My Pets and Hungry Girl's Veggie Tuna Wrap Explosion

I love animals.  Can I say it again?  I have loved animals since I was a little girl. I have always had an animal in my life.  I am the nut that has a Christmas stocking for each of the animals.  I am that nut that when I hear that horrible Sarah McLachlan song - "I Will Remember You" - come on the TV, I get hysterical.  It is the one that is coupled with pictures of abused animals who, of course, are missing an eye or have a little cast on their leg.  I about kill myself getting to the remote to change the channel.  One time I made myself watch it, and I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.  I was crying, snorting and had to go lie down for a short while with a cold cloth to my head.  Same thing when I hear the news reporter say "We now have a story about animal abuse, and you might want to shield your small children from the TV!"  I am not a small child, but I still need to be shielded.  I scream out to whoever is sitting on the couch with me to change the channel stat!!  FYI:  Stat is medical terminology for right now...immediately...quick..!!  I love using that word!!  I digress!!  Just today, I saw a public service announcement for shelter animals.  It was a cartoon depiction of two little shelter kittens, and they were sitting there saying "Pick me!  Pick me!!" to the people going by.  Then the lights go out, and the one says to the other "The shelter is closing for today, but tomorrow will be a new day, and someone will pick us!!"  I screamed at the TV that I would pick them.   Husband Fred looked up from the Sunday paper and scowled at me.  He had two reasons to scowl.  One is that that those kittens were cartoons.  They are not real.  I know that!!  The second reason I got the old Husband Fred scowl is that we currently have three rescue animals in our household.  That does not count the two that Food Police and Son-in-Law have.

Please let me introduce you to them. First is our precious tuxedo cat Micky or Mick Mick.   He was neglected by some not too smart person ( idiot) who let his flea collar grow into his neck. He thinks he is a dog and follows Husband Fred around the yard. He has a very large vocabulary.

This is Mickey basking in the sun. 

Second is Holland the Wonder Dog! He is a mix between a Red Heeler and a Welsh Corgi.  Husband Fred found him at a convenience store. He had been dumped there and was underweight, had mange, a blood infection, and a very very bad overbite. His mouth looks like a shark's mouth.  Husband Fred called the Humane Society to catch him because he could not coax him into the car. Long story short is that no one adopted him so guess what??? We took him. He has had health problem after health problem since but what a dog. He has had cancer. He has an auto-immune disorder where he could not open his mouth. He is now on steroids for life to correct that issue. Then for some reason, his fur quit growing.  I took him to the vet, and he had low thyroid hormone levels.  He will also have to take thyroid medicine for the rest of his life.  The last big event which will now require surgery is that he tore his ACL doing who knows what in the back yard. What can you say?? His surgery is in a couple of weeks.  I will be doing Doggie Rehab!!

Holland the Wonder Dog!!  He is something else.

Next we have Possum the cat.  Food Police named the poor thing that because he does sort of look like a possum.  He also looks like he has a bad toupee.  He, his Mama, and his two siblings were found under an abandoned house.  We called a wonderful organization in town called Forgotten Felines, and they sent out Winnie the Wonder Trapper of all Cats that are Feral.  She put some overalls on, loaded a humane trap with some stinky food, and proceeded to crawl up under the house and catch all four members of that feline family.  Of course, they ended up at my house scared to death.  "Now what do we do with them?" I screeched.  Well.....................we kept Possum, Husband Fred took Mama to his radio station, and Food Police took the other two.  They are some of the sweetest cats I know.  I think they are grateful.

Possum or Pos as we like to call him with the bad toupee!!!

 Food Police and Son-in-Law's babies - My Grandcats!!  Fuzz and June

Mama Kitty - Tiki - named for Husband Fred's Radio Station WTKI!!  Clever huh??

So there you have it.  You have been introduced to all the wonderful animals in my life.  Now on to the recipe.  I am still hungry and still cooking out of Hungry Girl's cookbook.  The game chose Veggie Tuna Wrap Explosion, and I was mad.  I was steamed.  I wanted something like Steak Fajita Wrap Explosion or Fried Chicken Explosion or Lasagna Explosion.  You get the picture.  But I dutifully prepared it, and it was really really good. 

