Day #200 - Open-Faced Turkey Melt

I can't believe I missed my 200th day!!  I'm slacking!

Thursday when I got home from work, I was too hot and tired to cook dinner.   Plus, my fridge and pantry are running a little bare this week, but until the weather cools down, I don't want to go grocery shopping.  So I threw together this light dinner  - an open faced sandwich (turkey, salsa, and colby jack cheese on whole grain bread), baby carrots, sliced white cheddar cheese, and a small handful of SunChips.

And then around 9pm, our electricity went out so I couldn't post the blog.  Our building was out, and so was our entire block.   The heat must have knocked out part of the grid.   Very frustrating!!

Day #199 - Pancake Breakfast

Tonight I went over to mom's house for dinner before we headed to the Muny to see Singin' in the Rain.   After scouring my blog, mom determined that it has been a while since I made waffles.  So tonight she decided on breakfast for dinner - pancakes topped with maple syrup and sliced strawberries, bacon strips, skillet-fried potatoes, and sliced cantaloupe.

Day #198 - Chicken California Sub

Tonight I was in Downtown St. Louis for the NKOTBSB concert.   (That's the New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys, for those of you not up with boy band abbreviations).   Before the concert, a group of us (mainly my cousins, their 2 children, and one of their friends) went to Union Station to grab some dinner and hang out a bit.  We went to the food court, so we could find something for everyone.   I ordered my dinner from Charley's Subs - a menu of hot grilled sub sandwiches.    I ordered the Chicken California - thin-sliced chicken breast, provolone cheese, ranch dressing, lettuce and tomato - with a side of hot golden fries.

Day #197 - BBQ Beef & Potato Salad

Tonight's dinner was made by my friend Holly.   After work this evening, Holly and I paid a visit to some friends from college and their newborn twin boys.  She was bringing the new parents a homecooked meal, and  was generous enough to pack a doggie bag for me as well!   Inside was a tupperware of BBQ beef, potato salad, 2 sesame rolls, a handpicked peach, and 2 waffle cookies from France.    Tonight I ate one of the BBQ beef sandwiches and some of the potato salad.  The potato salad was a new recipe she tried - potatoes, sour cream, a little mayo, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced bacon.  Sort of a "loaded baked potato" potato salad.  It was very good!   The rest of the food will be going with me to work tomorrow for my lunch!


Thanks, Holly!

Day #196 - Simple Ditalini Pasta

Tonight I didn't have much appetite or energy to cook.   Probably due to the heat.  So I cooked up a quick pasta dish, which I am calling "Simple Ditalini."   I started by bringing a pot of water up to boil.  Once boiling, I threw in 2 chicken bouillon cubes, instead of salt, to help flavor the water and pasta.  I cooked the Ditalini pasta for 8 minutes until al dente, drained the pasta, and then mixed in a small pat of butter, a palmful of grated Parmesan cheese and a few dashes of Italian seasoning.  Quick and simple.  

Day #195 - Oven-Baked Crunchy Chicken Tenders

Tonight I baked up some crunchy chicken tenders.   I took a couple large boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into 3-4 strips each.   I coated each strip with a light drizzle of olive oil, then pressed them into a plate of crumbled Garden Salsa SunChips.   I put all of the chicken tenders onto my stoneware pan, sprinkled them with Pampered Chef Smoky BBQ Rub, and baked them in a 375 degree oven for 24 minutes, turning over halfway.
Along with the chicken tenders, I made a small garden salad of romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and honey mustard dressing.

Day #194 - BBQ lunch and evening "snack"

Today was our company's July BBQ.   I filled up at lunchtime with a plateful of smoked ribs, watermelon, pretzels, and tomato cucumber balsamic salad:

Between all the barbeque food, and the hot temperatures outdoors, I did not have much appetite come dinnertime.   Instead, I just had a light evening snack of crackers, ham, white cheddar cheese, and peach slices: