a distant memory
Andrea
Last week, the lovely Whitney of Whitney in Chicago made granola. I commented on her blog that it looked delicious, to which she responded "let me send you some!". Yes please! It arrived at the end of last week and was enjoyed as cereal with soy milk, on top of greek yogurt and, most commonly, by the handful while staring into my pantry trying to decide what to make for dinner. That was my favorite way to consume it. It is chock-full of pistachios and cranberries, along with almonds and coconut flakes. Delicious. Thank you Whitney!
Granola is one of those grocery store items that I hate to buy. It is somewhat expensive and every time I pick up a box or scoop some into a bulk bag I think to myself "I should just make my own!" My good friend Beth sent Brian (my hubb) and I a batch for Christmas which was consumed quickly and similarly to Whitney's. Since then I've had granola on my to-make list, and the arrival of Whitney's package secured its spot at the very top of that list.
As I've written before, its spring cleaning time. I've been working through the containers of dried fruits and nuts in my pantry, cleaning out items that have been stored for far too many months to make room for new purchases. Granola seemed like the perfect way to use up the small quantities of miscellaneous dried goods that I had left. I dug around and found currants, cranberries, apples and pineapple along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and a small amount of finely shredded unsweetened coconut.
As I gathered my ingredients I eagerly pulled up Whitney's recipe to make sure I had what I needed for the granola base. One item on the list stirred a recent memory of a white, flour-like substance that I had been storing in a small gladware container. It had been in the pantry for months and I had been trying to remember what it was. I knew that I had opened a box of something, used a good portion of it and stored the remainder in this container for future use. The only problem? I hadn't labeled the container, and I had no idea what the substance was. Just last week, during my initial cleaning out of the pantry I had stumbled upon it and, exasperated that I coudn't remember what it was, I threw it out. Now I remembered. Powdered milk. And, of course, Whitney's recipe called for it. And I, the non-labeler, had none.
I quickly decided that powdered milk must not be an absolutely necessary ingredient in granola. My reasoning? Everybody loves granola, including Vegans. And a granola that contained powdered milk would not be vegan so powdered milk must not be necessary. This means that honey must not be absolutely necessary either but I chose to keep it in, because I do love honey.
For my kitchen sink granola (or should I say pantry shelf granola?) I decided to hop over to The Kitchen Sink, remembering that I had seen Kristin feature granola a few times on her blog. And her recipe didn't require powdered milk. Ding ding! I modified the mix to include the items I had on hand, but the base recipe is the same. And it is delicious. Store-bought granola? A distant memory.
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Granola is one of those grocery store items that I hate to buy. It is somewhat expensive and every time I pick up a box or scoop some into a bulk bag I think to myself "I should just make my own!" My good friend Beth sent Brian (my hubb) and I a batch for Christmas which was consumed quickly and similarly to Whitney's. Since then I've had granola on my to-make list, and the arrival of Whitney's package secured its spot at the very top of that list.
As I've written before, its spring cleaning time. I've been working through the containers of dried fruits and nuts in my pantry, cleaning out items that have been stored for far too many months to make room for new purchases. Granola seemed like the perfect way to use up the small quantities of miscellaneous dried goods that I had left. I dug around and found currants, cranberries, apples and pineapple along with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and a small amount of finely shredded unsweetened coconut.
As I gathered my ingredients I eagerly pulled up Whitney's recipe to make sure I had what I needed for the granola base. One item on the list stirred a recent memory of a white, flour-like substance that I had been storing in a small gladware container. It had been in the pantry for months and I had been trying to remember what it was. I knew that I had opened a box of something, used a good portion of it and stored the remainder in this container for future use. The only problem? I hadn't labeled the container, and I had no idea what the substance was. Just last week, during my initial cleaning out of the pantry I had stumbled upon it and, exasperated that I coudn't remember what it was, I threw it out. Now I remembered. Powdered milk. And, of course, Whitney's recipe called for it. And I, the non-labeler, had none.
I quickly decided that powdered milk must not be an absolutely necessary ingredient in granola. My reasoning? Everybody loves granola, including Vegans. And a granola that contained powdered milk would not be vegan so powdered milk must not be necessary. This means that honey must not be absolutely necessary either but I chose to keep it in, because I do love honey.
For my kitchen sink granola (or should I say pantry shelf granola?) I decided to hop over to The Kitchen Sink, remembering that I had seen Kristin feature granola a few times on her blog. And her recipe didn't require powdered milk. Ding ding! I modified the mix to include the items I had on hand, but the base recipe is the same. And it is delicious. Store-bought granola? A distant memory.
Mixed Fruit Granola
recipe modified from the kitchen sink Ingredients:- 3-1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used cranberries, currants, apples and pineapple)
- Preheat the oven to 375*. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.
- Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how golden you like it (I baked mine for 20 minutes). Stir every 10 minutes.
- Remove the granola from the oven and cool completely, in its pan on a wire rack. Once the granola is cool mix in the dried fruit.
This did not stick with me AT ALL. I was hungry by 9:30am, at which point I caved to the homemade donut guy who sets up his cart right outside my office on Fridays. Totally unfair.
