Animal Bonding

This "not working" thing has been good in a bunch of ways, but one in particular is that we have been eating out less and trying to use up everything in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.


Breakfast yesterday was an oldie, but goodie - Oatmeal made w/ skim milk, topped with sliced almonds, raisins, and a spoonful of natural peanut butter. Yes, you read right - PEANUT butter. I need to use up the peanut butter I have before I can justify buying more of my very expensive favorite - almond butter.
Dinner was simple, but filling and extremely tasty. Tofu w/ Broccoli. Every time I make a tofu dish - I think about how I cant believe I am actually eating and enjoying tofu. A few years ago, I would have thought I was SO incredibly weird. I baked the extra firm tofu as I usually do - press the tofu to remove excess liquid for about 20 mins, drizzle with Soyaki from TJs, and then bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 20 mins - flipping once.


For the broccoli, I sauteed the broccoli with a clove of minced garlic in a teensy bit of toasted sesame oil and PAM over medium-high heat. Once it started to brown - I added about a 1/2 cup of water and let that cook off/steam before adding a touch of Red Curry Paste, salt, pepper, red pepper, and about 2 TBSP of Soyaki.


Mix the tofu and broccoli together, then top with chopped, roasted peanuts. Kevin said it tasted like real chinese takeout. Score!


I realized that I haven't been giving my animals enough attention on this blog and they have been doing some pretty cute things lately. Please excuse the iPhone photos...I didn't want them to move if I went downstairs to get my camera.


It starts out innocently enough...Lucy curls up in Oscar's arms as he is sleeping on the bed in the extra bedroom.She is taking advantage of this rare opportunity to get close to him.Oh no...wait...Oscar awakens and almost strangles poor Lucy...
But Lucy quickly wiggles away and makes herself even more comfortable as she realizes that she is posing for the camera.
Seriously, could this be any cuter? I think not, but I am a tad biased. :)


Today is National Running Day, so I am planning to head to the gym for a run on the treadmill in a few minutes - too humid to be outside this late in the morning.


A little later, I am meeting my mom and sister for our first CSA (Customer Supported Agriculture) pick-up at Breezy Willow Farm in howard county. Cant wait to see the produce and other stuff!


Enjoy your Wednesday as I will be enjoying my last day in my twenties. Maybe I should do a bar crawl and drink all day in honor of my twenties. (j/k)

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Gummy Pills

You guys are so freakin supportive - it still kind of blows my mind. But, thank you for all your great comments about the marathon and my new job! I am still deciding on the marathon. A run is planned for tonight, so hopefully my hamstring doesn't give me any issues.


Wednesday PM


I decided to take the night off from working out. Instead, my night was spent taking a walk in the park with Oscar, dusting the house, doing laundry, running an errand, and then making dinner.


Tofu Stir-fry was on the menu, but I decided to use fresh veggies instead of my normal frozen stir-fry veggies. It took a little more time, but I think it tasted better in the end.



Broccoli and sugar snap peas went into a steaming hot pan with 1 T of EVOO and a clove of chopped garlic. I eventually added a little salt, black pepper, ground ginger, toasted sesame oil, red curry paste, and a splash of Soyaki.

Meanwhile, tofu was baking in the oven. I drizzled the pressed, sliced tofu with Soyaki from TJs. (I feel sorry for whoever has to clean that pan. All I know is that whoever cooks - the other one cleans up. Sorry Kevin.)
I mixed the veggies w/ the baked tofu and topped with scallions and roasted peanuts.

Voila! The flavor on this turned out just right and I really wish I had measured the spices so that I could re-create it. Next time, I would add more veggies - carrots and water chestnuts would be good.
Dessert was the last mango mochi ice cream. I am probably heading over to Trader Joes during my lunch break today to pick up more. I love them.



Thursday AM


I realized that I haven't had oatmeal in awhile. When I feel rushed in the morning, I usually just grab a greek yogurt and cereal to mix in at work. But my new green bowl has been calling my name, so I finally made time to use it.
In the oatmeal mix: oats, skim milk, honey, unsweetened coconut, roasted almonds, dried bing cherries, and a spoonful of White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter.

The dried bing cherries really made this version of oats taste delish - they are plumper than raisins and have a nice tart flavor. yum.

OK - does anyone else hate taking big pills? I really don't like swallowing any type of pills, but I especially hate the big multivitamins. Well, guess what I found at Trader Joes? Gummy Multivitamins!!

I love all types of gummy candy, so to be able to eat gummies and know I am getting vitamins - I am SOLD. My shadow, a.k.a - Oscar, thinks they are a treat for him. :)

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Cannon Balls and Chicken Stix

Monday is ovah!! But to back up to Monday for a second...I didn't get a chance to go to the grocery store Sunday, so while I had things for snacks - I decided to pick up my favorite sandwich for lunch.

Veggie Sandwich from Catonsville Gourmet. I have never gotten anything else here because I love this sandwich so much. Grilled Veggie Burger w/ cucumbers, tomato, lettuce, sprouts, and wasabi mayo on whole wheat toast. Now I hate mayo, but they barely put any on and I really only taste the wasabi kick. The veggie burger has that grilled flavor that I adore.

After work, I came home to some FUN mail from Kristina @ Stonyfield. Coupons for Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt, some information about their product and a reusable bag!

I actually tried to cash in these coupons at the grocery store last night, but they were SOLD OUT of the Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt, so I will have to pick it up next time!

Last night, I wasn't in the mood to spin, so instead I spent 45 mins on the Arc Trainer and my legs were burning. Felt great.

After the gym, Kevin and I headed to the grocery store and we were RAVENOUS. We split up and sped through our shopping, although a bag of Pirates Cannon Balls was opened during our shopping because we just couldn't wait.

Coming home, I had a quick and easy Tofu Stir-Fry planned, but while the tofu was pressing, I remembered I had stashed these beauties in the freezer for a rainy day.

2 stix = 100 calories, 4.5g fat, 5g protein

We baked the entire box in 12 mins flat and I ate 4 - they were incredible. I was in a zone and couldn't be stopped.
The dipping sauce we used is actually a salad dressing we picked up at the store. Makoto Honey Ginger Dressing.

It tastes like the dressing on the salads at sushi restaurants. I am picky about salad dressings and I could eat this with a spoon. I tried to get a picture of the nutrition facts, but it came out blurry. (Website link: here, if you want the info.)

By the time dinner was served, I was full of Balls and Stix. Super nutritious, I know.
I ate a few bites of Tofu Stir-fry and was FULL.


Do you usually have a snack while you are making dinner? If so, what is your go-to snack?


My favorite light post-gym/pre-dinner snacks are either sliced zucchini w/ hummus or a handful of roasted peanuts.


*Coming Soon*

• Apricot Oatmeal/Coconut Bar recipe from mom
• ...and I was tagged to write about My Favorite Things. I am going to do a food themed list. :)

See ya later!

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Country Bob's Tofu & Giveaway Time! (2.11.2009)

The good folks at "Country Bob's" were kind enough to send me two bottles of their All-Purpose Sauce to try out. I love getting to try new things!I thought it might be great to use as a marinade for my baked tofu because I saw another blogger using this same sauce as a dip for their tofu. (I cant remember who I saw doing that!)

The flavor of this sauce is tangy with a subtle sweetness and a strong Worcestershire flavor. The consistency is thicker than regular Steak Sauce, more like a BBQ sauce, and I can understand everything in the ingredient list!It was cut off in the picture, but the Serving Size for the nutrition facts above is 1 tbsp.

The tofu didn't crisp up as much as I like, which could have been because I was anxious to try it. After my first bite, I realized I hadnt used enough sauce for marinating because the flavor was not coming through, so I drizzled more Country Bob's on top for extra flavor. Yum. I especially like this sauce because it makes me want to listen to country music and plan a BBQ. :)

Want to try it?

Country Bob's has offered to send TWO lucky people - 2 bottles of their All Purpose Sauce!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Thursday, February 12th @ 9pm and you are entered to win!

I will use the random number generator to pick TWO winners tomorrow night. Good luck!

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Tough = Good for Me (2.04.2009)

Whew! I hadn't mentioned it before, but I have been stressing about a presentation I had to give at work for the past few days. Its over and I think I did OK. I despise giving presentations in front of people, but since I am forced to do it sometimes in my job - it is slowly getting a little easier each time.

Tuesday

I was supposed to go run last night and guess what? It didn't happen. I need to get back on track immediately.

I did do the 2nd week workout of "I Want Six Pack Abs" at home. Last week, I managed to do first week's exercises twice.

My workout included:

• A1: Dive Bomber Pushup - 3 sets of 15
• A2: Jump Squat - 3 sets of 15
• B1: Chin up or pull up - don't have a pull-up bar, so I just danced around in place with Oscar during the time I was supposed to do that. "Get it from her mama" by Juvenile came on. ;)
• B2: Alternating Split Squat Jump - 3 sets of 30
• C1: Double Crunch - 3 sets of 30
• C2: Single Leg Plank Pose - I just did a regular plank, 3 sets, 45 secs.

This workout was really hard. I turned the heat in the house off and had to go outside to get fresh air.

In my book tough = good for me, so I am happy that my gluteus maximus and the upper back part of my thighs are killing me today. I guess this same saying could be applied to my presentation fear I mentioned earlier? hmm.

Dinner appetizer was steamed edamame w/ sea salt.

The main course was Stir-Fry Vegetables with Baked Tofu and Peanuts. I sauteed the frozen stir-fry veggies from Trader Joes in a little toasted sesame oil while my tofu was baking. Then I just mixed it all together with some Soyaki from Trader Joes, which I recently picked up and is great! Also threw some dry-roasted peanuts into the mix.

YUM. Dessert was a Skinny Cow Caramel Ice Cream Cone.

Tuesday is my favorite TV night: Biggest Loser and Real Housewives of the OC! Although I do think Biggest Loser gets drawn out too much, so I switch around a lot during that. Not into their commercials for Cheerios during the show.

Wednesday

I was running late, so breakfast was a quick bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins in skim milk. I also picked up a Green Tea Latte at my corner coffee place. I tried a new flavor today - Acai Green Tea.

They use the Republic of Tea brand and the new flavor was awesome with steamed skim milk and a little honey. (picture take from the Republic of Tea website)

Tonight, I am planning to head straight to the gym for my Key Weekly Run Workout #1 and then Kevin and I have plans to go out to dinner with friends for Restaurant Week. They extended it until Feb 8, so we had to take advantage of it while it lasts.

We are headed to Mezze in Fell's Point. They serve Mediterranean Tapas, so, we will just be getting little plates of a bunch of stuff. Here is their restaurant week menu:

Dinner (All of the following are included)

• Hummus: Pureed chick peas and tahini sauce seasoned with garlic and cumin
• Tzatziki: Farm stead yogurt mixed with roasted garlic, cucumber, dill and imported olive oil
• Village Salad: Tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions, cubanelle peppers, capers and imported feta cheese tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette
• Grape Leaves: Stuffed with aromatic rice, pine nuts, parsley and onions, topped with tzatziki sauce
• Falafel: Traditional ground chickpea and fava bean cake with tahini sauce, chopped tomato and parsley
• Spinach Pie: Spinach with imported feta cheese and fresh herbs, wrapped in phyllo
• Stuffed Peppers: Stuffed with aromatic rice, mushrooms, onions and a variety of Mediterranean cheeses
• Chicken Kabob: Mediterranean style grilled marinated chicken and vegetables
• Baby Lamb Chops: Served with garlic potato puree
• Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes: Broiled hand picked crab meat cakes

Third Course (choice of one)

• Baklava
• Kataifi
• Baked Custard

Makes my choices easier, but I definitely need to make it to the gym before this meal tonight!! I will do a full recap tomorrow. Have a good one!

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Foodie Help Needed (1.28.2009)

Last night I managed to run 5 miles on the treadmill. My legs were sore from the squats and lunges on Monday night, so the fact that I even made it to the gym is a miracle.

• Warm-up: 10 mins
• 4 x 800 interval pick-ups, with 90 second rest intervals
• Cool down: 20 mins

For the intervals, I would increase my speed by 1. So, if my comfort/normal speed is 6.0 - I would push it to 7.0 for 1/2 mile. I was supposed to do 6 intervals, but my legs were so tired and I couldn't push-it any further.


I came home and made a simple, but filling dinner. Broccoli and Tofu.


After pressing the tofu to remove the excess liquid, I baked them for 20 mins at 400 degrees. Flipping once. I used the Soy Vay Teriyaki sauce again and they turned out delish.
I never thought I would EVER say that I really like tofu. I am actually starting to crave it. WEIRD.



I sauteed broccoli with a little butter, garlic, and pepper. I drizzled lemon juice on before eating. yum.
A little later, I decided I wanted some popcorn. I popped a 100 calorie bag of kettle corn. The bag felt like it had nothing to it when I was putting it in the microwave, but it popped a ton.
This morning, I woke up to ICE and lots of it. I wish I could say that I am typing this from home, but my boss sent an email last night that she wasn't going to be authorizing working from home unless the building was closed. Our building never closes. So if I wanted to stay home - I would have to take the day off. UGH.


I decided to wait for the ice the melt and roads to be cleaned up before coming into work. Oscar got a long, slippery walk in the park. He fell a few times and I couldn't help but laugh - poor guy. He loves this weather though, so snow/ice angels were in full effect.


I took my time getting to work. I stopped by my local coffee shop and got my new favorite morning drink - Green Tea Latte w/ Honey.


Basically, they take a green tea bag and steep it in a little water. Then, they add steamed skim milk and a squirt or two of honey. yum.


Good thing I had my tea because I was in my car for about 20 minutes waiting for the ice to melt on my front wind shield. I found another way to take care of the ice on my windows. (Obviously I don't have an ice scrapper.)

As I rolled down the windows, the ice stayed put, so I would punch it out. It was fun.

Ok, so I need your foodie help.

This week is Restaurant week in Baltimore. You get to choose 3 courses from a special menu for a fixed price. Kevin and I have reservations at b, a Bolton Hill Bistro for dinner tomorrow night which we chose because they had a ton of choices. But now, looking at the menu - I am completely overwhelmed!

Here are the options:

First Course (Choice of one)

• Soup: Cannellini Bean with Lardons~
• Warm Crotin de Chavignol with Arugula, Fennel, Candied Pecans and Apple Cider Dressing~
• Panzanella Salad of Rustic Italian Bread, Marinated Tomatoes, Capers, Red Onion tossed w/ Aged Balsamic & EVOO~
• Pumpkin Stuffed Ravioliwith Pancetta and Sage Brown Butter~
• Rhode Island Calamari sautéed in House Tomato Sauce over Grilled Polenta~
• Roasted Beet Salad w/ Toasted Walnuts, Chevre and Mache~
• Fried OystersCaper Aioli, Arugula and Fennel Salad~

Second Course (Choice of one)

• Slow Roasted Lamb Ragout over Fettuccine~
• "b" House Ravioli: Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Ravioli tossed in brown Sage Butter & Parmesan Cheese topped w/ Basil, Tomato & House Marinara~
• Gnocchi w/ Shrimp: Potato Dumplings with Jumbo Shrimp, Zucchini & Saffron Cream~
• Pan Seared Arctic Char with Butternut Squash Risotto and Crispy Hen of the Woods Mushrooms~
• Grilled Japanese Sea Bass with Saffron Aioli, Sautéed Spinach and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes~
• Grilled Branzini over Cremini Mushrooms, Arugula & Parmesan Salad finished w/ Lemon Infused Olive Oil~
• Duck Confit with Cannellini Bean Ragout, Gremolata, and Veal Reduction~
• Grilled Leg of Lamb Steak with Nebbiolo Demi Glaze, Sautéed Kale and Pancetta, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes~
• Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Green Peppercorn Cream Sauce, Asiago Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Wild Mushrooms~

Third Course (Choice of one)

• b Bread Pudding
• Crème Brulee with homemade Cookies
• Pot De Crème with Homemade Cookies
• Lemon Sabayon Tart, Burnt Meringue and Raspberry Preserves
• Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Gianduja, Crispy Feulletine, Blood Orange Gelee and Banana Custard
• Caramelized Banana Tart, Almond Cream, Golden Raisin Caramel and toasted Cardamom Ice Cream
• Ice Cream Plate:Fresh Made Profiteroles served with any of our House made Ice Creams and Salted Caramel (Ice Cream Flavors: vanilla, nutella, mocha, panna cotta, olive oil, amaretto, pistachio, bacio, fragola)

Can you see why this is SO hard?! Everything sounds INCREDIBLE...and I don't even know what half the things actually are. ;)

Please let me know what you would choose, so hopefully it will help me decide!!

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Friday Catchup (1.23.2009)

First off, I received an award and wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Lori over at Fake Food Free. I happen to think her blog is fabulous also. She describes herself as a "realistic nutritionist" and is all about having a healthy balance with real food. Sounds perfect to me, so I really enjoy reading her tips! She loves to travel and I think that adds a special "something, something" to her posts because you get to see all the delicious eats from different places she visits.

Food

Dinner on Tuesday night was Mediterranean Crusted Salmon with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts. I went the easy route on this one.

I overcooked this a tad, but it still had good flavor. I am slowly getting back into salmon since I had a bad case of food poisoning a year or so ago after eating a bad piece.

The fish was served with steamed cauliflower that I seasoned with smart balance, parsley, and fresh parmesan.

Wednesday night, we went out to dinner and I had a chicken caesar wrap with steamed veggies. No pics, but I wanted to share because I was proud of myself for saying "no" to the fries. I love fries - like really LOVE them. But I want to try and cut down to just having them as part of a splurge meal every now and then.

Last night, I cooked up a quick stir-fry using Trader Joes Beijan Style frozen veggies, thinly-sliced chicken, Soy Vay Teriyaki sauce, and brown rice.

It turned out pretty good, but I just wasn't into the chicken, so I picked around it. I decided to bake up some tofu using the Soy Vay sauce as a marinade so I could get some protein. These little cubes were caramelized and delicious.

Breakfast this morning was oatmeal. I am all out of fruit, so this combination included:

• 1/2 c oats
• 1/2 c vanilla soy milk
• sprinkle of brown sugar
• spoonful of part-skim ricotta
• spoonful almond butter
• pecans

Mmm. Mmm. Deeeelish. I ate my oatmeal while checking out some new reading material - Cooking Light. A Christmas present from my friend Carolyn that just arrived last night. There are a ton of delicious recipes, so expect to see some in the near future.

Workouts

Last week, I talked about the training program I started and am proud to say that I am keeping up with it! I put together this handy-dandy spreadsheet to help me track my progress against the plan. Here's a peek:

You may have to enlarge it to actually read it. Items highlighted in green have been completed.

I am playing indoor soccer on Wednesday nights, but last week, our team had a bye. This week the game was at 9pm and after my Tuesday run, my lower back was killing me. I ended up going to the gym earlier on Wednesday to do light cardio and a little lifting (not anywhere near my back), but didn't think playing indoor soccer would be a good idea.

Polar Bear Plunge

Tomorrow is the Polar Bear Plunge and I am still nervous. Today is a beautiful day and the temperature is up in the 50s. Why cant it be like that tomorrow?! The temperature is supposed to drop all day tomorrow.

Our plan is to get there around 10am and tailgate until the plunge at 1pm. I am going to layer up, so that I can decide what I want to wear for the actual "plunge" right before. I will probably end up wearing my triathlon outfit. Tri shorts and a wick-away tank. Oh and my scuba booties because someone told me I definitely need something on my feet.

If you have time, check out some of the pictures on the Plunge site. http://www.plungemd.com/

It looks like it is going to be a blast.

What are you all up to this weekend? After the plunge, my goal is to get warm. Then, get some housekeeping done around the blog...and my house!

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Vegetarian For A Night (12.22.2008)

I cant believe I haven't written in 3 days! Where did the time go? I guess I was busy doing lots of Christmas shopping, sushi eating, wedding going, race spectating, waffle eating, and Nutcracker watching.

Instead of doing a huge recap, I just want to highlight one weekend event - the Celtic Solstice 5 miler!

Unfortunately, I didn't run in the race because I didn't want to re-injure my "not-fully-healed" hamstring from the pressure of being in a race. I did go cheer on my dad, sister, and others. It was freezing, but the fun part about this race is that a bunch of people wear kilts - my dad included. :)

My dad and sister, before the race. I had runner's envy.Kevin and I brought Oscar and decided to run around Druid Hill Lake until the front runners from the race caught up to us. That was fun to see because I have never in my life been up with those folks. I liked this sign at the start/finish line. We kept running through the park and saw a long line of runners looping through the park - there were around 2,600 people in the race. I figure that we ran about 4 miles.

My dad's co-worker (Becky) lives about 5 mins from the finish line and her husband has been making waffles for everyone afterwards the past few years. The coolest part? He makes them in an antique cast iron waffle maker!That huge batch of batter was flavored with cinnamon, pecans, and walnuts. It was served with butter and hot syrup. mmm. Kevin and I decided to split one of these, but I ended up eating 3/4 of it. It was incredible.Had to throw in a picture of Becky's two sweet Chihuahuas with my sister's friend Terri, who said that she reads the blog.HI TERRI.

Tonight's dinner was a vegetarian feast. Kevin whipped up a vinaigrette for the salad:

• 1 T canola oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 1⁄8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• drizzle of agave nectar

This tart and refreshing salad included green leaf lettuce, toasted pecans, goat cheese crumbles, and the mustardy vinaigrette. It really woke up my taste buds.Steamed edamame, sprinkled with coarse sea salt.Baked tofu bites using the following recipe which can be found here. I will definitely be making this tofu again. The marinade was the best I have tried yet.
It was a pretty random dinner and we actually ate each dish about 5 mins apart because we did not practice good time management.

My sweet tooth is now screaming at me. I was lucky enough to pick up a pie from a former co-worker of mine today. Her mother makes the best sweet potato pie I have ever tasted. The problem is that I am supposed to bring this for Christmas Day.
No one should mind if I take my slice a few days early, right? Maybe I will just blame it on someone else...Muuuuaaaaahhhahaha.

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