Salad Fever

Guess what? The sun finally came out! After over a week of non-stop rain and temps in the 40s, its finally starting to act a little like spring. When its cold and rainy all I crave is hot meals (usually covered in some kind of cheese)...and when its hot I constantly want salads. After a hot and humid run last night the only thing I wanted was a big salad.

Organic baby spinach, orange wedges, red bell peppers, boiled beets (hot, I don't really care for them cold), goat cheese, and toasted walnuts, drizzled with some balsamic vinaigrette. Toasting walnuts is easy, just bake them for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees - it really brings out the flavor a lot more.

With my salad I had some tofu. And some popcorn. Yes, I'm random.

I woke up to another warm day today, and after running and going to the gym I wanted another salad. I had salad for breakfast a few weeks ago, and I really enjoyed it. I guess I didn't stick with it because it takes a lot longer to prepare a salad in the morning than a quick bowl of oatmeal or a smoothie. Since I work from home on Wednesdays, I had time to make myself a big breakfast salad. 

Organic baby spinach, red bell peppers, and avocado. I squeezed some fresh lemon on top, sprinkled with cayenne pepper for a kick, and topped with some scrambled egg whites. I had a bowl of mango on the side and a glass of skim milk for extra protein.

Some of my friends have told me its weird that I like salad for breakfast. I would have said the same thing, too. Give it a try and then let me know if you still think its weird! It is very satisfying to fill up on something other than carbs (and this is coming from the carb queen) and it gives me more energy throughout the day.

Its been one week since I started my 30 day challenge (to run at least one mile per day). Here's how I've done so far:

Day 1 - 3 mile run; Bikram yoga class

Day 2 - 3 mile run; Bikram yoga class

Day 3 - 2.25 mile run

Day 4 - 3 mile run

Day 5 - 1 mile run

Day 6 - 1 mile run

Day 7 - 5 mile run; abs and legs strength training

Day 8 (today) - 2.6 mile run, back and bis strength training

As you can see, a few of those days I only ran the minimum 1 mile. Those were super busy days that I normally would not have done anything. My excuse would always be that I didn't have time, or that doing something as short as just one mile wouldn't make any difference. Since following this challenge, I've found a way to squeeze in a mile even in my busiest days, whether waking up a little early to get it done or quickly doing it when I got home late at night. Those mornings that I forced myself out of bed at 5am to fit in a quick mile were some of the best mornings - I love working out early in the day because it gives me such a boost of energy. If I didn't have to leave before 6am for work, I'd definitely do all of my work outs in the morning. 

I printed out a free calendar template I found online and have been marking down my mileage. Its a good way to keep track of what I've done and motivate myself to keep going. Even better is that I've heard from a few of my friends who are doing the challenge, too! I'm glad that other people are participating, and I think talking to each other about it helps keep us on track. If you can't run the miles, choose something else. My friend Chrissy has several injuries left over from college basketball, so running can be uncomfortable for her, but she's decided to do the challenge by biking and other forms of cross training! 

In terms of my other challenge, the 100 push ups challenge, that was a little bit later in getting off the ground. I actually just started it this morning. I did the initial test to see how many push ups I could do (to see where my training should begin) and I did 12. Not on my knees, either! I contemplated first doing this challenge with knee push ups and then doing it with standard push ups, but decided to try the real deal. I'm sure I'll be regretting this in a few days.

Anyone else want to join us in the 30 day challenge?

What are your favorite foods of summer?

Mine are salads and tons of fresh fruit. Oh and ice cream, that's pretty important, too!

Valentine's Day

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day! Mine was filled with some of my favorite things - running, cooking, relaxing with Pat, and eating inappropriate amounts of chocolate. If Valentine's Day isn't an excuse to eat your favorite sweets then I'm not sure I understand the purpose of the day. I'm kidding! (sort of). The purpose of the day, to me, is a great reminder to go out of your way to tell people you love them. Be as corny as you like!

