Color me yellow!

HELP!

My camera is officially on it’s last leg!  (I asked for a new one for Christmas, but Santa forgot – and now I’m getting desperate.)

 I need your advice (looking at consumer reports is the worst chore I could ever imagine) – Can you help a girl out?  Here’s my questions! 

• WHAT SORT OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?  
• DO YOU LIKE IT? 
• IS IT EASY TO USE??? (read – I’m REALLLY simple when it comes to cameras – it has to be idiot proof) 
• How much did it cost?

Phew – yes, I was yelling for those first few – I was stressed – I’m glad I got that all out!  

If you notice, some of my pictures are SUPER SUPER DUPER yellow and grainy because the cameras about to kick it.  I swear I’m not eating neon broccoli and taking a picture with wire mesh over it - it just looks that way in the picture! 

Yesterday’s lunch makes it a week straight – spicy oatmeal!For a snack – I popped a few pieces of the homepage peppermint fudge I made last night – I snapped a picture since you only got to see the top in the last post!OOOOOOH BOY was it tasty!

Lunch – a salad as usual!This time: broccoli, tomato, peppers, olives, onions, and chicken.

I really wanted something sweet after lunch, so I tried out the dried Pomelo that I bought Sunday at TJ’s….LET ME TELL YOU – this stuff was rotten!  Not rotten, as in spoiled, rotten as in YUCK!  When you open the container, there is this werid skunky smell, that’s almost border-line chemical smelling.  The only ingredients are pomelo and sugar, but YUCK YUCK AND YUCK.  When I tried it (yes, I did put it in my mouth, after experiencing the smell I just described for you) – it tasted pretty much like it smelled.  But with an odd hint of sweetness.  The sweetness almost tricks you and makes you think you want to eat more.  If you can get over the smell – maybe you’d like it.  Anyone interested in this?  If so – I’ll send it to you – YOU CAN HAVE IT!   For free!  

After that experience, I needed a real snack – so I went with some TJ’s greek yogurt, Kashi H2H, blackberries, and honey – THIS SNACK WAS RIGHT ON! 

Now dinner…well…dinner was the best dish I’ve made in a long time.  I can’t remember the last time I was so proud of how a dish turned out!   I made my own version of one of Roni’s ideas that she made a while back:  Turkey Taco Quinoa Stew!

Here’s what I did:

• Browned 1 package of lean turkey meat (93%) & as much onion as you would like
• Once the onion and meat are browned – add whatever vegetables to the pot that you would like – in my case, 1 can of pinto beans, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of corn, and some chopped up bell peppers
• Add 1 packet of taco seasoning to the veggie, turkey mixture – and make sure you coat all the vegetables really well
• Then, once all the meat and veggies are coated, add 1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles, and 1 can of broth (use whatever you have around)
• Add 1 cup of quinoa to the mixture
• Season according to your liking
• Bring the whole pot to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

My two tricks for making this the best dish I’ve made in a while….

1. I seasoned it – A LOT!  I used plenty of cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion salt, and Frank’s Red Hot
2. I ran out of broth after I had filled the can 1/2 way (I just use one of the empty veggie cans to measure) – so instead of being bland and adding water as the rest of the liquid - I got CRAZY and added MERLOT!  I’m telling you – that did the trick!

Here’s the finished product, I ate mine on a bed of shredded iceberg, topped with a little bit of cheese, and a dollop (such a funny word) of TJ’s greek yogurt.SO.FREAKING.GOOD. 

And then it was off to volleyball!  My mom and brother came (how great is my family?) to watch me play – and they must be my good luck charm, beause I had the best game of all season, and was awarded the imaginary “game ball” by my team! 

Hope you are having a good Wednesday!