Techno-Dating - Better Than the Real Thing

Last night I had the most amazing date ever. We saw a movie, ate popcorn, discussed the world's problems and made plans to do it again. No one had to drive, I didn't have to wear eye make up, shoes, or even change out of my PJs. There was no awkward lingering at the door wondering what to do next, no feeling obligated to offer a night cap, and no temptation to move too quickly into the physical arena. Finally a date format that I think I can live with.

I call this Techno-Dating. How it worked was we chose a movie together over texting that we could both get from On Demand. My date lives out of state so we have different cable providers, but luckily they all offer pretty much the same choices. We discussed how we liked our popcorn and picked a time for our date to start. Then we settled in on our collective sofas with our unbuttered, unsalted popcorn and our IPhones in hand and began the most relaxing, stress free date possible. The best part was that we could text back and forth and discuss the movie without bothering anyone else. I did my nails while enjoying both the movie and the company of a very nice man. I even texted with my daughter and a couple of my girlfriends during the "date" and he wasn't the wiser. When the movie was over, we said our good nights and I washed off my apricot face masque (yes, I had it on during the movie, score!), took off my pedi socks and went to bed.

Now, I'm all about physical contact and face to face talking, don't get me wrong. But you have to admit that a small part of you would find this kind of dating alluring. Especially at my age when, after a long week of wearing nice clothes and heels, the weekend is most enjoyed barefoot in a bath robe. What made me think of this is my weekly Girls' Movie nights I have with my friends. We get together in our sweat pants and t-shirts, no make up, and watch movies while doing our nails. I thought now that would be a good date with a guy, but when you don't know someone very well and you'd like to continue seeing them, there is the whole need to impress. So I dreamed up the Techno-Date. He can imagine me looking as put together as he's seen me and that I smell like Opium cologne rather than apricots, and I can imagine that he's wearing my favorite shirt of his and nice jeans.  I can pretend he splurged for the extra large popcorn and that he brought back a soda with two straws for sharing.

Obviously this kind of date has its drawbacks which I don't need to elaborate on, but there are cyber options for that as well, I hear. So for now I think this will become my dating format of choice. I highly recommend that you single folks out there give it a try. Let me know what you think.

Now, if I could only figure out a way to have Techno-Dinners that provide nutrition without calories, fat or carbs, I'd really be on to something. Until then, here is the answer to my pressing need for comfort food this weekend. Enjoy!

Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Turkey, Lentil Meatloaf

Kale with Great Northern Beans

I've given you the recipes for the Mashed Potatoes and Kale in previous blogs, but this Meatloaf recipe is new - this was the first time I've tried it and I have to say it was quite the success, at least for me and it photographs well...

Turkey Lentil Meatloaf

• 1/2 pound of organic ground turkey
• 1/2 cup of cooked lentils (I used the pre packed version from Trader Joe's)
• 1 cup of chopped, sautéed mixed peppers (green, red and yellow)
• 1/4 cup of chopped, sautéed yellow onion
• 1 clove of garlic chopped and sautéed (with peppers and onions)
• 2 tablespoons of Teriyaki sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• Thin layer of sriracha
• 1/4 cup of ketchup 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the first 7 ingredients and form a loaf.  Place it in a loaf pan sprayed with Olive Oil Cooking Spray. Top loaf with a very thin layer of sriracha, them cover with the ketchup spread out over the top. I add a little water to the pan for "gravy". Bake in 400 degree over for 45 minutes. Remove and let set for about 5 minutes. Honestly, you can't taste the lentils at all and I really didn't miss the bread, eggs or milk. You save tons of calories and you get that extra nutritional value that the lentils bring to the meal. Like Techno-Dating, this is even better than the real thing.

Character Development

Xfinity hosted the Watchathon last week and I embraced it with a passion. As I was watching the final episode of Season 2 Game of Thrones (just in time for the Season 3 opener) I  became increasingly frustrated that the characters in the show just couldn't see the danger coming. Why did they keep making the same mistakes over and over? Wasn't anyone paying attention, and couldn't at least one friend provide some advice that could've prevented the inevitable?

It made me think about my own life. While I am by no means a Daenerys Targaryen, I have a few dragons I've been chasing as well. If only I could hit the rewind button or pause when I see myself making a mistake, saying the wrong thing, and either stop it from happening or go back and redo maybe things would be different. The sci fi freak in me gets really excited about that possibility. What if we could actually watch our lives play out and be able to control our own super slow-mo playback? I'm sure we have all had a moment or two that we wish we could retake and for some reason when we see it play out its much easier to catch our mistakes than when we are in real time. It's like when you are watching a football game and the catch looks good until they do the playback....it becomes so obvious when you see it nice and slow just how much of the players left foot was over the line. Sadly, for us everyday human folks we can only see the replay in our own minds, and often much later and way too late to change the outcome.

For me it's the little things I wish I could redo. The inappropriate word choice here, the lack of compassion showed, even though felt, there. The card I wish I would've sent or the phone call I should've made. The chocolate cake that I should have left on the plate rather than placing it squarely on my thighs. The big scenes in life seem to work themselves out but the day to day choices made in a quick nanosecond without the ability to see the impact play out in advance - those are the killers for me.

And do you ever wonder, as I did while emerged in Watchathon, who would play you in the TV mini series of your life? The choice of characters really makes a difference - for example; Sandra Bullock as Debbie Kennedy turns my life into one romantic comedy after another. She always says and does the wrong thing and makes terrible choices when it comes to men. Her portrayal of me would highlight the comedic nature of the real life awkward moments and situations and would make a great box office hit. However, I could also see a gut wrenching version played by Sally Field where the tears never stop coming and she sobs quietly on the side of a pier somewhere off the Chesapeake Bay feeling alone and abandoned. Maybe a dramatic series for that one. Sadly poor Sally doesn't even know she caused it all herself and blames everyone else for her difficulties. But the best scenario for me is to give the story to Joss Whedon and see what cool, twisted plot and off the charts crazy he could get out of Eliza Dushku from The Doll House (as Debbie. Now that would be fun to watch. Maybe I'll call him up and see if he'll help with my next Chapter...

A good friend of mine dabbles in Reiki and other natural healing techniques. He turned me on to an interesting way to prevent mishaps of the mouth. Picture a mental pause button and when faced with a difficult conversation push your pause button giving yourself a little extra time to think through how you should respond. I've tried it and it actually works for me. Another technique he's taught me is a mental dial. Its like any other dial with numbers from 1 to 10 in a circular disc only this one lives in your mind rather than on your desk. You can use the dial to adjust your reaction level and emotions based on the situation. I find it works both ways, both to show more emotion when the moment deserves it and to tone it down a bit when you feel an over-reaction coming on. While they aren't quite as cool as a Joss Whedon story,  they do give us a little more room for error.

Here's a way to  prevent food remorse and hit the pause button on sweets and carbs. If you eat well your body is satisfied and you are less likely to cheat on your diet.

Stuffed Jalapeños

• 1 pound ground turkey sausage
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

• 1 pound large fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch dressing (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.
3. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each jalapeno half. Arrange stuffed halves in baking dishes.
4. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with Ranch dressing.