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.

creativity is dead August 20, 2008

just like chivalry. i almost typed chauvinism… oh if only that were true. point being, i’m running out of post titles.

dinner last night was tasty though. i microwaved a frozen vegan chick’n patty and ended up dicing it to roll up into tortillas to make tacos/mini burritos with avocado and salsa.

i used la tortilla factory low carb small whole wheat tortillas. at 50 calories a pop i had two last night with dinner.

the chick’n patty was 100 times better than any soy burger i’ve ever tried. i’ll be sticking to these if i can help it, boca leaves a chemical aftertaste sometimes. though i do want to try the new bruschetta flavor that i can’t find anywhere.

i finally ate the last of my spinach last night with goddess dressing and sunflower seeds to add some non-fat greens to dinner.

and for dessert, the oh-so-addicting ciao bella blood orange sorbetto. i swear there’s crack in it, i can’t stop eating it! i can’t feel too guilty about it though because 1/2c. has only 98 calories. i’m pretty sure i polished off at least a third of the carton. it only comes in little pints so i still didn’t break the calorie bank, so to speak, by indulging a little. with only three ingredients and a fantastic tangy-sweet flavor, this will become my frozen treat fixture.

i desperately need an ice cream scoop.

happy monday August 18, 2008

since when am i happy on a monday? since i have confirmed the suspicion i’ve had since friday that i’m getting a new job! so happy monday it is.

happy monday’s breakfast oats had double water because i ran out of soymilk but they still had a banana because i stole one from mom’s house last night, even in my painful partially blind stupor. i topped this last-of-my-oats bowl with the rest of my pecans (i have GOT to shop for food today, it’s down to the wire worse than ever before) and a soy-yo maple icing. i made it good today because i didn’t feel like gagging when i tasted it. it also added the creamy element that was missing from lack of soymilk.

delicious. happy monday’s lunch was the rest of the leftover amy’s lentil vegetable soup. i wasn’t going to eat this at all because i so thoroughly dis-enjoyed it last time but i added parmesan cheese (one of the only things left in the fridge) and half an avocado (more contraband from mom’s house). it was pretty tasty after the additives, i think i even liked it.

on the side i had 4 saltines and water. it was all i needed, this bowl filled me right up.

but then i remembered the snapea crisps so i had the rest to polish off lunch.

i had originally planned on working out as usual (today it would be spin) but my mom just called to invite me to happy hour to celebrate her birthday today! of course i’d rather go to that. suddenly i’m very happy i dragged myself out of bed yesterday to squeeze in an atypical sunday workout…

yoga to join the rotation August 13, 2008

and my journalism background rears it’s ugly head in the title. back when it mattered i wasn’t even that good at writing headlines! go figure…

yoga won out today and i’m glad it did because my muscles were stiff from bootcamp. i was talking to my workout buddy, who happens to be a yoga instructor, and she testified to being at her slimmest ever while doing yoga regularly. so hence the title of this post. i’m game. and i can take her classes for free!

she also happened to make dinner tonight and invited me and my sister over to partake. a night of no cooking? is that a trick question?

she slow-cooked a beef roast in the crockpot with some spicy accompaniments. i should just insert my disclaimer here before i continue: tonight was a special treat for me. if i can have meat prepared healthfully without overdoing it (and in the absence of an alternative) i will. everything i make for myself will continue to be mostly vegan and always vegetarian.

so, back to tonight’s special dinner. i started out with a small serving of refried beans with carrots for dipping

and then i had a serving of the beef, shredded and rolled into a whole wheat tortilla with avocado and a side of steamed broccoli

cut that plate in half and that was my second serving. then, against my better judgement, i had TWO (!!!) servings of slow-churn cookies and cream ice cream. i only took a picture of one

i don’t crave ice cream really so this was definitely a rare treat. i really enjoyed it, though, so i guess that’s what counts. right now i’m trying so very hard to stay out of my own kitchen, even though i’m stuffed, because i just feel munchy for some reason. i’m distracted by the olympics but i’m gonna have to go in there for water right now and i can’t promise something edible won’t end up in my mouth…

what to do August 8, 2008

i just read on prevention that keeping a food diary is even more effective if you log your food choices before you eat anything. until i get my act together and start keeping food in my own fridge again it’s not gonna happen. like last night, i went to mom’s house after working out and didn’t know what i was going to eat until i got there. it was whole wheat pasta with tomato/bell pepper sauce

my plan was to have only 1/2c. of pasta (and only that much because i was having a bottomless pit kind of day) and fill the rest of the bowl with pepper and avocado for volume. i did eat that and then 2 (3?) more spoonfuls because it was just so good. this is why i need to stay away from pasta, i just keep eating it!
that wasn’t even the biggest downfall of the night. i did not manage to avoid the movie snacks like i usually do and had a significant amount of popcorn plus peanut m&m’s. it was like i couldn’t stop myself. uggh…

a hungry day June 10, 2008

if yesterday was an unexpectedly satisfying day, today i’ve been hungry within an hour or two of eating anything! it’s so frustrating but i’ve got a lot on my mind and i’ve managed to keep myself distracted. it also helps that i drink a lot of water. when we got the sparkletts service i had them set it up right next to my desk

it’s the foolproof way to stay hydrated, i just roll my chair over for refills when i get thirsty (or hungry one hour after eating, grr).

i had a morning snack again today because i’ve been eating breakfast so much earlier than i’m accustomed to now that i swim. today i had what was left of my fat free vanilla yogurt (about 1/2c.) with 1oz. of pecans and the other half of my juicy delicious cantaloupe.

oh yes, and another hungry girl cookie.

lunch after that couldn’t come soon enough… i had a cup of spaghetti squash with 1tbsp. of olive oil and some fresh goat cheese. it is the sun-dried tomato kind i bought at the farmers market.

for dessert i had homemade chocolate mousse. i whipped it up last night with two ripe avocados and cocoa powder. it tastes so rich and decadent and creamy one would never know it is made with avocados. i got the recipe from shape magazine and used sugar-free maple syrup and splenda.

i served about 1/4c. and it was so rich i couldn’t finish it! i’ll have to share it with my friends this week so the rest of the batch doesn’t go bad. sara is lactose intolerant and loves dark chocolate so i hope she likes it!

i got hungry too soon after my indulgent-looking (and tasting) meal but i held off until 330, almost 4, to eat my pre-workout snack, the rest of the Think Organic bar i had a taste of yesterday.

very disappointing. the ingredients are simple like larabars but it sure doesn’t match up in taste. my workout starts in half an hour and my tummy is rumbling. some days are just better than others. *sigh*

the best i can do is hang in there. at least i have my workout and sweet potatoes tonight to look forward to!

a smoothie before swimming June 10, 2008

but first, last night.
pre-workout snack was CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES. i know, so fancy. i would never buy these for myself but they were a gift so i had to eat them (only because i knew it wouldn’t put me over the edge, i got all three for less than 150 calories). and they totally hit the spot.

to be fair, i also had a taste of a new bar but only a small piece and no picture.

post-workout i didn’t have a snack handy except for the rest of the bar and i wasn’t feeling it so i decided to wait ’til dinner. dad grilled chicken with honey chipotle barbecue sauce and it was yummy. i had maybe 2 or 3oz. cut into strips and rolled in a whole wheat tortilla with avocado slices and salsa with a side salad.

i didn’t add up the calories for this one but i do know that i burned about 450 more at spin class and when i woke up this morning i had lost 0.2lbs! haha, it’s a tiny consolation that i’m moving in the right direction.

this morning i went swimming. i pushed myself to go faster than yesterday and i managed to squeeze in two extra lengths in the same amount of time. i beat my 10 lap time by two minutes. i logged 15 minutes and 22 lengths (11 laps). if i could only get there earlier i would have more time to swim… i’m working on it.

pre-workout i had the purple power smoothie. i redid the recipe and now it’s like this:

-1/2c. light vanilla soymilk
-1/4c. egg whites
-1/4c. liquid mangosteen supplement
-1c. frozen cherries
-1tbsp. powdered greens
-1/2tbsp. flax oil

awesome. this is officially my pre-morning workout breakfast/snack. it has 290 calories, 26g carbs, 9g protein and 8g of fat. power smoothie indeed.

and it tastes good, i swear! post-workout i had a flax waffle and a light string cheese to round out breakfast at 450 calories.

great start to a great day! this is totally the calm before the storm but i’m in a great mood about the rest of the week and the adventures it will bring anyway!

neat! June 6, 2008

look at this neat ticker i created through myfitnesspal.com

Created by MyFitnessPal – Free Calorie Counter

now i can track my progress with a little orange fish, just what i always wanted!
today has been a light food day so far, i’m stuck at the office for longer than i normally would be on a friday and i hurried out the door this morning so i had to pack all of my food and i ended up just throwing a bunch of stuff in the bag.
breakfast was my yummy cottage cheese-vanilla yogurt muesli and the rest of my fresh cantaloupe. this breakfast is my favorite because it’s uber filling and incorporates all of my favorite flavors. i only have one pre-portioned serving left so i guess i’ll just have to make more!

i got distracted doing a bunch of stuff while i was eating (because i was already in the office) even though i know i’m not supposed to multi-task anything with eating i didn’t really have a choice this morning. the busy-ness caused me to forget to take a picture ’til i was almost done with it and forget the cantaloupe altogether. but everyone knows what cantaloupe looks like… delicious.
lunch was an avocado-tuna nicoise pita, again. i’m over it, didn’t even take a pic. i need some variety in my lunch! i’m craving a really good salad. i’ve got a few favorites but they’re all from expensive restaurants and have dressings that i’m sure are too good to be low-cal. to surprise my tastebuds with something different, i had half a grapefruit with some splenda sprinkled on top.

and that’s it! that’s all i’ve eaten today. just 655 calories. i’m not hungry, i just wish i had some flavor. i can’t wait ’til my larabars come in the mail!

gotta love those pita pockets June 4, 2008

i’ve decided that the tuna salad i have that was leftover from the baby shower is a tuna nicoise salad of sorts because it has olives, artichoke, red onion, tomatoes, etc. not really etcetera, that’s all that’s in it besides tuna and lemon juice. i like it a lot and i have quite a bit of it left so i want to eat it before it goes bad. same with the avocado. and from that logic, lunch was born inside a pita pocket, duh.

mid-morning i also had a snack that i got from the ‘making the cut’ book. it’s actually supposed to be a breakfast dish but i love it for anytime. i had completely devoured it before i realized i hadn’t even taken the camera out so there’s no picture but it’s a combination of yogurt, cottage cheese, oats, slivered almonds and cinnamon. isn’t that considered muesli? either way, yum! i made a huge batch of it last night once i had all the ingredients so there are still 4 servings of it left. that’ll be gone by the end of the week for sure.
i’m up to 935 calories on the day and i’m craving a larabar =-0

a restocked fridge is a happy fridge June 4, 2008

after getting in my long hard sweaty workout and sampling the larabar i felt strong enough to hit up the grocery store on my way home. i needed some basics and i swear, i stuck to them. no picture of the groceries but one of the highlights was the 99 cent cantaloupe! i didn’t have enough time this morning to chop it open but maybe i’ll do it when i get home tonight, although that’s also unlikely. let’s be honest, i’m not really motivated to do anything when i get home after a long day and tonight is going to be a late one. i have spin (hour-long spin, not half-hour prep for boot camp spin) ’til 630 then i have to book it across town to be late (it’s ok, i cleared it with the director) for my volunteer meeting that was set to start at 6 and will run until 8. then i need to stop at my parent’s house (it’s in the same part of town as where the meeting is) to see the baby because he’s been sick and i haven’t had a chance to go over there.
so anyway, i restocked my fridge with my favorite food staples and came up with this for breakfast:

which was also great because it was good on-the-go and i had to be here early today. it’s a flax waffle and a cherry smoothie made with light vanilla soymilk and flax oil. theme for breakfast was flax, clearly.
but backtracking a little bit, dinner was a pita pocket with avocado and two chicken slices with a drizzle of mom’s salsa. perfect and only 221 calories.

i didn’t need any more than that after the snack attack!
p.s. i burned about 662 calories working out according to myfitnesspal.com