Wednesday, January 27, 2010
LOVE NYC!
Although, I don't think I could ever live there! It's fun, there are tons of things to do and people to see, but I need to spread out! I thought my apartment was small...I can't imagine living in a tiny place for the same price I am paying now! We were on the go constantly, and I still didn't see half of it! I got to play with my new camera, so I am going to post some of my favorite pics. I took a bunch of food pics, but I will save those for another post!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Weekend Craziness!
Well I gave in slightly this weekend and ate many meals out from Friday to Sunday (not to mention Wednesday's dinner out!) Lets start with Friday...woke up at 6 am and started doing work and prepared a sit-down, non-rushed breakfast. I ended up running for 30 minutes and doing 30 minutes of strength training after work.
Breakfast - Did really well here...1 egg, 2 buttered slices of Ezekiel, 1/2 grapefruit (I'll have to post a pic I took of this...not uploaded yet!)
Lunch - Veggie burger on 1 slice whole wheat, laughing cow
Snack - orange
Dinner - Went out to La Spiga, a nice Italian restaurant in Capitol Hill in Seattle, and ordered the tasting menu with wine pairing....eek! The meal was served family style and was absolutely fabulous and I don't regret one morsel. They had just received an overnight shipment of fresh white truffle and were offering to shave onto a dish of your choice (for a pretty hefty fee may I add)...and we totally splurged and tried it! The meal started with 3 small appetizers (zucchini salad, crostini, sheep's milk aged cheese) then we moved to pasta and had a wild boar tagliatelle and a butternut squash ravioli (with the shaved truffle!!)...I can't even describe how amazing this course was! For the entree we had a crisp homemade sausage served over polenta and porcini mushrooms...most amazing sausage and they totally changed my mind about polenta! Desert was a cappuccino and small panna cotta with raspberry drizzle. I was in food heaven all night! The meal was so warm and comforting. The three 4 oz pours were from the Piedmont region and the food was inspired by Northern Italian cuisine.
After dinner, we met some of my co-workers for bowling and I had about 1 beer there. Bowling was so much fun, I haven't been in a year and a half, so i was glad we went!
Saturday:
Not sure how, but I made it to my yoga class without a hangover! Came home and made breakfast.
Breakfast - Steel cut oats with fried egg (over-easy) and half a glass of chocolate milk. This oatmeal/egg concoction was delish!
Lunch - Ham and cheese panini with a side of chips and apple-blackberry juice from the deli down the street. I usually don't "waste" calories on juice, but its fresh-made and I've been dying to try it!
Dinner - Chicken Teriyaki take-out, I ate about half of the huge portion size! I saw after I ordered that they serve brown rice, so I will half to get that next time!
Sunday:
Around noon, I went for a 40-45 minute run and tallied just under 4 miles...made my longer run goal!!
Breakfast - Repeat of egg/2 slices Ezekiel/0.5 grapefruit
After Run Lunch #1 - 1/4 portion of left-over chicken teriyaki
Lunch #2 - Met a big group at Diamond Knot Brewery for a late lunch and hockey game (development league) and had about 2-2.5 beers (kept pouring half glasses to try different drafts!) and 2 slices of pizza. Drank water at the game:)
Late Dinner - We stopped at a pub near our apartment that we haven't been to yet and split a half order of black bean nachos and a sausage grinder (+ diet coke for me!) I had less than half of each and stopped eating when I was full. The pub ended up having live music...this couple was playing an acoustic guitar and violin combo...it was beautiful. I really enjoyed their music and hope to go back again...they play the 3rd Sunday each month:)
So I had a pretty fun-packed weekend, which was really nice for a change. I've been pretty lame lately and there are so many things to do and see here that I haven't yet! My eats could have been better, but I am glad I kept with my workouts.
This week's workouts include bootcamp today and Wednesday, yoga and one day of jogging. Thursday I fly to NYC and lots of walking is on the schedule until next Monday!!!!
Breakfast - Did really well here...1 egg, 2 buttered slices of Ezekiel, 1/2 grapefruit (I'll have to post a pic I took of this...not uploaded yet!)
