Happy Weekend all! I promise I didn’t fall off the edge of the Earth and stop blogging. This week was truly one of the hardest week’s in life I’ve had in a LONG time and this cold I have is dragging me down going on the 3rd week! I think I am finally convinced I need to go see the doctor to see why it won’t go away. All that being said, when it came to the end of the day, I just didn’t have anything left. Thanks to those of you who sent emails ~ you really brightened my week.
This week’s Wordless Wednesday was actually snapped when we were walking down the 3rd Street Promenade in Southern California. I sorta wish I paid the $1 just to see what “jokes” he had.
The funny part about me is no matter how crazy life gets, I seem to always take pictures of my food. Here are some highlights from the past week because some things were just too good not to share!
I found a new way to enjoy my Egg-Wiches…..It all started out the same….
2 slices of Trader Joe’s FF Multi-Grain Bread, a “Fried” Egg, ICBINB Spray and then……it turned into a Bacon-Egg-Wich!!!
Plus 2 slices Trader Joe’s Peppered Turkey Bacon (yes, I ate a 1/2 since it wouldn’t fit ~ hence the 3 pieces 
)
I totally ate this 7 points+ Bacon Eggwich almost every morning last week ~ so delicious!
There has been a lot of Soup/Salad and Salads consumed…..
Some “homemade from the Freezer
Navy Bean & Ham Soup (5 points+)
Served up with Simple Salads topped with Trader Joe’s FF Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette (2 points+)
Some bought from my favorite places like Panera!
Pick 2 Thai Chicken Salad with Chicken Noodle & a Whole Grain Baguette (13 points+)
Urban Cobb Salad from our Café served up with Pesto Ranch on the side (10 points+)
La Bou Chicken Salad ~ 10 points+ based on ingredient break down.
Remember my love of the Mandarin Orange Slices ~ Well the Red Grapes are now on my list of favorites too!
The ENTIRE bag is 3 points+ ~ Deal!
And it honestly is packed with the HUGEST grapes you will ever find freeze dried ~ probably quarter sized. A few of these will cure any sweet tooth.
I also tried Cuban Food for the first time ever at Sol Cubano and I fell IN LOVE!!!
It’s a little whole in the wall place in a strip mall that my co-worker said we NEEDED to try and you know what….she was right!
When you walk in you can check out all their hand made pastries.
These baked pastries are packed with cream cheese & coconut (top) and guava/cream cheese on the bottom…..served up hot!
We wanted to try a little of everything so we chose the Sampler plate and Picadillo which she knew she loved already.
I totally got in the spirit with this Faraon Coconut Juice ~ well that and someone convinced me when we were in St. Lucia that coconut healed everything (including colds!)
This juice is delicious! It tastes just like you are biting into fresh coconut ~ it’s not too sweet and it is NOTHING like coconut milk.
Totally worth the 3 points+ per can for a treat.
The Sampler!
The round ball is stuffed with Picadillo (like a salsa ground beef) then surrounded with mashed potatoes and fried! I dipped mine in their Chili Sauce.
Plaintains and Yuca (in the middle)!!! The golden brown plantains on the left were are my favorite because they are sweet and caramelized.
We used the thick plantains on the sampler and the plantain chips on the platter to scoop up the Picadillo.
Picadillo served with Cuban black beans, rice, plantain chips and a side salad that is topped with this tangy lemon vinaigrette.
I cannot begin to describe how good it was or how many points+ it is, but, it was definitely worth experiencing and going back again! Next time, I’ll points+ it out using Weight Watchers online and by ingredient…..
I am definitely going to try to recreate this at home ~ maybe using this Cooking Light Recipe or creating my own Slow Cooker Version or as Egg Rolls!
I also finally found those Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs that I first tried at the 2012 Foodbuzz Fest!
Foodbuzz sent me a coupon as part of the Taste Maker program for any Alexia Product (which I LOVE all of them), but, I knew I wanted these….
If you are a fan of crispy tater tots and sweet potatoes, then, you will LOVE these!
3 points+ per serving
They are crispy on the outside when baked with nothing on them and they literally melt in your mouth. I had 1 1/2 servings with my BBQ Pork Ribs, Corn and Salad.
I plan on getting back into my routine tomorrow with my Weekly Weigh In, Menu and my Daily Adventures (posts). I am off to savor some Echinacea Tea and will this cold to go away 
Q’s:
Have you ever tried Cuban Food? What did you get? I am definitely intrigued to venture out and try more things.
Night all!
We have a little Cuban place in a tiny strip mall. I usually get roasted chicken and beans. I have to say that the plantains are always my favorite part of the meal! Hope you are feeling better!
Lived in Miami most of my life and LOVE the cuban sandwich with the roasted pork, ham, pickles, and swiss cheese smashed down flat. Pure heaven in a sandwich!
Lived on Key Biscayne (Miami) and loved, loved it. Cuban food – ALL of it – is nothing short of dee-lish-ous – every single morsel. The Cuban sandwich was a late night staple. Enjoy it.
Cuban black beans and rice, or frijoles negroes, is hands down, my favorite food on earth. A little vinegar and chopped onions on top make it extra delicious.
I hope you kick the cold soon!
I Love Cuban food. One of my favorite dishes is Ropa Vieja which literally translates to old clothes…I know it doesnt sound appetizing when I tell you that but believe me it is. It is slow cooked flank steak with onions, peppers, a little shredded granny smith apple and spices…amazing. I even have a weight watchers friendly recipe that you make in the crock pot.
Yum! I love to know your crock pot version! Sounds really yummy!
Samantha,
That Ropa Vieja recipe sounds amazing!! I’d love to try it. Do you have the recipe?
Thanks,
Danica
Hope you feel better soon!
We have a pretty famous Cuban sandwich hole-in-the-wall here. They use an amazing aioli mayonnaise, and their pork sandwich is truly epic. Hold the jalapenos.
When we lived in Florida there was a lot of cuban food. Fried plantains I think they were called? Anyway this was a great post! luv all the pics!
I want Samantha’s crock pot recipe for Ropa Vieja! Sounds really good!
Hope you feel better soon. Food just doesn’t taste as good when we got a cold, but we eat anyway…go figure.
I have never had cuban food but that looks so delicious. I wll certainly jump at the chance to try it should the opportunity present itself after seeing those photos, lol
Everything in this post looks so good, down to the tater tots!
Love! Love! Love! Spanish food. I’m half Dominican and Cuban food is very similar to what we eat. It makes me crazy when people think Mexican food and Spanish food are the same. They really are so different.
If you really want to make good Cuban food at home, go to your library and check out Gloria Estefan’s cookbook. It’s called Estefan’s Kitchen. The recipies are as close to authentic as you will get. If you loved the platanos maduros, you have to try the tostones with the mojito dipping sauce recipe in the cookbook. Amazing! Plus, most of the recipes are actually on the healthy side. All real food cooked with delicious flavors.
I love the cuban sadwiches and one can make them WW friendly. Ropa vieja is awesome as well. Platanos maduros are awesome as well as the frijoles negros with rice.
Wow, Sol Cubano is down the street from me! Actually, about 15 minutes down the street. I’ve been wanting to try it, and now I will have to! And maybe I’ll grab some tea afterwards from Touch of Britain a few doors down. My, how multicultural that one little strip mall is. 🙂
I’ve tried Cuban food once and it was at a little place downtown. The food was really good. I’ll have to ask my aunt what the name was because I can’t remember!
If you ever feel like Italian, there’s a place in West Sac called Vince’s Italian Restaurant off of Harbor. It’s practically and institution in West Sac. Their food is SOOO good!