Greetings from NYC

Hi, it's Lindsay...I can't come to the blog right now, I'm too busy

..watching goats ride ponies. Yes, we went to the circus. It was not as good as we'd hoped for but this was definitely the highlight!

 ...eating good food. Last night we went to a restaurant called Fish Tag- a new restaurant on the Upper West Side. All of the food was delicious.

 We each got our own little jug of water...so cute!

 And we ate sorbet and ice cream for dessert. Mine was pomegranate...delicious!

 ...drinking beer. Today we wandered around the West Village. You can see how much snow they got. It was the 5th worst storm in city history and it took us two extra days to get here because of it! Lots of cars are literally plowed in to wherever they were parked and now that it's a bit warmer, it's a slushy mess!

We stumbled upon this place called The Blind Tiger. AWESOME beer selection and great lunch food. As you can see, we dug in. We had quesadillas, grilled cheese, tortilla soup, chili and hummus.

In other news, we had a belated Christmas with my parents and I am now the proud new owner of a Macbook Pro! It's so beautiful and pretty and I love it. I'm still trying to adjust and learn all the tricks as I've always been a PC person...but so far so good!!

I came across this article today...just not sure I agree with the man who says "if you're programmed to be fat, an apple will just make you fatter..."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/health/28zuger.html?_r=1&ref=health

What do you think?

Time for dinner! Leave me a message after the beep!

--Lindsay--

Best of 2010

Since I started this blog back in August, it has grown into more than I ever could have imagined. I've tried tons of new recipes, I've made new friends, I've learned new things and I've had a blast doing it! I'm (hopefully) on my way to NYC tomorrow for a few days of rest and relaxation before a new year and a new quarter of school get under way.

Since I finally took the time last month to create a recipe index for you guys, I thought now would be a great time to share some of my favorite recipes in each category...so here we go!


Appetizers

1) Veggie Rollups

 

 2) Homemade Soft Pretzels




3) Pepperoni Pizza Puffs



4) Sweet Potato Hummus




Main Meals

1) Pasta with Chickpeas, Spinach and Squash



2) Mashed Potato Bowl



3) Curried Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos



4) Pot Pies



5) Crockpot Pot Roast




Side Dishes

1) Sweet Potato Chips

2) Grandma's Jello



3) Strawberry Spinach Salad



4) Apple, Bacon & Spinach Salad



5) Crockpot Applesauce




Soups & Sandwiches

1) Salmon & Corn Chowder



2) Homemade Veggie Broth



3) Spinach & Chickpea Soup with Spinach



4) Almond Crusted Fish Sandwich



5) Chicken & Guac Panini




Baking

1) Baked Pumpkin Donuts



2) Cranberry Corn Muffins



3) Gingerbread Muffins



4) Sweet Potato Biscuits




Desserts

1) Cranberry Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies



2) Chewy Lemon Cookies



3) Snickers Surprise Cookies



4) Graham Cracker Eclair Cake

5) Brownie Chunk Cookies



Before the new year, I also took the time to set some goals for 2011!

Goals for 2011:


1) Take better pictures
- To do this I'm going to set up a little photography station. I'm going to buy some fabric to cover the table and get some dishes specifically for photographing food. I'm also looking into buying a lamp that can recreate natural light since I do a lot of my cooking in the evening.

2) Share my learning
-I'm in school to become a Registered Dietitian. I'm passionate about health and nutrition...why not share what I'm learning in school with my readers?!

3) Increase reader interaction
-I want to hear from my readers! I want to know that I'm not just here talking to myself. I want more reader requests!!

4) Make The Lean Green Bean bigger and better!
-This is already in the works! Stay tuned for some new changes!

So now you tell me:

-What was your favorite Lean Green Bean recipe this year? 

-Do you have any Reader Requests?

-Do you have any recommendations to help me with my 2011 goals??

Wishing you a safe and happy 2011. Can't wait to see what's in store  :)

--Lindsay--

This is what happens...

 When you spend three days cleaning out your fridge...

When you think you're going out of town today but then your flight gets canceled...

When you get booked on another flight and you think you're going out of town today but then your flight gets canceled again....

When you get booked on another flight that's two days after the day you originally thought you were going out of town...

Your dinner will probably look something like this:

And that's ok.