Posts from — June 2010

This was a weird morning.  No run scheduled and it felt really strange.  You get used to a routine and it becomes the norm.  But, I decided to change it for now.  I mentioned this in my post the other day when I celebrated my longest run ever.  I know it sounded bizarre after having such a great run, so I’ll explain.

For the past, oh I don’t know…about 6 months?, I’ve been running every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.  I’ve slowly increased my distance along the way working my way up to the 6 mile mark.  On the alternate days, I hit the gym for an hour at a time.  I only take one day off from exercise (so why the HELL is my butt still ginormous??!!), that would be Saturday. 

The Thursday before my last big run, I felt done.  I was burnt out.  I felt it in my mind and my body was feeling it, too.  After my last few runs, I was exhausted.  Not just “good workout” exhausted, I was physically extremely tired.  Once, I even took a nap afterward.  Unheard of in my life!  I realized that I have been basically keeping a half marathon schedule for these past months.  It’s wearing on me and I don’t want to completely tank before I start my “official” half marathon training the last week in August.  So, until then, I’m decreasing my runs.  I’m only going to run one day a week, but will still keep up with my cross and strength training on the other days.  That way, when training time hits… I’ll be ready.  Then, it’s ON!!!

So, what does one do when there is no running in the morning?  Have coffee of course!

Boo to grounds in the cup     Like little beady eyes looking at me….

I had breakfast, too…

Yogurt bowl is back!

• 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 2 tbsp. reduced-fat unsweetened coconut

Like snow…

The daughters and I had a busy day doing stuff they could complain about every second tons of fun things   Amidst the hoopla, I made a quick lunch.  Love when leftovers help out.  I threw some chick peas in with the Grilled Sweet Potato Salad.  It was a perfect combo….

I was out most of the afternoon and really missed my snack.  By the time dinner rolled around, I couldn’t wait to dive in!

Grilled turkey burgers with lite havarti cheese on an Ezekiel bun…

and my favorite salad (no garden tomatoes, yet)…

I even made cookies for dessert!  Legal ones… no added sugar   I saw Lauren’s recipe for Flourless PB&J  Thumbprints and decided to give them a whirl with some “no sugar” tweaks.  They came out yummy!

I’ll share my changes with you tomorrow (forgot my notes down in the kitchen!).  Lazy, I know!  But, I’ve got a date with yogadownload.com right now!  Going to get my Chaturanga on

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you usually follow a recipe “as is” or do you make changes to it?

I got to sleep in until 7  this morning!  I have to say, it felt NICE!  My body was a bit sore from yesterday’s run, so I didn’t push myself to get to the gym.  Instead, I did a home workout and I even changed it up by doing it after dinner.  More on that, later.

First, there was coffee…

Can’t change that routine!

I got all crazy for breakfast and brought back the open-faced omelet from breakfasts past…

This one was Turkey Sausage and Cheese…

• 1 egg + 2 egg whites
• 1 turkey breakfast sausage, diced
• 1 Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedge

Along with sliced sweet strawberries…

For sleeping in, I was all kinds of productive this morning!  I got lots of laundry done, cleaning and even some blog reading

Before I knew it… lunch time!

I made a sandwich with Ezekiel bread, turkey, light cheese, avocado mash, dijon and baby spinach…

And a simple side of grapes…

with a small handful of peanuts…

Later in the afternoon, I took the daughters on a little shopping excursion in celebration of stellar report cards.  This kind of shopping, they like!

I was feeling the need for a snack when we got home…

I’m finding a mix of protein and carbs is satisfying me more.  At least this week

I was so excited for dinner – grilled chicken tenders and Grilled Sweet Potato Salad …

The Grilled Sweet Potato Salad recipe hails from Kalyn’s Kitchen and is absolutely amazing!  I loved the flavors of this salad.  I made a few slight changes/substitutions based on what I had on hand :  red onion instead of green onion, my own dressing and reduced-fat feta instead of regular…

It is super delicious and filling!