Mid-Morning Snack: homemade apple cinnamon donut - DIVINE!
Lunch: out with a friend! We went to my favorite lunch spot, Bizou, where I had the Salmon Cakes with baby greens and a side of hand-cut fries. Not the healthiest choice...it was definitely one of those days.
Sorry for all the missing pictures - you know I don't like taking photos out in public or at my office...
Dinner: red beans and rice! Also, cornbread. Continuing the NOLA love...
I was a really bad photo documenter because I was busy freaking out about the work situation with my hubb...
But there was wine, a really tasty Malbec.
This recipe is really easy, its basically the same recipe I use for most of my bean soups. The spices just get switched up a bit. Sorry...no time to plug in nutritional stats in MFD. I'll update this afternoon.
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients:
Dessert: my two best friends, Ben + Jerry. Cookie Dough and Half Baked flavors. Maybe 1 cup? Or 1-1/2? Its hard to tell when you're spooning out of the carton. Yes, it was necessary. :)
Alright, I'm off for some stretchy meditation. Have a great Saturday!
Reader Lindsey asked me to tell a bit more about my oats process in the morning. So, here goes! Toppings and mix-ins change, but this classic bowl seems to be one I come back to over and over again.
Fig + PB Oats
[400-ish calories, 15.8g fat, 2.2g sat. fat, 58.3g carbs, 9.5g fiber, 18.8g sugar, 13g protein]
Ingredients:
My oats stuck with me for about 3 hours today, so I snacked on a piece of 
We had lots of leftover gumbo from last nights dinner, but I wasn't up for a bowl of just gumbo because it was so rich. I decided to quickly saute' some kale to use as a base for my gumbo/rice mixture. It was perfect!
Lunch: leftover gumbo on sauteed kale.
Snacks: 1 square of dark chocolate and a Clif ZBar, apple cinnamon flavor, pre-run
[200 cal]
Remember my apple incident with my run last week? Well apparently the upset stomach while running results from apple energy bars too... It wasn't as bad today as it was when I ate a whole apple prior to my run, but it still wasn't pleasant.
Exercise: 4.1 mile run with Kelly
[-420 cal]
We've decided to run the 
our favorite
our favorite late night coffee and beignets, 
at our favorite jazz bar,
on our favorite day, at 
I had big plans for this week, different NOLA-inspired recipes every day. Some gumbo, red beans, muffalettas and bananas foster. I have fallen WAY short of that goal, but do have a bit of the Big Easy to share with you from dinner tonight... But first, breakfast.
My oats this morning were tasty, but a little dry. And not too filling, surprisingly. I was starving just 3 hours later.
Breakfast: ultra-textured oats
[398 cal]
Lunch: a lovely salad and 3 Back To Nature multigrain flax crackers
[400 cal]
I had my board meeting after work, so knew that dinner would be late. I packed this bar in case of emergency, and needed it at 7:30. It was pretty good...reminded me a lot of the Clif Nectar Cacao bars.
When I pulled in my driveway at 8:30 and climbed out of the car, I could smell dinner cooking. Seriously. From the driveway. And it wasn't being cooked outside on the grill, it was inside my kitchen. I don't know if that speaks more of the amazing aroma of gumbo or the crappy quality of my windows but either way, I couldn't wait to get inside and dig in!!!
Dinner: GUMBO!!!!! On rice, with a glass of cabernet.
I've debated whether or not to share this recipe. It was really delicious, but my hubb and I have had better. My stepfather makes an amazing gumbo that he has adapted over many years of experimenting with many different recipes. This one was from Paul Prudhomme, the father of the blackening method and owner/chef of one of our favorite NOLA restaurants,
I've decided not to share, because its not right yet. The roux was a deep chocolate brown, just like Chef Paul specifies, but we've learned that we like gumbos with more of a milk chocolate hue. And it was thick...much thicker than the last Chef Paul gumbo we tried. We're soupy gumbo folks, and will be working to perfect a recipe that reflects that texture. So now we have an excuse to make gumbo more often, because I'm determined that by the time I write about our anniversary on April 28th, I will have a gumbo recipe to share with you all.
And now I'm off to read more of 
Have I mentioned how much I love 
Lunch: my hubb made me a wrap! He's so sweet, even in his deliriously tired state. I also ate a large orange, which I forgot to get a picture of in my rush.
Snack: 1 slice
Dessert: I made 
Lunch was soup-er simple (hehe...I'm a dork). I'm realizing now that I had spinach with every meal today...thats not such a bad thing!
Lunch: Amy's lentil veggie soup with spinach mixed in and 3 Back To Nature multigrain flax crackers
[433 cal]
I made a new banana bread recipe today, and I think it is my new favorite. I wrote about it 
Exercise: YOGA!!! It had been a week since my last class, and I could definitely feel it. It was still a great 90 minutes of ashtanga though.
