Pure Pear-fection

I can't believe half the week has already flown by!  The past few weeks have been pretty busy, which has given me all the more motivation to eat right and stay well.  Naturally, this morning's breakfast feature was another green monster smoothie.

Behind-the-scenes Blender View

This time, I used fresh baby spinach, frozen strawberries, a banana, almond butter, and almond milk.  I also added in a few peach slices and plain yogurt (not pictured). 

By the time I finished my workout at the gym after work today, I was too hungry and impatient to document my dinner.  Once the old blood sugar was stabilized, though, I put some thought into dessert.  I had a large pear that looked about ripe, so I searched Whole Living's website and found a recipe for Poached Pears with Dark Chocolate.  I slightly adapted the recipe for the ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

1/2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 tbsp honey
4 cups water
1 pear, peeled, halved, and cored
1 handful dark chocolate chips, melted

Heat the ginger, honey, and water in a saucepan until boiling, then let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Place the pear halves in the pan, cover, and let cook for 10-12 minutes.  Remove when soft.  Pour the melted chocolate over the pear halves.  Enjoy warm.

The pear I had was Bosc pear.  Although the recipe called for a Bartlett pear, the Bosc tasted just fine in this recipe.  Then again, don't most fruits taste delicious when drizzled with chocolate?

On a Roll

This morning seems like a distant memory.  Since I get up so early during the week, it can be hard to sleep in on the weekends.  Sure enough, I was wide awake by 7:30 AM, and it wasn't too hard to transition from this mode

 to gym mode. 

 
 I had a quick breakfast of Emergen-C, an orange, and an Odwalla bar.

In case you can't tell, I've been serious about my vitamin C recently for warding off colds and such.

The gym was surprisingly hoppin' for a Saturday morning, but I managed to get my arms/shoulders weight routine in before sweating it out on the arc-trainer for 30 minutes.

 Feeling great, I treated myself to a green monster as a post-workout smoothie (who knew that I'd ever look forward to a spinach shake?).

1 1/2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
2 drops vanilla extract
1 tbsp almond butter
1 banana, sliced
3/4 cup canned, sliced mango

I had to work today too, so I feel like that eases my confession that once again, instead of cooking dinner, I picked up some prepared food tonight in the form of California sushi rolls with brown rice (from Harris Teeter). 

I suppose the setting sun made for some dramatic lighting on these guys.  As always, they were delicious.  I think my favorite part is the ginger, which I never seem to have enough of.

A Memorable Medley

Due to slight sleep deprivation and a busy schedule, I haven't had much time for real cooking this week.  Well, last night, I had to get some dinner on the go, so I went to Chik-fil-A.  Admittedly, I chose this restaurant because I was craving their soft-serve, but I compensated for the treat by ordering one of their healthier menu options for my entree.  I'd never had one of their salads before, but the Chargrilled and Fruit Salad sounded enticing. 

It was scrumptious.

 

I savored the entire thing.  Seriously.  There was so much going on - grilled chicken, lettuce, shredded carrots, cheese, shredded red cabbage, diced apples, red grapes, sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges - and it came with a little packet of granola and a pouch of berry balsamic vinaigrette.  

 

I'd never thought to combine these various fruits and vegetables together, but it worked.  The quality was much better than your typical fast-food salad, too.  All of this, paired with a Diet Dr. Pepper and followed by the obligatory cup of vanilla ice cream, made for quite a delicious meal.  

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.