Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Recipe Wednesday - Quinoa Sweet Potato Quesadillas

OK, stay with me on this one. It might sound gross to some of you, but this is actually really, really good! I adapted it from a recipe I found on the website 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet!

Quinoa Sweet Potato Quesadillas

1 sweet potato (about 6 oz)
1/3 cup quinoa (dry)
1/4 of a large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz crushed tomatoes (canned)
1/2 cup black beans (canned)
2T green chilies (diced)
shredded cheddar
salsa
4 small tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray.

2. Peel and cube the sweet potato. Place on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

3. While the potato is baking, place the quinoa and 2/3 cup water in a sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. While those are cooking, place black beans in a bowl and mash with an immersion blender (or put in a food processor). I don't like beans, so I do this to hide them. If you like them, you can skip the mashing step. :)

5. When the sweet potato is done, place pieces in a bowl and mash with the immersion blender until smooth. When the quinoa is done, just set aside for now.

6. In a medium skillet, either spray heavily with nonstick spray, or add a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Add the onions to the pan and let cook for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook 1 minute more.

7. Add the beans, green chilies, and tomatoes. Stir together, then add the quinoa and sweet potato. Stir until blended and then let cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

8. Next preheat a large skillet or a griddle. Spray with nonstick spray.

9. Place 2 tortillas on the griddle. Flip after a few minutes, when they start to puff up.

10. After you flip, place half the sweet potato mixture on each of the tortillas. It's a lot of filling. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of shredded cheese on top.


11. Place the remaining tortillas on top. Using a large turner, carefully flip the quesadillas over to cook the second tortilla.

12. When cooked, cut into quarters and serve with 2 Tablespoons of salsa. YUM!

Sorry for the not-so-great picture!


Assuming this serves 2 (although you probably could use half the filling and serve 4 if you wanted), each one has approximately:

420 calories
25.1g protein
11.7g fat
69.7g carbs
21.4g fiber

Wow, that's a lot of fiber! :) The fiber will depend on your tortillas. I used the small La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortillas. They have 7g of fiber each.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Lost In Twilight

I'd like to say I have a really great Week in Review ready to post, but I don't. Instead, I've been sucked into the Twilight series. (I know, I'm a little late with the Twilight phenomenon. I was late reading the Harry Potter books as well.)

I finished the first book within 24 hours this weekend. If I can finish the second book by dinner tonight, I'll have finished it within 24 hours as well. I'm half way done now... Then I will be back and ready to post all about my week. Unless I can get to a bookstore tonight....I think I'm going to need to buy the third and fourth books as well. LOL

I promise I'll finish soon! Being up late at night isn't good for me. I need my beauty sleep! :)

Be back for Recipe Wednesday (I hope)!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

A Beautiful Morning

This morning's run was fantastic. Not time-wise necessarily, but just in the sense of feeling good and enjoying the run. It's officially autumn here and the leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees. And there is a crispness in the air that's refreshing. While I was running this morning, I listened to this song by Marillion (one of my favorite bands) and it just seemed so appropriate. It's from the album, Afraid of Sunlight. The sun was just starting to rise and it was a beautiful morning (even if it was a bit cloudy). Just as I got home, it started to mist, but it was so fine, that even though I could see it in the air, I couldn't feel it on my skin.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Recipe Wednesday - Peanut Butter Cups!!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe on the Eat Oxygen blog.

If you have not visited Kristin at Eat Oxygen, then get over there and check it out! But be ready to be over there for a loooooooong time. I sat for over an hour one night checking out all of her recipes! :)

The secret to this recipe, I think, is the coconut oil. It gives the peanut butter cup that satisfying "mouth feel" of a rich, peanut butter cup. It's actually pretty filling to just have one!

Peanut Butter Cups

4 Tablespoons whipped butter, preferably unsalted (50 cal per T)
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
3T agave nectar
1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

filling:
1 Tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar

1. Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl. I like to sift it to get all the lumps out.

2. In a small microwave safe bowl, warm the butter slightly, until soft, but not melted (about 20 seconds in the microwave).

3. To the butter, blend in the 1/2T coconut oil, 3T agave nectar, and cocoa powder. Add the vanilla, if using. I accidentally left it out, and they still tasted great.