When dinner settled, I headed to the basement for a workout with the daughters in tow!  Part of the summer routine for them is my 30 MBS PLAN – 30 minutes mind (reading, online language class, math work), 30 minutes body (exercise, preferably outdoor), and 30 minutes spirit (religious or whatever renews their spirit)!

When I announced this summer plan before school ended, they cried.  Then asked if they could just go to summer school.  When I said no, they tried to get adopted into another family with a fun Mom.

No dice.  They’re stuck with me.

Anyhoo, our 30 minutes of body tonight included random acts of basement fitness for them and a weight training session for me.  I used my GYMBOSS to keep time with my sets and rest period.  I tend to not want to rest between sets, so this really helped!  A fun new way to use it! 

I did a full body circuit much like the one at the gym:  chest fly, reverse bench fly, seated bicep curls, incline bench press, tricep kickbacks,  one arm row, squats and some ab work.  I’m loving weight training!  It makes me feel badass.  Pumping big 5-8 lb. dumbells does that to a girl

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite strength training move? Mine is chest fly!

Happy Monday!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We had some milestone birthday parties this weekend!

First, we celebrated my BIL’s 60th birthday party with a surprise event at their home.  My SIL did a great job pulling that one off!  The food was delicious. 

Especially the cake…

so I was told   Yes, I refused the birthday cake.  Sad, but true.  There was a milestone right there!

Today, we remotely celebrated my grandmother’s 100th birthday!  She lives in Italy and was having the whole town come to wish her happy birthday.  We Skyped our family in Italy and sang “Happy Birthday” in Italian to her!  So cool!  I hope I can get to 100 years, too!

In other milestone news…

I met my running partner, Kerry, this morning for a most humid and hot run.  But, we didn’t let it get us down!  We knocked out a sweaty 6.13 miles – my longest run ever!!  I was so psyched to finally hit that 6 mile mark…

We made a couple pit stops back at the car for a drink because it was just so hot.  I came to the conclusion that I really need a Camelbak!

Our overall time was 1 hour and 20 minutes with 20 intervals of 3:1…

I’m so proud of us for getting that far.  Just knowing I’m getting to the halfway distance mark for my upcoming half marathon makes me feel more confident that I can do it! 

And now, I feel it’s time for me to scale back on my running.  I know that sounds like the weirdest thing right now, but I’ll talk more about it in an upcoming post

Okay, so on to the food…

Well, coffee first

Breakfast was my new favorite – Cottage Cheese Fruit Bowl…

• 3/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese
• 1/2 diced gala apple
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 2 tsp. sliced almonds
• 2 tsp. reduced-fat unsweetened coconut

I never liked cottage cheese so much!  The coconut really makes it.  I found this in my local Giant Supermarket…

Delish…

A while later, I had a small snack – egg whites on Triscuits…

Funny looking egg whites, right?  See, I had this idea to use up my carton of egg whites…

I bought them because I was feeling badly about chucking all the egg yolks when I made my egg sandwiches, etc.  However, sometimes, ya just want a hard boiled egg!  Again, I waste the yolks.  So I came up with a method to simulate a hard boiled egg white.  I’ve tried the microwave and it’s just not the same as that firm boiled egg.  Instead, I baked them!  Here’s the method for my Hard Baked Egg Whites…

A mini-muffin tin coated with cooking spray…

A large roasting pan with sides…

Place tin in roasting pan and fill each cup with 2 tbsp. egg whites…

*note:  do not shake the carton before using as instructed

Fill roasting pan with VERY HOT water until it reaches just under the lip of the muffin tin…

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until firm …

Let cool slightly.  Run a knife around the edges and release egg whites from the pan.

Make a tower cuz it’s fun…

They were nice and firm with the texture of a hard boiled egg.  Easy to make ahead and store in the fridge for snacking…

And no peeling!  Don’t ya just hate that job?!

At lunchtime, we met at my parents’ new home where we Skyped, celebrated and ate.  Mom made a roasted chicken, salad and had hoagie bites for the kids.

I enjoyed my chicken and salad with an Ezekiel roll and a smidge of buttah!

When back at the homestead, I noshed on an apple with warm natural peanut butter (thanks for that idea, Tamara!)…

Dinner was a filling bowl of brown rice pasta with Trader Joe’s Giant White Beans and leftover sauteed spinach…

Now, if I could just get the rest of the family to eat this……that would be one amazing milestone

Have a great day, everyone!

Would you want to live to 100?  Why or why not?

It’s the weekend!  This week has flown by, don’t ya think?!

I had an awesome night’s sleep and really didn’t want to get up for the gym this morning.  I was [this close]  to talking myself out of it, but bucked up and went!  So glad I did!  I enjoy doing the 30 minute strength training circuit;  it’s quick and energizing!

But, one can always use a little more energizing…

Breakfast was a delicious new mix…

• 3/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 tbsp. sliced almonds
• 1 tsp. reduced fat unsweetened coconut <— awesome

A great bowl!

Despite the decent amount of protein, this didn’t hold me over very long   I’ve been noticing my hunger picking up again.  Every couple of hours my stomach is complaining at me!  Honestly, it makes me nervous.  I want to honor my hunger, yet I feel uncomfortable eating so often because I always have “loss” in the back of my mind, I guess.  I’m not sure how to handle this.  I’m thinking of adding an additional small snack mid-morning to see if that helps out.

So, lunch came early!  A taco turkey burger with cheese on Ezekiel sesame bun…

and the first cucumber from our garden…

made into a cucumber, tomato and carrot salad as a side…

Can’t wait for our tomatoes!

I picked around the pantry this afternoon.  A few Triscuits, a slice of turkey and a few grapes.  Nothing excessive…. or exciting

Dinner was exciting, though!  While the family was diving into pizza, I decided to try out this new find…

The nutritionals are great…

The ingredients are clean and recognizable!

Ready in 2 minutes!

I served it with sauteed spinach and treated myself to some naan for scooping…

This meal was terrific!  It tasted home-cooked and fresh.  I will absolutely be buying it again!

In honor of the weekend, I whipped up another treat – Banana “ice cream” with peanut butter drizzle (1 tsp. natural peanut butter melted in the micro) and chopped peanuts…

Love <3

Have a great day, everyone!

What vegetables are you growing in your garden this year?

I got some fun mail the other day…

When I attended FitBloggin, the cool New Balance peeps said that they would be coming out with a toning shoe and would send some when they launched.  I actually forgot about it until I saw this package on my doorstep!

I like the neutral color they sent…

I really like what it says they will do…

Slim, burn, tone?  I’m in.

I wore them to the gym for my workout this morning…

I like the way they fit.  They feel different when you first put them on;  not like a regular sneaker.  It almost feels as if you are walking on a cushioned, narrow area.  Your foot is stable though and the shoe is very lightweight compared to some of the other toning shoes that I’ve tried on. 

I tackled the elliptical for 25 minutes, then the 30 minute weight circuit in my Rock & Tone kicks with no problems.  I’m glad to have these to wear for the gym so I don’t beat up my running shoes before their time.  And if they do the “slim, burn and tone” job – BONUS!  Here’s hoping

It was so hot and muggy, I wanted something cold for breakfast….

Ezekiel Golden Flax Cereal, skim milk and shiny blueberries did the trick.

That didn’t hold me over as well as I had hoped, so I ate lunch on the early side.  More Ezekiel was on the menu – Applegate Farms herbed turkey breast, homemade hummus  and lettuce on an Ezekiel english muffin…

I munched it down and finished with a surprisingly ripe, organic nectarine.  A plain but delicious lunch…

After lunch, I took the daughters to see The Karate Kid…

It was a great movie!  We loved it.  I want to learn Kung Fu now.  HiYa!  For now, I’ll just have to settle for singing “Kung Fu Fighting.”  Thank you for that ridiculous song, Carl Douglas.

