Yowza!

Lookie what was right by my house tonight!!!!

Yikes! We are safe and sound, and thankful. More details tomorrow.

Hello Caffeine

Starbucks, the place I love to hate and hate to love. Overpriced coffee sucks, but awesome coffee rocks. What a dichotomy! Recently, I have learned to love Iced Coffee. There's nothing better than guzzling a cold freshly brewed coffee on a hot summer morning!

Here is what I order to stay low-cal:

• black grande iced coffee-zero calories
• shot of sugar free vanilla syrup-zero calories
• (leave room for milk)
• I add my own Silk French Vanilla Creamer-about 1/4 cup, a little more if I'm feeling vanilla-y.

I think Silk has about 30 calories for a tablespoon, so I use about 75 calories. Maybe more, maybe less!!
Oh yeah, this drink is only $1.95 (before tax)!!

Y'all Stay caffeinated now, ya hear!

Gumbo and Sniffles

So.....I've been feeling under the weather this week, all week. Nothing major, just a bit.....oogy. My neck has been hurting, and energy has been low, and dull headaches have popped up at the most inopportune times. No big deal, just a little nagging annoying feeling. So I thought I should combat that with some major comfort food!!!! This is one of my all time fave breakfast/ lunch/ dinners. I know it's not exactly gourmet, but it is delish and makes me happy every time I eat it!!!!

Ezekial muffin with peanut butter and strawberry rhubarb preserves. Ohhhhhh so happy in my belly. :) If food could hug.

So yesterday, I had the morning off, and it was raining all morning. I sat around lazy drinking joe until 10:00! It was glorious. So, what with the rain, and accompanying thunder/ lightning I decided to make gumbo! I have never made gumbo before, but I had some home grown okra in my freezer, just begging to be either fried or put in soup. Like the good little healthy eater I am, I opted for soup. Now I am not sure what the real gumbo recipes have in them, but mine was DE-LISH. And only about 160 calories per cup to boot!!!!

So steamy.

I had a cup with a 1/2 grilled cheese on ezekial bread.

Makes ya wanna curl up on the couch with a book and puppy, huh?

The gumbo got rave reviews, and now the 5.5 quarts I made yesterday at lunch are gone.....and I only got ONE cup. My mother in law requested the recipe, and our friend Chris told me "I don't want the recipe, I just want you to cook this for me all the time whenever I want it." Haha! I'll take that as a compliment...I think.

Today I started with an early client so I had my usual 4:50 am wake up, and guess what. BAM!!!!!!!! I got hit with a yucky crud summer cold. Sore throat, coughing, aches, chills, snot, ew, ouch. Even my skin hurts. I believe my body is telling me to SLEEP. I had a couple of naps this week that should have clued me in on my lack of Z's, because they were so deep. Ya know the kind I'm talking about? When you wake up and feel like you have sandbags strapped to you weighing you down? I also noticed I did not wake up when my alarm clock was going off all week. Why do I find it difficult to listen to my body until it SCREAMS at me? Do any of you ever feel that way? What are some signs you recognize from your body? Do you notice when it tells you to put on the brakes a little bit? Or does your body have to screech to a halt before you will pay attention?

This is my date for the evening:

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

• 8 andouille chicken sausage links
• 6 oz rotisserie chicken breast, shredded with forks
• 2 tbsp creole seasoning
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 8 oz chicken stock
• 16 oz water
• 1/2 C leftover spaghetti sauce I found in the freezer
• 20 ish baby carrots, chopped
• okra
• 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 c brown rice
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken sausage in bottom of soup pot, then sweat out onions, garlic and carrots. Add, chicken stock and stir, making sure to pick up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the veggies, and cover with water, then add tomato sauce and rice. Bring to a bubble, then simmer for 20 minutes or until rice puffs. This is a very quick cooking soup, because all the ingredients are already cooked, or just need to be heated through! This made 5.5 quarts, and 1 C = approx 160 calories. Yum yum!

See ya soon!

- A

Awesome Product Alert!

Ahhhh look at it's heavenly glow! I've been reading in almost EVERY girly magazine about the sheer awesomeness of Moroccan Oil-for your hair. Saturday, I headed to Ricky's of NYC to see what the fuss was about. I picked up a bottle of the Oil, came home, showered, threw a dime size amount in my hand and smoothed it on my hair, from mid shaft to the ends.



1. The smell is wonderfully fresh and very summer-like
2. The oil absorbs into your hair VERY fast
3. It sure does make you hair soft!





Using it over time I hope to see a pretty big change, as that is what the other reviewers are saying- "it decreases drying time", "makes your hair very shiny and less frizzy", "protects from UV damage"... the list goes on! It's also a big hit with celebs!

Take a trip on over to http://www.moroccanoil.com/ to read about the awesome benefits from Moroccan Oil.

The bottle retails for about $35.

Yay for awesome new products!

