Ode to Store-Bought Spices and Blends (a public service)
How do I love thee... for saving me time and cabinet space, for helping me like vegetables, for adding that extra kick to my 12th chicken meal of the week...
Since I have limited cabinet space in my tiny kitchen, I try not to buy individual spices unless I know I'm going to use them a lot, to avoid a clutter of little containers. Instead I buy mixes and spice blends. Here are a few that I use quite often:
McCormick's Hot Taco Seasoning Mix -- For chicken breasts: I don't follow the packet instructions. I dump this into a large freezer bag with about 3/4 cup of water, throw a bunch of chicken breasts in there, zip it up and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. Then I throw my chicken breast on the george foreman grill. No added fat, trivial amount of salt, since I don't really use the entire mix, just what sticks to the surface of the chicken breasts. AWESOME flavor. For extra lean ground turkey (jenny-o turkey store brand): again, I dont' follow the instructions, I brown my turkey in a sauce pan or skillet, drain what little fat comes off of it, and sprinkle the mix over it, mixing it in slowly. Then I add some water for moisture and cover and simmer until it absorbs most of the water. I might throw in some chopped onions, and green and red pepper if I feel like it.
McCormick's Salt-Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning -- My god, what can i say about this little treasure. It's great on broccoli, phenomenal on tilapia and snapper fillets, mixes in great with my other-wise bland canned chicken or tuna. It's also good to sprinkle on top of a baked potato or baked sweet potato.
McCormick's Gourmet Blend - Pesto -- Mix some of this up with EVOO, and some parmesan, to make a quick pesto dressing. I like my stuff tangy so I also add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to mine.
McCormick's Lemon & Herb Seasoning -- I can't find a link to this one. Maybe they relabeled it as something else. Anyway, GREAT on broccoli and awesome on Tilapia.
McCormick's has come out with a bunch of salt-free seasonings, which is a great thing, since I can't stand those darn Mrs. Dash blends. I'm looking forward to trying a few more of those.
Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning -- THE perfect blackened seasoning mix for my tuna, grouper, or snapper fillets.
Durkee Grill Creations Italian Herb -- Good for chicken, not so good on fish. Actually I didn't really like this one too much, even on the chicken.
I also use hot sauces as marinades. Most recently I've been using the
Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce and
Virginia Gentleman 90 Proof Bourbon Chipotle Hot Sauce
Anyway, just thought I'd share. If I had the space in my kitchen, I'd love to make my own seasoning blends and sauces. There's this awesome old book called
Skinny Spices. It's been out of print forever and a day, but sometimes you can get a copy on ebay or half.com. Has recipes for 50 spice blends, and 100 low-calorie recipes for meals in which you can use each blend.
that is how I do it too.
Farmer's market, bike trails at Oleta River State Park, rollerblading at the beach, etc.
I hate winter
...it's so hard to eat & train when you aren't following your regular schedule. 
I feel the most comfortable with IE so I won't be switching browsers for now. Thanks for the advice anyways.
I don't regret eating them, but it won't happen again for a while. I hate binging, but with going to work at 4:45 am and not eating until 12:30 or 1 pm ( 
) does quite damage to the mind and ESPECIALLY metabolism. I just can't eat at work because I'm so very busy preparing things for the breakfast bar or adding things. No chance, basically. The good news is I only have to do it 9 more days, then back to regular schedule. 
