Hash it out

It's incredible. It's edible. It's the incredible, edible egg!

After the 11-miler that wasn't, it was time for breakfast. I decided to make hash and over-medium eggs - it just tasted too good the other night. Plus, my WW leader advised that I should be adding in more protein to correlate with my activity level. Eggs = yummy, filling protein.

I lazed around after breakfast, sipping coffee, and wondering whether I should take a nap after a restless night. As I was about to give in, the phone rang and we were invited to lunch at an Italian restaurant. It's a local favorite that is not known for being healthy. In fact, it's signature salad has one of the most calorie- and fat-laden dressings on the planet. I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, and I opted for a bowl of vegetable-lentil soup and a mini salad - no cheese, dressing on the side. The soup had little pieces, almost pureed, of broccoli and spinach. It was really brothy and light unlike some of the richer soups I've had.

Even though the soup and salad were good, they weren't very filling. A couple hours later, I needed a snack.

Roasted red pepper hummus, wheat pita and carrots to the rescue! I love, love, love roasted red pepper hummus. I would consider eating it with a spoon if it wouldn't seem so gluttonous.

My snack was so filling that by the time dinner came around, I didn't have much of an appetite. I ended up broiling half a fillet of my leftover tilapia, and I served it with a half-cup of Parm-riffic rice and a pepper-onion mix.

Once again, the tilapia stirred up the acid reflux. I'm not sure what's in the blackening seasoning but it doesn't agree with me.

My rice, on the other hand, awesome. I just kind of made up the recipe as I went, recalling knowledge from too many hours watching Food Network. I sauteed a clove of garlic and half of a small onion (diced), the added the rice. Stir to coat the rice, toast it a bit, and add chicken stock. I used a half-cup of rice and about 1.5 cups of stock. Bring it to a boil. Cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. Add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, stir and enjoy.

Do you cook with a recipe or wing it?