30 Days of Exercise
It has been a while since I have posted on PamperMe 30; I have had so much in my life change in the last nine months that I have decided to live my life very differently. It take only ONE life altering event to make you realize that you only live once and you need to make it the best life you can. With that said I have decided to get in shape, and live a healthier life style. I want to start a habit of working out daily; I heard it takes 21 days to form a habit so I have decided to begin working out everyday for 30 days, documenting each day until I have form a healthy habit of getting in shape...Wish Me Luck :)
8:37 PM

Dinner in 30 - Day 25 EASY MEATLOAF



Only 5 more day of cooking:)thank goodness!!! I can't wait for this to end I will probably eat takeout for a full week, I will not turn my oven on for 1 week:) Tonight I decided to make Meatloaf; I had some ground beef in the frig that need to be cooked, and I could take the leftovers for lunch this week. Enjoy!

EASY MEATLOAF

* 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
* 1 egg
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup dried bread crumbs
* salt and pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
* 1/3 cup ketchup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk and bread OR cracker crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan, OR form into a loaf and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Mix well and pour over the meatloaf.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.

Recipe is from Allrecipes.com

7:10 PM

Dinner in 30 - Day 24 Classic Macaroni and Cheese



Today I stayed in all day making sure I clean everything out of my bedroom so I can just go in and paint this weekend. I finish everything about 3pm and decide to make an early dinner, something tasty and EASY ( basically a typical GD recipe). I have wanted bake mac and cheese all week, and today was a good day to actually make it. It an easy recipe and quite tasty also. ENJOY :)

Classic Macaroni and Cheese:


* 1/3 (16 ounce) package macaroni
* 5 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced
* 1 teaspoon butter
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/3 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Place a quarter of the macaroni in the bottom, followed by an even layer of one-quarter of the cheese slices. Dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering three times. Pour evaporated milk evenly over the top of all.
3. Bake, uncovered, for one hour, or until top is golden brown.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

2:51 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 23 Shrimp Scampi


I decide that tonight I would just relax and throw something together; tomorrow I have a lot that needs to be done if I am going to paint my bedroom next weekend. I need to take everything out of the room including the closet; I have decided to finish redoing the closet also. Let's hope I can get everything done tomorrow because i really don't want to be pulling things out during the week:) I am going to relax and watch TCM all night:) Sounds really Great, right:)

I made this in 10 minutes and it was quite tasty. ENJOY.


SHRIMP SCAMPI:

* 1/4 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 clove garlic, sliced
* 6 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon white wine
* 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
* 2-1/4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 4 servings.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add angel hair pasta and return pot to boil. Cook until a ldente. Drain well.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter, saute garlic until tender, remove garlic and discard. Add shrimp and cook until colored pink. Stir in white wine. The bread crumbs are used as thickening, so stir in a little at a time until desired thickness is reached.
3. Serve shrimp over angel hair pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

8:41 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 22 CHICKEN PARMESAN


I decided that I would cook the last chicken breast I had in the freezer tonight; I have been wanting Chicken Parmesan for some time now and when I saw this recipe it was easy and simple. The only thing I did different was I slightly cooked the chicken in olive oil and garlic for a minute on both sides before I put in the baking dish with the sauce. I turned out quite good:) I give it a 5. Enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan:

* 1/8 (700 ml) jar pasta sauce
* 1 tablespoon KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
* 1 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 1/4 cup KRAFT Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

Directions
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 6 servings.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Pour sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Add chicken; turn to evenly coat both sides with sauce. Cover.
3. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done (170 degrees F).
4. Top with remaining cheeses; bake 5 minutes or until mozzarella is melted.

Recipe is from AllRecipes.com

8:30 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 21 FRIED CHICKEN AND SALAD


I wanted to stop at KFC tonight on the way home but I didn't:) I came home and made fried chicken and a salad. Not the same but my cooking is better:) I am going to eat lay back and watch a little TV, do some sit ups and head off to bed. Have a good night:)

Fried Chicken

* 4 pounds chicken pieces
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 2 large eggs
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 teaspoons pepper
* 3 cups vegetable oil
* salt

Preparation:
Rinse chicken; pat dry and then set aside.

Combine milk and eggs in a bowl; whisk to blend well.

In a large heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.

