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Good morning bloggies!!! It is a gorgeous day outside...freezing, but beautiful! Its making me so happy right now to look out the window at the pretty blue sky. We've had a couple of gray days here this week so this is a very welcome change. I am in a fabulous mood! :)
Today is an exercise rest day for me...Yay! Not that my workouts are terribly intense during the week (at least until I increase my mileage a bit more) but I've worked out every day since last Friday and decided that after yesterday's big activity day, my body deserves a break. Plus, tomorrow is my long run with the training group, so its good to have a rest day before that.
A question for all of you spinning ladies out there...when does your bootie get used to that hard bike seat?!?!? I woke up so sore this morning, not in my legs or gluts, but as my yoga instructor says, my "sit bones"!!! Ouch. Good thing my office chair is cushy!
So, on to food. This will be a quick post because Brian and I were in a rush this morning and decided to have lunch out today instead of packing something to bring to work. I'll try and post after lunch, but if I can't then I will definitely include lunch in my dinner post tonight.
Breakfast: 1 Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin english muffin smeared with 1.5 tbsp almond butter and 1/2 an apple. The rest of the apple on the side.
This was a very tasty combination, I'm quite happy right now after finishing it. :)
I got the sweetest message yesterday from Elise at Elise's Eats! She has just started her own blog after following food blogs for some time now. It looks great so far, and I'm looking forward to watching it develop! Welcome, Elise!
I hope you all have a Fabulous Friday and that your weather is as beautiful as mine, only warmer! :)
I started off my morning with a trip to the dermatologist to have a couple of moles removed. Yuck. My doctor is great and a couple of my little spots were suspicious to her so she decided they should go. I trust her, so off they went. Two on my back, one on my thigh. I'm kinda sad about the one on my thigh...I was very familiar with it because it was so visible to me. And now there will be an ugly scar in its place, unfortunately below my shorts line. :( Is it weird that I was slightly attached to my moles? Hmmmm.....
Okay, a little backtrack. Last night I was in such a snackie mood (as evidenced by last night's post) and had a bit of a sweet tooth attack after dinner. I satisfied it with a cup of unsweetened applesauce and some Annie's Honey Grahams on top. Yummy. I just love these little Bunnies!!!
I also decided that I wanted to try a FitnessistaBreakfast Cookie because I've been intrigued by them on Jenna's posts lately. So last night I mixed together:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 scoop vanilla soy protein powder
1 tbsp PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams
1/8 cup Silk plain soy milk
1/2 mashed banana
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
I mashed it all out on a plate and stuck it in the fridge overnight. When I woke up I had a chewy breakfast cookie waiting for me!
It was basically my typical oats bowl with the addition of the Dark Chocolate PB all mashed out into cookie form. It didn't get as hard as I expected, I wasn't able to pick it up and eat it. But I guess that makes sense with the banana in it.
I was excited about this new breakfast creation for a couple of reasons. 1) Who doesn't love a cookie for breakfast?!? 2) One of Brian's favorite things is his grandmother's No-Bake Cookies, which are very similar to this but they stick together better and get a little harder. And they are completely unhealthy. I see this as a jumping off point to "healthify" a classic favorite...
For lunch I stuffed 1/3 of my leftover tuna salad into a whole wheat pita, along with some broccoli slaw.
Paired with a plain Oikos and a Pink Lady...
And for a snack I have my leftover banana from yesterday and a Clif Z-Bar.
I have lots of exercise planned for today! I'm meeting my friend Christine for a 45 minute hilly walk at lunchtime. And tonight I am going to my first Spin Class!!! A friend of mine teaches at the University's gym, and even though I'm not a member anymore since I'm not a student, she can get me into the class for just $5! I'm super-excited. I've been reading about everybody else's spin classes and what great workouts they are, so I can't wait to try one myself! I'll report in tonight.
I hope everybody has a fantastic day! Almost Friday!!!
