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!

Foodie

My friday started out with a smoothie and steel cut oats and half a banana and pb.

To save some time since we have a busy saturday of just "saturday stuff"- I am just going to highlight a few things...

I had Steamed Brussel Sprouts with green cabbage and some goddess dressing- Let me say, this was SO delicious! I actually had another bowl of this with some cheese on top!


I made another version of blondies based off on Veggie Girl's Fig Almond Blondies and also inspired by my not so greatest -latest version of Bourbon Blondies.

This batch came out very very tasty and very cake like. Here is the recipe I used:

** Adapted from Veggie Girl's Fig-Almond Blondies ( click to get her recipe)

(** which she had brilliantly adapted from the Raspberry-Almond Blondies recipe from Martha Stewart's cooking website**)

• 6 ounces nonfat greek yogurt (I used Trader Joes)
• 1/4 cup Smart Balance Oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup ( I don't have molasses but it is in the brown sugar so I decreased the maple)
• 1.5 cups flour (I used Organic Whole Grain All Purpose Flour)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup almonds, finely-sliced
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • Milk of choice, added to the batter as needed
  
  Get-It-Made:
  
  Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly coat an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  
  In a large bowl, add in the yogurt, oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and syrup. Mix well.
  
  In the same bowl, add in the flour, baking soda, sliced/slivered almonds, chocolate chips, and oats. As the mixture starts to thicken up/combine, add as much of the milk as you need (I used less than 1/4 cup) so that the batter is mixable.
  
  Pour mixture into the pan ( I used an 8 x 8 , coated generously with nonstick cooking spray).
  
  Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the blondies comes out clean.
  
  The result:
  

I really liked this version but they did remind me more of coffee-cake. Still fabulously delicious, and yummy, but worth more experimenting to get to more of a blondie-texture....


Saturday Morning Breakfast:
Banana's Foster French Toast!

I had a comment ( Thanks Dori!) about this when I made it quite some time ago, you can check it out here at Banana's Foster Stuffed French Toast , so I remembered how good that was, and definitely was inspired to make it this morning.

Two slices with leftover egg mix scrambled. The "stuffing" is just a little Cabot Cottage cheese and cinnamon and bananas.

For "Banana's Foster" or also on here I refer to them as "fry pan bananas": I slice up the banana into a pan heated to medium. That is it- flip em after about 2 minutes. If the bananas are ripe enough ( not green at all, some brown spots)- Their sugars are more readily available. Thus, when you slice it into the pan- those sugars caramelize on the sides of the banana. You could of course add brown sugar and some rum to do a true "banana's foster". I prefer without because you get all that flavor and sweetness in a little bit healthier way.



Off to enjoy the weekend- Hope everyone has a great weekend and STAYS WARM!! It is 24* here! brrrr, but much better than -10 !

Happy Friday, Happy Friday, Happy Friday!

My -my! You readers have been giving me such great comments to respond to! I didn't want to limit my response in the comment section so I decided to just post!

Re: Heather of HangryPants
What is your school's gym like?

I wanted to mention that I already belong to a "private" gym because it is super cheap and has a huge resistance section & huge cardio section. They do not offer anything else really, so hence my search for a new gym! I do not mention my school gym because my school gym pretty much sucks. It's not awful but it has 2 elliptical machines, 1 treadmill, 2 stat bikes. The weight section is decent as are the resistance machines, but you have to sign up for a course, watch a video and take a quiz in order to use it. Isn't that awful? It is about the size of, if not smaller than, a small Starbucks. Oh and it has the STRANGEST hours! I can't even remember but one day it closes at 5, another it doesn't close until 9, some nights 7... in the mornings each day is different like 7-10 , 8-11, 9-10:30 . Then, it closes during lunch hours, re-opens for say 1-2 or 1-4 or something odd. It is just way to hard to keep track of.

My initial thought was that they didn't have enough students to work-study at the check in desk. So I emailed the powers that be and offered to work any or all hours they needed to keep it open. They said it wasn't the problem but that so many classes come in and out to use it for class. I was enraged by the un-fairness of having a sucky gym to begin with (at a school that is big on degrees in nutrition and physical fitness nonetheless) AND expecting all other students to adjust to an insane schedule. I have written a couple emails and apparently they are now working on re-modeling and adding another separate gym for students.