Monday Night Dinner

After my 2+ hour gym adventure, I needed to refuel! For dinner the Live In and I had:

Stuffed Chicken (stuffed with sauteed spinach, onions, and feta cheese)
*edited to include the recipe
preheat oven to 375

what you'll need:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
  
• feta cheese
• 3-4 large handfuls of spinach
• onion, diced
• salt, pepper-to taste
• Plus, 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a large skillet,over medium heat, add olive oil
when the oil is heated, add minced garlic
when garlic is fragrant, add onions and salt and pepper, just a little to taste, stir around so nothing burns- cook until onions are almost caramelized, then add spinach
stir around after spinach is added until the spinach is just wilted
remove from heat

Next:
pound your chicken (beat your meat!!) until it's pretty thin
spoon the spinach mixture into the chicken, then add the feta cheese-maybe a tablespoon or so for each breast and roll up and secure with toothpicks
place into glass dish with 2 tbsp of butter (it will melt into the dish-to keep it from drying out)

Cooking times vary so use your meat thermometer!
This was baked for about 30 minutes or until the chicken reached 165 degrees

You can really add any spices you'd like to this dish. It would be good with some cracked red pepper or some freshly chopped basil too!
I know your mouth is watering!!!

Couscous with sauteed Asparagus

Sauteed Asparagus is my new favorite way to make asparagus and it's really easy!

Sauteed Asparagus

• 1 clove garlic
• Asparagus-servings for 2-3
• olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and when warm add the garlic. When the garlic becomes fragrant (3ish minutes) throw in the asparagus. Stir around in your skillet for 5 minutes or until the asparagus is a bright green! Remove from heat and enjoy or add to your couscous, like I did!
(I added green peppers to my mix because the pepper was going bad and I needed to use it!!)

Of course don't forget your glass of a light red wine or white wine-whatever floats your boat!!

Holy Antioxidants Batman!

Check out my antioxidant rich dinner last night:

Baked Sweet Potato, topped with 1/3 cup Greek Yogurt and a pinch of Kosher salt; Amy's Cream of Tomato Soup (1 1/4 cup) with 1 tablespoons of super sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese and of course, freshly ground black pepper. DELISH!

Monday: I did a hardcore workout, and it brought back memories from my taekwondo days when ALL of my workouts wiped me out!! It felt MARVELOUS!!

I started out with a 30 minute treadmill run at a 9:00 pace, then for 5 minutes I ran at an 8.0 incline for 5 minutes-'twas a slow run, but it was a hill for crying out loud!

Then I hopped over to the stair stepper machine where I did 5 minutes at a level 9. I'm not sure what that means, but I think I climbed 25 flights of stairs.

Next I worked on my arms and legs:

• Pulley cable rows (3 x 12)
• Tricep dips (3 x 10)
• Overhead Shoulder press (3 x 10)
• Squat Press at 140 pounds (2 x 20)

THEN (as if that wasn't enough) I took the Cardio Sculpt Class at my Gym. WHOA!!!! Totally awesome class!!! First, the instructor was PUMPED to be there and his energy level was high-I like that. It translates well into a class. He wouldn't let anyone slow down either! The class is a wonderful mix of cardio, with light weight training for the ultimate fat burn! If there's an Equinox near you, I suggest you try the class!! I'm quite certain I saw sparkles, but it felt so good.

Coming out of the subway, I nearly fainted, so I grabbed a banana at the corner deli before hopping on the bus to head home. Thank God for NYC and it's endless supply of corner delis!

Happy sweating to you!

Dang it!

WHAT?!?!?! Ugh, why are we all so stupid until we get close to 30?!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32187497/ns/health-cancer/

I guess this means even MORE berries for me.

Monday Detox

In retrospect, pizza is bad. I only "feel good" eating pizza after a couple of hard weeks of running and working out, working hard, eating right, etc. Plus, being fully hydrated helps when scarfing down salty, cheesy goodness. I definitely gained some water weight this weekend and I plan on shredding that today and I hope it takes a few fat pounds with it!



I think also, when I eat bagels, the same feeling happens to me....swelling, puffiness, etc. Pattern: white flour + Salt. Back away Beene. BAD! I can't believe I would eat a bagel a day just a few years ago!!! Now, it's a bagel twice a month!



When I eat "bad" I feel mentally foggy. I can't read anything, can't think right, etc. Does anyone else get this feeling? This is why I am OCD about my nutrition, not just for training, but for my brain too!



Today's plan not exceed 1200 calories:


Ginger Lemon Green Tea
Green Monster SuperFood





Salad: spinach, onion, sunflower seeds, chick peas, boiled egg, 1 tbsp blue cheese dressing
pumpernickel roll

Dinner: Steamed Veggies, Baked Chicken, Jasmine Rice.



Gym: Running 45minutes, Cardio Sculpt Class



What do you do when you eat badly and feel bad too?

