Sales, Salmon and Sun

Let me just say this from the start...I did absolutely nothing fitness related this weekend. Unless you count considering buying this outfit at a yard sale so I don't have to do strength training :) Seriously, I saw it early in the morning and I do wonder if someone bought it before the day was over.

It wasn't exactly a workout, but I did do plenty of walking at a huge community yard sale. There were people and cars everywhere. It was much easier to park the car then walk a radius around the car to visit the various sales. I picked up this cookbook for 50 cents. It need to do some more reading to find a recipe to try, but I immediately found several I am not prepared to try.

Often times at yard sales the kids will be selling lemonade or cookies. I usually like to patronize them, but really didn't want the extra calories. Don't tell them I dumped the lemonade as I walked behind my car and only tasted one of the two snickerdoodles I bought. 

When I got home from the yard sales I mixed together a quick lunch salad - leftover grilled chicken and corn, red peppers, black beans and avocado.  For a dressing I mixed some leftover jalapeno pesto and lime juice. It was a nice fresh, filling salad even though it was mostly leftovers.

After lunch we headed out to a local Air Force base to see an airshow. We had to park at least a half mile away. As we walked up, they were doing a Pearl Harbor attack reenactment called Tora, Tora, Tora. Tora was a code word the Japanese used to indicate that the element of surprise had been achieved and to begin their attack. It was a little disconcerting to be walking toward an airfield with eight different airplanes zooming and diving in and out of smoke. Pyrotechnics on the ground simulated explosions. Unfortunately, we weren't close enough at the time of the performance to see the whole show. You can see a video of the show at a different airshow here.

Tora, Tora, Tora, torpedo bomber. You can see the torpedo on the underside of the plane.

F-18 Super Hornet - nicknamed "The Rhino".  It was an awesome (in the true sense of the word) display of power.

Look at the tiny spiral decent this plane made. Notice the bird in the top right trying to get in on the show.

There were several jets and airplanes on display.  Jets like this one you were not allowed to approach.

A highlight of the day was my husband being reunited with an old Army buddy - the UH 60 Blackhawk. It is the helicopter he worked on while serving in the Army. It was fun to listen to him describe many details of the helicopter and how it operates.

I never get tired of this view...my husband in a crowd walking towards me :)

Finally, it was time for the main attraction - The USAF Thunderbirds!!

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The action was heart stopping. I love the feel that goes through your entire body as the jets scream by. A couple times during the show your attention would be on a maneuver and out of nowhere another jet would fly low past the crowd. It was thrilling. 

If you look very closely you can see the jets at the bottom of the heart - four going to the right and one going to the left.

We hated for the show to be over. And I really hated the long walk back to the car. I was so hot, so thirsty and so tired. The sun really takes it out of me.

Since, I knew it was supposed to get up to 90 degrees, I had decided to wear one of my new dresses to the airshow to help keep cool. My chief concern about wearing the dress was the breeze blowing my skirt up and creating a whole other show for the crowd. Of course, I knew all that skin that rarely sees the light of day would be vulnerable, so I made sure to apply sunscreen. We stopped for a nice dinner on the way home at our favorite Italian place. However,  by the time we got home, I realized I had done a terrible job applying the sunscreen. I didn't realize the arm holes were exposing that much of my back.  I didn't put enough sunscreen around my neck because I thought my hair would keep it covered. Turns out the breeze kept my hair off my neck much more than I realized. I notice one of my bra straps must have been hanging out most of the day...oops!  I even have a "tan" line from my cross body purse strap. Spoiler alert the rest of the weekend was pretty uncomfortable. My husband did his best to keep me slathered in aloe.

I decided I wanted  to try another salmon recipe this weekend. When I stopped at the grocery store, I was greeted by this very appropriate sign. I ended up getting the salmon at Aldi. I was a bit hesitant, but it turned out fine.

I had two recipes I was debating between - Cuban and Lemon Dill. I put the decision to a vote in my ladies group. I must confess I went against their pick (lemon dill). I think I secretly wanted to make the Cuban recipe all along. Then my husband and I discovered our favorite Cuban restaurant had closed a couple of weeks ago, that sealed the deal - Cuban Grilled Salmon with Tomato Avocado Salsa it was. I promise I will make the Lemon Dill soon.

First the marinade.  In retrospect I think the marinade should have been on it for longer than the 15 minutes recommended.

While the fish was marinading, we heated up the grill and made the salsa.

I was a little nervous about making the salmon on the grill...I envisioned it breaking apart and being a big mess. It was much easier than I anticipated. Unfortunately, my husband did not love this recipe as much as the last one I made. He didn't think it was flavorful enough and wanted a sauce to cover up more of the salmon taste. I, however, like the taste of the fish and I am definitely not disappointed that I will be having the leftovers for lunch today :)

I grilled some green beans to go with the salmon. I recently bought this basket so I could try grilling different sorts of veggies that would normally fall through the grates. I sprinkled the beans with a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I had originally planned a big meal prep day on Sunday. I had set aside several recipes to try.  However, the pain and discomfort of this sunburn really took the wind out of my sails. I did manage to make a batch of enchilada sauce so I have a little head start on a recipe I will make this week - stay tuned for details.

