Hello... Spring?

This weekend was a springtime teaser.  On Saturday, I woke up to beautiful, sunny weather.  It would've been a crime not to spend the day outside, so I brought my temporary little canine charge to the park for some exercise. 

Ready for Action

We jogged/walked around the park and explored the nearby river a bit,

and I'm pretty sure I saw a kingfisher.  Either way, the birds I spied were a gorgeous shade of blue that I'd never seen before.  I tried to snap a picture of one but the dog scared it off.

Proof that they exist!

Afterwards, we went to the recycling center to drop off some cardboard.

The Puppy Goes Green

Later on, my boyfriend came over and I cooked up some chicken fajitas for dinner.  These included chicken breast strips tossed in fajita seasoning and cooked in a frying pan with onions and green pepper strips, served on whole wheat tortillas with sour cream and salsa. 

On Sunday, we went to a local coffee shop, where I enjoyed a chai tea latte while I suffered two demoralizing losses in checkers. 

Now it's back to work and back to the chill of winter!

Chips & Dips

Happy Friday!  This morning, I was a bit slow to wake up, but there's nothing a little liquid energy can't fix!  I brewed up a big cup of coffee, added some cream and sugar, then put the green monster in motion.  This time, I changed it up a little.

1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, torn
1 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tsp almond butter
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup peach slices
1 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
A dash of vanilla extract

Mix in the blender until homogeneous.

Since I didn't have any frozen fruit/vegetables in it this time, I blended in a few ice cubes at the end.  Delicious! Not as intense as it is with berries.

Tonight, it was time to get creative.  I had a bag of whole wheat flatbread/pita that was about to go to waste/go moldy if I didn't act fast.  With some inspiration from my new Cooking Light cookbook, I tried D.I.Y. pita chips.  How had I never thought of this before?  First of all, pita chips are overpriced.  Plus, it can be difficult for me to finish a whole bag of pitas on my own.  It was so easy, too.

Here's what to do:

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut each pita into 8 triangles.  Arrange on a baking sheet.  Brush the wedges lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and whatever other spices you'd like.  Bake until crispy.  NOTE: The bread I used wasn't typical pita bread - it didn't separate into two layers.  Otherwise, I would have pulled the layers apart and baked for a much shorter time.  My thick chips baked about 20 min. (they were probably done at 15 min. though).

I made some guacamole to go with the chips as well.  I mashed one (slightly underripe... oops!) avocado and mixed in chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. 

The Usual Suspects

Of course, some hummus got in on the dippage too.

The Parting Shot

I think hummus complements pita chips much better than guacamole does, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday night!

Odd Oats

The past few times that I was shopping in Food Lion, approaching the granola bar section (and willing Kashi to be on sale), I noticed an item called Lavish Dark Chocolate old fashioned instant oatmeal.  Chocolate oatmeal? Lavish, indeed.  Usually I don't go for chocolate-flavored breakfast foods, but, last night, this product had a "closeout price" of $1.00 for a box of five pouches.  These "closeout" tags make me nervous, but don't worry, I checked the date on it and it's far from expired. 

Still skeptical, I tried it out for a quick breakfast this morning.  It took about 3 min. in the microwave with 1/2 cup water.  After it was done, I stirred in a dash of half and half and, feeling fancy, even topped it off with some dark chocolate shavings of my own making. 

It tasted a little funny at first, but I got into it after a few bites and found it to be rather tasty.  Sometimes, you have to let go of your preconceived notions about oatmeal and just go with it.  Next time, I might try adding some fruit in there, a la "chocolate-covered strawberry oatmeal."  Too weird?  We'll see.

Defeating the Drizzle

Today's rainy weather almost put a damper on my post-work goals.  Luckily, I had packed a gym bag this morning, so I powered through my afternoon slump, downed a mini Clif bar (or two), and went straight to workout after work.  I started with over 20 minutes of intense intervals - I'm talking up to 8 & 9 mph - on the treadmill.  Then, I hopped on the stationary bike for 30 minutes on the "Around the World" setting... whatever that means. 

After a trip to the grocery store and a long walk with the dog that I'm pet-sitting, I busted out my new Cooking Light cookbook: Fresh Food Fast; Weeknight Meals.  I slightly modified the recipe for Herb-Crusted Chicken with Feta Sauce. 
 
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken breasts.  In a bowl, coat the chicken with the breadcrumbs.  Cook the chicken breasts in the oil for approximately 5 minutes per side. 

