a very satisfying day
Andrea
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check my email on my iPhone. Its sick, I know. Technology these days is just making it so easy to be constantly connected. This morning I had a comment from Sarah regarding my ravenous day yesterday - she noticed that my meals were lacking in protein and thought that may have been the cause of my insatiable hunger all day. Of course! I'm normally very conscious of trying to eat balanced meals but yesterday I definitely fell short.
While in the shower I thought about what I had in the fridge and pantry and ways to ensure that my protein intake was higher today. And let me tell you, I have been full and satisfied all day long.
Breakfast: ultra-textured banana flax oats
[423 cal, 15.9g fat, 60.6g carbs, 9.8g fiber, 13.9g protein]
This divine bowl contained:
Lunch: tuna salad on a multi grain flat out wrap with 1/2 cup Fage 0% and 1/2 cup strawberries
[320 cal, 8.6g fat, 36g carbs, 11.8g fiber, 32.3g protein]
Pre-run Snack: Clif Chocolate Chip ZBar
[130 cal, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g protein]
Exercise: wonderful 4-mile, very hilly run with Kelly. I felt so much stronger today, and was careful not to eat any apples beforehand! We were tired at the end because a good amount of hills happened in the last mile, but I truly felt like we could have kept going. It gave me great hope for running the Martha Jefferson 8K next month!
[-420 cal]
I've been running around the house like a mad-woman tonight doing laundry and packing for my trip tomorrow. Dinner was quick and easy, just popped some 'taters in the oven for my hubb and I. I love dinners that allow me to do other things while they cook.
Dinner: my favorite sweet potato combo with edamame and corn, along with some leftover brussels sprouts
[392 cal, 12.1g fat, 62.6 carbs, 12.6g fiber, 14g protein]
Alrighty, I've got lots to do. Tomorrow I will be in Florida to help my best friend shop for her wedding dress!!! I'm so excited!!!! I also get to see my family (woohoo!!!), so its going to be a very busy few days. I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and weekend!
Read More
This divine bowl contained:
- 1 cup water, 1/2 cup oats, pinch of salt
- 1 small mashed banana
- 1 tsp flax seeds
- 1 tbsp wheatberries
- 1 dried fig, chopped
- 1-1/2 tbsp TJ's natural, crunchy PB
Lunch: tuna salad on a multi grain flat out wrap with 1/2 cup Fage 0% and 1/2 cup strawberries
[320 cal, 8.6g fat, 36g carbs, 11.8g fiber, 32.3g protein]
Pre-run Snack: Clif Chocolate Chip ZBar
[130 cal, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g protein]
Exercise: wonderful 4-mile, very hilly run with Kelly. I felt so much stronger today, and was careful not to eat any apples beforehand! We were tired at the end because a good amount of hills happened in the last mile, but I truly felt like we could have kept going. It gave me great hope for running the Martha Jefferson 8K next month!
[-420 cal]
I've been running around the house like a mad-woman tonight doing laundry and packing for my trip tomorrow. Dinner was quick and easy, just popped some 'taters in the oven for my hubb and I. I love dinners that allow me to do other things while they cook.
Dinner: my favorite sweet potato combo with edamame and corn, along with some leftover brussels sprouts
[392 cal, 12.1g fat, 62.6 carbs, 12.6g fiber, 14g protein]
Alrighty, I've got lots to do. Tomorrow I will be in Florida to help my best friend shop for her wedding dress!!! I'm so excited!!!! I also get to see my family (woohoo!!!), so its going to be a very busy few days. I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and weekend!
My bowl contained:
I consumed my breakfast at 7:30, a little earlier than normal, and I was starving by 10:30. Still...3 hours?!?!? Come on! Oats usually keep me way more satisfied than that. Luckily I had 1/2 a Clif bar sitting on my desk just waiting to be devoured by my ravenous self.
Mid-Morning Snack: 1/2 a chocolate chip Clif bar
[120 cal]
This held me over 'till 12:15, my usual lunch time. I was really looking forward to my lunch because I knew it would be very warm and filling. It was, but only for about 3 more hours. What is going on?!?
Lunch: leftover 
Afternoon Snack: 1 small orange and 5 strawberries
[116 cal]
My fruit obviously didn't hold me over after neither oats nor root veggies stuck with me. At 5:30, snackless and with a loudly grumbling tummy, I decided to forego yoga in favor of an early dinner. When we got home my hubb and I discussed possibilities. Baked potatoes? Filling, but they would take over an hour. No. Veggie Soup? Same issue. Mexi-dip? Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner.
To make myself feel a little bit better about what we were about to eat I decided to cook up some brussels sprouts that were on their last leg in the veggie drawer. They were done about 10 minutes before the dip so they became the appetizer. I consumed many of them.
Dinner: mexi-dip, fresh veggies and sauteed brussels sprouts
[calories? not sure. because i'm not sure how much of everything i consumed. i'm chalking today up as a calorie counting failure, but at least i'm finally full.]
If you've been reading my blog for awhile you've seen variations of this meal pop up before. It used to be a weekly occurrence for us. Seriously. We've limited ourselves to about once a month now...yay us!