4. In a separate bowl, blend together the filling ingredients.

5. Line a muffin tin with 4 muffin/cupcake papers.

6. Divide the filling into the 4 cups. Place it in a dollop in the center of the cup.

7. Divide the chocolate mixture over the 4 cups.

8. Freeze for an hour. (Yes, a whole hour!)

9. Remove from the papers and eat! You have to eat them fast, or they melt.


Please only eat one! :)

Each one has approximately:

162 calories
1.5g protein
11.4g fat
15.4g carbs
3.0g fiber


Just as a comparison, according the Reese's website, 1 Reese's Big Cup has:

200 calories
5g protein
12g fat
22g carbs
1g fiber

The nutritional info wasn't available on the website for the smaller pb cup, and I when I looked around online, I couldn't find a consistent answer. (And I don't have one on hand to look at!) :)

Why You're Not Losing Weight

I just wanted to post about this new Precision Nutrition article about Clean Eating Gone Wrong because I am sooooooo guilty. Here is the link to the article: This Meal Plan Could Make You Fat

The article discusses how even though your meal plan looks great on paper, it's all of the little extras throughout the day that we "forget about" that make a difference. I am totally guilty of this.

I often finish my kids' leftovers.
I am guilty of eating things while standing in front of the pantry/kitchen cupboard.
I am guilty of eating ice cream from the carton in front of the refrigerator.
I've been better about hitting the office candy bowl. (Record 33 days so far!)

The article hits on exactly what I am trying to achieve:
"avoiding self-imposed eating restrictions, meal plan rules, and cheat foods"

and
"eating a reasonable amount of quality food each day, forever"


It's a great article to read if you, too, have these same issues. I still like to make a meal plan, because it helps me shop for the week, but I've become much more flexible on what I put on the meal plan. For example, I'll put "fruit" instead of "6oz watermelon". Then I have freedom to choose what fruits look good at the farmer's market. I don't think meal plans are inherently bad, I think being so strict you fall off the wagon is bad. But I really need to curb the extras. Since I am not counting calories now, all those little extras can add up, and if they go unchecked, then I know I won't make any progress. So keep an eye on all your "little extras" (I'll keep an eye on mine) and we'll all be that much closer to our goals! :)

Monday, September 21, 2009

Menu Monday

Here's today's menu:

Post Workout

1 scoop whey
creatine
water

Ingredients:
whey (whey protein isolate, lecithin, natural flavor, whole oat flour, whey protein concentrate, guar gum, cellulose gum, salt, oat fiber, evaporated cane juice powder, honey powder)

creatine monohydrate

Breakfast
Oatmeal with pumpkin, almond milk, milk and egg protein, Stevia, walnuts and cinnamon
water

Ingredients:
oatmeal
pumpkin
cinnamon
walnuts
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)

milk and egg protein (protein blend [calcium caseinate, egg white, whey protein isolate], vitamin and mineral blend [calcium phosphate, magnesium oxide, salt, potassium chloride, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid, ferric orthophosphate, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, copper gluconate, vitamin A palmitate, d-calcium pantothenate, ergocalciferol, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin hydrochloride, riboflavin, biotin, potassium iodide, cyanocobalamin], natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, papain, bromelain, sucralose)

unsweetened vanilla almond milk (purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, D-alpha-tocopherol [natural vitamin E])

Lunch
Chicken Barley Stew, minneola, 2 small plums

Ingredients:
chicken breast
pearled barley
black eyed peas
potatoes
carrots
red onion
garlic powder
sea salt
black pepper
reduced sodium fat free chicken broth (chicken stock, salt, flavoring, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, celery juice concentrate, carrot juice concentrate, onion juice concentrate)

minneola
plums

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
yogurt with whey protein, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, and Stevia
water

Ingredients:
plain nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A nonfat milk, pectin)
strawberries
blueberries
walnuts
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)
whey protein powder (whey protein isolate, salt, lecithin, sucralose, natural and artificial flavor, carbogen, Enzyme Matrix™ [lactase, lipase, bromelain, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, Protease 3.0, peptidase, amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase], aminogen [Patented Bioactive Polypeptide enzyme system])

Dinner
Pork loin with apple butter, broccoli, muskmelon, and fingerling potatoes baked with olive oil and spices

Pork loin* (Solution Ingredients: pork broth, potassium lactate, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cornstarch, sodium phosphates, autolyzed yeast, salt, sodium diacetate)
broccoli
muskmelon
potatoes
olive oil
sea salt
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
black pepper
apple butter (ground apples, white grape concentrate, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, salt)

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

*I rinse the pork loin and remove the visible fat, but I probably don't get all of this solution out of the pork loin, unfortunately. Need to start shopping around for a better pork loin. I don't remember seeing anyone with pork at the farmer's market, but then again, I haven't been looking specifically for pork.

