Perfecting "Lazy".

Hello beautiful people.

I've just enjoyed the most amazingly lazy day. Seriously. LAZY!!! I feel almost ashamed at the absurd amounts of NOTHING that went on today. I did find enough motivation to visit Mama and Papa Babushka for lunch. Let me be clear though, that has been the full extent of my "activities" today. I've also indulged in a lot of couch bonding and TV brain washing. In the wise words of Mr. Campbell. It was "Mmm Mmm Good".

I woke up at 8:00 but decided to rot in bed until almost 9:00. Why? Why not? Why hurry? No one was waiting on me. There was nothing that needed to be done. Nowhere I had to be. I need to cherish these moments pf nothingness and savor them. So I cuddled with my fluffy comforter in my cozy bed, half asleep and half daydreaming about what to have for the most important meal of the day.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:15am.

I decided on an egg white scramble. 4 egg whites + red, green and yellow peppers + tomato.


I also had a Morning Star Farms breakfast sausage with Smucker's sugar free syrup.


And a wheat Thomas's bagel thin which I topped with a mashed banana (which I added cinnamon and a dash of Splenda to).


Enjoyed with a frothy and light whip and cinnamon smothered cup of mocha java French Press coffee.


Foodie perfection. I proceeded to rot my brain with two (one was not enough) episodes of The Millionaire Matchmaker while I nibbled. Why do I love this show? WHY?

I followed up my bad TV session with blog reading and another cup of coffee. I was in full on Lazy Mode. Apparently I was also in a daze because I lost complete track of time. I'm pretty sure that 2 hours were somehow stolen from me this morning. I looked up and it was almost time to visit the Babushka Family. I quickly cleaned myself up and rushed over there to see my adoring fans. I didn't want to disappoint and skip the visit. I'm just so freakin fantastic that they cry when I'm not around. HAHAHA! Right Papa? (cry with joy sometimes I'm sure....) :)

LUNCH (meal #2) at 1:30pm.

Mama baked up a bunch of tasty chicken. I made a lovely salad topped with one of them.

• Sweet Butter Lettuce
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Dried Cranberries
• Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
• Spray Butter
• Black Pepper

I don't know how that woman gets her chicken so tender. Mama secrets I'm not privy to I guess. :)

After lunch we played a could of WILD rounds of Sorry. Aghhhh, I love that stupid STUPID game. I also sipped on another cup of coffee. I know, I know. LOTS of coffee today. I love the stuff. Don't judge!

To TORMENT me, the family busted out several boxes of Godiva chocolates and truffles to splurge on. Ann was ALL up in the research on which ones to devour.


Mama and Papa just dove in to get whatever. I (like a good little angel) stayed away from the sweet temptation. I won't lie. It wasn't easy!!!!!


When I got home Nick talked me into watching Shutter Island. SURE, I'll rot my brain some more with the dull, flickering light of television wonder. BUT FIRST, I NEEDED A SNACK!

SNACK (meal #3) at 5:00pm.

I've had a pint of pistachio ice cream (MY FAVORITE) in the freezer for about a month now. Purchased in a moment of weakness and briefly attacked with a spoon on a random Saturday night. Only a few bites were missing and every time I open the freezer, I stare at it, lovingly... and then shut the door... So did I eat it? NOPE! I gave it to Nick and made myself a tasty bowl of Banana + Cherry Soft Serve ice cream.

• 2 frozen bananas (guessing, I have a large bag of frozen banana chunks in the freezer)
• 4 frozen cherries
• 1 packet Splenda
• splash (maybe 3 tbs) of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

Blended and whipped to creamy perfection in my food processor and topped with Udi's original granola from a bit of texture and crunch.


TAKE THAT my beloved pistachio ice cream. Though I miss you DEEPLY, this concoction fills your delicious void. I WIN!

The movie wasn't bad. Sadly, as with a lot of movies (because I'm brilliant) I figured out the plot well before the ending. None the less, not bad. After it was over, I did something horrible... I made ANOTHER cup of coffee. Hey, I have to fuel all of this NOTHING I'm doing today. Right? (for shame Ildie.... for shame....)

(insert more random moments of nothing here.........)

(and some more............)

DINNER (meal #4) at 9:30pm.

I brought home some of Mama's incredibly tender chicken for Nick to have for dinner. I decided to make shrimp for myself. It's been too long my crustacean little critters. Far, far too long!

I peeled them, seasoned them with Himalayan pink sea salt, black pepper and key lime seasoning mix. I tossed them into a very hot pan (sprayed with Pam) until they got nice and pink. This only takes a few moments.


I enjoyed them with leftover roasted veggies from last nights dinner.


And sweet Thai chili sauce for dipping.


Simple, quick, delicious and perfect.

Well, I think It's time to go do some more of that there nothing that I'm working on perfecting today. Might as well enjoy it while I can. It's back to cubicle florescent paradise tomorrow (AKA work).

Have a great night!
Oh, and stay lazy.....

