Hello Monday! 

Despite my slow beginnings yesterday, I was ready to tackle the day today!  I got right to it with a Yoga Sculpt session on Exercise TV.  Lots of vinyasa flow and pretty challenging.  The great thing about yoga is that you work at your own pace.  You don’t have to be perfect and you’re not going to get every pose down right away.  However, the more you practice, the better you get.  I notice my body starts to crave the stretching if I haven’t done it for a couple of days!

Speaking of cravings… Zucchini Bake anyone???

Okay, so no one really craves zucchini, but I was really in the mood for it at breakfast!  I revamped my original Zucchini Bake to fit my Gluten-Free Experiment needs.  It was actually pretty simple with the help of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour.  I just subbed that for the regular wheat flour and it worked great! 

Fueled by zucchini and about 14 cups of coffee, I got all my errands done and settled in for a colorful lunch using the last of my new favorite hummus….

Spread on 2 slices of gluten-free bread with a thin slice of Applegate Farms roasted turkey…

Isn’t it purrrrty ?

Orange you getting hungry???

I swear I’m not still intoxicated from Saturday night’s wedding.

Later, I was lured into the scary den of Halloween candy.  It’s been hanging around.  I’ve been looking, but not taking.  It hasn’t been extremely hard to avoid.  Since I’ve reduced my refined sugar intake, my cravings have been greatly diminished.  But today, this guy looked really good…

And so did about 8 more of his friends.     Lesson learned.

Dinner was better!  Everything is better with brussel sprouts…

Or is it bacon?…

It’s both!

I’ve eyed up Lori and Jessica making shredded brussel sprouts and knew I couldn’t wait any longer to try this method.  So easy in the food processor…

and so delicious sauteed with a couple slices of center cut bacon and diced red onion!  I added a splash of good balsamic vinegar at the end for a little sweetness.

The husband scarfed it down!  He may still be intoxicated from Saturday night’s wedding.

Pan- seared garlic chicken thighs and roasted butternut squash made it a total package…

During dinner, I was drawn outside to a spectacular sky…

The colors were amazing!  A beautiful way to end the night.

Have a great day, everyone!

Brussel sprouts:  Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

I procrastinated like heck this morning to avoid going out for a run.  I did laundry (yes, there’s more), made beds, answered emails, read blogs, twiddled thumbs and even debated on giving the stinky dog a bath. 

But, that nagging sense of commitment drove me out the door.  After one last distraction…

I needed some fuel for that run, right?

Because I was too lazy to drive anywhere, I stuck to the hills of my neighborhood.  I gave myself “permission” to not push myself too hard and run slower than my normal slow if needed!  It worked!  Once I was out there, I felt fine.  I finished up 5 miles doing 8:1 intervals on the GYMBOSS .   Sometimes it’s so difficult to get out there and run or do any exercise for that matter, but when I push myself to do it, I never regret it! 

On my way back to the house, I spent time talking to my neighbor.  Her husband is ill and it’s a very scary time for them.  We talked for quite a while, so I never made a real breakfast.  When my hunger surfaced, I decided to go with lunch.

Applegate Farms roasted turkey, Trader Joe’s Three Layer Hummus, pickle and spinach in a brown rice tortilla…

Along with a pear and white cheddar crack puffs…

I was all about the fruit today!  Afternoon snack was a gala and PB2…

I didn’t have a plan for dinner, however I knew it would involve chicken that was waiting in the fridge.  I threw together a last-minute meal that ended up being a family hit!  Hmmm… is it a full moon???

Chicken Thighs and Zucchini with Parmesan Pan Sauce

First, season boneless, skinless chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper, then brown them in a tablespoon or so of olive oil…

Meanwhile, chop garlic, 1/4 cup red onion and 2 medium zucchini…

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm.  Add veggies to the skillet along with 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and saute…

Return chicken to the pan.  Add about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese…

and about 1/3 cup chicken broth (this broth was so yellow!  maybe because it’s organic???  I was scared.) …

The cheese melts into the broth and makes a velvety, smooth sauce for the chicken and zucchini.  Using REAL parmesan that’s freshly grated is the key!

Served with perfectly cooked brown rice (tutorial to come!)…

Everyone’s happy and no howling involved

One thing I’m not procrastinating on is bed!!  Here I go…

Have a great day, everyone!!!

Poll:  chicken thighs or chicken breast? 

Aaaaah, I love a rest day!  Other than a few yoga stretching moves and a 2 mile family stroll, there was no formal exercise today.  Gotta rest up for 8 miles!  I’m excited to hit this next milestone. 

No morning running left me plenty of time to bake.  I found the recipe for a Cinnamon Raisin version of the gluten-free bread I made last week.  This must have been Elizabeth Barbone’s original recipe since it’s different from the one in her book, Easy Gluten-Free Baking ,which is most likely updated.  Since I enjoyed her original, I stuck with that recipe and only altered it by reducing the amount of cinnamon to 2 tsp. and substituting 1/2 cup of sorghum flour for that measure of brown rice flour…

Incidentally, I have not had a difficult time finding any of these gluten-free flours.  I have seen most of them in my local supermarkets and also was able to score some at the discount store, Christmas Tree Shops!

I mixed the bread, placed it in the prepared pan and left it to rise.  I was able to get a nice rise on this one…

All baked and smelling wonderful…

As hard as it was, I waited until the bread was cool before toasting a slice and smearing it with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cream Cheese…

A match made in heaven.

Lunch was a wrap fail.  Well, it tasted good…just didn’t wrap right!  The brown rice tortillas are less pliable than flour tortillas and even with warming them prior to filling, sometimes they just bust out!

i.e.  ….

Peeking out is Applegate Farms Roasted Turkey, Cooper sharp cheese, spinach and a pickle.

With some welcome sunshine…

After lunch, we set out on our family stroll.  It was so nice to be out in the fresh air and enjoy all the fall colors around us!

It was also nice that I had dinner already brewing in The Crocker!!!  The husband cried tears when he saw it make a reappearance. 

And they were not tears of joy.  

But, I love a good torture session.

I came across a recipe for Crockpot Jambalaya and thought it would be a great opportunity to use these Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage that have been hanging out in my freezer…

I put the ingredients in as directed (with the exception of scaling back on the garlic – 6 cloves seemed like a lot, even to me!) and came home to this…

Not so scary, now is it???

I served up a hearty bowl…

Delicious!  Everything was cooked perfectly and it had just the right amount of kick for me.

And “the moaners” got pasta and salad.     Aren’t I nice?

Oh well, more Jambalaya for me!

Have a great day, everyone!

What was the best thing you ate this weekend?