You will need flour tortillas, tuna, broccoli coleslaw, dill pickles, red onion, tomatoes, fat free mayo, and Dijonnaise.

Combine the tuna, mayo, and Dijonnaise.  Add pickle, onions, and slaw and mix well.

This is it all mixed together.  This photo should win an award.

Place the tuna mixture on a warmed tortilla and add the tomatoes.

I rolled it up like a burrito, added some broccoli coleslaw and Sunchips to the side, and enjoyed every bite of it.  The total calorie count of the wrap is 215 calories. 

Here is the recipe............

Veggie Tuna Wrap Explosion

Hungry Girl

Lisa Lillien

1 medium low-fat flour tortilla about 110 calories

2 ounces canned tuna packed in water

2 Tbs broccoli coleslaw

1 Tbs chopped dill pickle

1 Tbs chopped red onion

2 small tomato slices

1 Tbs fat-free Mayo

2 tsps Dijonnaise (I used Dijon Mustard)

Microwave tortilla until warm and set aside.

Combine tuna, mayo and Dijonnaise.  Add pickle, onions, and slaw.  Mix well.

Place tuna mixture in the center of the tortilla.  Add tomato slices, then fold in sides and roll it up.  Enjoy!!

Makes 1 serving!!

Now go have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!

Body Pump Update and Hungry Girl's V10 Soup

Oh goodness!!  I decided I would cook out of the cookbook by Lisa Lillien titled Hungry Girl for the next little bit.   This cookbook is not written for a real hungry girl like me.  It is written for someone who is really hungry and starving to death and could eat the paint off the wall because they are on a diet!!  I think the politically correct term for diet is now lifestyle modification or healthy eating plan.  Blah!!!  Guess who gave me this cookbook??  If you guessed Food Police, you are right.  Speaking of Food Police, have you noticed how the National Media must be reading my blog because they have stolen my coined phrase - Food Police???  There have been countless national stories about the Food Police and how they are snatching little kids' food right out of their lunchboxes because the little kid had -Heaven Forbid - some Cheetos or Oreo Cookies for lunch.  What is this world coming to?  I wonder what my Food Police will pack in her children's lunch boxes.  Oh I cannot wait to share those stories.  I digress as usual.   

Anyway, the author of this cookbook - Lisa - has a Food Network show where she shows you how to eat well for less calories.  She also has a wonderful web site - www.hungry-girl.com- where you can sign up for daily e-mail tips on how to eat right.  And I must say, after cooking and tasting a few recipes out of her cookbook, I am a new fan.

After I selected this cookbook, I thought this would be an opportune time to give you an update on my exercise and eating regimen here lately.  I made it  through the Holidays without too much of a stumble and have now lost a little over 20 pounds.  I am still going to my lovely Body Pump class twice a week.  I reread my original blog post about Body Pump (which has been my most popular post), and I must say, I believe I was a little angry when I was writing that.  It is dripping with sarcasm!!  Just so you know, though,  I still don't clap for the show-outs in class.  I still glare at them through the sweat dripping off my brow and give them my fake smile.  Oh if only they could read my mind!! 

Husband Fred has now joined the ranks of the Monday/Wednesday afternoon Body Pump Posse.  Of course, I had to do some arm twisting and begging to get him there.  Food Police pulled out the old "You are going to get Diabetes and Heart Disease" threat out of her little dietician's bag of tricks.  Goodness!!  It has been worth it though.  She and I so enjoy watching his weird contorted faces in the mirrors (Did I tell you they have mirrors in this torture chamber?  There is nothing attractive about your face when you are lifting weights).  Oh and how we love listening during class to his guttural grunting that is so loud you can hear it over the 5000 decibel song track.  I think he does it for attention to make you think he is really pumping a lot of iron.  I look at his weights to see how much he has added to his bar and do a double-take.  Oh my!!! Wait a minute.....Wait for it....Here it comes...... Food Police and I are lifting more weight than he is!!!!!!  Give me strength!!!  Do we make even one little sound?  NO!!!  Let me keep going!!!!   How about when we finish our Planks, he falls into the prone position and lies there for what seems like an eternity.  People just step over him to put up their weights and mats.  I reassure everyone that he is okay and not blown out his vertebrae.  I then whisper to them that he tends to have a Drama Queen side!!   They nod their heads up and down quite vigorously like they know exactly what I am talking about.  I see where Food Police gets her flair for the dramatic. Again, I digress.  I tell him to get up and quit embarassing himself and his family.  Finally, he manages to pull himself to his knees and come to a standing position ready for more.  Why does this bring such a smile to our faces??  I just thought of something.  Maybe that is why all the veteran Body Pump people are smiling.  It is not because they are actually enjoying the class, but they are actually delighting in watching the newbies get put through the ringer.  Hmmmm.....