Dip a chicken piece in the milk mixture; let excess drip off into bowl. Put a few chicken pieces in the food storage bag and shake lightly to coat thoroughly. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

Heat oil to 350°. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time, for about 10 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Chicken breasts will take a little less time than other pieces. Pierce with a fork to see if juices run clear to check for doneness. With a slotted spoon, move to paper towels to drain; sprinkle with salt.

7:17 PM

Dinner in 30 - Day 20 Fresh Tomato Shrimp Pasta


Today was spent trying to repair my computer after being down a couple of days. I went to a site that was using my blog name to see who it was; when I first started my blog the name pamper me 30 didn't pop up in Google; it was not until after I starting posting did you see the name Pamper Me 30. Long story short I got a mean virus when I enter the site, so bad that end the end I had to reboot my computer back to factory setting I had to whip out everything I downloaded:( After I did that I had trouble getting my Norton to work; it been a bad couple of days. But I am BACK!!!! OH how I missed my computer.

I made something really easy tonight Fresh Tomato Shrimp Pasta; it was really tasty I give it a 5:) I hope you enjoy it:)

Fresh Tomato Shrimp Pasta

* 8 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
* 3 cloves garlic
* 1/2 sweet onion, cut into wedges
* 3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 cup spinach leaves
* 1 pound cooked shrimp - peeled and deveined
* 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
2. In the container of a food processor, combine the garlic, onion and oregano. Pulse until finely chopped. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion mixture; cook and stir until fragrant and almost golden. Mix in the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes while the pasta is cooking, stirring occasionally.
3. Mix in spinach until it wilts, then just before the pasta is done, stir in the shrimp. Cook until heated through. Toss with pasta in a large serving bowl, and mix in mozzarella cheese.

11:16 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 19 CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH


Today was a very long day I had to get up 45min early so I could shovel out my car for work this morning. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I felt great by the time I arrive at work, and I was on time J even with all the snow I was not delay at all. Work was kind of slow, a lot of people did not have power or the city did not send anyone out to plow their roads yet. So my day was filled with client calling to make sure we were opened today. We had about 18 in of snow yesterday; on top of the 18 or more we got on Sat. I am REALLY REALLY tired of the snow; I am ready for the sunny days of spring. I had to stop at Home Depot on the way home tonight to pick up sample paint colors (I am getting ready to paint my condo). By the time I got home it was 8pm. All I want was a sandwich and to lounge on the couch, so I went on line and found a really good chicken salad recipe and made a quick sandwich. I hope you like the recipe as much as I did :)enjoy


CHICKEN SALAD

# 8 to 12 ounces chopped cooked chicken
# 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
# 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
# 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
# 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise, or as needed
# 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
# 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine the chicken, onion, celery; toss to blend. Add the relish, 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, blend well. Add more mayonnaise, if desired.


Southern Food.com

2:04 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 18 GD'S HERB CHICKEN BREAST


Today I was up early just in case I had to leave out early to be to work on time. I was just about to leave out when my boss call to say our office was closed today. I notice that over night it snow quite a bit but by the time I received the call it looked as if the storm was over. How wrong I was. It started back snowing about 11am and continued until 11pm-12am this evening. All was going stir crazy being stuck in the house all day. Cooking was one of the way to entertain myself this evening. So after a extensive search and not find anything to catch my interest I decided to make up my own seasoning for my chicken

Salt, pepper, a sprinkle of basil, some oregano, a clove of mince garlic and olive oil.

1:55 AM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 17 TUNA WRAP


Today was a very laid back day, work was an all around Great day no bad customers :)I decided to go to the gym after work get in a workout before the storm ( you gotta love all the snow). When i got home this evening all I wanted was a simple meal, and to get ready for my evening of American Idol:) I decided to make a TUNA WRAP for dinner; I came up with my own little recipe from some of the ingredients I have been using the last couple of days. I hope you enjoy it:)

Tuna Salad Wrap:

I can of Albacore Tuna drained, about 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of basil leaves, salt and pepper to your taste, 1 cup of baby spinach leaves,2 tablespoon of low fat mayo, and 1 medium tortilla wrap.

Mix tuna, Parmesan cheese, basil leaves, salt, pepper and mayo together; place tortilla wrap on a plate, lay out the baby spinach leaves in the center of the wrap, and finally place a scoop of the tuna in the center the spinach leaves.

