French Toast with Warm Peaches, Strawberries and Cherries

Egg White French Toast, I used the leftover batter for scrambled eggs (mostly whites) and frozen Peaches, Strawberries and cherries (heated up in a separate bowl). I used cage-free born free eggs and Newman's Own Double Fiber Bread-

Delicious!

Jeff and I had the exact same plate. I am usually not as hungry as he is but this morning I totally was!

Body:

I might go for a run or the gym but I also might do a new DVD I got- I am SOOO EXCITED to try it.

I saw the Cardio Pilates Danielle at Around The World mentioned the other day. I was so close to buying it when I saw Dancing with The Stars Cardio next to it- You learn the Mamba, ChaCha, Meringe & Salsa. I decided on the Dancing with The Stars and I will get the Cadio Pilates in January maybe when I get some more $$$.

I have been really wanting to get a new dvd for home.... just because sometimes I like to get in a workout here but NOT have to drive out to the gym and back.

I will for sure let you know how it is!

Mind:

Reading more of my never-ending book that I really enjoy. Sigh.

Soul:
... we have some plans to go shopping for his family, and stop in to see his neice and nephew run around the football field at Jeff's alum. stadium.

I slept in... and needed it! My muscles needed it from this week of circuit training with Jeff. ( We did jumping jacks, crunches, or side to sides whenever the other one was lifting the weight- it was a great workout- we were always going!) The reason why I mention it here is because I am so happy that Jeff and I spent time together in that way this week. I know how much Jeff wanted to get back into exercising, so it makes me happy that he is happier.

shhh its a secret

My feet are EXHAUSTED!! I had such a great time shopping with my mom- we shopped ALL over the mall including Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Coach (!!!!!),then grabbed a snack: we split a pretzel and a lemonade. In that bag is a present for Momma Mo (Jeff's Mom) but I had a big heavy bag with a present for me in it.. NO PEEKING! You can't see it until Christmas! ...

Then it was off to Kohl's, Target, Linens n Things, Marshalls, REI, Toys R Us, and finally...to Panera Bread for dinner!

Phew..1/2 Low Fat Chicken Noodle Soup and 1/2 Fuji Chicken Salad and a baguette roll. Asbsolute favorite you pick two combo. I had such a fantastic time and can't wait to head to my parent's christmas day! I helped my mom with what to get Jeff for christmas- he reads this so i can't write it on here- but I wanted to get him it and I know he will use it and I think he will really like it! *I might use it a little too!*

Before my mom got here I ran to the grocery store and grabbed some stuff for the next few days we are in town. I made myself a quick wrap for lunch: whole wheat wrap, goat cheese, purple cabbage, organic spring mix, shredded chicken (marinated in an "eastern carolina BBQ" sauce I make from scratch.

I had cooked extra chicken but didn't use it in the chicken salad recipe a few days ago. It was perfect because it sat in the Eastern Carolina BBQ sauce for a few days and got all nice and juicy. YUM! Its a vinegar based sauce with hot sauce etc. Its my own secret recipe...



My mom is on her way home now, she got tons of shopping done and I'm so happy we got to come back and have panera for dinner with Jeff ( we brought back some for him and for my dad too!). I am ready to start my weekend with my Jeff.

Body:
lots and lots and lots and LOTS of walking, carrying packages, searching through stuff... fun... but tiring

Mind:
lots and lots and lots and LOTS of thinking and direction giving and catching up with my mom and deal finding

Soul:
lots and lots and lots and LOTS of fabulous fun times with my mom. I talked to my dad too and he is feeling better!

Blueberry Egg White Oats ?

I have no idea what made me come up with that. I wanted protein, and I wanted to use my egg whites for that. I didn't want just scrambled eggies , wasn't in the mood for it. I wanted something sweet and didn't want oatmeal ( despite that I have four different types of oats and no bread left).

So I "messed up" before making the batter for french toast with blueberries http://runlmo1.blogspot.com/2008/12/semi-stuffed-french-toast.html - that french toast came out fantastic, but I didnt want to throw away the leftover egg-blueberry batter- so it came out very odd- like blueberry scrambled eggs but with the milk in the batter it came out more like cake. So I thought I would intentionally try to make it today,

I ate all of it- I liked it as much as the pumpkin oatmeal mixes I usually do! However, I do want to "work on" the recipe so as a general recap it included: egg whites, blueberries, sprinkle of oats, milk, cinnamon. It didn't "look" good enough to me so I topped it with coconut, flaxseed butter, and almonds.

