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Road Trippin' back to Reality…

I’m adding one last New Years Resolution! After reading Jessica’s post yesterdayI am committing to not reading blogs that don’t interest me (duh!). I stretch myself to find time to post many times, and it’s senseless to read blogs I’m not fed by. Fortunately and unfortunately, I love to read…but lists and pictures of what bloggies eat every day is about the last thing I want to read about — I do that day-in and day-out at work, I need not continue when I get home 🙂 Side note: there are a LOT of people who ARE “fed” (no pun intended!) by daily menus…I am just not one of them.

Anyways…how did you spend the first day of 2010? Any “lucky” traditions? Grapes? Ham and beans?

I decided to make a black-eyed peas dish as we are officially southerners. I’ve never made black-eyed peas, so I made a dish off allrecipes.com that received 5 stars! I did alter the items below that are italicized to make the recipe more healthful!

Black-Eyed Peas Salad

Black-Eyed Peas Salad

2 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 green onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup light Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Tortilla chips, optional

Directions

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the salad dressing, sour cream and parsley. Add to the pea mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

It was good, but next time I’ll make it with about 1/2 as much salad dressing.

The wonderful Holly behind The Balance Broad blog passed on the Beautiful Blogger Award to me — thank you, Holly!! 🙂

I would like to nominate 7 bloggers who are NEW to my blogroll, whose blogs I adore…

Grace of Food-Fitness-FreshAir
Jessica of Dairy Free Betty
Tasha of The Clean Eating Mama
Karla of Foodologie
Lily of Lily’s Health Pad
Sarah of Healthy Mom on the Run
Stephanie of The Skinny Plate

And 7 “fun” facts about moi…hmmm….(trying not to repeat!)…

  1. I secretly want to go back to med school, even though I love my job and career path
  2. I have NO known food allergies
  3. I love wine and beer and probably “treat” myself to a drink most nights of the week 🙂
  4. I hate New Years Eve and I treat birthdays like any other day
  5. I play ice-hockey but I’ve never been to a NHL game — and I grew up 7 miles from the Chicago Blackhawks rink!
  6. I’ve been in love 3 times. Third time’s a charm, right? 😉
  7. I don’t enjoy exercise that doesn’t make me sweat…a lot! Guess that’s why I run!

And as for yesterday’s trivia — hors d’oeuvre vs. appetizers…

Appetizers are larger in size and served before a meal as a first course. Hors d’oeuvre are served “outside of a meal” and are one-bite items that are served in a stationary location or passed by a server.

Gina got the answer right, but no one else knew! You learn something new every day, right?!

Didn’t get around to kale chips or watching Food, Inc. today…soon, very soon!

Husband, Lily, and I are driving back to Tulsa today so I will be back in action tomorrow! I can’t believe our time in Illinois is over 🙁 Vacations always go too fast! And I’ll miss sleeping past 8am! Have a wonderful, healthful Saturday!

Share With Your Friends!

32 Comments

  1. January 2, 2010 / 9:36 am

    Hey girlie … I just wanted to say that your black eyed pea salad looks REALLY good … ha, I just ate and you’ve made me hungry ; )

    Have a safe drive!

  2. January 2, 2010 / 10:00 am

    Thanks for the BBA!

    I can understand why a nutritionist wouldn’t want to read blogs about what people eat all day.

  3. January 2, 2010 / 10:04 am

    I should make that my resolution too. There are so many blogs that I just skim. The New Year is a great time to clean up my google reader.
    I treat bday’s like any other day too. I’m not really sure why, maybe because my parents never made a big deal out of it so I don’t really know how to get excited over it? Hmmm….
    Happy New Year girl!

  4. January 2, 2010 / 10:07 am

    ooo i love kale chips!
    i treat bdays like any other day too-i dont really think much about it, all it is is getting older.
    happy new year!

  5. January 2, 2010 / 10:17 am

    Safe travels back down South!

  6. January 2, 2010 / 10:19 am

    Welcome “officially” to the south πŸ™‚

    Those black eyed peas should bring you luck all year long!

  7. January 2, 2010 / 10:25 am

    Thank you so much for the award πŸ™‚
    Those black eyed peas look yummy- I’m not sure I’ve tried them before!

    Drive safe

    Jessica

  8. January 2, 2010 / 10:30 am

    Nice work Gina. Didn’t realize Rds were allowed to answer! Haha, do remember learning that in school. I was actually looking through the big betty crocker cookbook this morning and I was thinking about some of the recipes in there that I was assigned to make when I was in my into cooking class in undergrad. Glad you have had a ncie break from work and ennjoyed your holiday. Thanks for the black eyed peas recipe, seems to be popping up everywhere.

  9. January 2, 2010 / 10:30 am

    What a fun and delicious spin on the traditional black eyed peas dish! That looks so good!! πŸ™‚

  10. January 2, 2010 / 10:34 am

    You know, that is so true about not reading blogs of no interest. I have to cut down on blog reading and commenting. It is ridiculous. Your facts are interesting. Enjoy the day.