Brrrrrr.... Another frigid morning in Virginia! My little feet are so cold right now, I am in dire need of some winter shoes! Day after Thanksgiving shopping, here I come! :)
I was in a big rush this morning trying to do some house cleaning while making lunch and breakfast. I put together a bowl of oats using:
1 cup prepared rolled oats
1 small banana
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup Back to Nature Maple Nut Medley Cereal
I think the cereal would have been a great idea, but because I was in such a rush I wound up running out of time to eat breakfast at home. So I scooped it all into a gladware container and reheated it at work. By the time it went through all of that and got all mashed up together into a wonderful oatmeal mush, the cereal was definitely soggy. It did add a nice flavor though. Oh, and the blueberries were terrific with the mashed banana.
For lunch I made tuna salad to put in my last WW wrap.
Ingredients: (makes 3 servings)
2 cans of white albacore tuna in water, drained
3 tbsp light mayo
4 tbsp yellow mustard
3 tbsp relish
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1/4 cucumber, chopped
garlic powder
salt
pepper
I wrapped up 1/3 of the tuna salad in a whole wheat wrap and added some arugula mix to the top.
Paired with a Pink Lady...
Mia REALLY wanted some tuna...
So did Hank.
My animals are such beggars!
For snacks I have a banana and a Kashi.
Tonight Brian and I are going for another run after work. Wish me luck...its supposed to be 32* at 6pm when we hit the pavement! Brrrrr....
Good Tuesday morning! I woke up to discover 2 lovely things happened while I was sleeping... #1...It snowed last night!!! Only a little dusting but it was still such a nice surprise. Looking outside my office window now I see that it has all melted already...oh well. #2...The lovely and talented Ashley at Sweet + Natural awarded me with the prestigious Superior Scribbler Award! Isn't she a sweetie? I love Ashley's blog because she delivers useful information and incredible recipes with a wonderfully witty style and gorgeous photography. I can't wait to try more of her delectable recipes, if only I could get a handle on this new blogging obsession of mine that seems to be taking up all of my evening time...! :)
I now give you the rules.
1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Link to me for giving it to you.
3. Link the originating post here.
4. Pass it on to three deserving people - I’m keeping Ashley's rule to continue the rebellion...
5. Post these rules for your recipients.
So, here goes.
1. Allison at Green Dog Wine. I love Allison's blog because she shares great recipes, has the cutest puppy, is at a very similar place in her life as me (we're even the same age!) and has a fabulous blog name encompassing her favorite things, which just so happen to be some of my favorites as well so I feel a slight kinship with her... :)
2. Monica at SmarterFitter. Monica is so clever. She shares wonderful information and beautiful recipes and is a fabulous writer. Plus, her blog is so ambitious with TONS of useful information. And, she lives in the U.K. I'm only a little jealous... :)
3. Erica at Itzy's Kitchen. Erica has great, quick recipes...especially her breads! I am always looking for healthy, fast bread options and I find myself constantly turning to her blog for ideas. Plus, she makes simply pleasing dinners that would be satisfying for both me and my husband, which is no small feat.
Congrats Ladies! Enjoy!!!
On to some food...
Breakfast: One 5.3oz container of plain Oikos with a handful of fresh raspberries and sprinkling of sliced almonds on top. I mashed the raspberries up so the juice colored the yogurt pink...tasty and pretty at the same time. :) Also, I've pictured a Luna Sunrise Apple Cinnamon bar and a banana, but I decided to save the banana for a snack since I am now REALLY full and over-calculated my breakfast calories.
Lunch: Another veggie wrap and apple combo, exactly the same as yesterday. :) Its a quick, filling lunch and I really enjoyed the added boost the black beans gave me. Plus, I have WW tortillas in my fridge that I must use up. Don't be surprised if you see another of these beauties on tomorrow's post.
Snack: Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bar. This is my first Mojo bar experience so expect a product review later!
I'd like to introduce you to my little helper this morning, Mia. She likes to stick close to the kitchen in the morning in case a little piece of turkey or cheese falls from the sky while Brian is making his sandwiches...