[-??? cal...I really need a heart rate monitor]
My poor hubb is working very late tonight, so I was on my own for dinner. By the time I got home after yoga and some errands all I wanted was a quick and easy meal. Its really funny to compare how I eat when my hubb isn't home to how he eats when I'm not home. You should hear the list of take-out he had the 3 days I was out of town... I wish he had taken pictures and done his own post on the blog, it would have been hilarious. :)
Dinner: salad and an Arnold's thin with almond butter and fig preserves
[498 cal]
Alrighty, I am SO excited to read 
Along with waffles made by my daddy...
Served with fresh Florida berries...
Vietnamese Pho with my Momma...
I LOVE Pho. Love it. We have no Pho in Charlottesville, a fact that I have never understood. We have such fabulous restaurants and so much ethnic diversity in those restaurants that I just can't understand why Pho has been overlooked. Its so fresh, healthy and fabulous...I was in heaven.
A few other restaurant highlights:
For lunch on Friday, before my Momma and I shopped like crazy (we needed fuel!!!) we stopped at 
LOTS of new workout clothes...I'm pretty excited about them. I found a brand of yoga clothes at TJ Maxx that I hadn't heard of before, Kyodan. Ladies...this is some seriously comfortable, flattering and CUTE yoga gear! I'm not typically the matchy-matchy workout gear girl, but I think that this stuff is subtle enough to not be obnoxious. I'm really excited to try some of it out tonight at my class! I also picked up a couple of my favorite Champion sports bras and a cute new pair of running shorts. Exciting!
Alrighty, I'll be back with a regular post tonight. I've missed you guys!!!
This divine bowl contained:
Lunch: tuna salad on a multi grain flat out wrap with 1/2 cup Fage 0% and 1/2 cup strawberries
[320 cal, 8.6g fat, 36g carbs, 11.8g fiber, 32.3g protein]
Pre-run Snack: Clif Chocolate Chip ZBar
[130 cal, 4g fat, 24g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g protein]
Exercise: wonderful 4-mile, very hilly run with Kelly. I felt so much stronger today, and was careful not to eat any apples beforehand! We were tired at the end because a good amount of hills happened in the last mile, but I truly felt like we could have kept going. It gave me great hope for running the Martha Jefferson 8K next month!
[-420 cal]
I've been running around the house like a mad-woman tonight doing laundry and packing for my trip tomorrow. Dinner was quick and easy, just popped some 'taters in the oven for my hubb and I. I love dinners that allow me to do other things while they cook.
Dinner: my favorite sweet potato combo with edamame and corn, along with some leftover brussels sprouts
[392 cal, 12.1g fat, 62.6 carbs, 12.6g fiber, 14g protein]
Alrighty, I've got lots to do. Tomorrow I will be in Florida to help my best friend shop for her wedding dress!!! I'm so excited!!!! I also get to see my family (woohoo!!!), so its going to be a very busy few days. I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and weekend!
My bowl contained:
I consumed my breakfast at 7:30, a little earlier than normal, and I was starving by 10:30. Still...3 hours?!?!? Come on! Oats usually keep me way more satisfied than that. Luckily I had 1/2 a Clif bar sitting on my desk just waiting to be devoured by my ravenous self.
Mid-Morning Snack: 1/2 a chocolate chip Clif bar
[120 cal]
This held me over 'till 12:15, my usual lunch time. I was really looking forward to my lunch because I knew it would be very warm and filling. It was, but only for about 3 more hours. What is going on?!?
Lunch: leftover 
Afternoon Snack: 1 small orange and 5 strawberries
[116 cal]
My fruit obviously didn't hold me over after neither oats nor root veggies stuck with me. At 5:30, snackless and with a loudly grumbling tummy, I decided to forego yoga in favor of an early dinner. When we got home my hubb and I discussed possibilities. Baked potatoes? Filling, but they would take over an hour. No. Veggie Soup? Same issue. Mexi-dip? Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner.
To make myself feel a little bit better about what we were about to eat I decided to cook up some brussels sprouts that were on their last leg in the veggie drawer. They were done about 10 minutes before the dip so they became the appetizer. I consumed many of them.
Dinner: mexi-dip, fresh veggies and sauteed brussels sprouts
[calories? not sure. because i'm not sure how much of everything i consumed. i'm chalking today up as a calorie counting failure, but at least i'm finally full.]
If you've been reading my blog for awhile you've seen variations of this meal pop up before. It used to be a weekly occurrence for us. Seriously. We've limited ourselves to about once a month now...yay us!
This dip contained:
Problem is, I couldn't stop with what was on my plate. While watching the LOST re-run and new episode, the pan of dip was sitting to my side, calling my name. And I gave in. Several times.
And now I'm off to roll myself to bed. I had big plans to do laundry and get ready for my trip to Florida this weekend, but LOST kinda took over the evening. It happens. :)
G'night!
Lunch today involved another of my new purchases...Arnold's Sandwich Thins! I could say that I wanted to truly experience the flavor of the Thin by not mucking it up with lots of filling, but in truth I was just running short on time. :)
Lunch: arnold's sandwich thin with TJ's natural, crunchy PB and sour cherry preserves. Also, a salad.
