Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Buffalo Wild Wings is coming back to Tallahassee

On June 26, 2011, Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3) closed it's doors on Tallahassee.  And now...... well soon, BW3's will be back.  According to my favorite website for new developments in Tallahassee, Urban Tallahassee,  Buffalo Wild Wings submitted a proposal to develop the land next to Magnolia Street and the Governor's Square Mall. Based the lingo in the article, I don't think we are going to get to enjoy some wings from there until 2014.  :(

BUT- Buffalo Wild Wings will be back. Maybe. And with better parking this time!!!My favorite part of BW3's is the trivia. The restaurant chains uses some of their tvs to showcase questions for trivia.  Patrons can play by picking up a controller when ordering.  This was always a fun pass time with the now Hubby and his Dad.



Of course, the wings are AMAZING!!! Fatty but amazing.  With the option of tons of different flavors, like Parmesan garlic, teriyaki, and Asian Zing.

For more about BW3's check out there website here.

Monday, February 4, 2013

What to serve with your burger? Asparagus fries of course!

The ultimate question asked across restaurants, home kitchens and BBQ alike, what would you like with your burger?
Well, we all WANT chips or fries....especially Five Guys Burgers and Fries' fries. BUT what should eat is totally different.

Now, I love salads.  I have blogged about them often (Apple and Feta Salad and Zalads at Zaxby's), but I like something crunchy with my burgers. Maybe a little less, healthy....but not as bad for me as my beloved french fries. Kinda like how I made guacamole for my burger sauce instead of using mayo.  And yes- I was weak and added quite a bit of bacon.  But that is why I needed a nice healthy side.

So, I have been experimenting with different things like pairing it with a soup  or a baked potato.  But it is not quite right.  I always end up wanting fries or chips.  Then I found this amazing recipe on Spoon Fork Bacon Blog to make Asparagus fries.  And I thought why not, I always enjoy the fried green beans at TGI Friday's. Plus asparagus is a negative calorie food which means extra low in calories (click here to get the 411 on negative calorie foods).
Sooooo
This recipe ROCKS!!!!!!
The asparagus fries have a nice crunch.
No one even wanted a dipping sauce.  It was insane
Yes- my super picky mother-in-law ate them too!
What you need
I made this with 3 lbs of asparagus but you could scale this back to 1 pound
1 1/2 cups of sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups of panko
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder
1/2 tsp of Cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
A larger container of cooking spray.
A blender
a bowl
a cook sheet covered in aluminium foil


What I did


  1. Wash the asparagus- What?  you never know what germs your veggies pick up on their journey.
  2. Cut or break off the white stems from the asparagus. I choose to leave my asparagus nice and long but you can cut the spears smaller so you have more to serve.
  3. Place the sliced almond in a food processor or blender and puree until meal like.
  4. Mix the almond meal with the panko, garlic, onion and cayenne pepper.
  5. Completely coat a spear of asparagus then dredge through the alomd/panko mixture. When done, place on cooking sheet.  Then repeat process untill all asparagus is done.
  6. sprinkle the extra almond/panko mixture over top the asparagus
  7. Place in the over to bake for 15-20 minutes.  If the fries are not crispy, broil for 3 minutes.


TIPS

  • Use panko- I know it is easy if you have breadcrumbs on hand but the crunch isn't as good.  Trust me.
  • You could use an egg wash instead of the cooking spray.
  • You can serve this dish as an appetizer- just add blue cheese dressing or ranch on the side for dipping.










Saturday, February 2, 2013

The results of eating more negative calorie foods

I hope you all have enjoyed my adventure into Negative Calorie foods!  I have enjoyed coming up with, researching and trying these recipes.

I guess the big question is did it work?  Did substituting some of my meals, side dishes, dessert and snacks with negative calorie foods help me fit into my jeans better?
  Yes
But before I elaborate more, I must type that I have been working out about 5 days a week (either walking, yoga or circuit training).  So, I am exercising. And I am just subbing out foods for negative calorie foods.  Not following the full negative calorie diet.  Oh yes there is a diet. Click here for more information and here too!

Basically my goal, in doing this was to drop a little of the holiday fluffy I picked up.  Not lose 20 lbs.
I wanted my pants to fit better! I still had a few splurges and ate out on occasion.  But when I eat out I skipped the fries for steamed broccoli or got a salad. I added extra pickles on my sandwiches.  I ate a ton of apples and celery as snacks!! I am on the wanted list for killing all those vampires with my garlic breath.

Basically, I ate better than normal and exercised!  So of course this worked! 
Is this going to help you loses 20lbs in 20 days? 
NO
How much did you lose exactly?
5lbs
Will this help you dwindle down your muffin top?
  Yes!!
Could this have worked better if I did the FULL diet with hardcore cardio...ie bootcamp or running?
ABSOLUTELY
Will I do this again?
Totally, especially during bikini season!!
I definitely enjoyed my mini adventure into healthier eating!! And I am excited to rock my skinny jeans this weekend!