With thoughts elsewhere...

Morning everyone.  I have to start this blog post by sending out my thoughts & prayers to the city of Boston and all of those affected in yesterdays events.  These news stories are becoming far too common & need to end NOW.  I pray for peace to those families & throughout this world.

Boston 2010

And even though it seems silly at the moment, here is my Monday recap:

9:00am:  Coffee with creamer

10:30am:  Breakfast- Almond Joy Oatmeal 

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1 banana
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons mini chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon slivered almonds

1:00pm:  Lunch- "Spinach Pizza"

Speaking of spinach, I must admit I tried my 'spinach nachos' with spinach rather than arugula last Thursday, and I have to say I didn't enjoy them as much.  The spinach got flimsy, meanwhile the arugula was more sturdy & stood up better to the microwaving.  Just an FYI.  Spinach, however, is great here where it needs to be sauteed.

3:30pm:  Snack- Fiber 1 Coconut Almond Protein bar

5:30pm:  Dinner- Spring Salad with Walnut crusted goat cheese

One of my VERY favorite salads.  This one just FELT GOOD to eat.

• Salad mix
• Halved green grapes
• Craisins
• Goat cheese slices coated in toasted walnuts

Accented by this VERY FRESH dressing... 

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt
• 5-6 diced basil leaves
• 2 diced scallions

Sooooooooooo good!  Light, healthy & fresh with a tangy crunch from the walnut goat cheese & the FRESH dressing with that beautiful basil.  I can't say it enough:  SOOOOOOOOOO VERY GOOD!

6:30-7:50pm:  Beginners Power Yoga

Tonight's class was a little tougher than usual...and I'm not sure if it was because we did a few more power moves than usual on Monday OR that by noon yesterday, I thought I was getting the flu as my whole body began to ACHE from head to toe.  Only to remember my return to boxing class the day before.  Even now, my shoulders still feel super tense.  I guess SOMETHIN workedJ

Have a good Tuesday.

Back in the swing & the ring...

Hi everyone!  Sorry I've been MIA for a few days.  Katie had been under the weather towards the end of  last week and apparently she had no interest in me blogging and NOT watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her.  The nerveJ  So I'm back today with a quick recap of my weekend!

Saturday night was spent at the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo De Chao in Philadelphia to celebrate our friend's birthday.  Have you guys ever been to one of these things??  HOLY MEAT!

You start off with their extensive salad bar (a bowl of roasted garlic, anyone?) before you flip the coasters on your table from red to GREEN and that signals the chefs to stop at your table with meat, meat & more meat.  Filet mignon, rib eye, lamb, sausage, flank steak...your head was just SPINNING from all the options.

And EVERY piece we tried was sooooooo good...but let's not even start about our love affair with the man bringing around the bacon-wrapped filet mignon & chicken.  It was...WOW.

Besides the fabulous meal, the staff at Fogo was INCREDIBLE!  Before you could even THINK about something you needed, they were there with drink refills, new plates and of course MORE MEAT.  An excellent, excellent dinner and definitely a great dining experience!  (ps-those last 2 pics were actually from when we visited similar "Chima" a few years ago...hence why my blonde friend has on 2 different shirtsJ)

Yesterday, however, was a bit of a lighter day....but with still a few Sunday treats thrown inJ

9:00am:  Breakfast:   Pumpkin scones & coffee

1:30pm:  Lunch:  Green Monster

Oh, it has been so VERY long since I've had one of these and this one was DYNAMITE!!

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon coconut butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 cup almond milk
• 3 handfuls spinach

WOW...SOOOO GOOD!  And it was the perfect thing to have after.....drumroll.................

MY RETURN TO BOXING CLASS YESTERDAY!!

I had been waiting WAY too long thinking my stamina wasn't going to be up to par to get 'back in the ring', but I held on JUST FINE!  Even with 3 minute power rounds at the end of class...PHEW!  Exhausting.  The only trouble?  I couldn't find my old hand wraps before running out for class and after a few round with JUST the gloves, I remembered why the wraps were so important... 

Oh well, my knuckles will heal before I head to class next Sunday...WITH wraps in hand, mind youJ

After lunch, we gave Katie & Penny some fresh air and headed to the park.  I may not love spring, but I do LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE the beautiful blooms on the trees.  I wish they stayed like that straight through to foilage seasonJ

4:15pm:  Snack- Low fat cheese stick

6:00pm:  Dinner- Arroz con Pollo 

And despite the fact that I was REALLY hoping for a vegetarian dinner last night, we happened to have the ingredients for this dish on hand AND I had been wishing for it for a couple week.

Pulled chicken nestled in a spicy, savory tomato sauce served over a bed of carrot & pea studded brown rice....super quick to throw together in the slow cooker & then dinner was ready in no time!

7:30pm:  Dessert- Banoffee "pie"

I always love a homemade & unique dessert on Sunday night...despite the fact that I usually remember this tidbit of info around 7:28pm Sunday night when we're settling in to relax & watch our 'night show.'  ("Ridiculousness" is our favorite lately!)  But after boxing and walking yesterday, I scurried right into the kitchen to whip up this no-bake English dessert... 

Graham cracker crust, a layer of homemade toffee, homemade whipped cream mixed with bananas and topped with MORE toffee "sauce," this dessert puts the D in DECADENT!  And because I like to try things, but not have TOO much laying around, lately I've been halving or even quartering recipes to help eliminate an abundance of leftovers.  Which is why I made our portions in a few small ramekins rather than a whole large pie, so we can have our share without overindulging and then come next Sunday I can try out something new.   (How else am I going to get through my whole DESSERT board on Pinterest??J hahahhaahhahaha)

Well, that wraps up my weekend.  Hope you guys had just as much fun!  I CAN NOT believe Farmer's Market weekends are starting up again in a couple of weeks, and that is ONE THING I do look forward to in the spring/summer:  CHEAP & DELICIOUS PRODUCEJ hahahahhaa

Have a good Monday!J

Black Bean burgers...and BOKWA...

Tuesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

10:00am: Breakfast- Vitatop

I used to eat these for breakfast EVERY MORNING for YEARS.  I liked em so much (and they kept me so full) that I never got tired of them.  And for 100 calories, who could beat that?  But being home, for whatever reason, these do not keep me full AT ALL anymore.  By lunch (even with a snack of fruit), I'm PAST hungry and ready to eat everything in the kitchen.  But since I knew we were having a 'bigger lunch' yesterday, I thought I'd give one a whirl again...but like clockwork, by 11:51, I was ready to rip someone's head offJ  So it was a good thing, lunch was quick & hearty....

12:30pm:  "Lunch"- Black bean burgers with sweet potato puffs

Since Scott was home yesterday and I had to go out at night, we figured we'd whip up our dinner for lunch to keep us full for nearly the rest of the day.

These burgers started by whirling up:

• 1/2 can of black beans, drained & rinse
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 onion
• 3 garlic cloves

(This is where Katie's baby bullet still comes in handy...thanks, Laurie!J)

Mix up the blended ingredients with:

• Remaining black beans
• 3/4 cup corn 
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup panko
• 1 egg white

Form into patties (mixture will be sticky) and place on a WELL-GREASED griddle or grill pan.  About 6-7 minutes and I happily lifted the lid of the grill to find fully cooked & STILL fully FORMED burgersJ

Topped them with a little extra "salsa"...in our case, this Red Pepper & Goat Cheese dip I had gotten from Whole Foods last week... 

Protein-packed & super filing, these guys were easy on the wallet, quick to make and super delicious.  Three reasons right there why adding a meat-free (or a few!) nights to your week is worth it. 

OK, OK....but I must admit our favorite part of this meal were the TOTS!  I found this sweet potato variety ALSO at Whole Foods...

...and baked them for AWHILE.  Long enough to get them crunchy & caramelized on top.  Oh man, they were heavenly!!  (about 45 minutesJ)

Even Katie got a little plate of her own of our delicious meal...

Which she DEVOURED...all while honing her fine dining skillsJ  Guess it's time to purchase some baby forks, huh?? 

After lunch, we gathered up Penny and headed out to the park to enjoy the sunshine...

...even if it was WAY hotter than I thought!  I was layering up Katie in tights & a sweater and was about to get a blanket for her...until I walked outside and realized my long pants were overdressed!  Ummm...can we start with mid-70's before we jump into the HIGH 80's, Mother Nature???

