Sunday, lovely Sunday.

The weather today is perfect. I personally think it is completely wrong for it to be almost 80 degrees and sunny in January, but I’ll take it.

Hit the grocery store this morning and spent $87 on just two bags of groceries. Eating healthy is expensive, geez. Made some chicken soup (ate it for lunch today too) and spinach/chicken enchiladas (not sure how these are going to turn out) for the week and since it was so nice out, I got off my lazy butt and went for a long walk. It’s been a while (longer then I would like to admit) since I have done any kind of physical activity and I was feeling inspired by the warm, sunny weather. I walked over to Knox, grabbed an iced tea at Starbucks, wandered around the Apple store and headed home, walking through my neighborhood.

I have a few loads of laundry going now and I am about to give myself a mani and call my mom to catch up. After feeling a little under the weather yesterday, this Sunday has been quite lovely.

I like roasted red peppers now.

I never liked peppers of any kind. And now all of a sudden, I like peppers. I made the bomb sandwich tonight - grilled eggplant and zucchini, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella on a whole wheat roll. It would have been better on ciabatta or a baguette, but I only had whole wheat rolls, so that is what I used. Next time, I think I will add basil or pesto and buy some good, yummy bread.

Dinner tonight: Homemade pizza with pesto, chicken, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Meat-free Friday.

In honor of Good Friday, even though I am not a practicing Catholic, I am not eating meat today. Here is what I did/will eat today.

• - Breakfast - Yogurt with strawberries, bananas and granola.
• - Lunch - Greek salad and an egg salad sandwich.
• - Dinner - Whole wheat pasta with zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, basil (from my garden) and parmesan cheese.
• - Snacks/dessert - Watermelon, Skinny Cow Cookies & Cream ice cream sandwich.

All this yummy food makes me think giving up meat wouldn’t be too hard…Oh, who am I kidding. I really wanted a cheeseburger or Spicy Chicken sandwich from Chik Fil A today. Happy Good Friday folks!

I’m making spicy roasted chickpeas. The recipe is super easy and I hear they are pretty delicious.

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel. Combine the oil, paprika cumin, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Bake until golden and crispy, 25 to 35 minutes, shaking the tray to toss after 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chickpeas to a serving bowl.

(Recipe via Food Network. Photo via family.go.com)

That is filet stuffed with prosciutto, baby artichoke parmesan and almond cake, all which I made during the cooking class I went to at Sur la table tonight. We also made risotto, which was not as hard as I thought it was to make and will be trying very soon, and fried dough, which was accompanied with an Italian antipasto.

I was the only single person in a group of three couples and a mom and daughter. I felt awkward at first, but got over it really quick. I am always so proud of myself for getting over situations where I feel uncomfortable and for trying something new and different.

I highly recommend a Sur la table cooking class (or another kind) if you have the opportunity to attend one. Go by yourself, with your significant other, a friend or even your mom. When you think about it, you get a four or five course meal, learn how to make it and enjoy two hours doing something creative.

I really wanted a milkshake or Frappacino this afternoon, but I didn’t give in an buy one. I just made my own, somewhat healthy version of this and it is AH-mazing. I used ice, skim milk, one frozen banana, a packet of sugar free hot cocoa mix and some peanut butter. So delish!

I signed up for a cooking class!

My best friend, Ashley, gave me a gift card for a cooking class at Sur la table for Christmas. I had every intention of taking a class in February/March, but the card was misplaced under a stack of papers and I honestly forgot I had it. I came it across it this week and immediately signed up for a class, which is tonight!

Here’s the description and menu:

Academia Barilla: Flavors of Parma - Academia Barilla and Sur La Table invite you to discover the culinary treasures of Parma, the capital at the heart of the Italian Food Valley. In this one-of-a-kind class we’ll show you how to incorporate into your cooking repertoire several of the many incredible artisanal food products produced in and around this historic city.

Menu - Salumi with Torta Fritta (Mixed Cold Cuts with Fried Dough) - Risotto alla Giuseppe Verdi (Risotto with Mushroom, Asparagus and Tomato) - Rosa di Parma (Rolled and Stuffed Fillet of Beef) - Carciofi alla Parmigiana (Artichokes Parmigiana) - La Sbrisolona (Parma Crumble Cake)

I’ll post a recap (and photos if it is not too awkward to take them) after the class.

I can’t stop cooking!

I have been craving meatloaf for over a week now and decided to give in and make some for dinner tonight. I don’t think I have ever made meatloaf in my life so we’ll see how this comes out. I made two smaller meatloaves instead of a bunch of mini ones like the recipe calls for. I think I will freeze the second one, unless it is really good and I eat it all. Accompanying the meatloaf, roasted asparagus and sweet potatoes. And maybe a glass of wine or two.

PS - I made these and added raisins to the dough. They are amazing. Skinny Taste’s recipes are pretty darn good. I am huge fan.