Snack
Homemade peanut butter cup

Ingredients:
Recipe coming this Wednesday, but it's made with 6 ingredients. Four of them are Whole foods, one is On the Fence, and one is Other. Come back Wednesday for the recipe! :)


Whole foods (foods with ONLY 1 ingredient): 32
Other foods (foods with more than 1 ingredient): 5
On the fence foods (natural, but more than 1 ingredient): 9

Percentage of foods this week that are whole/natural foods is 80% on the dot! Whoo-hoo - I made my goal!!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Racing Results - Goal Achieved?

Today was the first of two 5k races I will be running as part of my goals in the TT contest. I woke up this morning, and my quads were sore! I couldn't imagine what from. I did my TT workout on Friday, but with a lower intensity, and I wasn't sore yesterday. So if it was DOMS, they were really delayed!

I warmed up for about 10 minutes and my legs felt like lead. I was a little nervous about the race. I wasn't sure it was going to go well by how my legs were feeling.

The first mile consisted of trying to move up because we were still in a pack. I past the first mile marker at about 9:06, so I knew I was on pace. Then my shoe came untied so I had to stop and tie it! During the second mile, my heart burn started to get bad, and I vowed to take something for reflux before my next 5K race. My pace was still good and I past the second mile marker at about 18:30. The third mile felt better - the heart burn diminished, and my pace was steady, but I was getting doggone tired.

Final results
Time - 28:32
pace - 9:11
place - 231 out of 665
division place - 15 out of 81
gender place - 104 out of 438

And here's an action shot my husband took at the finish line...Yes, I am wearing tiger ears and a tail. It was a run to benefit a zoo!

All in all, I am very happy with the results. I made my goal of a 5K in under 30 minutes!!

Afterward, I splurged at lunch and had one of my favorite kinds of pizza. It's called the Border-to-Border. It's Canadian bacon, pineapple, tomatoes and jalapenos. Yum!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Week In Review And Contest Update

OK, today is the LAST DAY to enter the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest and still have the full 12 weeks to transform. Remember, when you complete the 12 weeks, and submit your before pictures, after pictures and 300 word essay, you get 6 months free to the forums. Everyone who finishes gets that, not just the winners!! See the rules here:

Turbulence Training Contest Rules

You can still enter after today, you just don't get the full 12 weeks.


Week In Review - Week 3

How can it be the end of Week 3 already? This is going by fast!!

Sunday: OFF

Monday: (AM) Running: I warmed up for almost a mile, then ran my fastest 5K ever (28:23)! Cooled down for about 1/2 mile. Total 4.38 miles/42:41; (PM) TT for Athletes, workout A

Tuesday: Had to shorten today's workout because I got to the gym a little late. TT Intervals - warm up, followed by 2 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, repeat for total of 4 intervals (7.5 mph), cool down/2.45 miles/30:00

Wednesday: (AM) Running: 3.03 miles/30:43 followed by TT 6 minute abs; (PM) TT for Athletes, workout B

Thursday: OFF

Friday: TT for Athletes, workout C

Saturday (tomorrow): 1-2 easy miles planned in preparation for my 5K race on Sunday.


Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: I think this week went well!

To NOT use Fitday: Still going well.

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: Week 3 - about 11.86 miles, depending on the total tomorrow (reduced number because of upcoming race, but probably could have been higher).

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: First one up is Sunday! Feeling really good about it!


Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): N/A this week.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: Still doing better. Had quite a bit on Thursday; I need to work on drinking less when I go out to eat. The free refills thing gets to me sometimes.


Overall, I think the week went pretty well. I'll be back to update you after the race - crossing my fingers that there is no puking! :)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Recipe Wednesday - Szechuan Chicken

This recipe is adapted from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Cookbook, but I've adapted it so much, I wonder if Tosca herself would recognize it! :) I usually like my veggies cooked well, so that is why I microwave them for a little bit first; you can skip that step if you don't like your veggies that way.

Szechuan Chicken

6oz chicken breast
1 small zucchini
1 medium carrot
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup broccoli (frozen is fine)
1/4 of a fresh pineapple, cut in bite-sized pieces

For Sauce:
1 teaspoon quinoa flour
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic or rice vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth

Rice:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup chicken broth

1. Place the 1/2 cup brown rice and 1 cup chicken broth in a sauce pan with a lid. Cook according to package directions. Mine takes 30-40 minutes to cook.

