Snow Day

So today I must bestow a cape upon myself - for being Super Bit%*!

Super

The snow is still coming down at a steady clip. Our phones rang this morning at 5:00 with news that the school was closed. Since I'd made arrangements for Isaac in case of this occurrence, I figured I was set to go to work. There were some things that I'd put off until today I wanted to attend to and my colleagues' time is maxed out. I really didn't want to add to their burdens.

Ben got his truck stuck in the driveway, after shoveling a path out. He backed past the lip of our drive, where the concrete it meets the lawn, and the tires couldn't get any purchase. There it remains. My sturdy little Jeep has 4-wheel drive so it will go in this weather. Ben went to get his friend in an attempt to get the truck unstuck. When he got back he said that he doesn't think I should be driving anywhere. Power lines were sagging low and the street wasn't even plowed. My good ol' Irish temper flared and I snapped, "Well I'm not prepared to call in. I don't want to!" Mature, I know. I should've stomped my foot and whined about how unfair it was, too.

His reply was only gasoline in the fire, "What if you slip off the side of the road and get stuck? Will you call in then? I won't be able to come get you."

Forget for a moment this scenario is entirely plausible, but he just made a round trip to pick up someone and came back perfectly fine. I guess driving safely in a storm is beyond my capabilities. You can see where this is going.

He took the Jeep and I called in. When I spoke with one of my colleagues, he said that a lot of people were calling in and it's no big deal. Oh. Okay. Then I realized that the two things I'd put off until today I was perfectly capable of handling with modern technology (e-mail and phone). Then I was able to tackle the chore of cleaning the fridge - which I hadn't been able to get to these past few weeks. I also am getting a head start on laundry and since my salon is open, Ben will take me there this afternoon so I can get my mop chopped. Good thing I flew off the handle.

140

Yea!!!! Five pounds to go. We'll see if I get there... At least I can slough off the guilt and embarrassment for not adhering strictly to the diet guidelines I aspired to. Last week was a bad exercise week, but not too bad with the food. I worked-out two days. It was the beginning of weeks 7 and 8 on Body Revolution, so I just hit the reset button on Monday and viola! I've worked out every day this week, and even though I haven't been plugging in the calories into MFP tracker, I keep a mental log of everything. My fabulous jeans fit almost perfectly, as do the skinny jeans I haven't attempted to don in months. I still want to shed the last few before sporting the skinny jeans out of the house.

What's on the fire for the weekend? Round these parts the sun is supposed to shine and Saturday's supposed to be a purty winter day. Isaac declared, "I can't wait to play in the snow this weekend" He's supposed call his friend and see if he'd like to attempt another sleep-over here. Isaac's mop-chop is scheduled for tomorrow and we are in desperate need of some groceries. I have a hankering to do some baking! In honor of St. Patty's Day, I'm going to make several of Nigella's chocolate Guinness cakes. I'm going to bring two into work and one for home. I'll make a fourth if Ben wants to bring one into work. I will share the recipe this week, but today are some scrumptious soft tacos!

WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

I made these tacos for Super Bowl Sunday. I was, after all, two weeks into The Inevitable and didn't want to pork out. Good thing my team wasn't in it, because I probably would have gone whole-fried-hog! Don't know why that is... I'm happy to say these tacos were an excellent substitution for greasy fare. They're scrumptious, flavorful and you don't feel like you're missing out. Ben thought they rocked and I've made them since. Since didn't have Cotija cheese, I tried a bit of crumbled Feta as a substitute and that was okay. Then I tried goat cheese. That hit the spot!

Carne Asada Tacos

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 3 equal portions
• 1 pound tomatoes, chopped
• 2-4 fresh jalapeño peppers or serrano chiles, seeded and finely diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 ripe but slightly firm avocado, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 16 5- to 6-inch corn or whole-wheat flour tortillas, warmed
• 1/3 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (see Tip) or other shredded cheese

WHAT TO DO

1. Whisk vinegar, chili powder, oil, 2 teaspoons salt and garlic powder in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add steak and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Make salsa about 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours) before cooking the meat: Gently combine tomatoes, jalapeños (or chiles) to taste, onion, cilantro, avocado, lime juice and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
3. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
4. Place the steak on a rimmed baking sheet (discard the marinade). Broil 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain. Serve the steak wrapped in warm tortillas and topped with the salsa and cheese.

TIPS & NOTES

• Make Ahead Tip: Marinate the steak (Step 1) for up to 1 day. Prepare the salsa (Step 2) up to 2 hours ahead.

• Tip: Cotija cheese, also called queso añejo or queso añejado, is an aged Mexican cheese similar to Parmesan. Find it near other specialty cheeses or in Mexican grocery stores.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 350 calories; 14 g fat ( 4 g sat , 6 g mono ); 76 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 29 g protein; 6 g fiber; 437 mg sodium; 773 mg potassium.