Lovin' My Tuna Melt Lunch

I always look forward to noon when I've packed a tuna melt for lunch. The recipe is by Hungry Girl and is the best thing ever-- especially since I'm not a huge tuna fan. Try it out:

Ingredients

• 5-oz. can chunk light tuna in water
• 2 heaping tbsp. light mayo
• 2 heaping tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. shredded carrot
• 3 slice fat-free Cheddar
• 3 slice tomato
• salt and pepper as desired

Combine all ingredients in bowl except for cheese and tomato. Separate into three portions. When serving, spread tuna mixture on bread, top with cheese slice and tomato and warm in microwave for 20 seconds.

Yummy.

Research Day

Yet again, I am bored to tears at work and have taken the time to research a few things. Justin and I typically plan a couple of years in advance for any major purchases we want to make. One of my bucket list wishes is to go to Europe, and we're hoping to go next year so I started researching costs.

We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon, surprisingly, a 2-week tour of Europe won't cost that much more. I want to visit London, Rome and Paris-- maybe Venice if possible. Just reading the itineraries of these guided tours is exciting. The opportunity to see places I've only read about is unbelievable-- the Sistine Chapel, the Tower of London, the Eiffel Tower. We'll definitely have to save up, but I'm looking forward to the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My Two Minutes of Fame

You know your day is crazy when you are watching the clock tick waiting for peanut butter snack time. I froze peanut butter on a spoon last night and have been looking forward to it all day. Anyhoo...

The big excitement for today is that I will be calling into The TODAY Show next Friday, 1/29, to be on the Joy S.O.S segment during the 8am hour. A few weeks ago, I emailed Joy a question about ground beef. I read online that you could rinse ground chuck (or another fatty meat) crumbles under water and reduce the fat percentage to be equal to lean ground beef, which is much cheaper. Joy herself replied saying she had never heard that but it was true.

So I'm getting pumped for next Friday and trying to make sure I don't sound like a redneck. I'm from KY, but I don't have to sound like it.

Funny TV Saves the Day

I must admit that yesterday was a rough day for me. Work, my health and thinking about how I spend my free time was really weighing on me yesterday. Therefore, I was in what I call a funk. Poor Justin, he likes me to leave the funk at work and be happy at night, but this one came home with me. Fortunately for him, a good dose of TV cured all.

Laughter really is the best medicine for a funk, so I thought I'd share these with you.

American Idol's Pants on the Ground Contestant-- Funniest thing I've ever heard and so true. Who are these guys who think it's cool for their back pockets to be hanging behind their kneecaps? Preach it brother. If you missed Idol last night, you have to check this out.

Jay Leno-- I decided to tune into Jay last night because of the Conan/NBC debacle and because I don't stay up late enough for the real late shows. (Justin suggested I DVR Conan, but I explained to him that it's not the same if you're not watching it late at night. Men.) They had a great video on there with a student dressed up as a gorilla chasing a student dressed as a banana right in the middle of a professor's lecture. Where were those 2 guys when I was in college? That is just classic.

Just thought I'd share these 2 random funnies with you, so you have a cure for your next funk.

Wisdom from Priscilla Shirer

Each morning, I love to read several blogs and Tweets to catch up on what my friends and the celebrities I admire are doing. This morning I read this post from Priscilla Shirer that really hit home. (Note: If you get a chance to see Priscilla in person, don't miss it. She is awesome.)

I can't tell you how many times I've went to church on Sunday and filled my God reservoir, thinking that would last me all week. But to be perfectly honest, Sunday School lessons and church sermons only got me through that day. Monday inevitably comes and my reservoir is empty. I'm discovering lately that reading my bible each morning, listening to Christian music during the day, sending up little prayers when something comes to mind, really does change the way I go through each day. It may sound corny (I used to think so), but maybe God is changing my heart. I hope so.

On another note, I'm going to hear Lysa TerKeurst speak this evening at Hope Presbyterian. I've been following her blog for a little while and just happened to hear on the radio (score for listening to K-love) that she would be in town tonight. Looking forward to hearing what God has to tell me through Lysa.

Snow Day Superstitions

The meteorologists are calling for snow here in the Memphis area tonight and all the kids and most adults are crossing our fingers for a snow day tomorrow. I wanted to share some superstitions I've heard around the office and read online about how to get a snow day.

• pajamas inside out
• wooden spoon under pillow
• penny under pillow
• spoon on window
• flush ice cubes through toilet
• leave ice cubes on porch
• drink root beer the night before w/ a straw
• do the Snow Dance: jumping around in your pajamas outside
• white crayon in the freezer then under your pillow before you go to sleep
• wear a colored sock on your left foot but not your right

Try some of them out for fun tonight and we'll see what happens tomorrow.

What the FDA Allows in Our Food

One of my latest reads has been the Eat This, Not That Supermarket Survival Guide. The beginning of the book addresses the quality of our food today. Warning: the information they share could make you sick.

The FDA limits the amount of rodent droppings and various other nasty items in food, but that limit is not zero. The regulations below are the limits the FDA set so that consumer's health will not be harmed.

Food item and Limit

• Canned pineapple- 20% moldy fruit
• Canned tomatoes- 5 fly eggs or 2 maggots per 500 grams
• Frozen broccoli- 60 mites per 100 grams
• Ground cinnamon- 400 insent fragments and 11 rodent hairs per 50 grams
• Peanut butter- 30 insect fragments or 1 rodent hair per 100 grams
• Popcorn- 1 rodent pellet in one sample or 2 rodent hairs per pound
• Potato Chips- 6% rotten potatoes

There's something that will keep you awake at night.

First Post, First Day of 2010

It's official-- I have my own open-ended blog. I'm no longer pigeon-holed into writing about just healthy food, so look out. The filter is off and everything is subject to being a topic of my rantings on the Web.

This blog is the result of yet another year's list of New Year's resolutions. I never accomplish them all but the ones I do make that year even more interesting. Justin makes fun of me for setting resolutions, but it's a lot of fun for me to look forward to the next year and think about what I'd like to try-- new experiences, changed habits, etc. Dave Ramsey recommends setting goals in several categories: physical, personal development/learning, family, spiritual, social, career and financial. Here are a couple on my 2010 list:

Personal development. I'm going to take one continuing education class through the University of Memphis this year. They have several interesting classes such as calligraphy, basic knife skills for cooking and cook once eat for weeks. Check out their Web site where they post the schedule.

Spiritual. An important goal on my list is to read my bible every day. I am the absolute worst at this. I've tried several times but can't seem to stick with it. But both I and the Good Lord know that I need a good word before going into work every day. I found the 5-minute reading plan by Discipleship Journal, and if I can't manage that something's wrong with me.

Financial. Justin and I certainly aren't out-of-control spenders, but there are a few areas that we spend too much in. I decided to follow another Dave Ramsey piece of wisdom by using the cash envelope system for groceries, household, dining and entertainment. And to take it a step further, I read about a challenge by All You magazine for their readers to spend only $25/person/week on groceries. It takes some coupon clipping and shopping sales, but I'm going to give it a try.

It's definitely not to late for anyone to set goals for this year. Give it a try and this time next year, you'll be reminiscing about 2010.