2. Cook the chicken breast by your favorite method. I like to use my GF grill and it takes about 6 minutes.

3. While the chicken is cooking, place the zucchini and carrot in a microwave safe dish. Add a tablespoon of water, cover and microwave for about 3-4 minutes.

4. While the zucchini and carrots are cooking, place the frozen broccoli in another microwave safe dish with a little water. When the zucchini and carrots are done, exchange them in the microwave with the broccoli. Cook the broccoli for about 3 minutes.

5. While the broccoli is cooking, slice the zucchini and carrots. When the chicken is done cooking, cut into bite-sized pieces.

6. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

7. While the onions are cooking, prepare the sauce. Place the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add the molasses, then the Worcestershire and vinegar, then the broth. Blend well with a fork.

8. To the skillet, add the zucchini, carrots and broccoli.

9. Stir in the sauce mixture. Bring to a boil and then add the chicken and pineapple.

10. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until everything is heated through. Serve over the brown rice.


Makes 2 servings, each with approximately:

(With Rice:)
424 calories
27.7g protein
10.8g fat
55.0g carbs
6.2g fiber

(Without Rice:)
256 calories
23.2g protein
9.3g fat
20.5g carbs
4.2g fiber

Monday, September 14, 2009

Menu Monday

So what do we all think about Menu Monday? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? It's probably kind of boring to read, I confess. But, it's nice to see how things add up, you know? I think I will give it a couple more weeks...and then might give it a rest. :)

Today's Menu

Post Workout
Whey protein, creatine

Ingredients:
chocolate whey protein (whey protein isolate, salt, carbogen, lecithin, cocoa, natural and artificial flavor, sucralose, Enzyme Matrix™ [lactase, lipase, bromelain, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, Protease 3.0, peptidase, amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase], Aminogen [patented bioactive polypeptide enzyme system])

creatine monohydrate

Breakfast
Ezekiel cereal with pumpkin, almond milk, milk and egg protein, Stevia, and cinnamon

Ingredients:
pumpkin
cinnamon
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)

Ezekiel cereal (organic sprouted whole wheat, organic malted barley, organic golden flax seeds, organic sprouted whole barley, organic sprouted whole millet, organic sprouted whole lentils, organic sprouted whole soybeans, organic sprouted whole spelt, filtered water, sea salt)

milk and egg protein (Protein Blend [Calcium Caseinate, Egg White, Whey Protein Isolate], Vitamin and Mineral Blend [Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid, Ferric Orthophosphate, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Vitamin A Palmitate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Ergocalciferol, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Cyanocobalamin], Natural and Artificial Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Papain, Bromelain, Sucralose)

unsweetened vanilla almond milk (purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, D-alpha-tocopherol [natural vitamin E])

Lunch
Banana taco, salad

Ingredients:
banana
strawberries
peanut butter (peanuts, salt)
whole grain tortilla (whole wheat flour, water, oat fiber, soy bean flour, cold pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil, contains 2% or less of the following: baking powder [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate], sea salt, yeast, xanthan gum, guar gum, citric acid, sorbic acid, calcium propionate [to maintain freshness])

mixed greens (I don't know what kind they are)
spinach
tomato
cucumber
egg
organic french dressing (canola oil, water, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, sugar, sea salt, xanthan gum, garlic powder)

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
yogurt with whey protein, strawberries, walnuts, and Stevia

Ingredients:
plain nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A nonfat milk, pectin)
strawberries
walnuts
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)
chocolate whey protein (whey protein isolate, salt, carbogen, lecithin, cocoa, natural and artificial flavor, sucralose, Enzyme Matrix™ [lactase, lipase, bromelain, glucoamylase, invertase, alpha-galactosidase, Protease 3.0, peptidase, amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase], Aminogen [patented bioactive polypeptide enzyme system])

Dinner
Bhoona with brown rice and a plum

Ingredients:
bison stew meat
tomato
pineapple
garlic
onion
rice vinegar (water, rice)
olive oil
garam masala (salt, spices, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, red pepper)
chili powder (chili pepper, spices, salt, silicon dioxide [to make free flowing], garlic)
organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, less than 1% guar gum)
brown rice
plum

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
I confess, I wanted something decadent tonight. This is what I came up with. It wasn't the best choice for "whole foods" but it hit the spot.