After the walk, I hightailed it over to the gym to try out a new (to me) class...

Image Source

Unlike classes like Zumba & Body Jam that use counting to dance, the choreography for Bokwa (yes, Scott made me pronounce it 3 times before he got it tooJ) is actually based on the alphabet and you do all of the moves shaped like letters.  Apparently it's just coming to the USA after sweeping Europe, Asia and Australia.  Who know?  It was fun, but maybe a little too much repetition for me .  I like lots of combos & choreography, thanks to my old dancing school daysJ

5:30pm:  Dinner- Apple with Peanut Butter

I slammed that apple & pb down my throat since I had to hurry up & get ready for...

OK, so I've never actually seen Theresa's show (although I'm gonna start!), but I LOVE all things 'paranormal' and have my own fair share of 'odd coincidences' regularly (shadows out of the corner of my eye, 'lost & returned' objects, TV's turning on by themselves, etc.)...so I was intrigued once my cousin wanted to round up a group to go and see her.  Am I soooooooooooo glad I did.  She was PHENOMENAL!  I don't know how you could be skeptical after seeing her show.  But HOLY TEARS!  I spent most of the night bawling as she talked to people with whom she was connecting with their deceased loved ones.  It was sooooo emotional.  You can only hope it helped those people find some peace.  All I know was I had to come home & watch "Dance Moms" before bed so I could 'detox!'J  Very overwhelming and she's a super entertaining character!

Alright...well, I'm gonna jet outta here before Katie wakes up from her napJ  Have a great Wednesday! 

Light & Healthy...and then not:)

Morning everyone!  Well, this weekend was a photo-less WHIRLWIND!  It started with a double whammy of Body Jam class AND CRAZY INTENSE Power Yoga, followed by a wedding Saturday night, fast forward to a Christening Sunday afternoon and a birthday celebration Sunday night.  PHEW!  It was a very full & festive 48 hours, to say the leastJ  I tried to eat as many LITTLE bites as possible & enjoy without overdoing it, and I think I succeeded since I didn't feel gross & full on Monday morning (unlike LAST "2 Easter dinners" weekendJ)  But like usual, it was back to normal come Monday AM!

Monday Recap:

8:00am:  Hot Lemon Water

9:00am:  Breakfast- Bethenny's Brown Rice Breakfast

I don't make this that often since I don't find it nearly as filling as oatmeal, but it was a nice change-up (and a good use for leftover brown rice if you have some in your fridge.)  I added a pinch of cornstarch to thicken up the milk and make it very rice pudding-y...and rice pudding for breakfast?  Sounds OK to me.

1:00pm:  Lunch- Turkey tenders with 2 laughing cow cheeses

3:30pm:  Snack- Apple (no picture)

5:30pm:  Dinner- Grilled Chicken & Kale Salad 

I thought yesterday was one of those "pretty cutting board" days ...

...with LOTS of colors everywhere! 

And I DO mean EVERYwhereJ 

HOURS later I found myself STILL thinking about how great this salad was! 

In the mix:

• Diced & massaged Kale, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt & grated cheese
• diced green onions
• Grilled chicken coated in Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1/4 diced app
• Shredded carrots
• Diced roasted red peppers

The spicy chicken mixed with the coooooool & crisp apples & kale, topped with the BRIGHT and tasty lemon juice dressing was SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!  And with the temperatures starting to creep up, it DEFINITELY is a great time to give meals like this a whirl.  Light & delicious.

6:30-7:50:  Beginners Power Yoga class

8:30pm:  Dessert-  Reeses Peanut Butter Cake

And speaking of the antithesis of the a fore mentioned light & healthy...but nothing short of absolutely delicious, I ended the night with a slice of the cake I made for my sister-in-law's birthday on Sunday...

(my slice was about 1/3 of that piece!)  If you're a Reeses fan, or know someone who is, make this cake YESTERDAY.  It was decadent & heavenly to the last drop of peanut butter icingJ

Alright, well that wraps up yesterday.  I'm trying out a new recipe, trying out a new gym class AND have a fun event to go to tonight.  So I'll have lots to share tomorrow!  Stay tuned & have a good TuesdayJ