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You Can Mango My Salsa Anytime!

August 23, 2009 by

Hello Everyone! I am back from my nephew’s birthday party and am totally exhausted! It’s amazing how little kids can wear you out, especially when they’re all jacked up on sugar!

The guest of honor, my nephew, chose his special birthday dinner. And what else could a 4-year old want for dinner  but PIZZA….

8.23 dinner

There were several kinds of pizza to choose from – pepperoni, sausage, and plain cheese. I had 3 small slices of cheese pizza and a scoop of fruit salad to balance the cheesy, greasy pizza. I also munched on quite a bit of homemade mango-pepper salsa, courtesy of my mother-in-law, which was fantastic…

8.23 mango salsa

Hmmm…sooo goood! Whoever thought to replace tomatoes with mangoes in salsa was a genius! The flavors of mango, peppers, onions, and cilantro are amazing and the dish itself is super versatile, going well on a tortilla chip or used as a sauce over fish or chicken. 

We ended our birthday celebration with Spiderman-themed cupcakes. I don’t think I’ve had cupcakes with red and blue frosting in ages…

8.23 dessert

It was hysterical to see all of the kids eating these brightly frosted cakes. By the end, they all looked like a cross between a smurf and a clown! Too cute!

Now, I really need to head to bed, considering tomorrow is my early run day and, of course, I’m off to work right after that!

Have a great night everyone!

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So full, I fell asleep!

August 21, 2009 by

Hey Everyone! Hope you had a great evening. My husband and I spent the evening with his parents and had a wonderful time, like always. We arrived at their house about 6 PM and chit-chatted a bit over appetizers…

8,21 appetizer

We had spinach-artichoke hummus from Whole Foods which I thought was fantastic! I was a little thrown off by the green color at first, but then when I tried it I forgot all about the color.

8.21 appetizer2

For dinner, we all started with salads made with baby spinach leaves, red onions, strawberries, and a mix of dried cranberries and sliced almonds.

8.21 salad

My husband made the dressing which was a mix of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices. It was super zesty and a great balance with the sweet strawberries.

8.21 salad2

This is my husband, trying to be a fancy photographer.

For the main course, my in-laws and husband had tilapia, but because I’m not a fan of fish or seafood of any kind, my mother-in-law also made lemon-broccoli chicken for me.

8.21 dinner1

We also had a twice-baked potato from Whole Foods which tasted very close to restaurant style potatoes – so yummy! We rounded out our entrees with grilled asparagus and green beans. Hmm…so goood and healthy, which makes it even better.

Although my in-laws provided the dinner, my husband and I did spring for dessert…

8.21 dessert2

A raspberry and white chocolate roll cake from Fresh Market. We paired the cake with a little Edy’s Vanilla Bean ice cream and some fresh strawberries. By this time, I was so full I wasn’t even sure I wanted the cake. But I’ve had it before and know that it’s really good, so I couldn’t pass it up.

I was so full on our long drive home that I actually fell asleep. Of course I had to wake up long enough to write this post, but now I’m off to bed.

Have a great Friday night everyone!

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A Healthy Ice Cream Sundae

August 17, 2009 by

Hello All. I had such a great day today. I was really focused at work and was able to get quite a lot done (although there’s still more to go!). I love it when I’m super productive, it makes having to leave early so much easier.

For lunch, I packed some of the homemade split-pea and ham soup that my husband and I made a couple weeks ago. I froze some of the leftovers in individual containers (mostly for me, because Scott won’t eat the leftovers) and knew they’d come in handy for work lunches.

8.17 lunch

I only had about a cup of the soup but it was sooo rich and filling. That’s why legumes (peas, beans, etc) come so highly recommended – because they are full of fiber and they fill you up, even with a small amount.

I left work around 2:30 PM to make a 3:15 PM doctor’s appointment. After that, I perused the local Barnes and Noble for the September issues of Natural Health and Yoga Journal, but didn’t have time to read more than a few pages. It was my night to make dinner so I needed to scoot home and get that started.

Tonight was chili night! I made my husband’s homemade turkey chili with beans, but I added a few variations to give the chili more veggie power.