[428 cal]
My salad contained:
For a snack I packed another repeat, 1 orange, 5 strawberries and 1/4 cup Fage 0%.
And then, tragedy struck. I went to the fridge for my fruity yogurt bowl at about 3:30, enough time to digest my snack before my run at 5:15. When I got to the fridge, I couldn't find my bowl! I quickly returned to my office and my tote bag, where I discovered my bowl. Warm as could be. I did some research about how long yogurt could remain at room temperature before the threat of bacteria struck and concluded that it wouldn't be a smart idea to eat it. Apparently, if the container is sealed, yogurt can last up to 8 hours at room temperature (according to some sources...but eat at your own risk!). However, if the yogurt is open and exposed to the air, I couldn't find any site that thought it was ok to eat after 2 hours without refrigeration. I can't tell you how sad I was to have to throw this beautiful bowl away. SO sad.
Instead, I had an apple and 1/2 a Clif Chocolate Chip bar. This Clif flavor was good, but I actually prefer the flavor and calorie count of the Clif chocolate chip ZBar more.
Snack: 1 apple and 1/2 Clif chocolate chip bar.
[200 cal]
I left work a little early and went for a run with my friend Kelly. We did just 3 miles and it was so laborious for me tonight. I'm always amazed at how different a run can be from day to day. This was the same route we did last week, I just cut it a little short because we had dinner plans. Tonight my legs were heavy and my stomach was crampy. I blame the first ailment on my two consecutive days of intense yoga...I was so sore today! And I blame the second ailment on my apple. Apples just don't agree with me as pre-run snacks. I've tried it before and I always get crampy. I thought today that I had plenty of time before my run, but apparently not. From now on, apples are off-limits after lunch on running days.
Exercise: 3 mile run
[-318 cal]
Dinner was sooo tasty. I LOVE Bang! We ordered an assortment of tapas to share amongst the three of us. There were wild mushroom dumplings, crab pot stickers, edamame, coconut rice, veggie curry, and other dishes that involved either beef or shrimp, none of which I ate because I'm not a fan of either. There were also delightful little slaws and salads that come alongside the main dishes. These may be my favorite part of the meal, and have inspired me to make more Asian-inspired slaws in my own kitchen.
I also had the Bang! Lemon Drop Martini. This martini is perfect. Its the martini that I strive to make at home but just haven't perfected yet. I've tried, trust me, I've tried. It has something to do with the specific sour they use, or the lemongrass infused simple syrup (I'm just not that ambitious). But it is GOOD, and I enjoyed every sip.
The food portions are tiny, so we left still slightly hungry but with much lighter wallets. I'm thinking there is some sort of pre-bed snack in my future...
G'night!
This weekend, in the midst of my V-Day activities and crazy work schedule I found time to make a trip to the grocery store. I was short on time so I decided to go to Harris Teeter instead of Whole Foods because it was closer, bigger, and had a better chance of being less crowded. The trip was pretty exciting...I found two blog-famous items that I've never tried before, Arnold's Sandwich Thins and Flat Out Wraps!!!
Lunch: veggie + hummus on a whole grain Flat Out Wrap
[176 cal] I know this is really light, but I had intended on eating the snack below with lunch. I just didn't have time...
I was so busy today right at lunch, so I wolfed down the wrap and saved the rest of my lunch for a snack later. The flat out wrap was REALLY good! The shape is genius. Seriously. The texture was lighter than my typical whole wheat tortillas, and only 100 calories as compared to 130 calories. So far, I'm impressed. I've heard that the ingredients aren't particularly thrilling, and I honestly don't have the energy to get up and go to the kitchen to look at the back of the bag. So I'll report on that some other time. :)
Snack: 1 orange, 4 strawberries and 1/4 cup Fage 0%.
[156 cal]
Tonight I finally made it to another yoga class at the studio where I have an unlimited pass for the month. What timing. I don't think I could have picked a worse month to invest in an unlimited yoga pass! My work schedule has just been way to crazy. The class was awesome, I'm so impressed with both instructors that I've met at the studio. It was a 90 minute Ashtanga class and I loved the pace and time taken to really get into poses. We did lots of back bends and plank variations...I'm definitely going to feel it tomorrow. There's nothing like going to a class and having an instructor help you to improve your practice. I feel like its worth the money not only for the class itself but for the added benefit I get when I practice on my own at home. I've got lots of catch-up to do to make my pass purchase worth it, and I'm hoping that now that my deadline is over I will be able to make yoga a more regular part of my routine again.
Exercise: 90 minutes of Ashtanga
While I was at yoga my hubb started on dinner. I picked out a recipe for Root Vegetable and Mushroom Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping out of this month's issue of Bon Appetit. When I walked in the door at our house I was hit by an aroma so amazing...a home cooked meal! It had been way too long. There was still a lot of work to do...this recipe is NOT a quick one, and I definitely don't recommend it for week night cooking. My hubb started when he got home at 6:45 and we didn't eat until 9:15! However, it was worth it. SO worth it. Just make it when you have LOTS of time and well before you anticipate getting hungry!