Re Food Guide Pyramids from class:
Unfortunately, the class will NOT dive into international food pyramids. Our professor is from Tawaiian, she mentioned other pyramids in class yesterday but I guess it was just a tease...

The course objectives:

• Practice Sanitation and safety principles in food preparation
• identify principles of food purchasing, handling and product selection
• predict scientific principles of food preparation methods
• practice accurate measuring with a variety of food compositions
• describe typical portions and predict probably cause of failures to acheive desired results
• Create palatable and attractive foods with optimal nutritional value
• Demonstrate Appropriate use and care of large and small kitchen equipment
• Determine recipe principles

( Re: Lara ) So its mostly a "cooking principles" lab plus basic class. This Food Principles class is a required, core course for an undergraduate degree in nutrition OR for the Dietetic Internship program required to obtain your Registered Dietician (R.D) licensure. Also required is a Human Nutrition course, which I took my freshman year at Penn State University, among several others. I mention these two because they are available at most schools that offer nutrition courses for anyone interested in pursuing this area more. Our book is a fantastic basic book for "Understanding Food" as it is titled. Unfortunately, it is expensive. My used copy was $137. However, if you are really interested in having a good reference it would be well worth it. The chapters are each about properties, common cooking methods, principles of each food type... i.e Chapter 3 is Meat

• Chp. 4 Poultry
• Chp. 7 Cheese
• Chp 9 Vegetables and Fruits
• Chp. 13 Quick Breads
• Chp 14 Yeast Breads
• Chp 17 Pastry
  

It goes more in depth than say, a good cookbook, about principles, chemical properties of the food and how they are a part of diet & nutrition.

Here are some interesting things from the first chapter:

Functional Food: A food or beverage that imparts a physiological benefit that enhances overall health, helps prevent or treat a disease or condition, or improves physical/mental performance.

Nutraceutical ( I knew I was spelling it wrong!) My class on Wednesdays is Vitamins, Minerals and Nutraceuticals! This definition, however, is from my Principles of Foods class text on tuesdays and thursdays.

- A bioactive compound (nutrients and non-nutrients) that has health benefits.
- I will be learning more about these so stay tuned! That definition is not very interesting!

"Food groups" were designed to visually illustrate the dietary recommendations ( for more check out www.mypyramid.gov or www.eatright.org, )
Food groups for the U.S Food Pyramid include

• fruits
• vegetables
• grains
• meat and legumes
• milk
• oils
• and there is a section (not a group) for discretionary calorie allowance

Here is a chart that I thought was a fairly easy way to understand/portion your diet to getting in the recommended food groups.

Desired Daily Calorie Range:	1600 kcal	1800 kcal
Fruits	1 1/2 cup	1 1/2 cup
Vegetables	2 cups	2 1/2 cups
Grains	5 oz.	6 oz.
Meat and Legumes	5 oz.	5 oz.
Milk	3 cups	3 cups
Oils	5 tsp	5 tsp
Discretionary Calorie Allowance	132 cal	195 cal
Repeated for Higher Calories:	2000 kcal	2600 kcal
Fruits	2 cups	2 cups
Vegetables	2 1/2 cups	3 1/2 cups
Grains	6 oz.	9 oz.
Meat and Legumes	5 1/2 oz.	6 1/2 oz
Milk	3 cups	3 cups
Oils	6 tsp	7 tsp
Discretionary Calorie Allowance	267 cal	410 cal

Hope this was interesting! That is my "Mind" section for the day!

Body:
I didn't realize that I didn't have a rest day this week, although I had "planned" for one on Tuesday. I may do some light yoga or some Dancing with The Stars Cardo DVD but we will see.

In general, my body feels ready for a workout but my mind feels sleepy a bit. The right side of my back is a little tender today, I believe from walking Jack Brown Pants and him pulling a ton and from the class yesterday- we all of a sudden started swinging are arms to the music-

I am so pumped about that gym yesterday, I really want to go back. My concern is that it is 4 x the cost of my current gym! As it rightfully should be for all the wonderful things it offers, but I don't know if I could swing that cost being in grad school and not having a "real" job (yet!). It is also difficult since I am capable of running outside (cost = $0) and doing home workouts (cost=$0). We will see...

