Smoothie Saturday, Euchre Champs, Banana's Foster Breakfast WITH the alcohol!

After my yoga practice, I knew just what I wanted for Lunch saturday.
It was very fruit and vegetable full!

Smoothie: Ground Flax (Bob's red mill- it's at Trader Joes for about $2-3), organic banana, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, frozen blueberry with protein powder and organic milk.
Veggies: Brussel sprouts steamed with cabbage and a teaspoon or so of goddess dressing and some shredded cheddar. I absolutely devoured this - I don't know why I find it so fantastic but it was gone in about 2 seconds ( okay not really 2 sec. but you get the idea).

We took Lurlota over to Jeff's parents after Jeff's alum basketball team won their first ACC game!

We played Euchre and drank some Chianti. Jeff and I planned on renting a movie and having some wine by ourselves but since we were invited over- we ended up just hanging out at Jeff's parent's house. As you can probably tell, Jeff and his family are very family oriented, it's the most important thing to them which I think is just wonderful. I teamed up with Preston and we won both games!! Woohoo! ( I edited the photo so you could see the wine)

Dinner was a group effort: I put together that salad! Organic mixed greens, english cucumber, green onion, tomato with a little blue cheese. Delish! Jeff did the potatoes- he added sundried tomato and basil dressing after slicing . Jeff's stepdad Preston cooked the potatoes and steaks on the grill and Momma Mo did the mushrooms just perfectly. I normally don't care for potatoes, but these were awesome! Nice work Jeff!

Sunday Morning Breakfast:
Banana's Foster French Toast... the banana... and I sprinkled less than a teaspoon of brown sugar ( there is no more sugar left in this house!)


and just for you SWEETANDFIT , I added a tablespoon of the rum I had on hand....after they had cooked for a 1 minute

So so so divine! In South Africa we had guava fruit, and I have not been able to find it here in the US anywhere. I saw this when we were at the store for something and just had to try it! It is very sweet for a rum but enjoyable. The guava rum definitely added another layer to this dish. The banana's tasted even sweeter but also a slight savory hint from the rum.

I added a glob of (unsweetened) plain nonfat greek yogurt and added some of the bananas foster to it-


That was fantastic as well since the banana's had so much flavor.


Recap

Body:

Circuit Training with Jeff:
We did squat thrusts in between sets of chest fly's, jumping jacks in between sets of leg presses, we did a back exercise that I have never done before-It is the opposite of a push up. You lay on the ground underneath a bar, and keeping your body straight , feet on the floor- you hold the bar and lift yourself up using your back muscles ( your "lats"). It was tough but good! Afterwards, I did 40 minutes on the elliptical.

Yoga:
I did 45 minutes yesterday of a combo of my own practice and my dvd.

I am hoping to get a run in today.

Mind:
Played cards, Euchre!

Read for class next week

Ordered my chef coat for lab ( Jeff helped me find one, how cute!)

Searched for jobs... I found a few natural foods stores that would be fun to work in while in school, I found a few fitness centers that I would also like to work at but I haven't found anyone actually saying they are HIRING!
grr.. I need $$

Soul:
Weekend time with Jeff, and fam, and lots of sleeping in.

Watched Kung Fu Panda- it was interesting. I mean, it was fun to watch but I didn't think it was hilarious.

Guess who ran away again this morning!?!?!!?
Sad face... jack brown pants is just crazy. We gave him a new comforter for his crate and I bought him a new bed that is laying right next to it ( this was about a month or two ago) I have taken him on 1 mile walks several times this past week ( 3 mile walks at my mom's last week!) and I gave him several treats too. I don't know why he runs away when we treat him so well, I feel like a bad puppy parent.
Happy Sunday to all!

Pumpkin French Toast

Pumpkin French Toast ( batter: 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup egg beaters, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, cinnamon. Bread: Light Style Pepperidge Farm, 7 grain. )
with cottage cheese, blueberries fry pan bananas, flaxseed butter.

the plan for today : grocery shopping at Trader Joes, more after-christmas shopping ( the clothes I bought for jeff didn't fit so I returned some yesterday and may exchange some today). I might do a combo of dvd's ( yoga, dance) or do a gym session. We'll see. Happy Tuesday!

Update to Last night* These were our seats at the basketball game!

I was really thirsty! I had half of this guy Jeff bought for me and I stole a couple of his fries too. Only a few fit the craving!

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!

Friday Night - Saturday Recap

I didn't realized how busy we would be yesterday! I will begin where I left off at post-dessert friday night:

Hanz, Tim, Me, Brit, Jeff and Birthday Boy Nick. Not pictured were my drinks, I had a birthday shot with Nick and a rum and diet coke.
Everyone wanted to get food after so we all headed to Armadillo Grill... I had that chicken soft taco and a few chips.

