Level 1 - Day 54

A Few Tips To Add Some Zip To Water

As you know, with any healthy lifestyle plan, it is recommended that you drink eight, 8-once glasses of water each day.  Recently, I began experimenting with food items that could infuse the water, giving it a different flavor.

Adding a lemon slice is common, but I found that adding slices of lime or cucumbers gives the water a fresh and satisfying flavor, as well.  However, my most recent ah-ha moment came from my compulsion to NOT waste food.

Several of Suzanne's recipes call for fresh mint.  And, as you know, fresh herbs don't last long in the refrigerator.  So, after throwing out a bag of unused mint, I later got the idea to put mint leaves in my water glass.  And, boy, was it delicious.  The best part is that I won't be throwing out unused mint ever again!

If anyone out there has other ideas for sprucing up plain old drinking water, I'd love to hear about them.

Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar and Asparagus (SS web site) plus two links of breakfast sausage. 

Okay, I have to fess up.  I forgot to buy some asparagus yesterday, so I had to improvise this recipe with chopped tomatoes.  And, to my surprise it was a happy mistake because this dish was delicious.  The soft-cooked tomatoes complimented the eggs and cheese beautifully and they made the dish very festive looking, too.

AM Snack - Grapes.

Lunch - The last of the Grilled Chicken with Tuscan Artichoke Pate (from Day 52) plus the Broccoli soup from the same day.

PM Snack - Hot Apple with Cinnamon (SS web site).  If you close your eyes and think about apple pie, you can almost make yourself believe you're eating it with this treat.  So, for that reason, I found it very satisfying and delicious.

Dinner - Flattened Pan-fried Pork Chops (SS web site) and Buffalo Mozzarella, Fennel and Celery Salad (SS web site).

To prepare the pork chops you flatten boneless top loin chops and put them in a marinade for an hour.  Then, place them in a skillet with some EVOO and fry for 5-6 minutes on each side.  They come out a beautiful golden brown and taste heavenly due to the marinade.  I loved this dish because boneless pork chops tend to be dry without the bone, and the marinade made you forget about the dryness.

But the big surprise was the salad.  When I looked at the ingredients (chopped fennel, celery, and cubed mozzarella, topped with fresh lemon juice, EVOO, salt and pepper) I didn't hold out much hope that this would be all that delicious.  But, I was s-o-o-o-o-o wrong.

In fact, I could have eaten all four servings.  It was spectacular ... partially in part to the mozzarella cheese.  You can't go wrong with cheese!