Picnic in the Park

One month until my next race! My sister-in-law, the wife of my husband’s coworker and I are signed up and confirmed for the Commit to be Fit 5k on May 2nd in Columbus, Ohio. I’m going to run when I can, walk when I can’t. This is by far the largest race I’ve ever entered and it should be loads of fun. There are DJs set up throughout the course so you can hear constant music without needing your iPod AND there’s free pizza waiting at the end. Holla!

Yesterday was GORGEOUS! Unfortunately, I was stuck at my desk most of the day. On nice days, I feel lucky that we have floor-to-ceiling windows and my cube is sort of in a corner so I have 2 window walls instead of 1.

Breakfast was 12-grain bread (swiped from my parents) spread with cream cheese. It doesn’t look like much, but it kept me full for a good long while.

Late morning I had some leftover organic whole wheat rotini sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese & drizzled with EVOO. Yes. I do love me some carbs.

I had an appointment to drop my car off for an oil change during my lunch hour and pick it up after work since the place is only about 2 blocks from my office. My original idea was to go to the library after I dropped it off, but it was just too nice to be inside. I decided to walk to the nearby park instead for a picnic.

I finished up my homemade egg salad with some water crackers and sipped refreshing, cold water and True Lime from my reusable bottle.

The sky was the most beautiful shade of blue and the clouds were fluffy like cotton balls. Here’s a pic from my walk back to the office:

Afternoon snacks were a pear and a Chocolate Chip Clif Bar. I really like this flavor, but I think it tastes more like molasses (yum!) than chocolate.

As soon as I got home we went to sign our tax documents at the preparers house so he can efile them. We only owe $42 to the state and got lots more than that back from the federal. I’d like to say that we’re spending it on something fun, but most of it is earmarked to replace shingles we lost during the fall & winter wind storms. Just one of the many joys of home ownership.

For dinner, I threw together some enchiladas made with lean ground beef and whole wheat tortillas. We’re on a big “finish up partial boxes of stuff on the lazy Susan kick” so it was white rice on the side. When you’re used to brown or long grain, white rice just seems so bland.

Making Mexican food always reminds me of my trip to Morelia, Mexico when I was in high school. I studied there for two weeks in an intensive language immersion program and stayed with a family who lived near the school. The mother in my home away from home took me to the market with her every day after my classes let out and then let me help her prepare dinner. The whole trip was incredible and I learned as much about the culture as I did about the language.

I wanted veggies too so I had some leftovers from my stir fry dinner on Wednesday night.

Sorry about the lack of quality photos. I was starving.

In giveaway news:

Bobbi is offering up a fabulous Ultra Light Packable Pullover from Danskin.

Sarah will have FIVE winners of her Bob’s Red Mill contest.

Becca is giving away some CIA goodies.

Do you like to eat outdoors? Do you prefer to dine inside or outside?

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A Day Late

I got so wrapped up in blog reading and commenting yesterday that I forgot my own post. Oops! So, here are Tuesday’s eats:

Breakfast didn’t look great, but it tasted good. This was part of what was in my lunch bag when I left it in the fridge. No worries. though. Day old (refrigerated) yogurt with Bear Naked Fit granola and blueberries is a little mushy, but a-ok.

***PRODUCT REVIEW***

Stonyfield Farm Organic Lowfat Yogurt

The lovely Kristin of Stonyfield Farm sent me some extra coupons along with those for the Oikos and I advantage of a few at the grocery last weekend. I thought this plain yogurt was really good. The taste reminded me a little bit of Greek yogurt which I LOVE so that was cool. The texture was really smooth and it mixed well with my add-ins. The combination left me feeling full for several hours which is rare for my tummy. I’m glad the tub is big because I plan on incorporating it in for more breakfasts very soon.

One serving = 1 cup (227g)

Calories: 120
Total Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 150mg
Potassium: 530mg
Total Carbohydrate: 15g
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 15g
Protein: 10g

Ingredients: CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC LOW FAT MILK, PECTIN, VITAMIN D3. CONTAINS OUR EXCLUSIVE BLEND OF SIX LIVE ACTIVE CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, L. CASEI AND L. RHAMNOSUS.

