Weekend Shopping Trip

So this weekend we are going shopping.  


Here's what's on the list so far:

• For the outside of the house
• 3 Doors (with storm doors) - We are replacing the outside doors leading into the house
• Bulkhead
• For the Bathrooms
• Shower/Tub with a mixing valve
• Tile & Grout 
• 2 vanities (one at 21" for the half bath and one at 57" for the full bath)
• 1 counter-top/sink (we are reusing the one that was in the half bath since it's so nice)
• 2 faucets
• 2 toilets (chair height!!)
• Lights for the half bath
• For all rooms
• PAINT!  I already chose my colors....Now we need ceiling paint, trim paint and we need to get to work!

It's going to be a fun weekend!!!

Holy Guacamole!!

Furthering my obsession with Mexican Food:


My friends visited Friday night, and instead of going to Tortilla Flats, I'm making Mexican at Home.  I'm making burritos again (don't judge me!) with a little twist - I decided to mix the refried beans into the meat mixture instead of layering it.  I can't wait to eat them!!


To go with the burritos, I decided to make a couple of sides.  I bought some sour cream, I made a fresh batch of salsa and some GUACAMOLE!!!


This is probably one of the easiest versions of guacamole you can possibly make.  I first saw guacamole made on Barefoot Contessa, and I made it her way the first time....Since then, I've changed it and made it my own (basically I've made it the lazy [yet delicious] way....)!!  So here goes!!


Guacamole 
Ingredients

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup small diced onion (red is best, but vadilia will do the trick)
• finely chopped jalapeno pepper (however many you want - I used only 1/2 of one pepper)
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (I had bought grape tomatoes today, so I just chopped some of those up)
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Lemon or Lime Juice

The Method
Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and dice the avocado while it's still in the shell.  Then scoop the diced avocado right into the bowl.  Immediately pour the lemon or lime juice over the avocados to prevent them from browning (I believe the technical term is oxidizing).  Add in the chopped onion, jalapeno pepper, tomatoes and a little bit of salt and pepper.  Mix everything together (you can either mash up the avocado, or just mix it lightly - do it however you want to get the consistency you want).


Taste the guacamole and add more salt and pepper if needed.


Viola!!

Guacamole - left a little on the chunkier side, ready for some chips and burritos!!!

Enjoy!!

Burritos!!!

Every time I've made "burritos," I ended up making the meat, and served the burritos "Help-y Self-y" style....That meaning that everything is out in buffet style and you just fix it the way you want it.  I think my mom coined that term.  Either way, this time I decided to try something different!  I(Note:  Whenever I've told Scott, "I tried something new," he has always cringed.  This time, not so much!)


The Recipe
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
1 pkg (20-oz) lean ground turkey
1/2 packet taco seasoning (the kind you can buy in the spice aisle, not the kind you get in the taco packs)
1 15-oz can refried beans
Shredded cheddar cheese
10 burrito tortillas


The Method to my Maddness
Saute the peppers and onion in a little bit of oil until softened (add in some jalapeno peppers if you like the spice!).  Add in the ground turkey, breaking it up and cooking it well.


Add in the taco seasoning and about 1/2 cup of water, and cook until a sauce is created.


Once the meat is cooked and ready, start layering your burritos:  On each tortilla, put about 1-2 Tbsp of refried beans, some of the meat (enough to make a full burrito, but not some much that you can't roll it) and some shredded cheddar cheese.  Roll the burritos (folding in the sides first) and place them seam-side down in a baking dish.  Bake at 325-350 for 15-20 minutes.


I made half of my burritos with cheese and the other half without.  Whichever I put cheese IN, I put cheese ON in the pan, just for purposes of knowing which was which.  Also, I bought "medium" sized tortillas, so I had trouble folding in the sides...


Variation
My dad makes this recipe but instead of putting the refried beans directly onto the tortilla, he mixes it into the beef.

Only half of the burritos were left when I took this picture....But there they are!

With 1 Tablespoon of Sour Cream, each burrito has the following in terms of nutrition facts:  Calories: 291, Carbs: 32, Fat: 10, Protein: 18, Fiber: 6, Sodium: 656.  For you Points Plus people: 7 Points Plus

Bagels and Exercise

Exercise-wise, I've been having a really good week.  I have been exercising on and off for a while now, but made some decisions that somewhat force me to exercise daily.


I love bagels.  I mean, love them.  There's something about stopping on my way into work in the morning and getting myself a toasted bagel with cream cheese ON it that really just makes my day (You have to specify on, otherwise, Dunkin Donuts will just drop a container of cream cheese into a bag and call it a day).  As soon as I get in the car in the morning, my mind is already eating a bagel.  Well, for those of you who don't know, a sesame seed bagel is 350 calories and the cream cheese to go with it is 130 calories.  That's 480 calories on breakfast ALONE!  Never mind if you get a coffee to go with it!


Well, I made the decision on Sunday that I will allow myself to have a bagel ONLY if I exercise.  It's a reasonable trade-off, right?  It's been going well so far.  I have gone so far as to wear the gym clothes I would never normally wear just so that I can get to the gym.  All so that I can eat a bagel in the morning.


My workouts for this week have been boring so far.  I've been mainly concentrating on jogging and biking, so I'm either on the treadmill, the elliptical, or the bike.


Here we go:


Monday:
Elliptical Trainer        33 minutes  428 calories
Biking (12-14 mph)  12 minutes  165 calories
593 Total Calories Burned


Tuesday:
Jogging 5 mph           15 minutes  206 calories
Walking 3.5 mph       20 minutes  130 calories
Biking (14-16 mph)   10 minutes  171 calories
(I did run walk intervals)
507 Total Calories Burned


Wednesday:
Jogging 5 mph           15 minutes  206 calories
Walking 3.5 mph       20 minutes  130 calories
Biking (12-14 mph)   10 minutes  137 calories
(I did run walk intervals)
473 Total Calories Burned


Thursday:
Elliptical Training       33 minutes  430 calories
Biking (14-16 mph)  12 minutes  204 calories
634 Total Calories Burned


One of the other decisions I made (just today I made the decision), is to not eat ALL of the exercise calories like I originally have been doing.  I decided that I would put the total amount of calories Burned in the NOTES section of MFP and put a slightly reduced number in the actual area where it counts as calories earned.  This way I can account for some of the error in calculating any of the exercises.


What do you think?