Now on to the recipe....I thought why did the Eeny Game have to choose this one???  I don't really want 60 calorie vegetable soup, but maybe the Game was trying to tell me something!!  You think!!

Here is a picture of the cookbook.  That lady on the front looks hungry to me!  She must be delirious from low blood sugar because that would be the only reason why she would be smiling like that.  Sorry!!  I am hungry right now!!  I want a hamburger and French fries.

Shout out to my vegetarian friends!!  You are going to love this one.  You will need a bunch of ingredients but look at how healthy all that looks!!  You need 10 veggies - tomatoes, zucchini, onions, celery, carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, green beans and mushrooms.  Plus you will use garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste, basil, oregano and parsley.  You will also need salt and pepper.

Look at the rainbow!!  Chop up the tomatoes, onion, carrots and asparagus.

Spray your pot with cooking spray and saute the tomatoes, garlic, asparagus, and carrots for about 5 minutes.

While this is cooking, chop up your cabbage.

Chop the mushrooms.

Keep chopping......Now the zucchini.

Keep going.....The celery!!

Measure out a cup of bean sprouts.

Add all the ingredients and cook for 20 minutes.  You will have this wonderful looking soup when you are finished!

I ate lunch with Food Police today and brought her some of the soup.  She was in Dietician Heaven eating it.  A generous cup of this tasty concoction is only 60 calories and is low in sodium, fat and sugars.  I have to say it really is good.  Hmmmm.....

Here is the recipe...

 

V10 Soup

Hungry Girl Cookbook

Lisa Lillien

4 C fat-free vegetable broth

2 C chopped cabbage

1 1/4 C chopped celery

1 C chopped mushrooms

1 C bean sprouts

2/3 C frozen green beans ( I used canned)

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 plum tomatoes, diced

3/4 C sliced carrots

1/2 C diced onions

5 asparagus spears, chopped

1 1/2 Tbs tomato paste

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray a large pot with nonstick spray.  Cook tomatoes, carrots, onions, asparagus and garlic over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Raise heat to high, add all other ingredients, and stir.  Once soup reaches a full boil. lower the heat until soup is just dimmering.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the beans and celery are tender. 

Makes 6 servings.

Now go have a great day.....

My Worst Day as a Teacher and Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen's Crescent Cookies

As many of you know, I have been teaching a High School Medical class for almost 20 years.  I have honestly had only a few really bad days as a teacher.  Most of my days can be defined as good, productive, satisfying, uplifting, etc.  The bad days usually revolve around something not working like a piece of equipment, the Internet being down and I can't access that awesome video, I forgot to run off something for the class, and on rare occasions, a discipline or behavioral issue.  That sounded harsh didn't it?  How about someone was acting up in class!! That sounds better.