Banana Fudge Vitatop with peanut butter, cottage cheese and a sprinkle of cinnamon and almonds

Ingredients:

Vitatop (water, whole wheat flour, egg whites, chocolate chips [sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin as an emulsifier, vanilla], maltitol, organic evaporated cane juice, erythritol, cocoa [processed with alkali], soy protein isolate, soy fiber, oat fiber, inulin, banana puree [bananas, ascorbic acid], leavening [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate], soy flour, lecithin, natural flavors, cinnamon, xanthan gum, sea salt, dried honey, fruit juice, natural grain dextrin, vitamin A, itamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, iron, zinc, pantothenic acid, vitamin B2, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, calcium, maltodextrin)

peanut butter (peanuts, salt)

cottage cheese (cultured pasteurized grade A skim milk, whey, contains less than 2% of modified food starch, salt, potato maltodextrin, calcium phosphate, artificial color, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, xanthan gum, artificial flavor, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3)

cinnamon
almonds

Whole foods (foods with ONLY 1 ingredient): 23
Other foods (foods with more than 1 ingredient): 16
On the fence foods (natural, but more than 1 ingredient): 7

Since my total number of food varies from week to week, I decided to look at percentages. The first Monday I counted foods, I ate:

65.4% whole foods
11% on the fence foods
23.6% other foods

(76.4% whole/natural foods)

The second Monday I counted foods, I ate:

50% whole foods
15.2% on the fence foods
34.8% other foods

(65.2% whole/natural foods)

This week, I ate:

53.6% whole foods
17.1% on the fence foods
29.3% other foods

(70.7% whole/natural foods)

So I did the best during week one, and haven't improved much. LOL

Next week I am going to make an effort to have 80% whole/natural foods.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Week In Review - Week 2

Wow, the leaves are starting to change color already. Autumn is my favorite season, but where did summer go?

I didn't get a chance to do a Week in Review last week, so here's a quick recap:

TT Contest Week 1

Monday: TT for Athletes, workout A/run: 1.12 miles/15:00

Tuesday: TT Intervals - warm up, followed by 2 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, repeat for total of 6 intervals (first 4 were at 6.7 mph, last 2 were at 7.5 mph), cool down/3.44 miles/45:00

Wednesday: TT for Athletes, workout B

Thursday: Running - 4 miles/39:25

Friday: TT for Athletes, workout C/run: 2.16 miles/25:00

Saturday: Running - 7.28 miles/1:19:42

Sunday: OFF


TT Contest Week 2

Monday: TT for Athletes, workout A/run: 4 miles/41:50

Tuesday: TT Intervals - warm up, followed by 2 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, repeat for total of 6 intervals (first 2 were at 6.7 mph, last 4 were at 7.5 mph), cool down/3.49 miles/45:00

Wednesday: TT for Athletes, workout B

Thursday: Running - 5.51 miles/57:28

Friday: TT for Athletes, workout C/TT 3 Minute Arms

Saturday: Running - 7.93 miles/1:31:56

Sunday: OFF


Primary Contest Goals
Eat healthfully and mindfully, with foods more in their natural state: getting better

To NOT use Fitday: Didn't use. :)

Complete every TT workout to the best of my ability: Yes

Run 15-20 miles (at minimum) per week: Week 1 - 18 miles, Week 2 - 20.93 miles

Complete two 5K races, with at least one of them under 30 minutes: First one up is September 20! :)


Secondary Contest Goals
Lose 5 pounds of fat (mostly from abs and thighs): Have to wait until the end for this one. But I am down about 2 pounds since Day 1.

Reduce consumption of diet soda: Yes. I started buying the cute little 8oz cans and have those with lunch instead of the regular cans. I also eliminated the afternoon soda on most days. I still have a 12oz can with dinner.

Summary
The past 2 weeks have gone fairly well. Labor Day weekend wasn't the best nutrition-wise. We went to a wedding and I overindulged on a few things. Like potato salad. And candy. And maybe one too many rum and diet cokes. :) But back on track now.

Running has been going well. I can tell I have improved my endurance, although I don't know if my speed is a lot faster. I might try to run a 5K on Monday at race pace. I'm still debating how I want to train this week since my race is next weekend. But if I'm going to run a race pace 5K, it would be Monday. Heck, why not? Let's give it a try! :)

Have a great week!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Recipe Wednesday - Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Cookies

It's 9:09 on 09/09/09! How cool is that?