Not In College Anymore

I just realized that I have some form of OCD. I’m sure others have known this about me since day one.

I gave myself this past weekend to be “off”. I didn’t run or workout because I felt as if I needed a slight break. I don’t want to become burned out from running; the marathon is still 3 months away!!!
Friday, live in and I went to High Life Bar and Grill where they serve Japanese food as well as your usual bar classics. We ordered and shared the following: steamed vegetable dumplings, wok seared edamame, tuna and mango roll, salmon and cilantro roll, and a vegetable roll. A bigger plus is before 7pm, sushi rolls were half price!!! Cheap and tasty!
Next in our adventure we headed to our most favorite (new) bar: Dive 75. They have a fantastic Organic wine, candy is in dishes all over the bar, the jukebox is pretty good, and they have board games! to play! Brian and I started with Connect 4 (we tied) then moved to Scrabble where we couldn’t remember the exact rules for playing, so we stopped after my words were better than his. HAHA! This bar also has a fish tank and the fish like to stare. (Rude.) Alcoholic Beverages+ fish tanks=good conversation with the fish.

We got home and made some Morning Star Farms Spinach and Artichoke bites. YUM YUM!


Saturday, I slept in (usual) and woke up to a starving household. We headed over to Lenny’s and ordered breakfast/lunch: everything bagel, toasted, cream cheese; container of fruit and a black hazelnut coffee. I have an addiction to everything bagels. I am trying to stay away from white flour, as it is empty carbs, but throw an H&H bagel in there and it’s soooooo dang hard to resist temptation!

Live in and I had a nice little Saturday planned. Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, if we have time! We made it to only Bed Bath and Beyond, where live in was grouchy (hungry) so we walked across the street for a quick bite. PJ Clarkes, has no “quick bites”. Their appetizer list is about 3 fried dishes deep. So we decided to share the turkey burger, with onion strings (mistake) and a salad. I opted to only eat ½ of my half and no bread, but I finished my salad and I had a handful of the onion strings. The burger was good-it had jalapeno mixed in but I doubt we will go back. The place was WAAAAYYY over priced.

During lunch (at 6pm, mind you) live in says we should go out for a fun dinner, Rosa Mexicana or Spice Market. Well, Spice Market was “fully committed” for the evening but my friend Melanie wanted to hang out in the Soho area. Live in and I strapped on our college party shoes, and headed out. We met Mel in the Soho Grand lounge where we had a few cocktails. Mel wanted to booty dance. Badly. In New York, to booty dance, you must pay at least a bijillion dollars when going to a “club”.

In the end we trekked over to Bleeker Street, found a bar that was playing loud music and settled in. Danced a little, sang out loud and OF COURSE proceeded to Pizza Booth at 2am. Pizza Booth is probably the best pizza in Manhattan, so I ordered an ENTIRE pizza. Why? Who let’s me make decisions? I’m paying for it now. Although I didn’t eat any that night, for Sunday lunch live in and I shared 3 slices and a salad. Pizza isn’t for everyday, nor is it for me when I am dehydrated because now I am all puffy and swollen. Today is detox day. I already feel a little better, but I am sssllleeeeppppyyy!!! YAWN! This is gonna be a long week!!

Quickie Friday Round-up

Hey Kiddos!

So it's Friday, and I packed up all my gear to spend the weekend with the folks, but I forgot my camera! I will have to update with pics later.

The day started, of course, with a GM around 5 am. They just give me energy for hours, which is so important when you are expecting your clients to be energetic, and put a lot of effort into their workouts. I had a couple training clients, then a little break for Free Coffee Friday which is every Friday until 9 am at the coffee shop across from my gym! How awesome is that? I am trying to cut out the use of Coffeemate, so I had mine with just a teeny splash of skim milk and a shot of sugar free hazelnut syrup. It was OK, no special treat, but it got the job done.

I snacked on a honey graham z bar, and then finished up with another client. After work, I ran home, got my stuff and did a mini grocery shop at the fanciest Kroger ever, They have a whole section of fancy cheeses. I found one today I really want to try some time, but it's more of a special occasion thing. It was a Stilton with blueberries in it! Oh it smelled DIVINE. Kind of like a blueberry cheesecake, but not as sweet. I scooped up some avocados, Amy's cheddar burgers, coconut milk for the hubby ( which I predict will be gone by the time he gets back in town :) ), and some larabars.

Lunch was a mound of guac on one of the cheddar veggie burgers, and a few organic blue corn chips on the side. It was yum.

Khaki and I settled in for a nice afternoon nap, and ever since I woke up, I have been SO lethargic! I had a night time run all planned out, which was especially important since my spin class was so full Tuesday that I didn't even get a bike! I just don't see that happening. I don't know what it is, maybe I am not getting enough sleep or water or something. I am also going to up my food intake over the next couple of days, maybe I am not getting enough. Hmmmm. any ideas? Anyone?