Let's roll back the calendar to a couple of weeks ago.   I was imparting all my vast knowledge about the autoclave and sterilization to the inquisitive young minds of my students.  As a part of the lesson, we talk about chemical disinfection and ultrasonic cleaning.  I had purchased an ultrasonic cleaner to show them how that worked.  While I was discussing this, I uttered the fateful statement "This is also what they use to clean jewelry!  Does anyone want me to clean your rings while I clean this set of dentures?"  By the way, so you are not grossed out, they were not my dentures!!  HAHA!!!  A couple of hands went up, and I had them drop their rings into the cleaner along with my wedding ring.  I proceeded to read the directions and turn the thing on for 20 minutes just like it said to do.  When the 20 minutes was up, I took off the top and peered in.  And there it was - the evidence of my most horrible day as a teacher.  That despicable horrid little machine turned the silver class ring of one of my students BLACK!!!  Thank goodness my back was to the students so that they could not see all the blood drain from my face.  I grabbed the ring out of the water, and immediately my hand turned black. This day was getting worse by the minute.  I start running it under water and rubbing it with a paper towel.   I begin muttering gibberish under my breath which amounted to  - "Oh no!  Oh no!  Oh no!"  I guess my anxiety transferred to the class because they started asking "What is wrong Mrs. Holland?"  I delicately stated "I don't know how to tell you all this so I am just going to say it!!  I have ruined someone's ring!"  They immediately jumped up and ran to the back.  It turned out to be So and So's class ring and thankfully, he was very very calm about the unfortunate situation.  I told him I would pay for it if it came down to that.  I asked him how much it cost, and he said $400.00.  I about threw up right there.   Some of the other students were sweet and tried to make us feel better.  They said "Oh So and So, it looks cool.  It is a one of a kind ring now.  It looks like it is really old pewter."  I told him to go home and show his parents and let me know what they said.  I was utterly mortified.

When I got home, Husband Fred asked how my day was.  I said "Do you really want to know?"  I proceeded to tell him and instead of consoling me, he dares to say "Angela, what possessed you to do something like that?"  First of all, he never uses my name except when he is irritated with me and second, nothing possessed me that I am aware of.  Grrr...... To make things even worse, I kept waking up during the night every 30 minutes thinking about that doggone silver ring that I had turned black!!!  It truly was the Horror of Horrors!!

The next day at school, students were coming up to me in the hall saying "Oh I heard you ruined So and So's class ring!  Way to go Mrs. Holland!"  When So and So came to class, I asked him what his parents said.  He said that they were mad at him!  YES!!  Not at me!!  Thank goodness!!  But to make both of us feel better, the ring was covered by a warranty, and he could get a brand new one.  So I ended the day by asking the students what they had learned this week.  They responded without too much thought -  "Don't ever let Mrs. Holland clean your rings!!"  I agreed wholeheartedly!!! 

Now on to the recipe.  I am still cooking out of Trisha Yearwood's cookbook.  The game finally chose something sweet.  I was beginning to wonder if I needed to change my method.  I do tend to start at the front of the book and play the game.  I think that is why I get all those chicken recipes!!  I will be making Crescent Cookies, and before Food Police gets her calorie counter out and starts clicking away, I will be taking these to my students to sample.  I will eat one maybe two however!!

You will need butter or margarine, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla, salt and walnuts or pecans!

Add the butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla.

Cream all that goodness together!

It will look like this after a couple of minutes.

Beat in the flour and stir in the nuts by hand!

Roll into one inch balls and form a crescent.  Please do not judge me by the condition of my cookie sheets!!  Bake them for about 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

Take them out and cool on a rack.  Be gentle because, I with my heavy hand, broke a few!!  I took this picture with my I-Phone and did not know how to rotate it!!

Roll them in powdered sugar and enjoy!!  Same thing here - I took the picture with the phone and am too technologically inept to figure out the rotation thing!

Everyone that ate one of these absolutely loved them.  They are not overly sweet and remind me of the Sand Tarts my Bigmama used to make.  Husband Fred took some to a meeting and served them with coffee, and the People raved and cheered and stormed the streets for more.  I am kidding, but they did rave about them!!  I surprised my students with them, and they stood up and cheered and did a happy dance.  Again, I am joking, but they did tell me I was a good cook!!  That one made me smile.  I think they are manipulating me to get some more goodies!!  Hmmmm.........

Here is your recipe.....

Crescent Cookies

Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen

Trisha Yearwood

1 C of butter, softened

1 C confectioners' sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsps vanilla

2 1/4 C sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 C finely chopped pecans ( I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a bowl, cream together butter, 1/4 cup of sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Beat in the flour and then stir in the nuts.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls.  Form the ball into a crescent  Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown but the tops are still pale.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

Put the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl.  Roll the cooled cookies in the sugar, coating liberally.  Store in an airtight container.

Now go have a great day...........