Tuesday turned into a blah day after my adventure with new yogurt. I don’t remember too many details.

Lunch was ravioli.

Post-”workout at work” snack: a juicy anjou pear. (NOTE: Pampered Chef’s apple slicer works perfectly on pears, too!)

Another afternoon snack: celery sticks and Sabra hummus with hot sauce:

Right before leaving work I had a Blueberry Crisp Clif bar. It’s one of my favorite flavors. I’m allergic to artificial blue coloring (which is in more things than you would think) so I’m glad these are natural. They’re deliciously fruity and crispy, all at the same time.

After seeing what I ate during the day, it’s probably no surprise that I wasn’t too hungry come dinner time. Eggs sounded good so we had sammies. Mine was egg, cheese, a little corned beef (heated in the microwave to kill the listeria bacteria) and mustard all on low-cal wheat bread. WordPress is being funky for me today and it won’t upload the rotated picture. Here it is all sideways like:

Be sure to check back tomorrow. I’m a attending a foodie event tonight and I’m really excited about sharing it with you all!

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A Fruitful Day

The day started off a little cloudy and rainy. By 10AM the sun was shining and it was up in the high 70s. In Ohio! In MARCH! Unfortunately I didn’t even get to go outside and enjoy it until after work.

I guess I’ll start from the beginning. Breakfast at home was a toasted Weight Watchers bagel with peanut butter. My camera was already in my purse in the car so I skipped the picture. Trust me, though. It was ooey gooey goodness at its finest.

As I said, the commute was pretty rainy. I didn’t see any lightening, but I did hear some rumblings. The time change means it’s back to driving in the dark in the morning. It’s a fair trade off for having an hour of daylight when I get home.

I got settled in at my desk and had an organic banana around 8:30.

I was hungry again at 10:30 and wanted something hot. I went ahead and microwaved my can of Progresso Light Vegetable & Barley soup. I had a “side” of string cheese.

Another Tuesday. Another workout at work day. Yesterday was pretty heavy on the lower body. We did a few new things that were really tough including grass diggers, various squats, BOSU trainer weighted step ups and opposite extensions on our toes rather than our knees. Hurt so good! I’m afraid this might be our last month. Some of the ladies seem to be getting burned out on the time commitment and others are questioning the intensity. We pay a set rate per session divided by the number of people participating. If they drop out, the cost might skyrocket and others might leave based on the expense. I hope this isn’t the case.

The workout left me pretty hungry. Mini-meal #4 of the day was Sabra hummus, baby carrots and a delicious plum.

This is the first time I’ve tried Sabra (thanks to all the mention in bloggie land) and it was wonderful! I liked the texture a lot better than the brand I normally buy. I bought the original flavor, but the “Insanely Hot” variety was tempting. Anyone tried it? What are your thoughts?

I spent the rest of the afternoon working away while sipping on decaf hot tea. Late in the afternoon my stomach was growling and I treated it to a Pumpkin Pie Spice Clif bar. Dear Clif, PLEASE make this flavor and the Iced Gingerbread flavor available year round. They’re just too dang good to be seasonal!

I was shocked when I finally hit the doors at 5:00PM. It was still in the 70s with glorious sunshine. The pooch loved hanging her head out the window on the way home and got a little upset when I rolled it up to get on the highway.

My husband was already home when I got there. He had every door of his “man cave” (our large garage/outbuilding) open and he was working away on some random projects. I sat and chatted with him while he worked before deciding that I wanted to take advantage of the weather and MOVE! I walked to the village municipal building to drop off the water bill, then around the corner to mail a letter at the post office. Once my hands were free, I broke into a jog and took the long way home. It felt SO amazingly good to exercise outside again. It put me in a great mood for the rest of the evening and it was like a shot of instant energy.

When I got back I washed up and started dinner. The original recipe came from a friend, but I’ve tweaked it over time to suit our tastes a little. Here’s my version:

Chicken Baseballs

2 cups chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
4 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat.) or 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Swiss cheese
2 tsp. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 of a small onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (increase/decrease to your taste)
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Combine all ingredients (except the crescent rolls) until well blended. You can put it all in the food processor or just stir it together in a bowl.