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Scott’s Original Homemade Chili

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2-3 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1-2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 24 ounces canned tomato sauce
  • 1 McCormick’s Original Chili packet
  • 1 16-ounce can chili beans
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2-3 cups whole wheat elbow or other short noodle, cooked and drained

Add oil to a large sauce pan and heat for 1 minute. Add turkey meat and chop into fine pieces. Add garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and pepper to meat and cook until 3/4 of the way cooked. Add green pepper and onion and continue cooking until meat is completely cooked through. Add tomato sauce and chili packet and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add beans (with juice) and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cinnamon, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Serve over noodles, bread, rice, or plain. Add cheddar cheese for extra flavor. Leftovers can be frozen and then reheated in the microwave or on the stove.

Serves 8 people.

I’ve been eating this chili for as long as I’ve known my husband and never thought I could love chili so much! But tonight, I threw caution to the wind and added two secret ingredients…1) when I added the beans, I also added about 1 cup of sliced grape tomatoes; and 2) when I added the cinnamon, I also added about 2 cups of baby spinach and mixed it into the chili thoroughly.

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I absolutely LOVED my new variation of the chili! The tomatoes added even greater flavor to the chili and the spinach (although you couldn’t even taste it) added a ton of vitamins that spinach is famous for.

However, my husband was not so pleased. He immediately asked, “what did you do to the chili! Did you add spinach to it!?” And then he grumbled a few things under his breath. I calmly explained that, on more than one occasion, he has complained that he does not eat enough vegetables. So tonight, I tried to sneak a few more in for him. Hmm, it’s not always a good thing to be a sneaky vegetable cook. After all was said and done, he did admit that the chili tasted good (although he had picked over most of the tomatoes and spinach which defeated the whole purpose – I get points for trying). As for me, I would definitely try this variation again, but for newbies, you may just want to stick with the original recipe provided above.

After dinner and clean up, I needed to the head to the library to return a book. I ended up bringing about 20 more books and DVD’s home! I’m so glad there’s no limit to what you can check out. 

Then it was dessert. Scott and I made homemade sundaes.

8.17 dessert

For my sundae, I started with 2 small scoops of Breyers all-natural vanilla/chocolate ice cream. Then I added:

  • 1/4 sliced banana
  • 1 tbsp chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp hot fudge sauce
  • 1 tsp sliced almonds

It sounds so indulgent, but it was actually quite healthy. Bananas are a great source of potassium and fiber and the almonds are an awesome source of monounsaturated fats (MUFA’s) or the good fats that our body needs to stay healthy. Combine all of those goodies with the antioxidants in the dark chocolate I used, and the sundae is practically a health food! Ok, I shouldn’t go that far, but more nutritious than a Dairy Queen sundae, and much smaller too.

Now, I’m finally going to read my new Marie Claire magazine that’s been sitting on my nightstand for two weeks.

Have a great night!

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Introducing the New Running With Cake!

August 16, 2009 by

As I’m sure you can tell, Running With Cake has a new look! My husband worked all day on setting up the new theme, graphics, colors, etc. and it looks fabulous. I do plan on adding a couple new features in the next week or so, including a few pics of me. Stay tuned for more health, fitness, and fun with RWC. In the meantime, let me know what you think of the new look.

Even though my husband was locked up on the basement for most of the day (don’t worry, we have a walk-out basement, so there is natural light) working on my new theme, he managed to help me make an awesome dinner.

8.16 dinner 3

Chicken soup? Yes, chicken soup even tastes great in the summer, especially when you’ve been sick. But, the biggest reason we decided to make this homemade specialty is the weather. Being from the Midwest, we know that the weather can change on a dime. But, I was so surprised today, when it went from 85 to 65 degrees in about 2 hours. Because of this drastic change, and the fact that we still had the central air on in the house, we were both freezing. Chicken soup sounded like a perfect meal to warm us up.

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My husband’s chicken soup includes all sorts of healthy goodies, not to mention it’s a very low-calorie dish.

Scott’s Chicken Noodle Soup

  • 2 chicken breast halves, thawed
  • 4-5 carrots, chopped in large chunks
  • 3-4 celery stalks, chopped in large chunks
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 9-10 cups chicken broth/stock
  • 2-3 tbsp dried parsley
  • 3 cups wide no-yolk noodles, cooked and drained

Add all ingredients (except the noodles) into a large stock pot or soup pot. Bring to a boil over the stove burner, then let simmer on medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Carefully remove the cooked chicken from the soup and either shred or chop it. Return the chicken to the soup pot. Add cooked noodles. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Just as I mentioned in the recipe above, this soup is great alone or when paired with crusty bread for dipping. Tonight, we had our soup with a 1/2 loaf of multi-grain bread with oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.