XOXO
Ildie

Please enjoy the ride

Hello my lovelies. This is you blogger speaking. Please buckle up and get ready for a food filled ride through Babushka Land. We'll be cruising at the sweet speed of a slow simmer while we marinate over decadent recipes and scrumptious eats. I thank you for reading my blog today. Please enjoy the ride.

I woke up at 7:00 sharp and stumbled downstairs to warm up with a nice espresso. The house was frigid! The heat doesn't turn on until 8:00 on weekends because we're usually in bed until about 8:30-9:00. I need to reset the thermostat STAT! My body just doesn't seem to want to sleep past 8 anymore.

Mocha Java flavored espresso with fat free whip, sugar free cream and cinnamon. Mmmm!


I tossed in a load of laundry and spent the next solid hour reading blogs. I was in visual food porn heaven. You guys make everything look SO GOOD! It made me hungry. Oatmeal time!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 8:30am.

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 banana, sliced
• tons of cinnamon
• dash pumpkin pie spice

I simmered the above on low heat for maybe 10 minutes and topped it with the rest of the banana, 1 tbs flax, 1 tbs sugar free apricot preserves and a sprinkle of cinnamon and coconut flakes. I enjoyed it while wrapped in my furry brown blanket with a whore of a cat smothering me and magazines courtesy of Ann (the magazine addict). I love mornings like this.


It's my Papa's Birthday today and I was due at their house to celebrate by 2:00. I decided to make some good old fashioned Hungarian comfort food to take with me for lunch today. The healthy Babushkafied version of course! It's called Lecso. The original version calls for sauteing mild yellow peppers, onions, tomatoes and spicy Hungarian smoked sausage in oil until tender. Then you stir in beaten eggs on low heat until the eggs are cooked through. Basically it's like a glorified egg scramble. The recipe for my healthier version is below.

• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 small white onnios, cut into thin rings
• 1 1/2 cups white mushrooms, cut into thin slices
• S+P to taste
• dash cayenne
• Spray Butter (instead of oil) drizzled on

I covered and cooked this on low heat for maybe 15-20 minutes. Just long enough for the peppers to get tender.

I added 5 egg whites and 1 whole egg. (beaten first and seasoned with S+P)


Roughly 5 minutes later the eggs were cooked through and lunch was done. SO EASY!


I also decided to prep an easy dessert for the Babushka Ladies to enjoy later. Ann was baking Papa a pile of decadent birthday brownies so he was covered. To resist chocolaty temptation I decided to make something for the girls. I cooked up a batch of vanilla pudding with a packet of sugar free, cook & serve Jell-O pudding mix, 2 cups vanilla Almond breeze and cinnamon. The plan was to make little bowls of heaven with lady fingers, pudding and fat free coolwhip. Nice and simple.


I arrived at the Birthday boys house right on time. The man LOVES opening presents. He was all wild eyed with anticipation. We made him wait though. Everyone was hungry so we decided to eat first.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:15pm.

Healthified Lecso with a toasted English muffin. I'll be making this again, and again, and again. It brought back so many memories. I've always loved this dish. Of course it didn't taste like Mama's original version but I thought it turned out damn good.


After lunch we let Papa open his goodies. We found him the most brilliant card this year. I loved it!


He seemed to like all of his goodies. Especially the treats. (meaning chocolates and rum) ;)


He couldn't even stop eating his brownie long enough to pose with me. HA!


SNACK (meal #3) at 3:30pm.

Papa's ridiculous brownies look SO FREAKIN GOOD! Nice job Ann!


All the ladies mastered resistance though. I think the pretty little bowls I made helped distract us from a fudgy chocolate attack!


After our snack session, we played a new to us board game. Parcheesi. Somehow we always end up playing games that are meant for ages 6+. I find this to be highly amusing.


We battled for a few hours and then I made my way home. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN PAPA! ;)

When I got home Nick was changing his oil and was having a hard time with the removal of his oil filter. Several fun trips to AutoZone and numerous bitch sessions later, it was finally done. YAY! Time to eat!

DINNER (meal #4) at 8:30pm.

The parsnip fries were SO good last night that I decided to experiment again. If parsnips work, why wouldn't carrots. I seasoned them the same way with spray butter, salt and pepper and also added a dash of cinnamon. I baked them for 40 minutes on 400 and only had to flip them once. They didn't get crunchy but they were SUPER delish. I guess we can call these carrot fries? I enjoyed them with a mix of ketchup and Sriracha. It added a nice spicy kick.


Since it was NO starchy carbs allowed night, instead of a burger I had a small side salad with sweet butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes and an Asian Morning Star Burger. So basically I had a burger without a bun.


Dinner was freakin fantastic! I love these mock fries I've been making lately. I'm sure you'll be seeing them on the blog ALL the time from this point on.

SNACK (meal #5 at 10:00pm.

I was craving a pear like crazy. I ate it so fast that I forgot to snap a picture. :-O

Time to go cuddle with the Mr. and the remote now. It's back to reality tomorrow and I want to enjoy as much of my evening as possible before calling it a night. It's been such a great weekend. I DON'T WANT THE RIDE TO END!

HUGS!!!

Ildie