Rough Ride Home

I am home for the weekend in Fort Wayne, but I did not have an easy road getting there last night.

 

 

That would be my car, with a giant flat tire on the highway.  Luckily, it didn’t cause any accidents and I was safely able to pull of the road.  Shortly after I pulled to the side, a kind police officer stopped to help me out, call the tow truck, and wait with me until everything was finished.  He even stopped traffic on the highway to get everything moved over into the far lane.  What  great help he was!! I couldn’t thank him enough.

After my adventure on the highway, I finally ended up at home about an hour later than planned.  Thankfully, my mom had a delicious meal of salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies all plated up for me and ready to go.  I was hungry and the food tasted good!

My mom made a new rub for the sweet potatoes and salmon that is to die for!  Don’t worry, I got the recipe and will share later 😉

 

My mom and I then spent a good portion of the evening trying to photograph our dogs…we finally gave up and deemed them both cute in person, but horribly un-photogenic!!

 

This Morning

Today, Mom and I got up nice and early to head to a diner owned by one of her friends.  Literally, they just reopened the doors on Tuesday!!  I’ll go into more detail on Minnie’s diner in a later post 😉

We both had veggie omelettes, mom’s with a side of potatoes

 

and mine with a side on plain oats.  I seriously think that was on of the biggest bowls of oats I have ever seen!  Tasty, but I couldn’t finish it.

 

We then ran a couple of errands including mailing a package to a special giveaway winner (yes, I know the giveaway was a while ago, but we have been in contact and she understands!)  It should be there by Monday!

 

Next on the agenda was Body Pump.  I had to have a sub teach my class for today in Indianapolis, but I made up for it by attending class as a participant this morning.  I upped my weights today…and all I can say is OUCH!!! (in a good way of course!)

 

Then, it was time to head home, shower, and eat some lunch.  For me, lunch included tuna with some low fat cottage cheese, cucumbers and carrots, some leftover sweet potatoes from last night, and grapes and berries.  So summery and tasty!

 

 

Now, I am off to get a new tire for my car, meet up with a friend, and mom is at a baby shower.  Enjoy your Saturday!

Tis the Season

Yesterday, after writing an article, practicing a little body pump, putting away some laundry, and tidying things up a bit I had to shower up and get ready to attend a couple’s shower.  Even though Brian and I are both friends with Kelsey and Luke, the soon-to-be-wed couple and it was a couple’s shower, I had to go solo so that Brian could head to another friend’s bachelor party…tis the season for weddings!

After showering, I headed straight to the kitchen to quickly prepare something for Brian and I to eat before we both headed out for our wedding themed evenings.

Brian’s mom, grandma, and aunt soon came home, and his grandma had a present for me!  This cute vintage apron…

I love it!  The best thing about it…there is a pocket 😉

The dinner I whipped up was very fast and very tasty.  On a greased baking sheet, I threw on two 4 oz pieces of salmon, a small tomato, some asparagus spears, a little onion.  I topped everything with fresh garlic, salt, and pepper.  I put it in the oven on 400 degrees for 10 minutes…and voila! Dinner was served.

Brian and I then headed out on our separate ways for the evening.

When we arrived at the shower, we immediately headed out back.  It was the perfect venue for a shower!  I thought that the entire atmosphere was fun, relaxed, and just plain pretty!

And the food tasted as good as it looked!  My favorite was the vegetable tray with blanched green beans and asparagus…yummmm I could have eaten my weights worth in asparagus.

It was a great evening spent with friends.  I am absolutely loving all of the events and chatter about weddings…it truly is that time of year!

Now, it’s time to grocery shop, prep my food for the week, and practice body pump.

What is on Your Sunday To-Do List?

$80 Poorer

Yesterday when I arrived home from work, it seemed kind of crazy because the sun was still up!  It was nice to come home right after work and not really have anything that was an absolute must on the to-do list.

Before I left for work, I laid out a piece of salmon that was just waiting to be baked in the oven for dinner when I got home.  While I prepped and cooked my salmon, Brian’s mom made me a nice little salad which made a nice bed for my salmon once it was done cooking.

Yumm…simple, little thought required, quick, and tasty.  Just what I needed.

Broken Charger

A couple of days ago, my charger broke.  I am not sure how it happened, but there was no way of fixing it.  I was simply using my computer before bed, and when I went to unplug the charger from the outlet…the entire charging part with the prongs literally fell apart.  I know that I am strong, but really?? The entire thing just completely pulling apart??