8.16 dinner 1

I also add a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese to my soup. It’s just a habit after working at an Italian catering hall for 4 years in high school. It gives the soup a whole different flavor!

Well, after warming up a bit with our soup, my husband had to run out to get gas for one of the cars. It just so happens that one of our favorite ice cream parlors is right by the Costco gas station. So, not only did he get gas, but he came home with ice cream for both of us…

8.16 dessert

Scott had a huge chocolate malt, but I ended up with a mere kid’s scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream – hmmm, that’s doesn’t seem very fair to me. No, I’m just kidding of course. The ice cream was an awesome treat and a great way to end our day, and our weekend.

Now, I have to get ready for bed. Monday morning seems to be hitting me extra hard these days. Have a great night everyone!

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When you're sick, even pizza doesn't taste good

August 15, 2009 by

Hello All. I’m feeling better this evening, but still have a sore throat. When I have a sore throat or am just plain sick, nothing seems to taste as good as it usually does. Take dinner, for instance. My husband and I went out to our local Italian bistro and ordered a full pizza.

8.15 dinner2

My 1/3 of the pie (and I mean third, because my husband felt that I would not eat a 1/2 all by myself) included pepperoni, spinach, red peppers, and goat cheese. I’ve written about this pizza before and how much I love it. Well, tonight, it was just ok. In fact, when I think about it now as I type, I will likely not order that pizza for quite a while. It could be because I’m sick – and when you’re sick, even you’re favorite pizza doesn’t taste good. Or it just be that I need to try something different. Could be a bit of both.

After pizza, we tried to walk around for a bit, but I just wasn’t in the mood for mindless wandering. I really wanted to just sit down, or lay down, and relax.We headed home and a little while later, I decided to see how my taste buds would react to a little dessert…

8.15 dessert

Thankfully, my taste buds did not protest at these two little butter cream cookies with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. My in-laws brought these over today, along with the coffee cake. These cookies were seriously like butter – the cookie part just melted in my mouth. 

Now, I’m going to finish a few things on the computer and head to bed – 9:30 PM seems sooo early to go to bed on a Saturday night. Because I was sick yesterday and today, I really didn’t get a whole lot of work done – except for a little laundry. So tomorrow is a work day, or at least a partial work day. I’ve blocked out about three hours for me to review a bunch of work-related things in order to get a jump-start on this week.

Have a great night everyone.

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Gourmet food on a plastic plate is still gourmet

August 12, 2009 by

Ahh, it’s nice to be home, winding down for the night. I was in joint business meeting today, which I was thrilled to be a part of. I was also thrilled that it ended at 1:30 PM instead of 4:30 PM – Yeah! Thankfully, during these long business meetings my company also springs for lunch and today it was semi-gourmet….

8.12 lunch2

Wow – get a load of this fancy food! There were so many choices from our lunch buffet that it was hard to decide. I went with bunless broasted chicken sandwich with tomatoes and a small slice of cheddar. Then I added about 2/3 of a plate of roasted veggies – mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, squash, and jicama, with a little roasted red pepper dip on the side.

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It was unbelievable, especially for a working lunch served on a plastic plate. But hey, it’s still gourmet. I didn’t stuff myself at all, but I was pleasingly full after lunch. However, since it was served at 11:15 AM – when I don’t usually eat until around 1 PM – I was a little hungry around 4 PM. Luckily, I snagged a snack from our “business” treats basket…

true delights1

A Quaker True Delights granola bar. It’s made with honey roasted cashews and mixed cherries and cranberries. It’s NOT as all-natural as I thought – the packaging is kind of deceiving. But, it was still a nice pick-me-up in the later afternoon.

true delights2

On my way home, I did a little summer clothes shopping. I must have been about 2 weeks too late because all of the sale summer clothes were picked over. Bummer, guess I’ll just have to wait until March for the new summer line – he he!

By the time I arrived home, my husband had dinner almost ready. I just love a man who can cook!

8.12 dinner1

He made mesquite chicken on the grill, homemade parmesan risotto, and green beans. It was ALL so yummy, especially the risotto – it had an awesome flavor. I really wanted to eat more, but I opted to save the leftovers for lunch on Friday (tomorrow I’m headed out for lunch!).