Lunch - Veggie burger on 1 slice whole wheat, laughing cow
Snack - orange
Dinner - Went out to La Spiga, a nice Italian restaurant in Capitol Hill in Seattle, and ordered the tasting menu with wine pairing....eek! The meal was served family style and was absolutely fabulous and I don't regret one morsel. They had just received an overnight shipment of fresh white truffle and were offering to shave onto a dish of your choice (for a pretty hefty fee may I add)...and we totally splurged and tried it! The meal started with 3 small appetizers (zucchini salad, crostini, sheep's milk aged cheese) then we moved to pasta and had a wild boar tagliatelle and a butternut squash ravioli (with the shaved truffle!!)...I can't even describe how amazing this course was! For the entree we had a crisp homemade sausage served over polenta and porcini mushrooms...most amazing sausage and they totally changed my mind about polenta! Desert was a cappuccino and small panna cotta with raspberry drizzle. I was in food heaven all night! The meal was so warm and comforting. The three 4 oz pours were from the Piedmont region and the food was inspired by Northern Italian cuisine.
After dinner, we met some of my co-workers for bowling and I had about 1 beer there. Bowling was so much fun, I haven't been in a year and a half, so i was glad we went!
Saturday:
Not sure how, but I made it to my yoga class without a hangover! Came home and made breakfast.
Breakfast - Steel cut oats with fried egg (over-easy) and half a glass of chocolate milk. This oatmeal/egg concoction was delish!
Lunch - Ham and cheese panini with a side of chips and apple-blackberry juice from the deli down the street. I usually don't "waste" calories on juice, but its fresh-made and I've been dying to try it!
Dinner - Chicken Teriyaki take-out, I ate about half of the huge portion size! I saw after I ordered that they serve brown rice, so I will half to get that next time!
Sunday:
Around noon, I went for a 40-45 minute run and tallied just under 4 miles...made my longer run goal!!
Breakfast - Repeat of egg/2 slices Ezekiel/0.5 grapefruit
After Run Lunch #1 - 1/4 portion of left-over chicken teriyaki
Lunch #2 - Met a big group at Diamond Knot Brewery for a late lunch and hockey game (development league) and had about 2-2.5 beers (kept pouring half glasses to try different drafts!) and 2 slices of pizza. Drank water at the game:)
Late Dinner - We stopped at a pub near our apartment that we haven't been to yet and split a half order of black bean nachos and a sausage grinder (+ diet coke for me!) I had less than half of each and stopped eating when I was full. The pub ended up having live music...this couple was playing an acoustic guitar and violin combo...it was beautiful. I really enjoyed their music and hope to go back again...they play the 3rd Sunday each month:)
So I had a pretty fun-packed weekend, which was really nice for a change. I've been pretty lame lately and there are so many things to do and see here that I haven't yet! My eats could have been better, but I am glad I kept with my workouts.
This week's workouts include bootcamp today and Wednesday, yoga and one day of jogging. Thursday I fly to NYC and lots of walking is on the schedule until next Monday!!!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Overcoming Pizza
My boyfriend LOVES pizza.
Occasionally I succumb to ordering pizza from our fav place. Tonight we had planned on making our own pizza...but we were both super lazy, so we compromised and got an oven pizza. I think the key to not overeating pizza for me is to cut into 6 slices instead of 4 and to only take 2 pieces. I have to pair my two slices with a salad, otherwise I will go for more. I topped a bed of spinach with a poppyseed dressing so that it got rid of the pizza taste and satisfied my sweet-tooth at the same time. Another key is to eat the pizza first, then the salad...if I have a lingering pizza taste in my mouth...there's no holding back!
I had another sparkling OJ for dessert and was completely content with my belly. Today's meals included:
Breakfast - Green Monster
Mid-morning snack - Glo Bar
Lunch - tomato-basil veggie burger with sliced mozzarella on 2 pieces of Ezekiel (panini style on the foreman at work)
Afternoon snack - medium sized grapefruit
Dinner - 2 slices pepperoni pizza, spinach salad
Dessert - OJ cocktail
I had a yoga session this morning...it was extremely hard getting there...but of coarse I was glad that I went. My plan for tomorrow is to go jogging outside followed by 30 min strength training in the morning...I have to keep up on the early rising thing! It is going great so far:)
Occasionally I succumb to ordering pizza from our fav place. Tonight we had planned on making our own pizza...but we were both super lazy, so we compromised and got an oven pizza. I think the key to not overeating pizza for me is to cut into 6 slices instead of 4 and to only take 2 pieces. I have to pair my two slices with a salad, otherwise I will go for more. I topped a bed of spinach with a poppyseed dressing so that it got rid of the pizza taste and satisfied my sweet-tooth at the same time. Another key is to eat the pizza first, then the salad...if I have a lingering pizza taste in my mouth...there's no holding back!