This recipe is adapted from the 101 Vegan Recipes as part of the Easy Veggie Meal Plans package. I've made it 3 times, and each time was a little bit different. This batch was the best by far. I double dog dare you to eat just one!

Oatmeal Carrot Raisin Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large carrots
1/2 cup sugar free pancake syrup (or real maple syrup)
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, slightly melted
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
6 fun size boxes of raisins (1/2 cup at most)
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup Ezekiel cereal (I like Golden Flax)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Cook the carrots by either steaming or microwaving.

3. While the carrots are cooking, grind the oatmeal in either a food processor or a coffee grinder. I use a coffee grinder and grind it in 4 quick batches.

4. Place the ground oatmeal in a bowl and mix with the flour, baking powder, salt, wheat germ, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and Ezekiel cereal.

5. In another bowl, puree the carrots with an immersion blender, or use a food processor.

6. To the carrots, blend in the pancake syrup, coconut oil, ginger and pumpkin puree.

7. Pour the carrot mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just blended.

8. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheet. I use a little scoop so they are all the same size. Press down on the cookies with a fork to flatten them a bit. They don't spread like cookies that use butter, so they will come out of the oven looking pretty much like they went into the oven.

9. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack or place on a brown paper bag to cool.


I made 29 cookies (using sugar free pancake syrup), each with approximately:

68 calories
1.5g protein
3.0g fat
9.3g carbs
1.6g fiber

Monday, September 7, 2009

Menu Monday

Special Labor Day Edition! OK, it's not that special, but here is today's ingredient list.

I ran 4 miles first thing this morning, then had a scoop of whey protein. After that, I went to the gym for my TT workout, and then I had breakfast.

Post-run/Pre-workout
1 scoop whey
creatine
water

Ingredients:
whey (Whey Protein Isolate, Salt, Lecithin, Sucralose, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Carbogen, Enzyme Matrix™ (lactase, lipase, Bromelain, Glucoamylase, Invertase, Alpha-Galactosidase, Protease 3.0, Peptidase, Amylase, Protease 4.5, Protease 6.0, Protease AM, CereCalase), Aminogen (Patented Bioactive Polypeptide enzyme system)

creatine monohydrate

Breakfast
French toast with eggs
water

Ingredients:
1 slice sprouted grain bread (organic sprouted grains of wheat, water, unbleached flour, gluten flour, honey, yeast, molasses, salt)
apple butter (ground apples, white grape concentrate, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, salt)
cinnamon
eggs


Lunch
Cheeseburger wrap with applesauce

Ingredients:
Boca Grilled Vegetable patty (water, soy protein concentrate, red bell peppers, corn, zucchini, green bell peppers, onions, wheat gluten, asiago cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), dried garlic, methylcellulose, salt, dried onions, autolyzed yeast extract, caramel color, natural flavor (non-meat), spice, dextrose)

whole grain tortilla (whole wheat flour, water, oat fiber, soy bean flour, cold pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil, contains 2% or less of the following: baking powder [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate], sea salt, yeast, xanthan gum, guar gum, citric acid, sorbic acid, calcium propionate [to maintain freshness])

ketchup (water, organic tomato paste, organic sugar, organic distilled white vinegar, sea salt, organic onion powder, organic allspice, organic clove powder)

pickle* (fresh cucumbers, water, salt, contains less than 2% distilled vinegar, dried garlic, spices, mustard seed, citric acid powder, calcium chloride, sodium benzoate [to preserve flavor], dried red peppers, natural flavors, polysorbate 80)

Butterkase cheese (pasteurized milk, culture, enzymes, salt)

applesauce (apples, water, ascorbic acid [vitamin C])

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

*Bought different pickles that do not contain high fructose corn syrup

Snack
yogurt with fruit and a sprinkle of Ezekiel cereal
1 VitaBrownie
almonds
water

Ingredients:
plain nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A nonfat milk, pectin)
raspberries
blueberries
Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)

Ezekiel cereal (organic sprouted whole wheat, organic malted barley, organic golden flax seeds, organic sprouted whole barley, organic sprouted whole millet, organic sprouted whole lentils, organic sprouted whole soybeans, organic sprouted whole spelt, filtered water, sea salt)

VitaBrownie (water, whole wheat flour, egg whites, maltitol, organic evaporated cane juice, cocoa [processed with alkali], chocolate chips [sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter], soy fiber, inulin, wheat gluten, dried honey, erythritol, wheat protein isolate, fruitrim [grapejuice, brown rice syrup], walnuts, natural flavor, leavening [potassium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate], lecithin, sea salt, xanthan gum, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, iron, biotin, zinc)

