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Italian Dinner and Gershwin

July 29, 2009 by

Good evening (or should I say good morning?) everyone! It’s just after midnight here and I just arrived home about 30 minutes ago. My husband and I went to an outdoor concert to hear Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock (quite an odd pair) play Gershwin and Mozart. The weather was beautiful and the music was very relaxing. So relaxing in fact, that it added to my already tired nature. That’s what I get for waking up at 5:30 AM to run!

Prior to the concert, my husband and I went to a local Italian eatery for a little dinner. We started with a chopped salad….

Chop salad

made with lettuce, bacon, tomato, scallions, pasta, and fresh mozzarella cheese. It was good, but the dressing made my stomach a little queasy so I had to stop eating it. No problem though, because my husband stepped in and ate my portion.

Italian sausage dish

For my entree, I had the country-style rigatoni made with Italian sausage, mushrooms, roasted peppers, tomato, and fresh basil, all in a garlic cream sauce. It was D-Lish and I ate it all!

Italian sasuage close

My husband had something that he normally does not eat in our house – shrimp. I don’t care for seafood – any kind of seafood at all. And, I especially don’t like the smell of seafood in the house. So when we go out to eat, he tries to order something that he wouldn’t normally have at home – so in this case it was spicy garlic shrimp with angel hair pasta.

Shrip Angel Hair

Here shrimpy, shrimpy…

Shrimp

Our meals each came with a huge garlic breadstick…

Breadstick

It was really a nice dinner for two – and all under $20. Not bad at all! 

OK, it’s off to bed with me. No running tomorrow – it’s my off day. But, I don’t think I’d be able to get up at 5:30 AM anyway!

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A Fruity Breakfast, With a Side of Protein

July 28, 2009 by

I had another HOT run this morning. The humidity was really high as well, which made it a little hard to breathe. But I was still able to go about 4 1/2 miles. 

Before heading to work, I refueled with a TON of fruit.

Peach1

I started with a huge peach that was so juicy and sweet – yum!

Peach2

Although I was feeling just peachy after my peach, I still needed a little more food. But I was still very hot from my run (and it was hot in the house) so I had a major craving for cold food, meaning fruit. Watermelon chunk

I had a few watermelon chunks and felt refreshed. But alas, where is RWC’s protein in her fruit-filled breakfast?

Not wanting to skip my protein this morning – because it’s what keeps you full – I also nibbled on a little all-natural peanut butter on a couple whole wheat crackers (sorry, no picture).

I have a really busy day today so I must be off. I need to leave work at a decent time tonight because my husband and I are attending an outdoor concert. More details on that later today…

Have a great day everyone!

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A Healthy Mexican Fiesta

July 27, 2009 by

It’s a hot one this evening. It doesn’t help that my hot laptop is sitting on my legs and that my husband and I are too budget-conscious to turn on the air conditioning. Instead, we open all the windows and turn on all of the fans, which helps a little, particularly if you are sitting directly under the fan.

I originally brought leftovers for my lunch – 1/2 a turkey burger and couscous, but it just didn’t sound appetizing. I opted for plan B….

Chobani yogurt

Chobani All-Natural Greek yogurt, vanilla flavor. I bought this yesterday during a quick trip to Fresh Market. This was the first time I had ever tried this brand of  yogurt and I really liked it. To add a little more nutritious value to my yogurt lunch, I threw in a handful of blueberries, two strawberries, and a 1/4 cup of RWC Tropical Granola mix. Yum and so filling! I was seriously no where near hungry after I ate this. And, in spite of not having meat or veggies, my lunch had plenty of protein and fiber, as well as vitamin C.

I left work later than usual – about 5:40 PM – and arrived home to a fully prepared Mexican fiesta…

Taco1

Mexican food doesn’t have to be loaded with calories and “bad” fat to taste good. Instead, we make a lighter version of our tacos by using lean ground turkey in place of ground beef for the meat, and we add tons of fresh veggies and a little guacamole and cheese to top it off. 

Guac bowl

Holy guacamole! Can you say Ole?

Guac on chip

I just love this stuff. I remember a time when I didn’t like guacamole. I think it was because I had never really tried it, but thought anything that color green would not be appetizing. How wrong I was!

Now that I am fairly content with my awesome and light Mexican dinner, I’m debating on whether or not homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies could be considered part of the Mexican diet. I think yes.

Cookie1

So pass the cookies (and skim milk) please!

Night everyone!

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Two Watermelons Are Better Than One

July 27, 2009 by

Oh my, the weather is just awesome today. It’s supposed to be 85 degrees and sunny. I would love nothing more than to be home laying out by the pool eating watermelon, but there is work to be done as always.

After my morning run, I munched on a little breakfast…

English muffin

I made a 100 calorie Thomas’ Multigrain English muffin and topped it with all-natural raspberry preserves and all-natural creamy peanut butter. I love peanut butter in the morning. It’s a great source of protein and I can’t get enough of the creamy texture and taste. I’m tempted to buy freshly-made peanut butter from Whole Foods or Fresh Market….hmmm, maybe I’ll pick some up on the next trip to the store.

I also had a bowl of super juicy seedless watermelon that I bought yesterday for only $2.50!! I was so excited a the deal that I bought two watermelons!

Watermelon2

I realize that two watermelons may be a little overkill, but in our case, two watermelons are better than one. Whenever we’ve bought two watermelons in the past, my husband and I have eaten ALL of it in about 10 days. The trick is to only cut up as much as you are going to eat in the first few days (such as 1/2 of a watermelon) and leave the rest uncut on the rind. Put the uncut melon in a huge bowl or just put foil over the top and stick it in the fridge. This method seems to keep the uncut melon fresh, so when you do want more, it still tastes great.

And, I never feel bad about eating more than my share of watermelon. A full cup only has about 50 calories and is a great source of both vitamins A and C.

Alright, I’m off to get some tea, then it’s back to work for me!

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It's Summer Grilling Season

July 26, 2009 by

Hello All. Hope you had a great afternoon. It was gorgeous outside, but, unfortunately, I spent most of the afternoon inside – working – blah! I headed to Barnes and Noble’s cafe to plug in and use the free WiFi. I was able to crank out at least 2 hours of work there, but was still bummed that I wasn’t outside. To cheer myself up, I treated myself to a tasty frozen beverage….

Starbucks

It was yummy and so refreshingly cold – I loved every sip of it. I headed back home around 5:00 PM. My husband fired up the Weber Grill to cook our stuffed chicken breasts. My husband got his baby last year and we grill on it a ton, especially in the summer. It makes dinner and clean up a snap, which I love of course.

Weber Grill

Stuffed Chicken

We bought the chicken breasts from our local all-natural Fresh Market. My chicken was Venetian chicken, stuffed with goat cheese and roasted red pepper. My husband’s was stuffed with ricotta and spinach. We paired the chickens with a side of fresh cut green beans and some Trader Joe’s couscous made with chicken stock, and sprinkled with feta and grape tomatoes.

July26dinner

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Couscous-feta

Couscous is a great alternative to rice or potato dishes and it’s high in fiber. It’s also a little high in calories (220 calories per 1/3 cup) so I try not to eat too much at one sitting.

And for dessert – fresh and juicy watermelon!

Watermelon

This was truly an awesome summer dinner. Now, I’m off to do more work.

Have a great night everyone!

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Heat and Humidity Can Zap a Runner's Energy

July 26, 2009 by

Good morning all. I ran a 5-miler today and it was rough. I was really tired and it was warm and muggy – not a good combination for a runner. Heat and humidity can really zap a distance runner’s energy and cause dehydration. To fend off dehydration, runners should really take water with them on a run, or at least know where they can quickly get a drink of water on their route. In my case, my route is so close to the house, that I can return anytime and grab a few drinks.

I always know when I’m dehydrated because I start getting a headache. If I don’t drink a ton of water immediately, then my headache will change into a migraine – not fun. So, I was sure to drink at least a bottle and a half of water when I returned home. I was also super hungry when I returned from running, so I quickly made breakfast…

Cereal bowl

As my mom used to say, I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach because I made a huge cereal bowl with homemade RWC Tropical Granola, Cheerios, and fresh blueberries. It was so good and helped me recharge after my calorie-burning run. Yes, I ate the whole thing.

Cereal spoon

I also had a little all-natural OJ. And I do mean little – it was just more than a double shot glass full! But it was enough to give me a little taste and replace some of the sugar I lost during my run.

Juice

I was still really tired after breakfast, so I just hung around the house, picking up a few odds and ends. I actually have to work this afternoon, reviewing more video footage and revising a project strategy for a meeting I have this week. So, before I headed out, I had a little sandwich to carry me through my long afternoon…

Sandwich2

I made a 1/2  low-fat salami sandwich with aged white cheddar from Vermont, and dijon mustard, all on one piece of 12-grain bread. I also threw in a few grape tomatoes and bright orange carrots.

Ok, I’m off to work at my office away from the office – Barnes and Noble. I just hope I can find a plug to keep my batteries charged. And as for my own tired battery, I’m predicting a little frozen coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up.

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How Yoga Instructors Affect Our Practice

July 25, 2009 by

Starting my day with yoga is usually a very uplifting experience. But, today’s class did not energize me as much as usual and the main reason was because of the instructor. I really feel that the yog or yogini can make or break your yoga experience. Some may argue this point, but I’ll give you a first-hand example.

Yoga PoseMe, working on my yoga balance in my backyard. 