The movie ran longer than I expected, so we got home right in time for dinner.  I really wanted Chinese food after watching this movie, but bison burgers were waiting for the grill. 

I snacked on a few Triscuits while singing grilling up the burgers…

I went bunless and added some baked crinkle potatoes and balsamic roasted mushrooms on the side…

Jenn and I were discussing watermelon water ice on Facebook and it got my craving going!  Lucky for me, I had some in the deep freeze…

Refreshing.  But needed some tequila…;)

Did you participate in the YumJared Sugar Sweet Free Day yesterday?  What a good cause!

Have a great day, everyone!

Have you ever taken a karate class?  The closest I have ever come to that —–> doing the disco kung fu moves to Kung Fu Fighting.  Scary.

I was slow going this morning.  Little daughter spiked a fever and was up a few times during the night, so I was dragging butt for my morning run.  I really didn’t want to go, but I made myself get out there.

It was stinkeroo for sure.  I was having all kinds of issues (foot hurt, knee hurt, pains in my EYE?!) and was all kinds of complainy with myself.  It was ridiculous….

I am not dramatic at all.

After taking more walk breaks than I like, I called off this run after hitting 3.25 miles…

Wimpy.

But, my breakfast wasn’t …

Egg white, cheese, turkey breakfast sausage on an Ezekiel english muffin. 

You need a hearty breakfast after a kick butt run

Operation Clean Out was the theme of the day.  I’m slowly working through the food items that have been hanging out too long in the freezer and fridge.  I’m trying to be better with not wasting and managing our food budget.  I’m usually the only one that eats leftovers, so I have to keep tabs on what’s in there!

Lunch was a group of “lasts”.  Last of the Ezekiel bread, last of the turkey, last slice of lite havarti and last of the baby spinach …

Paired with leftover baked sweet potatoes and the last of the grapes…

Just call me “The Cleaner.”

I was extra snacky this afternoon, probably because the daughters and I were hanging around the house.  We all decided on make your own microwave popcorn for noshing…

I ate all of mine….and the rest of theirs.    “The Cleaner”

More digging in the freezer for dinner.  I found some of Gram’s manicotti and heated that for the family. I decided on the last of the Gardein “chicken” tenders and a small salad…

I wanted to leave plenty of room for dessert!  The last of Chocolate Banana “Ice Cream”…

Here’s the recipe!

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream
*adapted from Get The Sugar Out by Anne Louise Gittleman

• 4 very ripe bananas, peeled
• 4 squares Baker’s All-Natural Unsweetened Chocolate
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Chop the chocolate…

Place in a bowl over simmering water and stir until melted…

Do not be tempted to lick melted chocolate off the spatula – it tastes bad.  Kinda like an ashtray.  Trust me.

Meanwhile, place bananas in the food processor.  Pulse until bananas become creamy.  Add vanilla.

After chocolate has cooled for a few minutes, add to banana mixture and run for about 30 seconds until fully incorporated…

Now, you can taste it!

It can be refrigerated and eaten this way – like a pudding, or transfer to a container and freeze.  *it freezes pretty hard, so take it out about 30 minutes before serving to soften for scooping*

I left a few chunks of banana for texture.  This is one decadent dessert!  Very intense chocolate flavor, much like gelato and sweet enough from the overripe bananas.  I think it would be just as chocolaty with only 3 chocolate squares.  I will try that next time!

You won’t be seeing the “last” of this

Have a great day, everyone!

*Thanks so much for the well wishes for little daughter!

What is the longest you have had a food item in the freezer?  Today, I found Spinach Artichoke Burgers from over a year ago!

Confirmed.  It’s a bulls- eye rash indicative of Lyme disease.  Little daughter will be fine.  Just has to guzzle this for the next 30 days…

Thankfully, she doesn’t upchuck this medicine.  Yay  

Glad we were able to catch it early on, though.  I have a few friends who had very serious health issues due to undetected Lyme disease.  It can be scary! 

