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Those Bloody Oranges

January 27, 2010 by

Hey There! 

I am feeling sooo much better today! I was actually able to run my full workout this morning – woo hoo! I guess my body really needed the two-day rest.

After the run I was craving fruit so I started digging around the fridge to see what I could find. Apparently, Scott went shopping on Monday and bought a bunch of oranges. But, not just any oranges – Moro oranges or blood oranges…

These oranges are freakin awesome! I can’t believe I have never tried these before!!! According to Sunkist’s Web site:

The Moro Orange, sometimes called the “blood orange” because of its deep burgundy flesh, has been a favorite in Europe and North Africa for years. They are characterized by a distinctive flavor, with a hint of raspberry added to the rich orange taste.

So cool, and not just because of the red-purple-ish color. This orange really had a great flavor – juicy and sweet. Ironically, my 2-year old was having a “I only like things that are purple day” so I was excited to show her my new find. She was just as excited as I was 🙂

After my bloody orange, I was still in a fruity mood, so I opted for a nana…

It was perfectly ripe – potassium at its best!

I worked at my desk for what seemed like hours on end (blood clot alert :-(). I made myself get up to make an unpictured bowl of chicken soup – I still didn’t trust my stomach was I was keeping the lunch light and brothy.

By dinner I was pretty hungry, so I dug into Scott’s leftover baked ziti that he made on Monday night – when I was too sick to even look at food…

It was good, but I really wish I could have tried it on the first go around.

In other news, I booked my flight to FitBloggin today! Woo hoo!! Is anyone else as excited as I am?? I’m flying in on Friday early PM and leaving on Sunday afternoon. I can’t believe it’s less than 50 days away!

Gotta run, have a great night!

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1,600 Calories in Two Days

January 26, 2010 by

The title of this post really says it all. In the last 24 hours, I have consumed about 1,600 calories, equaling about 800 calories per day. No, I’m not trying some crash diet. I have been very sick since Sunday night with both the stomach and respiratory flu. Not a good combination. 

As I mentioned last night, I was only able to make it though a 1/2 day of work yesterday. In all of my sick glory, I was only able to eat some jello, two cookies (later in the day), and sip a little Sprite. As you can imagine, I was so weak this morning that I was not even going to attempt running. I did make it through a whole day of work today and was able to keep down a piece of toast, followed by some chicken soup for lunch.

By dinner time, I was feeling much better and actually quite hungry, so I made myself a little sammie…

I had very high hopes for this salami and cheese sandwich, but after eating just 1/2 of the sandwich I was feeling very full and a little sick again. I tried to eat the apples as well…

But I guess when you’re sick, nothing tastes good, not even sweet, crunchy apples.

When I weighed myself this morning, I was sure I had lost 2-3 pounds, given how much I was sick and how much I did not eat. However, I was only one pound lighter. But, after I thought about it, I was in bed practically the whole day yesterday, so I was not exerting much energy – not enough to burn significant calories. 

I honestly don’t mind losing a pound here and there when I’m sick – it all balances out anyway. But what I don’t like is not being able to eat – due to loss of appetite or whatever. If you can’t eat, you can’t fuel your body with calories which help you engage in your daily activities – especially exercise, therefore you feel tired, weak, and just plain blah! And anytime I can’t exercise – well, let’s just say I’m not much fun to be around. Conclusion..being one pound lighter is not worth being sick – AT ALL!

OK, enough from me. I need to get some sleep so I don’t relapse 🙁

Have a good night.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: , ,

Working and Working Out

January 24, 2010 by

Hey there!

I don’t know about you but my Sunday just flew by – probably because I spent most of the day either working or working out. I started with a 45 minute interval workout on the treadmill (the rain kept me inside today – blah!). The run was followed by a 15-minute ab workout. I love ab-toning exercises. They not only make you look really in shape, but they are great for strengthening your core.

Next up, a little breakfast…

And yes, it was little, probably too little. It was about a 1/3 cup of Trader Joe’s vanilla Greek nonfat yogurt, with about a teaspoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of chopped walnuts. I know that this was not enough because about 45 minutes later I was starving! I grabbed a few pretzels just to take the edge off until lunch.