Anywho, this girl is having a very relaxing night snuggling with Khaki and catching up on some reading. I am trying to finish Chasing Harry Winston, but it's just kind of......meh. I can't wait to finish though, so I can start on my new Jillian Michaels Master your Metabolism. Should be an interesting read. i am not sure how I feel about a non-degreed trainer educating me on my endocrine system, but I saw that many docs were consulted. I am sure to learn something, right? :)

Hope all y'all have a great fuzzy snuggly bud tonight too! Happy weekend!

Woah Nelly!

SOMEONE is behind on her blogging.....er....me. Sorry about that, I am recovering from the craziness of last week still I guess.

My mom had her esophageal dilation today and is good as new, thanks for asking. :)

So I guess I will start this week-re cap with Morgan's visit last weekend! We, your friendly bloggers, had a 10 mile adventure run. It. Was. Awesome. Duh.

The weather here in Memphis was absolutely beautiful! I have been whining and bellyaching ( literally) about the oppressive heat we have had this summer, and last weekend was absolutely gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky, and I believe it was about 68˙ when we started running.

What's an adventure run? I'm glad you asked. An adventure run is when you slather on the sunscreen, and lace up your fave shoes, stick a 5er in your pocket and head out the door with no plan or schedule. This particular adventure run began with hopping a fence to get out of the gated community! The 2 of us weren't heavy enough to equal a car's weight on the sensor ( thank goodness).

We ran an we ran, and we ran, and we chatted, and laughed and let our imaginations run wild ( hands down the best part of an adventure run, btw)and we ran and we ran right into Fleet Feet, my fave Memphis running specialty store. We touched things, and I put a thing or 2 on hold to go back for later, and then we ran some more. On the run we fueled with Gatorade Fierce grape, which is super yummy. I love grape artificial flavor. I know I know, it's all sugar and artificial, but those sports drinks are necessary to keep my electrolytes in check, y'all!

Post-run we refueled with a dope GREEN MONSTER, and a glass of coconut milk.

Nothing like a GM in a Coors Light glass! haha!

Then lunch was a mishmash of yummy veggie goods.

It was the perfect run!

Later in the week, I finally made Hubby banana- creme. I call it that because its not ice cream, but it is "creamy" so i figure the European spelling works in this case.

He LOVED it! he could not get over the fact that it was completely non-dairy, and no sugar added!!! He is currently eating a dairy free diet for professional reasons, and he is a milk lover, so I am excited to get creative! I see lots of almond and coconut milk in our future. :) Fine by me.

Today was a stressful day with my mom's procedure ( evidently they gave her that Michael Jackson drug, and she said she would be disappointed if she couldn't moon walk when she came out!) I was glad to teach a killer spin class tonight! My legs were burning and i was a sweaty sweaty mess by the end. Prior to spin, I did a little hamstring resistance training. I did :

• 3x 16 walking lunges with 20 lb dumbbells
• 3x 12 deadlifts with the 45 lb power bar
• 3 x 12 leg curls on the machine, at 60 lbs.

Yowza. My hammies are tight tonight! I think I'm going to try a yoga class tomorrow to stretch them out. I normally HATE yoga. HATE. But I am trying to like it because I need the flexibility work. Ill have a full report for you tomorrow!

Take Me Out for a Seafood Dinner

And never call me again! You guys should know what movie that's from...

Actually, Live-In ordered IN a seafood dinner. That counts.

We ordered from our usual place, Haru. There isn't a Sekisui here, and there is nothing comparable to their sushi. Which is ok, because when I go back to Memphis, I appreciate it a lot more.
I digress, so Haru has ok sushi rolls and I am convinced that crunchies make everything better.


I ordered my usual:

• Edamame
• Avocado Roll, inside out with crunchies
• Vegetable Tempura Roll

Then we tested 2 new rolls:

• Yellowtail Scallion (I made no amendments)
• White Tuna Jalapeno Roll (added Japanese mayo and Crunchies)

WTJR was fantastic!! It needed some sort of "sauce" drizzled over it, but other than that, it was a firework explosion in my mouth!

If Jimmy Ishii (Owner of the Sekisui MegaSuhsi Empire) would back us, I would love to open a Sekisui/Blue Fin in Manhattan. These Yanks wouldn't know what hit 'em. Hit me up on my 2-way Jim!

Heaven on Earth?

How have I never been to Chipotle? How?


Of course I was indecisive about what I wanted for lunch, per usual, so I ventured out of the cube and down to the street. I started walking towards Cosi, when I noticed Chipotle across the street. I thought, I've never been there, why don't I check it out?! I got in line and immediately decided upon the vegetarian something-either the burrito or burrito bowl. I didn't really want to 'up' my white flour intake for the week, so I settled with a Burrito Bowl. And dear Lord, I could not have made a better decision. There is nothing you can't LOVE: black beans, gooood; sauteed peppers and onions, gooood; lettuce and salsa, gooood; hot sauce, goood; guacamole, goooooooooooooood!