This dip contained:
Problem is, I couldn't stop with what was on my plate. While watching the LOST re-run and new episode, the pan of dip was sitting to my side, calling my name. And I gave in. Several times.
And now I'm off to roll myself to bed. I had big plans to do laundry and get ready for my trip to Florida this weekend, but LOST kinda took over the evening. It happens. :)
G'night!
Lunch today involved another of my new purchases...Arnold's Sandwich Thins! I could say that I wanted to truly experience the flavor of the Thin by not mucking it up with lots of filling, but in truth I was just running short on time. :)
Lunch: arnold's sandwich thin with TJ's natural, crunchy PB and sour cherry preserves. Also, a salad.
[428 cal]
My salad contained:
For a snack I packed another repeat, 1 orange, 5 strawberries and 1/4 cup Fage 0%.
And then, tragedy struck. I went to the fridge for my fruity yogurt bowl at about 3:30, enough time to digest my snack before my run at 5:15. When I got to the fridge, I couldn't find my bowl! I quickly returned to my office and my tote bag, where I discovered my bowl. Warm as could be. I did some research about how long yogurt could remain at room temperature before the threat of bacteria struck and concluded that it wouldn't be a smart idea to eat it. Apparently, if the container is sealed, yogurt can last up to 8 hours at room temperature (according to some sources...but eat at your own risk!). However, if the yogurt is open and exposed to the air, I couldn't find any site that thought it was ok to eat after 2 hours without refrigeration. I can't tell you how sad I was to have to throw this beautiful bowl away. SO sad.
Instead, I had an apple and 1/2 a Clif Chocolate Chip bar. This Clif flavor was good, but I actually prefer the flavor and calorie count of the Clif chocolate chip ZBar more.
Snack: 1 apple and 1/2 Clif chocolate chip bar.
[200 cal]
I left work a little early and went for a run with my friend Kelly. We did just 3 miles and it was so laborious for me tonight. I'm always amazed at how different a run can be from day to day. This was the same route we did last week, I just cut it a little short because we had dinner plans. Tonight my legs were heavy and my stomach was crampy. I blame the first ailment on my two consecutive days of intense yoga...I was so sore today! And I blame the second ailment on my apple. Apples just don't agree with me as pre-run snacks. I've tried it before and I always get crampy. I thought today that I had plenty of time before my run, but apparently not. From now on, apples are off-limits after lunch on running days.
Exercise: 3 mile run
[-318 cal]
Dinner was sooo tasty. I LOVE Bang! We ordered an assortment of tapas to share amongst the three of us. There were wild mushroom dumplings, crab pot stickers, edamame, coconut rice, veggie curry, and other dishes that involved either beef or shrimp, none of which I ate because I'm not a fan of either. There were also delightful little slaws and salads that come alongside the main dishes. These may be my favorite part of the meal, and have inspired me to make more Asian-inspired slaws in my own kitchen.
I also had the Bang! Lemon Drop Martini. This martini is perfect. Its the martini that I strive to make at home but just haven't perfected yet. I've tried, trust me, I've tried. It has something to do with the specific sour they use, or the lemongrass infused simple syrup (I'm just not that ambitious). But it is GOOD, and I enjoyed every sip.
The food portions are tiny, so we left still slightly hungry but with much lighter wallets. I'm thinking there is some sort of pre-bed snack in my future...
G'night!
This weekend, in the midst of my V-Day activities and crazy work schedule I found time to make a trip to the grocery store. I was short on time so I decided to go to Harris Teeter instead of Whole Foods because it was closer, bigger, and had a better chance of being less crowded. The trip was pretty exciting...I found two blog-famous items that I've never tried before, Arnold's Sandwich Thins and Flat Out Wraps!!!
Lunch: veggie + hummus on a whole grain Flat Out Wrap
[176 cal] I know this is really light, but I had intended on eating the snack below with lunch. I just didn't have time...
I was so busy today right at lunch, so I wolfed down the wrap and saved the rest of my lunch for a snack later. The flat out wrap was REALLY good! The shape is genius. Seriously. The texture was lighter than my typical whole wheat tortillas, and only 100 calories as compared to 130 calories. So far, I'm impressed. I've heard that the ingredients aren't particularly thrilling, and I honestly don't have the energy to get up and go to the kitchen to look at the back of the bag. So I'll report on that some other time. :)
Snack: 1 orange, 4 strawberries and 1/4 cup Fage 0%.
[156 cal]
Tonight I finally made it to another yoga class at the studio where I have an unlimited pass for the month. What timing. I don't think I could have picked a worse month to invest in an unlimited yoga pass! My work schedule has just been way to crazy. The class was awesome, I'm so impressed with both instructors that I've met at the studio. It was a 90 minute Ashtanga class and I loved the pace and time taken to really get into poses. We did lots of back bends and plank variations...I'm definitely going to feel it tomorrow. There's nothing like going to a class and having an instructor help you to improve your practice. I feel like its worth the money not only for the class itself but for the added benefit I get when I practice on my own at home. I've got lots of catch-up to do to make my pass purchase worth it, and I'm hoping that now that my deadline is over I will be able to make yoga a more regular part of my routine again.