And speaking of lunch, I had leftover turkey chili with elbow noodles..

I don’t know what was with me today, but I just could not judge portions sizes. This ended up being only a 1/2 cup of chili and about 1/2-3/4 cup noodles. After such a small breakfast, this was way too small of a lunch for me. But Scott very nicely offered to share his turkey burger, so I decided to take him up on his offer and have 1/4 the burger.

The rest of the afternoon was spent working – and I mean working! Because of all the craziness at work with this potential new project, I am working in overdrive. I headed to Barnes and Noble – my office away from home – for some quiet work time. I did enjoy a nice mocha frap while I was there – via gift card of course!

Dinner was a household favorite, Italian sausage with peppers and leeks…

I LOVE this dish – it just never gets old. Although tonight, the sausage seemed a little underdone. I guess we’ll all find out if we get sick in the middle of the night!

After our stomachs (and the kids) were settled, Scott and I headed into the basement for a little workout. No, not that kind of workout (get your mind out of the gutter 😉 ) He’s been going on the treadmill at night pretty consistently for the last few weeks. He’s trying to increase his fitness level for some of our big trips we have planned in the coming months.

Many of you have posted on how you do double workouts a few times a week. I have done this in the past and, although it’s hard to keep up with on a regular basis, I do find that I can keep my weight down fairly easy when I do this. So tonight, I thought I’d try doing the eliptical. I haven’t been on the eliptical in YEARS!!!! Let me tell you, doing the eliptical was so much HARDER than running. Not only was I dripping wet with sweat after just 10 minutes, but I could barely make it through the 20 workout – on no higher than level 4 – yikes! And I thought I was pretty in shape.

Funny thing is, I was extremely tired at the end but it said I only burned 90 calories. I burn about 400-450 calories after 40 minutes on the treadmill! I think it’s safe to say I’ll be sticking with running.

Now, completely exhausted, I’m about ready to dig into some of my father-in-law’s leftover almond crunch cake…

Ahh, so good, and definitely just as tasty as it was last night.

That’s all for now friends. See you on Monday!

Filed Under: Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Pretty in Pink Cara Cara Oranges

January 19, 2010 by

Hey out there,

Fitbloggin Info: If anyone is going to Fitbloggin, you may want to book your room at the Marriott ASAP. I just booked mine tonight and was told they had no more rooms left under the designated block. She finally “push it through” and gave me the conference rate. It looks like there are about 75 people signed up so far – at least there are 75 people with Web sites. Can’t wait!

As some of you know, a couple days ago I tried my first ever pink orange. I was at a loss for what kind of orange would be pink (kind of an oxymoron) but thanks to one reader, I now know where these pinkies come from. As quoted from the Sunkist Web site:

Cara Cara oranges, a type of navel grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley, are available January through April. Their outward appearance is similar to other navels, but their interior is a distinctive pinkish red and has an exceptionally sweet flavor with a tangy cranberry-like zing. Cara Caras are a rich source of Vitamins A and C, fiber and Lycopene. A perfect snack served as wedges, they’re also a colorful addition to beverages or squeezed into a vinaigrette salad dressing.

It just so happens that I had another pink orange today, and sure enough, when I looked on the sticker, it said Cara Cara!

Scott started teaching his night class again, so I was on my own for dinner tonight (well, actually with two kids in tow). So, it was a sandwich for me…

I put a few slices of lean ham and reduced-fat salami on a piece of double-fiber Brownberry bread, plus a little Swiss cheese for good measure. Apparently, when Mr. C saw the cheese, he had to know where cheese came from. I replied, “from milk that comes from cows.” He was satisfied with that answer. But when I added, “or milk from sheep,” he said, “but sheep don’t drink milk”. Not entirely true because sheep do drink milk, but it’s still funny, especially when that is my only entertainment for the night.

After dinner, I enjoyed one of the last pieces of the Trader Joe’s apple bread…

I am sorry to see it go so quickly, but luckily gingerbread is next.

2010 Trip #2: Washington, DC

As you’ll recall, two weeks ago I headed to Phoenix/Scottsdale for my first work-related trip of the year. Tomorrow, I leave for the second – to Washington, DC. My bags are packed, I’m ready to go…or so the old song goes. I am heading out a little earlier in the day to avoid the rush in the evening. Also, I really don’t like getting into a new city in the dark. I usually feel a little uneasy taking a taxi or public trans at night, particularly when I’m by myself. Fortunately, I am meeting an friend for dinner. I haven’t seen her in a year so it will be fun to catch up.

Off to bed now, but stay tuned for Bloggin from the Capitol!

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: , , , ,

Saved By Gift Cards

January 18, 2010 by

Hey All,

Hope you all enjoyed your MLK day! I took advantage of the day off and slept in a little (until around 7 AM). It wasn’t until I got out of bed that I noticed something strange in the house – it was super COLD!!! Apparently, the heater went out sometime in the middle of the night. We were all walking around the house in hoodies and bathrobes until the heater guy came to fix the problem.

I did warm up a little in the interim with a 45 minute interval run on the treadmill, followed by a kick-ass ab workout! After waking up to the cold, I wanted something warm and fuzzy for breakfast…

So, a little Trader Joe’s apple bread hit the spot! I only had one small slice (watching portions ya know!) so a little later I munched on a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt with a few walnuts…

A little Greek yogurt sure goes a LONG way, especially when you add MUFA-filled nuts. Tazo Awake tea was also on the cold morning menu…

Whenever I drink tea at home – which is quite a lot lately because I’m trying to drink more of it – my kids always ask for some. They are very young, so I only give them a little herbal tea to drink. They take a few sips then forget about it. This morning, I jokingly complained to Scott – why is it that whenever I make tea, no one drinks it? He responded with “that includes you” as he pointed to my mug full of cold tea. Touché!

I tried to get fancy for lunch by making my first ever butternut squash soup. Ok, honestly, it was Trader Joe’s butternut squash soup, but it was still my first time having it at home…

I hate to admit it, but at first taste, this soup was a little bland. But I added a few pieces of granny smith apple and some walnuts and it was much better. At just 90 calories a cup (without the garnish), this soup really is a great low-cal lunch.

I worked for a few hours this afternoon (it never ends, does it 😉 ) then we were off to IKEA to buy some shelves. Whenever I go to IKEA I am completely overwhelmed by the size and number of products in the store. We finally decided on some shelves after an hour, but when we finally located them in the “pick up” section, we realized the box would not fit in our car! OK, that was a wasted trip – blah!!!

But, not to despair, we ended up eating at Maggiano’s for dinner. For all of you wondering about our restaurant diet – we used our gift cards! Woo hoo – gotta love those gift cards. After eating what seemed like a whole loaf of bread, Scott and I split the house specialty – rigatoni D, with mushrooms, onions, chicken, and rigatoni all mixed in a marsala cream sauce.

When we lived in the city, we would go to Maggiano’s every other week, or so it seemed. And, we would most often order the Rigatoni D. But after a while, I just stopped liking the dish and stopped ordering it completely. After more than 5 years of being rigatoni D free, we decided to give it a try tonight. It was good, but then I realized why I really stopped eating it 5 years ago. Within an hour after eating, I felt sick, no doubt due to the cream sauce. No more rigatoni D for 5 more years – that’s it!

I’m actually still feeling sick right now, so I’m turning in early. Have a great night everyone!

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Lunch with the dinosaurs

January 17, 2010 by

Hey all!

Hope you had a relaxing Sunday! I started the day with an interval run on the treadmill for about 40 minutes. I started at 7.0 and then maxed out at 7.6. What a great workout! The run was followed by more squats and lunges – so great for the toning the legs which I totally need for my upcoming trips to Florida.

Breakfast was rather light – only a 1/2 Luna bar and 1/2 a pink orange…

This was the first time I’ve ever eaten or even seen a pink orange! The sign for the oranges didn’t give any indication that they were pink so their color really took me by surprise. Does anyone know why oranges can be pink sometimes???

The rest of the day was spent at the Field Museum (aka home of Sue the dinosaur) in downtown Chicago. I was really itchn’ to get out of the house for some reason, so going to a museum seemed like a good plan. When we arrived at the museum, we immediately ate a packed lunch so as not to buy any of the expensive (and mostly unhealthy) food there…

It was a PB&J sandwich made with all-natural peanut butter on whole grain bread, with a few chips, pretzels, and carrots/celery on the side. We ate in a little cafe area which had a great view of some of our new best friends…

I am not a huge natural history fan – I’m more of an arts and artifacts kind of a girl. But, the museum is great for kids and is not too expensive as far as admission. After about 3 hours at the museum, I had had my fill of dinosaurs and stuffed mammals. 

Dinner, again, was on the lighter side. I had a small salad with:

  • Red leaf lettuce
  • Cucumbers
  • Carrots
  • Tri-color bell peppers (sauteed)
  • Red onion
  • Bacon, 1 slice
  • 1/2 hard boiled egg
  • 1 oz of white cheddar cheese

I topped it all with a little spritz of olive oil and a bunch of balsamic vinegar. Super yummy and healthy! But of course, I just had to throw in something to off-set that healthiness…

Scott and the kids actually had hamburgers/turkey burgers tonight. I just wasn’t in the mood for a burger, but these oven-baked fries sure hit the spot!

I’m off tomorrow for MLK day – woo hoo! But, because I’m only in the office on Tuesday and Friday this week (due to my trip to DC), my two work days will be jam-packed.

Time to get studying – see you all tomorrow.

Filed Under: Leisure Tagged With: , , , , ,

7 Reservations in 7 Days

January 16, 2010 by

Evening everyone! Hope you’re Saturday was fun. My day was pretty lazy. I did not end up going to yoga this morning – blah!. After running 6 days this week, plus adding weights, lunges/squats, and an office yoga session, I was pretty tired this morning. But, I did have a fantastic breakfast…

This is my second day of oats in a bowl – although today it was in a ramekin = paired with Tazo Awake tea…

Check out my new tea/coffee cup from Anthropologie! It has my initial, of course, which I absolutely love, and it looks so French. Plus, it was only $6! I could have spelled out my whole name for that price, but I really did not need 8 more cups.

Lunch wound up being a sandwich again, although this time I actually slowed down enough to enjoy it…

Much of the day was spent lounging but also doing a little vacation planning. We’re heading out the Disney World in a few weeks and we’re anxiously planning/making all of our dining reservations ahead of time. I’ve actually been making reservations for the last 3 weeks, so today when I called the dining hotline, the customer service rep told me I had over 20 reservations made under my name. Yikes! I better cancel some of those. And so, I spent over an hour trying to reconcile the reservations, deciding which ones to keep and which ones to give up. As of now, we have reservations at:

  1. Le Cellier (Epcot)
  2. Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
  3. 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)
  4. Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
  5. Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary)
  6. Whispering Canyon (Wilderness Lodge)
  7. Wolfgang Puck Cafe (Downtown Disney)

I seriously can NOT believe we will be eating at all of these restaurants – 7 top restaurant reservations in 7 days! We will definitely be making up for our Restaurant Diet!

And, except for Boma, all of these restaurants will be NEW for me – and that’s saying a lot considering I used to work for Disney. If it isn’t obvious by the reservations, we are doing the Disney Dining plan – for the first time. I’m really not sure how much money we are saving by doing this, if we’re even saving any at all. But, since we go to Disney once a year, we thought we’d give it a try.

Anyway, dinner was a brand new creation – a recipe/serving suggestion taken from the February issue of Real Simple magazine…

The magazine featured 10 ways on how to doctor up plain cheese ravioli. ALL of the serving suggestions sounded delicious, which prompted me to try one tonight. I started with Trader Joe’s mini cheese ravioli..

Which I cooked according to the directions. Then I added a mixture of cream and Trader Joe’s pesto…

I mixed the sauce and noodles together then put that into a glass baking pan. It was topped off with parmesan cheese and baked for about 20 minutes, until browned on top.

This was a great dish to make on the fly, although I’m not sure how healthy it was. I’m eager to try more of the serving suggestions the article suggested.

OK, I’m starting to fall asleep. Take care everyone and chat with you all tomorrow.

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

$5 Homemade Pizza

January 15, 2010 by

Happy Friday everyone! I’m going to make this quick because my head is hurting right now. I had a great 30-minute interval run (ranging from 7.0 to 7.6) on the treadmill, followed by lunges and squats. I know I’m going to feel that tomorrow! 

BREAKFAST

After seeing many of you starting your day with oatmeal, I’ve been craving it for days. I usually can’t find time to make it on a true workday, so I saved all of my oatmeal wishes and cashed them in today…

I actually made TWO bowls of these because Miss M quickly spied my yummy oats and wanted some. How could I say no to her big blue eyes?

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a very important call today about an upcoming, nationwide project for my company. Well, that one phone call turned into three phone calls and several emails. Taking calls on my day off can be a little tricky, especially when I’m watching the kids. Thankfully, my mother-in-law drove a hour to stay at our house while the kids napped. I was really afraid the kids would wake up while I was on the call which would make the situation very awkward. They ended up sleeping through all of the calls!

LUNCH

Lunch was not very healthy today for two reasons…1) I didn’t have time to make a decent lunch because I was on the phone (or prepping for the call) from 12:30- nearly 2:30 and 2) I ate my lunch super fast because I was starving after the calls…

  • Veggies? NO
  • Fruit? NO
  • A big cheesy roll with salami? YES

Again, not so healthy.

DINNER

I made up for it at dinner though. Earlier this morning I picked up some fresh whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s and all of the pizza fixins’…

Could I have made pizza dough myself? Probably. Do I have time to do this? Take a guess at that answer. Trader Joe’s pizza dough is actually quite good – it IS Trader Joe’s after all. And, it’s only 99 cents. Why would I want to make my own???

Since we were splitting the pizza four ways, I had to be very careful of the ingredients. I like all types of pizza (when it’s good pizza) but tonight, I topped my portion with sauteed bell peppers, spinach, red onions, turkey pepperoni, and cheese. Sauteing the peppers, onions, spinach, and pepperoni ahead of time really helps bring out the flavors.

I think the whole pizza – which all of its ingredients, only cost about $5. Not bad for a family of four – healthy and cheap!

Almost forgot to mention…prior to pizza, we all grazed on some Trader Joe’s spinach dip…

I can seriously eat a whole bowl of this stuff by myself (but of course I would never do that ;-)). I took a few bites and then pushed it aside to save room for pizza — thankfully.

Gotta run for now. I’m going to try to make it into the gym for the 8 AM yoga session – we’ll see about that!

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: , , , ,

Toes Are Free To Run

January 13, 2010 by

Hi All! Glad to see you’re all intrigued by the concept of barefoot running. One reader, Neal, mentioned a very unique type of running shoe/sock that is supposed to allow the foot to move in a more natural way but still gives you protection from the road/trail and related elements. Neal wrote…

I’m a big proponent of the Vibram Five Fingers. You should give them a try if you are serious about exploring the barefoot running thing. 

I have to admit, when I saw this “shoe” it kind of creeped me out a bit. But then it also reminded me of the toesie socks that were so popular a few years back! It really makes sense though – having all of your toes “free” allows them to flex and grab the ground, hence making it easier to balance and putting less stress on the ankle and legs.

I’m sure we could talk for hours and hours about this, but let’s move on for now. My morning started off with a quick treadmill run. Wednesday is usually my day off, but after last weekend’s indulgences, I felt like I needed an extra day of calorie burning! Running was following by a little Cheerios for breakfast…

1.13.10 Cheerios and blueberries

Ahh…so healthy and colorful! On my way to work, I was really wanting a Starbucks but resisted the urge and temptation (after all, I am into Week #2 of the restaurant diet!). Instead, I tried out my office’s coffee/hot chocolate machine for a little frothy, chocolaty milk…

1.13.10 Hot Chocolate

Adequate, but not Starbucks quality. I had back-to-back meetings this morning (you haven’t heard me say that in a while!) so, on a break, I managed to snack on a lemon Luna bar…

1.13.10 Lemon Luna bar

I LOVE lemon cookies, cakes, etc, so I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of this bar. It’s also a nice change from chocolate and peanut butter – whoaa, did I just say that?