Meanwhile, whisk the following ingredients together in a small bowl to make the sauce:


1/4 of a lemon (1/4 tsp grated lemon rind, 1 tbsp lemon juice)
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
Pepper
1/4 cup low fat feta cheese

Serve the sauce over the chicken breasts.  The recipe also suggests serving the meal with orzo.

 

Soy Joy & La Choy

I caved.  Again.  On mornings that I'm really dragging, I have an internal argument over whether or not I should swing by Starbucks before work.  This morning, my frugal side lost the battle.

Check out the fancy new stirrers!

I'm a sucker for Starbucks' soy vanilla lattes.  The soy milk tastes incredibly rich and tasty (and a "tall" is 180 calories - not terrible). 

Needless to say, this brightened up my morning. 

Frothy Perfection

Dinner tonight consisted of a "clean out the fridge" stir fry.  

I chopped up some mushrooms, garlic, onions, green pepper, and carrots, and got them cookin' in a frying pan with vegetable oil.  After the veggies had been cooking for a few minutes, I threw in some cubed tofu.  I had a bottle of La Choy Orange Ginger Sauce I'd been waiting to try, so I added a few tablespoons of it to the mixture.  

I served it all over brown rice.

 

Breakfast For Dinner

So much for getting back on the horse.  Since the detox phase, I've been reading the daily tips and ideas for inspiration but haven't been following it (I know, I'm copping out).  The challenge wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, but I think the detox was a great jump-start for my health.  Last week, I kicked up the intensity of my cardio workouts.  As for the diet portion,  I've noticed that I frequently start my mornings out with a super-healthy green monster smoothie, but my resolve weakens gradually throughout the day. 

Tonight, I made "breakfast for dinner," which always feels like an indulgence for some reason.

This omelet, seasoned with basil and black pepper, featured two eggs, monterey jack cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and Boca "sausage" links (normally I can't justify the purchase, but Boca products were finally on sale).  Quick, easy, and delicious!

I'm Lovin' It

I'm always interested to see what kind of "healthy" menu items major fast food chains can come up with (and advertise incessantly, perhaps in the hopes of making consumers forget about the greasy remainder of the menu).  Yesterday, I received a coupon for a free cup of McDonald's new fruit & maple oatmeal, so I tried it out this morning.  It featured diced apples, dried cranberries, and golden raisins. 

I'm pretty serious about my oatmeal, but, overall, it wasn't bad.  They didn't overdo the sugar, and the oatmeal wasn't gummy at all - it was towards the other, more watery, end of the spectrum (most likely because it was instant oatmeal).  Paired with a small coffee (just $1!), this was a decent breakfast for a fast food joint.

Back On the Horse

I ended the detox phase a few days early.  I had a visitor here, and I think it's safe to say that being on detox would not make me a very fun hostess, so I slacked off on the challenge for a bit.  Weekend highlights included The Discovery Place, complete with an IMAX viewing and some live exhibits,

my first-ever fish taco experience (at Rockbottom),

and personal pita pizzas.

 

I used whole wheat Mediterranean pita bread topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, a little parmesan cheese, spinach, black olives, mushrooms, black pepper, and basil (baked at 350 for about 13 min.).

Now it's time to refocus.  I hit the gym this afternoon and did 20 minutes of intervals at the highest level on the arc trainer, then 30 easy minutes at "random" on the reclined bike, while perusing the January/February issue of Whole Living (it finally came!).  Now that the detox is over, I can start to intensify my workouts.  Plus, I'll have a lot more options for meals.  Should be a good week!

Chock Full o' Spinach

Since I started reading more and more health/food blogs, I've noticed that "green monster" smoothies have become quite popular.  The creator of the blog Oh, She Glows coined the term and has recipes and information about green monsters at greenmonstermovement.com.  At first, I was a little put off by the shake because it has spinach in it.  Well, curiosity eventually got the best of me and, after realizing that I had all the ingredients for the blueberry-banana green monster, I went ahead and gave it a whirl today.

All my fruit, plus the spinach, was frozen, so I didn't add any extra ice to mine.  Also, I added less spinach than the recipe called for because it was more compact than fresh spinach.

Mix the following in the blender:

1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup frozen spinach
1 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries

There was a strong spinach aftertaste, but the overall effect was palatable.  I'm looking forward to experimenting with the recipe a bit and seeing what other flavors mesh well with the spinach.  Bonus: the main ingredients - frozen spinach and bananas - are always super cheap at the store!

Loafin' Around

This morning, I woke up to find a winter wonderland outside.

However, the interstate was more a of nightmare than a wonderland. 

I came home early so I mixed up a nice smoothie for part of my lunch. 