2:53 AM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 16 CHICKEN BURRITOS


Today was a really easy day at work; We were not very busy due to the fact that the snow storm had some resident still stuck in there homes. I decided on the way home that I would make burritos with the left over chicken from the other night. So that was my night burritos and Family Guy. EnjoyJ

Chicken Burritos:

I cut up the leftover chicken in stripes, cut up a clove of garlic, and threw a cup of spinach. I did not measure any of the mention ingredients I add them according to my taste.

7:14 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 15 SALMON PATTIES


Today I had to go shovel out my car, I am working Monday morning so I couldn't put it off another day like I wanted to. After getting my car all cleared out I had so much energy I decided to get a quick workout in at home (it was quite nice). My aunt called to make sure I was ok, and Taj called just to kill some time. When I finally got off the phone I realize I needed to shower, wash my hair, and start getting ready for work tomorrow. I decided to go online an find a recipe for leftover Salmon; I came across Salmon Patties and thought it sounded real good, why not give it a try. I have to say I think I over cook them or maybe I put to much bread crumbs in the recipe either way it was not very good; I will give it a 2.5 only because I think I may have over cooked them.



Ingredients:

* 1 can (approx. 7 ounces) salmon
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp. pepper
* 1 onion diced
* olive oil, enough to cover bottom of skillet

Preparation:
Remove skin and bones from salmon; drain well. In mixing bowl, combine with egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and onion. Make patties about 2 inches in diameter; fry in oil until brown on both sides about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle salmon patties with salt.

2:08 AM

DINNER IN 30 - Day - 14 BAKED GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN


Today I got up ready to brave the massive amount of snow that accumulated over night, I had my boots on, my hat on, put on the scarf and was about to put on the coat when my boss called to tell my that we were close today (THANK GOD!!). So what did I do at 7:30am on a Saturday morning I call Taj hoping she was up, and YES she was! I was so full of energy this morning I could not go back to sleep. Taj and I kicked it on the phone for about 2hrs then she had to go get ready for her day. I made myself a quick breakfast, open up my blind to watch the snow fall while I lounge on the couch. I must have feel asleep because the next thing I knew it was after 2pm. I got up made myself a HUGE drink and watch 2 movies on Demand ( District 9 and Inglorious Bastards). By the time the movies were over I was ready for dinner. I had thaw out some chicken early so I decided to make BAKED GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN. It was an tasty easy meal, I give it a 5; I hope you enjoy it.



Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1/8 clove garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dry bread crumbs
* 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/8 teaspoon dried basil leaves
* 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 6 servings.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.
3. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

1:59 AM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 13 EGG SALAD SANDWICH



I had a long day today:( We are getting ready for a major snow storm here in the northeast. All I wanted to do after work today was get home before the snow started; I was going to stop by the grocery store after work today but after seeing how long the lines were yesterday I decided against it. I finally decided the only thing I really wanted if I was going to be snowed in the next couple of day was Malibu Coconut Rum:) So when my long day ended I made my way to the Liquor store closest to my home to pick up my drink of choice only to find that the lines were just as long. My first thought was Damn all of these people need a drink if they have to be stuck in the house with love ones this weekend (lol), but when I got home Taj reminded me that it was Super Bowl weekend so that could explain the lines.

When I finally made it home it was almost 8pm, to late to really make a decent dinner so I went on line and found a easy egg salad recipe and had a sandwich for Dinner. I feel bad that I did not make a decent dinner so I decided to give you the recipe for the Peanut Butter Cookies I made the other night as well::) I hope you enjoy both!!!


EGG SALAD SANDWICH:

* 2 eggs
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 1/4 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
* 1 tablespoon chopped green onion
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions
This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 4 servings.

1. Place egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
2. Place the chopped eggs in a bowl, and stir in the mayonnaise, mustard and green onion. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Stir and serve on your favorite bread or crackers.




PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES:


Ingredients

* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 1 cup shortening
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 tablespoons hot water
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 eggs

Directions

1. Mix sugars, peanut butter, and shortening. Add baking soda to the hot water. Add to mixture. Stir well.
2. Stir in the eggs. Add the flour. Roll dough into balls.
3. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Press with fork dipped in water to make criss-cross design. Bake at 350 - 375 degrees F (175 - 190 degrees C) for about 8-10 minutes.