I had another sparkling OJ for dessert and was completely content with my belly. Today's meals included:
Breakfast - Green Monster
Mid-morning snack - Glo Bar
Lunch - tomato-basil veggie burger with sliced mozzarella on 2 pieces of Ezekiel (panini style on the foreman at work)
Afternoon snack - medium sized grapefruit
Dinner - 2 slices pepperoni pizza, spinach salad
Dessert - OJ cocktail
I had a yoga session this morning...it was extremely hard getting there...but of coarse I was glad that I went. My plan for tomorrow is to go jogging outside followed by 30 min strength training in the morning...I have to keep up on the early rising thing! It is going great so far:)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Boot Camp Day 2 and Lululemon Review
Boot camp was much more intense today...less running and more strength training. We started by running 2 laps around the block, then we broke up into teams of 5. While one person did a sprint the rest of the team did continuous reps until each person had their turn at a sprint. Here are the moves we did:
We are skipping our menu tonight and goin gout to celebrate my boyfriend law school grades...dean's list baby!!!
Push ups
lunges
planks
squats
crunches
Holy crap the push ups and plank holds were tough...my arms are so sore! Next we ran a lap around the block and moved into stength training stations. Each team spent a minute at each station doing the move and then we would rotate (2 times through). Here are the moves for this set:
Plank jacks
Step ups
Burpees
Sumo squat with side kick
The only move I didn't have to stop for a little break were the squats:( Finally we lined up to do jumping jacks...the person in the back sprinted to the front and so on until each person sprinted twice...this was pretty rough...calves were burning!
We got homework to do over the weekend...30 min jog/30 min strength on Friday, 20 min core with 15 min stretching on Saturday, and 30-60 min cardio on Sunday. I should have no problem incorporating these workouts this weekend with what I've already planned.
Lululemon review:
I wore my new gear this morning and i have to say they were GREAT for running in the rain, however not so much for crazy boot camp moves like burpees! The pants didn't have as much stretch as the groove pants, so it made it hard to do some of the moves. I expected this...and the tag even says for warmups and light activity! But based on Monday's class, I figured we would be doing a lot of running in the rain again. I think I will continue wearing groove pants to class with the jacket that I just bought. I will save the pants for running in the rain on my own...will probably need them this weekend!
Last night we had:
Turkey Pesto Pasta
1 lb ground turkey
1 package penne pasta
1 jar maranara
1-2 Tbs pesto
8 oz shredded mozzeralla
half an onion
Brown turkey with diced onion. Boil pasta according to directions on package. Combine pasta, turkey, tomato sauce, pesto and mozzerella in a baking dish and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
For dessert I had an sparkling orange juice. 2/3 sparkling water, 1/3 orange juice...super easy and tasty! I also like lime sparkiling with cranberry or Pom juice:)
We are skipping our menu tonight and goin gout to celebrate my boyfriend law school grades...dean's list baby!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Ready to Take on the Rain!
I shopped the sales at Lululemon yesterday and scored some track pants and matching track jacket. I am totally one of those girls who wears matching outfits to sweat in...:) If I am going to get myself motivated, its not going to be in a drabby outfit that makes me feel unattractive!
I can't wait to try my new gear out tomorrow morning...bring on the rain:) Onto my very delicious dinner last night that the boyfriend cooked me!Flank Steak with Mexi-rice, Peppers & Onions
The steak was marinated in garlic, salt, pepper and lime juice, then pan fried in a cast iron skillet (until desired temp...we like medium-rare). Let rest and cut into strips.
Slice a red and orange pepper and a red onion. Sautee in extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, chili powder and a sprinkle of sugar. We don't usually measure...so we go on what looks/tastes right. Just add until it has the taste you like!
