Monday, November 30, 2009

I'm back! Sort of....

Sorry for the hiatus, but my sister gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday, so I was out of town with no access to my computer!  So needless to say I didnt do any workouts last week other than monday, but I didnt stuff my face during thanksgiving either, so thats good! I am having some computer problems again, so I am taking it back into the shop today, hopefully I wont be out of commission too long!  I attempted to do my 18 mile run this morning, but at around mile 1 it started pouring, and I am not that person that can run in the rain, especially when its 48 degrees out, so I turned around and came home.  There is no way I will do 18 miles on a treadmill either, so I will attempt to do them tomorrow morning if its not raining.  I start with my trainer tomorrow, hopefully she will kick my butt into shape!

My new Nephew Nathan!


Aunt Heather and Nathan


Greg's brined turkey breasts


Thanksgiving dinner

Monday, November 23, 2009

Happy Monday!

Its a short week for those of you that are working, so it should be a happy Monday :-)  I did quite a bit of baking this weekend.  I got a cupcake cookbook from William Sonoma and went crazy.  This first dessert is from Chobani Yogurt Recipes, even though I didnt use Chobani Yogurt.  I switched it around a bit to make it healthier. 
Lemon Blueberry and Raspberry Loaf:

1 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp all-purpose wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain fat free Greek Yogurt
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp splenda
3/4 cup and 3 tbsp of egg whites
2 tsp grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 cups blueberries and raspberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup splenda, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and apple sauce. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the berries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (a pastry brush works great for this, as does using a toothpick to make tiny holes that draw the syrup in better). Cool.

My next dessert was German Chocolate Cupcakes.  I dont like them but Greg does so I made them for him.  They came out to soft, need to figure out what I did wrong.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped, melted, and cooled to room temp
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
1 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup pecans, toasted
pinch salt

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350, lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the four, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar and 1/2 cup butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add the melted chocolate and sour cream and beat on low until combined.  Add the four mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted int he center of the cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for the remaining 10 minutes to toast them.  Let cupcakes cool about 1 hour. 

Using a paring knife, halve each cupcake horizontally.  Spread about 1 tablespoon of the topping on each cupcake bottom, then replace the tops.  Top each cupcake with about 2 tbsp topping and serve!

Topping:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the evaporated milk, brown sugar, and butter and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the coconut, pecans and salt until combined.  Let cool to room temperature before using.


The finished product!

Here is what Greg made for dinner last night.  A yogurt curry chicken salad, so good!


Friday, November 20, 2009

TGIF!

Finally Friday!  Well to me everyday is Friday right now while I'm out of work.  So yesterday I started out with the standard oatmeal, added blueberries and blackberries, exciting I know lol. 


Then it was off to the gym for some shoulder work.  I got the routine out of the Oxygen magazine.  I love that magazine!  Then I decided to drive around and try and find some cool sites to take pictures of.  I saw some interesting graffiti on a wall and stopped, it was kind of a sketchy area, think I actually pulled up in the middle of a deal going down, but we wont go there!  Here are the pictures I took.


Had some of my fish soup for lunch that I made the day before, I love it, it reminds me of wedding soup with the spinach and flavor of the broth.  I could eat this everyday! For dinner we went out to Ruggles Green, didnt take pictures, forgot my camera and it was too dark in there for me to use the iphone camera.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Fish Soup

I know I know, I didnt post yesterday, I'm trying to get caught up so I post today what I did the day before. So here is yesterdays update :-)

Breakfast started out as usual, steel cut oats, pinch of sea salt, tsp of almond butter, blackberries and a splash of agave.



Then it was off to 24 hour fitness for some back and biceps.

Ate some of turkey spaghetti for lunch, made with whole wheat pasta.


Then I roasted some tomatoes and peppers for a tomato soup I made.

Then I decided to make a "stay slim soup" that I found in the oxygen magazine, but realized I didnt have all of the ingredients so I improvised!

Ingredients:
1 spritz of pam
1 leek chopped
2 14 oz cans low sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen edamame
2 baby bok choy
8 oz frozen orange roughy
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano

Directions:
1. Heat up a pan with the pam in it; add leek and saute for 2 minutes.  Stir in broth and bring to a boil.
2. Add edamame and bok choy, simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Add fish and simmer until it turns opaque, approximately 3-5 minutes.
4. Add spinach and seasonings, simmer for 2 more minutes.


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Day after my long run



Hello all!  Sorry for the lack of posting yesterday.  I decided to do my long run (13 miles) yesterday morning, and I'm pretty much dead after a long run.  I did do it in my best time ever though, 2.37 yeah me!

So here are so photos of the mexican themed meal Therese threw on Friday for a friend that was in town from Japan.  Greg said it felt like a Goya commerical lol.  Everything was homemade, the salsa, nice and spicy, David's guacamole (which I didn't try since I don't like avocados).  She slow roasted the meat for 3 hours, and then it pretty much fell apart on its own.  Such a good meal, if only I hadnt filled myself up on salsa the hour before everyone got to her apartment :-)






Ok so here is the photo that made me realize I need to start hitting the gym extra hard.  I didnt realize I had let 20 lbs slip right back on me!  So now instead of those pesky last 10 lbs i want to loose, i'm now at 40 lbs I need to loose!  The first pic is last years half marathon.  The second is this years, yeah those 20 lbs show!  And yes I wore a similar outfit on purpose so that I would be able to compare pics more accurately hahaha I know i'm crazy.  I will post the 25k pic as soon as I get that.
 

Friday, November 13, 2009

Flag Football

Good Morning!  Yesterday was Greg's companies annual flag football tournament at the Texans training bubble.  So we started off breakfast with the usual oatmeal, today I added banana!