Wednesday-Wednesday Running Mileage: 18 , Highlight of the Week: running a 6:30 mile, Running several miles at or under 7 minutes!

Mind:
See above!

Soul:
I am dropping off an application today and I hope I can find just a part time anything that would be enjoyable enough so that I can have some $$ in my bank account!

It's Friday!! Jeff time, Friend time, Lurlota time

Has anyone seen the Miracle on The Hudson news? Oh my gosh, I ate breakfast this morning and teared up! I cried out of pure joy that everyone made it out alive. That is probably one of my worst fears whenever I fly anywhere. Thank goodness, Thanks to the pilot and Thanks to God* ( or whichever Spirit or Faith you believe in).

...it comes in three's ?

Body:

2 mile walk with Jack... very chilllly and very poopy

Missy Mo's Gym... "Cardio Sculpt Class"
- It was so great of Melissa to let me use her guest pass, I thought the first half of the class was fantastic! I really got sweaty, could feel my heart pumping and it is SO hard for a class to make me do that.

-The second half was all about using weights and "strength" exercises. I really didn't like that part at all because it was like 50 reps of shoulder raises... well my shoulder was hurting after 20 and literally went to muscle failure. That is great, but I kept needed to rest for just a second because I literally couldn't lift my arm (muscles failed!). And then, I stopped sweating because my muscles hurt and I began slipping on my form while still trying to go. It was like that for legs and triceps and quads. I didn't feel like I got a great strength training workout because we were doing so many reps. And, I didn't feel like I was getting any bit of a good cardio workout because we were just raising our arm up and down or our leg up and down.

- Despite ALL of that evaluation of the class details, I had a BLAST with Melissa! This gym has sooooo many things- we left the class and there was a spinning class finishing and getting ready to start! They have yoga, pilates, and all kinds of others. A track, A pool, oh my.

- I felt like I was in heaven.


Mind:
Class today was Principles of Food- We had to read the first chapter of our text, Understanding Food, and we watched a video "food and culture". The first chapter is very basic- what is involved in food selection and the food pyramids.

The food and culture film focused on a few specific ethnic groups that have specific food customs related to their history. The Makah Indians live in Washington state right at the bay of the pacific ocean. Historically, they survived on whale. They would go "whaling" and one killer whale would be able to feed their entire village because they used so much of that one animal. They also had traditional methods of preparing to go whaling and really felt as though it was a well-earned sacrifice. The Makah gave up 90% of their land in order to have a treaty with the US government allowing them to whale. When whales were endagered because of other whalers that were in it for the glory- their treaty essentially became null and they were not allowed to hunt it anymore.
This ban was lifted for the Makah in 1999 ( I believe, or 1990 it flashed in the movie quickly) they were allowed to whale hunt again, however in 2000 they were stopped again. The government needed to conduct more research.

It was very sad to watch them actually harpoon a whale, but at the same time, they were very honorable to that one life that would provide so much food and happiness to an entire village of people. It is hard to imagine people being upset about that one whale doing so much good but NOT care about how we kill millions of cows and caged chickens in this country every day and much of them go to waste. Anyone else's thoughts?

I am hoping to post tomorrow some info about dietary guidelines, food pyramids and portions. I have to order a lab/chef coat too.

Soul:

Is anyone else getting "over" Grey's Anatomy?

Don't get me wrong, I am happy it is on this evening and will watch it of course. However, it just doesn't seem to be quite as crazy, great, funny, and sexy as it first did.

I really do feel quite at home when I am in a gym like Melissa's today. I just love fitness and exercise and especially seeing others pumped up to do the same.
No class tomorrow! woohoo...

It come's in 3's... okay #1 Jeff's car was t-boned and totalled... #2 the other day- someone backed up into Melissa's van (his sister)- AND... #3 I found out today that Jeff's brother-in-law, melissa's husband was stopped at a light and the guy driving behind him wasn't paying attention, never stopped and slammed right into the back of him!?! The kiddos were in the vehicle but luckily- EVERYONE is alright thank goodness. Geez...

