I have my favorites and I'm sure you have yours!  I want you to share your absolute, drop dead, must have cookie recipe for the upcoming Christmas season.  Email your recipes to [email protected], include your name and a picture (of you and the cookies, if you can)...we'll be featuring some of the best next month. 

I had a great week.  Every morning I got up, spent at least 45 minutes on the treadmill, came upstairs, made breakfast, drank my coffee, went to work, came home, made dinner...all just like a normal person.  No airport, no hotel, no rental car...this is how every week should be.  So, all that cooking over the week, left me a little less willing to cook this weekend, so I made some quick dinners the past two nights with stuff I found in the fridge.  No real planning, just chop and go.
I'd been doing some cleaning and some minor remodeling on Saturday (by minor I mean, new window treatments and pillows in the bedroom, along with some new picture placement).  I have over the past few weeks been trying to alter my eating habits, so I've been following the Weight Watcher program.  More than anything, I think it really opens your eyes to portion size, and the best part of it is that you can actually eat anything you want.  So, tired from working around the house, I topped 2 Blue Corn and Flax Seed tortillas with 1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans mixed with a little salsa.  Then I sprinkled about 1/4 cup shredded cheese over the two and baked them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.  Crispy, and delicious, it was exactly what really delicious. I spent some time this afternoon working on a blog post for the new design blog I am going to be a part of.  I'll let you know when it goes live.  Stay tuned. Tonight I boiled some whole grain penne (2 ounces =5 points) and then cooked up a bunch of vegetables....onion, carrots, green peppers, smashed up a couple veggie burgers, diced tomatoes and a little tomato sauce, seasoned perfectly with some garlic, basil and oregano and in about 20 minutes I had dinner.  Now, as Sunday winds down, I'm getting ready to head to Arizona in the morning...all good things must come to an end I guess. 
Oh, and if any of you are wondering....since I started altering my eating habits and exercising I've lost 13 pounds.  Progress.

8 planes in 7 days, thats what I finished up on Thursday night.  Such a busy week back from vacation.  The weekend was a bit uneventful.  Went to the symphony on Saturday night and dinner at The Avenue Grill as usual.  One martini, 2 chicken potstickers and some pesto coasted salmon, crispy polenta and roasted vegetables.  Dan made bread, beef stew and spanish rice this weekend, all pretty good.  I'm lucky to be home this week, so I made dinner tonight.  It was a Weight Watcher recipe, and it was delicious and quick.  Here's the run down.
Beef Fried Rice with Fresh Ginger
3 spray(s) cooking spray, divided      2 large egg(s), lightly beaten      12 oz lean sirloin beef, cut into thin strips    1/3 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce, divided      4 cup(s) packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)      1 cup(s) frozen green peas, thawed    2 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, grated, or less to taste    1 Tbsp minced garlic    3 cup(s) cooked white rice      1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), sliced      1 small jalapenٌo pepper(s)      
   Instructions

• Coat a 12-inch or larger nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add eggs; tilt pan so that eggs cover bottom. When eggs start to set, break them up into pieces with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat until eggs are cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove eggs to a bowl; set aside.
  
  Rinse skillet or wipe it clean; coat with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add steak to skillet; toss with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Stir-fry until browned, about 6 minutes; remove to bowl with eggs.
  
  Add coleslaw mix, peas, ginger and garlic to same skillet; stir-fry over medium-high heat until coleslaw mix is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and remaining soy sauce (1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon); reduce heat to medium and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute. Gently stir in cooked egg, steak and scallions; heat through. Yields about 1 3/4 cups per serving.

If your a Weight Watcher follower, each serving is a value of 9 points.