Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pesto, minus the food processor!

Wednesday Recap:
OK...so this day is nearly identical to Tuesday, but I guess that shows all the new stuff really WAS good. huh?J  But this post DEFINITELY ends with a 'hot weather recipe.'  UGH...how gross is it out there, NJ????

8:00am:  Coffee with 1% and agave

9:30am: Flaxseed pancakes
Made with about a teaspoon of agave.  Honestly, I don't even know if that's needed once you put any topping on it.  This one was bursting with cinnamon, which may just make it sweet enough.

10:30-11:45am:  Power yoga
I think I may change the name of this class to 'humid yoga.'  Holy hell, it was HOT!!!!!

12:00pm:  Avocado tuna salad 
Usually yoga holds my hunger at bay for awhile (especially when it's so hot!), but I came home STARVING yesterday.  Thank God this comes together in 0.2 seconds.  And it took a lottttttttttttt of effort & distraction to NOT reach for anything else once the bowl was empty and to give the hunger a minute to wane.

...and distractions only got me this far before I realized my sweet tooth was NEEDING to be satisfied!J
I replaced the Splenda with agave in this mix and while it wasn't AS sweet, it was just sweet enough.  All in all, I guess I used about a tablespoon of agave the entire day which is an added 60 calories.  And from the way I look at it, 60 calories is not the difference between skinny & fat.  Ditch those no-calorie sweeteners, folks!J

5:30pm:  'Deconstructed Pesto' salad!
Full disclosure: I was starving to the point of agitated by 5. (fun for Scott, I knowJ)  I probably could have used another snack in there, but instead I decided to bump dinner up even earlier than usualJ   Besides I was super excited about itJ

Taking a page from how much I liked pesto mixed into my salad LAST week, I decided to 'break down' the ingredients and create a salad with alllll the flavors and without the food processorJ  And given my super agitated state, I'm glad this salad come together super fast!

Ingredient #1:  Grilled chicken coated in Montreal Steak seasoning (thinking I might coat it in crushed GARLIC next timeJ) 

Ingredient #2:  Toasted walnuts (or pine nuts) which I dry roast and toss around a pan over medium low heat until golden brown.  

Ingredient #3:  Chopped fresh basil  (mmmmmm...I just LOVE that smell!) 

Ingredients #4, 5 & 6J :  A quick dressing made of olive oil, salt & a sprinkle of grated cheese 

 Oh yeah...and the lettuce!  Don't forget the lettuceJ
I tossed the lettuce with the dressing ingredients & the basil, topped it with the chicken & walnuts and WALLAH!  How easy is that??
All the taste of pesto rolled into one delicious salad.  The grated cheese is KEY here folks, so don't be skimpy!  It really gave the salad the pesto-flavor PUNCH.  Try this one on one of these gross, hot nights.  It couldn't be simpler and it'll keep the heat OUTTA the kitchen! 

9:00pm:  Hot lemon water
So I've been 'off' of lemon water for a few months because I figured I hadn't really been very 'crave-y (and lemon water always seems to quell cravings) so I didn't need it too much.  But after 3 months of upping my cardio (with the 1-hour boxing & body jam classes) while seeing BARELY any change to the scale, I'm starting to wonder if the lemon water somehow just helps my body kick my metabolism into high-er gear??  All I know is I consistently lost weight from January until March and since March it's been like PULLING TEETH.  I'll keep you up to date on this little experiment, but I know I did have a cup last week and felt much 'skinner' in the morning.  We'll see!!!!!!

Have a good Thursday!J

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