  11. January 2, 2010 / 10:40 am

    Just read somewhere that black eyed peas bring luck to you and people take it on New year day, in South…What you have written about blogs is so true :D..Wish you a wonderful year ahead

  12. January 2, 2010 / 11:06 am

    I definitely did not know that trivia! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

  13. January 2, 2010 / 11:21 am

    My mother-in-law left me some black eye peas and I had no idea what to do with them. Now I have a recipe!

    Thanks for the award. I am so glad we found each other in the blog world. I also agree with cutting down on the blogs I read.

    Here is to a great 2010!!

  14. January 2, 2010 / 11:27 am

    I have to agree with you about your 1st paragraph…

    Also, thanks for the award! I think your blog is beautiful as well and is one that I definitely look forward to reading. Black eyed peas…great way to bring in the New Year, hope it brings some luck for you! πŸ™‚

  15. January 2, 2010 / 12:28 pm

    Congrats on the award hon! You’re rackin ’em up! Good for you! You deserve it! Also, I like your resolution:) Keep up the awesome work!!! You go girl xxoo Happy New Year!

  16. January 2, 2010 / 12:45 pm

    YEAH!! For once I get something that has to do with trivia, right! That’s awesome.

    I love your resolution to not read blogs that don’t interest you. Sometimes I feel obligated to read blogs, just because someone commented on my own, but should I really feel obligated? I don’t know…I think I may take this resolution and do something with it myself.

    I hate New Year’s Eve too, people get way too caught up in it. And, I love wine and beer too. Great RDs think alike πŸ˜‰

  17. January 2, 2010 / 12:53 pm

    Thanks so much for the award!!
    I absolutely know what you mean by being “fed” by certain blogs more than others. I think it’s a great idea to only read those blogs you enjoy. Your time is valuable!

    I love wine too!
    A work out doesn’t feel like a work out unless I’m sweatin’ like crazy!

  18. January 2, 2010 / 2:51 pm

    I loved reading your 7 things! πŸ™‚ I’ve been in love twice, so….hopefully third time will be the charm for me??

    I think that is SO neat that you want to go to med school. Whether I decide to go back for nursing or not, learning about our bodies is SO fascinating to me. One of my friends is in med school and I LOVE hearing all of his stories.

    That Black Eyed Pea salad looks amazing!! I’ve never had BEPs before, but they look super yummy.

  19. January 2, 2010 / 3:24 pm

    Congrats on the award! It’s always fun to learn a bit more about a blogger… πŸ™‚ And I love wine and beer, too! πŸ˜‰

    The salad sounds really good!

    Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

  20. January 2, 2010 / 5:59 pm

    You want to go back to med school? I just want to get in! πŸ™‚

    • Nicole
      Author
      January 2, 2010 / 6:41 pm

      I want to go back to school, specifically to med school : ) I haven’t been in med school in the past, but I wish you all the luck in getting in!

  21. January 2, 2010 / 6:02 pm

    I just had Kale Chips and I am in love…they were so delish!

    Ohhh btw that little girl on my page is my niece not daughter =) but I love her as though she were my own

    My family does the grape tradition at midnight…it scares me; how fast I eat them lol

    Happy New Year Chickie!

  22. January 2, 2010 / 8:27 pm

    Congratulations on the award – 100% deserved! I wish I had that recipe before because I would have made it on New Year’s Day. As it was we had Mexican, and that was good too.

    Happy New Year!

  23. January 2, 2010 / 9:47 pm

    Great post. Very interesting. I hope I am one of the sites you continue to read…;)…but if not, I’ll still be here! It is hard to keep commenting isn’t it and I feel pressure alot too… so something I need to work out. I just have to have faith that if my words are interesting enough people will care to read…if not, then i’ll just never be a writer i guess…haha , hope not πŸ™‚

  24. Stef @ moretolifethanlettuce
    January 2, 2010 / 10:17 pm

    thanks for the info on appetizers vs Hors d’oeuvre! i didn’t know you were in med school, that’s what i’m hoping to do (but potentially would like to be an RD, not sure yet!) you play ice hockey? that is awesome!

  25. January 3, 2010 / 6:54 am

    I just spent some time sifting through my Reader as well–there were some blogs that truly didn’t interest me. I spent the first day of 2010 in Florida. Not a bad start to the year ha!

  26. eaternotarunner
    January 3, 2010 / 9:09 am

    I like the resolution, sometimes I push myself to read/comment way more than is necessary!

  27. January 3, 2010 / 9:11 am

    I love Black Eyed Peas – I will have to remember this recipe. I have a can in my pantry.

    Have a safe trip back to Tulsa!

  28. January 4, 2010 / 2:24 am

    looks healthy and colourful, must try with black eyed beans,nice one..

  29. January 5, 2010 / 2:40 pm

    What a wonderful blog! Please continue this great work I will be sure to check back regularly…

  30. January 7, 2010 / 12:19 pm

    I simply wanted to add a comment here to say thanks for you very nice ideas. Blogs are troublesome to run and time consuming therefore I appreciate when I see well written material. Your time isn’t going to waste with your posts. Thanks so much and carry on You’ll defintely reach your goals! have a great day!

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