Exercise: 90 minutes of Ashtanga
While I was at yoga my hubb started on dinner. I picked out a recipe for Root Vegetable and Mushroom Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping out of this month's issue of Bon Appetit. When I walked in the door at our house I was hit by an aroma so amazing...a home cooked meal! It had been way too long. There was still a lot of work to do...this recipe is NOT a quick one, and I definitely don't recommend it for week night cooking. My hubb started when he got home at 6:45 and we didn't eat until 9:15! However, it was worth it. SO worth it. Just make it when you have LOTS of time and well before you anticipate getting hungry!
Dinner: Root Veggie Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping
[446 cal]
We had to modify the recipe quite a bit because I was missing a few ingredients. I have a terrible habit of not reading recipes thoroughly before going to the store...often missing ingredients and minor details such as the ridiculously long prep time.
Root Veggie Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping [modified from Bon Appetit, March 2009]
makes 6 servings
446 calories, 14.3g fat, 8.1g sat. fat, 65.2g carbs, 12.5g fiber, 15.2g protein
Ingredients:
Filling
photo courtesy of my hubb
I also made my favorite drink using one of winter's best fruits, the Meyer Lemon. You know, in celebration of completing my deadline. :)
Bella Eats Lemon Drop Martini
makes 2 drinks, 300 calories each
And...its bed time. Or, at least, reading a good book in bed time. :) I hope you all have a great Tuesday!
There were probably 200-300 people there, all in their bright-colored cool-weather gear. The temperature was 25* when we left the house, and it probably climbed to 30* by the time the race started. My hubb and I stayed together for the first mile, then I urged him to go forward without me once I heard our 1-mile split...9:14!!! That is fast for me, and I felt like I was going to burn myself out too quickly if I tried to keep up with him. He pushed ahead and I slowed down just slightly...my second mile split was 18:42! The first two miles were on a hilly road, and the last mile was on a very hilly trail through the woods that slowed me down quite a bit. We even had to climb over a fallen tree! So my final time was 30:20...which I am THRILLED with! I really wanted to beat a 10 min./mile average and would have loved to beat 30 minutes, but I wasn't expecting the trail and that totally threw my time off. If the entire 3.1 miles had been like the first 2 miles I think I would have finished around 28 minutes...
My hubb did really well too for his first race, finishing just ahead of me. I can't wait for our next race together!
So...I have been thinking about running a lot lately. You all know that I had a 
Lunch Thursday: big ol' salad with spinach, baby blends, red bell pepper, broccoli, cucumber, hearts of palm, black olives, roasted garlic hummus and some TJ's fat free balsamic vinaigrette.
[207 cal]
Snacks Thursday: an apple (saved my pear for a snackie dessert bowl once home) and a Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut bar, 1/2 before my run and 1/2 after. I am IN LOVE with the WCMN bar...even more so than the iced gingerbread. Which is a good thing because the WCMN bar isn't seasonal!
[321 cal]
Exercise Thursday: 3-1/2 mile run with my friend Kelly...it was fabulous and got me totally pumped up for my 5K.
[-360 cal]
I actually made dinner in the morning and packed it up to take to the office with me, knowing it would be a late night.
Dinner Thursday: baked chicken breast with Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce, 1 cup steamed broccoli and 3/4 cup Near East Whole Grain Blends, roasted garlic flavor.
[406 cal]
And I know you all have seen this fabulous sauce popping up all over the blog world... I received two bottles of Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce last week and was excited to try it on my chicken. Let me tell you, it is some good stuff. Its kind of a cross between bbq and worschestshire sauce, with a smokey tang that truly would be good on most anything I can imagine.
I"ll be hosting a give-away so that a couple of my lovely readers can try out their own bottles of Country Bob's, but I need to clarify a couple of things with the company first. Stay tuned!
Dessert Thursday: snackie dessert bowl with 1 sliced pear, 2 heaping tbsp Fage 0% yogurt, 1 tsp honey. No picture, I was too tired.
[149 cal]
Daily Totals: Thursday
Lunch Friday: 1/2 a leftover chicken breast, thawed black-eyed peas and ham from New Years Day on a bed of spinach, and some red grapes.
[360 cal]
Snacks Friday: a mandarin orange, I decided against my apple because it just didn't sound good. Weird. However, when my boss brought in red wine, cheese and crackers for our Friday afternoon festivities, that sounded good. It had been a long week, and it wasn't close to being over. I had a small glass of wine and about 2oz of swiss cheese, with 4 table water crackers.
[402 cal]
I wanted to load up on carbs for our race the next morning, so dinner Friday was a kitchen sink pasta. Saturday is grocery day, so I had some veggies that I wanted to use up. Basically anything and everything I could find went in.
Dinner Friday: kitchen sink pasta and lots of water
[548 cal]
This yummy bowl contained:
It really hit the spot. Sometimes a big bowl of pasta is exactly what you need after a long week.
