We were robbed!

Not our house, thank goodness! ::knock on wood::

Yesterday at work we discovered that our office had been broken into the night before! They had actually cut a hole in the wall to crawl through. We have an alarm system, but apparently if you go through the wall and stay in that one room, it won’t sense you. When you step into the hallway you will set it off.

It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, though. They stayed in the conference room, which is the room they entered into. The only thing of value that they took is a projector worth about $2,000.

I didn’t notice until the afternoon, because that room is rarely used. I’m glad I noticed though – it could have been another week before anyone else did.

The whole thing makes me feel vulnerable. We will be upgrading our alarm system soon to close that stay-in-one-room loophole.

Zucchini Herb Casserole

Wow, I just have so much to say today!

Tonight I tried a new recipe found on allrecipes.com (one of my favorite web sites... I am a nerd). It was sooo good, a new favorite! I usually don't like to cook things with too many ingredients. I prefer simplicity. But, I had most of these things in the house already.

3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1-1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 zucchinis, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1-1/4 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can diced tomatoes (next time I may try 1-1/2 cups fresh diced tomatoes)
1 cup shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS
Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a shallow 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the zucchini and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Season with garlic salt, basil, paprika, and oregano.

Mix in the cooked rice, tomatoes, and cheese. Continue to cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.



I tried a little bit of this before I put it in the oven, and I think it was just as good. Next time I'll save time and serve it right out of the skillet.

The Biggest Loser

We are having a Biggest Loser competition at work, starting next week. Those of us who would like to loose a few pounds are going to do our best for 12 weeks. Each participant will contribute $25, and the one who looses the largest percentage of body weight will get all the money.

I need to make exercise a priority like it was a year ago, just for my health. My goal is to go to the gym twice a week, work out at home once a week, and another form of exercise once a week – biking, walking or something.

When I lost 10 pounds in 2007/2008 that’s how I did it. Then at the end of college I stopped working out as much because school was so demanding. When I graduated and started working full-time, I just didn’t make time for the gym. Time to form new habits.

Wish me luck!

Cranberry Blueberry Banana Bread

I made this yummy bread last night because I had fresh cranberries that I didn’t know what to do with. I threw the blueberries in just because I had them, but it would be good without them too. I got the recipe from oceanspray.com and changed it a little.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 mashed bananas (I happened to have 3, but I think the more the better)
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts – whatever you have
2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Grease a medium/small loaf pan. Mix sugar and butter together in a medium mixing bowl until completely blended.

Add banana, milk and eggs, mixing well. Add flour and baking powder, mixing just until moist. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Spread batter evenly in a loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool. Makes 1 loaf.

Per Serving (1/12 loaf):
Cal. 284, Total Fat 12grams, Saturated Fat 6grams, Protein 5grams, Carb. 40grams, Chol. 57mg, Dietary Fiber 8grams, Sugar 20grams, Vit. A 98RE, Folate 17Ug, Vit. E <1mg, Vit. C 4mg, Sodium 178mg, Pot. 155mg, Iron 1mg, Calcium
66mg, Zinc <1mg

I love when recipes give you the nutrition info! My recipe was a little different, so the nutritional info will not be exact. I always try to add more fruit/veggies and less sugar/butter.

high tide or low tide

The inspiration for the name of my blog:



This is one of my absolute favorite songs - it is SO romantic. I could listen to it over and over. And I do.

"In high seas or in low seas, I'm gonna be your friend.
He said, 'I'm gonna be your friend.'
And, in high tide or low tide, I'll be by your side, I'll be by your side."