Cooked with Kombu today

I got 4 new cookbooks recently, 2 for Christmas and 2 I bought myself.  I'm cooking out of all of them this weekend.  I prepped Empanadas yesterday - cooked them today, and gave them to some local hungry kids, along with a bunch of other things I cooked.

I baked chicken from a French-Asian Fusion cookbook I got.  It soaked in a brine for a day which had fresh herbs, salt, lemon and Kombu. Never even heard of it before but Whole Foods sells it.  Gave the chicken a nice flavor, and the brine made the chicken crazy tender.  So, who says baked chicken is boring?  Doesn't have to be.

The bad thing I did today was ate 3 of the incredible Cinnabon Cinnamonstix I cooked for kids today (I have a recipe that tastes just like the ones sold in the stores).  That was a whopping 445 calories.  Bad Sandy.  Bad girl.  But I didn't have any snacks at all today except for some fruit, and I adjusted my dinner so I'm OK for the day.  Sigh.  Knowing I would be confessing my eating sins here helped me for sure.  So, this blog is my little food priest - private confessional.  Keeps me on the eating straight and narrow.

I also noticed this morning my left foot seemed a little swollen.  So, I figure I'm retaining water and therefore I drank a boat load of water today.  Body feels great when it gets its agua.  The body has to have enough water to burn, too.

Oh, I computed the points in the following 5 sticks of butter - 4000 calories!  Wow!  Don't ever eat 5 sticks of butter (LOL)!

Today's menu

Breakfast:
1 Egg - 70 cal, 2 pts
.9 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheese - 95 cal, 2 pts
2 ounces Homemade white bread -140 cal, 3 pts
2 tsp. Smart Balance Light - 25 cal, 0 pts

Lunch:
Chicken Caccatori -
Chicken Breast - 180 cal, 6 pts
Sauce: 100 cal, 2 points
Rice: 100 cal, 3 pts

Big salad with 2 T. Fat Free Raspberry Dressing - 50 cal, 1 pt
                        1 T Red Pepper Hummus - 33 cal, 1 pt
                        Croutons - 35 cal, 1 pt
                        Sesame Sticks - 60 cal, 1 pt

Sinful Snack: 3 Homemade CinnamonStix - 445 cal, 14 pts

Dinner:
Fancy Baked Chicken
6 oz. Baked Chicken breast - 195 cal, 6 pts
1/4 cup brown rice - 55 cal, 1 pt
Sauteed Zucchini

Snack: Mixed fruit - 75 cal, 0 pts

Exercise: plowed the driveway - I came in sweaty, so I'm burning calories - I'd guess around 125 or so, 1 point gained

Total Calories: 1658
Total Points: 43 points