Marvelous Monday

All things considered, it was a pretty good Monday. The sun was shining and it reached 65 degrees!! In January!! Today was such a welcome surprise and it definitely lifted my spirits.

I went to yoga tonight as usual to discover that our room was being used for meetings. So the class relocated to the racquetball courts. This might not seem like a big deal but for this one, who can't even sit still in her sleep, I was really nervous about getting distracted by other people playing racquetball next door and listening to the spinning class upstairs. Instead, I was able to really focus on the stretches and found the music to be a welcome addition in helping me tune out everything else going on around me. I was proud  that I focused!

I was starving when I came home so I whipped up a quick-and-easy chicken pack. I've been craving some serious protein the last couple of days and decided that, even though I'm not thrilled with commercially produced meat production, if it was local, organic, and fed a natural diet without all the drugs, I definitely would eat it!

I used this recipe to make my pack and followed it to a T (except for subbing in adzuki beans for the black beans). I did have to bake it about 10 minutes longer though, which enabled me to eat part 2 of dinner - roasted potatoes and squash!

 

Earlier in the day I had a roasted beet salad with some parsnips and crumbled feta. Mmmm. Plus some more acorn squash and some leftover Puerto Rican beans.

 

 

I also had some more salad that was left over from a meeting in the afternoon, a grapefruit, and a bag of Glenny's soy crisps, which I enjoyed on my lunch-break walk. They tasted better while walking and eating!

I jump-started the day with an egg white and BRM hot cereal with buckwheat, 1/4c blueberries, 1/4c smashed sweet potato, cinnamon, and PB and AB (I was craving protein!).

 

Now, I'm snuggled up on the coach with a pear and am ready to watch one of my favorite guilty pleasures - GREEK!!

G'night!

What's your favorite guilty pleasure TV show?

When you crave a food to you try to find a "sub" or just have it?

Zen-Inspired Evening

Somewhere in between putting away groceries and turning on Ellen, my motivation for another walk / run outside flew out the window. I had been outside all morning long so I didn't feel too bad AND I was able to tackle a lot of my to-do list for the week. It was a win-win overall.

Before heading to the gym, I fueled up with an apple and a slice of toast with PBJ.

I was early for yoga so I walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes at 4.0 with a 1.0 incline.  Our usual yoga teacher was away so a friend, Amy, taught our class tonight.  I had such an easier time focusing tonight than I usually do - perhaps because I really needed to stretch out my stiffness from yesterday? Or because it was my 2nd day in a row to do yoga? Either way, it felt great to do more yoga (and I really liked savasana at the end!).

Not quite hungry from my late afternoon snack, I decided to go ahead and made lunch for tomorrow.  On the menu: Tofu & Veggie Fried Rice. I've been craving Asian food and this recipe is quick and easy plus it used up some of the food in my fridge! You could adapt this to use any veggies you have in your fridge or freezer.

Tofu & Veggie Fried Rice
1/5 block extra firm tofu, pressed to remove water, diced
1/2c cooked brown rice
1/3c frozen peas and corn
1/4c chopped broccoli
1 T liquid egg white (all I had left)

leftover roasted green beans

garlic powder, soy sauce

First, stir-fry tofu in a frying pan sprayed with cooking spray until the cubes are browned. Remove from pan.

Respray pan and add peas, corn, broccoli, and green beans. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until heated through. Then add rice and cook for another minute or so.

Add tofu, garlic powder, and soy sauce and stir until mixture is heated through. Drizzle egg on top and stir until cooked. Voila!

By the time I finished, I was hungry for dinner so I had a salad as I quickly whipped up some more fried rice. Now, I'm munching on a pear and cereal before getting ready for bed. It's back to work tomorrow after a nice and relaxing day!

MLK Day

Happy MLK Day! Whether you are working or have the day off, I hope that you do at least 1 thing today that embodies the spirit of MLK. I can hardly believe that last year, in the midst of inauguration festivities, I attended a Feeding America event thanks to a close family friend. I had the honor of meeting a few celebrities who are involved with the charity and also got to hear MLK III speak which was inspiring!