Before leaving work I went for a run (loving running outside this week!) down to and around Jamaica Pond. It was supposed to be 40 degrees, but it got all the way up to 55 degrees! It was so nice I could have worn shorts and a t-shirt. Long sections of sidewalks were still covered in snow and ice, but most of the trail around Jamaica Pond was cleared, and lots of sand and salt had been put down where there was snow left on the trail. Even though it still looks like winter, it felt like spring (and that's the most important thing to me).

After my run I got on the road for a couple Valentine's deliveries. I made plates of cookies, brownies and cupcakes for my mom and dad and brought them to their houses.

Sugar Cookies and Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies, with some Fudge Marble Cupcakes (not from scratch)

Then I headed home to make a nice dinner with Pat. We prefer to stay in on Valentine's Day and cook together. Well actually, every year he has cooked for me (he's an amazing cook) but this year I cooked with him, which was a lot of fun.

On the menu: filet mignon with mushroom wine sauce, cheese risotto, sauteed spinach and garlic, and beets. 

Do you like the pink Valentine's risotto? I colored it with some of the water we boiled the beets in.

Once our meal was ready we dug in to all of the delicious flavors. Everything turned out so well - it was the perfect Valentine's meal. I planned to make chocolate fondue for dessert to have with lots of fresh fruit, but neither of us managed to finish our dinners, so instead I packed fruit salad for both of us to bring to work today. Even though I didn't have room for fruit and fondue, I did find some space for a few Lindt truffles. Pat bought me the biggest box of truffles I've ever seen, and way too many other things (including a deep tissue massage and a foot treatment at a spa that I'm going to use after my half marathon at the end of the month!). 

It was a wonderful, relaxing night at home. I wish today was another Valentine's Day so we could do it all over again!

Dinner Preparation:

Beets 

-Peel and halve beets.

-Put in small pot of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer until fork slides into beet easily (about 40 minutes).

Spinach

-Heat olive in in pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute for a few minutes until fragrant.

-Add spinach (we used two bags of organic baby spinach), toss with garlic and olive oil, then cover pot. Stir and check on spinach every few minutes and remove from heat when wilted.

Filet Mignon with Mushroom Wine Sauce

-Pat is the mastermind behind this, so I can't really say much (perhaps he'll write a post about how to make an amazing filet).

-Your pieces of meat should be uniform in shape and size (or as close as you can get). Tie filet with butcher string to make the pieces round. Cover both sides of meat with a salt and pepper rub (coarsely grate salt and pepper on a plate) and sear both sides for a couple minutes in cast iron skillet. Transfer meat (in skillet) to oven and cook until it reaches desired color (about 10-15 minutes for a medium-rare steak)  - flip halfway through cook time. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting so meat is juicier.

-Mushroom Wine Sauce - heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add sliced mushrooms (we used 10 ounces) and cook for a few minutes. Add 1 cup white wine. Continue to cook until liquid reduces to a thicker sauce. If necessary, add a couple teaspoons of corn starch to thicken. Serve on top of filet.

Cheese Risotto

I think this was my third time making risotto, and this is by far the best. In the past I think I've rushed it and kept adding more liquid before the liquid in the pan was fully absorbed. This risotto was rich, creamy, and very cheesy. I knew I wanted to make pink risotto for Valentine's Day (because I'm a big nerd) and planned to use beet water to color the risotto. I decided that I didn't want to add a lot of other things to the risotto and I thought the cheese would be a nice complement to the filet and mushrooms. If you've never made risotto, you really should. It seems hard, but all it is is a lot of stirring, and the end result is well worth it. Pat is usually indifferent about risotto, but he couldn't get enough of this one.

Here's the trio of cheeses I used:

I just need to say that I bought all three of these cheeses for $8 at Trader Joe's! They have the best food and the best prices!

Heat about 3 1/2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth in a small pot on the stove. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and keep it at a gentle simmer.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.

Stir in arborio rice and cook for about 2 minutes.

Here the stirring begins! Add 1 cup white wine and continue to stir until liquid is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes.

