I might look somewhat physically fit, but, oh boy, looks can be deceiving!  If you follow me on Twitter (@NicoleWTHR), you know I am definitely not the healthiest eater!

Some of my favorite indulgence is fast food, not because it’s convenient, but I love the way it tastes.  One of my biggest weaknesses, White Castle Chicken Ring Sandwiches.  I’ll also eat any sweets.  Donuts in the newsroom, stopping by a bakery to pick up sweet treats, candy bars, sugar, yes!  Ugh, I’m getting hungry just typing this! 

However, it’s time to change my thinking about fitness and food.  When I was younger, I could eat whatever I wanted, and it would just melt right off.  I never had to go to the gym.  But, as I’m getting older, my metabolism is slowing down (yep people told me it would), and now I need to watch what I eat, and start a good exercise plan.

I used to work out religiously.  Dave Patania, our fitness guru at WTHR was my trainer, and he whipped me into the best shape of my life!  But, I got busy, stopped committing to go the gym and fell off the healthy eating wagon. 

My health is important to me, and I am back on the wagon.

So, I’m inviting you on my road to fitness.  Maybe putting this out there will help keep me accountable!  I’ve started working out with a trainer, I can barely move right now, but I know it will get better!  And, I’m Spinning again… I think that is the best cardio! 

Most importantly, I am feeling good.  I’m looking forward to more energy, feeling better about myself, and getting back to my normal self.

So, as of right now, no more donuts, goodbye White Castle, Starbucks will only be an occasional treat, and diet soda and any junk food is banished from my fridge and house.

Here’s to my health… and looking good in my wedding dress in two months!

Sorry Chicken Ring Sandwich, it was good knowing you… we’ll meet again.

Who doesn’t like Girl Scout Cookies?

And, what if you could work them into a main dish?  It’s possible, check out these yummy recipes!  The Samoas Shrimp look the best to me!

For the original web article with these recipes, please click here.

BERRY MUNCH CRANBERRY PECAN CHICKEN SALAD

For salad:

1 package mixed salad greens

1 package (6 ounces) fully cooked chicken breast strips

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup dried mandarin oranges

1/2 cup Berry Munch salad topping (see recipe below)

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing

For salad topping:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 1/2 cups pecans

10 Thank U Berry Munch cookies, broken into 1/2-inch pieces

Place salad greens in a serving bowl, scatter toppings on salad and serve with salad dressing.

To make salad topping: In a four-cup bowl, stir together honey, oil and orange rind. Add pecans and stir to coat. Add cookie pieces and stir to coat. Spread mixture evenly in greased jelly roll pan or on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cool.

Serving suggestions: Serve with Ciabatta bread. Salad topping is tasty on any salad, and is also a great addition to any trail mix.

FRIED SAMOAS SHRIMP

4 extra large shrimp, peeled and veins removed

5 Samoas Girl Scout cookies, finely chopped

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

2 cups flour

1 cup coconut flakes

4 egg whites

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 lime for garnish

Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Toss coconut flakes with bread crumbs, cayenne pepper and chopped Samoas Girl Scout cookies.

Dredge shrimp through flour, followed by egg whites and Samoas Girl Scout cookies mixture.

Fry shrimp in vegetable oil at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown.

Garnish with coconut flakes and lime wedges.

Makes 5 shrimp.

Serving suggestions: Serve warm. Arrange in a star pattern on a salad plate, or on a bamboo skewer with tropical fruits. Serve as an appetizer, in a salad or as an entree. If serving as an entree, accompany with fried plantains and wild rice.

PEANUT THAI CHICKEN

8 crushed Do-Si-Dos Girl Scout cookies

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Wood skewers

Teriyaki glaze

Thai peanut sauce

Grill chicken tenderloins on wood skewers, brushing occasionally with Teriyaki glaze. Prepare Pad Thai noodles according to directions on box. Serve chicken tenderloins with four crushed Do-Si-Dos cookies sprinkled on top. Mix remaining Do-Si-Dos cookie crumbs with peanut sauce.

Serve peanut sauce poured over chicken and noodles, or as side dipping sauce.

Makes 4 servings

LEMON SORBET CUPS

Lemon cups:

1 box Lemon Chalet Cremes Girl Scout cookies

8 large lemons

Lemon sorbet:

1/3 cup lemon zest (4 additional lemons)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

Cut off the top 1/3 of each lemon (not the stem end).

Hollow out each lemon by using a grapefruit knife (being careful not to puncture the lemon). Remove juice and flesh and put it in your juicer or blender.