After dinner and cleaning up, we headed out to do a little more shopping. My husband was VERY tempted to stop and get a custard at Culver’s but I talked him out of it. Instead, he made a homemade strawberry shake and I had…

8.12 dessert

A watermelon and vanilla ice cream parfait! I used about 2/3 cup of Breyer’s all-natural vanilla bean ice cream, about a 1/2 cup of watermelon chunks, and 1 tpsp of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Outstanding, once again!

Tomorrow’s a running day so I need to hit the sack. I’m still debating on whether or not to leave work early to take in the new Julie & Julia movie. Any thoughts – is it worth taking a 1/2 vacation day to see it?

Take care everyone and have a great night.

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Meetings, Meetings, and Food

August 11, 2009 by

What a long day! I worked for 11 hours today and spent most of the time in meetings.  Now I’m soooo tired. 

Before all of the craziness started at 1 PM, I had a little lunch…

8.11 lunch

I had a salami and Swiss cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread. I also had a big handful of super bright red grape tomatoes.

8.11 tomatoes

Just look at how bright they are!

During my very long meeting, I desperately needed a pick-me-up to stop from falling asleep. I snagged a big chocolate chip cookie from the back of the room.

8.11 treat

Holy cookie! It tasted so good, although after I ate it I felt cookie remorse. We continued with the meeting until about 5 PM. The group wasn’t meeting at the restaurant until 6:30 PM so I just hung around the office and worked until it was time to leave.

As I mentioned earlier today, I was not able to take pictures of my dinner for fear of the strange looks I might get from my dinner companions. I will try to describe it in as much detail as possible though.

Dinner was held at a local and very trendy winery. When I arrived about 15 minutes early, there were already a few of my colleagues and business associates enjoying drinks in the lounge. I had a beautiful glass of chardonnay. It had hints of melon, apple, lime, and butterscotch, which made for a mighty taste drink!

For my entree, I enjoyed the linguini pasta tossed in a parmesan broth and mixed with chicken breast, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and cream. Amazing! I ate about 3/4 of the dish and now I’m so stuffed and it’s been nearly 3 hours since I’m eaten! I am very glad that I do not go to these “business” dinner very often or else I would weigh a ton. But then again, business dinners are typically free so they are had to pass up.

I think I will pass on dessert tonight, especially because I have a full-day meeting tomorrow with a catered breakfast and lunch! 

Stay tuned to see if I can sneak a few food pics in tomorrow.

Take care everyone!

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Sweet Endings…

August 10, 2009 by

Hello everyone. I am soo tired right now, but I still wanted to write a quick post before going to bed.

As I mentioned earlier, the house was pretty bare in the grocery department this morning, so for lunch, I made a run to the local Italian eatery for a cup of minestrone soup.

8.10 lunch

Don’t let the picture fool you – It was really just a cup! But, with a ton of parmesan cheese..hmmm. Not only does minestrone soup taste good, but it is a surefire way to get in at least a serving of vegetables in each cup. 

The afternoon flew by once more. Before I knew it, I was headed out the door, laptop in hand. Luckily, my husband had a huge Mexican fiesta prepared at our house. He even made his own super secret salsa…

8.10 salsa

So thick it stays on the chip! 

8.10 salsa chip

I think what makes this salsa so great is that he uses all fresh ingredients, which are mainly vegetables. It’s also very low in calories, which is a huge bonus. He sometimes makes his salsa too spicy, but this time if was very mild – and soo good. He also made one of his signature dishes – chicken fajitas.

8.10 fajitas

I loaded my whole-wheat tortilla with fajita meat, grilled peppers, lettuce, mushrooms, monterrey jack cheese, and guac. It pretty much goes without saying that I overloaded my tortilla – so much that I was eating the contents of my fajita with a fork after two bites. Fajitas are still awesome no matter how you eat them!

I waited a while after dinner to decide if I wanted dessert. I was craving something cold and sweet. My husband opted for a huge root beer float, but I chose to have this…

8.10 ice cream

Breyers All-Natural Vanilla Bean ice cream (1/2 cup) with a tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a bunch of watermelon. Oh, it was so what I needed! If you’ve never had watermelon with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, I highly recommend it.