Ladle about 1/2 cup of the warm chicken broth into the rice pan. Stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding and stirring until you've added all of your chicken broth (this takes about 20 minutes). Be sure not to add more liquid until the liquid already in the pan is totally absorbed. And keep stirring!

I added about 1/2 cup of the beet water in at the end to make my risotto pink. This added nice color but did not alter the flavor at all.

Once all liquid has been absorbed you should have nice, thick, creamy risotto. Add 1 tbsp butter (cut up) and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Add your cheese, stir to incorporate, and remove pan from heat.

 

Cheese Risotto Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 1/2-4 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth 
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Fontina cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

*you could use any cheese in this risotto - but this combination is really good!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Stella Blu, I Love You

Gina and I met up for another girls night at Stella Blu last night. Now, I realize that I don't need to blog about every trip we take there, but I must tell you about what we got last night.

I thought about what I'd be eating and drinking all day (as I normally do) so I'd really worked up an appetite and a thirst by the time we met last night. I stuck with my favorite dirty martini to drink, but when it came time to order, I was completely stumped. Even after thinking about it all day I still hadn't reached any conclusions! Gina was debating between pulled pork sliders and a BLT flatbread when the waiter suggested that she get pulled pork on the flatbread! What a great idea! I ordered the roasted beet salad to start with while I spent some more time looking at the menu...when it hit me that I could order a custom flatbread, too! I called the waiter over, told him to nix the salad, and instead put it on the flatbread. He looked at me like I was crazy, which wasn't what I was expecting at all. Didn't he know that this would be the greatest pizza idea ever??

I need to backtrack for a moment. The last time we ate at Stella Blu, I told you about our great waiter Dan who was very funny and gave us free cheesecake. Obviously he made quite the impression on us. Gina and I were both disappointed to learn that Dan wasn't working last night. When our waiter came over (who was bearded, just like Dan) we asked where Dan was that night (yep, slightly stalkerish of us, but we weren't bothered by it). He first did an amazing impression of Dan, and then walked away laughing. Gina and I couldn't believe it - the impression was uncanny. Perhaps all bearded waiters at Stella talk alike? So we got to prodding (as I usually do) and learned that this waiter's name is Mark, and guess what? He is Dan's roommate! Not only that, but Mark actually recognized Gina from a pool party back in 1994 at her house because two of her older brothers had coached him in baseball. Crazy! Now that we were confident that we were in good hands with Mark, we were able to fully relax and enjoy our evening!

We started with a crab and cheese dip, which was pretty good.

But then the true masterpieces came...our custom pizzas!

My flatbread was first smothered in goat cheese, then layered with roasted red and yellow beets, and  topped with mixed greens and a splash of dressing.

Gina's pizza was some of the best pulled pork I've had, covered in cheese, scallions and carrot shavings.

We each tried a piece of the other person's pizza. Soooo good. I don't know what else to say. Both of these custom flatbreads were amazing. We told Mark that they should be added to the menu, he said it wasn't going to happen. Fine. Well now I'm sharing this with all of you so that if you ever go to Stella Blu, or another flatbread restaurant, you can request these toppings and taste for yourself. Or make it at home! I'm definitely going to make the roasted beets and goat cheese pizza at home soon!

We topped off our delicious meal with some freshly made (and melt-in-your-mouth warm) donuts.

Here's Gina, enjoying a bite of donut! She said they tasted like fried dough, and then laughed at herself, because obviously donuts are fried dough. But fried dough is different than donuts and these really did taste like little treats you'd get at the fair!

Today for lunch I had my leftover pizza with a side of steamed broccoli and cauliflower (dusted with some ground red pepper and garlic powder).

I think this was even better today than it was last night! The combination of the crisp flatbread, the creamy goat cheese and those roasted beets is just amazing. PLEASE do yourself a favor and make/order a pizza like this ASAP! This is definitely my new favorite!

After finishing lunch I wanted something sweet (I've totally fallen off the wagon and have had sweets every day this week) and remembered that a package from my sister had arrived today! If I know Laura, there's something edible and delicious in there! And look what I found...