Snowman Says "Yes Ma`m"

I still wanted more of "something"... so I made a coffee with milk... did the trick to finish up my meal.


I am out of canned pumpkin, bread, Smart Balance Oil and frozen fruit, oh no!

We may or may not be heading to Nana's this weekend- Jeff has not been able to get christmas shopping done and the rest of the family will not be there either-

My mom is maybe on here way?... My dad woke up sick ( get well dad! sorry you aren't feeling well! love you) so not sure what the plan is for today.



*update to last night*
Some people actually asked me "so what do you do when you have a piece of chocolate or something "bad" ?" ..... which is hard to address the "bad" part because I refuse to acknowledge that FOOD is bad ( FOOD -not nutrients- i.e I consider saturated/trans fats as "bad" for your health but they are not a FOOD. Food that contains them is not necessarily "bad" because the FOOD offers many other "good" nutrients )

Anyway- I told them I just take a picture of whatever it is or write about it the next day. Last night Jeff and I watched a movie together on the couch and it was just so nice to snuggle. We stayed up way too late. I had:

Chocolate chips... (milk chocolate)

and some mini reese's pieces.

Sicilian Bacon Cheddar Pizza, Whole Wheat

Pizza #1 ... it got a little crispy but it was still delicious

Pizza #2..Much better

Dinner:

The pizza:
whole wheat dough from trader joes, sicilian sauce ( made earlier this week ), bacon crumbles, reduced fat mexican cheddar. Both were gone in about 2 minutes. Glad you loved it Jeff and Andrea !

I had this and then another slice of the #2

Lunch:
Chicken Salad leftover and a slice of #1

Body:
Run 4.5 miles, 36 minutes total- before lunch ( elliptical while reading a magazine in the evening- 20 minutes)

then ... I went back to the gym in the evening to meet Jeff and so strength training. I swear , we make such a great team!! I have so much fun- we lifted shoulders (flyes, side extensions?), biceps (hammer curls), triceps (kickbacks, dips), abs, chest (incline). Time: 1 hr !

Mind:

no job yet... im struggling.. two places were no longer hiring. not sure what to do yet. suduko.

Soul:

I did mine and jeff's laundry and ironed everything- i never iron.

My mom is coming to town tomorrow ! WOOOOOHOOOO!! I can't wait, so excited to go christmas shopping with her all day!

I found a TON of christmas presents today-

Andrea came over to share in the pizza-ing. She is one of my most favorite people, I <3 her dearly

And... I will leave you all with the best soul filling experience of the day,

love our brown-dog Jack...

Banana Almond Maple Oats

Breakfast:

Steel cut Quick Oats (from Trader Joes $2.29 for 17 servings)
organic banana ( it seriously fell that way in the bowl too)
I put a sprinkle of slivered almonds, a drop of maple syrup right in the middle and peanut butter all around the banana.
I also had a little of the smoothie I made for Jeff... milk, protein powder, pb, frozen mango, frozen pineaple and frozen strawberries.

I love how the snowman want to get all their stick-hands on my bowl!! Isn't that cute! The placemat is from Target (last year ).

the plan:
Body:

Run in the morning, strength training in the evening with Jeff!

Mind & Soul:
to be determined
I meditated yesterday after my 40 minute yoga session and I swear it was like waking up to a new day after! Felt fantastic.

Mish Mosh Lunch and Chicken Salad Dinner

Lunch:

Asparagus spears in sicilian sauce with a little cheese (Sargento Reduced Fat Mexican)

Apple crisp sprinkled with cheese, I heard about apple pies with cheddar on top and figured I'd give it a whirl. Honestly, it was delicious but you couldn't taste the cheese at all.

On the side I had a chobani nonfat greek Strawberry Yogurt with half of a whole wheat British Muffin.

The Snowman says "Yay!"


