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Live From Fitbloggin – It's Friday Night

March 19, 2010 by

Hey All! I made it to Baltimore for Fitbloggin! Scott is here with me which is so awesome – kind of like a mini-break sans kids. The weather here is fantastic – 70-75 degrees and sunny all weekend. That’s warmer than it was in Orlando when I was there 2 weeks ago! I was so excited by the warm weather, that as soon as we checked into the hotel we went for a walk around the harbor area.

We stopped off at a restaurant on the water for some fruity drinks (ok, I had the fruity drink 😉 ) – a mango-pineapple smoothie…

We also had a few “snacks” for lunch, including a small Greek salad, cheese quesadillas, and cheese stuffed mushrooms…

We continued to walk all around the harbor and just soaked in the gorgeous day. Then, it was time to head back for the first Fitbloggin event – the POMtini cocktail reception. Even though we arrived about an hour late for the reception, there were still so many bloggers (yes, mostly women) there and plenty of martinis too! I’m not a huge pomegranate fan, but the martini was actually very good.

Next, it was off to dinner in Little Italy at Cafe Gia…

Cafe Gia serves old school Italian food. The building looks a little shady, but the inside decor has a lot of character. The “boss”, an older Italian woman, was completely charming to all the customers, including us. She was very sweet, but looked so tired – obviously working too hard 🙁

Seeing as it was a Friday during lent, I was limited on what I could order – so it was the Penne Primavera for me. The pasta was good, but nothing spectacular. But, there were many other chicken and meat dishes on the menu that sounded really good – guess I’ll have to head back there sometime to try them!

Ok, time to hit the sack. The 5K run around the harbor is going to come awfully early – 6:30 AM (but that’s 5:30 AM Chicago time).

Have a great night everyone, especially all of the Fitbloggin ladies (and the 3-4 gents that I saw) 🙂

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PBJ – French Style

March 12, 2010 by

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago today I was just starting my week-long vacation in Florida. How time flies! This morning, I jump-started my day with a 5 mile run outside. Woo Hoo! I love running outside! My calves are killing me though which is so weird since the terrain is pretty flat.

After running, I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast…

I cut a few slices of the French bread I bought last night and topped them with all-natural creamy peanut butter and Bonne Maman raspberry jam. This breakfast was so awesome! I even gave some to Mr. C and Miss M who asked for more. I guess I wouldn’t normally put peanut butter on a baguette, but I really wanted the protein and MUFA. I wonder how the French would feel about peanut butter on a baguette!

This morning was a first for me – the first time I ever ate a fresh plum (that I know if anyway). It was pretty good too – tasted a little like a peach that was not fully ripe. I would definitely buy plums again though, just for a change.

Scott and I took the kids out for lunch today – surprise, surprise. Fridays during Lent are also a little iffy when it comes to meals. I don’t like any type of seafood, so I’m pretty limited on what I can eat. Today, we headed to Go Roma for a veggie panini made with red peppers, spinach and basil, and goat cheese..

Great sandwich, as always. I was in charge of dinner tonight and had no clue what to make. You may find it hard to believe but we did NOT go out to eat again for dinner. I cooked up some whole wheat pasta and mixed it with Newman’s mushroom marinara…

…meatless and adequate – so it met the requirements for today.

I’m contemplating what to do tomorrow…shop for new clothes for Fitbloggin and/or head downtown for a little fun – we’ll see!

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Random Grocery Trip

March 11, 2010 by

Hey All,

I just got back from a totally random trip to Fresh Market. When I say random, I mean the opposite of having a list and plan. You know what this means – danger, danger Will Robinson.

My trip ended with the following grocery items:

  • A French baguette – it was still warm and so soft!
  • A red plum – I have never had a plum before, that I know of anyway, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.
  • Two dates – I really have no idea why I bought these. I’ve never had a fresh date before. I’m not even sure how you eat them.
  • Four bakery cookies – This was really what I went to the store for…toffee and chocolate cookies!
  • A green pepper – I assumed we needed one for my pasta primavera dish I’m making tomorrow. I had pepper remorse for this one small pepper cost $1.65! Yikes – no more random pepper shopping.
  • Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves – Thought it might go well with the French baguette. Besides, I’ve heard great things about this jam and wanted to try it.

