There's No Such Thing as a Perfect Monday...

... no matter how good it seems, it's still a Monday.


My Monday seemed like it was headed for the ranks of top 10 all-time best Mondays. To use a sports analogy, I was pitching a no-hitter going into the 9th inning. The 9th inning being dinner. Let me explain...

The day started off with me jumping out of bed, fully refreshed, after nabbing that extra hour of sleep -- thank you Daylight Savings Time! I even had time to make myself a real breakfast and sit down and read the paper. (Yes, I realize I am 27 going on 67, but you have to take advantage of the simple pleasures in life.) I got into work early, giving me an hour to an hour and a half of peace and quiet before everyone else started to trickle in. Throughout the day I steadily made my way through my to-do list. By the end of the day I finished a big project, and, after having sent it off to my client, left work a little early with no work tasks hanging over my head to be done that night.

I know this account of my near-perfect day probably seems pathetic to most. But, if you are in the least bit Type A then you will understand my joy of having a day of orderly efficiency.

When I walked into my apartment I was greeted with the aroma of Slow-Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Chicken and Quinoa Casserole. My Monday kept on getting better. I turned both of the crockpots (yes, that's right, I had 2 crockpots going at once) to warm and went for a run since a had time before dinner.

I went to a nearby track for my run. Just as I started my last mile, a young guy, probably in his late 20s dressed in a baseball hat and UGA t-shirt, started running ahead of me. I soon passed him. The moment I saw his head turn and realize that a girl was passing him I knew this last mile was going to be fun. As I expected he sped up and passed me. He nearly broke out into an all-out Tom Cruise-style sprint, but it didn't take long before he had to slow down and I ran by him. Maybe I'm a cruel person, but watching a guy struggle to prove his manliness only to come to a screeching halt feigning a pulled muscle gives me such joy. Needless to say, it was a great Monday.

Then I got home and finished preparing dinner. I have made this chicken before. It takes some preparation time and a moderate comfort level with manhandling a chicken carcass, but it tastes just like a rotisserie chicken you can buy at the grocery store and gives you a week's worth of chicken. The recipe is from CookingLight.com.

The quinoa was a reality check. I got the recipe from another crockpot blog, crockpot365. I bought red quinoa from the store in the spring and hadn't tried it yet. So, I was excited about this dish. It's pretty simple: combine quinoa, vegetable broth, olive oil, salt cinnamon, sliced almonds and dried cranberries. Then cook it on low for 6 hours. If I make this again, I'm stopping at this point.

However, the recipe calls for you to add spinach, feta cheese and tomatoes to the crockpot and cook on high for 20 minutes. To me the flavors just didn't mix well. Maybe the red variety of quinoa is a bit sweeter and nuttier than the normal variety. Oh well, it was a lesson learned.

As always, I'm looking forward to next week already.