I was telling my friend Jamie that I went to Chipotle and her first statement was "They don't have anything healthy, go look at their website". Oh Contraire, young grasshopper, but this is indeed very healthy!
I headed to http://www.chipotle.com/ and I found their philosophy:

"The hallmarks of Food With Integrity include things like unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal. And, since embracing this philosophy, it's had tremendous impact on how we run our restaurants and our business."

Saaaay whhhaaat??!!! This should be EVERYONE'S philosophy!

Chipotle is pure magic and I'm hopping on!

I probably could have settled for only eating half; such is life!

Give Us Your Money, We're Your Best Friends

Soon, we will be hittin' up each and every one of you for a donation to Best Friends Animal Society. It's also their 25th Anniversary; this couldn't come at a better time!



This November, Anna and I are running for all the helpless animals out there. They have no voice, so we are running to a place that gives every Animal a voice and a home: Best Friends Animal Society. If you have never heard of Best Friends, I suggest you hop on over to their website and read about their organization. This organization is responsible for rescuing animals during hurricane Katrina, taking in 22 Vicktory Dogs, and not to mention saving animals from being thrown away, tortured and abused. Their staff is amazing and talented. Their love goes way beyond their call of duty and they are truly everyday HEROES!!



It's also possible we can have a bake sale, or sell a virtual cookbook, or sell magic unicorns to raise money for Best Friends.



We will hound dog (hahaha get it!) you for your money, because it's for a damn good cause!! Plus, it's tax deductible. Double plus. To add one more plus, we will have a PayPal Account so you can electronically donate money.
Three pluses and Environmentally friendly, geeze, US Olympic Committee, give us a gold medal already.

It's Raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring

I need a nap. I'm cranky and can't breathe out of one nostril. Maybe I need a cookie. Yeah that's the ticket.

Since it has been raining cats and dogs today, I really craved a hot delicious soup. I scooted my little toosh across the street to Europa Cafe and picked up a small cup of Potato Leek Spinach Soup (220kcal) to go with my 1/2 Grilled Chicken and 2 Eggplant slices. And, of course, I picked up a Pumpernickel Rye Roll to dip in the soup. My colleague gave me some Cherries and you can see where this is why I need a nap!!

Yes, I eat at my desk while I am working.

Yesterday, I was so exhausted after work, there was an internal struggle to get my hiney to the gym. 30 minutes and 3.5 miles later, I am grateful that the "sporty" side of my brain won that argument. I left much more energized after the run and strength training session. Thanks Sporty Neurons!
Let's just hope this rain doesn't smack talk me today. Imma whoop up on it if it does.
Today, I plan on forgoing gymnastics because Joey gave me the most depressed face any dog could give a human as I was leaving for work this morning. After a 45 minute strength training session, I am planning on taking her for a run (weather permitting) or taking her to the pet store so she can window shop. It's true, she's got a wish list.

I hope your day isn't watered out!

It's Pizza, It's Piizzaaaa Time

When I don't get home until 7-7:30 at night, it's hard to muster up some energy to cook everything from "scratch". And, it only makes it worse when you don't know what you want to eat AND you're famished.


I hit up live-in's 2 way and asked him what he was craving. And the typical boy/bachelor in him said "pizza". Ding! Tortilla pizzas!


Since we were out of tortillas, mozzarella, sauce and other various toppings, I journeyed to the local store and picked up 12" unbleached flour tortillas, Classico's Spicy Tomato and Basil Red Sauce, and some mozzarella.


When I got back to the hizzy, I stuck the pizza stone in the oven and cranked it up to 450 degrees and let the stone heat up (40 minutes) while I chopped up some toppings and whipped together a salad.





Yes, this is the same recipe as a few weeks ago, but since not everything was homemade, adjustments need to be made.



Toppings:
Margherita Pizza

• 3-4 spoonfuls of the sauce (which needs to be heated lightly-5 minutes medium heat prior to putting it on the tortilla)
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese-I cut mine into thin strips
• Chopped Fresh Basil (from my garden)
• Lay all the toppings on and bake for 7-11 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is bubbling.

Veggie/Protein pizza

• 1 slice Turkey Salami, diced
• 1 Slice Turkey Ham, diced
• Red Onion, diced
• Green Pepper, Diced
• Green Olives, Diced

(stick in the oven in a foil packet for a few minutes to pre-heat it.)



Again, sauce, toppings, cheese, basil. You get the gist. Bake 7-11 minutes maybe a tad longer, until the cheese is bubbly and you start drooling on the stove top.



Normally, throughout the week, I tend to repeat meals because 1. I can perfect them and 2. it's easy that way. I will try not to most multiple food items, only if I have made adjustments.





Of course, how do you not have pizza without a glass of red wine and a salad?

