Monday Night Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner

I am a savory breakfast sort of person.  I would skip pancakes every day for eggs and potatoes.  My favorite thing to eat in the morning is a low-cal breakfast sandwich made with sandwich thins, egg whites, meat, and cheese.  It's also a great hearty breakfast-for-dinner sort of meal.  Add potatoes on the side and you've got something worth sitting down for.

Ingredients

• 1 medium russett potato
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 "rolls" 100% whole wheat Sandwich Thins (I like the ones by Eating Right)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 6 slices deli meat, your choice
• 2 slices smoked Gouda cheese

Directions

Cut potato to your taste.  I like 1/2" cubes.  Toss in olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper and cook in a pan on your stovetop until golden brown.  Cover and set aside.

Boil your water, reduce heat to simmer, add your vinegar, and poach your egg whites, two at a time.  Sprinkle each of your poached egg whites with a little Montreal steak seasoning

Pop your sandwich thins in the toaster.

Separate your deli meat into 2 servings of 3 slices each, top with a slice of smoked Gouda, and heat either on your stovetop or zap in the microwave for 10 seconds each.

Compile your sandwiches and serve potatoes alongside.

Serves 2

You won't regret this meal.  It's so delicious and pretty guilt-free.

Currently On My Workout Mix - Ke$ha

Weekly Update

Nothing exciting to report except that I lost an inch off my hips since two weeks ago.  My weight and other measurements are exactly the same.  I was starting to feel bummed about this, until I ran across my stats from exactly one year ago:

Since a year ago, I am about 7 pounds lighter, and have lost an inch off of my waist and two off of my hips.  Not bad, eh?  All in all, I'm still ahead. 

Taking It to the Trails

Over the weekend we were invited by my aunt and uncle to join them at their cabin on a small lake about 2 hours outside of Seattle hear the foothills of the Cascades.  Near the lake are some old logging roads that are closed to motor traffic but open to hikers and bikers, so on Sunday Andrew and I went out to explore.

The trails were wide, gravelly, and stretched for miles and miles over hills and around pine groves.  It was wonderful.  For about an hour (and a half) I ran while he biked next to me.  The air was fresh and clean, and the scenery was beautiful.  Right before our halfway point, we came to a cleared area that had a great view of the Cascade foothills, some dusted with snow in areas.  The photo doesn't do justice to how stunning it was.  Andrew snapped pictures of the panorama from the top of the hill while I ran down to flex my muscles a little.

Right before we turned around, Andrew got a picture of me in a triumphant pose.  We're about 3.5 miles out into the wilderness.

Now, we quickly discovered the roads all look the same, so they are well marked at every fork with a number and an arrow, but without the visual cues, it was tough to remember at which point we may have turned, so it got a little dicey on our way back and we found ourselves debating whether we were supposed to take road 1641 vs.1646; we ended up going down to a few dead ends before we eventually made it out to the highway again.  Whew.

Monday Night Dinner: Beef with Broccoli

This is coming to you a day late because of the President's Day holiday, and today is sort of feeling like a Monday.

I love broccoli.  LOVE.  If you're not a beef person, this also works with chicken or tofu.  The flavor comes from the marinade, which is not exactly vegetarian because of the fish sauce, but if you're the sort of veggie that allows yourself fish, but this marinade on your menu.

Ingredients

Asian Beef Marinade:

• 1/4 cup dark sweet soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp concentrated garlic paste (or two minced garlic cloves)
• 1 Tbsp sugar or agave nectar

Other Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 lb beef flank steak

Directions

Whisk all marinade ingredients together and set aside.
Cut beef into bite sized pieces, toss in marinade, and let sit while you attend to other things. Make sure the meat has been fully coated with marinade.

Heat half the oil in a wok or large saute pan while you chop broccoli to your preference. Add 2 cups broccoli to heated oil and cook for 2 min or until cooked but still firm. Set aside in serving platter and repeat with the second half of the oil and remaining 2 cups of broccoli.

After the broccoli has been set aside, add beef to the pan, using a slotted spoon. Cook until browned, but not tough. Maybe 3-5 min.



In a small soup pot bring marinade to a boil, turn off heat and set aside.

Pour beef and sauce over broccoli and serve.

Serves 4

Currently On My Workout Mix - Wocka Flocka Flame

This is another one of those songs that sounds ridiculous if you're listening to it in your car, but is awesome when you're burning through a difficult weight-lifting circuit.

Motivation and Inspiration: Sequins

Exhibit A

image via failblog

I came across this yesterday morning and laughed out loud. Immediately, I sent it to my friend Sabina for a little fitness inspiration. Then I decided you all need to see it too.

Sequins were in this holiday season, but there is a right way to do them. There is also a horribly, hilariously wrong way to do them; see exhibit A.  If this doesn't scare you into doing crunches, I don't know what will!

Happy weekend!

Coffee Revamp

I finally figured out how to help myself out with my coffee situation.  For many years now I have been addicted to hazelnut flavored Coffee Mate.  It is just so delicious.  I know it's not good for me, especially in the quantities I have been enjoying it.  Well, I'm changing my ways.