That was our weekend. I still have quite a bit of discomfort from the sunburn, but I am hoping to get on track with my Double Light workouts tonight. My trainer is telling me that the Double Light days are over and we are headed into Single Light. I hope he is just teasing me and takes pity on his crispy client.

It Gets Better

So, after all my whining at the beginning of last week, I finished strong in the workout department Thursday and Friday.

Thursday evening I came home from work and knocked out my strength training workout. The highlight of the workout was...drum roll, please...I managed 6 push ups (girl/modified)!!! That is twice what I did the previous time push ups were on the list last week. It was exciting. I actually got several compliments from my trainer on my form and even on my attitude :)

Friday, I was off work so I could do a morning workout. My trainer talked me into going to the gym with him at 4:30 a.m. (on my day off!!)  He had a challenge to complete for his workout program. He had to complete 20 circuits of the following: 10 push ups, 10 squats, 10 jumping jacks and 5 inverted rows. He had 1 minute to complete each circuit - if he finished early he could have the remainder of that minute to rest. Most circuits he had 12-16 seconds to rest.

We made a little video of one circuit....now imagine doing this 20 times!!

After he finished his challenge, we got busy on my workout. It was a little after 5a when we got started, so I was almost awake. We made this "ladder" out of tape a couple months ago. He has used it many times, but this was my first attempt. It is about 10 yards long. Each exercise was to go up and down the ladder doing different foot work.

First up, the NFL shuffle down and back.

Then the Ickey Shuffle down and back. You might remember this recent Geico commercial. Ickey Woods was a Cincinnati Bengals running back in the late 80s-early 90s (before my football fan time). Apparently, his touchdown "dance" became quite a sensation. Click here for more on the Ickey Shuffle  (#9 on the Top Ten End Zone Celebrations).

After each circuit, gasp for air, get a little drink of water...and repeat four more times. During the third circuit I didn't think I was going to make it. But somehow I got a second wind I guess. My trainer later told me that he had planned to stop me after the fourth, but didn't because he thought I had rallied. A huge challenge for me was getting my feet to go the right way. It wasn't really complicated steps, but when so much of your brain is focused on breathing, the feet just go every which way.

I admit I was relieved to have the workout finished for the day (and actually the weekend, since Saturday/Sunday are rest days).  I had planned to work in a least one walk, but that didn't happen.

Friday evening I had a relative I'd never met before coming over. I spent most of Friday baking yummy treats. For dessert I made ice cream sandwiches...one of my favorite summertime desserts. I used my signature chocolate chips cookie recipe...it also happens to be Pillsbury's recipe. I've been using this recipe for about 25 years. It is actually the only baking recipe I know my heart. One tweak - I add about a teaspoon of cinnamon.

You can pretty much mix and match any cookie with what ever ice cream flavor you like and end up looking like a culinary rock star. I prepared my ingredients for quick assembly - ice cream melts fast in the summer. Cookies, ice cream, caramel and sprinkles (my husband loves sprinkles!) - easy peasy!

The caramel was a gift from Meg at Running Just As Fast As She Can. Sanders has quite a history going back to the 1800s!  I'd never added anything to to the ice cream before, but the caramel was a tasty addition to this batch.

 Who wants one??

I was in the mood to make sweets and felt pretty safe doing so knowing I could be sharing and would only have a couple for myself. I also made Buckeye Brownie Cookies.  A ball of peanut butter and powdered sugar mixture is placed on top of the warm brownie cookie bases. This picture is prior to the chocolate coating they got after they cooled completely. I must have gotten sidetracked.

And because I just couldn't stop, I made Salted Caramel Nut Brittle. I discovered this recipe last Christmas. The salty sweetness is incredible.

And yes, I did give away the leftovers. I didn't want to, but I did. (Pat on the back for me.)

Saturday we did a whole lot of nothing except binge watch an entire season of Bloodlines on Netflix...a day we will never get back.

Sunday was another fun cooking day. With the baking out of my system I focused on more healthy recipes. My husband wants to eat more fish, so I bought some salmon and tried a new recipe for lunch. Skillet Seared Salmon with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce. It was delicious - I currently want to eat it every day!!  I served it with grilled asparagus and corn.  My husband had his beloved sweet potato instead of corn.

Sunday morning, I had gotten sucked into watching Food Network (not an uncommon occurrence). Bobby Flay's BBQ Addiction was on and he made me want to make Greek Orzo Salad with Mustard Dill Vinaigrette.  I wasn't sure if my in-laws who were coming over for dinner liked feta, so I served it on the side to add if desired. I used fresh dill from my garden...tasted like summer. I would definitely make it again with a little tweak...less olive oil. I like my vinaigrette more on the vinegary side to stand up to the pasta and veggies. My husband thought it was a bit slimy from the olive oil.