Dinner: Root Veggie Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping
[446 cal]
We had to modify the recipe quite a bit because I was missing a few ingredients. I have a terrible habit of not reading recipes thoroughly before going to the store...often missing ingredients and minor details such as the ridiculously long prep time.
Root Veggie Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Topping [modified from Bon Appetit, March 2009]
makes 6 servings
446 calories, 14.3g fat, 8.1g sat. fat, 65.2g carbs, 12.5g fiber, 15.2g protein
Ingredients:
Filling
photo courtesy of my hubb
I also made my favorite drink using one of winter's best fruits, the Meyer Lemon. You know, in celebration of completing my deadline. :)
Bella Eats Lemon Drop Martini
makes 2 drinks, 300 calories each
And...its bed time. Or, at least, reading a good book in bed time. :) I hope you all have a great Tuesday!
There were probably 200-300 people there, all in their bright-colored cool-weather gear. The temperature was 25* when we left the house, and it probably climbed to 30* by the time the race started. My hubb and I stayed together for the first mile, then I urged him to go forward without me once I heard our 1-mile split...9:14!!! That is fast for me, and I felt like I was going to burn myself out too quickly if I tried to keep up with him. He pushed ahead and I slowed down just slightly...my second mile split was 18:42! The first two miles were on a hilly road, and the last mile was on a very hilly trail through the woods that slowed me down quite a bit. We even had to climb over a fallen tree! So my final time was 30:20...which I am THRILLED with! I really wanted to beat a 10 min./mile average and would have loved to beat 30 minutes, but I wasn't expecting the trail and that totally threw my time off. If the entire 3.1 miles had been like the first 2 miles I think I would have finished around 28 minutes...
My hubb did really well too for his first race, finishing just ahead of me. I can't wait for our next race together!
So...I have been thinking about running a lot lately. You all know that I had a 
Lunch Thursday: big ol' salad with spinach, baby blends, red bell pepper, broccoli, cucumber, hearts of palm, black olives, roasted garlic hummus and some TJ's fat free balsamic vinaigrette.
[207 cal]
Snacks Thursday: an apple (saved my pear for a snackie dessert bowl once home) and a Clif White Chocolate Macadamia Nut bar, 1/2 before my run and 1/2 after. I am IN LOVE with the WCMN bar...even more so than the iced gingerbread. Which is a good thing because the WCMN bar isn't seasonal!
[321 cal]
Exercise Thursday: 3-1/2 mile run with my friend Kelly...it was fabulous and got me totally pumped up for my 5K.
[-360 cal]
I actually made dinner in the morning and packed it up to take to the office with me, knowing it would be a late night.
Dinner Thursday: baked chicken breast with Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce, 1 cup steamed broccoli and 3/4 cup Near East Whole Grain Blends, roasted garlic flavor.
[406 cal]
And I know you all have seen this fabulous sauce popping up all over the blog world... I received two bottles of Country Bob's All-Purpose Sauce last week and was excited to try it on my chicken. Let me tell you, it is some good stuff. Its kind of a cross between bbq and worschestshire sauce, with a smokey tang that truly would be good on most anything I can imagine.
I"ll be hosting a give-away so that a couple of my lovely readers can try out their own bottles of Country Bob's, but I need to clarify a couple of things with the company first. Stay tuned!
Dessert Thursday: snackie dessert bowl with 1 sliced pear, 2 heaping tbsp Fage 0% yogurt, 1 tsp honey. No picture, I was too tired.
[149 cal]
Daily Totals: Thursday
Lunch Friday: 1/2 a leftover chicken breast, thawed black-eyed peas and ham from New Years Day on a bed of spinach, and some red grapes.
[360 cal]
Snacks Friday: a mandarin orange, I decided against my apple because it just didn't sound good. Weird. However, when my boss brought in red wine, cheese and crackers for our Friday afternoon festivities, that sounded good. It had been a long week, and it wasn't close to being over. I had a small glass of wine and about 2oz of swiss cheese, with 4 table water crackers.
[402 cal]
I wanted to load up on carbs for our race the next morning, so dinner Friday was a kitchen sink pasta. Saturday is grocery day, so I had some veggies that I wanted to use up. Basically anything and everything I could find went in.
Dinner Friday: kitchen sink pasta and lots of water
[548 cal]
This yummy bowl contained:
It really hit the spot. Sometimes a big bowl of pasta is exactly what you need after a long week.
Daily Totals: Friday
Snacks Saturday: 1 pear and 4 table water crackers while at the office, a ZBar after grocery shopping
[311 cal]
My hubb and I had a lovely Valentine's Day evening. We started off at an engagement party for some good friends. I have a picture of Liz and I, but sadly none of me with my hubb! Such a shame because he looked so handsome all dressed up...
After the party we went to dinner at
For lunch I made my hubb a couple of mexi-wraps because we were out of lunch meat (his typical packed lunch of choice). They looked SO good that I decided to make one for myself too.