Dinner
cornish hen with polenta and grapes

cornish hen
garlic cloves
cornmeal (organic stone ground whole grain corn)
plain nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A nonfat milk, pectin)
carrots
garam masala (salt, spices, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, red pepper)
garlic powder
onion powder
grapes

Diet Pepsi (carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural flavor)

Snack
carrot oatmeal raisin cookies with a glass of chocolate almond milk
water

Ingredients:
wheat flour
oatmeal
baking powder (corn starch, bicarbonate of soda, sodium aluminum sulfate, acid phosphate of calcium)
wheat germ (wheat germ, vitamin E acetate, folic acid)
walnuts
raisins
coconut oil
Ezekiel cereal (organic sprouted whole wheat, organic malted barley, organic golden flax seeds, organic sprouted whole barley, organic sprouted whole millet, organic sprouted whole lentils, organic sprouted whole soybeans, organic sprouted whole spelt, filtered water, sea salt)
carrots
pumpkin
cinnamon
sea salt
ginger
sugar free pancake syrup (water, sorbitol, cellulose gum, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, sodium hexametaphosphate, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate to protect quality, salt, citric acid, sucralose)

unsweetened chocolate almond milk (purified water, almonds, cocoa [dutch process], tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, natural flavor, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, D-alpha-tocopherol [natural vitamin E])

Stevia packet (inulin fiber, Stevia)


Whole foods (foods with ONLY 1 ingredient): 23
Other foods (foods with more than 1 ingredient): 16
On the fence foods (natural, but more than 1 ingredient): 7

Last week I had 55 foods total and this week I only had 46. My "Other" foods and "On the fence" foods were nearly identical to last week, but I had 13 fewer whole foods this week. Next week, I'd like to increase the number of whole foods, and decrease the number of other foods.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Hogs And Kisses From Iowa!

OK, I saw that on a T-shirt and thought it was cute. My husband and I took a trip to Iowa this weekend for a wedding. For the entire trip, I had that Backyardigan's song in my head. (W-IOWA, Corn-i-est sta-tion, in the na-tion) The wedding was very nice and reminded me of my own wedding (outside, gazebo, short and sweet).

I don't know about you, but I've never really paid that much attention to Iowa before this weekend. In case you've never been there, here are a few things Iowa has to offer:






70 mph speed limit











High frequency of fairly nice rest rooms











World's Largest Truckstop. Yes, we made a special stop.













We also saw a lot of this:













And this:















And this:













And as my husband put gas in the car, I saw this cute little guy checking me out from the car next to us:





















I'll post a Week in Review next week, at the end of my second week of the TT contest. (Still time for you to enter! See Rules HERE.)

Have a great week!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

RIP Immersion Blender

My beloved Immersion Blender is seizing and no longer consistently blends. May it rest in pieces now after it has tirelessly worked nearly every day. I will cherish the memories of our time together. All those morning and evening protein shakes, 30 Days of Ice Cream, and all the pureed vegetables eaten by my unknowing family in countless sauces, meatloaves and casseroles.


Thank you, Immersion Blender.
You will be missed.

Which means.....



I get to shop for a NEW immersion blender!

;)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Recipe Wednesday - Tomato Pie

I adapted this recipe from a fellow TT'er on the TT Recipe Forum. I changed the crust to one that it used in the Precision Nutrition cookbook, because I really like it and thought it would go well with this recipe. This was sooooo good. It tastes like fancy pizza!

Tomato Pie

For the crust:
9 Tablespoons whole flax seeds
1/2 cup almond meal
1 egg white (3T packaged egg whites)
dash salt

For the pie:
3-4 medium/large ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
8-10 leaves of fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoon olive oil
3 oz (about 3/4 cup) of shredded Gruyere cheese
dash of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9" pie plate (I use a glass dish) with nonstick spray.

2. Grind the flax seed until it becomes a fine meal. I use an inexpensive coffee grinder and grind it in 3 batches.

3. Mix the flax seed in a small bowl with the remaining crust ingredients. It will seem like it is dry, but it will eventually all mix together. Resist the urge to add water.

4. Press the mixture evenly into the pie plate, covering the bottom and up the sides of the plate. My edges are usually a little ragged around the top. Spray a little nonstick spray onto your hands to keep the crust from sticking to you.