3. Divide crescent rolls into 4 equal pieces (2 triangles per piece) and seal the seams together to form 4 squarish rectangles.

4. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture (about 1/2 cup) onto each piece of crescent roll.

5. Fold corners or each crescent roll over the top of the mixture to form a pouch.

6. Place “baseballs” on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake until the crescent rolls are done, about 20 minutes.

Here’s a closer look at the inside:

They’re really tasty, almost like individual chicken pot pies. You can add whatever other seasonings you like. They’re also good with extra veggies (like carrots and celery) added to the mixture.

No real need for a starchy side because of the crescent rolls. We had ours last night with corn and cottage cheese. I had one baseball, my husband had 2 and then he swiped the last one to pack in his lunch.

After dinner we settled in the living room to finish watching The Biggest Loser before heading to bed. This season is so much different than last year. The people this time seem to genuinely care about and like one another while the last go round was full of pettiness and mean spiritedness.

What’s your favorite outdoor activity?

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Tag Team Dinner

I should have known that Tuesday would go by slow considering how Monday seemed to fly by. The morning wasn’t bad, but the afternoon went at a snail’s pace.

Breakfast was another Horizon Organic milk box and an in-the-car egg white sandwich with a Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge. No picture (again) because I was on the run.

I was swamped at work most of the morning which is probably why it seemed to go by so quickly. I munched on some more Annie’s White Cheddar Bunnies around 10:00.

I have found heaven and it is a Clif bar. I found the Clif Iced Gingerbread bar at the grocery last weekend and bought quite a few. Good thing I did because they are deeeelicious! I had one around 11:30 before my lunch time “workout at work” session.

My afternoon snack was a banana and a few cups of hot water with True Lemon. It’s just crystallized lemon in convenient little packets. It’s a great option when you don’t want plain water, but don’t want anything sweetened either. I keep a box in my desk and I’ve gotten my coworkers hooked, too. I was sporting some alma mater love with my mug choice today. Go Bobcats!

Five o’clock finally came and I hit the door running. It was a rainy drive which I’ll take over an icy commute any day.

Dinner was a team effort. I made Macaroni & Cheese with Cauliflower from the February issue of Real Simple magazine. I did modify the recipe quite a lot. Skipping the breadcrumb topping saved some time. I just sprinkled the top with Parmesan cheese & some crushed up croutons before popping it in the oven.

While that baked, my husband grilled some portobello mushroom caps. Besides omelets, these are one of his favorite things to cook. This time he just brushed them with a mixture of minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil before cooking them on the grill pan. It made the whole house smell divine.

The mac & cheese recipe says it makes 6 servings which ends up being a HUGE portion. I had about half of a serving with one my my husband’s grilled portobello caps. I was way too full. The mac & cheese was a hit and we have plenty for leftovers.

Clean up was pretty easy. I used my Rachael Ray enameled dutch oven for every step of the mac & cheese which meant only that and the grill pan to clean. All the work was done in time to watch The Biggest Loser. I made it through the first half just fine, but was asleep off and on for the last hour. I did wake back up for the elimination, but I won’t spoil it for you DVRers.

Do you watch The Biggest Loser? Who are you pulling for? Who do you wish would go away?

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“Fast Food”

I went back to work today which was probably a mistake. The news made it sound like the roads weren’t too bad. My husband called shortly after he left to tell me that the streets were snow covered where he was, but that I’d be fine if I slowed down and took it easy.

Wrong. What normally takes an hour and a half took over two hours today. Basically my entire commute was like driving on gravel because of the ice with snow packed on top of it.. My car was shaking. I was shaking. It was loud. I thought if I just kept driving a little further it would get better. That was not the case, but by the time I decided I should probably turn around I was already halfway there. I kept pushing and eventually made it only to almost get stuck trying to pull into the parking lot.

Anyway, enough of my whining. I got to work safely and that’s really all that matters. On to my eats!

