Back to School

I love iced coffee. Have I mentioned that? It's really something you should know about me. And I had forgotten just how much I loved iced coffee until I was reminded of it this weekend in Dallas. Over dinner last night, my friend Jordan mentioned that she likes to get a Venti iced coffee from Starbucks (with no ice) and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. Each morning, she adds some ice, a splash of half-and-half, her sweetener, and it's ready to go. She says a Venti lasts her for three days. I should also mention that Jordan is something of a frugal genius. I mean...the girl got married last November and had the cutest wedding invitations I've ever seen. And get this…they cost a whopping total of $30. Postage included.

So last night after dinner I stopped by Starbucks and got a Venti iced coffee. I've been dying to try their new Orange Spice flavor so I got the unsweetened version of that.

This morning I mixed it with half a scoop of vanilla Unjury protein powder and a little bit of fat-free half-and-half. It was deeelicious. I can totally see this becoming an addiction. I think I'm going to investigate the Pioneer Woman Perfect Iced Coffee recipe  and adapt it a little. Although that sweetened condensed milk version looks fabulous, it is way off limits.

I had to put it in my trusty to go cup because I needed to leave the house bright and early. I also packed a Kraft jalapeno cheese stick for the road.

What could possibly be special enough to drive me out of bed this early on a summer morning? Well...let me tell you. I was excited.

In Arkansas, there is a special summer program for about 400 super smart kiddos who are about to be Seniors in high school. It's called Arkansas Governor's School and it takes place at Hendrix College, which also happens to be my alma mater. It is a small, liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas which is about an hour away from me. The students live there for six weeks, attend classes, and basically just get to be around other like-minded folk. One of my former students selected me to be her visiting teacher for Educator's Day. The kids got to choose one teacher from their past that had a positive impact in their lives. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be chosen. The student who chose me was in my Spanish I and II classes when she was in the eighth and ninth grade. I've taught school for 20 years, and I can easily say she was one of the most talented kids I've ever had. It was a thrill to get to spend the day with her. She loves Governor's School and has really made the most of her time there. I am so proud of the young woman she has become.

Everything wrapped up around noon, and by that time I needed food and quickly. So… I decided to make a run for the border. This was my first post surgery visit to Taco Bell and although I knew I was going to get something off the Fresco menu, I wasn't sure what. The drive thru moved much faster than I thought it would and I was still frantically searching MyFitnessPal for options. When I pulled up to the window I decided to get a Fresco pintos and cheese, a Fresco style crunchy beef taco, and a water.

I definitely didn't want to wait any longer to eat, so I pulled into a shady parking spot. This is where I made a big time rookie mistake. I was so thirsty, but for some reason I started my meal before I drank any of my water. Great. So I had to wait an hour and 15 minutes to drink. While we're on the topic...what is your surgeon's rule about drinking after meals? Dr. Wellborn recommends waiting 60 to 90 minutes before drinking anything, so that's what I do.

After I got back home, I went to Kroger and did a bit of shopping. It was like everywhere I turned there was a new cool product that I had not seen before. Some of which I think could work really well for us. Be on the lookout for some of these in the coming days. One a bit later!

Super excited to tell you about dinner tonight. As you may have guessed, Central Arkansas is not exactly a Mecca  of  international cuisine, and I have a huge love of Caribbean/Puerto Rican/Cuban food. No restaurants of this type really exist around here, so if I want Caribbean food, I have to improvise. Tonight I baked tilapia fillets seasoned with Sazón. Sazón is a seasoning blend that contain several different spices. The orange color is from achiote peppers, but it's not hot at all, just tasty.

I also sautéed some ripe plantains in a non-stick skillet with some water to make them soft and a little bit of brown sugar Splenda. The traditional recipe contains butter, brown sugar, and rum. It's delicious...but not healthy in the least! I rounded out the meal with some perfect, buttery, sliced avocado. I still can't get over how much avocado you get for 90 calories. Black beans would also be great with this meal, but I didn't want to have them because I had the pintos for lunch. I'm not looking to borrow that kind of trouble. :) I have to say that I probably enjoyed this meal more than any I've cooked lately. It was just what I wanted tonight. I hope it's what I want tomorrow night too. Because it is what I'm having!  My plate:

After dinner, I realized that I needed to up my protein just a little bit for the day. I discovered these today at Kroger and they are just the trick. 80 calories and 6 grams of protein. I got the coconut flavor, but they also had raspberry.

And my daily totals:

 

 

Thanks for reading!