Saturday Morning Breakfast:

I should re-name my blog to "Banana's in A Frying Pan" because they taste THAT good- just like Banana's Foster banana's

Egg White French Toast-
Cottage Cheese
Peanut Butter
1/2 Grapefruit

Disney On Ice:
Hey Gliding Calm: would you ever do something like Disney on Ice? That would be cool to travel and wear those costumes!! I was thinking about you skating during the show!

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy

Under The Sea with Little Mermaid

Lion King

Tinkerbell

I was starving so I was pretty happy when we went to Panera Bread after this.

Lunch:

Chicken Noodle Soup, Hunk of Baguette, Half a Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
This was one of the best lunches ever. I loved the warm soup on a chilly winter day and the salad had Fuji Apples, Pecans, Blue Cheese, Chicken, Red Onions and Tomatoes- Delicious! We went right to Truck Shopping after lunch since Jeff will need to buy a vehicle, the accident totalled his truck. So we test drove this GMC Canyon, Jeff didn't like it though

Then it was right to Jeff's mom and stepdads for cards, visiting with his cousin Kristen and their G-Mammy. I had this Cranberry Sam Adam's.

It was decent, I mean I liked it enough to drink the whole one. I wouldn't go for a number two or have it again probably. I like to try things though, for the sake of trying them!

Then I decided to take the night off from blog-picturing. I was having more fun visiting with Kristen, her hubby Bruno, Jeff's parents and Gmammy- We played cards and drank wine and I just felt like I had been taking pictures all day ( I did really- of the kiddos, cars etc.). Dinner was steak, mushrooms, potatoes and onions, bread with olive oil & herb dip, and Caesar Salad ( from scratch- its a frequent favorite there).

Body:
Lots of walking to/from Disney On Ice, around the arena looking at "The Princess Show" , then walking around several Auto-dealerships ( GMC, Dodge, Hummer/Cadillac, Chevrolet) . My knee is still acting up and my toes are still sore.

Mind:
I did alot of thinking/pondering over deals for Jeff's truck-to-be... he was telling me about the differences between full-size, small, mid-size, 4 x 4, etc. I think we are going again Sunday to some other places.

Soul:
Disney on Ice was fun, for the kiddos ( Jeff's neice and nephew). Hearing them laugh was the best part. I didn't think it was an over-the-top performance but it was fantastic to see the kiddos, and Jeff's sisters and brother-in-law.

I can't wait to see what Jeff's new truck will be- we both know it will be 4x4 so we can drive an 1.5 hr to the beach and camp-out for the night. Falling asleep to the waves crashing is awesome!

I love Jeff's cousin Kristen- she is just SUCH a nice, sweet, funny person! She very much is like a female-version of Jeff. And Bruno is fantastic also- I am so happy for them. Jeff and I won the first round of Euchre but his Gmammy and Bruno beat us the other two rounds. Oh well...

We get to go back to Momma Mo's and Preston's on Tuesday for Tree Trimming Night...She is making Pasta Figole soup ( I cannot wait! Yum!)

Sunday!

The two men in my life sure are adorabley mushy with each other aren't they ?

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast For Two ( take 4)
I used real eggs this time- 1 whole egg, 3 egg whites, 1/4 cup milk... whisked until super frothy. Slightly toasted bread, dipped then put into a hot pan, sprinkled with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.. Delicious! ... Then I scrambled the eggs in another pan.. Took out the french toast, sliced banana into the pan... turned off the heat and flipped em after a few seconds ( based on smell)

Yum- Jeff officially loved it!

So I didn't exactly have lunch because I woke up at 10, went to the gym, came back and then made "brunch". Worked with Jacob 1-4, then got home and had a slice of cranberry mango bread with peanut butter as a hefty snack.

Body:
Bike 10 miles at the gym 23 minutes
Yardwork mowed the lawn and trimmed all the hedges ( my arms and hands are so sore from that! ) It took me a good hour+.
Walk w. Jeff and Jack 30 minutes

Yoga 30 minutes

Mind:
Read some of Jacob's programming etc. for work during the week.
Suduko!

Soul:
Yoga and walking with Jeff was definately the highlight! I collected pinecones with Jacob and painted with them, and played with fake food-
Desperate housewives now!!

Dinner:
So... I started out making "Taco Salads" ground turkey meat, with black beans, onion, tomato, red pepper, green pepper with taco seasoning in pan.
I burnt the first tortilla and nearly started a fire, so I went in to get more and the lettuce- well i found the lettuce going bad and another bag of cut up sweet potato fries that needed to be cooked by today! So.... I threw the fries in the oven instead of the tortilla... Well then I thought I would make "chili cheese fries" only like "taco salad sweet potato fries"...

So I layered the fries with the cheddar, the meat and veggie and beans and then added extra salad stuff around it. Plus a big scoop of non fat greek plain yogurt (TJ)!
YUMMM!!! with extra hot sauce and some lentils too.
SO FULL!