Lunch: mexi-wrap made with whole wheat tortilla, spinach, salsa, black beans, frozen corn, black olives, red bell pepper, 1 tbsp monterrey jack cheese and green onions
[246 cal]
Snacks: I packed grapes and a pear, but wound up saving my pear for later. I did go on a walk to the coffee shop with my hubb and gave in to a gluten-free chocolate biscotti - it was just one of those kind of days.
[grapes = 110 cal, biscotti = 280 (a went with the highest calorie count I found on myfooddiary...it was a big biscotti)]
For dinner I packed myself some leftover
When I finally got home I was craving some dessert My pear made a reappearance...in a snackie dessert bowl!
Dessert: 6oz Oikos honey-flavored yogurt, 1 sliced pear and 3 lemon snaps, crumbled
[341 cal]
See what I mean? It was such a snackie, intuitive day full of little 250 cal - 350 cal meals. I actually really liked it, and my numbers aren't too bad either.
Daily Totals:
Lunch: leftover potato leek soup with kale, and a hearty oat biscuit.
[437 cal]
Afternoon Snack: 6oz 0% Fage and one AMAZING Murcott Mandarin Orange...it was like eating an orange creamsicle dessert!
[130 cal]
I planned to go for a run after work, so had my a pre-run snack at my usual 5pm time. But, I wound up staying late at the office and got home too late for a run...I was just too beat. And THAT is why I need to get to bed earlier...so that I can get my bootie out of bed for my morning run! Its just so hard to stay motivated to work out at the end of the day, I'd much rather come home and get dinner going so we can start winding down.
Afternoon Snack #2: Clif chocolate chip ZBar...my fave. I love these little guys!
[130 cal]
Dinner tonight was quick, simple and DELICIOUS. I found a recipe for Lentil Chili with Cumin and Green Onions in the February 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. I planned to follow it exactly, but found that we were out of a couple of key ingredients, Chili Powder and Tomato Puree. So instead I modified it slightly, substituting Ancho Chili Pepper, tomato sauce and tomato paste. I also added frozen corn at the last minute and am so glad that I did. The corn cut the heat of the chili with a lovely, mild sweetness, really increasing the depth of flavors.
Lentil Chili with Cumin, Corn and Green Onions [adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2008]
made 2 dinner servings and 1 small lunch serving
362 calories, 7.6g fat, 1.4g sat fat, 58g carbs, 18g fiber, 19g protein
Ingredients:
Chop kale into large bite-size pieces. Rinse well. Saute' 2 garlic cloves in 2 tsp olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add drained kale, with water still clinging to leaves. Stir, allowing the kale to wilt slightly. Cover the saucepan and let kale steam for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and stir, tossing kale for about a minute. Squeeze 1/4 of one lemon on kale, and sprinkle with sea salt. SO GOOD.
Dinner: lentil chili, sauteed kale and a hearty oat biscuit.
[630 cal - eek! a little high tonight, especially since I didn't get my planned run in...]
Alrighty, I'm off to bed, with 8 minutes to spare! WooHoo!!! I hope you all have a great night...get some sleep!!! :)
My hubb was such a sweetie and made me this gorgeous salad for lunch, complete with homemade vinaigrette! He even took pictures...can you believe him?!? I also was craving some soup, so I ran across the street to 
My salad had:
When we got home I knew I wanted something warm and comforting. Luckily I had some soup on the menu... This weekend I managed to fit in 2 long hot baths, complete with bubbles, vino and the latest Bon Appetit magazine. I also had the February 2008 issue of BA, which I hadn't had a chance to read last year because I was deeply entrenched in my graduate studies. I held on to all of my neglected foodie magazines so that I could read them this year, during their intended month to take advantage of the seasonal recipes always featured. I read about yukon gold potatoes, kale, meyer lemons and leeks. My reading left me craving a hearty winter soup...and a lemon drop martini. I fulfilled the first craving tonight, the second will probably wait until the weekend. :)
Tonight's dinner isn't a recipe from BA, unfortunately...it probably would have turned out a bit better if it had been. It was good, the flavors were spot-on, but the texture of the soup was a bit, well, gluey. For lack of a better descriptor. I believe the reason for the extra thick creaminess was my use of yukon golds, which in hindsight I think would be better suited to a chunky soup than a pureed soup. Lesson learned. I will definitely try this recipe again, just with a different type of potato.
Dinner: potato leek soup with kale and hearty oat biscuits.
[437 cal]
Potato Leek Soup with Kale
226 calories, 7.4g fat, 1g sat fat, 37.5 carbs, 4.9g fiber, 9.2g protein
makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
I also made some
Dessert: more beautiful grapes.
[110 cal]
Alrighty, I'm feeling much better now but am ready for bed. I really want to get up in the morning for my run so that I can keep my evening free for yoga, although that means I'll only be getting about 5.5 hours of sleep. :( There are not enough hours in a day!!! How many hours of sleep do you get a night? I feel really lucky if I get 7, but I'm usually closer to 6. Not good...
G'night!