A bag full of Lindt truffles! It was wrapped in a beautiful red pouch, but I'll admit that I ripped it off quickly and immediately dug into this bag. Thank you Laura, and you'll be the death of me! Right as I finished all of my Christmas candy you've gone and restocked me!

Coincidentally, I'm sending Laura a package today! Over the weekend I did a test run of the Baked Apple Oatmeal Bread for Laura. I made her loaf this morning, and this time I didn't forget to add the oats! Here it is:

It got a little toasty on top, but I'm hoping that its still good! The bread wasn't done cooking so I didn't want to take it out of the oven when I saw it starting to brown.

After letting it fully cool, I wrapped it in two layers of saran wrap, then tin foil, and finally a large Ziploc bag. I want this baby to be fresh when it arrives in Virginia!

Taste the Rainbow

I'm sure you've all heard that you should be getting at least 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and that the best way to get all of your nutrients and have a balanced diet is to eat a variety of colors each day. The darker the color, the better it is for you. I think today I did a pretty good job of eating the rainbow.

The morning started with Fiber One (original) cereal with sliced banana and skim milk. I then headed to the gym with Pat. Today was shoulders and legs day, but I'm not going to do any weight lifting on my legs until at least a week has passed since the half marathon (I don't want to hinder my recovery). So I did 4 different shoulder exercises (3 sets of each), and then did a low-impact cardio circuit (15 minutes elliptical, 30 minutes stationary bike, 15 minutes walking). Circuits are also a good way to boost your metabolism, since you're changing up the exercise before your body can get accustomed to it.

I had a couple clementines and hard boiled eggs (egg whites only) as a snack when I got back from the gym.

For lunch I had a meal that always makes me feel like a kid again. Peanut butter and jelly with banana slices (on oatmeal bread)! Side note - Trader Joe's has great low sugar jellies and jams that are so delicious. I used their strawberry jam.

I like mine to be a little toasted and warm, so I closed my sandwich and cooked it for about 5 minutes at 300 degrees. This makes the bread a little crispier and the peanut better gets melty. Yum!

I always recommend a glass of cold chocolate milk with a PB&J...can't beat that combination.

Dinner time is when the rest of my colors came out - some yellow/orange, deep red, and dark green.

Roasted butternut squash soup, beet chips and kale chips!

When I made the soup a couple weeks ago, I froze 2 servings to save for later. So I just took it out of the freezer and defrosted/heated it in the microwave.

Another side note: whenever possible I store and heat leftovers in glass Pyrex containers. Plastic containers contain BPA and other harmful chemicals and heating the containers transfers these chemicals to your food.

BEET CHIPS

My beet chips were made by slicing one beet:

I used a very sharp paring knife for this. It would have been better if I'd used a mandoline (which I don't have) or the slice function on my food processor, but I was hungry and haven't yet learned to use the slice attachment, so I just sliced this as thinly as possible.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray (preferably olive oil or butter flavored), spread beets out and spray again, then sprinkle some sea salt on top. I baked them at 375 for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Before cooking:

After cooking:

Since these were a little bit thicker than if sliced with a mandoline, they required some extra bake time. I decided to finish them up in the microwave, and cooked for 2-3 minutes on high.

Beet chips can be cooked totally in the oven, or totally in the microwave. Its just up to what your personal preference is.

KALE CHIPS

I used 4 stalks of kale. Rip into chip-sized pieces and wash.

Then place on cookie sheet and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on them (I used very little, but its up to you how much you want). I sprinkled sea salt on these as well, then cooked at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (careful not to let them get too crispy because these can burn easily).

And my colorful dinner was done!

This was every bit as good as it looks! The chips came out great, the soup was just as delicious as when I first made it, and the combination of all of the colors and flavors together was wonderful.

For dessert, I had something green (but I don't think this is what health experts have in mind when they tell you to eat a variety of colors):

I enjoyed my frogs while watching Modern Family!  Great night!