Make a slight shallow cut on the bottom of each lemon shell (being careful not to cut through to the inside of the lemon). This makes them sit straight and not fall over when placed on a plate.

Freeze the shells at least one hour. The frozen shell prevents the sorbet from melting too quickly when you serve it.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Add lemon zest. Stir until mixture comes to a boil, and then boil two minutes. Add lemon juice, and stir well.

Remove from heat, cool and strain. Pour cooled mixture into a shallow container, cover and place mixture in the freezer.

When mixture is semi-solid, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time.

When ready to serve, layer each frozen lemon shell with cookie crumbles, then sorbet and repeat. Garnish with one Lemon Chalet Cremes cookie.

Serving suggestions: Perfect for a dinner party dessert. Can be prepared three days in advance.

Makes 8 servings

BERRY MUNCH BREAD PUDDING

1 box Thank U Berry Munch Girl Scout cookies

1/3 cup cranberries (can be fresh/sliced or dried or Craisins)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup milk

Vanilla sauce:

1 small box “cook & serve” vanilla pudding

2 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Break cookies into 1/2-inch pieces.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 1 quart casserole dish.

Place the Thank U Berry Munch cookie pieces in the bottom of the casserole dish Sprinkle the cranberries over the cookie pieces.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, orange peel, and cinnamon. Stir in 1 cup milk.

Pour the mixture over the cookie and cranberry pieces. Bake for 30 minutes, until set.

Vanilla Sauce: Prepare one box of “Cook & Serve” vanilla pudding as directed on box. Thin with 1/2 cup milk to make into a sauce.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm bread pudding with warm vanilla sauce.

Makes 6 servings

The recipes and article originally appeared in the Daily Press.

My name, I’ve obviously had it all my life. 

The first day of school was always fun, a teacher would  say “Nicole,” then the pause would come along with a look of confusion.  I’d always pipe up and fill in the Misencik for them.  I’ll admit, Misencik looks intimidating, it’s not a “normal” last name.  Sounding it out sometimes helps, but I’ve found that phonetically writing it is a little easier to take.  Misencik:  Miss-in-sick.  Besides the question of how to pronounce my last name, I’m always asked, where is it from? Well, the origin of my last name is Czechoslovakian.

So, with such a hard last name, you’d think that I would jump at the chance to change it. 

I got engaged over the summer, and I’m tying the knot in April.  Right after I announced my engagement, two questions were asked, when’s the wedding, and will you change your name.  To be perfectly honest, I never thought that far ahead.  We just got engaged, why are people asking us to set a date so quickly?

Nonetheless, the date is set, and now the name change question comes.

So will I change my name?  The answer… drum roll please… no. 

I’ll admit his name sounds good with mine, Nicole Kline.  Simple to say, and not as confusing as Misencik.

But, Misencik is my name.  It’s a hard one, but it’s also memorable.  I’m that Nicole girl with the weird last name.  It’s been my name all my life, and I would like to keep it.  I could hyphen it, but wow, that’s really a mouthful!

So, there you have it, my weird offbeat name will stay with me.  It’s what I was given at birth, and it’s what I intend to keep professionally and personally.

I’ve never been a huge New Year’s person.  I’ll go to a friends house for a fun gathering, but heading out to a big party, just isn’t my thing. 

However, there was one exception when I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona.  I worked the morning show at the NBC affiliate, KNAZ, so staying up to midnight was always a stretch for me!  I got up at 3am every day!  Nonetheless, at the Weatherford Hotel there was a fun New Year’s tradition, the annual Pine Cone Drop.  Yes, a giant lit up pine cone.  Flagstaff is up in the mountains, so a pine cone isn’t a stretch, but, I agree, it sounds strange!  Here’s YouTube video of the drop!  If you look closely, you’ll notice the clock is off by two hours, that’s because 10pm is the family Pine Cone Drop, and the only one I was ever able to stay up for!

Have you ever been to any strange variations of the ball drop?

Christmas is a time to be with family, and in the news business, it really seems like those we’re closest to are our co-workers.

I spend holidays with them, we laugh (a lot), and sometimes fight.  But, nothing serious, I promise!

Those of us who are in the studio often are close with production assistants, and if you spend most of your time in the field, you know your live truck operator, photographer, or reporter pretty well.

We find a way to have fun over the holidays, just like every other day.  Today, I picked up 2 packs of White Castle Sliders for the Sunrise crew.  I know, burgers early in the morning?  Hey, we wake up in the middle of the night, our eating schedules are off too!  What a wonderful Christmas Eve meal we shared together!

I’m happy to spend my Christmas Eve and Christmas with my WTHR family.  I hope you enjoy your time with yours too!