Here's my new coffee off choice:

6 oz hazelnut flavored coffee made in my mini french press
1/4 cup 1% organic milk
1 tsp agave nectar

It's only 56 calories in an entire mug, as opposed to an 8-oz short lowfat latte with no syrup from Starbucks, which is 110 calories (still not bad) and there's nothing on the label you can't pronounce.  I really enjoyed it this morning and I think I'm on to something.

I Ran to Work! And Home Again!

photograph by Curtis Cronn

Yesterday morning I got up at 6am as I usually do, ate a banana, packed Andrew a lunch, drank a glass of water and popped 3 advil, and I was off! With a pack on my back filled with my wallet and my clothes for today, I huffed and puffed up Madison and over the top of Capitol Hill.  Photo above was the shipping container I ran through next to the lightrail station construction.  This is where the hill crests at the top of my 400 foot climb.

Here's a chart so you can really see what I went through.  That big hill was really REALLY a bitch.  But I did it.  Then I ran back home that evening.  That's 7.8 miles total, team.  You probably won't be surprised I fell asleep at 9:15 and snored loudly all night.  I woke up this morning feeling great!!  Think I can do it 5 days a week?  I'm going to wait until the summer months to make the full transition, but I'm glad to know I can do it at least once.

Confession: Chili and Other Setbacks

image source

I fell off the horse.  I've not been monitoring my calories, and waaaay over eating.  I know this, because I feel like crap right now.  My tummy is screaming at me.  Here are the things I let derail me:

1) Andrew's birthday was Feb 6 and we celebrated all week with multiple special birthday dinners with friends, family members, and the customary romantic dinner at a steakhouse on my dime.  I took this opportunity to treat the week as though it were my birthday.  Not good.

2) This past weekend Abby and I took our moms with us on a weekend away in the San Juan Islands where Abby made fresh-baked bread, her mom made scones topped with her own freezer jam, and my mom kept the wine flowing.  Despite the 13 miles I covered over the weekend, it was not enough to come out ahead calorie-wise.  Also not good.

3) Most recently, our office threw its second annual chili cook-off.  Eight competitors, including myself, entered their best recipes.  First prize is not much more than bragging rights, but we get a great turn-out because we have many accomplished home cooks who know their stuff and like to go toe to toe.  It's a peer-voted blind taste test, so each "judge" must taste all chili versions in order to really make a fair choice.  I am very thorough in my research prior to casting my vote.  Granted, I had maybe only 3 tablespoons of each kind, but it really adds up when you think of how rich a chili can be.  And one word: beans.  Needless to say I'm hurtin' right now.

So with all of those confessions out on the table, I'm kind of relieved that I won't be able to give you a stats update tomorrow.  Instead of weighing myself tomorrow morning, I'm getting up super early to run from my house into work.  It is a long story, but come March 1 I will no longer have my wonderful garage parking spot in my office building and so I'm testing out different commute options.  I do have a bike, and I know the bus route, but I think running the 3.9 miles from home to work is my top choice.  When all is said and done, it will be 7.8 miles total.   I know I can do this, because I did an 8-mile loop on Guemes Island on Sunday after taking a wrong turn on one of the island's four roads and ended up halfway up the length of the island instead of running along the south shore like I'd planned.

Wish me luck as I'm trudging up the east side of Capitol Hill tomorrow.

Monday Night Dinner: Carrot Leek Soup and Greek Yogurt Biscuits

Happy Valentine's Day!  No $150 prix fixe menu here tonight; just soup and a biscuit.  This soup is simple and delicious.  I initially made it for a certain someone on hangover day and was just what the doctor ordered.  Hard to go wrong with this one.  Greek yogurt biscuits are pretty great dipped in the soup, but I also like to slather them with Smucker's Simply Fruit apricot preserves and eat them on their own.  I'll be honest:  I don't love that they're made with refined flour, but the whole wheat flour would do two gross things: make them heavy and make them bitter.  I don't eat biscuits every day (even though I'd like to), so I figure that how infrequent they come across my plate, in addition to the fabulous healthy Greek yogurt in them, is enough of a concession to make them the delicious way with refined flour.  At least in my mind it is.

Carrot Leek Soup:

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 cup leeks (just white and light green parts) sliced crosswise
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup flour
• 8 cups stock
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef or vegetable base
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Directions

In a large soup pot, melt butter, add olive oil, leeks, carrots, and garlic.  Cook until soft.
Add pepper and flour, cook for 3 more minutes.
Add stock and beef/veggie base, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add salt to taste, agave nectar, and cider vinegar.  cook for 5 more minutes.

Serves 4

PS- 2 cups is a big bowl.  You'll see what I mean.

Greek Yogurt Biscuits:

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I like Chobani)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450-F
Mix dry ingredients in a food processor.
Add chopped bits of butter and pulse in processor
Transfer to a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt and stir with a spoon until just combined
Press into a 3/4-inch thick layer and cut with a 3-inch diameter biscuit cutter.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 min or until lightly golden.
Serve immediately.

Makes about 7-ish biscuits

Keep extras refrigerated in an airtight container.  I reheated these the next day and they were still great.  They're a little denser than other biscuit recipes I've used, but I kind of like the heartiness of them.