So the day started off with worry and a trip to the gym.  I changed up my routine just a little – 30 minute express circuit workout, then 25 minutes on the Arc Trainer.  Basically, I flip-flopped it.  I pushed hard on the Arc Trainer today.  It’s so fun! <—-weirdo

I fixed up a yummy breakfast of press and an Ezekiel cinnamon raisin english muffin with almond butter goodness…

The daughters and I spent most of the morning getting our summer reading schedule going.  Big daughter aced a advanced reading test at school, then we headed to the library to stock up on more material.  I get so excited to hang out in libraries and book stores!  Could I be a bigger dork?!

We rushed home for lunch because little daughter was “hand-on-forehead- eyes-rolling- back- moaning-and-complaining” starrrrrrving.  She is not at all dramatic. 

I made everyone lunch in a nanosecond and just did a heat-and-eat for myself…

Leftovers!  I mixed the white bean salad with the remaining whole wheat orzo.  So tasty and fiberlicious

I picked up something new for me to try as an afternoon snack – Jay Robb Whey Protein…

Now, I’m not a big fan of protein powders.  First, I much prefer to eat food instead of drink.  Second, many of the protein powders that I’ve seen have so much junk in them – artificial flavors, sweeteners and additives- that I’d rather have real food.  But, I saw this in the vitamin store the other day and noticed that the ingredients are fairly decent.  Also, there is no added sugar, however it is sweetened with stevia.

The nutritional facts were pretty good…

I gave it a whirl with some water and frozen strawberries…

It wasn’t bad!  There was a tinge of aftertaste that comes with most protein powders, in my opinion, but it wasn’t chalky or gritty.  I would try this again (however, it is PRICEY – one packet cost me $2.50!) maybe with nonfat milk next time.  I just might become a protein shake convert!

Dinner was more leftovers…

• grilled shrimp
• white bean salad
• diced grilled zucchini

all on top of my favorite salad- tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and avocado!  Please don’t get tired of seeing this salad because I have a bazillion tomatoes and cucs exploding in my garden right now and I will be making it a lot!

I love cold, no-cook leftovers on a hot and muggy night!

I think some Chocolate Banana “Ice Cream” may be calling me!

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you use protein powders? 

The healthier Father’s Day menu was a success! 

We started off with hummus, carrots, Arnold Sandwich Thins and pita chips made with Ezekiel whole wheat pitas topped with an herb seasoning…

and Trader Joe’s Creamy Spinach Dip with the same dippers…

The main dishes were all about the grill.  The guys gotta have some steak…

I was really excited for this dish from Eating Well Magazine – Grilled Shrimp over White Bean Salad…

It was very fresh tasting and light!  My only change would be to cut back on the lemon in the dressing for next time.  Otherwise, it’s a keeper…

Another Eating Well Magazine keeper – Grilled Zucchini Salad with Shaved Parmesan…

I loved the addition of the toasted almonds! 

More green…

and some red!  I made bruschetta topping and put it on sliced Ezekiel hot dog buns.  The buns aren’t pre-sliced so you can slice them just as you would a baguette.  I toasted the slices in the oven, turning so that each side was crisp, then topped them.  Awesome…

Dinner at our house wouldn’t be complete without some sort of pasta.  I opted for whole wheat orzo and tossed it with bruschetta topping and 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese…

I filled my plate without trepidation …

and had plenty of room for dessert…

Chocolate Banana “Ice Cream” !!!  No sugar!!!  I will share the recipe with you this week. 

Right now, I have to go… unfortunately, this put a little damper on the festive night…

Little daughter has a bulls-eye rash on the back of her leg.  Off to the doc for a Lyme confirmation

Hope everyone enjoyed their day!  I was thrilled to be able to share the day with my 3 Dads!

left to right:  Dad-in-law, Dad of my daughters, My Dad

and with their “matching” presents…

Love you, DADS!!!

Have a great day, everyone!

What is your favorite health-related magazine?