Ok, I work 'till 6 tonight then have a 1-1/2 hour yoga class this evening, so it will be another late post tonight. I revved up the crock pot this morning though for a batch of my black bean soup, so I'll be posting a new recipe tonight. Woohoo! Have a fabulous Tuesday! :)
This morning Brian and I set our alarms for 5:45 to get up for a mid-week training jog. I got out of bed, brushed my teeth and put in my contacts, and then crawled right back in bed because it was SO COLD!!! Argh. We agreed that we would bring our workout clothes with us to work so that we can go for a jog downtown immediately after work. It will still be pitch black but maybe it won't be as frigid.... How do you handle workouts in the cold? And I mean COLD...under 35*. And I don't have a gym membership... :(
Once I finally got up the nerve to get back out of bed I put together a quick breakfast. 1/2 a whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp almond butter and 1/2 a banana on top. I ate the rest of the banana on the side.
For lunch I made a veggie wrap with my new roasted red pepper hummus!!! So excited to try this new brand and new flavor. I also decided to beef up my wrap a bit with some black beans. I've noticed in my calorie tracking (yes I track, more on that later) that I'm not getting a great balance of carbs to protein, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to sneak more veggie protein in when I can. I'm only eating meat about once a week these days, so I need to make sure I'm getting enough protein from other sources. Today's wrap includes:
8" whole wheat tortilla
2 tbsp roasted red pepper hummus
1/4 cup black beans
arugula lettuce mix
red bell pepper
cucumber
broccoli sprouts
And a pink lady apple on the side...
And I packed a new flavor (for me) of Clif Nectar...dark chocolate walnut, for an afternoon pre-run snack.
I have the office all to myself today! My boss and one other co-worker are in D.C. checking on some of our jobs, so I'm enjoying playing whatever music I feel like! It'll be a great day for lots of productivity without distraction...woohoo! :)
Good morning (almost afternoon!)! Its still rainy and dreary here, but I still managed to drag my bootie out of bed for my third training session with the 10-Miler Training group. We had about 1/2 as many people this week as in weeks past, I guess a lot of people gave in to the desire to stay in bed on a rainy Saturday morning!
This morning's pep talk and info session was kept pretty short because of the drizzle, but I have a couple of tips to share:
Eat or drink within 1/2 hour of finishing your run. And water doesn't count, you need something to replace the electrolytes lost during your run. Gatorade, granola bar, banana etc...you will feel much better in the afternoon because you'll avoid the crash that causes you to want a nice long recovery nap!
Cotton is BAD to run in, especially in rainy, cold weather. It holds 3 times more moisture than other fabrics which can make you miserable on a run as you carry the extra weight, freeze the entire time and probably chafe in unpleasant places. (I am SO in need of a shopping trip!)
Stretching before a run is BAD. The analogy we were given involves silly putty... Think about when you first take silly putty out of its little egg, if you immediately try to stretch it out it will break. Your ligaments are the same way. Instead of stretching for a warm up, walk or VERY SLOWLY jog for 1/2 a mile. This will get your legs nice and warmed up before you really let loose into your run. DEFINITELY stretch after your cool down, for at least 10 minutes.
Today's workout was 1/4 mile walk, 1-1/2 mile run (woohoo!), 1/4 mile walk. I ran the whole 1-1/2 miles even though most of the group is still run/walking. I'm getting a little impatient with these shorter distances but we'll get up to longer runs in no time. The next group up is already at 3.5 miles which is way too big of a jump for me. So, I will continue to be patient because I am determined to not overdo it and injure myself!!! This morning we were still running on the track and sadly I didn't have my hubby with me to run with (he hurt his back and was sore in bed) so I was REALLY bored. I'll definitely be taking my ipod with me next time if I don't have a buddy...
When I got back from the track I put together a bowl of apple-pumpkin oats.
Ingredients:
1 cup prepared rolled oats
splash of Silk vanilla soymilk
1/4 can of pumpkin puree'
3/4 small pink lady apple
cinnamon
pom seeds
Yum! The bowl was huge though and VERY filling so I only ate about 3/4s of it. I also had a bite of Brian's breakfast sandwich which was AMAZING!!!