It's almost friday people! Any weekend plans?

Evening and Afternoon Update!

* I forgot to put up my dinner! I steamed asparagus and brussel sprouts...

Then added a piece of lasagna on top

 


I am heading to Jeff's sister's- Missy Mo's gym shortly. She is letting me use a guest pass to see if I enjoy this gym, isn't that sweet !?!
When I got back from class and before I took Jack for a walk, I had an afternoon Snack:
Greek Nonfat Blueberry Yogurt and

Chai Bumble Bar ( I had half)

Chai Bumble Bar Review:
I LOVED the smell of this bar!! It smelled exactly like chai! I really enjoyed this one in comparison to the cherry chocolate and I would say it is a tie with the apricot for me- The sesame was not overpowering, and it was sweet but cinnamon like as well. It was just the right amount of crunch and chew and sweetness for me. 

Lunch:
I packed my lunch in my Pink Insulated Lean Cuisine lunch bag- they were specifically designed to support Breast Cancer awareness/research. I order them online every year and they are available in september- october but they go FAST! I remember the first year they came out, I didn't get one because they ran out! this past year I ordered several and gave them as presents - half of their cost is donated to the komen foundation! They cost $9.95 ( well they did...I don't know about upcoming years) and I had free shipping! They have expanded their designs as well! Isn't it darling!?

I had an organic pear and an arnold sandwich thin filled with baby spinach, two slices of turkey and one slice of ham, and a chocolate.


Breakfast:

Smoothie ( vanilla designer whey protein, organic milk, frozen blueberries, 1/2 banana,frozen mango), I had the other half of banana with some peanut butter , some kiwi and pineapple and a piece of newman's own double fiber bread.

I WAS sooooo full.. It took me awhile to actually finish this breakfast.

 

* If you have noticed this yellow dish (and I have an orange one as well), they were christmas presents and are from pottery barn. I really enjoy them because they make my pictures a little more colorful on here, and they work so nicely for Jeff and I. It makes it a better surface to eat on if we eat in the living room.. and it makes it easy to carry everything in there as well. *

Update to Last Night:

I did have dessert! I made a single serving of No Pudge Brownie Mix using nonfat greek yogurt. I added some mini chocolate chips and a little peanut butter too.

What I ate to help me through Day 2...

Breakfast:
I took water and protein powder and quick cook steel cut oats and mixed them all together - microwaved for about 3 minutes? . I added frozen blueberries and cinnamon and peanut butter! We were out of bananas and milk this morning so I knew I had to head to the store!

I wasn't quite sure how well it would turn out because I am not up to speed with cooking properties of protein powder, which is typically not cooked. I do know how it can clump and not work out well- but this was fantastic!

Post Fantastic Run Fuel:
A slice of pizza ( I had made this the other day and gave it to Jeff for lunches etc.) there was this guy left so I had him with a salad: cabbage, baby spinach, arugula, goddess dressing, cabot cottage cheese...

I also sliced up that lovely pineapple with a kiwi. It was incredibly juicy and sweet and tropical. I almost felt like I was in Hawaii or something...


So I ate all of this lunch while I prepared dinner....

Eggplant Bolognese Lasagna!

I cooked 8 lasagna noodles as directed while browning 93% lean ground beef ( and one buffalo chicken sausage I had froze, thawed, and de-cased). When the noodles and meat were done, i put the meat in an empty pot and filled in with a jar of hunts pasta sauce ( garlic and herb) , a jar of TJ Marinara, and a jar of Bolognese sauce...

In the now empty meat pan, I sauteed eggplant slices with a little smart balance oil. I put sauce in the bottom of a 9x13, layered one layer of noodles, sprinkled with a little parm cheese then eggplant slices then covered with a layer of the tomato meat sauce, then sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and globbed with cabot cottage cheese.

I repeated with a layer of noodles and sprinkling of cheese

eggplant slices

tomato meat sauce

mozzarella shredded...

Dinner: 1/12th ! with a little extra sauce!