A couple of months ago, the original charger that I had gotten with my computer when I graduated high school (that was so long ago!) pooped out on me.  So, me being the cheap person that I am went on the internet and tried to find the cheapest apple charger that I could find.  I found one that looked good, had pretty good reviews, wasn’t very expensive and ordered it.  When it came in the mail I actually received two!  I was ecstatic!

Well, the first charger replacement that I used just stopped working for some reason about a month ago, so I had moved on to charger number two…then this happens!  So, I was a little bit stuck.

Because I use my computer literally every day, and I had a bad experience being a cheap skate last time I just sucked it up, went to Best Buy and bought the brand-spankin’ new $80 charger….at least it came with the extension cord portion.

At first, I nearly had a heart attack…$80 in one trip! But then when I thought about that this is something that I use everyday, that I want to last me for a couple of years…the $80 seemed worth it.

The charger works great, and hopefully will last me another 5 years!! I guess I learned my lesson when it comes to technology and trying to save a couple dollars.

Lunch

As I was packing my lunch and dinner for today last night, I was trying to figure out which bag I should use, when Kate (Brian’s mom) pulled out this baby…

That lunch box is about the size of my work bag, but it is great because I can fit all of my snacks, lunch, and dinner in there with room to spare!  Perfect!  I swear that Kate has a special little thing for every situation 🙂  Thank goodness!

Question of the Morning:

• What do you pack your food in for the day??  
• Or do you just purchase your food throughout the day??

8 Mile Run and the Greenwood Farmer’s Market

Last night after work, Brian and I headed straight out to the store to get some supplies for an extreme camping trip that he is going on.  He has been going on this trip since he was in high school and now he is a staff member.  This year, they will be going to the Colorado and the Grand Canyon.  Food is provided for the majority of it, but for three days they do a thing called “back country” where they have to provide their own food, which is mostly shelf stable food since there are no stoves or kitchens on the trail.

We also made a pit-stop for a special treat.  We both had Blizzards on the brain since I mentioned them in my food survey yesterday.  Cookie dough for him and banana cream pie for me…what a yummy treat!

We then came home, and Brian packed for his trip while I cooked up a ton of goodies for his car full of high school kids.  I am still not finished with all of the baking though!

Today

This morning, I actually slept in…it was much needed.  As much of a morning person as I am, waking up at 4am everyday does take it’s toll and being able to sleep until 7:30am is much appreciated!

I started out with some frozen blackberries and banana topped with a little peanut butter as some pre-run fuel.

It is a hot one today, so I wanted to get my long run done early!  A couple of days ago, Peanut Butter Runner blogged about how she uses coconut water during her runs in order to aid in rehydration and electrolyte replacement.  With the heat, I knew I would need a little something more than plain water, so I decided to try using Vita Coco coconut water.

Well, I finished a couple of hours ago and I still feel great, so I would say it did the job!  Unfortunately, the store only had pineapple coconut water, which tastes good but during a run it is almost too much.  So, next time I will water it down or stick with plain.

In the mail last night, I received the Body Pump 82 release, and I am already obsessed with it!!  I can’t wait for the launch next month.  I listened to it during the entire run.

I ended up finishing 8 miles with an 8:50 pace.  Not too shabby 😉

After the run, showering, and downing a delicious smoothie, Brian and I headed to the Greenwood Farmer’s Market!

It was so cute, the people were so friendly, and there was a really good variety of fresh produce and meat.

I ended up spending a mere $4 on some lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a yellow squash.  I can’t wait to use them!

We then came home and whipped up a quick lunch.  For me, egg whites, reduced fat cheese, and some roasted veggies leftover from the week.

Next on the agenda:  heading to the pool!

Happy Saturday!!

I Get A Desk and I Need to Downsize My Number of Bags

Today has been a long but good day.

I started off teaching Yoga Sculpt.  I had a great group this morning, and thoroughly enjoyed starting my morning with that class.  Then, it was time to shower and get ready at the gym for my first day of work.  That was interesting, considering the fact that Brian and I are currently packing and getting ready to move, and I packed all of my large duffle bags!  I had to use three smaller bags…let’s just say I can’t wait until I can use a slightly larger bag 😉

I was able to shower and get ready in just over 30 minutes.  I think that part of my time was taken up by trying to organize my absurd number of bags.  No worries though, tomorrow I get to try it all over again!

I then headed into the office, and arrived there in plenty of time!  I don’t have an office to myself because I think that a lot of my time will not be spent in the office, but I do have a desk!

And a nametag!

I am going to have to find some “pinspiration” and get crafty decorating my office.  My boss kept telling me that my desk is my space and I need to decorate it and make it my own…I think I can handle that 😉

Sorry, no lunch pictures! I didn’t really get a break today, I just ate quickly between meetings.  Today’s menu included, a leftover veggie burger from dinner at Brian’s parent’s house on Monday on top of a bed of tomato, lettuce, and celery topped with salsa.  I also had half an apple with some cheese and peanuts.  Tasty!

After Work

After work, I have to admit that I was pretty tired (who am I kidding I am tired still!!)  But I knew that I needed to run.  Since I ran 1 mile before Yoga Sculpt this morning, I decided that 3 miles was ok.  So, even though I was more than ready for dinner, very tired, and not quite in the mood to run, I still did 3 miles wit a pace of 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Not too shabby.

Then, it was time for dinner.  Thanks to my mom’s delicious idea it came together very quickly.  Roasted broccoli and lemon pepper salmon.

Simple, yet so tasty.  Thanks for the idea, Mom!

Now, I am off to practice Body Pump, since I record my first time teaching an entire class on Saturday and get ready for an early bed…good night!

Mediterranean Zucchini Boats…Delicious

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a recipe for zucchini boats in a magazine, and book marked the idea away in my brain until a later date.  Earlier this afternoon, I was just feeling kind of not like doing much…including cooking dinner, when suddenly this recipe idea popped in my head.  I decided to give it a try…and it was a success!

Zucchini is such a summer vegetable to me.  I love it raw with dip, steamed with salt and pepper, baked with cheese on top, mixed in with marinara sauce, cooked into a quiche, and baked in bread.  Just about anyway you can prepare it, I will eat it.  With the summer weather lingering here in Indiana, a zucchini dish seemed perfect.

Mediterranean Zucchini Boats

Yields:  4 total boats, 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 small-medium zucchinis
• a splash of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp of garlic salt (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/5 block of tofu (pressed and cut into small pieces)
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup reduced fat feta

Directions:

Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.  Cut each zucchini length wise, and scoop the center out of each half of the zucchini.  Place on a baking sheet.

In a medium skillet heated to medium high heat, place the balsamic vinegar, bell pepper, tomato, tofu, garlic salt, and basil until slightly browned.

Once browned add in the spinach and allow the spinach to wilt.  Once the spinach is wilted, add in the cottage cheese and combine thoroughly.

After the cheese, tofu, and vegetable mixture is thoroughly combined, scoop even portions into each zucchini boat. Top each zucchini boat with the feta cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  This meal was delicious, light enough to be summer meal, but filling enough to be a dinner.  Quinoa makes an excellent side dish with this meal.

Nutrition per 2 boats:

Calories–163  Fat–8.2g  Carbs–14.1g  Protein–18.4g

Go ahead…give this meal a try 🙂  You won’t regret it!

Feels Like Summer

Yesterday truly felt like the first day of summer.  The weather was gorgeous without a cloud in the sky and enough heat to make summer dresses, sandals, and shorts a necessity.

After spending a few hours at the pool and packing up some more boxes, I headed to the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner and for meals the rest of the week.

When I was younger and living with my parents, in the summer we would LIVE by the pool.  Just basking in the sun all day.  We would then come in from the heat with our cheeks nice and rosie and Mom would have a delicious spread of grilled foods for dinner, almost always with a giant bowl of salad.  I was completely in the mood for one of those meals.

Being in total summer mode, I thought that my homemade black bean burgers, sweet potato fries, and a giant tossed salad would be perfect!

Caitlin was in charge of the salad.  Doesn’t it look beautiful!

The meal was fantastic and the evening was great.  It was a great last gathering at the apartment with good friends.  We just sat around, talked, drank wine and beer…sometimes those are the best nights.

Today

This morning, I actually slept in.  I woke up at about 7:45, and I must admit that when I saw the sun peeking through the windows I thought that I was late.  Luckily, I wasn’t!

In the spirit of summer, a giant bowl of plain Greek yogurt topped with frozen peaches and strawberries, 1/3 of a banana, and half of an apple with a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter to top it off.

It was delicious!

What a tasty way to start the day.

Question of the Morning:

• What are your plans for the long Memorial Day weekend?

I will be spending my day laying in the sun!

Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Feta and Quinoa Salad

Today has been a busy day from the get-go, but first I will recap about last night’s dinner, because it was pretty tasty.

I noticed recently that with my crazy and unpredictable schedule and teaching classes at night, I often let dinners kind of fall on the wayside and end up making less than exciting things to eat.  In an attempt to change that, I found a couple of recipes that looked nutritious and delicious.  Both important factors 🙂  Last night’s dinner was a new-to-me recipe, once again inspired by Clean Eating magazine.

Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Feta and Quinoa Salad

Cook Time:  about 1 hour

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of prepared quinoa
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into chunks
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup of kale, just the leaves removed from the hard stems, rinsed and dried
• 4-6 oz of wild salmon
• 1/4 cup low fat feta cheese

Directions:

In medium sauce pan, prepare quinoa according to package.  Once cooked, spread quinoa out on a plate or baking sheet to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a glass baking dish (9×13) toss tomatoes, cauliflower, ball pepper, onion, and garlic.  In a separate small bowl combine the mustard, vinegar, olive oil and pepper.  Toss the mustard dressing with the vegetables.  Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven on the lowest rack.  Allow to cook for 15 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and cook an additional 15 minutes.

On a nonstick baking pan, spread out the kale.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  In a separate pan, place the salmon and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place both in the oven on the top rack for about 15 minutes.

Break salmon into large flakes.

Add the quinoa and the feta to the vegetable mixture.  Divide the veggies into two or three dishes.  Top with kale and salmon.  Enjoy!!!

Nutrition:

2 Person Serving Option Calories:  369.3    Fat:  13.2g   Carbs:  37.2g   Protein:  29.2g

3 Person Serving Option Calories:  246.2   Fat:  8.8g   Carbs:  24.8g  Protein:  19.5g

 

Now, back to my busy day…recap lata gata 😉

I Have Been Keeping Something From You

Brian came to my Body Pump class tonight!  It was very fun, although having him in the front row did make me a bit nervous.  Anyways, Pump made me very hungry, and by the time I was done with church choir and got home I was ready to eat.

Dinner tonight was a new favorite post-workout snack for me.  Scrambled eggs, loaded with lowfat cheese, and veggies topped with salsa.

After having a salad for lunch, I just didn’t want to have the exact same thing for dinner…or use up all of our lettuce.  So the eggs did me well 🙂

Confession

I have a confession to make to you.  I have been keeping something from you.  An amazing cookie recipe. Seriously, these things are addicting and Brian will even ask for them by request on occasion.  If you know Brian then you know that when it comes to food, he is pretty whatever and usually doesn’t have a preference, so it is a big deal when he makes a special request.

I know you will enjoy these 🙂

Double Chocolate Oreo Crunch Cookies (Original Recipe from How Sweet Eats)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup crushed Oreos

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.  Gradually add in the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt.

Once everything is combined, add in the chocolate chips and the Oreos.

Place tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool on wax paper.

ENJOY!

What Do You Eat After?

Hey Team!

That is what I call my group fitness classes 😉  Today, I am in total Group Fitness mode!  I am teaching three classes today at three different facilities.   Luckily, I have had several hours between each class, so I am not rushing around.

I taught Pilates at noon, and did a quicky arm workout afterwards.  Whenever I teach during a meal time, I feel like it kind of throws my eating schedule out of wack a little bit.

I knew that I needed to eat lunch afterward, but I wasn’t really craving anything.  My mom had the great idea of eggs…perfect!  So, I sauteed some broccoli, cauliflower, and onion in water.  I then added in 4 egg whites and a slice of pepper jack cheese to give the eggs a little spicy kick.  Once they were cooked all the way through, I topped the eggs with a little bit of salsa.

It is important to eat a good balance of carbohydrates and protein after a workout.  The veggies provided me with carbs and the egg whites and cheese provided me with protein.

While I was eating, I decided to do a little research on some more post-workout meal/snack ideas and I found a great article on the ACE Certified Professionals archives.

Some of ACE’s post-workout meals included:

• Graham crackers, peanut butter, and chocolate milk–Nancy Clark MS, RD, CSSD submitted this idea because the carbs from the graham crackers and chocolate milk refuel the muscles, while the protein from the peanut butter and the chocolate milk aid in muscle repair.
• Yogurt, an orange, and red bell pepper–Suggested by The Nutrition Twins, these are easy to grab and eat on the go when doing a workout midday, or when on the run.  The orange and bell pepper are high in water, which helps to rehydrate after an intense sweat session.  The yogurt provides the carbs needed for refueling and the protein needed for the repairing and rebuilding of muscles.  The calcium and potassium in the yogurt also help to eliminate muscle cramping.
• Smoothie made of plain nonfat yogurt, pineapple, mango, cinnamon and toasted wheat germ–Emily Ann Miller MPH, RD suggested this tasty treat because of the rehydrating properties of the fruit, the carbohydrates from the fruit and the yogurt, and the protein from the yogurt…everything that your body needs post-workout.

Question of the Afternoon:

• What are some of your favorite post-workout snacks?

I love smoothies, homemade protein bars, and overnight oats made with a bit of Greek yogurt and protein powder.