Daily Totals: Friday
Snacks Saturday: 1 pear and 4 table water crackers while at the office, a ZBar after grocery shopping
[311 cal]
My hubb and I had a lovely Valentine's Day evening. We started off at an engagement party for some good friends. I have a picture of Liz and I, but sadly none of me with my hubb! Such a shame because he looked so handsome all dressed up...
After the party we went to dinner at
For lunch I made my hubb a couple of mexi-wraps because we were out of lunch meat (his typical packed lunch of choice). They looked SO good that I decided to make one for myself too.
Lunch: mexi-wrap made with whole wheat tortilla, spinach, salsa, black beans, frozen corn, black olives, red bell pepper, 1 tbsp monterrey jack cheese and green onions
[246 cal]
Snacks: I packed grapes and a pear, but wound up saving my pear for later. I did go on a walk to the coffee shop with my hubb and gave in to a gluten-free chocolate biscotti - it was just one of those kind of days.
[grapes = 110 cal, biscotti = 280 (a went with the highest calorie count I found on myfooddiary...it was a big biscotti)]
For dinner I packed myself some leftover
When I finally got home I was craving some dessert My pear made a reappearance...in a snackie dessert bowl!
Dessert: 6oz Oikos honey-flavored yogurt, 1 sliced pear and 3 lemon snaps, crumbled
[341 cal]
See what I mean? It was such a snackie, intuitive day full of little 250 cal - 350 cal meals. I actually really liked it, and my numbers aren't too bad either.
Daily Totals:
Lunch: leftover potato leek soup with kale, and a hearty oat biscuit.
[437 cal]
Afternoon Snack: 6oz 0% Fage and one AMAZING Murcott Mandarin Orange...it was like eating an orange creamsicle dessert!
[130 cal]
I planned to go for a run after work, so had my a pre-run snack at my usual 5pm time. But, I wound up staying late at the office and got home too late for a run...I was just too beat. And THAT is why I need to get to bed earlier...so that I can get my bootie out of bed for my morning run! Its just so hard to stay motivated to work out at the end of the day, I'd much rather come home and get dinner going so we can start winding down.
Afternoon Snack #2: Clif chocolate chip ZBar...my fave. I love these little guys!
[130 cal]
Dinner tonight was quick, simple and DELICIOUS. I found a recipe for Lentil Chili with Cumin and Green Onions in the February 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. I planned to follow it exactly, but found that we were out of a couple of key ingredients, Chili Powder and Tomato Puree. So instead I modified it slightly, substituting Ancho Chili Pepper, tomato sauce and tomato paste. I also added frozen corn at the last minute and am so glad that I did. The corn cut the heat of the chili with a lovely, mild sweetness, really increasing the depth of flavors.
Lentil Chili with Cumin, Corn and Green Onions [adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2008]
made 2 dinner servings and 1 small lunch serving
362 calories, 7.6g fat, 1.4g sat fat, 58g carbs, 18g fiber, 19g protein
Ingredients:
Chop kale into large bite-size pieces. Rinse well. Saute' 2 garlic cloves in 2 tsp olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add drained kale, with water still clinging to leaves. Stir, allowing the kale to wilt slightly. Cover the saucepan and let kale steam for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and stir, tossing kale for about a minute. Squeeze 1/4 of one lemon on kale, and sprinkle with sea salt. SO GOOD.
Dinner: lentil chili, sauteed kale and a hearty oat biscuit.
[630 cal - eek! a little high tonight, especially since I didn't get my planned run in...]
Alrighty, I'm off to bed, with 8 minutes to spare! WooHoo!!! I hope you all have a great night...get some sleep!!! :)
My hubb was such a sweetie and made me this gorgeous salad for lunch, complete with homemade vinaigrette! He even took pictures...can you believe him?!? I also was craving some soup, so I ran across the street to 
My salad had:
When we got home I knew I wanted something warm and comforting. Luckily I had some soup on the menu... This weekend I managed to fit in 2 long hot baths, complete with bubbles, vino and the latest Bon Appetit magazine. I also had the February 2008 issue of BA, which I hadn't had a chance to read last year because I was deeply entrenched in my graduate studies. I held on to all of my neglected foodie magazines so that I could read them this year, during their intended month to take advantage of the seasonal recipes always featured. I read about yukon gold potatoes, kale, meyer lemons and leeks. My reading left me craving a hearty winter soup...and a lemon drop martini. I fulfilled the first craving tonight, the second will probably wait until the weekend. :)
Tonight's dinner isn't a recipe from BA, unfortunately...it probably would have turned out a bit better if it had been. It was good, the flavors were spot-on, but the texture of the soup was a bit, well, gluey. For lack of a better descriptor. I believe the reason for the extra thick creaminess was my use of yukon golds, which in hindsight I think would be better suited to a chunky soup than a pureed soup. Lesson learned. I will definitely try this recipe again, just with a different type of potato.
Dinner: potato leek soup with kale and hearty oat biscuits.
[437 cal]
Potato Leek Soup with Kale
226 calories, 7.4g fat, 1g sat fat, 37.5 carbs, 4.9g fiber, 9.2g protein
makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
I also made some
Dessert: more beautiful grapes.
[110 cal]
Alrighty, I'm feeling much better now but am ready for bed. I really want to get up in the morning for my run so that I can keep my evening free for yoga, although that means I'll only be getting about 5.5 hours of sleep. :( There are not enough hours in a day!!! How many hours of sleep do you get a night? I feel really lucky if I get 7, but I'm usually closer to 6. Not good...
G'night!
This yummy bowl contained:
I took clothes with me to the office so that I could run home after my haircut. It was such a gorgeous afternoon that I decided to push myself and take the long way home, about 4-1/2 miles. It was tough, I was dragging because I hadn't run more than 3-1/2 miles in the last couple of weeks with my foot injury. And, my foot was pretty sore when I was finished. :( It did feel great to be outside though, stretching my legs and soaking in the sun.
Saturday Exercise: 4-1/2 mile run, 10 min/mile pace
[-475 cal]
Saturday Afternoon Snack: the other 1/2 of my Clif Iced Gingerbread bar and my blood orange, perfect re-fuel after my run.
[193 cal]
I was wiped out when I got home, so the grocery trip my hubb and I had planned got bumped to Sunday. It also led to a very lazy evening during which cooking didn't really seem like an option, so we ordered in. If you've been reading my blog for long you know that Thai is our take-out of choice, and last night was no exception. :)
Saturday Dinner: take-out pad thai and veggie spring rolls with pineapple spice dipping sauce.
[about 525 cal]
We watched 
Sunday Exercise: YOGA!!! At my normal studio. I've realized that the new studio that I bought an unlimited month pass to doesn't have many classes that work with my schedule, so I'll be continuing to join my normal Sunday class that I love love love so much. Today was no disappointment. I was a sweaty, leg-shaky pile of goo afterwards.
[about -250 cal]
Sunday Afternoon Snack #1: a Clif Nectar bar, consumed immediately after yoga. Thank goodness I had it in my purse.
[160 cal]
My eating schedule always gets off on Sundays because I typically sleep later than normal then have yoga from 12:30-1:30, aka lunchtime. Today I had to go back to the office for another hour then went grocery shopping, so lunch slipped right by me. Needless to say I was famished while grocery shopping (bad, bad idea) and gave in to these Mi-Del Lemon Snaps.
I of course ripped into them as soon as I got in the car. They are SO GOOD! Just a hint of lemon with the same crunch as a classic ginger snap. They are dangerous... When I realized that I could easily finish the whole bag on my way home, I quickly reached behind me for the bag of grapes and noshed on them instead.
Sunday Afternoon Snack #2: 5 Mi-Del Lemon Snaps and a handful of red grapes (recreated for your viewing pleasure...).
[250 cal]
I had big plans to make dinner tonight, but when I opened the fridge I realized that we still had some leftovers to use up. So...another repeat.
Sunday Dinner: leftover Pad Thai and a big ol' salad. Also, a glass of cab (which was actually started while sitting on the back deck with my hubb and our pupps, enjoying our amazing weather).
[salad = 225 cal, thai = about 350 cal]
My salad contained:
Sunday Dessert: 2 lemon snaps and another bunch of grapes...they just looked so good when I was taking their picture for the snack re-creation.
[155 cal]
This post has taken forever for me to write because I'm watching the Grammy's at the same time. :) And now, its just about bed time. But first, a big reminder that tomorrow starts the 
Not nearly as pretty as when freshly made, but still just as tasty! PS: you'll be seeing this again.... :)
Afternoon Snack: 1/2 a Clif Iced Gingerbread bar...I only have 1-1/2 left and will be so sad when they are gone!
[125 cal]
When I got home from work last night, totally brain dead, I decided to go for a run. I went to campus and did a 3-1/4 mile loop at about a 10 min/mile pace. I REALLY enjoy my 3-4 mile runs. I've been thinking a lot about long distance running lately, and my training, and have lots to share with you. But not this morning. Soon, I promise. :)
When I got home I did 25 minutes of vinyasa flows...lots of down dogs, chathurangas, warriors, twisted triangles and pigeon. Perfect way to stretch out my hamstrings and hips. :)
Exercise: 3-1/4 mile run, 25 minutes of vinyasa yoga
[about -400 calories]
Dinner: leftover 
Dessert: snackie bowl with 6oz 0% Fage, 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, small handful of Annie's Bunnies
[223 cal]
It is such a BEAUTIFUL day here! The high is supposed to be 60*!!! Woohoo!!! I planned to go for a run this morning when I woke up but it was still only 23*, I decided to wait until later when it will be MUCH more enjoyable. :)
What are your plans for today? Unfortunately, I have to work. Boo. I'm getting ready to go to the office, but I have a hair appointment at 2pm so will have to stop working then. After that I'm going for a run, then to the grocery store with my hubb to stock up for the week, and maybe a movie tonight?We'll see. Busy day!
I hope you all have a great Saturday!
The lasagna was excellent reheated for lunch, just like it should be. :) My salad contained:
Dinner: the best split pea soup I've ever had! And a slice of homemade honey wheat bread that I pulled out of the freezer.
[502 cal]
I've never made split pea soup before, but it was so easy and so deliciously warming on this very cold winter night. The hot italian sausage added the perfect amount of heat, just at the back of the throat. It was the perfect complement to the sweetness of the peas and carrots. And the rosemary? Divine. Just the right touch of earthiness. This soup has made its way solidly to our list of regulars, I feel certain.
Split Pea + Sausage Soup [inspired by
Lunch: a salmon spinach salad. I had about 2.5oz of salmon leftover from last night, 1/2 cup of TJ's Harvest Blends and 2 cups of fresh spinach. I also crumbled 4 walnut halves on top and squeezed blood orange juice all over it. SO TASTY!!! I'm usually a little weary of leftover fish, but I actually really loved the salmon icy cold on top of a salad. Also, a blood orange.
[340 cal]
Snacks: I forgot to take pictures! :( I had a single-serve Oikos, blueberry flavor, at 3:30 and a Quaker True Delights granola bar at 5:00. Both were delicious and kept me fueled for yoga.
[250 cal]
Exercise: YOGA!!! Oh how I love going to classes. Tonight I tried out a new studio that several friends have recommended numerous times. They are running a special right now that all new students can sign up for unlimited classes for one month for only $50!!! I jumped on that, so you'll be seeing lots of yoga workouts popping up on the blog for the next 4 weeks. WooHoo! :) I'm excited to improve my balancing and upper body strength...I am majorly lacking in that area of yoga. Tonight's class was a 90 minute Intro to Ashtanga. I've always gone to Vinyasa classes, which are very similar to Ashtanga, but I think Ashtanga has the potential to be more strenuous. Both are considered to be power yoga, and both leave me dripping with sweat. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to trying out more classes at the studio! :)
I wasn't sure how to count my calories...myfooddiary isn't too specific. They just break up yoga into "power" and "stretching". So I counted 60 minutes of "power" and 30 minutes of "stretching", figuring I was REALLY working for at least 2/3's the class, and the other 1/3 was warm-up and cool-down. Anybody have any other suggestions?
[-400 calories]
My hubb and I cooked dinner together tonight. I love that! We made a healthier version of lasagna, inspired by the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook, one of my faves.
Dinner: "healthified" veggie lasagna and a small glass of cabernet
[about 550 cal]
This lasagna was SO good, and while we couldn't eat it every night, it is so much healthier than my old meaty, cheesy, creamy versions from the past.
Healthified Veggie Lasagna [inspired by the 
Must. Go. To. Bed. G'night! :)
Edited to Add
Daily Total:
Sadly, most of it has now melted. I think they've predicted more for tomorrow though. I don't mind the cold as much when we have snow to look forward to!
Before I get to far ahead of myself, I wanted to share the last of yesterday's eats with you. I decided to discard the cabernet that I wasn't enjoying and made a snackie dessert bowl instead (are you proud, 
Back to Tuesday...
My days are going by SO fast because I am SO busy at work! I've got a big deadline next Friday and I'm working really hard during the days to try and keep the late nights next week to a minimum. Its stressful, but I'd much rather be busy at work than bored like I was for the last few weeks. I had planned to get up early for some morning yoga, but forgot to turn my phone volume on after work yesterday so slept through my alarm for over an hour! Yikes. Needless to say I was in a bit of a rush, so I packed my breakfast to take with me to the office.
Breakfast: 6oz Fage 0%, 1/4 cup TJ's pumpkin spice granola, 1 banana, 1 medjool date.
[355 calories]
SO good! And it stayed with me for a full 4 hours.
I had a bit of a fish theme going on today...lots of protein and Omega 3's! :)
Lunch: tuna salad wrap on 8" whole wheat tortilla with yellow bell pepper and spinach, the rest of the tuna salad with peppers and carrots and two Back to Nature multigrain flax crackers.
[about 400 calories]
The tuna salad contained:
Snacks: a pink lady apple at 3:30 and a Clif ZBar at 5:30, to fuel me for a run.
[211 calories]
I decided to skip tonight's yoga class and go for a run. The weather was decent (30* and clear), and it got warm enough today to melt the ice on the sidewalks. They are predicting snow again tomorrow so I decided I should run while I had the chance, and go to a yoga class tomorrow night instead. It was great! I think my feet have gotten used to my new inserts because I didn't have much pain at all. I'm still planning to see a podiatrist because I don't think I should have to deal with any pain while running, right?!?
Exercise: 3-mile run, 10 min/mile pace. 20 minutes of vinyasa flows to stretch out afterwards. I'm feelin' good! :)
[- 400 calories]
Dinner tonight was inspired by 
The asparagus was super-easy, and SO good! I heated olive oil in a non-coated skillet, then added 1 clove of garlic to saute' for about a minute. Then the asparagus went in, with some salt and ground pepper. After it had been cooking for 3-4 minutes, the garlic was really starting to brown and trying to stick to the pan. I splashed in about 1/2 cup of orange juice to de-glaze, gave everything a stir and covered the pan. The heat was lowered to simmer and the asparagus cooked for another 3-4 minutes until tender. YUM.
