I've had a rough few weeks. On April 8th, I was on my way home from work when another driver decided to make an illegal u-turn without looking in the lane next to him to see if there was someone there (why bother, right?). So he essentially turned right in front of me and I t-boned his driver's side.
The good news is that no one was hurt (the reckless driver had his two toddlers in the back seat). The bad news is the Foci (my 2005 Ford Focus) was totaled out. :( Don't get me wrong...she wasn't the fanciest of rides. But she was a good car. She's gotten me back and forth between MN and DC many-a-time. Oh, and she was paid off.
After several weeks of being in limbo, but falling in love with my rental car - a 2011 Hyundai Elantra, I ended up buying a 2011 Hyundai Sonata -- slightly larger, with a few more perks than the Elantra. But the dealership I went to made it TOTALLY worth my while to go with the next model up. I'm in love.
The new ride has bluetooth, XM radio and is so comfortable. It will totally make the ride to and from MN (and to and from the 5 weddings I have to attend this year!) so comfortable.
I'm just relieved to have that whole ordeal over with and be able to focus on other aspects of my life vs stressing about what I was going to do about a car!
Moving on - I've recently discovered something very exciting (well, exciting for me, but it doesn't take much to impress this girl). It's a pasta called
Shirataki noodles. Based on my reading, it sounds like there are two types, but the one at my grocery store is tofu-based. They come packaged in a liquid (found in the produce section, near the tofu), and all you need to do is drain/rinse them, then boil them for 2-3 minutes. It's that easy!
One package contains two servings (although I was able to eat the whole thing, no problem) and contains only 6 grams of carbs and 40 calories!! CRAZY TALK! And it really has the same consistency of spaghetti noodles! They also sell it in fettuccine and angel hair, fyi.
I discovered, when I got home, that I didn't have any marinara sauce in my apartment. So I had to get crafty and make my own from scratch. Well, not totally from scratch - I had a can of tomato sauce, but it takes some work to make that into a tasty sauce! So I'm going to post the recipe I used (it was all eyeballing, so I have to guess on measurements). I liked this marinara so much that I might just always make it this way and skip the pre-made jar. Pair this HEALTHY pasta dish with some
sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and you've got yourself a killer meal. (Although, full disclosure, I also ended up baking some of
mom's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies after my healthy dinner!)
"Homemade" Marinara
- 14 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small can of mushroom stems & pieces
- 1/4 white or yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
- A dash of cayenne pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- Salt & pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large skillet (or small pan, to keep splatter contained). Add mushrooms, onions and garlic. Satute, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and seasoning and stir well. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, allowing flavors to marinade. Continue to taste, adding seasoning as desired.
Drive safely out there...and enjoy some guilt-free pasta! :)
I used ramen in this recipe for Fumi Salad, but I'm now inspired to think outside the box and find some other uses! The Seattle Weekly blog post (above) includes a breakfast burrito recipe that I think I might try and veganize with tofu instead of egg. I'll keep you posted.