Ingredients:
1 Bodo's Everything Bagel (I buy a bunch at a time and freeze them for Brian's breakfasts)
1 fried egg (in a tsp of olive oil)
1 Morningstar veggie sausage patty (these are sooooooooooo good!!!!!)
1 slice sharp cheddar cheese
Man I miss those breakfasts....
My BSI recipe just came out of the oven!!! I will post it this afternoon...
Forgot to mention that I had a slice of banana apple bread before my run.
This morning I decided to use the leftover pumpkin puree' in my fridge on my oats. What a great combination! I was inspired by Jenna's recent breakfasts, and will be using this combo again (probably tomorrow, to use up the rest of the pumpkin!)
Ingredients:
1 cup prepared rolled oats
splash of Silk vanilla soymilk
1/4 cup of pumpkin puree'
1 mashed banana
sprinkling of pom seeds
For lunch I packed up my leftover spaghetti squash and veggies. I love when I have leftovers to pack for lunch, it makes my morning so much easier!
For snacks I have had a pink lady apple and a slice of banana apple bread...yum!
So, I skipped a couple of meal postings the last couple of days because they just weren't interesting and I was feeling stressed from being behind with the deadline and all. But, a couple of things are definitely worth talking about...
Product Review:Clif Z-Bar peanut butter flavor!
I LOVE these bars!!! This is my second flavor, I tried the chocolate chip last weekend. I think the chocolate chip is my favorite so far, but the peanut butter was REALLY good. I had it as an afternoon snack anticipating that I would be going to spin class, which was canceled, but it held me over nicely until dinner was ready around 8pm. It had great texture and flavor, very similar to a peanut butter cookie. Those Clif people sure know what they are doing! :)
I can't wait to go to the store tomorrow and pick up a few more, especially since I scored some coupons out of the Whole Foods Whole Deal...definitely pick one up if you haven't yet. Coupons for practically every type of Clif Bar available and Stoneyfield coupons, along with some other good stuff.
Product Review: Larabar cherry pie flavor!
I've been a long-time fan of Larabars, and cherry pie is one of my favorite flavors. They are so wholesome and filling and always hit the spot. I love the fruitiness of their fruit pie flavors, but I'm also really wanting to try come of the non-fruity flavors. I've never been able to find the chocolate coconut, coconut cream pie or peanut butter cookie flavors, and I'm dying to try them!!! They are so hard to find...
Have a great afternoon! I'm trying out my BSI recipe tonight...so excited!!!
Good morning! Brian and I started the morning out right with a mid-week training run. I'm pretty proud of us, we got up at 6am and were on the road by 6:15. It was only 25* outside!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely frigid at first, but we got used to it quickly after we started our run. We did a 1/2 mile warm-up, 1 mile run at an easy 10-minute pace, and 1/2 mile cool-down. It was only a 28 minute workout but it felt great to get up so early and I was completely awake and refreshed by the time we got home.
For breakfast I made a bowl of oats using 1 cup prepared rolled oats, splash of vanilla soymilk, spoonful of flax seeds, 1 medium banana and a couple of spoonfuls of pom seeds. Yum! This meal was so satisfying and tasty that it actually evoked the food dance out of me...that only happens with really good food. :)
I'm prepared for another busy day at the office with a filling lunch. I made a lima bean + corn salad that I found in a Self magazine a couple of months ago. I was unsure of it at first but its actually really good and completely filling...I've made it several times since.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups frozen lima beans, thawed in microwave
.75 cup frozen corn, thawed in microwave
.5 cup chopped red bell pepper
.5 cup chopped cucumber
1.5 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
Once veggies are thawed and at roughly room temperature mix them all together. Whisk the olive oil, balsamic and mustard together and toss with veggies.
On the side I packed a pink lady apple. :)
And for a snack I packed a Larabar, cherry pie flavor.
Ok, time to get tons of work done! It may be a late dinner post tonight.... I'm hoping to finish work by 8:00 so that I can go to CLAW, the Charlottesville Lady Arm Wrestlers. There's a match tonight and it is so much fun to watch! Plus, my friend Krisin aka TinkerHell is one of the defending champions... :) You should check out their blog if you have time...very entertaining!