I’m off to bed. Chat with you all in the morning.

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BBQ Birthday Bash

August 8, 2009 by

Hello All. Hope you had a great day. My afternoon went very well. Although it rained for most of the day, the clouds broke and the sun came out around 4 PM. What started as a chilly day turned out to be rather warm and muggy. But, no worries, we all had a great time celebrating my 2-year old nephew’s birthday.

The party was a BBQ style dinner with all of the fixins’, like hot dogs/hamburgers, relishes, fruit, and pasta salad. Oh, and there was a random feta and kalamata olive salad too.

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I had an all beef hot dog with a little mustard and relish with some chopped watermelon, cantelope, and pineapple on the side.

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I also munched on a few very plump baby carrots (more like toddler carrots!) with some low-cal veggie dip. And, I just had to throw in a few chips and salsa, because who doesn’t love this low-calorie appetizer?

8.8 dinner3

I didn’t finish my hot dog, or the chips and salsa, so overall, it was a pretty light dinner for me. But, that’s what I like to do on days where I’ve overindulged the day prior. 

I did, however, have some fabulous birthday cake. Well, it wasn’t really a full cake, it was an Elmo cake face, made up of all cupcakes. I had a chocolate cupcake with yellow frosting with some Heath bar ice cream (sorry, no pictures). It was awesome! It’s been so long since I’ve had a cupcake that I’ve forgotten how much I love them. That’s why I don’t keep them in the house – ha!

After the party, we headed back to my parents for a little night cap, which was mainly bottled water sipped while sitting on their huge porch. 

Tomorrow, the whole family (including cousins, aunts/uncles) are having a picnic/bbq for lunch. It’s been such a long time since we’ve had everyone together. It’s supposed to be 92 degrees tomorrow. Yikes! That’s the hottest it’s been in a long time…hope we all survive the heat!

Alright, off to bed for me. I’m going to try to get up early to run a 5-miler before we head out for the picnic. Have a great night and see you in the AM.

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A Good Start, But Then…

August 7, 2009 by

I had a good start to the day with a brisk 4-mile run, followed by a hearty and healthy breakfast. But it was all downhill from there!

After my run, my awesome husband made me a yummy omelette for breakfast:

8.7 breakfast

The omelette was made with 1 egg and 1 egg white, with a little cheddar cheese, mushrooms, broccoli, and pieces of all-natural (nitrate-free) bacon. It was so tasty and such a change from what I usually eat in the morning.

He also made me my favorite morning tea…

8.7 tea

Tazo Awake tea! He’s so thoughtful.

The rest of our day was spent running errands, visiting family, and getting ready for the big day tomorrow. There will actually be three events taking place tomorrow – a huge family portrait at a studio, a lunch with the family, and a birthday party for my nephew/anniversary party for my parents. Whew, that’s a lot to do in one day!

I actually started feeling a little sick in the car, so I munched on an emergency snack:

8.7 crackers

That’s right, goldfish crackers. I seriously do NOT eat these crackers on a regular basis – maybe twice a year. But today, I am so glad they were in the car.

Our errands took us all over the place so we weren’t near our house around lunchtime. So, we headed to Chili’s:

8.7 lunch

I had a bowl of potato soup and it was very tasty. I do prefer Corner Bakery’s baked potato soup over all others, but Chili’s has a nice recipe as well.

After more running around, we dropped into Panera very quickly to pick up an ice tea (for my hubby) and 2 giant cookies -1 double chocolate and a new kind – toffee. 8.7 snack

Here’s what’s left of my cookie after about 2 minutes! I told you it was going downhill…

We headed over to my sister’s house late in the day to discuss plans for tomorrow. She was nice enough to order pizza and salad for us, knowing how tired we were from running around all day.

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I had one piece of pepperoni pizza, a little antipasto salad, a roll, and a piece of cheesy bread (not pictured). I was pretty full after that, but couldn’t resist a little moose-tracks ice cream, because I very rarely eat that flavor.

8.7 dessert

I honestly only had one small scoop, and that was enough for me.

So, as you can see, today was a complete eating fest for me. Although I try to make healthy choices when I’m out and about, sometimes my hunger and my stomach take over and get the better of me.

I plan to eat lighter tomorrow, without a doubt. Now, I’m off to bed to, hopefully, get a good night’s sleep before the big day!

Night all!

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