I wanted to get out the door as early as possible so I grabbed a Clif bar for breakfast. This was the first time I’ve ever had the Chocolate Chip flavor and it was good. Just enough chocolate without being overly sweet. I really like the texture of these bars. Not only are they hearty, but the consistency forces me to slow down when I eat. Here’s an after picture of the wrapper:

Lunch was a Lean Cuisine Chicken Club panini. Not exactly the most “natural” food ever, but they have good flavor and stick with you. I don’t like to have packaged lunches like this every day. However, they do work well when you’re in a hurry and they’re better than icky fast food.

An hour or so after lunch I was feeling anxious so I had a cup of Tazo Calm tea and did some deep breathing at my desk.

Snack was a few Kashi TLC crackers (one of my new addictions) and a wedge of Laughing Cow Light swiss cheese.

I worked through my lunch and got to leave at four so I could pick up the pooch and be home before dark. They’re calling for more snow tonight and I didn’t want to chance getting stuck in that if it came early. The drive was a little better than this morning. Still pretty icy and slow going.

I cooked Ranch Chicken & Potatoes in the crock pot yesterday so that we could just heat it up for a quick dinner tonight. My friend gave me this recipe and I’m not exactly certain of the original source.

1lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use 99% fat free)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (powder)
1/4 cup diced onion
20 oz. Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed & parboiled 10-15 minutes

Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and stir together. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

On the side I had cottage cheese and a romaine & green leaf lettuce salad with a drizzle of Annie’s Goddess dressing. I won’t bore you with a picture of another of these salads. Seems like it’s becoming a trend.

I’ve had a horrible headache all day and ibuprofen isn’t touching it. Not sure what’s up. I normally don’t get headaches, but they’ve been an every other day thing for about the last week. I’ll be taking it easy this evening and probably heading to bed early again. Looks like I’ll need to be up and at ‘em early again tomorrow.

I’m really excited to be participating in the Valentine’s Day Blogging Exchange! Click here for more information or to sign up. You need to do so by January 30th (which is tomorrow) so don’t wait!

What’s your “go to” lunch when you’re in a hurry to get something together?

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Better Late Than Never

I apologize for my lack of posting last night. It was for a good cause. My roommate from college (whom I love and adore) delivered her 2nd baby yesterday evening and I had to fulfill my promised portion of the phone tree. Welcome to the world baby girl! The name they chose is very, um, unique. Makes me want to watch reruns of the once popular Boy Meets World. There was only one female main character in that show, right? Catch my drift? Yes, I’m serious.

Anywho, on to yesterday’s eats. I slept in a little to make up for my late bedtime Tuesday night. Darn you Biggest Loser! I was in a hurry this morning so I plopped two fried egg whites and a slice of 2% American cheese on a whole wheat english muffin and ate it in the car. I did try to snap a picture while I was rushing around like a mad woman, but I got the ever dreaded “Change Battery Pack Now” message on my camera screen. It really wasn’t that pretty anyway.

Wednesday = Coffee Day(!!!) so I arrived at work to find a crimson cup waiting on my desk. It was filled with my standard venti skim gingerbread latte. I opted for the hot version over the frozen this time in honor of it being 2 degrees outside. The battery pack was on charge so no live picture, but this is as close at it gets.

That kept me full until noon when I heated up my Turkey Taco Quinoa Stew. So. Freaking. AWESOME! I’ve had the same thing for lunch every day this week and I’m nowhere near tired of it. Today’s lunch tea was Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Plum white tea.

After lunch I sat through the most painful training/brainstorming session ever! I love organization. I crave structure. This 1.5 hour train wreck had neither. I left feeling more confused than I was beforehand and I was very anxious. That called for a cup of Tazo Calm tea. Along with the tea I did some breathing exercises at my desk to help me get back to my happy place. Thankfully the rest of the afternoon went by quickly.

I listen to audiobooks a lot during my commute to and from work. I love to read so it’s a great way for me to make the most of my 3 hours spent in the car each day. During my trip to the library earlier this week I picked up Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business by Gary Erikson, the founder of Clif Bar & Company. I love books. I love Clif Bars. Coincidence? I think not! I started it Tuesday and so far I’m really enjoying it. I’ll post a better review when I’m finished listening.