Dinner:

Super Easy Super Healthy Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
I sliced up red grapes, length wise (about 2 cups)
Chopped Organic Celery Hearts ( I used 1 bunch)
1 green onion chopped
Boiled Chicken Breasts... (I did three here and it took about 20 minutes). let them cool, then pulled the chicken apart and into the bowl ( boiling makes it super easy to pull apart for "shredded chicken" )
Then I binded everything with:
1 container of Chobani Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt ( the 5.3 oz size , but I could have used the bigger tub)
1 big Tablespoon Helmann's Fat Free Mayonaisse ( its about 25 calories, 0 g fat)
Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
Stir and let sit in the fridge for about 2 hours.
That whole bowl ( it is big! it holds 8 cups) is total less than 600 calories, 108 g protein, No Fat ( well, about 1 g from the chicken but i took off what I could see). It also offers fruit, veggies, and calcium!

It was delicious!
I used a whole wheat wrap and added sliced purple cabbage, sliced raw almonds and hot sauce!

Peanut Butter Mashed Banana French Toast Sandwich!

phew.. I bet you can't say that as fast as I ate this bad boy...

Peanut Butter Smashed Banana French Toast Sandwich!

- I dipped two slices of toast in 1/3 cup egg whites mixed with 1 T milk
-laid in the pan, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar
-flipped
-put in the remainder of the egg batter in the pan

then... I smashed half a banana on one side, spread the other side with little all natural Smucker's peanut butter

While the french toast cooked, I made Jeff a smoothie: milk, protein powder, peanut butter, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen blueberries, and the other half of the banana.

I dropped Jeff at work this morning so that he could go rent a car! I stopped and went christmas shopping on the way home! Since it was early morning, it was really nice not to deal with crazy busy parking lots and people!

The plan for the rest of the day ( ONE WEEK UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE! time flies)

Body:
Rest/ Yoga ... Yoga is wonderful for me because it helps an incredible amount with my asthma. The breathing stretching techniques are just fantastic, relaxing, and rejuvinating. I have a "power yoga" dvd but its not cardio-intense. I break a sweat but its nothing crazy, and I literally know the dvd without having to watch it- I put it on for the background waterfall music! I am resting from my normal running or strength training routine today. Jeff and I may go to the gym tomorrow though ;-) ?

Mind:
I am going to keep looking at jobs- I am trying to narrow down my decisions/options/likes/hours... its tough! I also am reading the next chapter in Eat, Pray, Love. I bought it so long ago it seems and would like to finish it! I feel like I need SOMETHING to keep my mind active and to stay "balanced".

Soul:
to be determined.... jeff and i may have a relaxing evening at home... and heck, I already got some christmas shopping out of the way, I went through with getting a haircut and am enjoying it!

I hope to hear back from the volunteer position so that I can get started- that will be very rewarding to help underpriviledged kids/families with nutrition and healthy eating on a budget! I don't have a job so I certainly know what its like to be stuck to a budget! I still manage to eat lots of fruits, veggies, organic, local, healthy foods so I know I can help them do it too!

Tree Trimmin Tuesday

The endive app went over very well! Jeff's stepdad Preston suggested some hot sauce so we all tried it out, the verdict was they were delicious either way!

I had a few of the endive with this mich ultra ( there's the hottest hot sauce ever and behind them is the empty plate!)

The Family Decorating ( Preston and Melissa - don't worry I am emailing you all the photos after I'm done posting here!)

hmmmm Dinnner: Pasta Figole Soup

Decilicious-ness is a bowl! I added some cheese and three small slices of bread. The bread was nice and crusty but soft and chewy inside, perfect!

After dinner I had this glass of merlot... Delicious as well.

I was mistaken and Jeff's mom had not yet started christmas cookies, but....Melissa brought these back from a cookie exchange!

I had this guy- he was peanut butter and then I'm pretty sugar it was covered in a ball of frosting. This is exactly what I would have wanted- I love frosting and I love peanut butter...

And then I had bites of a ginger softie ( melissa made it - it was fantastic) and i tried pieces of a few others, and that chocolate chip/pecan/raisin cookie (it's above the tree w/blue icing-)

Thanks for having us over as always Mom & Preston!

We went to Jeff's hockey game afterwards... The team lost but Jeff passed the puck really well! I was SO impressed! One of our friend's girlfriends came to the game so I had a great time chatting with her as well!

