Chicken, Onion, Garlic Quiche with Parmesan in a Couscous Crust

I made couscous for dinner a couple of days ago and we still had some left.  After a quick search, I found this recipe.  I added grilled chicken and, voila, delicious breakfast!  I took the pic before baking.  This dish turns yummy golden brown and smells heavenly while baking.  A generous slice (this recipe serves 6) is only approximately 300 calories, depending on modifications.

Progress

I did write quite a bit so far but still struggling with the flow of information.  Everybody knows that laundry list of studies is a big no-no for the lit review but I have always struggled with that.  Alas, prospectus lit review is so much more difficult than just a paper.  I just feel like I have said everything I wanted to say.  Trying to move past this obstacle...

It's expensive but I have decided to work with a dissertation coach, just to get me through the first few chapters.  It's been two long years and occassional few pages are not getting me anywhere.  I am hoping to create a stressful situation since per hour consulting is expensive so definitely an incentive to meet deadlines.  I am always working better when deadlines are looming.

Based on prior experience, once I get through prospectus, things will start rolling because I have always enjoyed writing up results and discussion and never had any problems with not having enough to say.  Most of the time, I actually have to restraint myself from being too verbose.

I did lose a few pounds.  Not as much as I wanted but at least I have been eating healthier, mainly because I had more time to cook healthy meals.  I do cook a lot but, when tired, I tend to select "comfort" foods, not necessarily "healthy" foods.  One of my friends shared this website:  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/.  I love it!  I can also use it on my phone so eating out is much easier.

Back to work next week but my schedule is fairly light this summer.  I think I will stay at the other house, away from S.  As much as I love him, he can be a HUGE distraction.  Like this morning...  It's not even noon and he already called twice!  I appreciate attention but sometimes it's too much.  I was accomplishing so much more before I met him.  I don't like admitting this but it's a fact...

Yummy and Healthy Eggplant Roll Ups

Eggplant Roll Ups

Here is a delicious appetizer I am making for lunch today.  We have some leftover roasted chicken so this is complete lunch.  I will serve with fresh cucumber and garlic yogurt.

Ingredients:
3 small eggplants (or 1 large -- easier to slice/grill/fill but does not taste as good)
1 small onion
1/2 pkg of shredded carrots (2-3 medium carrots)
5-6 celery ribs
Feta cheese (crumbled), 1 small container
Optional:  roasted chicken, sliced into strips
olive oil
garlic salt (go easy on salt -- feta cheese is salty; you may want to use other cheese)
parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Slice eggplant into long thin strips, lightly sprinkle with garlic salt and some olive oil, and marinate in a fridge for a couple of hours.  
2. Meanwhile, make the filling.  Chop celery and onions.  Lightly sprinkle onions, celery, and carrots with garlic salt and saute in olive oil until soft.  Drain.  Add feta cheese to taste.
3. Preheat grill to a medium and grill eggplant until both sides have golden grill marks.
4. Cool eggplant a bit, then add filling and roll up.  I am adding a thin strip of chicken today.  Secure with toothpicks.
5. Note:  My Dad loves garlic  so Mom always spreads a bit of garlic on eggplant before adding filling and rolling up.
6. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with parsley.
7. Serve with yogurt.  I often make fresh yogurt because it's so easy (just add ingredients and leave alone overnight), then add finely chopped cucumbers and a bit of garlic salt just before serving, so it does not become watery.
8. You can serve this appetizer warm or cold.  I actually like to chill the platter in a fridge for a couple of hours, to let flavors meld.

A sure sign of a spoiled man... sigh...

Our elderly neighbor had back surgery so I made some homemade chicken noodle soup and breadsticks yesterday, to take to her and her husband.  S. came home just as I took breadsticks out of the oven.  As I turned around to get some butter out of the fridge, he decided to "help" -- by generously, veeeeeeery generously, sprinkling breadsticks with garlic salt!!!!!

As I was shaking off all that extra salt and arranging soup and bread into a basket, he managed to snag two breadsticks!

Finally, soup and breadsticks were safely delivered to the neighbors and we came back to the house.  I took out leftover breadsticks from the fridge (baked the night before and needing only a few secs in a microwave to taste fresh again), for our dinner, and S. was genuinely surprised that I did not make another fresh batch for him.  His statement?!  "I don't like old bread!"  Really?!  What old bread?!  Just you wait until I am back to work -- you will be begging for that "old bread," lol!!!

Progress

I am writing and exercising -- yeah!

Retail Therapy

OK, I did not plan to buy any shoes...  We were invited to a dinner party last night and I wanted to make a small fruit basket to take with us.  Well, it's not my fault that I had to pass the shoe aisle on my way to find that basket!!! :)

Bandolino Kalliopa Wedge Sandal, Cognac Leather (a pefect match for one of my sundresses)

My Goals for May 2011

1. Finish giving on-campus final exams by May 4, 2011 (3 courses).
2. Finish committee assignments by May 6, 2011.
3. Finish grading by May 9, 2011 (6 courses).
4. Finish a consulting project by May 9, 2011.
5. Finish learning objectives assignment by May 12, 2011.
6. Take care of graduation and other campus activities by May 13, 2011.  I signed up for a 3:00 am Relay for Life spot...  Must have been one of my insane moments...
7. Finish the first draft of prospectus by May 31, 2001.  I actually have quite a few pages already but keep getting distracted and so just turning off phone/email and organizing things should get things rolling.
8. Lose as much weight as I can by May 31, 2011.

Beginning Thursday, May 5, my schedule will be fairly flexible, so I plan to start the day early, eat a healthy breakfast and exercise, then write, write, write...  Once I get through the first few chapters, the rest will come quickly because I will be writing up my results and conclusions, stuff I like, instead of boring intro chapters.  Yeah, I am crazy, but lit reviews bore me to death and that's why it's so easy for me to find other urgent tasks.  I should have graduated at least a year ago so no excuses -- just hard work ahead!

Week 1: May 2-8, 2011

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