1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp almond butter


As I mentioned yesterday, I'm reintroducing gluten to my diet today.  I had oatmeal for breakfast and felt just fine.  I wanted to pick up a loaf of bread from the grocery store this weekend, but the ingredient lists weren't too compelling.  Therefore, I spent this afternoon attempting to bake some 100% whole wheat bread.  To make it, I used a recipe from Natural Health Restored, but I followed the directions for bread-making that came with my new Cuisinart food processor.  I was excited to see that my food processor even has a "dough" setting!

 

Yeast gettin' foamy

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 packages yeast
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 cups water
1/6 cup honey
4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt

Stir together 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, and 1 1/2 tsp honey.  Let sit about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Mix the flour, vegetable oil, and salt in the food processor.  In a small bowl, combine the activated yeast mixture with the cold water and remainder of the honey.  Slowly add this mixture into the food processor as it mixes.  Once the dough comes together to form a ball, allow it to mix for about 45 seconds (per the Cuisinart's directions - afterwards, I also kneaded it for a few minutes manually because the whole wheat dough is so dense and I, being a beginner, couldn't gauge if it was fully kneaded). 

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours. 

After the first rising, punch the dough down, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  Form a loaf/loaves and place into a greased bread pan(s).  Cover the pan in greased plastic wrap, return to the warm location, and let rise for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Bake at 350F for about 40-45 minutes. 

After it rose, the dough looked like too much for one bread pan, so I made a little round loaf on a baking sheet as well.

Coolin' off

 The texture was a little dense, but tasted good for a first attempt.

A Tale of Three Textures

Today is the last day without gluten!  During this coming week, I'll be reintroducing some of the eliminated foods one at a time.  Gluten tomorrow, dairy on thursday, and some of the others at my discretion.  In other words, shopping and planning meals should get easier and easier.

For some reason, staying committed to the detox was especially difficult during the weekend.  I think I was so busy with work during the week that I wasn't missing certain foods too much, but once I had time to sit around and think about it this weekend, I started to feel bad for myself a little deprived. 

I'd made it to Friday without watching TV (although I did cheat at the gym - totally justified, right?) but I decided to end my partial media fast yesterday to watch the playoffs.  During the games, I whipped up a new twist on ants-on-a-log with my beloved almond butter and some golden raisins.

 

The best thing about this snack is the medley of textures.  It's satisfying because you have the crunchy, fibrous celery, soft and chewy raisins, and smooth, creamy almond butter.  It was better than ants-on-a-log with peanut butter, I thought (I already made some more for a snack earlier today).  Almond butter doesn't hold a candle to cream cheese, though.

Later, I used my 3 part formula to make a balanced dinner.  This time, I had baked salmon (brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper) over brown rice.  On the side I had some kale (sauteed with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and balsamic vinegar).  It was a fairly simple meal, but the cayenne on the salmon gave it a nice kick.

Peanut Butter's New Rival

Peanut butter is a great food to have on hand because it is so filling, contains healthy fat, and can liven up any old apple or celery stick.  However, because the 28-Day Mind and Body Challenge prohibits peanut butter (a "common allergen") during the first week, I have been forced to seek an alternative.  Enter almond butter.  Unfortunately, my local grocery store doesn't carry too many uncommon health-foods, so I had to trek out to Harris Teeter to find it.   

After work today, I tried it out on a sliced Granny Smith apple.  The consistency is much thinner than PB (as you can tell from the picture) but it was a satisfying snack.  I actually liked the taste better than I like whole almonds.  I'm thinking it might be good in a smoothie too...   

The gang's all here!

For my workout, I headed to the gym and tread on the mill for about 20 minutes.  It wasn't much, but it met the requirement for the challenge for today and sure was better than no exercise!  I also did some back strengthening moves from Whole Living. 

Post-gym, I made a salad for a light dinner, which featured baby spinach, tomato, cucumber, onion, and avocado.

 

Just tryin' to get my 5-a-day!

Make 'Em Sweat

Tonight's cooking adventure was driven by two factors: a) I needed to use my eggplant and b) I couldn't wait any longer to try out my mini George Foreman grill!  I made a variation of Whole Living's spicy seared eggplant.

 Bonus:  I learned how to make eggplants weep.

It's a sad sight to see.  They know where they're going next...

Here's what you'll need:

1 medium eggplant
Salt (*evil laugh*)
1 shallot, cut into 1/4-in slices
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp golden raisins
1/8 cup +1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
Vegetable oil

Sweating the eggplant:  Slice the eggplant into 3/4-in discs.  Sprinkle salt on them and set them in a colander over a bowl (to catch the water).  Let sit about 30 minutes, then rinse and blot dry.