So I went into the store intending to buy about $2 worth of cookies and came out with $12 worth of random items. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Anyway, my day started with an awesome run outside – yes, outside! Can you believe it? It was nearly 50 degrees at 6:15 AM this morning – that’s pretty mild for March weather in Chi-town. After my run, I refueled with more Kashi and blueberries…

I also stopped at the ‘Buck to pick up a skinny ‘nilla latte – hmm..hmm. good. The great thing about lattes is that even when they get cold, you can warm them up in the microwave for 30 seconds and they taste all steamy and creamy again :-).

Lunch was a cup of minestrone soup from Go Roma with a small bread stick…

I love soup. I swear I could eat it every day. Maybe I should move to Belgium where eating soup every day is the social norm. A few hours after lunch, I snacked on a Luna sunrise bar then headed out the door to enjoy the last hour of sunshine in Chicago.

For dinner, I threw together a salad using leftover greens from our fajita dinner, plus added some parmesan baked chicken and shredded cheddar…

This was just filling enough to make a solid dinner – one that saved room for a chocolate toffee cookie – oh yeah!

Alright, enough randomness for one night. See you tomorrow!

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Spring Tease

March 10, 2010 by

Not sure how it was by you today, but it reached 61 degrees in Chicago and was sunny for most of the afternoon! Too bad that I didn’t get to enjoy much of the weather since I was inside all day 🙁 But, just feeling the mild temp and seeing the snow melting gave me hope that Spring is just around the corner. Yay!

This morning was an “off” day for running. I was really contemplating a late-afternoon run but just couldn’t get home in time. Breakfast was a cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with flax and about 1/4 cup blueberries…


I just love the way blueberries look in cereal – they add so much color, not to mention they have a ton of antioxidants which are great for your skin.

Work went by rather slow and when that happens, I tend to eat more – ugh! Lunch was leftover risotto and a small piece of chicken from the other night – nothing special, but satisfying. Then all hell broke loose as I proceeded to eat a clementine, pretzels, and a few pieces of chocolate!

Dinner was nearly ready when I arrived home – which, I have to admit, is sooo nice!

Scott grilled some Italian sausage which he paired with sauteed peppers and steamed carrots – oh, and low-fat Cape Cod chips too 🙂

Gotta go, time for the season finale of Psych!

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Lovin' My New Lill Bag!

March 9, 2010 by

Hi there! As many of you know, a few weeks ago, I headed downtown with Anne to design my own bag at 1154 Lill. Well, three weeks later, my bag has finally arrived!

Introducing my new 1154 Lill Erika bag. It’s big enough to hold my Macbook Pro and a few odds and ends. The bag has a plum base color with a Queen Anne’s Lace accent stripe…

On the inside, I decided to show my wild side with an African cheetah print…

I love my Lill! After making this one, I so want to make another one…hmm, maybe for my birthday!

Alright, enough about my new chic bag…on with the day…it started with a 30-minute run on the t-mill followed by some fast walking and an ab workout. That makes 5 days of running straight – I think I’m ready for a break.

Breakfast was about 3 oz of Trader Joe’s vanilla Greek yogurt with some of my new Galaxy Granola…

The folks at Galaxy sent me 3 bags of their awesome granola while I was on vacation. I was so excited to get it and practically tore into it on the spot. I really admire the Galaxy brand and its new Web site promoting granola made with Fruit Not Fat. Many of the granola brands out there are loaded with sugar, fat, and ingredients that I can’t even pronounce. That’s the main reason why I try to make my own because I can control my own ingredients. Galaxy Granola seems to have recognized the importance of making a product all-natural because they make their granola with naturally healthy ingredients like applesauce and honey, instead of corn syrup and oils. Now that’s my kind of granola!

The vanilla almond flavor also had whole almonds in it, which made my yogurt extra crunchy…

So yum and so filling – good thing I only used 1/2 a carton of the yogurt and 1/8 cup granola! On my way to work, I also picked up a skinny vanilla latte, since I missed out on my treat yesterday. Ahh, how I’ve missed my Starbucks.