5. Spread the 2T of Dijon mustard evenly on top of the crust. (I know, it sounds weird, but trust me on this.)

6. Grate the Gruyere cheese finely into a bowl. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup on top of the Dijon mustard. Set aside the remaining cheese for later.

7. In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and garlic. A few chunks are OK. You don't need to completely puree the mixture.

8. Pour the tomato mixture into the crust. Bake for 25 minutes.

9. While that is baking, gently tear the basil leaves and place in a small bowl. Add the oregano, olive oil, and a dash each of sea salt and pepper.

10. After baking for 25 minutes, remove the pie from the oven. Gently blend in the basil mixture, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cut into quarters and serve.


Assuming 4 servings, each one has approximately:

359 calories
15.6g protein
28.2g fat (75% from the olive oil, almond meal and flax)
14.5g carbs
7.9g fiber

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Whew, What A Day!

Today definitely took it's toll on me. It was my son's first day of kindergarten! :)

I started the day at the gym, as usual, but got to sleep in (all the way to 5:45am)! I didn't go to work at my normal time so that I could make breakfast for the family (promised my son pancakes) and to take my son to school for his first day.

My workout went well. I did the TT intervals, which, in this particular program, were quite similar to what I had been doing on Tuesdays to improve my running. I warmed up, then ran 2 minutes followed by walking for for 2 minutes. The first 4 intervals I did the 2 minute run at my target "race pace" which is 9:00/mile (6.7 mph). For the last 2 intervals, I used an 8 minute mile as my target and ran the 2 minutes at 7.5 mph. I think next week I will do more intervals at 7.5 mph!

When I got home, I started making the pancakes for breakfast. I was using the recipe from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. I beat the egg whites, and mixed the other stuff in the food processor. The last thing I added was the canola oil. I blended it in and then, as I was pouring the mixture into the egg whites, I remembered that the canola oil had gone rancid. Why I hadn't thrown it away yet I have no idea.

I had to scrap those pancakes. There was no way I could serve them to my children. My husband, maybe. ;) Just kidding!

So now I have no pancakes, and I promised my son pancakes, and I'm looking around my kitchen for stuff to make pancakes, because I used up the last of my packaged egg whites in the rancid pancakes, and don't have enough eggs to start the recipe over, and the kids are sitting at the table waiting for PANCAKES!

Whew.

Then, I remembered I had a box of Bisquick baking mix in the back of the fridge. Well, it wasn't EXACTLY what I had in mind, but it makes quick pancakes. I tried to "healthy it up" by adding pumpkin, blueberries, wheat germ and flaxseed. My son liked them anyway. ;)

We went to his school and took the prerequisite photos out in front of the school, standing in front of his locker, etc. Then we went back outside and stood in line with the rest of his class. As the class filed in, I tried my best to let him walk in by himself, but he was getting farther behind, and looking more and more lost, and the hallway was quite busy with kids, and I could see him becoming disoriented, and I wanted him to be able to do it by himself, but really wanted to hold his hand too. It was very overwhelming. For him too, I mean. :)

We dropped him off in his classroom and I went to work and bit my fingernails for 3 hours. Then we went back and picked him up from school.

Me: "How was your day today?"
Him: "Good."
Me" "Did you do anything fun?"
Him: "Yes."
Me: "What did you do?"
Him: "I don't remember now."

Since I left work early to pick up my son from school, I had a brief amount of time to do a little shopping before dinner. After shopping, I was near a tanning salon and thought I might stop by and tan for 5 minutes. I thought it might be relaxing after my stressful day. LOL

Upon arriving at the tanning salon, I heard either my conscience or my dermatologist's voice (tanning bad, tanning bad). So instead, I used the...Hydration Station! From their website: The Hydration Station™ is a combination of topical radiant heat and steam, LED color technology, and a vibratory bed in an advanced capsule.

Well, I turned the vibrating part off right away. That was highly annoying. The rest, however, was quite relaxing, and I felt refreshed afterward. It was like being in a steam room, but while lying down. I think I may have even dozed off for a minute...

Then I went home and started dinner - pork loin, fingerling potatoes, and musk melon. Yum! I cut the fingerlings into halves and quarters, baked them in the oven, and called them french fries. To my surprise, even though they weren't "french fry" shaped, the kids loved them! Hurray!

Got to get the kids off to bed soon. It's a school night! Boy, it feels weird to say that! :)