mad skills September 9, 2008

i threw a little something together last night to use up the produce i just bought. i was pretty happy with the result. next time i will sautee the squash first and make the spinach layer a lot thicker. i’d also like to use black beans instead of the canned refried ones i used this time. other than that, this was a perfect way to use a lot of ingredients and have plenty of leftovers for the week. and quinoa is good.

i started with a layer of beans.

then i added the quinoa. it was only a 1/4c. (and i of course prepared it beforehand in boiling water).

uh, for some reason i didn’t photograph the next two green layers. i have nothing against my greens, these were both my favorites. i just got excited layering and skipped the photo… whoops. first it was a modest sprinkling of diced jalapenos from the can. i remember how friggin’ hot they were last time i used them with a grain (the bulgur bean stuffed peppers) so i went easy on them this time in order to take advantage of all the flavors i would be using. then i threw the spinach on after them. i really wish i had made a thicker layer of it.

next up was the squash. you can see the spinach underneath. again, i really i shoulda sauteed them first.

then i added a generous helping of corn.

a fresh diced yellow bell pepper…

and finally two fresh diced roma tomatoes.

here are all the layers before going into the oven.

i stuck it in there for 20 minutes at 450 and got perfectly roasted peppers and tomatoes and perfectly wilted spinach. had i made the other modifications it would have been perfect all around but it really was tasty just like this. i sprinkled the last of my shredded mozz right when i took the whole dish out of the oven so it melted very nicely.

here’s my portion topped with avocados and some of mom’s salsa with the leftover corn on the side.

day 2 September 5, 2008

i don’t really have a great plan for today, i need to buy food real bad.

5 September 2008

breakfast
overnight oats
-3/4c. oats
-1/2c. + splash almond milk
-vanilla + cinnamon
-1tbsp. slivered almonds
-1 chopped banana
-SF maple
2oz. vemma mangosteen supplement

lunch
i got nothing

snack
verve!

dinner
way up in the air

workout
jazzercise @430

not my favorite way to eat but all this situation does is challenge me to make better choices when i’m faced with them. hopefully i have a chance to pick up a few things today or tomorrow morning after i workout. my goal for tomorrow is to hit up the farmer’s market for fresh, local and cheap produce.

humble pie September 4, 2008

there’s this delicious pizza place literally a hop, skip and jump away from the office. i adore it. i packed the butternut squash soup, the bell pepper slices, salsa, cheese and cookie this morning but i knew when i was planning last night that those items by themselves wouldn’t be a sufficient lunch because it was seriously lacking greens. that’s why i had the idea to takeout a salad from somewhere. then i remembered the last time i ate at humble pie and how much i loved the veggie salad. i ordered a half-size for pickup and drove on over about 2 minutes later. when the weather is nice i will definitely walk. but i will walk nowhere in 100+ degree heat. even for vegetables. the salad itself contains avocado, jicama, green beans, tomatoes and mozzarella on a bed of romaine with an awesome herb vinaigrette. perfect for my lunch side salad, really rounded out the meal.

also, i didn’t eat the string cheese stick because of the cheese in the salad so i still have it on hand in case i want it as part of my snack later. once i finish the cheese that’s left in my fridge i vow not to buy anymore. additionally, the salad came with a slice of sourdough bread which was convenient because i hadn’t packed any grains either. it was good, i tore off pieces of the crust to dip in the soup.

i have decided that i’m not a huge fan of butternut squash soup.

motivated! September 4, 2008

i’ve come up with a new plan. i would rather take extra time planning my meals and workout schedule for the day ahead than taking time to upload pictures of every last morsel i consume. so i’ll post each day’s plan and post pictures of interesting, original or particularly photogenic food throughout the day as i see fit. hopefully this will work, it seems like a plan i can stick to so i’m excited about it… at least for now.

4 September 2008
breakfast
overnight oats
-1/2c. oats
-3/4c. almond milk
-vanilla + cinnamon
-1/2 frozen/thawed mashed banana
-1tbsp. slivered almonds
-1 spoonful AB
-drizzle SF maple
smoothie to-go
-1c. almond milk
-1 frozen banana
-handful frozen strawberries
-2oz. vemma (mangosteen supplement)
-1/2tbsp. flax oil
lunch
about 1c. butternut squash soup
yellow bell pepper slices
1/4c. homemade salsa (for dipping)
1 string cheese
possibly a takeout salad?
1 uncle eddie’s vegan chocolate chip walnut cookie
pre-workout snack
lemon larabar
verve! energy drink with mangosteen
dinner
kashi entree – black bean mango
toasted ezekiel english muffin
dessert
1 wei of chocolate piece

workout
jazzercise @ 545p (x2?)… i gotta get ready for my workshop so maybe i’ll stick it out for two classes tonight. we’ll see how i feel after one.

i like being productive and having organized plans! and clean workout clothes

superstitions September 3, 2008

in this ladies… post the gals all discuss their sports superstitions and i got to thinking about mine. when i was in college and would go to basketball games i would always talk pre-game analysis and such with my dad from the arena on my cell. but i would never ever talk to him at halftime. he was the biggest jinx ever. he would call during the game, too, leave text messages and generally just try to get my attention but i have an ignore-my-phone policy while at live sporting events (if only to avoid him and his bad attitude towards my team). nowadays i refuse to watch games with my dad if we’re watching them on tv. he literally has to watch from another room because for whatever reason, if we’re watching it together our team loses. i just don’t like to talk about how the team is playing while the game is going on and this goes for any sport. i usually need to watch the games by myself so that nobody in the room is tempted to talk to me. i HATE answering questions during a game, plus i feel like it affects the team’s performance. these self-imposed guidelines are only for games i’m emotionally invested in. my hometown baseball and basketball teams and my alma mater football and basketball teams all rank high on my investment list.

random but fun!

blah September 3, 2008

clearly i’m supremely unmotivated to catch up on posting anything. i still want to but the fall tv show line-up is starting to heat up and now i fall asleep watching my recorded shows instead of going to bed early so i can workout in the mornings. there has to be a better way but i haven’t figured it out yet.

i feel pretty good about my food week so far, i’ve kept myself to one piece of chocolate after dinner and have even managed to squeeze in a lot of vegetables and greens. i desperately want to go to the farmer’s market this weekend for some good local produce. as unmotivated as i’ve been on the blog, it’s been even worse in the kitchen. i really have to get my act together because, though i’ve managed to avoid anything catastrophic so far, letting anybody else feed me is too potentially disastrous for my slimming efforts. it continues to be my personal challenge and something i will continue to struggle with every day…