Doin' its thing

Meanwhile, start heating up the grill and grease it with vegetable oil.

Stir the shallot, garlic, balsamic vinegar, red pepper and 2 tbsp water together in a small pot on the stove.  Once boiling, let cook for about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add in the raisins and 1/8 cup olive oil.

Once the eggplant discs are done weeping, coat them in the rest of the olive oil.  Grill for about 5-6 minutes each, or until tender and "charred," as the original recipe describes.

Serve the eggplant with the vinegar sauce on top.

It may just be that I'm still in the honeymoon phase with balsamic vinegar, but these were delicious!  The eggplant was a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the raisins complemented the flavor delightfully. 

Navel Station

There's a new sheriff in my fridge - a gigantic, 8-pound bag of Sunkist oranges.  I scored this heifer from Food Lion for only $3.99.  Quite a bargain.  It came with 17 in it, and the first two have been juicy and perfectly sweet (unlike the last citrus fruits I bought on sale - rather dehydrated, densely seeded tangerines).  Oranges are a great snack because they're full of fiber, they're big enough to be satisfying, and they're delicious.  Also, the extra vitamin C is particularly useful during the cold and flu season.

Anyways...

The Monday Blues are over and things look much brighter today.  I made a baked sweet potato and kale, sans the cheese, for dinner.  The kale was just as good as I remembered it.

Last night, you couldn't have payed me to go to the gym, but tonight I went willingly and did some strength exercises that torture target the back and shoulder muscles.  Next up was 30 minutes of intervals on the elliptical (and yes, I did cheat on the TV fast - I just couldn't look away).

Detox, De-stress, Decaffeinate

Day 1 of the detox week has been a success.  For lunch, I brought a whole stack of stuff (pictured right) - spinach salad with chicken, sliced kiwi, a banana, almonds, and some rice cakes - because I'm supposed to have 5-6 small meals per day.  To be honest, I've still felt hungry most of the day, and a lingering (coffee withdrawal?) headache has plagued my afternoon (I even had 2 cups of green tea, but I guess it didn't help).  I powered through it and was excited to check out the exercise portion of the plan.  Well, the "goal" was to walk for 10 minutes straight.  I'm no athletic superstar, but, as someone pointed out, I'm a lot more advanced than "trying" to walk for 10 minutes without stopping, and I don't want to take any backwards steps in terms of my fitness.  So instead, I jogged around the neighborhood for a little over 10 minutes. 

Another part of today's challenge was to start with a simple yoga routine.  The moves are very simple but are a good way to transition into regular yoga practice. 

One more thing - the media fast!  It took a great deal of willpower, but I haven't turned on the TV all day.  The internet is a bit trickier because I rely on it for blogging and keeping up with the challenge, but beyond that I'm cutting down on the time I spend surfing around aimlessly on Facebook and on other people's blogs.

The Last Supper

Happy 2011! New Years is one of my favorite holidays, mostly because I love new beginnings and the limitless feeling I have at the start of each year.  This year, I didn't make a long list of resolutions like I usually do (it's funny how they start to look the same year after year...) but I am planning to attempt Whole Living's 28-Day Mind and Body Challenge.  As described on the site, the challenge is a way to "purify, fortify, and leave you healthy and refreshed in 2011."  The plan includes guidelines for diet, exercise, and overall mind and body wellness to jumpstart your year.  This challenge is a little intimidating, which is why I haven't attempted it other years, but I'm planning to just take it day by day and do my best.    

Week 1 starts tomorrow.  The focus of Week 1 is to eliminate common allergens and simplify my life.  For diet, this means no gluten, no caffeine, no soy, no dairy, no added sugar, no alcohol, and the list goes on.  After Week 1, I'll reintroduce these foods one by one.  I thought this aspect might be helpful for me because I may be able to pinpoint foods that cause my chronic headaches.  This week also includes a media fast... as in, no TV and limited internet time.  Exercise is part of the plan, but I think this week's routine is fairly gentle.

For better or for worse, I felt like tonight was my last chance to indulge before the detox.  Naturally, a trip to the video store to snag Eat, Pray, Love for the night was in order (I assume movies are off limits for the media fast?).  I know I'll probably be cooking my own food for the next few weeks, so I hit up Subway for a quick dinner.

 

Bread, My Love

I know, I know, turkey on wheat isn't exactly a splurge, but I still savored my parting moments with gluten.

Another part of Week 1 is adding an extra hour of sleep by going to bed 10 minutes earlier each night for the next 6 days, so I better head to bed.  Detox week, bring it on. 

Wish me luck!