweetest cards in the mail. For anyone who knows me also knows that I LOVE CARDS. They are the one thing you can go back and read throughout the years. 

 Well there they are sideways and all :) I tried turning them but it just didn't happen

My weekend was great. We ended up going to play putt putt and riding go carts because of the clouds, but it ended up being lots of fun. Instead of going out to dinner I decided that I just wanted to cook at home. we grilled hamburger and had pasta salad while catching up on DVR shows:) Thanks to everyone for my gifts and sweet cards. I greatly appreciate them !!