I’ll apologize now for the relatively short posts I’ll be writing the next few days. I have a big big deadline at work on Thursday and, since blogging took up a lot of my time during my work days last week (opps!), I have some busy busy work days ahead of me!
This morning hubby and I slept in a little...somehow sleeping in on Monday morning doesn’t make it seem so bad to be Monday. :) So no workout, which I’m always bummed about once I get up and moving. But I never learn. For breakfast I made a bowl of cereal, surprise surprise, consisting of 1/2 cup Kashi H2H, 1/2 cup Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch (say that one three times in a row!), 1 medium banana, a sprinkling of pom seeds and Silk plain soymilk. The pumpkin raisin crunch was really tasty! I’m going to pay attention to how long this breakfast lasts for me, I ate at 7:20am so we’ll see when I’m in need of more fuel.
I enjoyed yesterday’s veggie wrap so much that I packed another one for today! The banana peppers add a nice touch.
On the side I’ll finish my leftover veggie dumplings from Saturday’s dinner.
For snacks I grabbed a Pink Lady (woohoo!) and an Oikos (another woohoo!).
OK, gotta go draw lots of details. I’ll post after dinner tonight, have a FANTASTIC day!!! :)
Happy Sunday evening! Sorry I haven't posted all day...it was a busy one! :)
This morning I woke up craving cereal, as is usual lately. I mixed 1/2 cup Kashi Heart to Heart with 1/2 cup Back to Nature Maple Nut Medley. I topped it off with the golden raspberries I got from my garden yesterday, pom seeds that I slaved over this morning and Silk plain soymilk. These were my first pom seeds of the season....so yum!!! (and pretty!)
Brian and I decided to go apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, about 10 minutes from our house. Its so beautiful at the top of the mountain, the perfect place to go in the fall for an overlook of Charlottesville.
I love fall in Virginia!!! [but am angry at the black speck on my lense :( ]
The best part.......we picked Pink Ladies!!!!!!!! My FAVORITES!
13 pounds of beautiful Pinks.....I am a happy happy girl. :)
And of course I had to eat one while we were picking...who could resist?
We also gathered 5 pounds of granny smith apples from the bin so that I can make Brian's Nana's famous apple crisp.
After a lovely morning apple picking trip I had a vinyasa yoga class at Studio 206. Hilary is my favorite instructor and the class was WONDERFUL. I felt so loose and gushy and fabulous afterwards. :) I snacked on a chocolate chip Clif Z-Bar immediately after class because I was starving! This was my first Z-Bar and I LOVED IT! It tasted just like a chocolate chip cookie. Now, it could have been my ultra-serene, after-yoga state of mind, but I'm pretty sure I will love these bars no matter the situation!
Unfortunately I had to work for a few hours this afternoon, so I packed my lunch this morning before our apple picking trip. A veggie wrap with
whole wheat tortilla
2 tbsp roasted garlic hummus
alfalfa sprouts
cucumber slices
red bell pepper slices
banana peppers
And a side of leftover quinoa.
It was yummy and filling and got me through my afternoon of work.
For dinner I wanted to try a Mushroom Barley Risotto recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop. I love that he substitutes barley for arborio rice in the risotto because barley has much greater nutritional value and was a wonderful, earthy compliment to the mushrooms. FYI, the barley takes a bit longer than arborio to cook.
Brian made lacinato kale as a side dish...another of my favorites!
I also had 2 small glasses of wine...
The meal was great, but risotto is very time-consuming and not something that I cook very often.
Whew! I'm beat!!! And...today I was tagged by Amy at CoffeeTalk! Which means that I have some interesting facts to come up with about myself....I will post tomorrow on that.
Goodnight! :)
This was a very tasty combination, I'm quite happy right now after finishing it. :)
I got the sweetest message yesterday from Elise at Elise's Eats! She has just started her own blog after following food blogs for some time now. It looks great so far, and I'm looking forward to watching it develop! Welcome, Elise!
I hope you all have a Fabulous Friday and that your weather is as beautiful as mine, only warmer! :)