 David Arquette and me

 

 Me and Josh Groban

 

It's been a sunshine filled day so far and I've already spent some quality time outside, walking to the grocery stores (yes, I go to multiple stores on a weekly basis).  I'm looking forward to heading back out for a walk or a run. I'm pretty sore in my arms, shoulders, and upper back from yoga yesterday. It must have been all of those flows of planks to chaturangas to downward facing dogs.

I also want to share this article I found from the Gluten Intolerance Group. Since I have been gluten-free since I was a kid, I often forget how overwhelming it can be when making the transition from a gluten-filled to a gluten-free diet. I like the suggested step-by-step approach they share and remember going through this same process when I was first diagnosed.

Alright, time to enjoy the sun. Have a good afternoon!

Farmers, Football, Farmar, and Food

It was a lazy Sunday if I ever saw one!  It's been raining all day and all I was in the mood for was staying dry indoors!

I did venture out in the late morning for a trip to the farmer's market. After last week's fantastic roasted beet, I wanted to get more to enjoy throughout this week. I picked up a few beets (I got a bit excited) and a parsnip to try since I liked them in my salad yesterday.

The afternoon was spent rooting for the Cowboys in their playoffs game against Minnesota. What better meal to go with than my usual homemade pizza. Toppings included: spinach, broccoli, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a few roasted green beans from yesterday with a blend of 2% mozzerella cheese and parm. I had 2 slices along with some salad.

 

Once it became clear that the Cowboys were struggling, I turned off the TV and unrolled my yoga mat to try my first ever yoga podcast. The 75 minute power Vinyasa podcast that I did was led by Dave Farmar and boy was it a workout! About halfway through I contemplated wrapping up and then pushed myself to finish the workout. My arms and shoulders are already feeling sore so it will be interesting to see how I feel in the morning. For a snack, in addition to lots of water, I finished off my pizza alongside a sliced pear.

Dinner was inspired by this recipe and was exactly what I was craving. I added a serving of tofu, used about 1/2 an egg white, 1/2 c chopped broccoli, and 1 c mixed veggies. Yum!  I topped the fried rice with a few crushed cashews for crunch which added extra depth in flavor.

 

Now, it's off to watch the Golden Globes with friends!  Have a good night!

Lots to look forward to

Between Chanukah starting on Friday, holiday parties and get-togethers with friends, and another trip home, there is a lot for me to look forward to over the next 2 weeks. I'm excited for the impeding chaos, laughter, and fun and am grateful that I've made it to the end of the year with a smile on my face.

Something else that made me smile in anticipation was a new recipe I decided to test today: Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef, inspired by this Real Simple recipe (my version is at the end of this post). I did my prep this morning while getting ready for work and couldn't stop thinking about the deliciousness that was simmering away in my crock pot!

First I prepped my ingredients: 1/3c chopped onion, 14 oz can diced tomatoes (drained) and chopped bell peppers.

Then I added that into the crock pot with my spices, and then nestled the flank steak in the ingredients. I cooked it on the low setting for about 8 hrs.

When I came home from the grocery store this afternoon, the smells in my apartment were heavenly. I still had 2 hours left to go but the spicy, tangy, savory smells were making my mouth water. I left for the gym ASAP and had another fantastic workout! I did 35 minutes of interval running on the treadmill (3 miles in 35:27 - a new PR I think!!) and all of my runs were at level 6.5 or above! I was proud and quite the hot mess when I finished. I then headed downstairs for my yoga class which was great as well. I had a bit of a hard time calming down after an intense run... if it weren't for my need of stretching, I would have run longer!

Tummy grumbling, I walked into my apartment and headed straight for the crock pot to see how my dish turned out. I'm pleased to say that it was a success! The meat was so tender, with layers of flavor. I added a pinch of salt to my bowl (I saved half to have later this week), as well as some hot sauce and a baked corn tortilla. It was sooooooo good! And, each portion of the beef, with sauce and veggies, is only 220 calories!

I spent the evening cleaning out my closet and drawers while singing along to Broadway music. Pure happiness!

My snack was the last serving of rice pudding (it's much better eaten warm...the jury's still out on that recipe) and half of an apple (I had the other half, pre-run). I might munch on something else in a bit, but we'll see.