Note: This is a nice alternative to semi-home make a pizza and not use a crust. The tortillas I currently have on hand are 231 kcal, 39 Carbs, 6 protein, per tortilla. Certainly you can use whole wheat, fewer calories, etc. I like the fact that I am eating pizza, but yet, I know the ingredients and the caloric content and I can control the carb to protein ratio.


I think this recipe will become a staple in my weekly menu!

Finally, back home

This past weekend I was in Memphis for one of my very best girlfriends (and my "oldest" friend) Carol-it was her wedding shower. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I made it home around 6:30 and Live-In had plans to grill me dinner! Woot!

He grilled up eggplant and asparagus and Italian chicken. The chicken had been marinating in Newman's Own Italian Dressing for about 4 hours-the chicken was so dang tasty and juicy!!!

The eggplant was topped with goat cheese and basil (from our garden!!) and the asparagus was topped with some Parmesan cheese!

Dessert was a cannoli and a tiny cup of tiramisu from Whole Foods!

I had a glass or 2 of wine- Adobe Red: a blend (and maybe 2 glasses more on the plane!)

I need to add that I found a FANTASTIC Zinfandel in Memphis-Fritz Zinfandel. OMG. Light, fruity, no bitter aftertaste. Perfection. Plus, it's not very expensive-$22. Not bad for a 2005 vintage. Go. Get. It. Now.

For lunch today, I need to add that my dinner became a salad: spinach, grilled chicken, asparagus, eggplant. I cannot count how many compliments I got on the salad just on looks alone. Plus, any salad that does not need dressing, is the best salad in the world, to me!

Happy Monday everyone-it's almost Tuesday!

Two photos from the plane:

Lower Manhattan:

Central Park and My Hood

Needles, needles, everywhere

Acupuncture just may be what every injury needs. Well, yanno, not broken bones or surgery, but for pulled muscles, tennis elbow, aches and pains, migraines, you get the picture.


So, lately, I've had a recurring nagging pain in my right knee. It's called Runner's Knee. It's not sore all the time, but it's a nagging pain that takes months to heal. My lifestyle does not support injuries.


Back in 2006, when Anna and I were training for St. Jude (Our first marathon), my IT band started to give me major trouble. I stretched, strengthened, iced, etc. On race day, I was in agnogizing pain and taking anti-inflammatories during a marathon of running causes the kidney to hold onto salts in the body, causing the body to swell. I was a swollen mess at the finish.


After the marathon, I consulted with (at my then job) the acupuncturist, Chuck Sullivan. I remember sitting in the chair waiting for the needles (expecting there to be immense pain) but there was no pain! Now, you can't move, because the needles are at certain points in the body, some of them being pressure points.
After my first session, I had some IT band pain, but the pain was definitely decreased. I went back for another session, and BAM. No more pain. I could run over 5 miles without IT problems!!! I was stoked-still am. Even the most non-believers have turned to acupuncture for help (my boss' boss). To this day, I've never had any more problems with my IT band!!!

So, back to the runner's knee. I made an appointment with Chuck Sullivan for last Friday and he worked his magic. I went for a run the next day and I am pain free in my knee!

I'm also having trouble with my right elbow (from using a mouse too much), but I know that will take more than one session. So, I shall be returning for more acupuncture soon!

Thanks, Master Chuck!

For any information on HOW acupuncture works, I suggest reading journal articles (PubMed) about the art.

Chuck Sullivan

Healing Arts Group

5575 Poplar Avenue #320

Memphis, TN 38119

901-763-0909

SUPER DUPER YUMMY ALERT

Hey kids. So I don't know how many of you read a bunch of food blogs, but there has been a new "ice cream" taking the blog world by storm, and I made my own version of it today. HO- LY CRAP this is good! And I might be magic because I literally just turned a banana into ice cream.

Here's my recipe:

• 1 frozen banana
• tee-tiny sploosh of soymilk ( like maybe a tbsp)
• .5 tbsp PB and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter

Put in blender, and let her rip for about 45 sec.

The end. Thats it, and I kid you not, it's better than the best fro-yo in the world. I can't wait to make more combos! Im planning my own strawberry-banana- maple peanut-butter flavor even as I type. I wish i had my camera with me to show you a pic, but soon my friends, soon. To top it off, this makes about a cup and comes in around 120 calories. Beat that Edy's!!!!!

When will the craziness end????

Hey there bloggies!

Well if you thought I was having a crazy few days before ( with the mom in the ER, etc) get ready, because it got crazier around here. For starters, we have had a houseguest. Meet my baby, Khaki!

When I said the big "I do's" and moved in with the hub, Khaki stayed with my parents. It was for the best, because there is often nobody at our house for 12 hours a day, but I will tell you that the hardest part of adjusting to married life for me was not having my little snuggle buddy in my bed everynight! Is that a little pathetic? I miss her terribly and occasionally kidnap her to come stay with me for a while.