This TJ's blend was really good too...israeli couscous, baby garbonzo beans, orzo and red quinoa. We cooked ours in chicken broth for a little extra flavor.
Thank you all for the sweet comments about my new table! I know it will take some getting used to, but I'm glad you're open to it. I'll get a picture of the whole thing soon, but I'm waiting until our new dining room light gets here so you get the whole picture. :)
Daily Recap:
This yummy bowl contained:
Morning Snack: 3 dried apricots and 3 walnut halves (leftover from my road food snack this weekend). My breakfast only hung with me for about 3 hours, I was really glad that I had these in my bag.
[104 calories]
Lunch: salad! Oh how I missed thee... And a pink lady apple.
[358 calories]
Afternoon Snack: 5 dried apricots and 3 walnut halves. Again, a light lunch today, so I was glad I had these.
[137 calories]
Dinner: two tiny slivers of carmelized onion, blue cheese + bacon pizza ( I didn't eat the crust...just not a fan of the dough!), a spinach salad and a glass of cabernet. It was a salad kind of day! The cabernet isn't very good, I really doubt I'll finish it but I've counted its calories just in case. If I decide to ditch it I've already got a snackie dessert bowl forming in my head... :)
[570 calories]
My salad consisted of:
I'm really kicking myself for not getting out of bed this morning for a run. The weather was lovely, its getting light earlier, but I got to bed so late last night that I just couldn't get up. And now? Rain. And later tonight? Snow. I'm really starting to dislike Virginia in the winter. How we could go from a high of 62* yesterday, high of 59* today, and snow by midnight tonight is beyond me!!! Argh. Oh well, I am planning on going to yoga tomorrow night at my favorite studio with my favorite instructor...nothing beats 90 minutes of yoga. Nothing. And rain and snow can't stop me! :)
I hope you all have a great night!
Lunch: baked sweet potato with 1/4 cup wheat berries, 1 cup steamed broccoli, 2 tbsp edamame, 2 tbsp corn, sea salt
[341 calories]
Snacks: [for today and tomorrow's road trips] small pink lady apple, clif bar, quaker true delights bar, walnut halves and dried turkish apricots. These will be spread out over the next couple of days, and probably not all consumed. But I've included calorie counts below so that I can pick and choose to make up my snacks while I'm out of town. What do you pack for road trips?
[apple = 80 calories, clif bar = 250 calories, true delights bar = 140 calories, 1/4 cup walnut halves = 215 calories, 1/2 cup dried apricots = 173 calories]
And I'm off! Have a great weekend!!! :)
This was lighter in calories than a normal breakfast for me, but it stuck with me for about 3-1/2 hours! I was impressed. I need to keep this combo in mind for future mornings. I knew that I had a later than normal lunch planned for today, so I packed a morning snack to keep me going. This was perfect, it helped to bridge the gap so I wasn't ravenous at lunch time.
Morning Snack: 6 walnut halves, 2 tbsp dried cherries
[178 calories]
Lunch: at one of my favorite C'ville spots, 
I had to work late tonight, then had errands to run before heading home. I didn't walk in the door until after 9pm, at which point I was STARVING! My hubb ordered us Chinese once he knew I was en route (he hung some shelves in our laundry room tonight! yay!). I went a little overboard... My standard healthy take-out order is steamed veggies and tofu with steamed rice, sauce on the side. Tonight I substituted the steamed rice for some leftover whole wheat pasta we had in the fridge. At the last second I requested egg drop soup because it sounded so good, and I couldn't resist when my hubb offered me 1/2 his veggie egg roll. And, of course, the fortune cookie. :) The calorie count is an estimate from what I could find on myfooddiary...
Dinner: take-out steamed veggies + tofu on 1 cup whole wheat pasta, 2 tbsp garlic sauce, 1-1/2 cups egg drop soup, 1/2 a veggie egg roll, 1 fortune cookie
[about 600 calories - eek! I let my hunger take over... note to self, pack an emergency bar in purse in case of late nights in the office!]
Sadly, I missed all exercise today. I've been getting to bed so late that I have a hard time yanking myself out of bed in the morning. And with as late as I got home tonight, there was no running. :( Its probably a good thing though because my foot has been bothering me today. Argh!!! So frustrating.
Tomorrow I'm heading to Charlotte for my friend Christine's baby shower!!! I'm super-excited. We're staying overnight so I probably won't be posting again until Sunday. I hope you all have a great Friday and weekend!
This DELICIOUS bowl contained:
Afternoon Snack: 1/2 cup plain Fage 0% and one tangelo.
[132 cal]
Extras: 3 Dove dark chocolate hearts [126 cal - I should try to skip these tomorrow], 10 Annie's Honey Bunnies [54 cal]
Dinner: saffron tomato fennel soup [
This oat bowl contained the usual:
Snack: 1/2 cup plain Fage 0% and 5 strawberries...the yogurt helps pick me up and keep me going through the rest of the afternoon, and makes me think I'm eating dessert. :)
Snackie Treats: I had a serious sweet tooth today! I ran to the CVS across the street for some Dove dark chocolate hearts and ate 3 throughout the day. I also had a date while fixing dinner.