Belgian Endive with Goat Cheese and Toasted Almonds

I wanted to bring something over to Momma Mo's for the tree trimming, even though she will have dinner and probably/maybe christmas cookies... I still wanted to contribute something! This week I got goat cheese and almonds at the store, so I figured what better way to use what I got!
yummo-
off we go
to momma mo
ho ho ho

Smoothie, Sammy, and Spinach Dip

I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted for lunch at first but it all came together so nicely.
I made a sandwich with just turkey and toasted bread, then wanted more protein ( my protein powder has some extra "recovery" ingredients so perfect for after a run!). I made a smoothie with 1/2 milk 1/2 water, mango, pineapple and protein powder. I wasn't sure what vegetable I wanted, but then saw frozen spinach and artichokes. So I heated those up in a bowl, added a little dab of smart balance, some salt and cracked black pepper, some pre-chopped bacon, some chobani, some fat free mayo, some shredded cheese. Mixed all of it really well then microwaved for another 1 minute. I threw in a glob of leftover sicilian sauce from yesterday too.

I don't really enjoy crackers or chips that much so I hardly ever have em on hand. I dipped my rather plain sandwich in it... SO GOOD!

Body:
Run!!!!! No pain/twisty feelings ... I warmed up for 2 miles at speed 6.8 ( about an 8:35 min/mile) then jogged for 2 miles at speed 7.7 ( pace 7:47 min/mi )on the treadmill and then sprinted the last 1 mile,
My last mile sprint was:
0.25 at 9 mph
0.25 at 8.4
0.25 at 9.2
0.25 at 8.6

I walked for another 1 mile to cool down. It felt fantastic~

Mind:
suduko of course

i have did searching but nothing to write about yet. back to searching now

Soul:
Jeff heard back from the insurance company and they finally accepted liability for the accident and offered him a tiny settlement.... but at least its one big step in the right direction so he can rent a car and it will be paid for and he can find out soon what he will be offered for his truck!!

I love running, i swear it beats out any "case of blah" I ever have. It just makes me a happier person.

I am excited to have dinner at Momma Mo's and trim the tree!

Toasted Cinnamon Almonds

...are the best! I got this big bag of raw sliced almonds from Trader Joes (~ $4) so that I could do a special appetizer for Momma Mo's tree trimming tonight! Well this bag should last me quite a long time, even though it was the smallest bag they had...

I toasted them in the pan while I cooked two pieces of egg white french toast and sprinkle cinnamon over all of it. I heated up frozen blueberries, frozen mango, and frozen pineapple. Chobani Nonfat Greek Yogurt on the side- I swear this is just soooo delicious . If you haven't tried this yogurt and you like yogurt with fruit on the bottom- you must try this! Its delicious!

Up top with black coffee in my snowman mug!

Today, I'm hoping to get in a run and look into getting a job and prepare the dish for this evening! Happy Tuesday!

Booty-licious

Body:
Jeff was going to the gym after work and I felt up for it so we worked out together ...again! It was so much fun! We did his version of strength training as far as muscle group (opposition) but we did my version of "endurance lifting"... essentially lower weights but for as many reps as you can get. We make a great team!
Strength: Chest, Lats, Triceps, Biceps, Squats
Cardio: I did a mish mosh- I think it was 10 min elliptical, 5 minutes stair climber, 15 minutes elliptical, 5 minutes walking on the treadmill. It was going to be my "rest" day as far as cardio goes so it was more just a fun relaxing pace.

Mind:
Suduko and I filled out forms for the volunteer opportunity a co-worker of Jeff's sent me involving nutrition classes! What a perfect volunteer oportunity for me, I think it will be boat-loads of fun!

Soul:
Did some christmas shopping, some blog reading and .... (drumroll please)

I got a haircut!!! I don't ever like going in to get a hair cut or paying for haircuts all the time, but WOOHOO! :-) What do ya'll think??
I am very pleased with how Dani* did. ( I mention her name only so that I can remember next time I want a cut!) She was fun to talk to as well!


Delicious Dinner:

Spaghetti Squash with...