I am use to a very centered, down-to-earth instructor who is quite challenging but also helps you as much as you need during each session. My usual yogini, we’ll call her Kate, always has a positive attitude, a smile on her face, and seems to really love teaching yoga classes. Her positive energy really flows to the class too. This is obvious when you see the many relationships she’s built with her students and her class is always full. So, each week when I attend class, I know that I am going to leave feeling even better than I did when I walked in the door.

At last week’s class, “Kate” mentioned that she would not be teaching the class today and that she would arrange a fill-in yoga instructor, we’ll call her “Lori”. So, I headed into class today, still very sleepy, but ready for a super-charged class. The class was unusually bare, only about 4 people in there other than myself. When 8 AM rolled around and there was no instructor to be seen, I began to wonder if there would even be class today. But then, in walks “Lori”. I took one look at her and my heart sunk. She was the yoga instructor I had about 5 years ago when I first started practicing yoga. She is not at all upbeat and seems to always be distracted and in a bad mood.

Yoga Reflections: www.flickr.com/photos/43546466@N00/409030787How I wish my yoga class looked !

Today, she looked even more rushed and distracted than I had remembered. She said that she was finishing up with another client (apparently she had a personal training session right before class) and that she’d be a few minutes late, then walked out of the room. I debated on whether I should walk out right after her but began talking to a fellow classmate and couldn’t make my tactful escape.

“Lori” finally started class at 8:05 AM and took us through a series of basic sun salutations, not very challenging, yet somehow her pattern seemed disjointed. She would leave us in poses for what seemed like forever, while she fiddled with the music or looked out the window. And, not once did she come over to me or anyone else in the class to help with poses, which really seemed odd to me. I stuck with it through the entire class, making myself do extra deep stretches and take extra deep breaths. After 50 minutes of sneaking peaks at the clock, class was finally wrapping up. We all went into savasana and Lori promptly left the room! I assume she had more important things to do. She came back in, literally, five minutes later to sit and say Namaste.

Now I know that every yoga class can’t be an out-of-body experience, but I expect a little more from my yogini than what I got today. I am debating whether I want to let my usual yogi know that her temporary replacement was less than professional. But, after I thought about it, one of the principles of yoga is that you should always think positive and keep a positive attitude. So, I think I will keep my negativity to myself for the time being. But, if “Lori” walks into my Saturday class again, I’m walking to the nearest exit.

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Chocolate-filled Breakfast

July 25, 2009 by

Afternoon everyone! I’ve had a very busy day so far. I’ve already been to yoga, went grocery shopping (yeah Trader Joe’s!), and just finished lunch about  an hour ago.

I started out with an unusually sweet treat for breakfast and was so happy that I did!

Coffee Cake2

Hmm…a chocolate coffee cake, courtesy of my father-in-law, who came over today to help us with some house repairs. I typically do not have coffee cake or high starch foods for breakfast, just because they don’t seem to give me the energy that I need to last until lunch. But I was so wanting this cake this morning! Having a pastry or piece of coffee cake for breakfast isn’t a bad thing, as long as you don’t do it all the time. When I do have a special breakfast treat, I always try to balance out my day with healthier foods.

The cake was from a very popular local bakery – so popular that if you don’t get there by 9:30 AM on a Saturday, you’ll be lucky if even see crumbs from your favorite coffee cake. I enjoyed my chocolate-layered coffee cake with some yummy Harney and Sons English Breakfast loose leaf tea, outside on the porch. The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing. A great way to start the day!

Tea and cup

After a very unsatisfying yoga class (see my additional post about how yoga instructors can affect your practice), I headed to the local grocery store and then to Trader Joe’s. I just love browsing TJ’s and similar natural food stores. It sounds so corny but you can just feel the love whenever you walk into one of those stores.

Greek Yogurt Display

I purchased my usual TJ’s Greek yogurt in vanilla, plain, and blueberry. I also bought something new…

Three-layer hummus

TJ’s three layer hummus dip! My husband and I LOVE hummus. TJ’s hummus is made with all-natural ingredients, like all of their products. And, we’ve always had good luck with TJ’s basic flavor hummus, so I thought I’d give this one a whirl. I personally love trying new flavors. So, this version is perfect for me because it gives me three yummy flavors to try all at once – zesty cilantro, traditional, and red pepper. Can’t wait to dig into these layers!

Hummus Layers

After a couple  hours of grocery shopping, I was ready for lunch. I didn’t want to eat too much, though, because I’m heading over to my sister-in-law’s tonight, along with a couple other girlfriends, to have pizza and chat about a potential couples cruise in 2010.

Sandwich

I opted for a 1/2 sandwich made with low-fat salami and lean ham-off-the-bone, topped with lettuce and dijon mustard on whole-grain bread. I also had a few grape tomatoes on the side. Just enough to satisfy my hunger and give me extra room for this evening’s pizza!

Have to get a few more things done before heading out tonight. Chat with you all later.

