Posts from — June 2010

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!