I am so glad I made the big pot of sauce I did- I love having extra sauce available and now I can use it for pasta later this week OR it freezes so nicely that I can just freeze portions for whenever!

I am in the mood for dessert- especially with the run this morning! I was surprised that although class was longer than expected, I was NOT hungry at all until I got home. I will probably bring a snack on wednesdays from now on though, esp since the class is 3 hours long!

Did you all have a wonderful wednesday?

I definitely feel like I did! Sometimes I get so excited about life in general just thinking about what my future holds ( like an engagement, a wedding, getting my degree, getting my certification, finding a great job, having babies, fixing up my home etc etc ) , even if it may not all happen the way I think or when, it is just uplifting to think about for me.

Day 2 of spring semester is over!

Body:
6 mile run! G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S!
I actually stopped at each mile so that I could remember the times to put on here-
Mile1- 9:03 ( I walked for the first bit to warm up)

Mile2- 7:35 min

Mile3-7:47 min

Mile4-7:01 min

Mile 5-6:31 min

Mile 6- 6:58 min

Total time was for 6 miles was 45 minutes something...

Mind:
Vitamins, Minerals and Nutricuticals Class is 4-7 not 4-6 ... phew.. Oh and get this, it was SO coincidental with today's earlier post- We covered the beginnings of free radicals, essentially the reasons you need Antioxidants!

One that was interesting, a lipid peroxyl radical, attacks healthy unsaturated fats that are in cell membranes. I also learned way more than I realized about just how much we produce free radicals, it was astounding! During lots of aerobic exercise ( like running 6 miles :-( ) .. our bodies take all that extra oxygen available and convert lots to free radicals! The good news, our bodies have nutrient mechanisms set up to fight free radicals! those mechanisms include the electron transport chain- which utilizes oxygen to create water and energy. Most recently discussed are the antioxidants found in foods AND in supplements that can really help stop these guys from damaging our cells, increasing our risk for disease like cancer. I will try to do a lengthier post this week or in one week after we do more on free radicals.

It reminded me of a comment on some blog I read , the commenter said how you should not eat polyunsaturated fat. That is absolutely NOT true- I assume this person either had no clue what they were talking about or maybe they heard some mis-information about those free radicals attacking the polyunsaturated fats BUT it is the free radicals that are the problem! Polyunsaturated Fats have more than two (hence poly) double bonds (unsaturated) in their chain - which means it is bent in structure- which means it does good things in your body because of the bent, flexible structure. Omega 3's, Fish Oils, are only a few polyunsaturated fats that help with inflammation, cell structure and functioning, heart and brain function... Anyway- when we discussed the lipid peroxyl radical it reminded me of that! I don't remember the blog- but I liked the writer!

Soul:
I made a lasagna

I had my school fax the loan people my info so they stop charging me and overdrafting my account!

I made it to Trader Joes for a big ol grocery stop...

Jeff is the sweetest ever! Superboyfriend does it again. The lady booked us a suite in the resort's lodge- but Jeff and I wanted a cabin to ourselves. Well- he arranged it ever so quickly AND he also emailed me a software thing for helping me with finances AND he sent me an email with the subject "heart u" AND we might be going on a ski trip too with all our friends- How wonderful!

back to the grocery store
Photo #1

Cage Free Eggs
Organic 1% Milk
Salad Mix
Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts
Two TJ Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Two Blueberry Greek Yogurts

Photo #2

Bag of Organic D'Anjou Pears (only $3)
Bag of Organic Kiwi (only $2)
Fresh Hawaiian Pineapple
Organic Bananas
Organic Fuji Apple
Frozen pineapple tidbits x2
frozen strawberries
Frozen organic blueberries
frozen mango
Frozen broccoli
Frozen bell pepper
Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Peppercorn
Goddess Dressing
Cabot Cottage Cheese
Two packs of whole wheat pizza dough
Two jars of TJ marinara
Jar of Bolognese Sauce

My total bill was $65 !!! I think I did pretty good because this will last me quite sometime with all the things I have already built up in our pantry etc.!

I intentionally grabbed lots of fresh fruit so that I could take them with me to campus, and lots of frozen fruit for lovely smoothies!