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Super Spinach = SuperFood

July 24, 2009 by

Boy, did I have a little scare this afternoon. I was going through some of my blog photos and ended up deleting a bunch of them. I didn’t even notice that they were gone until my husband sent me a message from work saying that a bunch of my photos were missing from my posts. Panic set it. But then after I collected myself and got to the root of the problem, I calmed down a bit. Luckily, I had saved all of my photos in a folder on my computer and was able to reload the ones that I lost. Whew, that was close!

Aside from that, I had a pretty decent afternoon, catching up on reading and blogging. Oh, yeah, I had a little lunch too!

Spinach Salad

I had a wonderful spinach salad with homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing. This was my first time making and eating a spinach-based salad. It was also my first time making the vinaigrette.

My husband and I have really been getting on the spinach bandwagon these days – if there is such a  thing. It’s been said time and time again that spinach is one of the superfoods, packed with everything healthy under the sun. Ok, that’s exaggerating a little, but spinach really does have tremendous health benefits. It’s full of omega-3s and folate, while it also prevents against heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. Spinach also contains lutein, which is known to fight the ageing process. It’s just crazy that one food can provide so many health benefits – I guess that’s why it’s a superfood.

Wanting to eat more spinach, I have purchased probably 4 bags of spinach in two weeks. I try to add it to everything, sauces, risotto, etc. But, it goes bad pretty fast. So when I saw that we still had nearly 2 full bags left, I thought I should try to make use of it.

For my salad, I used:

Spinach-Walnut Salad

About 4 cups of baby spinach

1/4 chopped cucumber

1 carrot

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

2 tbs walnuts

1/4 cup feta cheese

Dressing:

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbs sugar

splash of olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a blender and pour over salad. Dressing makes 4-6 servings.

Both the salad and dressing turned out fantastic. And, the combination of flavors made this salad amazing. I will definitely be making this salad again. Too bad my husband didn’t get to try it – sorry honey!

Spinach Salad close-up

In spite of the overcast day, it was still hot and humid. To beat the heat from inside the house, I spent about 2 hours outside this afternoon in a tank top, without sunscreen (except on my face). So later today, as I felt a twinge of pain on my shoulders and back, I looked in the mirror and saw an unexpected sunburn. Serves me right for not protecting my skin!

Because Saturdays and Sundays are grocery shopping days, Fridays are usually a little light and unpredictable when it comes to dinner. We usually have leftovers or something quick – whatever is in the house that we can whip up fast. Tonight was no exception.

Pasta-marinara

I made tomato-basil marinara with a side of steamed broccoli. I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat organic pasta, which has higher fiber than white pasta. Trader Joe’s pasta is also surprisingly less expensive than typical grocery store pastas – so we buy most of our noodles there.

TJ whole wheat pasta

For the sauce, I used Newman’s Own, Tomato & Basil Bombolina sauce. Newman’s Own sauces are all-natural and many are also organic. Although my husband and I usually make our own pasta sauce and freeze it, Newman’s is our go-to sauce when we run out of our own.

Newman's Tomato Basil

So, it was not the most exciting dinner, but it was still a low-calorie, all-natural, and nutritious one. 

Now I’m debating what I want for. Hmmmm…homemade cookies or chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I’ll let you know tomorrow!!!

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Oatmeal: A Healthy and Inexpensive Breakfast

July 24, 2009 by

It’s going to be a hot one today. Even at 6:00 AM, when I started my morning run, it was already hot and humid. Weather like this makes for quite the sticky run.

After losing a ton of water from sweating, I made sure to drink plenty of H2O to replenish. I then made a breakfast that I hadn’t make in quite a while:Oatmeal1

Oatmeal made with old-fashioned whole-grain oats. Today, I made tropical-style oatmeal which had:

Tropical Oatmeal

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp fresh coconut flakes
  • 2 tsp dried pineapple
  • 2 tbs dried banana chips
  • Handful of walnuts
  • Handful of fresh blueberries

Combine the first three ingredients and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, watching it carefully so it doesn’t bubble over. Top with remaining ingredients.

Oatmeal2

The oatmeal tasted awesome – even without added sugar – and it was so filling. It was also a nice change from yogurt and cereal. Oatmeal also has a ton of health benefits. It’s an excellent source of fiber – and who couldn’t use for fiber in her diet! – as well as antioxidants that help slow the process of aging by helping protect the skin. Not to mention, it’s very inexpensive and fills you up with just one serving. So many reasons to eat oatmeal – why not try it? Plus, when you add fruit and nuts to it like I did, you get additional fiber, protein, and other important nutrients.

Oatmeal Bowl

I enjoyed my awesome oatmeal outside on our huge front porch. I even had a little Tazo calm tea, which has chamomile, rose petals, and other soothing herbs. Just the thing I needed after a long hard week at work.

Have a great day everyone!

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