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast Day 3

1/2 cup egg beaters
2 Tb milk
whisk until frothy

One slightly toasted piece of bread ( arnold bread is big! 100 cal/slice!) , toasted while I whisked and heated up my pan.

I dunked the toast in the egg mix, and dropped it into the pan on med heat. Immediately sprinkled with Pumpkin Pie Spice.

As it cooked I took frozen blueberries, strawberries and some mango and thawed it in the microwave (half cup total)

Then:
-Flipped the french toast
-Sliced banana into the other empty part of the pan

-Took out the french toast- Added greek yogurt as its stuffing ( about 1/2 cup)
-Layered the banana on top
-Drop the rest of the eggs into the pan
I used the yogurt as a barrier for the syrup but didnt work that well on my smaller plate!

YUM!

Todays was better than Day 1. I actually really liked the pumpkinny eggs today ( from the leftover spice residue in the pan)... they werent "sweet" but they had this sweet spice to them that reminded me of like a custard or something...

Gym or Run... not sure which yet ( friday has been a fantastic running day the past two weeks+)

Read over yogurt research, research more for native american health disparities ( I am actually going to be doing an article on Childhood Obesity among Native American children )
Read over notes from last week's Advanced Nutrient Metabolism Class...
Finish Organic Inc Chp. 6 ( my chapter for presentation)

Yoga fo sho! Namaste

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast

it was just too good yesterday to not make again and I still have all the ingredients!

The tough part : It is always better the first time around! I think today i "tried to hard" . That tells you how I cook- I barely ever do "recipes" . I do follow them if I am making a specific thing from a recipe but for me, when I want to make something fun/new/healthier etc. I just throw in what I think would work (hence the Laural-Mo Creation Friday Dinners). I don't think its ever come out bad because of it but sometimes I try to remake it with a specific recipe and it comes out different.

So I made tiny changes too- Yesterday, I added pumpkin spice to the egg mix- The toast tasted PHENOMNEAL! The leftover eggs were, hmm- just like pumpkinny eggs... quite yummy actually i would eat them again that way. However, today i tried adding the spice after the bread was dipped and in the pan. The toast came out yummy and the eggs tasted more egg-like. I did not add extra fruit, and I used much less "stuffing" yogurt since I had an extra entire piece of bread. I can't rave enough about a sliced banana in a frying pan, when it caramelizes on its side- SO GOOD!

There is little pb smear too. Comparing today and yesterdays, yesterdays totally wins because ::
1. the blueberries and strawberries melted juice added another "level" like a syrup would

2. i used the but of the loaf and one slice, so less bread was better for my tastes
3. i love protein, so more yogurt instead of bread fills me up better and makes me feel better than say more bread would...

So much reflection on a delicious meal!
Today's plan:

Body:
I plan on going to the gym in about an hour-
Strength: Abs, BBQ (back, biceps, quads)
Cardio: Bike/Elliptical

Mind:
Class: My article for presentation is due and I found one that might work yesterday- I am going to email the prof. soon to check. I wanted to examine reservation environment effect on Native American health but can't find ANY articles close to that. So I found one on Vitamin D deficiency in Native American populations contributing to diabetes development....

Soul:
not sure yet! I did not make the returns i wanted to yesterday because I wanted to read more for class so i will probably do those returns today...

Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast

OMG!
This was freaking delicious! I have been meaning to make french toast but finally bought bread and bananas yesterday afternoon.. So.... I figured I would make a healthy version of Stuffed French Toast with Banana's Foster inside.... YUMMMMMMMMMY

I took the Better n Eggs (I got this bogo- otherwise I would use two egg whites)and added about a Tb Milk into the bowl, then cinnamon, and Beat with a whisk until super frothy.
Into that, I dunked two pieces of (barely toasted so its stiff) bread
Put it into the pan that was heated on medium heat... I sliced the banana into the pan after the bread needed flipped... Then I flipped the bread and sprinkled everything with a tiny teaspoon of brown sugar (prob 1/2 tsp). When the bread was browned and crispy I set it on the plate, Then flipped the bananas in the pan.. I spread a mix of Cabot Cottage Cheese and TJ Greek 0% Yogurt (I mixed it while the bread was cooking)... Then put the banana slices on top/in between..

On the side I cooked the remainder of the eggs, with the last of some blueberries and a strawberry.

SOOOOOO GOOOD!!!

I love bananas in a frying pan

And I used no oil or spray or butter- just put everythin as is into the nonstick!

Ingredients:
1 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg beaters
1 T milk
2 slices slightly toasted bread
banana
dash of brown sugar

Stuffing:
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup greek yogurt



Today's To Do List:
Body:
Rest my legs ( but probably will do yoga and some strength)

Mind:
Read Organic Inc
Class- Midterm!!!!!

Soul:
Nikki B ( best friend in college) sent me a "wake up" text-- made me laugh- Who doesnt start the day off well when you laugh as soon as you wake up!?!?!
Call about start date with jacob's program director
Return ties I bought for Jeff for the wedding