Dinner: tofu veggie stir fry on jasmine rice...a quick, easy vegetarian favorite! We try to add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, but forgot again tonight as usual. We never remember until we've finished the meal!
This was a collaborative effort between my hubb and I tonight. He took care of the veggies, I took care of the rice, wheatberries and tofu. Our delectable meal contained:
This glaze consisted of (measurements are estimates...):
The tofu turns out just crispy on the outside, firmly silky on the inside. We LOVE it this way, and haven't been able to stray in years.
My hubb sauteed the veggies in a bit of olive oil and soysauce, then added the Trader Joe's soyaki sauce and tofu once the veggies were tender. This sauce is really great. We usually buy Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce from Soy Vay, but I picked this up last time I was at TJ's and it is almost as good, for much less $$$!
My bowl contained 1/2 cup jasmine rice, 1/2 cup wheatberries (boiled tonight to keep for the week) and about 1-1/2 cups of veggies + tofu. Yum!
Dessert: a Quaker True Delights toasted coconut banana macadamia nut granola bar, split with my hubb. YUM!!!!!! These bars are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. When I opened the package I almost passed out from the unbelievably good scent that met my nose. And the flavor was perfect...not artificial tasting at all. I could eat one for dessert every night, and they are only 140 calories!
Exercise: YOGA!!!! Mmmmmmmm. We've been having an ice storm for most of the day so the sidewalks were far to treacherous for a run this evening. I didn't even want to go back out to the yoga studio and drive on the slick roads. So, instead, I popped my favorite Power Yoga dvd into my computer and stretched out my unused muscles for 55 minutes. It felt SO good, but made me realize how much my week off from exercise has affected my strength, flexibility and endurance! Good news though, my foot felt GREAT! I'm READY for a run, as soon as the weather cooperates! :)
Question, What's your favorite yoga pose? Least favorite? I think my favorites are pigeon and twisted triangle, my least favorite is currently twisted prayer lunge (I think that's what its called...).
G'night!
Last week I decided that maybe it was time to give chard another chance, in the name of trying new things and expanding my veggie-loving horizons. I bought 2 bunches and planned to try preparing them using 
We had a couple of ingredients in the fridge leftover from this weekend, bacon and heavy cream, two items I don't get to cook with very often in my quest to eat healthfully. So, in the name of not wanting to waste more ingredients in my fridge, this recipe was born.
Swiss Chard + Bacon Linguine with Butternut Squash Cream Sauce
makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
This was really delicious. Swiss chard and I are now good friends, and I think we have quite the future ahead of us... What vegetable have you tried in the past but written off because of an unpleasant first experience?
Ahh routine. I LOVED spending so much time with friends this weekend and having an excuse to eat several meals out and drink lots of wine, but my body is thanking me for getting back on track. I was starting to feel a little blah what with all the unhealthy eats, vino and lack of exercise due to a sore foot, so today was definitely a welcome change. Granted, my dinner included a small amount of bacon and cream, but at least it was whole and homemade. :)
I started the morning off inspired by the custard oats I've seen pop up on both 
To make the custard oats I combined 1/2 cup soymilk, 1/2 cup water, 2 egg whites and 1 tsp vanilla in a small pot on the stovetop. I set the heat way too high and walked away from the stove, resulting in a very smelly mess of boiled over milk and eggs. Thank goodness for glass cooktops! Yuck. I didn't want to give up, so I quickly jumped back on Heather's blog to read that I was supposed to keep the heat on medium and whisk the ingredients constantly until they thicken a bit. MUCH better. At this point I added 1/2 cup of rolled oats and kept the heat on medium, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes. After the oats had thickened quite a bit more, but were still a little runny, I removed the pot from the heat and covered it to allow for additional thickening while cooling.
I topped my bowl with:
This beauty contained:
Snack: a peanut butter cookie larabar. After witnessing several of my fellow bloggers ignore the salmonella scare and refuse to waste their favorite bars, I decided to do the same. Its my favorite flavor, and I can't find them ANYWHERE (or at least can't remember where I found this one) so I decided to risk it. Probably stupid, huh? It was tasty though! :)
Ok, this post has been really long. I'll quickly tell you that I didn't get a run in tonight because I had to work late, but my foot is feeling much better! There is still slight pain, so its probably best that I gave it another day before pounding the pavement. I do have plans for some yoga tomorrow morning though, and I can't wait!
Oh, and I almost forgot! Look what was waiting for me when I got home tonight...Quaker True Delights bars from Foodbuzz!!!
I've been dying to try these new bars from Quaker since seeing them on 
I really enjoyed this dish. The flavors all went so well together. And most of all, I enjoyed being in the kitchen again! :)
A quick recap of my other eats yesterday...
Breakfast: toasted Ezekiel cinnamon raisin muffin with 2 tbsp natural peanut butter and a sliced banana.
Lunch: 1 cup of Amy's Curried Lentil Soup and another lovely salad.
The soup was really good, but way more calories than I normally look for in a soup. There are 230 cal/1 cup serving, and I typically look for that many calories total in the can.
This salad contained: