The Day of No Plans

Does anyone else feel like the past few weeks have been beyond busy? I know for me they have and I was very much looking forward to a day sans plans. What was on my to-do list:

• lay out B-)
• pay my rent
• some chores including straightening up budgeting
• gym for the bike and weights
• RELAX!!

I'm happy to report back that I think I succeeded in making the most of my Saturday :)

I slept in which felt great! My body really feels much better after 9+ hours of sleep than it does 7 or 8. I even skipped a source of caffeine today! It just goes to show you what rest will do for keeping you awake. I don't think I've skipped caffeine any day over the last 2 weeks.

My stomach was feeling a bit off when I woke up so I waited for it to settle before eating anything. My guess is the fiber-added Crystal Light I drank yesterday afternoon was the cause. While it is gluten free, I don't think I'd had one since last summer. It just goes to show you - natural is better!

Breakfast was an egg white sandwich with spinach and a chopped pear with a couple of strawberries, cinnamon, and maybe 1/4T almond butter.

I had the roof to myself for a couple of hours which was lovely. I came down around 1 though when it started getting too hot. I watched Nadal's victory at Wimbledon to put him into the finals and tackled my to-do list.

Lunch was a variety of things in an attempt to clear out the fridge. First up, this light and refreshing cucumber salad from Elana. The mix sat for maybe 5 minutes and was so flavorful, yet simple! I hightly recommend it!

I also had a salad with beets, bell pepper, the last 1/4c leftover black beans, and a few gone crackers topped with cheese and red pepper spread (I'm obsessed with it), and half a serving of tofu "nuggets" aka leftover baked tofu with bbq sauce.

I bribed myself to go to the gym by promising a trip to Whole Foods after. Hey, whatever form of motivation it takes, right? I ended up snacking on samples so dinner was pretty simple.

I had a serving of brown rice pasta over pasta sauce, spinach, and roasted broccoli and onions. I topped it with some garlic, S&P, basil, red pepper, and parm.

The best part of the evening came after. I found this recipe for a quick and easy gluten free peach cobbler. I like desserts but that's not usually what I find myself craving. However, this stuck out to me because of the holiday tomorrow. Nothing says summer, America, and the South like a good ole peach cobbler.

I modified the recipe a bit by using:

• non-stick spray instead of butter to grease the pans
• I made 2 batches from the recipe - one peach and one peach and cherry
• I only used 1.5T Earth Balance
• I cut the sugar by 1/3
• Baked for 30 minutes

I think this recipe still came out fantastically! Of course, I had to taste test it for quality assurance. I wouldn't want to bring it to one of my barbecues tomorrow if it tasted bad! I had a serving alongside some fresh cherries. You know it's good because it was gooey on the spoon :)

A serving clocks in right around 115 calories with no fat. Not too bad for a little holiday treat!

I am heading to bed early tonight to gear up for a long day of celebrating.


HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Some extra time

Friday morning kicked off bright an early. I had the last part of orientation to gear up for on campus.  I decided to give Overnight "Oats" a second try since it would require very little prep time in the morning.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much more I liked this batch than my first.

Overnight Ingredients:

• 1/4c BRM and buckwheat
• 1/4c almond milk
• 1/4c frozen blueberries and 6 cherry halves
• 1/2T chia seeds
• splash vanilla 
• cinnamon

In the morning:

• a couple of splashes almond milk
• 1/2T PB
• pinch crushed almond slices

I cooked the overnight mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes, minus the fruit and chia seeds. Those were stirred in once the hot cereal was cooked. I let the mixture cool, stirred once more, and popped it into the fridge.

When I woke up, I added a bit more almond milk to loosen up the cereal and added my toppings. This was much better and more flavorful, probably due to the almond milk, vanilla, and extra cinnamon. Look at how the chia seeds plump up over night - it makes for a fun, nutty texture. I may be a convert!!