Lunch ended up being some leftover risotto which was good, but just not filling enough. I snacked on a banana, some lemon tea, and a few “thank you” cookies…

I call them “thank you” cookies, because each cookie had the words “thank you” on them, but in different languages. As you can see, I ate 1/2 of the merci cookie before I took the picture 🙂

Dinner was a family favorite – Scott’s homemade pasta sauce with a big ‘ole side of broccoli…

OK, that’s enough for tonight. I’m off to repack my Lill for tomorrow!

Ciao!

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It's like I never left…

March 8, 2010 by

Hey All! Going back to work after being on vacation always seems a bit hectic. I didn’t check a single work email for ten days, so I had to sift through about 600 email messages – non of which were too urgent.

Luckily, I anticipated a very long day and started out on the right foot. I jumped out of bed just before 6 AM for a 4.5 mile interval run on the treadmill. Then, it was an energizing breakfast  – 3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch with flax..

I know flax is supposed to be good for you, but does anyone else think it leaves a weird aftertaste in your mouth?

On the way to work, I wanted to treat myself to a new Starbucks drink – the cherry mocha. Has anyone tried this yet?? Because I was running late for work, per usual, I was hoping to zip in and zip out of the ‘buck. However, as fate would have it, there was a sign on the counter that said they would only be making brewed coffee and tea drinks today due to equipment problems. Foiled again, Batman!

Work ended up being a pretty normal day – like I never left. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one???

For dinner, Scott made another one of his specialities – chicken fajitas!!!

This is usually his go-to summer dish, but for some reason he was craving fajitas – maybe it has to do with March Madness ;-). Scott makes his fajitas with all the fixins, like bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, and guacamole. I made a fajita salad in order to avoid unnecessary calories from the tortilla.

Now, it’s off to bed for me. But wait!  Stay tuned tomorrow for a peak at my new 1154 Lill bag. It was delivered to my door the day we arrived home from vacation – how’s that for timing?

Have a great night!

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A Gooey Breakfast Triad

February 27, 2010 by

Morning everyone! I was so excited when the mail arrived with my new SHAPE magazine! I am sooo looking forward to a relaxing read this weekend. We had an awesome dinner last night – mainly because I didn’t have to cook! Not to mention that I was so hungry from running around all day – busy, busy!

Scott cooked up some Italian sausage and yellow and red peppers – a true Chicago dish! He also steamed a bunch of veggies – carrots and broccoli …

Very satisfying and fairly healthy – about 300-400 calories total – not bad. Although dinner was great, we basically have no treats in the house, so it was a no dessert night for me – blah!

This morning, I got up early in order to get a jump start on the day – although I did NOT start with a run. I ran Sunday-Thursday this week so I decided to give myself a break yesterday and this morning – I did a ton of walking though! I also decided to treat myself to a decadent breakfast considering I missed out on dessert last night…

Doesn’t that look awesome! I threw together some slow-cook oats and added all-natural peanut butter and Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. It was my own breakfast triad and it was a completely gooey and yummy mess! It was surprisingly healthy too, considering oatmeal, peanut butter, and dark chocolate are all good for you 🙂 I’ve had a very busy day, so now I’m off to bed.

Catch ya all later!

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Olympics Guilt

February 23, 2010 by

I have a confession to make. I have not watched any of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I’m talking – NONE! And for some reason, I feel a bit guilty that I’m not watching them.

It’s not that I’m unpatriotic. It’s just that I do not really watch television and, quite honestly, I’m not really into the Olympics. However, I am intrigued by Apolo Ohno – how does he skate so fast? – as well as Shaun White – I’m actually disappointed I missed his gold medal jump/performance. I know I should be watching them, if not for the athletes, but for the amazing coverage of Vancouver. I’m headed there in November for a meeting and can’t wait!

Is there anyone else out there who does not really watch the Olympics?

Anyway, we’ve had a very busy day and night – between work, going to yet another Kindergarten round-up, and then cleaning the house. Dinner needed to be simple for me just for the sake of time…

An easy peasey salami and cheese sandwich on Brownberry Whole Grain bread, with a side of low-fat Cape Cod chips and some of these crunchies..

Yellow bell peppers – so sweet and good, even when they are eaten plain.

Now I must go clean on my bed so that I can actually get a good night’s sleep tonight. See you all tomorrow.