After my first long run for this marathon training plan, these things have been kind of useless this week.

My legs look deceivingly long in this picture.

So, house guest, check, dead legs, check, what am I forgetting in my crazy week?..... Oh yes. so the Hubby got rear ended by an ambulance. He was stopped at a red light, minding his own business, when a freaking 6 ton ambulance hit him from behind going 25- 30 mph. The ambulance wasn't transporting a patient, so their lights weren't on, they were just driving....and didn't stop until after they hit my hubby! Everything is fine, but we had yet another night in the ER. I'm getting sick of that place! Luckily the bonk on the head didn't result in any serious damage, just a bit of whiplash. Nothing some potent anti-inflammatories and a muscle relaxer here and there can't fix.

One thing I have learned this week is to be very thankful. While I have had to be in the ER 2 times less than a week apart, both events turned out to be relatively minor. Another thing I learned is that it is so super important to take care of your body, especially in times of stress! Healthy foods and exercise can really be a pick me up, and nurture your body when it needs it the most. While both mom and hubby are fine, I can really tell the difference in my body over the last 7 days. It just doesn't run as well when dealing with even this amount of worry and stress. I attribute this stress to the reason my legs have not quite recovered the way I normally like, so I decided to up my healthy fats and protein intake this week.

My new favorite meal is a healthy version of eggs benedict!

This is an ezekial english muffin, with Canadian bacon ( VERY lean, 60 kcals for 3 slices), poached eggs, and a sprinkle of feta on top! Of course about 2 tablespoons of homeade guac on the side. i find everything is better when you smear a little guac on it. This combo was so yummy, and eggs were cooked so perfectly I didn't even notice the lack of hollandaise.

Yummy peach on the side.

Dinners this week have been a hodge-podge of leftovers. This is a huge salad with one of everything I could find in my fridge in it. So tasty. i love adding beans to salads, they just bump the quality up a notch.

And I have been finishing off my Amy's split pea soup. I don't know why I have been craving soup this week. Maybe it's comfort eating.

Kind of looks like baby food, huh?

So in light of all the ups and downs of my week, what are some ways all of you deal with stress? Do you turn to comfort foods? Exercise more? Or maybe you have a hard time keeping balance in times of stress? I know sometimes I can!

Sometimes, I Crave Kid Foods

Do you remember what you ate as a kid and do you ever crave those meals? Besides the hardy servings of fried okra in my childhood, I ate simple, easy foods, like most kids do.

Last night I craved a grilled cheese and soup. To compromise with the Live-In, we had Annie's Mac and Cheese (made just like the last post, plus a little added feta to make it a fancier), tomato soup ( I haven't trained Live-In to NOT buy products with High Fructose Corn Syrup, yet.) and a Morningstar Farms Chick'n Patty.

The Chick'n Patties are deeeelicious! I love all of Morninstar's products and I've often said we should buy stock in them!

My top 3 favs are:

1. corn dogs

2. chick'n patty

3. buffalo wings

Of course I can't end my day without a scoop of Coconut Milk Ice Cream and a glass of coconut milk.

Joey joins us for dinner each night, staring and drooling over our food. Last night, she found a new spot to hide her mac and cheese:

Haha! She literally had no idea the noodle was there. Oops!

Prior to dinner, I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes at a 8:49 pace and then did strength training.

• Seated pulley row-23 pounds


• Shoulder press-17 pounds


• Lateral Pull 25 pounds


• Leg Press machine 90 pounds

Joey also likes to wake me up between 4-5am to go outside to go to the bathroom. So this morning, she wakes me up at 4:11am and I smell smoke. I swear the smoke smell is coming from our building. I walk outside, smell it and look around. I don't see our building or adjoining buildings on fire. But I still smell smoke. I check every room in our apartment and decide to wake LI up.

He wakes up and smells it too. We decide it's not our building, but we see lights from a fire truck so we decide to go out front and see what's going on. I walk out (I forgot my camera, doh!) and count 7, SEVEN firetrucks just on our street! The ladders were hoisted into the air-it looks like we just missed them saving someone!

We were not sure what had caught fire, but it looked as if everyone made it out ok; so we went back to bed.

This morning I go take a look and it was our hang out spot, Comida, that had caught fire! Live In did a walk by this morning and said you could see through the floor, so the fire must have been in the kitchen! Yikes!

This message is for all, please have smoke detectors and check them and also have a few fire extinguishers stashed in your house! Fire gets out of control so quickly. And make sure your local fire department knows about your pets!

Xoxo

Annie's Mac and Cheese

Oh Annie, how I love your Mac and Cheese!

I substitute milk for a bit of Greek Yogurt and butter, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes, and you have a tangy, creamy mac and cheese!

I cooked the pasta as directed, drained, added the cheese packet, spoonful of Earth Balance, and Greek Yogurt a tiny bit at a time. Delicious! I love finding new methods of substitution-and this is a good one, no doubt, plus the added benefits of Greek Yogurt.

