Jersey Fresh

Back to business as usual! I woke up today a bit early, must be on East coast time still

My fridge was pretty bare, but I managed to scrounge up some yogurt, very ripe fruit, and slightly stale cereal to make a yogurt mess.

Lunch was another mish mosh including a can of Progresso onion soup.

Followed by an Amy’s BBQ burger mixed into some frozen veggies. Can you tell I just grabbed whatever I could find??

I used my lunch break to catch up on my Reader.  I didn’t get to comment yet but at least I’m not totally out of the loop!  Later in the afternoon, I hit a wall and got an iced coffee for a boost. Since when is this drink $2!? Silliness.

I don’t know if it was hunger, or the coffee, or jet lag, or just being back in the office, but my stomach started hating on me.  I tried to placate it with some instant oatmeal with about 1/2 cinnapple but this only seemed to make it worse!

Yep, ate this with a fork!

After work I took my groaning belly to the grocery store since my fridge is basically bare! I got a pretty decent stock of fruits and veggies for $25, which makes me happy — including a big bag of sea salt & vinegar Popchips for $1. Yum! My tum slowly settled down and was ready to eat around 9 PM. I made a great big spicy tofu veggie wild rice bowl that included red peppers, cabbage, red onions, kabocha squash, tofu and wild rice, with some chile paste for a little kick. My goal for the week is to make extras at every dinner so I have easy *cheap* lunches!

In more exciting news, my long weekend at home was a blast! I got in at 8 AM and spent the morning with my dad. We picked up bagels (I got a really interesting/delicious rye one) with light cream cheese and some coffee.  Man, I have missed NY-style bagels! As you will see

I napped about 5 billion times throughout the day; I am always SO conked out after the first day traveling.  After my first catnap of the day, I made lunch for me and my mom to be enjoyed outside.  We started with gorgeous bowls of fruit, including peaches, blueberries, and bananas. The grocery had a flat of blueberries for so cheap so MANY were consumed over the weekend!

We also had my all time favorite hot dogs. If you are from NJ and have ever visited The Windmill, then you might recognize these Schickhaus franks! Not only are they LOOOOOOONG, the outside gets so crunchy and crispy. They seriously put every single other hot dog I’ve ever tasted to shame! Plus some v. salty tortilla chips on the side.

After a relaxing afternoon (and another nap!), we made pizza for dinner. There is a bakery near my house that makes amazing dough fresh every day. Dare I say, best pizza dough ever? I might be biased, but mmm…this is oh so good!  I ended up having 3 red pepper-topped slices.

Dessert was another favorite! I really let loose and tried to indulge in all the things I only get once a year when I go home for the summer. There are some Dairy Queens in LA but none close to my apt so it’s been a pretty long time since I’ve had a chocolate M&M peanut butter cup Blizzard!!! My mom, sisters and I snacked while watching some TV and catching up.

Friday morning I slept in a little and then made a bowl of frosted mini wheat, blueberries and half banana for breakfast.

Extras! To soak up the milk of course!

I read for a bit and watched Desperate Housewives with the little sisters. Lunch was a few un-pictured snacks…the only one I snapped was the chocolate Italian ice that my mom picked up just for me (yes, another favorite that I can’t find in LA).

My mom got to show off her new grill for dinner!

Little Miss Gourmet whipped up marinated portobello sandwiches topped with zucchini, red peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese. We ended up eating outside again. I love backyard dinners!

My cat Griffin says we will fill you in on the rest of the trip tomorrow