The mexi-rice is white rice cooked in half water/half stock, then mixed with diced plum tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and a little salt and pepper.Complete meal:
Monday, January 11, 2010
Boot Camp Day 1
I set my alarm for 5:15 am for my 6am class. I dismissed the alarm instead of snooze and ended up waking up at 5:35...yikes! I jumped out of bed, got my clothes out of the dryer, put in my contacts, brushed the teeth and grabbed my mat, towel, water and Globar on the way out the door! It was a crazy way to begin my morning, but I got there!
I had half the Globar on the way to the meeting place, and it was the perfect amount to fuel me through the intense workout:) I wasn't exactly sure what to expect...was the class indoors or outdoors?...It ended up being outdoors and I am so glad I wore pants and long sleeves! We completed a 50 minute class in the 6 am darkness and rain...IT FELT AWESOME!
The class started out with 5 laps around a city block, followed by some intense (and creative!)strength training moves, 5 more laps and some abs. I calculated the mileage on mapmyrun and it came out to about 3 miles total! The strength training was under a covered ally (thankgod!) I love working out with SassyFit...they always have fun new moves to try and the trainer setting really helps me to push myself beyond what I would do on my own. We did 30 reps of each move and plan to increase to 40 next week, and 50 the 3rd and final week...that should be interesting;)
I grabbed a nonfat latte afterward before heading home, and let me say...awesome morning workout + caffeine = Crazy amounts of energy!! I can't even describe how great I felt...I'm excited for the rest of the classes and I hope to see improvement in my all-over strength.
I started hitting an energy wall this afternoon, so I had a half cup of coffee and an orange, and feel much better. I expect it will be an early night!
Onto other updates, we had seared ahi tuna with roasted potatoes and a salad last night (too lazy to take a picture!) and the menu plan for this week is...
MENU PLAN:
Monday - Flank Steak with mexi-rice and sauteed peppers & onions
Tuesday - Minestrone Soup with Parmesan popovers
Wednesday - Turkey Pesto Pasta with salad
Thursday - Homemade herb and cheese pizza with side salad
I am going to try and get more creative with the side salads! Friday we usually eat out and Saturday we figure it out that day.
Workout Plan
Monday - Bootcamp
Tuesday - Yoga
Wednesday - Bootcamp
Thursday - Yoga
Friday - Off
Saturday - Jog 4 miles + Yoga
Sunday - Yoga
I am trying to increase my "long" runs on the weekends. I have been stuck at 3-3.5 miles, so plan to up it to 4 this weekend and go from there.
I had half the Globar on the way to the meeting place, and it was the perfect amount to fuel me through the intense workout:) I wasn't exactly sure what to expect...was the class indoors or outdoors?...It ended up being outdoors and I am so glad I wore pants and long sleeves! We completed a 50 minute class in the 6 am darkness and rain...IT FELT AWESOME!
The class started out with 5 laps around a city block, followed by some intense (and creative!)strength training moves, 5 more laps and some abs. I calculated the mileage on mapmyrun and it came out to about 3 miles total! The strength training was under a covered ally (thankgod!) I love working out with SassyFit...they always have fun new moves to try and the trainer setting really helps me to push myself beyond what I would do on my own. We did 30 reps of each move and plan to increase to 40 next week, and 50 the 3rd and final week...that should be interesting;)
I grabbed a nonfat latte afterward before heading home, and let me say...awesome morning workout + caffeine = Crazy amounts of energy!! I can't even describe how great I felt...I'm excited for the rest of the classes and I hope to see improvement in my all-over strength.
I started hitting an energy wall this afternoon, so I had a half cup of coffee and an orange, and feel much better. I expect it will be an early night!
Onto other updates, we had seared ahi tuna with roasted potatoes and a salad last night (too lazy to take a picture!) and the menu plan for this week is...
MENU PLAN:
Monday - Flank Steak with mexi-rice and sauteed peppers & onions
Tuesday - Minestrone Soup with Parmesan popovers
Wednesday - Turkey Pesto Pasta with salad
Thursday - Homemade herb and cheese pizza with side salad
I am going to try and get more creative with the side salads! Friday we usually eat out and Saturday we figure it out that day.
