Three Things Thursday

Pre-workout eats: Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with light cream cheese
Workout: 20ish minutes upper body and 2.25-mile walk with Denali

1. After such a Debbie Downer post yesterday, things started to look up last night. Mark and I got the answers we wanted from the owner of the duplex, and it should make things better. It was all because I put on my big girl panties. I'm not one for doing that (in fact, my grandma would say that I don't own any) but sometimes you have to look out for No. 1. In this situation, I was definitely No. 1. Ha!

2. It's so easy to underestimate a 20-minute workout. Twenty minutes - that's nothing. Yeah ... until your inner thighs are so sore you can't carry your body up the stairs. The combination of Jillian Michaels' "6-Week 6-Pack Abs" and it's stupid lunges plus the toning video with Brooklyn Decker (from OnDemand) had me in such a state of pain yesterday. Who am I kidding? Today, too. So if you don't think you have time to exercise, bust out 20 minutes of lunges at your desk while on a conference call. You won't walk for days. Promise.

3. Mark has decided that last week's Thursday night TCBY and Kroger date was such a success that we should do it again tonight. Three cheers for grocery shopping ... or just one. Whatev. It did put me in a bit of a bind because I had to throw together a menu for next week. Yes, I plan our menus. It helps me save money, for one, and it keeps Mark from getting pasta every night - his one true wish.

So what did I pick? A couple things are a surprise for Mark (we'll be celebrating our anniversary Monday) but I am excited about this recipe: Chicken Paillards with Tomato Sauce and Couscous. This girl loves some couscous!

Thin pickings

Today's lunch was brought to you by Operation: Clean Out the Pantry.


Tuna salad on Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with a slice of cheese and a side of cut vegetables. (Sorry about Feisty Fiona. She forced herself into the photo and tried to steal the sandwich.)

The other day, I found myself waist-deep in the bottom cabinet looking for a box of pasta. I pushed aside a can of garbanzo beans, a can of white beans, two cans of tuna and myriad other items - all of which were purchased with a dish in mind, dishes that were never made. It's a bit ridiculous to have so much food and just let it sit there.

And so Operation: Clean Out the Pantry was born.

Canned tuna, packed in water, is the easiest item for me to use. I decided to whip up a quick tuna salad made with:

• 1 can water-packed tuna
• 1/2 rib celery, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped squash-zucchini mix
• 1 egg white, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic-herb mayonnaise (I received this as a sample in the mail)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

I toasted an Everything Bagel Thin from Thomas in the toaster oven at work, added a slice of cheese and topped it with my tuna salad and sliced tomato. A side of cut veggies along with a Kashi oatmeal raisin cookie rounded out the meal. It was a tasty lunch that looked like I actually put thought into it.

Thanks, Operation: Clean Out the Pantry!