Early on in the book they outline how Luna bars came to be. I’m ashamed to admit it, but until then I wasn’t aware that Luna bars were made by Clif Bar & Company. You learn something new everyday! In the spirit of the book, I packed this for my drive home snack. I swear this flavor is becoming like crack to me.

It was a quick change into workout gear when I got home so that my husband and I could hit the gym before dinner. Turned out to be a great workout. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the elliptical then did the Week 11, Day 2 workout from Buff Brides by Sue Fleming with bursts of cardio between the sets of upper & lower body exercises. I finished with crunches. I burned 426 calories in 48:13.

Afterwards we headed home and had breakfast for dinner! My husband and I are both big fans of breakfast food so at least one night every other week is devoted to our love of traditional morning fare. Last night it was pancakes and sausage. I had one of each. My pancake was topped with Parkay spray and a little bit of maple syrup.

Not to toot my own horn, but my pancake skills last night were off the hook. My husband deemed them perfect!

I got the baby news just as we finished dinner so I called everyone on my list while I cleaned up the kitchen. My adrenaline was still pumping from my workout so I took a hot bath to unwind and then headed to bed.

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TGIF!

Happy almost-the-weekend everyone! The end of the work week is in sight and I’m looking forward to a three day weekend. The temperatures this morning were hovering around -20 degrees and the high for the day was -5. That’s cold. Really, really cold.

I woke up STARVING this morning. I was in a hurry so it needed to be something quick as well as filling. I grabbed this Clif bar and ate it during my commute. Yum!

Everyone at work was in a pretty good mood. Typical Friday, but I’m not complaining. There was a very pleasant surprise in my e-mail inbox around 9:00AM. The coffee house we order from on Wednesdays had a delivery near our office and said they could stop by our office afterwards if anyone was interested. I rounded up the orders and e-mailed them in. No picture today because it was the same thing I posted on Wednesday, venti frozen skim gingerbread latte. Most of my coworkers thought I was insane for ordering a frozen drink (again) when it was so cold outside and our office felt like a refrigerator.

I really wanted to stay in for lunch and catch up on some magazine reading, but I needed to run errands. I went to PetSmart for dog food. Of course, a new toy snuck in my cart. Then I stopped at the vet’s office for flea and heart worm treatment since we just used the last tube. I ate lunch at my desk when I got back to the office. Today was edamame with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from the bottle I keep at my desk. I buy the frozen, individually portioned containers at Sam’s Club and microwave them at work. Sometimes I eat them from the pods and sometimes (like today) I shell them all before I eat them. I also had a string cheese and a cup of green tea. I think it was Tazo Green Tips.

The rest of the day was pretty normal and boring. Around 4:00 I started my Friday ritual of cleaning my desk. Before I leave on Friday I sort through the clutter on my desk, get rid of trash, shred anything that needs it, do some filing and then wipe my desk down with surface cleaner. I also make a “to-do” list of any pending tasks so that I can pick right back up after the weekend.

I was really looking forward to getting home. My husband had promised to make omelets for dinner. Breakfasts are the only thing he really likes to make and he’s especially proud of his omelet skills. He got to work in the kitchen while I changed my clothes. I remembered the tube of polenta in the refrigerator and decided it would make a nice accompaniment. I sliced it into rounds and baked it.

When my husband put my plate in front of me he told me there was a “surprise ingredient” mixed in with my eggs. I’ll admit it. I was a little nervous. One bite told me I had nothing to be scared of. In fact, it was really good. He put garlic in the eggs when he scrambled them! It’s something I never would have thought to do, but the flavor was amazing.

My dinner consisted of a one egg, one egg white, mushroom & cheese omelette. On the side I had 2 polenta rounds topped with dijon mustard and parsley flakes. We also opened a bottle of champagne that we received as a Christmas gift. Here’s what everything looked like:

After dinner we played a little Wii bowling and Wii tennis. I lost miserably at both and I’m blaming it on the champagne.

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