Monday, May 17, 2010

The aftermath...

You knew it was coming. There's no denying this weekend was full of not so healthy eats. It happens and I pay for it afterward. Dinner on Saturday consisted of a variety of Trader Joe's Pizzas (my fave was a cornmeal crust one) and a massive salad with miso dressing. All delicious and comforting, but not the healthiest of dinners.

After a Sunday of beverages a plenty and not so healthy snackums (goat gouda, salami, bread, baked cheese snacks, hot dogs), I needed some ruffage. Big time. Today was a little chilly and gloomy so a crisp salad wasn't going to cut it.

For lunch I actually wanted a sammich - pretty rare, so I gave into the craving. Selin had mentioned that a Potbelly-esque place was near my office so I gave it a shot. The Toaster Oven on Spear smelled exactly like Potbelly, but looked a bit fancier. Another slight difference - NO CHICKEN SALAD! Sadness :(

I went with the Tuna Salad on Wheat, no cheese, with L/T/O and hot peppers
Upon first glance, the Toaster Oven sammich looked very similar to the Potbelly sammich...down to the bag. Here's the breakdown of my lunchtime adventure:
  1. Hot peppers weren't as oily as the Potbelly ones. Two thumbs up.
  2. The onion was cut a little too large for my taste - in fact I think I'm still tasting the onion right now.
  3. Something was off with the bread...I can't figure out if there was too much of it or if it wasn't toasted enough.
  4. I don't think I like tuna salad unless I make it myself.
Final verdict: It's no Potbelly and that makes me sad. I'd give The Toaster Oven another shot, maybe test out the meatball sammich before totally squashing it.

Dinner was where all the ruffage came into play. Brown Rice Lentil Bowl with Broccolini and Arugula
This is my lazy attempt at a responsible dinner.

Brown Rice Lentil Bowl with Broccolini and Arugula
1 package Trader Joe's Frozen Organic Brown Rice, prepared according to directions
2 slices canadian bacon
1/2 package Trader Joe's Steamed Ready-to-Eat Lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
1 c arugula
1 c broccolini (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1/4 c chicken broth
1 tsp chili garlic paste

Heat olive oil in a small frying pan. Saute canadian bacon over medium high heat until it starts to brown. Add lentils and cook for 5 minutes. Add arugula and allow greens to wilt. Add broccolini, chili garlic paste and chicken broth, stir and cover for 2 - 3 minutes.

Serve immediately over brown rice.

I know it's kinda boring, but it was simple and exactly what I needed. Do you like to return to simple flavored dishes from time to time?

2 comments:

MarathonVal said...

I feel like you make broccolini a lot and it always reminds me to get some.... is there a particular reason you prefer it to regular broccoli? I'm just curious :)

Karena said...

you're right! i totally do a lot of broccolini. i looked it up the other day and realized that it's not baby broccoli as i originally thought...turns out it's a mix of broccoli and chinese broccoli? maybe that's why i like it - HUGE chinese broccoli fan...it's a texture thing.