Another Confession Monday ..... *sigh* A True Foodie Weekend

I am hoping that since this past weekend was Easter, I wasn't the only one who splurged on food. And I don't mean, "Oh, I ate too much." I mean, I really splurged on food. Not only did I eat too much food, I ate too much really, really good food.

It started on Saturday morning, with a 5.4 mile walk, which really kick started my appetite. So I got home and had a tasty smoked salmon sandwich with cream cheese, caramelized red onion, Thai chilies, roasted tomatoes, and capers. In addition to my large nonfat latte, that was a tasty start to the weekend. Saturday evening was even better. One word: Tapas. We went to a nice, small tapas restaurant and proceeded to order half the menu. My favorite dishes were the Baked Garlic (two whole roasted bulbs!) with bread, Octopus in Spicy Tomato Sauce (fabulous! the sauce was garlicky and had grated almonds!), and the Spicy Lamb Strips in Garlic Sauce, served with a side of rice. And how can you eat Spanish cuisine without imbibing sangria? We had a porron of sangria, which was not too strong, over ice and fruit. Very tasty. However, I could not end the evening without a nummy! We stopped at a grocery store and picked up a pint of Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide, which I finished off at home while watching Alien vs. Predator Requiem. So, not only did I rot my insides, I rot my brain cells as well. (But I love ice cream, and I love cheesy monster movies! What can I say? It's my shameful weakness!)

Then Sunday was Easter, so of course we feasted! My mother cooked Easter lunch, and what is better than mom-food? This year, mom made a pork loin roast, stuffed with bread crumbs, thyme, and king oyster mushrooms, with a side of apple-ginger-Cointreau sauce, accompanied by grilled asparagus and lemon (prepared by mom, and cooked courtesy of dad, the grill master), and mom's fresh homemade bread rolls. What did I contribute to this feast? Three different varieties of tulips arranged in vases, and .....Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies from Extraordinary Desserts! (Come now, you didn't think it would be an Easter feast without a nummy, did you?)

I wish I could say that was the end of my weekend decadence, but we got home, puttered around the house, then started preparing dinner. My husband had a craving for "really good cheesy pasta." Well, far be it for me to deny a craving of the man I love! I whipped up a dish of wide whole wheat noodles (that's a plus, isn't it? whole wheat noodles?), and I made a Garlic, Cream Cheese and Irish Cheddar Cream sauce. It was to die for!! (Damn you, Irish Cheddar!! Why do you taste so divine?!?!) Of course, by this time, foodie guilt was engulfing me, so even though I had a healthy green salad (after the pasta), all I had for dessert was a tiny 90 calorie Soy Creamy ice cream sandwich. Not the most satisfying of nummies, but certainly a tasty little snack.

Anyway, the result of all this glorious food indulgence, is that I must haul myself out of the house to run up and down stairs and power walk for hours in an attempt to appease the Fitness Gods. I wish to please them with my cardio sacrifices so that they do not smite me with whole body cellulite. Wish me luck and a strong will to stick to my 1200 - 1500 calories per day. I will be counting every last crumb I consume!

A Happy Monday to All, and to All a Healthy Week of Spring!