10:26 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 12 LEMON PEPPER SALMON


Today was an easy day all around. Work was a breeze, despite the fact I had to work late. Unless I am extremely tired or I have had to deal with some very exhausting customer issues; I really like working late on Thursdays and Fridays. On my late nights I get to work with a very nice co-worker who only works part-time, its always a very pleasant evening. At work all everyone wanted to talk about is the snow storm headed our way tomorrow and Saturday. Why must there be always be snow storm when I am the one responsible for opening up and working on Saturday morning?!! UGH!!!

After work I stop by Shoprite to put up some salmon, I have been craving it for some time, so I finally decided to have it as my Dinner for One meal. I made Lemon Pepper Salmon over rice and it was amazing!!!:) It is a 5! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:)




LEMON PEPPER SALMON

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 (4 ounce) salmon steaks
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
* 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 cups boiling water
* 1 cup uncooked couscous

Directions

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place salmon in the skillet, and season with garlic, lemon pepper and salt. Pour 1/4 cup water around salmon. Place tomatoes and cilantro in the skillet. Cover, and cook 15 minutes, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.
2. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a pot. Remove form heat, and mix in couscous. Cover, and let sit 5 minutes. Serve the cooked salmon over couscous, and drizzle with sauce from skillet.



Recipe from allrecipes.com

11:15 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 11 PENNE PASTA WITH SPINACH IN CREAM SAUCE


When I left out this morning there was a little snow on the ground nothing heavy. At work things were a little hectic, but nothing to off the wall. I went to the gym on the way home and put in an amazing workout and chilled in the sauna for about 15 min ( I love the sauna after a good workout). By the time I got home I was exhausted and starving, something easy and simple was all I wanted so I took the leftover penne pasta, add some spinach and made a cream sauce. Easy!!! and really good :) Enjoy.

I am going to bed early ( I must be getting old), Good night:)

Cream Sauce

* 1 cup butter
* 2 large cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoon dry sherry or white wine
* 1 cup heavy cream
* salt and pepper to taste

8:51 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 10 DINNER IN 7 BY TAJ


Today I headed back to work after a couple of easy days off. Work was very calm today, nothing out of the ordinary, just calm. I love work days when no one is yelling or complaining just calm. Everyone that sat at my desk today was pleasant and joyfully (I starting to think something was in the water), either way I’ll take it:)

My at home experience was not as pleasant; I came home to my shower going full blast with no explanation (I am not even going to touch this subject because it just freaks me out); needless to say I am going to invest in home security. After a couple of drinks and my BFF (Taj) talking me back to my senses, it was time to figure out my dinner for one meal. I did not take any thing out so Taj recommended shrimp saute in butter with garlic and spinach. It took me 7 min and was a tasty meal. I did not measure any thing I just simply sauteed the shrimp in butter with garlic, then threw in some spinach. A 5 Enjoy

11:27 PM

DINNER IN 30 - Day 9 BEEF AND SWEET POTATO TURNOVERS


Today was a very busy day I spent most of the day running errands. I also joined a gym today, I need to get in shape and I am hoping going to the gym will motivate me to get my ass in gear. My only problem is I can’t go all out because my ankle is still really swollen; hopefully over the next couple week I will see an improvement. I also decided to check off one of the item on my Bucket List; Learn How to Swim. I stopped by a local swim club to sign up for classes; I am waiting for the instructor to call me back. I am really excited about the swimming lessons I just can’t wait to get my swim on!!!! Oh, I also brought new boots today, on sale at Aerosole’s regularly 99.99 got them for 49.99 (I so LOVE a sale). By the time I got home all I wanted to do was make a quick meal and relax. My dinner for one tonight was BEEF AND SWEET POTATO TURNOVERS. I thought this recipe was interesting so I decided to give it a try; it was a little to bland for me, but maybe someone else may like it:) On a scale of 1-5 I give it a 2.



BEEF AND SWEET POTATO TURNOVERS:

Directions

1. Brown ½ pound ground beef with 2 cloves chopped garlic. Add 1 grated sweet potato and 2 cups baby spinach; season with salt and pepper.
2. Cut 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (thawed) in half. Divide the beef and 1½ cups grated Cheddar among the 4 pieces of dough; seal the edges.
3. Bake at 375° F until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

Recipe is from realsimple.com