Food Drive Wrap-Up

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Hunger Takes No Holiday Food Drive.

53 comments x $0.20/per comment = $10.60

I am going to throw in another $20 for a total of $30.60 worth of food. My plan is to pick up the items at the grocery store this week, so that I can deliver to the MD Food Bank by this weekend.


Some of the most popular items mentioned in your comments were:

• Peanut Butter!!
• Oatmeal!!
• Beans
• Cereal
• Nuts
• Diapers
• Canned Fruits & Veggies
• Canned Tuna
• Water
• Granola Bars
  

Thanks again to everyone who helped spread the word - I really appreciate it. I will make sure to take pictures of the food and also document the actual donating since I may be getting a tour of the Food Bank!

Eats/Workouts

I am combining Eats and Workouts for the weekend because I took ONE picture of food all weekend. It is my favorite sandwich from Rosina Gourmet in Canton square.

Traditional Turkey which includes smoked turkey with provolone, parmesan, romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, chopped hot peppers, oregano and red wine vinaigrette on an Italian ciabatta flat sub roll.

As far as my workouts go - I had a great plan for the weekend, but I am sorry to say that I didn't stick to it.

• Friday: DAY OFF. check.
• Saturday: Mountain bike. It was a beautiful day, but unfortunately sleep won out and then I had a ton of cleaning to do around the house before heading down to Northern VA for a friend's 30th Surprise Birthday Party.
• Sunday: Co-ed Football Game. Run outside for 1 hour. Decided to try and run before the game, but only did about two miles because of time constraints. Losing an hour of sleep messed me up. Co-ed football was fun and we beat the pants off of the other team 40 - 12, or something like that.
• Monday: Cross Train. I ran around the park with Oscar which is ~2.2 miles. Then, I came home and did Workout #1 of Jillian Michael's 30-day shred.
  

Cant wait to catch up on all of your blogs!

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Weekly Workouts, a Restaurant & a New Product

Hey there. I am SO happy its FRIDAY!

Since my throat was bothering me last week - my workouts suffered. But this week has been about getting back into the swing of things!

Workouts

MON: 40 min - No More Trouble Zones (Jillian Michaels ), 50 mins - arc trainer

TUE: 5.3 mile Interval Treadmill Run

Remember the training program I was on? I got off course for awhile, but I am back now. I need to make sure I incorporate these interval runs each week.

I thought I would share this treadmill workout. (You should adjust the pace to what is most comfortable for you.)

• 10 min warm-up, 6.0
• 1200m, 6.5
• 2 min Rest Interval, 6.0
• 1000m, 6.5
• 2 min RI, 6.0
• 800m, 6.6
• 2 min RI, 5.9
• 600m, 6.5
• 2 min RI, 6.0
• 400m, 6.7
• 2 min RI, 6.0
• 200m, 6.5
• 10 min cool down, 6.0

WED: Rowing, 5000m – 28 mins.

I plan to start incorporating a weekly rowing workout. Kevin and I are participating in our first adventure race on April 25th (EX2 Greenhorn Adventure Race), so I want to be prepared for the paddling portion of the race.

Rowing is extremely tough. My entire body felt fatigued. It also felt good to do something different.

THU: Body Pump Class – 1 hour

Has anyone taken this class? If you are like me – you don’t do as much lifting as you should. I am thinking that this class may be the answer for me.

It kept my heart rate up and we worked eight separate muscle groups. Each person has a bar and you choose the amount of weight you are lifting. I kept it pretty light since it was my first time, but saw a lot of people changing out the weights as they went. I plan to do this next time. More information about Body Pump can be found HERE.

FRI: REST DAY. My body hurts from Body Pump.

SAT: Mountain Bike – 1-2 hours.

Supposed to be a beautiful day, so I am excited to get back out there! Hopefully the trails aren’t too muddy.

SUN: Co-ed football game, Run Outside – 1 hour

Kevin and I have played football for the last year or so and it is a blast. It is supposed to reach the 70s this weekend in our area, so I am thinking a run will feel great.

Eats

Last night, after body pump, I was STARVING and it was 8pm, so Kevin and I decided to go out for dinner to this great neighborhood place – Birches.

Below is a picture of the bar area where we sat. There is a nice dining room area, but since we were in workout clothes, we felt more comfortable in the bar. (Borrowed the picture from their website.)

I forgot my camera, but we will be going back and I will be getting the SAME exact thing because it was absolutely delicious.

Baby Spinach Salad with a Honey Scallion Vinaigrette, Oven Roast Roma Tomatoes, Duroc Dry Cured Bacon, Sriracha Buttered Popcorn and Grilled Halloumi Cheese

Perfection. That is all I have to say about this salad.

Oven Roast Turkey Burger topped with a Cranberry Goat Cheese Spread and a Leek Confit, Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Sweet Potato Frites.

The waitress informed us that this was an outstanding choice. yes! It was served without a bun and instead, came served over a potato latke. Kevin and I split this and I savored every bite because it was the best burger I have ever had. No lie - and I am not even a burger person! It could have been the cranberry goat cheese on top. Oh and the sweet potato fries were baked, so they were not greasy at all.

New Product

I recently found these Vegetable Masala burgers in Trader Joes and wanted to share with you because they are one of my new obsessions. I have had one for lunch twice this week. The first time I served it with leftover Mediterranean Curry Couscous and green beans. Delish. The second time I had it over a green salad with zucchini and grape tomatoes with whole wheat naan on the side. Also delish.

Nutrition Facts for those interested. Question

What is your latest food obsession?

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Still Learning

I just posted a listing of recipes I have made and think it is showing up in Google Reader as a new post? BUT that was meant for the Menu Bar at the top of my page.

I am trying to figure out how to post these without them having to be actual NEW posts.

If anyone has tips for me - that would be awesome.

And SORRY about that - I am still learning how to work with this new template!

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Food...and lots of it.

This post is going to be all about food because I have a million pictures to show you. I have been pretty busy lately, so as a result, my blog posts have become more sporadic. I have eaten some delicious things, so lets try to catch up!

Last Saturday, myself and a few other bridesmaids threw our friend, Erica, a bridal shower. I think it turned out delicious. :)

Favors for each guest - a bottle of red wine with a customized label.

Cheese/Crackers/Apples

Baked Brie wrapped in crescent dough w/ Pecans and Brown Sugar

Shrimp Wontons

Fresh Fruit

Fresh veggies and dill dip

Chicken Salad (Served in lettuce wraps and sprinkled with cashews)

Bongo Bongo Dip (This was a staple at one of the restaurants in our college town, basically a cheesy spinach dip)

Cookies (Chocolate chip and Oatmeal-Almond Butter)

The Cake!

There were people at the shower too. The bride-to-be is front and center.

Saturday night, Kevin and I took his sister out to dinner at Canton Dockside restaurant. I have had steamed crabs here a few times - and they are OUTSTANDING - but tonight we stuck with the regular dinner menu.

House Salad w/ Apple Cider Vinaigrette. This salad dressing was incredible - light, but full of flavor.

I ordered Rockfish in a beurre blanc sauce w/ a side of green beans for my main meal. The fish was fresh and cooked perfectly, but the sauce was just OK.

After dinner, we headed over to Harbor East to catch a movie - Gran Torino. We were early, so we stopped by James Joyce Irish Pub and I got a Irish Coffee. Warmed me right up.

Sunday, I made a quick and simple Butternut Squash soup using my Vitamix!

• 1.5 T light butter
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
• half butternut squash, peeled & chopped
• chicken stock
• salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pot and mix in all vegetables. Saute over medium-high heat for 5-10 mins. Pour chicken stock in same pot until it covers all vegetables. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer until all vegetables are soft - about 15 mins.

Transfer contents of pot to Vitamix blender (I am sure another blender or food processor would work) and mix on HIGH for 1-2 mins.Check out that color and consistency! super creamy.

I served the soup with sauteed broccoli, baked tofu, and a slice of whole wheat toast w/ smart balance.

Monday, we had a "major" snow storm in Maryland, so I decided to stay home from work. I made a great bowl of oatmeal. (oats, raspberries, walnuts, bananas, spoonful of barney butter)

Had a sandwich for lunch. Sliced granny smith apples, white cheddar cheese, smart balance, and a drizzle of honey on toasted wheat bread.

Played with Oscar in the snow. He loves it.

Made a nice dinner. Salmon w/ herb and garlic butter from Let's Dish, green beans, and Near East Mediterranean Curry Flavor couscous.

Whew! Are you hungry from checking out all those eats? I know I am.

I promise I have been keeping up with my workouts, but more on that later because this post is long enough. Have a great day!

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So Much To Say

I have SO much to say (DMB anyone?) because it has been days since I have written. Let's get to it...

Blogging Bake Sale

Friday, I received my Blogging Bake Sale winnings from Andrea @ Bella Eats - chocolate chip cookies!There are a few things to highlight about these:

• They are HUGE.
• They have the salty/sweet thing going on because she sprinkles the top with sea salt.
• There are layers upon layers on the best chocolate EVER.
• I have gained at least 5 pounds because I cant stop eating them.
• These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted - no lie.
  

Thanks Andrea for the cookies and Meghann for hosting such a cool event!

POM Wonderful

I was also lucky enough to receive a case of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice so that I could give it a try. (can you see my reflection in the bottle of POM juice?)My thoughts:

• The bottles are super cute.
• This juice is tart and tangy.
• The fact that they got this much juice from a pomegranate makes me feel special - I know it had to be tough squeezing all this juice from those little seeds.

Important Facts:

• This is the only juice whose health benefits are backed by $25 million in medical research.
• POM is the only brand guaranteed to contain 100% authentic pomegranate juice.
• They grow their own fruit, pick it by hand, squeeze it from their own proprietary presses and even manufacture their own bottles.
• POM Juice is the only juice guaranteed to be made exclusively from "Wonderful" variety pomegranates.
• The "Wonderful" variety is known for its unique combination of superior antioxidants, delicious taste and deep crimson color.

I have loved adding half POM and half sparkling water to make my favorite refreshing drink. Plus, I just feel healthy drinking this stuff! :)

Quaker True Delights

I think I am the last person to receive my samples of these bars from Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program. I had no idea they were sitting at the post office all this time because I never received the notice from the post office. I actually went there to pick up the POM juice and the lady brought these out to me. I will definitely be changing my shipping address for the future.

So far, I have tried the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut flavor and while it was a sweet treat - these are not the types of bar I enjoy. I have become spoiled by my favorite standbys - Larabar, Clif Nectar and Luna Peppermint Chocolate.

Charity Mile Interview

I was recently interviewed by Lori from the Charity Mile (and Fake Food Free) - if you are interested, check it out HERE.

Other Tidbits

My throat is feeling much better - I took a few days off from cardio, but did a few Jillian Michaels workouts to burn some calories and get in some lifting. It made me feel better to do something.

This weekend was my friend, Erica's bridal shower, so expect a recap on that a little later. I made baked brie and shrimp wontons for the event.

Don't forget to spread the word about my "Hunger Takes No Holiday" food drive!

I hope to catch up on all of your blogs during this little SNOW STORM we are getting here. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

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