Have a good night everyone!!

My adapted recipe for Cuban Braised Beef:
14 oz can diced tomatoes, lightly drained
3/4c chopped bell pepper
1/3c chopped onion
.5lb flank steak
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
sea salt and ground black pepper

Combine tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper into crock pot. Nestle steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until meat is tender and pulls apart easily. In my cooker - on low for 8 hours.

Using 2 forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with rice, with a baked, crisp tortilla, or in tacos and enjoy!

220 calories, 8g fat, 3.8g fiber per serving (~3oz steak plus veggies)

Wednesday already?!

This week seems to be flying by, which is always a good thing! The past 2 days have been pretty busy and I'm already looking forward to Friday.

Monday morning I slept in to try to get my voice back (still no luck, even today I'm hoarse and squeaky) and scraped together breakfast with food in my pantry since I had cleaned out my fridge before Dallas. I made hot cereal w/ frozen blueberries and a few raspberries, topped with PB and a few raisins. I also had my requisite egg white.

I went into work for a few hours and then it was time to head to the grocery store. (lunch was Au Bon Pain French Moroccan Lentil soup).
I planned my trips around my evening yoga class since it's time to get back to normal activity and eating after Thanksgiving. I ended up grazing a bit while shopping so I wasn't hungry for real dinner. Instead, I was craving toast and fruit, so I ended up having just that.

Yesterday I worked a full day. It was time to take care of business! I started the day with toast, an egg white, and a pear. The weather was great so I walked home for lunch since I was too lazy to make anything in the morning. I had salad and Cuban black beans over a baked corn tortilla.

I headed straight for the gym after work and got in 30 minutes on the elliptical before my cardio sculpt class. I just needed to move yesterday I guess. When I got home, I made a batch of veggie chili, which I had for a late dinner, along with a leftover piece of cornbread I brought back from home. It was a fantastic way to end the day, along with the Biggest Loser, of course!

Tonight is a big basketball game for GWU - we are playing George Mason. I'm not expecting the Red River Shootout but I do like that they're calling this the Battle for the Orange Line (both schools are alongside that metro route). I'm excited to wear Buff (again, not sure how I like gold compared to burnt orange) and go to my first basketball game since I graduated!

I had a light breakfast of 1 slice toast w/ an egg white and a pear so that I can head to the gym before a long evening at work.

What's your favorite college rivalry?

Smart Choices and a Busy Start

Is it really only Tuesday? The past 2 days seem to have flown by and it's been pretty hectic and busy for me. I knew that when I planned to travel for 3 weekends in a row that things would be busy, but I always seem to forget what that day-to-day is like. So, with everything going on, forgive my inconsistent blogging.

Yesterday I had a quick breakfast of hot cereal and an egg white before heading off to the grocery store (my fridge was empty!). I decided that after skipping 3 days of workouts last week and being in NY this week, I needed to get back on track and try to eat smart and hold myself accountable for my workouts.

Once groceries were put away,it was off to work for the afternoon. I had meetings back-to-back-to-back which made the afternoon go by quickly but I never had time to really focus on any one particular thing. I squeezed in a quick salad consisting of lettuce, broccoli, black beans, carrots, a sprinkle of parm, and a smidge of Asian green bean salad. It was quick but healthy - I was proud I resisted the ominous less healthy options in the union across the street.

I did keep my promise to myself and go to yoga at 6pm and it felt so good to stretch. I wasn't too hungry when I got home so I had a salad and black bean soup, with 1/4 of my slice of cornbread I brought back from Babycakes. Mmmm!!



I settled in for a long night of session writing for my training this weekend for the sorority. 3 hours and 9 documents later, I was ready for my nighttime snack - a pear w/ some AB, a small nibble of a Babycakes carrot cupcake, and a slice of toast. It held me over until my 1am bedtime so it did the job.

This morning I was definitely regretting my late-night decision when my alarm went off. I had a 1/4c European style yogurt with a pear topped with cinnamon and AB. I also had an egg white with a piece of toast.

Now, it's off to get my haircut!