This yummy bowl contained:
I took clothes with me to the office so that I could run home after my haircut. It was such a gorgeous afternoon that I decided to push myself and take the long way home, about 4-1/2 miles. It was tough, I was dragging because I hadn't run more than 3-1/2 miles in the last couple of weeks with my foot injury. And, my foot was pretty sore when I was finished. :( It did feel great to be outside though, stretching my legs and soaking in the sun.
Saturday Exercise: 4-1/2 mile run, 10 min/mile pace
[-475 cal]
Saturday Afternoon Snack: the other 1/2 of my Clif Iced Gingerbread bar and my blood orange, perfect re-fuel after my run.
[193 cal]
I was wiped out when I got home, so the grocery trip my hubb and I had planned got bumped to Sunday. It also led to a very lazy evening during which cooking didn't really seem like an option, so we ordered in. If you've been reading my blog for long you know that Thai is our take-out of choice, and last night was no exception. :)
Saturday Dinner: take-out pad thai and veggie spring rolls with pineapple spice dipping sauce.
[about 525 cal]
We watched 
Sunday Exercise: YOGA!!! At my normal studio. I've realized that the new studio that I bought an unlimited month pass to doesn't have many classes that work with my schedule, so I'll be continuing to join my normal Sunday class that I love love love so much. Today was no disappointment. I was a sweaty, leg-shaky pile of goo afterwards.
[about -250 cal]
Sunday Afternoon Snack #1: a Clif Nectar bar, consumed immediately after yoga. Thank goodness I had it in my purse.
[160 cal]
My eating schedule always gets off on Sundays because I typically sleep later than normal then have yoga from 12:30-1:30, aka lunchtime. Today I had to go back to the office for another hour then went grocery shopping, so lunch slipped right by me. Needless to say I was famished while grocery shopping (bad, bad idea) and gave in to these Mi-Del Lemon Snaps.
I of course ripped into them as soon as I got in the car. They are SO GOOD! Just a hint of lemon with the same crunch as a classic ginger snap. They are dangerous... When I realized that I could easily finish the whole bag on my way home, I quickly reached behind me for the bag of grapes and noshed on them instead.
Sunday Afternoon Snack #2: 5 Mi-Del Lemon Snaps and a handful of red grapes (recreated for your viewing pleasure...).
[250 cal]
I had big plans to make dinner tonight, but when I opened the fridge I realized that we still had some leftovers to use up. So...another repeat.
Sunday Dinner: leftover Pad Thai and a big ol' salad. Also, a glass of cab (which was actually started while sitting on the back deck with my hubb and our pupps, enjoying our amazing weather).
[salad = 225 cal, thai = about 350 cal]
My salad contained:
Sunday Dessert: 2 lemon snaps and another bunch of grapes...they just looked so good when I was taking their picture for the snack re-creation.
[155 cal]
This post has taken forever for me to write because I'm watching the Grammy's at the same time. :) And now, its just about bed time. But first, a big reminder that tomorrow starts the 
Not nearly as pretty as when freshly made, but still just as tasty! PS: you'll be seeing this again.... :)
Afternoon Snack: 1/2 a Clif Iced Gingerbread bar...I only have 1-1/2 left and will be so sad when they are gone!
[125 cal]
When I got home from work last night, totally brain dead, I decided to go for a run. I went to campus and did a 3-1/4 mile loop at about a 10 min/mile pace. I REALLY enjoy my 3-4 mile runs. I've been thinking a lot about long distance running lately, and my training, and have lots to share with you. But not this morning. Soon, I promise. :)
When I got home I did 25 minutes of vinyasa flows...lots of down dogs, chathurangas, warriors, twisted triangles and pigeon. Perfect way to stretch out my hamstrings and hips. :)
Exercise: 3-1/4 mile run, 25 minutes of vinyasa yoga
[about -400 calories]
Dinner: leftover 
Dessert: snackie bowl with 6oz 0% Fage, 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, small handful of Annie's Bunnies
[223 cal]
It is such a BEAUTIFUL day here! The high is supposed to be 60*!!! Woohoo!!! I planned to go for a run this morning when I woke up but it was still only 23*, I decided to wait until later when it will be MUCH more enjoyable. :)
What are your plans for today? Unfortunately, I have to work. Boo. I'm getting ready to go to the office, but I have a hair appointment at 2pm so will have to stop working then. After that I'm going for a run, then to the grocery store with my hubb to stock up for the week, and maybe a movie tonight?We'll see. Busy day!
I hope you all have a great Saturday!
The lasagna was excellent reheated for lunch, just like it should be. :) My salad contained:
Dinner: the best split pea soup I've ever had! And a slice of homemade honey wheat bread that I pulled out of the freezer.
[502 cal]
I've never made split pea soup before, but it was so easy and so deliciously warming on this very cold winter night. The hot italian sausage added the perfect amount of heat, just at the back of the throat. It was the perfect complement to the sweetness of the peas and carrots. And the rosemary? Divine. Just the right touch of earthiness. This soup has made its way solidly to our list of regulars, I feel certain.