Workout Plan
Monday - Bootcamp
Tuesday - Yoga
Wednesday - Bootcamp
Thursday - Yoga
Friday - Off
Saturday - Jog 4 miles + Yoga
Sunday - Yoga
I am trying to increase my "long" runs on the weekends. I have been stuck at 3-3.5 miles, so plan to up it to 4 this weekend and go from there.
Friday, January 8, 2010
New Years Boot Camp
I've talked before about how much I loved the boot camp I did last summer with SassyFit! They are offering a 6 sessions (2x per week for 3 weeks) of booty-kicking workouts starting on Monday...I'm super excited! I been working out, but I can't wait to get back to the boot camp style workout...I LOVE it! Plus I talked a friend into signing up, so it will be extra fun working out with her! The 6-week program also includes a giftcard to a local coffee shop across the street...score! I am planning to blog about my experience and maybe include a sweaty photo after each workout;)
The only thing that worries me is getting to the class by 6 am...yikes! However, I did get up at 6:15 for 30 minutes on the treadmill and I am very proud of myself! I took the day off from working out last night (felt weird), and I am meeting friend at happy hour after work, so I am proud that I managed to fit in my workout this morning. It was a little tough getting into it, and I did a lot more walking than normal, but I'm glad I did it!
More good eats:
Vegetable Stir Fry over Quinoa:
Broccolini
Portabella
Plum Tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Quinoa
I started the quinoa according to package directions.
I boiled the broccolini for a bit and fried the cut up portabella first (fired until soft, about 5-7 min). Then I added the boiled broccolini, and after a couple minutes the tomatoes...fried until tomatoes were softened.
Sweet Potato Fries
1 medium sweet potato cut into strips
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute (best seasoning EVER!)
Combined all ingredients and baked on a baking sheet at 400 for 30 min or until crispy. Shook them up half way through.
Cleaning up a Messy Kitchen...
who am I kidding, I posted this because I though my arms looks fab!!! (could be the lighting and camera angle...or yoga?, but I'll take it!)
Excited about meeting my goal to cook new and interesting meals all week!
This weekend I am planning on running 3 miles and yoga on Saturday. Then I am meeting the girls to see It's Complicated, followed by sushi! I love hanging with the girls!
Sunday, I am volunteering at UW from 10-2 (I'm an advisor for my sorority there.) I may or may not squeeze in an am run. Then I have yoga plans at 4. Finally, I am going to make another weekly menu and get the groceries I will need for the week...and cook another lovely meal of course!
The only thing that worries me is getting to the class by 6 am...yikes! However, I did get up at 6:15 for 30 minutes on the treadmill and I am very proud of myself! I took the day off from working out last night (felt weird), and I am meeting friend at happy hour after work, so I am proud that I managed to fit in my workout this morning. It was a little tough getting into it, and I did a lot more walking than normal, but I'm glad I did it!
More good eats:
Vegetable Stir Fry over Quinoa:
BroccoliniPortabella
Plum Tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Quinoa
I started the quinoa according to package directions.
I boiled the broccolini for a bit and fried the cut up portabella first (fired until soft, about 5-7 min). Then I added the boiled broccolini, and after a couple minutes the tomatoes...fried until tomatoes were softened.
Sweet Potato Fries
1 medium sweet potato cut into strips1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute (best seasoning EVER!)
Combined all ingredients and baked on a baking sheet at 400 for 30 min or until crispy. Shook them up half way through.
Cleaning up a Messy Kitchen...
who am I kidding, I posted this because I though my arms looks fab!!! (could be the lighting and camera angle...or yoga?, but I'll take it!)
Excited about meeting my goal to cook new and interesting meals all week!
This weekend I am planning on running 3 miles and yoga on Saturday. Then I am meeting the girls to see It's Complicated, followed by sushi! I love hanging with the girls!Sunday, I am volunteering at UW from 10-2 (I'm an advisor for my sorority there.) I may or may not squeeze in an am run. Then I have yoga plans at 4. Finally, I am going to make another weekly menu and get the groceries I will need for the week...and cook another lovely meal of course!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
No Doughnuts for Me!