Sicilian Chicken ( I saw a recipe for this but didn't follow it at all really. I just used it as inspiration: a can of tomatoes, italian style in olive oil, a jar of TJ Marinara, basil, oregano, white wine splash, olives)

Globs of Goat Cheese (Trader Joes has a great variety!)

Lovely Lunch:

There is a tiny chicken breast in their - I had cooked several last night after we finished dinner with vinegar, texas pete and a teaspoon of smart balance light butter. Since it was Buffalo-style, I added some blue cheese dressing to my sammy. On the side Organic Green Beans ( frozen, microwaved from Trader Joes ) and an Oikos Blueberry Greek Yogurt.

Booty-licious Breakfast:

Super FRUITY Smoothie for Jeff and I :
It had milk, protein powder, frozen mango, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, a whole banana, and flaxseed butter. I had apple crisp with blueberries on the side- SO GOOD! That is 6 types of fruit in my breakfast! Totally booty-licious!

Apple Crisp

Surprise Sunday Treat

I thought i left Trader Joes with a bag of organic fuji apples after looking at the shelf tag & price. I get home and, lo and behold, I left with a $5 bag of washington, non organic apples. I was highly disappointed because I really like fuji's and apples contain the highest levels of pesticides so I try to always get organic. I hated to have to drive all the way back there ( its a fair distance) for $5. The odd thing is that the price tag on the little bag closer SAYS "or.fuji apples... "

Anyhow, I decided to scrub them very well and use them in ...


An Apple Crisp

I had some with a little Stoneyfield Oikos Blueberry Nonfat Greek Yogurt...

I used a recipe semi-homemade kinda style because I had all the ingredients:
1 box Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake Mix (pillsbury)
1/4 cup smart balance light with olive oil brand Butter , melted( what's with the lengthy titles?!)
2/3 cup quick rolled oats
1T cinnamon
7 small peeled cored sliced apples

Mix all together, Baked at 350* for 40 minutes.

I think next time I will butter the pan, and added 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt, and make it in a smaller dish than a 13 x 9.
Nonetheless, it was deliciousness.

I hope everyone rested up , studied up, and enjoyed their weekends! Again, finals are almost over! Christmas is practically here! It's the most wonderful time... of THE YEAR!!!!!

Jeff: The "Super-Boyfriend"...

Sunday Brunch:
French Toast with Fry Pan Bananas ( literally slice a banana into a frying pan, flip after a few seconds...heaven) and cottage cheese cloud


Pre-Run Snack / Lunch:



Body:
I really wanted to go for a run since the weather is so mild lately- this week is supposed to be 60's too! I was scarred to head out to this one trail because I didn't know if there would be enough people in December to make it feel safe. Well... Jeff said he would go with me!!!!!

Woohoooo!!! He has had such a difficult work schedule this year and its made it hard for him to exercise as much as he wants to. When we first met we would workout together all the time- runs, hiking trails, the gym, etc.! It was SO great to be outside with him and Jack and get fresh air & exercise again!

We walked most of the loop (2.82 miles) but jogged the last half mile, then I took off and ran the set of hills, turned around and ran back through the hills again and met back up with Jeff.

I ran a total 5.75 miles , 2 miles of that is all hills ( elevation was 6%, 4%, 3%, 2%), and I walked 2.5 miles with Jeff and Jack! It felt fantastic! My knee and toes are definitely still twisted/weird- I have no idea yet what the connection is but I'm not spending the money to see that crappy orthopaedic again

So now we get back home, Jeff the super-boyfriend decides that he wants to cook dinner for me AND do the dishes

Isn't he the best?!?! It was oh so yummy too..

Sweet Potato & Apple "Fries"
- chopped potato and apples baked with a sprinkling of sugar

"Fried" Okra

I was actually going to make this because I usually do it all healthy style. But Jeff really wanted to so I showed him how I do it : Here's how I do it

-heat a pan with smart balance light made with olive oil ( or just a T smart balance olive oil), thawed frozen okra then dipped em in a batter of egg whites & 1% milk, then in mix of equal parts cornmeal/whole grain organic flour (s& p), into the pan and done.

Teriakyi Chicken Breast ( cage free w/o hormones)

- he even cut it all up for me! single tear * ( i always cut mine up but we were eating on the couch and its too hard to do while on there )

Off to make a surprise treat!