Split Pea + Sausage Soup [inspired by
Lunch: a salmon spinach salad. I had about 2.5oz of salmon leftover from last night, 1/2 cup of TJ's Harvest Blends and 2 cups of fresh spinach. I also crumbled 4 walnut halves on top and squeezed blood orange juice all over it. SO TASTY!!! I'm usually a little weary of leftover fish, but I actually really loved the salmon icy cold on top of a salad. Also, a blood orange.
[340 cal]
Snacks: I forgot to take pictures! :( I had a single-serve Oikos, blueberry flavor, at 3:30 and a Quaker True Delights granola bar at 5:00. Both were delicious and kept me fueled for yoga.
[250 cal]
Exercise: YOGA!!! Oh how I love going to classes. Tonight I tried out a new studio that several friends have recommended numerous times. They are running a special right now that all new students can sign up for unlimited classes for one month for only $50!!! I jumped on that, so you'll be seeing lots of yoga workouts popping up on the blog for the next 4 weeks. WooHoo! :) I'm excited to improve my balancing and upper body strength...I am majorly lacking in that area of yoga. Tonight's class was a 90 minute Intro to Ashtanga. I've always gone to Vinyasa classes, which are very similar to Ashtanga, but I think Ashtanga has the potential to be more strenuous. Both are considered to be power yoga, and both leave me dripping with sweat. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to trying out more classes at the studio! :)
I wasn't sure how to count my calories...myfooddiary isn't too specific. They just break up yoga into "power" and "stretching". So I counted 60 minutes of "power" and 30 minutes of "stretching", figuring I was REALLY working for at least 2/3's the class, and the other 1/3 was warm-up and cool-down. Anybody have any other suggestions?
[-400 calories]
My hubb and I cooked dinner together tonight. I love that! We made a healthier version of lasagna, inspired by the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook, one of my faves.
Dinner: "healthified" veggie lasagna and a small glass of cabernet
[about 550 cal]
This lasagna was SO good, and while we couldn't eat it every night, it is so much healthier than my old meaty, cheesy, creamy versions from the past.
Healthified Veggie Lasagna [inspired by the 
Must. Go. To. Bed. G'night! :)
Edited to Add
Daily Total:
Sadly, most of it has now melted. I think they've predicted more for tomorrow though. I don't mind the cold as much when we have snow to look forward to!
Before I get to far ahead of myself, I wanted to share the last of yesterday's eats with you. I decided to discard the cabernet that I wasn't enjoying and made a snackie dessert bowl instead (are you proud, 
Back to Tuesday...
My days are going by SO fast because I am SO busy at work! I've got a big deadline next Friday and I'm working really hard during the days to try and keep the late nights next week to a minimum. Its stressful, but I'd much rather be busy at work than bored like I was for the last few weeks. I had planned to get up early for some morning yoga, but forgot to turn my phone volume on after work yesterday so slept through my alarm for over an hour! Yikes. Needless to say I was in a bit of a rush, so I packed my breakfast to take with me to the office.
Breakfast: 6oz Fage 0%, 1/4 cup TJ's pumpkin spice granola, 1 banana, 1 medjool date.
[355 calories]
SO good! And it stayed with me for a full 4 hours.
I had a bit of a fish theme going on today...lots of protein and Omega 3's! :)
Lunch: tuna salad wrap on 8" whole wheat tortilla with yellow bell pepper and spinach, the rest of the tuna salad with peppers and carrots and two Back to Nature multigrain flax crackers.
[about 400 calories]
The tuna salad contained:
Snacks: a pink lady apple at 3:30 and a Clif ZBar at 5:30, to fuel me for a run.
[211 calories]
I decided to skip tonight's yoga class and go for a run. The weather was decent (30* and clear), and it got warm enough today to melt the ice on the sidewalks. They are predicting snow again tomorrow so I decided I should run while I had the chance, and go to a yoga class tomorrow night instead. It was great! I think my feet have gotten used to my new inserts because I didn't have much pain at all. I'm still planning to see a podiatrist because I don't think I should have to deal with any pain while running, right?!?
Exercise: 3-mile run, 10 min/mile pace. 20 minutes of vinyasa flows to stretch out afterwards. I'm feelin' good! :)
[- 400 calories]
Dinner tonight was inspired by 
The asparagus was super-easy, and SO good! I heated olive oil in a non-coated skillet, then added 1 clove of garlic to saute' for about a minute. Then the asparagus went in, with some salt and ground pepper. After it had been cooking for 3-4 minutes, the garlic was really starting to brown and trying to stick to the pan. I splashed in about 1/2 cup of orange juice to de-glaze, gave everything a stir and covered the pan. The heat was lowered to simmer and the asparagus cooked for another 3-4 minutes until tender. YUM.
This TJ's blend was really good too...israeli couscous, baby garbonzo beans, orzo and red quinoa. We cooked ours in chicken broth for a little extra flavor.
Thank you all for the sweet comments about my new table! I know it will take some getting used to, but I'm glad you're open to it. I'll get a picture of the whole thing soon, but I'm waiting until our new dining room light gets here so you get the whole picture. :)
Daily Recap: