Beer, Mac&Cheese and Trivia

Since my parents were out of town this past weekend, Tuesday night, we celebrated Father's Day.
We headed to Rams Head Tavern in Savage, MD for Beer and Mac & Cheese. Could it get any better?
This was actually crab mac & cheese, which we ordered for the table, as our appetizer. Yes, this is how we roll.


I will admit that the mac & cheese was disappointing. It was cheesy, but tasted like they used powdered cheese for the sauce. I wanted the real stuff. Plus, it was hard to find any good lumps of crab meat in there.
For my main meal, I ordered the fish tacos and was sorry to see they threw some cole slaw on there. Umm..it did not say they came with cole slaw on the menu because I definitely wouldn't have ordered it. I had to scrape all of that mayo drenched stuff off. The fish was beer battered, but it was such a light coating - it tasted great on its own.


After dinner, we headed down to the bar for a little Trivia! I love trivia...SO fun. I am proud to say that our team was in first place for all 6 rounds. Well, except the final round where we lost on this question:


Which US State had the first National Park and the first female governor? Anyone know it without googling it?


I am skipping over Wednesday because I didn't bring along my camera to document the afternoon with my niece, Princess Jenna. Although, I don't think the pictures could do all her talking justice. She has a lot to say! :)


This morning, sfter a steamy walk in the park with Oscar, I whipped up some oats trying to clean out the cabinets and fridge. In the mix: oats, water, massive amount of blueberries, TJs PB filled pretzels (crumbs from the end of the bag), spoonful of PB, cinnamon, bee pollen.
I thought the crunched up pretzels would be great for a little salty flavor, but I didn't like them with everything else and ended up trying to pick them out. yuck.


After a 45 min session on the elliptical...lunch was a continuation of my mission to clean out the fridge of some veggies since we are leaving for the beach tonight for 10 LOVELY DAYS.
I whipped up this box of Mediterranean couscous in 5 mins flat and then topped with sauteed veggies, field greens, and reduced fat feta. Veggies in the mix were onions, carrots, yellow squash, and mushrooms.
It was a delicious, filling lunch. Off to finish packing!

Read more...

Full Day

Lately, I have been on an egg kick in the mornings. But yesterday, I wanted some good old OATS. In the mix: oats, skim milk, cinnamon, bee pollen, blueberries, 1/2 banana, spoonful of natural PB.

I needed all that good energy for the hour and fifteen minute Total Conditioning class that I took with my sister at her gym (Lifetime Fitness in Columbia, MD). That gym is HUGE and AMAZING. The class completely kicked our butts - I had no idea that my body could produce that much sweat. I munched on a Peanut Butter Larabar on the way home.


This is what I saw when I walked in the door after class. Oscar was ready for his walk. For lunch, I knew I wanted to have a salad because we had SO many veggies to use up, but I wanted something HOT. I sauteed yellow squash, mushrooms, and onions in a little EVOO. Seasoned with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Placed on top of field greens and topped with feta cheese.
Oh wait, what are those things on the side? Oven roasted potatoes. I sliced up potatoes and tossed in EVOO, salt, and pepper then baked at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes, flipping once or twice.
Later on, my sweet tooth hit me, so I combined a container of Honey Oikos Greek Yogurt, grape nuts, and blueberries. That hit the spot.
Later that night, even though my entire body hurt from Total Conditioning, Kevin convinced me to go mountain biking. It was a beautiful night - check out that sky!
Unfortunately, the trails in Patapsco were not that beautiful. They were extremely muddy from all the rain we have been getting. After falling in a mud pond and then a stream - I was irritable and ready to go home.

We stuck it out and eventually got back onto some trails that weren't as muddy - that is when it became fun again. Kevin got this video of me biking through a stream. Wheeee!

By the end, I was tired, but felt good to get back out on my mountain bike - it had been awhile. We have the Off-Road Duathlon in a few weeks, so we HAVE to get ready.
For dinner, I had made a Beef Vegetable Soup earlier in the afternoon that turned out better than expected. I say that because I just sort of threw a bunch of stuff in a pot and hoped for the best.


What Went into the Pot:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1-2 cups shredded cabbage
• Beef Stew Cubes
• 2 splashes of red wine
  
• 1 package frozen soup vegetables (okra, green beans, corn, potatoes, celery, onions, carrots, lima beans, and peas)
• 2 cans Hunts Tomato Sauce (14.5 oz each)
• 2 cans Beef Broth - fat free (14.5 oz each)
• 1 can Hunts Diced Tomatoes in Sauce (14.5 oz)
• 1 bay leaf
• lots of ground black pepper
• salt to taste
• splash of Worcestershire sauce
• a bit of dried oregano
• a bit of dried basil
• about 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley

We picked up some cheese bread from Panera on the way home that was perfect for dunking.
I topped mine with feta cheese because I am a firm believer in that fact that cheese makes everything better. :)


Hope you are getting out there to enjoy this wonderful summer weather!

Read more...

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)

Read more...

What A Difference A Week Makes...

This past week, I didn't run once. It was hard, but I wanted to give my hamstring a much needed break. Saturday, I went running, but didn't plan to go very far. Well, I ended up running 6 miles and my hamstring didn't give me any problems. Yes! Maybe it was the oatmeal I had before the run.

Oats, skim milk, honey, unsweetened coconut, cashew butter, dried bing cherries

I came home and kept my workout going with some core/upper body lifting. I have been loosely following Jililan Michael's No Trouble Zones workout, but omitting anything that uses my hamstring. I used my 5 pound weights for most of the exercises, so my arms are really sore today!


A week or so ago, I won my first contest over at Julie GoLean's blog! I got a box filled with some great stuff!
Blueberry Crisp Clif bar - never tried this flavor and look forward to it.
Better'n Peanut Butter. 85% less fat than regular stuff. I couldn't wait, so I opened it and took a quick taste. It was much sweeter than I expected and I think it will be great in oatmeal.
This chocolate looks incredible and I can NOT wait to try it...dipped in the peanut butter!
Never noticed this salsa in Trader Joes before, but I am already a fan. Actually, I am eating it with tortilla chips as I type. yum.
YouBar! I have been wanting to try these for so long - cant wait to open this.
Another exciting bar that I cant wait to try...
There were so many other goodies in the box: Popcorn, tea, fruit leather, gum, etc, etc. I am STOCKED. Last, but certainly not least was this workout mix CD that I brought in my car so Kevin and I could jam out. Great mix of music...Thanks for everything Julie!
Something completely off topic, but exciting is that I got a stained glass transom installed this past week above my front door. A neighbor of mine, who also has a blog, had one installed a few weeks back and I decided to be a "Me Too Iguana". The designer is very talented. After meeting with him to discuss the design, colors, etc. - he made this beautiful custom design and installed it, all for an extremely reasonable price.


My new job starts tomorrow (!!!), so hopefully I won't drop off the face of the earth, but in case I do - please know I am still reading your blogs - even if I am not commenting.


Can you see the sun shining in that picture above?! I hope everyone else enjoyed the nice weather this weekend and had some fun.

Read more...

Easter Greetings

It is becoming my "thing" to disappear for the weekends and then come back with a recap. It's Easter Sunday, so to all that celebrate - Happy Easter!


A big THANK YOU to Molly at POM Wonderful for sending me a copy of this book - Rubies in the Orchard. I am excited to read about the POM History.


Workouts


I have been keeping up with my workouts pretty well:

• Thursday - 3.1 mile run. (intended to do 6, but my hamstring had something to say about that, so I decided to listen)
• Friday - 30 min arc trainer, 2000 meters on the rowing machine
• Saturday - walk around DC (this counts as a workout!)
  
• Sunday - run very easy 2 miles - I felt the hamstring, but it wasn't unbearable. Modified Jillian Michaels workout to only work core and upper body.

Food


I will be creating two separate restaurant reviews for Annabel Lee Tavern in Baltimore, MD and this Thai place that I cant remember the name of in Arlington, VA. Here are some of my other food highlights from the past few days.


Thursday was pizza and salad night.After I took this photo, I added a spoonful of hummus in the mix because I wasn't in the mood for any of the salad dressings we had on hand.Pizza from Trader Joes was delicious, but definitely smaller than I expected. That was probably a good thing though.I had 3 small slices and thought it tasted a lot like "delivery". ;)


Skipping ahead to Saturday's highlights...Kevin grilled up some tilapia he had been marinating and we put together these quick fish tacos for lunch with what we had on hand.
Grilled corn tortillas, grilled tilapia, lettuce, lime juice, plain greek yogurt, and hot sauce (added later).


I had plans to go check out the cherry blossoms with friends in DC on Saturday, but it had poured all morning and early afternoon, so we weren't sure it would happen. But, it looked like it was clearing up when we entered the metro and when we came out - the sun was breaking through.
We had some gorgeous views.
Easter Sunday/pre-workout oats were pretty basic: oats, skim milk, honey, unsweetened coconut, sliced banana, and cashew butter.
Wait a second - the cashew butter is something new for me. I picked this up and enjoyed it, but it can't compete with my all-time favorite: almond butter. This is unsalted and I definitely miss the salt.
Easter wouldn't be complete without a little candy. A Reese's Peanut Butter Egg to be exact. I savored every bite of this beauty.
Puurrty Easter tulips.
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends...and I look forward to catching up on the hundreds of posts I have sitting in my Google Reader. That's what Monday mornings at work are for, right?! ha - j/k...maybe....not.

Read more...

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. :)

Read more...