As I am preparing for our Father’s Day celebration dinner today, I couldn’t help but look back at last year’s eats (one of the fun things about having a blog!).  My menu is so different this year.  I really strived to focus on offering healthy choices.  Of course, we’ll have desserts and some steak, but everything else is healthy and balanced. 

And I’m okay with it.  I’m not worried that no one will like it.  I’m not worried that they will be disappointed to not see their favorites on the table.  I’m doing it because I care.  I love my husband, my parents and my in-laws so much and I want to serve them food that is healthy and good for them. 

Food will always be love to me.  It’s part of my culture and how I grew up. But, I can change the food that shows love.  They will still know I made it with love and with healthy hearts in mind

It’s a total paradigm shift.  I guess it’s all part of the journey, right?

It’s the Journey that’s Important…

by: John McLeod

Life, sometimes so wearying
Is worth its weight in gold
The experience of traveling
Lends a wisdom that is old
Beyond our ‘living memory’
A softly spoken prayer:
"It’s the journey that’s important,
Not the getting there!"
Ins and outs and ups and downs
Life’s road meanders aimlessly?
Or so it seems, but somehow
Leads us where we need to be,
And being simply human
We oft question and compare….
"Is the journey so important
Or the getting there?"
And thus it’s always been
That question pondered down the ages
By simple men with simple ways
To wise and ancient sages….
How sweet then, quietly knowing
Reaching destination fair:
"It’s the journey that’s important,
Not the getting there!"

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads

Have a great day, everyone!

It was the first day of my new early morning workout.  It feels a little strange being at the gym 2 hours before I normally get there!  You get used to seeing the same people when you go at a certain time and now, there’s a whole new crowd.  Well, “crowd” is an exaggeration.  Not as many people there at that hour.  Only the nutjobs

Anyway, I had a good workout – 25 minutes on the Arc Trainer, then the 30 minute express circuit.  I’m really loving lifting weights.  Surprisingly, I get a good sweat going and feel so strong when I’m done.  I’m going to stay with it and take measurements.  I’m interested to see if I can change my body with strength training along with running on the alternate days!

When I got home, the husband already had little daughter up and settled into her routine.  He is the best and so supportive of my new workout schedule.

Since all was calm on the homefront, I hit up the press right away…

And got breakfast going, too…

The “daily special” again!  This time, I went full tilt and added egg white to the turkey breakfast sausage, cheese and Ezekiel english muffin.  Lookout, Mickey D’s!

I had plans to help my parents who made settlement on their new home today.  Before meeting up with them,  I made a huge salad for lunch.  I knew I’d be doing a lot of lifting and carrying, so I powered up with greens and a dose of Omega 3’s…

• romaine lettuce
• canned wild Alaskan salmon
• feta cheese
• kalamata olives
• evoo + red wine vinegar

Crunchy, salty and satisfying!

Time to move it, move it…

My Dad and I drove to their storage unit where they have been housing many of their belongings for the past few months.  My Dad rented a truck to load up, too.  It didn’t look like that much stuff…

But then……..I went into the light….

Holy guacamole.

I slammed the door shut, hopped in the car and sped away as fast as I could.

Okay, that last part was a momentary day dream.  

Being the true princess bruiser that I am, I cried hefted those boxes and loaded up the truck with my Dad.  No problem! I’ll be sore and have to lay in bed all day tomorrow.

We drove the Dukes of Hazard truck back to their shiny new empty home and unloaded…

More to deliver tomorrow.  And probably the next day and the next…and the next… Moving is such a pain!

All this movement called for a snack.  I packed some Mary’s Gone Crackers and homemade almond butter…

Crunch, dip, unpack.  In that order

We decided on Chinese take-out for dinner.  I haven’t had it in so long, I had a hard time figuring out what to order!  I ended up just choosing the Chicken and Broccoli with fried rice…

Probably not the best choice, but it sure was tasty!

Time for some R & R now!

Have a great day, everyone!

How many times have you moved in your life?  I’ve moved 4 times in my entire life and they have all been within the same county!