FREE Top Pot Doughnuts today at work...YIKES!!!
Luckily I hadn't even eaten my lunch yet, so I was able to avoid the caloric devils...but at first it was still pretty tough warming up my veggie dish while watching co-workers and making a new pot of coffee while diving into the doughnut box. But then I felt sort of happy and excited that I was able to avoid the goodies and watch everyone else overeat...almost in a healthsnob kind of way. I try not to judge others' food choices, but something about those doughnuts today made me feel superior in my choices, not restricted! I'll take it!
Onto some good eats this week...
Pork Tenderloin with Steamed Asparagus and Roasted Red Pepper Mashed Potato
We seared the pork in a cast iron pan and baked in the oven to temp.
The potato recipe came from Clean Eating Mag...couldn't say I was a fan:(
They had garlic, peppers, feta and yogurt...they just didn't taste all that good. Maybe I should have paired with a different protein...but it wasn't working in this meal. Or maybe I should stick to a little milk and buttah in my potatoes;)
Asparagus was yummy though!
I didn't make it to my yoga session this morning...I totally overslept. I was pretty disappointed, but I think I will fit in a jog tonight instead and pick a couple yoga sessions up this weekend. It's been nice today, so I may take my jog to the pavement and complete my first nighttime run by myself. I plan to stick to well lit and busy areas...some parts around me are a bit sketchy...
Luckily I hadn't even eaten my lunch yet, so I was able to avoid the caloric devils...but at first it was still pretty tough warming up my veggie dish while watching co-workers and making a new pot of coffee while diving into the doughnut box. But then I felt sort of happy and excited that I was able to avoid the goodies and watch everyone else overeat...almost in a healthsnob kind of way. I try not to judge others' food choices, but something about those doughnuts today made me feel superior in my choices, not restricted! I'll take it!
Onto some good eats this week...
Pork Tenderloin with Steamed Asparagus and Roasted Red Pepper Mashed Potato
We seared the pork in a cast iron pan and baked in the oven to temp.The potato recipe came from Clean Eating Mag...couldn't say I was a fan:(
They had garlic, peppers, feta and yogurt...they just didn't taste all that good. Maybe I should have paired with a different protein...but it wasn't working in this meal. Or maybe I should stick to a little milk and buttah in my potatoes;)
Asparagus was yummy though!
I didn't make it to my yoga session this morning...I totally overslept. I was pretty disappointed, but I think I will fit in a jog tonight instead and pick a couple yoga sessions up this weekend. It's been nice today, so I may take my jog to the pavement and complete my first nighttime run by myself. I plan to stick to well lit and busy areas...some parts around me are a bit sketchy...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Getting the Veggies in!
I've been experimenting with vegetarian meals lately. Ideally I would like to include at least one vegetarian dinner per week. There are tons of great recipes around blogland, so I decided to try out a stuffed squash. I chose an acorn squash and paired it with roasted beets! So delish!
1 acorn squash
diced mushrooms
diced peppers
diced onions
mozzarella (I used goat moz!)
Quinoa (optional)
I intended to use quinoa, but forgot!
Saute veggies in olive oil. Bake the squash and fill with sauteed veggies, top with cheese and put under the broiler until cheese melts.
The beets were roasted in olive oil, salt & pepper
I don't remember the exact temp or time for baking the squash, but it was around 350 degrees for 45 minutes (ish). Until its soft...
I absolutely love beets, especially roasted. They are so flavorful when roasted...they almost seem caramelized with yuminess! After I took this photo, my boyfriend informed me that he had made a beet sauce to drizzle over the meal (he has been experimenting with sauces!).
He sauteed the beets before roasting them in the oven. With the juices in the saute pan, he added some water and a little sugar and reduced. Pretty easy, and very delicious!
This meal kept me full the rest of the night...though we did eat at about 9 pm! We've been eating real late recently because we are trying to prioritize working out after I get back from work this week...plus there were some additional errands involved. I was glad that I ate a veggie dish so late rather than a heavier pasta or meat dish...plus I felt great in the am!
On a side note...anyone try GloBars yet? They're insanely delish...I recommend ordering at least two boxes...I especially love the special variety packs and the Heaven bar:) Happy ordering!
1 acorn squashdiced mushrooms
diced peppers
diced onions
mozzarella (I used goat moz!)
Quinoa (optional)
I intended to use quinoa, but forgot!
Saute veggies in olive oil. Bake the squash and fill with sauteed veggies, top with cheese and put under the broiler until cheese melts.
The beets were roasted in olive oil, salt & pepper
I don't remember the exact temp or time for baking the squash, but it was around 350 degrees for 45 minutes (ish). Until its soft...
I absolutely love beets, especially roasted. They are so flavorful when roasted...they almost seem caramelized with yuminess! After I took this photo, my boyfriend informed me that he had made a beet sauce to drizzle over the meal (he has been experimenting with sauces!).
He sauteed the beets before roasting them in the oven. With the juices in the saute pan, he added some water and a little sugar and reduced. Pretty easy, and very delicious!
This meal kept me full the rest of the night...though we did eat at about 9 pm! We've been eating real late recently because we are trying to prioritize working out after I get back from work this week...plus there were some additional errands involved. I was glad that I ate a veggie dish so late rather than a heavier pasta or meat dish...plus I felt great in the am!
On a side note...anyone try GloBars yet? They're insanely delish...I recommend ordering at least two boxes...I especially love the special variety packs and the Heaven bar:) Happy ordering!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Years Resolution No. 2 & 3
Eat Food Slowly!
I have a real problem with inhaling my food as soon as it is plated. I think part of this relates back to my childhood when I just wanted to finish dinner so I could play or watch tv. The other part is that I hate when my food gets cold...it just doesn't taste as good (I know...not a good excuse!)
I know that I should eat slowly to allow my body to recognize when it is full...so I am going to practice this at each meal. I do well when I'm eating out because I engage in conversation and the distraction of the tv isn't there. I've finally convinced the boyfriend to move dinner onto the dining room table instead of the couch and coffee table, but we live in a apartment, so the tv is still right in front of us and he enjoys having it on during dinner...so I compromise:)
Lunch is ok too...I'm usually reading blogs while eating lunch at my desk, so I take my time enjoying my break. Breakfast, however, really needs some work! I've been making Green Monsters for breakfast lately and I practically chug them! When I eat cereal, oatmeal, or anything else for breakfast, it's gone in under 5 minutes! I think the problem here comes from rushing through my morning to get to work, usually because I've overslept...which brings me to Resolution No. 3:
Wake up! Use the mornings to either workout, make and enjoy breakfast, or get to work early.
I am going to get to bed at 10:30 and get up between 6 and 6:30. I want to start my day off early every morning and get into a routine. The days that I am lacking motivation to get my workout in, I will still get out of bed and take my time to get ready or get to work early. It's when I sleep in that gets me off track and makes it harder to stick to early mornings.
I have boot camp starting next week...twice a week at 6 am, opposite my morning yoga, so that will give me a reason to get up early on the off days to morning yoga. I'll post more about this boot camp later (I'm pretty excited for it)!
Workout update: I did great keeping up my workouts over the holidays. I didn't run as much as I had planned, but I got in all my yoga and about half the running and even a little strength training! My plan for this week is:
Workout Schedule
Monday - Run/ST 30 min - Done!
Tuesday - Yoga 60 min - Done
Run 3 miles
Wednesday - Yoga 75 min
Thursday - Yoga 60 min
Run 3 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - Run 3 miles
Yoga 75 min
Sunday - Yoga 90 min
My yoga practice is really coming along...I can hold a full wheel now (I haven't been able to do that EVER, not even as a kid!) I come pretty close to crow and a few other inversions. My shoulder stand is much more solid and my hamstrings are like jell-o compared to how tight they used to be! I am still working on hip opening, and they are getting a bit looser each week:)
Running is also slowly getting better...I ran a mile on the treadmill last night at 6.0, which is a big improvement. I am working up to 3 miles at 6.0. I need to keep up with my running goals each week, especially if I sign up for that 10K in March...yikes!
I have a real problem with inhaling my food as soon as it is plated. I think part of this relates back to my childhood when I just wanted to finish dinner so I could play or watch tv. The other part is that I hate when my food gets cold...it just doesn't taste as good (I know...not a good excuse!)
I know that I should eat slowly to allow my body to recognize when it is full...so I am going to practice this at each meal. I do well when I'm eating out because I engage in conversation and the distraction of the tv isn't there. I've finally convinced the boyfriend to move dinner onto the dining room table instead of the couch and coffee table, but we live in a apartment, so the tv is still right in front of us and he enjoys having it on during dinner...so I compromise:)
Lunch is ok too...I'm usually reading blogs while eating lunch at my desk, so I take my time enjoying my break. Breakfast, however, really needs some work! I've been making Green Monsters for breakfast lately and I practically chug them! When I eat cereal, oatmeal, or anything else for breakfast, it's gone in under 5 minutes! I think the problem here comes from rushing through my morning to get to work, usually because I've overslept...which brings me to Resolution No. 3:
Wake up! Use the mornings to either workout, make and enjoy breakfast, or get to work early.
I am going to get to bed at 10:30 and get up between 6 and 6:30. I want to start my day off early every morning and get into a routine. The days that I am lacking motivation to get my workout in, I will still get out of bed and take my time to get ready or get to work early. It's when I sleep in that gets me off track and makes it harder to stick to early mornings.
I have boot camp starting next week...twice a week at 6 am, opposite my morning yoga, so that will give me a reason to get up early on the off days to morning yoga. I'll post more about this boot camp later (I'm pretty excited for it)!
Workout update: I did great keeping up my workouts over the holidays. I didn't run as much as I had planned, but I got in all my yoga and about half the running and even a little strength training! My plan for this week is:
Workout Schedule
Monday - Run/ST 30 min - Done!
Tuesday - Yoga 60 min - Done
Run 3 miles
Wednesday - Yoga 75 min
Thursday - Yoga 60 min
Run 3 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - Run 3 miles
Yoga 75 min
Sunday - Yoga 90 min
My yoga practice is really coming along...I can hold a full wheel now (I haven't been able to do that EVER, not even as a kid!) I come pretty close to crow and a few other inversions. My shoulder stand is much more solid and my hamstrings are like jell-o compared to how tight they used to be! I am still working on hip opening, and they are getting a bit looser each week:)
Running is also slowly getting better...I ran a mile on the treadmill last night at 6.0, which is a big improvement. I am working up to 3 miles at 6.0. I need to keep up with my running goals each week, especially if I sign up for that 10K in March...yikes!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
New Years Resolution No. 1
Have fun with new recipes and experiment with foods and ingredients I wouldn't normally cook with.
To follow through with my first New Years goal, I will make a menu plan for dinners for the week from various cookbooks and Clean Eating magazine. (and also play with my new Nikon D5000!!!)
To follow through with my first New Years goal, I will make a menu plan for dinners for the week from various cookbooks and Clean Eating magazine. (and also play with my new Nikon D5000!!!)
I found a few great recipes using citrus in each dish from Clean Eating. We made shrimp and orange skewers with a spinach-orange rice pilaf and citrus spinach salad.
Blood Orange Salad
Salad:
1 Cup Spinach
Sections of 1/2 blood orange
Dressing:
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 blood orange
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Zest from blood orange
salt & pepper
This salad was absolutely delicious. It was very light and would make a great summer salad. I will definitely be making this again and maybe experimenting with different citrus fruits.
Orange and Shrimp Skewer with Brown Rice Pilaf
Marinate for shrimp:
2 cloves garlic
salt
Juice from 1-2 oranges
Orange zest
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Skewers:
4 jumbo shrimp with 4 orange quarters
Rice Pilaf:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup spinach & Zest from 1 orange
The recipe called for brown basmati, but I substituted long grain brown. I sauteed the uncooked rice in the olive oil for a few minutes then added the broth, brought to a boil and reduced heat, covered and let simmer for 45 minutes. Once the rice was finished, I removed from heat and added the spinach and zest, re-covered for a bit to let the spinach wilt and serve.
For the shrimp, add marinate and shrimp to a ziplock bag and refrigerate for an hour. I added equal parts of shrimp and oranges to the skewers and stuck under the broiler for a few minutes on each side until they were cooked through.
This meal was pretty amazing and I really liked the citrus theme in each dish...I think I will be making this again in the future!
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