365 days-Day 3 Basalmic Chicken with Baby Greens and Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocci

Here is a link to tonight's recipe. I have fallen in love with the idea of Publix's Apron meals. For those who don't know about Publix it is a very nice grocery chain in the southeast. They have cooking demonstrations and then all the ingredients you need to make the meal right next to the demo area.

http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=74&mealGroupId=1004

They also have a list of all their recipes on their website:

http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/RecipeList.do

They are very easy to make and usually under 30 min total prep and cooking. Awesome. Not all are good or healthy but I really liked tonight's dinner. Chad agreed it was a winner. I would say out of 5 stars: hummmm 4. It might make it into the rotation after this is all said and done. Here are what my finished product looked like.

365 days-Day 2 Enchiladas?

Okay so today I kind of cheated. This sweet little old Mexican lady who likes to rub my tummy to try to make me be able to have babies came and brought Dr. Poole what she said were enchiladas. These were more like small quesadillas with a corn tortilla. I just had to cook them in the pan to crisp up the outside and melt the cheese inside. Got home too late to make the original dinner plan which was gonna take over and hour. Too long when you get home at 7:30. These turned out to be yummy but a little/lot bit unhealthy.

This is dessert. The Mexican lady's daughter brought this to Dr. Poole last week and we can't bring ourselves to eat this pretty jello art. I want to save it forever. How long does jello last?

365 days-Day 1 BBQ stuffed potatoes

I hate cooking dinner for the record. Reasons why: I work full time and I don't feel like I have the time, I never recall volunteering to cook every night, and three I feel very unappreciated when I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and no one can even bother to help me clean up. That said I am challenging myself to change it up. I have problem: I only like to make things I know how to make and new recipes exhaust me before I even get started. Enter new Julie. I am going to cook something new every night for the next 365 days. Granted we go out to eat and eat with friends but every meal in my house will be different. After this is done I will have 365ish new dinner ideas and lots of new things I know how to make. I am counting tonight because we have never ate this but tonight was BBQ chicken stuffed potatoes. So they were not a hit but oh well. You win some you lose some. Accompanying the potatoes we has fresh steamed broccoli and broiled asparagus. Yeah I know sounds boring and yucky. I had a LONG crappy day.

10/21/10 Don't talk to strangers

So I don't like to talk to strangers. Not sure if it is part of being shy, or still listening to childhood advise, or that I jsut find most people annoying but I just really don't hardly ever talk to strangers. Luckily Chad is not too interested in strangers either so I loved out little nook that we found to lay out in the sun in. It was a little hidden spot on the back of the boat. It is a tiny platform that only has room for 6 loungers. It overlooks a small pool beside us and down one level, and faces the sea through some rails. There is a little overhang above us for partial shade too. Nice breeze and we get to stare out at the wake and the churned up foam and the endless beautiful sea. Perfect. Every once in a while a bar service person will come by and ask if we want drinks. Yes please cause I got the unlimted plan!

I love Movies Under the Stars (MUTS). So far my favorite part of this cruise so far. Every night they put a cover over the lounge chairs that has a pillow and there is a huge screen over on the the pools and they have an awesome sound system. There are blankets, popcorn, and someone brings out warm cookies during the movie. Yummmm. First night was The Ocean, last night Iron Man II, and tonight The Bounty Hunter. The musicals are pretty good too but haven't been able to get Chad to go to one with me. Had to go without him. Last night it was packed an I got there late so I sat on the stairs (it was raining so I couldn't finish Ironman at MUTS). They replayed Ironman and I fell asleep at the climax of the action. That happens to me a lot during action movies. I think it is because the coversation lapses or something but give me an action movie and I am VERY likely to fall asleep during a very intense scene.

Dinner has been a fairly big disappointment. The first night was just okay. Tasted like leftovers or something. Barely better than airline food. Decent dessert though. They celebrated our anniversary and gave us a cake. We wanted to take the leftover cake with us so they wrapped it in aluminum foil and added a handle. Our funny little waited kept saying "ohhh Louis Vuitton, Louis Vuitton." It was funnier in person I'm sure. Last night Chad had escargot, crabmeat quiche, cream of asparagus soup which was supposed to have salmon dumplings, filet mignon medallions with grilled vegetables adn croquettes. Dessert was bananas foster flambe. Nothing I had was worth mention. Bummer cause this is normally my favorite part of the cruise.

10/20/2010 Today I am bliss

Today is good. Woke up looking for the sunrise but couldn't find it on deck 18. Must have been towards the front of the boat. Being a geographer and all you'd think I could figure out the whole east/west thing. Too much thinking involved and I am on vacation here. Anyway, went to run/walk on deck 19 and that was awesome but got a little boring cause I forgot my iPod. Retrieved my husband and we went to stake out our good lounge chairs for the day.

Lounging and reading is how I want to spend the rest of my life. Bring on the daquiris cause they are nonstop with my drink plan.


At a flat stomach seminar I attended (which I think is just to sell you on their detox plan) they said you can store up to 80 pounds of food in your colon. First thing I think is ewwwwwww nasty. Second I look down at my belly and think how dare you, and it says stop feeding me doughnuits, and I said tell that to my brain and tastebuds. If only my brocolli could be as yummy as doughnuts. Still I'm pretty grossed out and wanting some serious doses of exlax or something.



Okay they also just told me deodorant is a dangerous toxin for your body because of the aluminum. Hummmm. I think I am sticking with that one. I like having friends. Not worth giving that one up. Recommended all natural/organic options. Don't think I am hippy enough to even know where to find such an item. I love my secret deo anywway.

The Emerald Princess is nice. This is our first princess cruise. Previously we have only done Royal Caribbean (RCL). The staterooms are slightly larger than RCL and with a little better layout. The closet is awesome sortof a walk-in closet. The dining rooms are on RCL are nicer though, with muliple tiers kindof like a ballroom with huge chandeliers and stuff. RCL also has some things that Princess does not, like ice staking rink with ice dancing shows and free skating time, flowrider surf machines, rock climbing walls, and a "royal promenade" whick is like a three story mall kind of thing with balconies over looking the promenade. RCL has a younger crowd too, lots of old fats on here shuffling around with canes, looking around for friends to talk to. This boat is truely all about what the stigma is "newly wed and nearly dead."

October 19

Did I forget the Passports?

I think not. Chad told me he reserved the right to ask me if I had them at least 3 times in addition to the first time he questioned me about them. His dad even asked halfway to the airport if we had the passports. My response, "Unless those little buggers sprounted arms and legs and unzipeed themselves out of the front of my rollaboard and hopped out, then I am SURE I have them." Did I forget anything else? Probably, but I just haven't been out of the house enough hous to find out what I left. Bon voyage and all that stuff.

Oh and side note: skymall has the most amazing crap. If anyone ever needs an idea for a present for me just get me something from skymall. Kindof like Bed, Bath, and Beyond but more gadgets.

Chad is on the wifi on airtran and that is pretty awesome. It would be more awesome if it was free and if they would bring me a drink. Oh wait, here's the drink cart. I thought you didn't even get free drinks anymore. Mmmmmm coke. Happy Julie.

But Today was supposed to be a good day.

Today I was going to get things done. I was gonna kick butt. I was gonna conquer the world (or at least my to do list). Instead....I found out one of our patients is going to go blind in one eye, glasses orders have been lost, and I had to refund a pair of glasses. Ugh. I need a good cry. Screw the old to do list.