Then it was off to the gym for me, 30 minutes of chest and triceps and a few abs. I'd write down what the exercises were but I was using these cool new machines that the gym has where they are unstable and you have to use your core to stabilize them while you are doing the weights, so it gives you an extra workout.  Then it was off to the park for a slow 6 mile run.  I just havent had the energy to go full force this week. 

Next was my snack time!  I love salty foods, these pickles and seaweed pieces really do the trick!










For lunch I had some of my turkey lasagna that I had made last week.  This recipe is out of the Keith Kline recipe book we got from our nutritionist.  Its actually an eggplant lasagna, but we tried it that way one time and didnt like the way it tasted, so we substitute the eggplant for whole wheat lasagna noodles.

1 pound ground turkey breast
2 minced garlic cloves
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 32 oz can Italian tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tst oregano
whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 small container of fat free cottage cheese
8 ounces sliced fat free mozzarella cheese (I used shredded)
Pam cooking spray

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree.  Brown ground turkey with garlic in a pot with Pam.  Begin cooking the lasagna noodles.  Add tomato sauce and Italian tomatoes to the ground turkey, stirring and chopping tomatoes with spoon.  Add salt, pepper and oregano, stir, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Layer the lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, turkey sauce and mozzarella in a lasagna baking dish.  Add a second layer of lasagna noodles, turkey sauce and top with mozzarella.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  And this is what it looks like!


 
 

Then it was time for me to get ready for Gregs football event!  Here are some of him in action!



Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Hump Day

So we have decided to switch the blog up and make it more about our attempts at a healthy lifestyle. We are trying eat healthier and work out more. I have been unemployed for a little over a month now, so this seems like the perfect time to get back into shape! Today started out at 6:30, with the morning dose of oatmeal:

Oatmeal, with a tbs of almond butter, blackberries and a splash of agave nectar for sweetness.

Then it was off to 24 hour fitness for 30 minutes of back of and biceps and a few abs.  Then I went to the park to do a quick 3 mile run.  I wore the wrong socks, which I didn't realize made that big of a difference! I bought some quick dry socks and they are super slippery.  My feet were moving around in my shoes so much that it was making me run funny.  Or it could have been that my legs are still week from the 25K I ran on Sunday, but I'm putting the blame on the socks :-).  When I got home I had nice refreshing protein shake, just one scoop of the powder, 8 oz of water, ice and a sprinkle of cinnamon.



For lunch I had a bowl of the delicious tomato chicken tortilla soup I made on Monday.  Yum!


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Roasted Tomato and Chicken Tortilla Soup (from scratch!)

The first of this weeks healthy meals!  I got this one out of Cooking Light Magazine, except I added grilled chicken for some extra protein.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 5  medium tomatoes, cut in half (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2  (6-inch) Anaheim chiles (I used poblano peppers because they were out of Anaheim)
  • 7  (1/4-inch-thick) slices onion
  • 2 Chicken Breasts
  • 2  large garlic cloves, halved
  • Cooking spray
  • 8  (6-inch) white corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch strips
  • 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
  • 1/2  teaspoon  sugar
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  • 3  (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2  cup  diced ripe avocado
  • 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded queso fresco
  • 8  cilantro sprigs

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cut chiles in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place chiles, skin sides up, on baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes. Peel tomatoes and chiles; place in a small bowl. Place onion and garlic on baking sheet; lightly coat with cooking spray. Broil 20 minutes or until browned, turning after 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic to tomatoes in bowl. Discard foil.
3. Arrange tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Broil 9 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
4. Grill chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place tomatoes, chiles, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Process 1 minute or until blended. Spoon tomato mixture into a large saucepan; cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro and the next 5 ingredients (through broth); shred the chicken and add to saucepan, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 6 tortilla strips, 1 tablespoon avocado, 1 tablespoon queso fresco, and 1 cilantro sprig.


Monday, November 9, 2009

The Dijon Lennon

So I made it through my next race, a 25k (15.5 miles).  I didnt think i was going to make it.  At mile 13 I thought i was going to have to quit.  My legs hurt so bad, it took all of my energy to put one foot in front of the other.  But I made it!  Barely!

Ok so here is a recipe that I got out of the Abs Diet cookbook. 
The Dijon Lennon:
2 boneless, skinless turkey cutlets (I used chicken because my grocery store was out of turkey)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup reduced fat low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 sliced green onions
salt and pepper to taste

Pound turkey (or chicken) to an even thickness.  Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Brown each side of cutlets, about 3 minutes each.  Add broth, mustard, onion, salt and pepper, stirring well.  Reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.  Serves 2

Per serving:  140 calories, 27 g protein, 2g carbs, 3 g fat.

I know this picture isnt that great, but believe me it tastes great!  The mustard adds a really nice kick to the chicken.


Friday, November 6, 2009

Mother's Restaurant New Orleans

So we watch Man vs. Food and he recommended Mother's restaurant in New Orleans for their Ferdi sandwich, with debris (debris is just the drippings off of the roast beef).  He said that you have to try it when you go.  Yeah we were underwhelmed by the sandwich.  It was roast beef, turkey, cabbage, mustard, and debris.  It was ok, but nothing I would tell anyone they must try.  Now the etouffee on the other hand, that was delicious!  I know what I will be getting next time!


Thursday, November 5, 2009

Commander's Palace Brunch

One of our other favorite restaurants in New Orleans is Commander's Palace, we always try and go for the Saturday Jazz Brunch.  We were not disappointed!

I started off with the Oyster & Absinthe “Dome” - Plump P&J oysters poached with bacon, artichokes, Absinthe and a splash of double cream ~ Presented under a flaky pastry shell











Greg had the Gumbo du Jour









 

My entree was shrimp and cheesy grits, so delicious!









We all had different desserts; bread pudding, chocolate mouse, cheesecake, and my favorite, the pumpkin bread pudding.