So a big-ass bowl of soup and a biscuit is 534 calories total.  You won't be hungry after this meal.

Not valentiney enough for you?  Fine.  Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter for your biscuits.  Boom.  Love is in the air.

Currently On My Workout Mix - Jay Sean

Weekly Update

I am not happy to give today's update.  As you can see, I gained almost an entire pound and it all went straight to my ass.  I used to say I am lucky because I'm an all-over weight gainer without some unfortunate localized telltale area.  No, folks, I was wrong.  I apparently do have one and it's my ass.

I made some bad decisions over the weekend, drinking a lot of wine, eating sweets, and generally eating too much, resulting in feeling bloated and over-salted.  So despite my best efforts to get out and be active every day, my poor diet choices came back to bite me in the... well... ass.

Today I made sure I got out and pounded the pavement for five miles at lunch.  I took a coworker with me and she had me sprint the last two blocks, which I hate doing but it feels awesome as soon as I stop.  Plus I don't want to look like a sissy.  Overall, it felt really good and I didn't feel sluggish, so maybe I'm on the mend.  Here's to a better update next week.

I'm Getting Speedy

Just a quick post before I run off to the gym for a fast workout before heading to my parents' house to celebrate my fella's birthday. Again.  We do birthday dinners around here for days after the actual event.

One great thing I've noticed about losing 10-ish lbs:  I run faster.  My body feels less weighted down because, ahem, it literally is less weighted down.

My average pace used to be about 6mph.  It's now about 6.3mph.  To compare it another way, that's taking a 10-minute mile down to a 9m30s mile.  That's three whole minutes off a six-mile run.

Monday Night Dinner: Cajun Beans and Rice with Chicken Andouille and Wilted Greens

Again, this is a quick and easy meal that uses pre-cooked brown rice.  I make rice on the weekends when I actually have the 45 minutes to wait while it cooks and then use it throughout the week.  Makes eating healthier a lot easier when you have it on hand.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 package (4 links) andouille chicken sausage (or 1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced if you're going vegetarian)
• 1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• 1-3/4 cups (1 can) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups Swiss Chard, chopped in 2-inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions

Slice sausage crosswise in 1/2-inch thick pieces.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan and cook onion, garlic, and sausage until browned.
Add cooked brown rice, black beans, and cajun seasoning.  Reduce heat to med-low.  Stir occasionally to make sure it's not burning to the bottom of the pan
Rinse and chop chard and add, wet, to a separate pan, cooking on med. When slightly wilted, add 1 Tbsp cider vinegar and 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Cook until tender.
Serve together: rice mix will be quite salty and rich, needing the tannic greens to balance it out.

Serves 5.

My suggestion for making this vegetarian is subbing in sweet potatoes and a 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes for the sausage.  You'll get the sweet spicy elements that the sausage provides without the cholesterol.

Currently On My Workout Mix

I listen to this one when I'm lifting weights. It keeps me on track and helps me push through my sets when they start getting really tough.

Warm Fuzzies

Today I overheard someone at my office saying I was her inspiration for getting fit.  Another co-worker agreed I was doing an awesome job.  I don't think they knew I was right around the corner, and it totally made my day.  Yay!

Progress Update

I'm pretty damn proud of this week.  I stayed on task and the results are in:

2 lbs from my weight
1 inch from my waist
2 inches from my hips

My body fat is calculating as higher than last week, but I'm skeptical that it was an accurate reading.In fact, I'm skeptical of this week's reading too.  I've been going off of a tool I use on the Shape Virtual Trainer, which takes into account, your height, weight, neck, bicep, forearm, and thigh measurements.  Seems pretty thorough, right?  Either I carry it really well or this is off.  I got a second opinion from LiveStrong's body fat calculator and it had me at 26.6. I'm thinking this is more likely and I'll tell you why.

Remember this?

This chart tells me that I'm at the "fitness" classification of body fat, according to the number that the Shape Virtual Trainer threw at me.  Well, I know my body and I think I fall more along the lines of "acceptable."  And no, I'm not being hard on myself  I'm just sayin' it like it is.

This is me today:

See?  Acceptable.  I want to look more in the fitness range.  Gotta keep at it.
That being said, I feel like I'm moving toward my goal at a reasonable rate.

Tonight I'm going to the gym to power out 7 miles and get some weight lifting in.  High five!

Beach Bods

Right about now Target launches their swimwear collection and this year it's very much my style.  Abby and I paid a visit to Target over the weekend and in addition to browsing the shoes and picking up some liquid hand soap, which had to be done, we did a fair amount of cooing over the adorable mix and match bikinis.  I want them all, but mostly, the goal is to rock the swimsuits I already have.

This summer will be the year to flaunt beach bods.  We're going to sit by my pool and feel awesome about it, even next to all those tan 22-year olds.  Abby's got her goals set on a Raquel Welch body, so I told her I'll see her RW wager and raise her a Halle Berry.  Just look a those legs!  Really, you can't go wrong with either.

Gentlemen, wash off those boats and shine 'em up, 'cause you're taking us out and we're gonna look good!