On the same episode Bobby made Grilled Zucchini Skewers with Jalapeno Yogurt Dipping Sauce. That caught my attention because we were grilling kebabs with tons of veggies for dinner and we do like some spicy. My pesto was a bit thicker than Bobby's, so I mixed it thoroughly into the yogurt instead of the pretty swirled effect he demonstrated. I actually hate Greek yogurt so I put mine in a little light sour cream (which by the way was delicious on pita chips...I had to taste test.)

Bring on the kebab fest. I had several skewers of just veggies on another plate. I am not a big fan of cooked tomatoes (other than sauces), but grilled cherry tomatoes are so pretty.

My husband learned how to make a garlic/rosemary marinade for his steak kebabs. I simply did a spice rub on the chicken kebabs.

 My father-in-law is a charred hotdog kinda guy so we sprinkled his hotdogs between our kebabs.

We got a little carried away...so guess what we are having today?? Leftovers :)

Nothing too much on the agenda for today. I am starting Week 3 of Double-Light. Reading the schedule makes me question the "double-light" part of my training.

I see some scary things...burpees, box jumps, figure eights.

I sure hope my trainer is ready for this!!!

Catch Up - Part 2 Easter Edition

I know it is a little late for Easter recap, but then again who can resist bunnies, cute goodies and delicious springtime foods?

My mother-in-law always has the cutest little things on the table for holidays. Bunny Band :)

Of course, there was egg dyeing.

My husband had his very first baby-wearing experience. Cutest little great niece ever. And cutest husband :)

I don't think he was ever truly comfortable letting go of her. I think I would be nervous too...I never "worn" a baby either.

I found a cute idea on Two Sisters Crafting. Start with mini pretzels, top with a candy melt and put in the oven until the melts soften.

Then M&M's are arranged using the candy melt as glue.

Ta-Da!  Cute little spring flowers.

For more detailed instructions and prettier pictures check out Flower Pretzel Bites at Two Sisters Crafting

Our traditional Puffed Wheat Bunny Cake for Easter breakfast. Butter, corn syrup, sugar make a "glue" that hold together the puffed wheat in its molded bunny shape. We have been making this bunny as long as I can remember.

I love traditions, but you know I love trying new recipes. Easter was no exception. They say you should make your tried and true recipes for parties or company, but that is just not how I roll. Give me some company and I am going to experiment.

I saw this recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod. I do like carrot cake, but cookies are my favorite sweets to bake. I was instantly drawn to this recipe...did someone say cream cheese glaze?

Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies with Cream Cheese Glaze

Carrots make anything healthy, right?

The cookies were a hit. Sadly, since I divided the batch between two different parties, I didn't get to bring home any leftovers.

The spring feast featured in the March issue of Cooking Light magazine immediately inspired my Easter plans. I made the next two recipes for Easter dinner.

Asparagus and Peas with Warm Tarragon Vinaigrette

Since Mary turned me on to tarragon I have been a bit obsessed.

The recipe called for asparagus, snap peas and frozen shelled peas - a green extravaganza!

Each veggie was blanched in boiling water for two minutes which made them crisp tender and brightened their green color.

The tarragon vinaigrette was super simple. The only issue I had was I ended up using dried tarragon because the fresh tarragon I had purchased did not have good flavor (frankly, it tasted like bitter grass.) The dried worked fine, but I would have rather had fresh. The vinaigrette was made with shallots and a little bacon drippings, then tossed with the veggies and crisp bacon right before serving.

I loved this dish as leftovers also. Even though the bacon didn't stay crisp in the fridge, the flavor was excellent.

And now the pièce de résistance... 

Roasted Salmon with Thyme and Honey-Mustard Glaze

I very much enjoy fish, but my husband is not a fan. When I saw this salmon recipe I knew I had to make it for Easter - there would be plenty of people who would enjoy it. I was also attracted to this recipe because it could be served at room temperature making it perfect to take to a buffet style dinner.  I bought a 3 pound filet at Sam's for about $5 a pound. I didn't think that was a bad price and considering I had most of the ingredients on hand already overall it was a relatively inexpensive dish.

The other expenditure was Grey Poupon. I debated buying an off brand, but I kept hearing in my head "pardon me...do you have any Grey Poupon? " - an advertising success story :)  I did, however, resist the suggestion to drive up to people, say "pardon me..." and speed away.

Salmon on parchment paper ready for action.

Sauce ingredients are smeared all over the top of the filet. It smelled so good. 

Topped with lemon slices and thyme (there are thyme sprigs under the filet also).

Roasted for about 25 minutes. I could not wait to get it in my mouth. It was everything I hoped it would be.

It was good hot, room temperature, even cold....and in lunch a day or two later.

I would LOVE to have leftovers like this every day.

I am happy to report that these new recipes are all keepers. After the crockpot chicken debacle, I was afraid I had lost my recipe choosing mojo. Time to wrap up...I  think I have what I need to make a smaller batch of the veggies....

Tomorrow should be my final catch up post and then I will try to be more current :)