Lunch happened to be an unpictured bowl of Trader Joe’s shells and white cheddar followed by TJ’s vanilla Greek yogurt in the late afternoon…

1.13.10 Greek Yogur and Tazo Tea

I mixed in some homemade granola and blueberries for an tasty and protein-filled treat. Plus, a little Tazo Awake tea to keep me going. I’ve discovered another new feature of my office’s gourmet coffee maker. It has a frothed milk option! So, I fill up a mug about 1/4 way with frothy milk then fill up the rest with hot water. I add my Tazo and voila – instant Tazo Awake Latte – not bad for spending no cashola!

Dinner was quickie because I was not in the mood to cook…

1.13.10 Minestrone soup

I’m so thankful we had minestrone soup still left in the freezer, otherwise I would have probably resorted to peanuts.

We are nearly out of all things chocolate in our house, except for the chocolate/peanut butter Cliff bar that I put in Scott’s Christmas stocking. He was not very willing to share his treats, even though he ate most of the chocolate truffles from my stocking – blah! He needs to go back to kindergarten. 

Ok friends, I must be off to bed. I have a date with the treadmill in the AM as well as a yoga session at noon. Have a great night!

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Dinner for Two = $142

January 10, 2010 by

Last night, after my work-related event was finished, a colleague and I ventured off to downtown Scottsdale for a bite to eat. My colleague had been to Scottsdale several times before and had been raving about a restaurant there. Given that she is a foodie and somewhat of a wine snob, I was pretty sure the restaurant would be a good one – and I was NOT disappointed.

Cowboy Ciao Scottsdale

We ate at Cowboy Ciao, a very eclectic restaurant, with a mix of Southwest meets LA meets NY kind of menu. Plus, they had a HUGE wine menu, probably 3x the size of the food menu. It was easily the largest wine menu I’ve ever seen -and I’ve seen quite a few on business trips.

My colleague wasted no time devouring all of the listed wines and decided on a French white wine. I can’t tell you the name but I can tell you that it was an aged wine – 10 years old – and about $45 a bottle! Yikes – I was glad I was not buying.

1.9.10 Stetson Salad

We both ordered the restaurant’s signature salad – the Stetson Salad, which is a mix of all sorts of goodies. I can’t remember all of the ingredients, but I know there were corn nibbles, couscous, tomatoes, and chicken thrown in there. The mix of flavors was outstanding! And, because I opted for chicken instead of salmon, this salad could have easily been my meal.

But oh no, it didn’t stop there. Next, we ordered our entrees…

1.9.10 butternut squash and bacon quesadilla

By this time, I was feeling pretty full, so I wanted to keep my entree on the lighter side. I had the butternut squash and bacon quesadilla. OMG – bacon and butternut squash – come ON! Why didn’t I think of that sooner! This quesadilla was fantastic! I only wish that I wasn’t so full when I ordered this. I ended up eating two pieces and leaving the rest.

As I mentioned last night, a piece of red velvet birthday cake was the grand finale of the meal.

1.9.10 red velvet birthday cake

I know, I know, I’ve already said I was full. I should have thrown in my napkin after the entree. But, when our waiter said those magic words – Red Velvet – all reasoning went out the window.

If you are ever in Phoenix or Scottsdale, I highly recommend this restaurant. It really is a restaurant for foodies, wine lovers, and anyone looking for something fun and different. However, it is NOT cheap. Our bill came to $142 with tip – again, so glad someone else was buying!

I was so incredibly full after the meal that I had to walk around the hotel for 40 minutes when we got back. I’m so glad I did or else that food would have been laying in my stomach like a big lump all night.

Alright, I’m back in the office tomorrow so must head to bed.

Next trip – Wash, DC, in two weeks!

Filed Under: Dinner Tagged With: , , ,