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My Peanut Butter Reality

February 22, 2010 by

Evening everyone!

I had a great early morning run today – started before 6 AM which I haven’t done for a while. After 4.5 sweaty miles running from 7.0 to 7.6 on a 10% incline, I was sooo ready for breakfast. I couldn’t wait to try my new Oikos nonfat Greek vanilla yogurt…

Hmm…not so good. I really wanted to like this yogurt because it’s a little more accessible than going to Trader Joe’s and it’s a little cheaper too. But there was just something about it I did NOT like. It almost tasted too sour – like it was on the verge of becoming bad, although the expiration date wasn’t until mid-March. I tried adding some peanut butter to it and that didn’t help, which totally goes against my peanut butter reality (that peanut butter makes everything taste better).

I only took a few bites and then gave the rest to Miss M, who didn’t like it either. And that is saying a lot considering this is a girl who loves Trader Joe’s vanilla Greek yogurt. Oh well, I only bought two – I’m hoping the strawberry flavor is better. To compensate for my blah breakfast, I had 1/2  Luna bar on the way to work. Luna – so dependable! Then it was on to Starbucks for a skinny vanilla latte – I needed it after only getting about 6 hours of sleep!

Work ended up going by really fast today, which is always nice 🙂 Lunch was an unpictured can of soup and a banana, and then another Luna bar for a snack.

Dinner was one of my favorites tonight – homemade pasta sauce made with ground turkey…

Plus some homemade garlic bread on the side. Scott made it and it was sooo good – doesn’t this look like Texas toast??? But it wasn’t, it was the leftover three-cheese bread from La Brea.

I had about 1 1/2 cups of pasta plus 3/4 cup sauce. I really wanted MORE, but I refrained knowing that there is a brownie in the house with my name on it.

So let’s see how I did…

Jen’s Calories for Monday, February 22:

  • Few bites of yogurt = 50 calories
  • 1/2 Luna bar = 90 calories
  • Skinny vanilla latte – 90 calories
  • Banana – 90 calories
  • 1 can of chicken soup = 150 calories
  • 1 Luna Bar – 180 calories
  • 2 small pieces of garlic bread = 200 calories
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked pasta (measured) = 300 calories
  • 3/4 cup pasta sauce (measured) – 200 calories
  • 1 cup steamed broccoli = 50 calories
  • 1 brownie = 200 calories
  • Total calories = 1,600

Not too bad as far as calories, but the majority of my calories were consumed after 5 PM (950 calories), when I am at my least active. Not so good for my metabolism. 

Gotta read a few articles before heading to bed. See you all tomorrow!

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A Little Soup To Go With Your Bread?

February 21, 2010 by

Hi All! 

We all have our food/snack vices. Many of these are outright or blatant vices – things we know we can’t resist when they are offered to us or when they are lurking inside your pantry. Yet other times, these vices sneak up on us when we least expect them too. That is what happened to me tonight.

There is a bread at our local grocery store – La Brea Three Cheese Bread – that is so incredibly good. I can eat it with just about anything – sandwiches, soups, pasta, etc. Not only does it have a mix of cheeses baked on top, but it has cheese baked in the bread as well. We don’t buy it very often because it’s near $5 a loaf. But when we do, it’s like Christmas in a little brown bag.

And now, the rest of the story. While doing a little grocery shopping this evening, I noticed a fresh loaf of three cheese bread sitting on the display. I wasn’t particularly craving bread nor did I really want to spend the money on the loaf, but when I felt it, it was so fresh the bag was hot! I thought it was fate and put it in the basket. It turns out, the bread was just my sneaky vice covertly working its way into my home and then onto my plate.

When I arrived home to Scott’s homemade chicken soup, I temporarily bypassed the soup and dug right into the bag of bread – just for a taste, right? I went on to have about 3 slices of bread – and that was before the chicken soup…

I knew after the 4th slice of bread that I had made a mistake. My overindulgence in cheesy carbs got the best of me, so I barely ate any of the soup – maybe 1 cup total. Hmm..not the best dinner calorie-wise, but it was oh so tasty!

However next time, I’m going to bypass the fresh bread aisle and head straight for the broccoli. 

Time for carb overload triage.

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