Lunch after orientation wrapped up was another packed salad and wrap. This is a brown rice tortilla spread with red pepper spread, 2oz turkey, and spinach. With a salad of spinach and romaine, bell pepper, olives, and 21 Seasoning Salute.

Do you like my new cup? I got it at convention last week. It's hot pink but turns purple when the cup gets cold. So much fun!

This lunch kept me full ALL afternoon!  We closed early and I spent a couple of hours catching up on my reading on the roof. There was a great breeze and no humidity = perfection!

I spent my night at the Nats game with friends. It was a great way to continue enjoying the weather! By the time we arrived I was starving and got my favorite ballpark treat - Ben's Chili Bowl! I had a bowl of veggie chili plus about half of an order of fries. They weren't crisp and left me disappointed. For dessert, I had an apple. Plus at least 1.5L of water - I was thirsty after my afternoon in the sun!

Our seats were in right field, apparently in home-run territory because of this sign. It made me pay better attention to the game!

The Nats lost but did rally in the 9th inning to make it interesting. Otherwise, it was a perfect evening to sit outside with friends and enjoy summer.  What do you think of these sunglasses? Vicki let me try hers on...

I ended up nibbling when I got home but finally went to sleep. It's amazing how some extra time put back in your day can set the tone for a great weekend!

Gotta Love It

It's going to be a good day when you wake up and the hives and stomach ache from last night are gone! I'm not sure what happened but I had the worst allergic reaction (the kind I have when I come in contact with seafood, not gluten) which was baffling and no fun.

Alas, the sun was shining, we had more gorgeous weather in DC, and the medicine I took last night worked wonders :)  I actually went into work late because I knew I'd be knocked out and taking that quarter-day was well worth it.

To gear up for the holiday weekend, I had red, white, and blue hot cereal. This would be the standard BRM mix with 1/4c frozen blueberries and a couple of strawberries chopped up. Topped with crushed almond slices and 1/2T PB.

The morning went smoothly and then it was time for lunch. I actually had a small nibble and then got called into a couple of meetings and didn't eat until almost 2! Good thing breakfast was early.

I had a big salad with spinach and romaine, cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, a serving of TJ's Cuban black beans, dill, 21 Seasoning Salute, and black pepper. Plus a corn tortilla with red pepper spread, a piece of turkey, and spinach.

The afternoon was busy and I had an apple with AB plus some brown rice.

Then it was off to the gym. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the bike (increased my resistance!) then did a combination of the Summer Shape Up Week 1 arms workout and Intro to Iron Pumping Day 1 workout.  I did another 12 minutes on the bike before my foot started feeling it and called it quits after some stretching.

Earlier this week I told you I would be recreating a dish I had in Chicago and tonight was the night. I even dreamed up my prep process on the way home from the gym!  I present to you my take on Hub 51's Brussel Sprouts Salad with Honey Mustard Tofu.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 2 heaving cups brussel sprouts, lightly steamed
• 3 dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/4c roasted almond slivers, divided
• 4oz baked tofu
• 1T sliced Parmesan and Asiago cheese
• Annie's honey mustard dressing

First, drain and press a block of extra firm tofu.

Slice and cube. Preheat your oven to 400F.

Arrange tofu on a non-stick sprayed baking sheet. Coat tofu with a light splash of honey mustard dressing. Bake for ~30 minutes.

While tofu cooks, lightly steam a bag of brussel sprouts (about 2 - 3 minutes).

Cut bottoms off brussel sprouts. Then chop into thin slices. Toss with a few light sprays of olive oil.

Add in half of the chopped dates, half of the almond slivers and cheese.

When tofu's done, add to the salad. Pour on more dressing, salt, and pepper.

Enjoy!

This was a very close replication of the dish I had on Sunday! I'm so excited because it was definitely one of the best things I ate in Chicago!

There was also a snack of the last of my kimchi...in a jar :)

The rest of my night has included SYTYCD and Bethenny Getting Married plus a pear with some strawberries and AB.

All in all, a pretty great day. What makes it even better? Tomorrow in Friday! Gotta love it!