Forget the Fall-flavored coffees I’ve been talking about. It is still Summer for sure!

HOLY HOTNESS! And fyi, it said 101 degrees about 2 minutes before I caught this pic. NOT okay. This made for a grumpy girl on my way home from work today.

Counting down the days until the cooler temps are supposed to return to the mid-80’s. 4 days and counting…

Lunch

Lunch today came together relatively quickly and painlessly! I wasn’t starving so this actually gave me time to prepare a salad and sit down to eat it while I pondered what else I would have to finish off my midday meal. (I’m usually so ravenous that I start inhaling everything in sight. But not today!)

The salad was a tasty and colorful one! I topped fresh romaine lettuce with carrots, mushrooms, snap peas, and 2 peppers. A little Catalina dressing on top made this mixture extra yummy! The salad was pretty filling, so I opted to do an easy and quick sandwich for the rest of my lunch.

I topped a whole wheat Bagelthin with 1/4 cup cottage cheese and a couple slices of honey ham and a touch of mustard. Yum!

This savory mixture never gets old. Being lactose-intolerant keeps me from eating cheese filled sandwiches on most days, but cottage cheese (in small amounts) luckily does not make me sick! It’s creamy goodness is a large staple in my eating habits lately.

Of course, a little of the cottage cheese oozes out, so you have to be willing to lick your plate clean. It’s well worth it though, I promise!

And with that, I was full so I headed out with Mac on his midday walk. At this point in the day, it was about 1 PM and 90 degrees. I know my coworkers love when I come back to the office smelling of fresh sweat! 😛  Holy hotness, indeed!

Dinner

Dinner started as soon as I arrived from Jazzercise tonight. I was feeling extra lightheaded and could tell my blood sugar was a little low. So I grabbed some banana cream pie yogurt (yum!) and added a tablespoon or 2 of Fiber One cereal. The crunch was awesome and a touch of carbs is just what I needed!

After a quick shower, I was digging through the fridge and found a bag of broccoli slaw that was getting ready to go bad. So I decided to throw it in a skillet to saute it – Pinterest style! Or at least I adapted it from something I saw on Pinterest…Enjoy!

Sauteed Broccoli Slaw

You will need…

• One 12-oz. package broccoli slaw.
• 1-2 sweet peppers, sliced/chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 ts minced garlic
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 TB Lite soy sauce
• Garlic salt to taste

To begin, I heated the olive oil in the skillet. I then added the minced garlic and let it simmer for 1 minute. Add peppers and mushrooms, stir and let simmer for around 2 minutes.

Next, add the broccoli slaw. Stir this all together and let it cook for around 4-5 minutes on medium heat and stir occasionally. Note: Your skillet will feel very full, but it will become more manageable the longer it cooks.

As the slaw starts to reduce a bit, add the soy sauce and sprinkle with garlic salt. Once the slaw starts to get softer and acts a bit like pasta, it should be ready to serve! Cook a little longer if you want a softer consistency – just keep stirring to avoid scorching!

This was easy and filling!  Plus it makes a huge pan of low-calorie veggies that can be altered to your tastes. With the garlic and soy sauce, this version smelled and tasted like something you might get from a Hibachi grill restaurant. Experiment with adding different types of veggies or spices to adapt it for you meal.

Have a great night everyone!