Slacker City

I haven't technically been slacking, per se, but I've had out of town visitors, Beth and Edgin. Boy, oh, boy, did we have a fun filled weekend! I love being a tourist in my own city (especially because I've only been here a little while) and I love taking out of towners to the fun restaurants, that I think only the "locals" have knowledge of.

Thursday, I took Beth and Edgin for an after work drink in Grand Central Station. This building is old as the dickens and the details are spectacular. The bars are popular after work venues because some commuters have a long commute home. Anyhoot, we went to Oysters Bar and had a nice glass of wine and a little snack of fried calamari and oysters.

Friday, I planned a super secret dinner at a totally awesome, hip place. This place is like no other. I didn't tell Beth and Edgin where we were going because I didn't want them to look it up. We went to La Esquina, in SoHo, and I'm not going to mention much because I want to take others there and I don't want to ruin the essence of the place. I will say it's a Mexican restaurant, delicious foods, hip ambiance.
Next, we went to The Volstead and met up with Melanie and Anna's boyfriend Adam. Oh yeah, Anna went to dinner with us, as well as Live In and his colleague.
The Volstead is a place where you go for a few drinks, but not to stay and party all night. Plus, they have FUNFUNFUN DJs so, we, DANCED!!!

Saturday, I had a tiny bit of a hangover, nothing a little coffee, bagel, fruit, and ibuprofen couldn't cure.

We spent Saturday exploring the Brooklyn Bridge, scarfing down Brooklyn Pizza and Brooklyn Beer before we headed to the Museum of Sex. Yes, we did. It was interesting, one could say. Not a place to take your mother.
We *tried* so hard to go to Grimaldi's, but the line for the best pizza in New York was over an hour and a half long. Dang. So we went around the corner to a place called The Pizza. The pizza was delicious, but I thought the crust was too thin and it became a tad bit soggy from the sauce. My favorite pizza places are 1. Bleeker Street Pizza and 2. Cafe Daniello on 2nd Ave.

Saturday night, the Live In and I went to a restaurant around the corner, Ocean Grill. I love all of the BR Guest Restaurants, my MOST favorite being Blue Water Grill. I will need to dedicate 3-4 posts on it!
I ordered Crab Encrusted Mahi Mahi with Coconut Rice and I had a Roasted Beet Salad with Macadamia Encrusted Goat Cheese. Both dishes were good, but nothing to have again.
The presentation was beautiful though:

Sunday I had a Long Training Run through the New York Road Runners. The training runs are only $10 and I must say it is a very well organized event, complete with fuel and water stations and pace leaders. Totally worth it! You can choose to run between 6-20 miles and today I ran a little over 13.
Central Park is a hilly B$#&* and I forget it every. single. time. My legs were sore/jelly by mile 6, but I soldiered on! I started out with the 9:30 pace group, but I think we ended up running a 9:00 pace, so I slowed down a bit and ended up with a 9:38 pace after the first loop. The second loop, I waited around for the 10:00 pace group and we ended up running most of it at a 9:45 pace. Even passerby runners, were looking at their pace watches and said, that's a fast 10:00. It sure was. I gooed, then finished by running the rest of the way home.
Post run, I refueld with a Green Monster (best refuel ever).

Tonight, we ate grilled BBQ Chicken, Corn and Zucchini Quinoa (from the NYT-link below) and grilled corn. Dessert is Mocha Almond Fudge Coconut Milk Ice Cream.
It feels so good to fuel properly.
I think all the cheese from the pizza did a number on my stomach-which is why I limit the amount of pizza I eat.

I'm off to watch Entourage, then to bed so I can read my new book, Love Is a Mix Tape! Thanks, Stacey for the read!

Edgin and Beth, I had a great time and I'm glad you guys came to visit!!

Link to Recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/health/nutrition/07recipehealth.html?ref=fitnessandnutrition


Good night!

Road Race Series Eve

So, I have had a busy few days! Whew! My world has been crazy this week. It was wonderful to see my brother and sis in law, but I am ready to get back to my normal eating routine. Do any of you find it is harder to eat normally when you have out of town guests? My mom just kept feeding us, adn we just kept eating it!

I did manage to sneak in an AWESOME monster salad.

Thursday night, my sister in law cooked this beautiful sopisticated dinner that the whole family was planning on enjoying together. I had to teach spin class, so i was late arriving. SIL cooked bacon wrapped steak, with rosemary and goat cheese, as well as a rosemary garlic balsalmic reduction. There were some roasted asparagi and potatoes too. Now, I am not really a red meat eater. There is the RARE PMS cheeseburger attack ( I mean 3 times a year rare) and the even rar-er steak. in fact I am not sure I have even had steak in a year, and normally would not have eaten it, except she worked really hard on it, adn was really proud of her meal, so I had about 2 oz. And they were delish. Im talking ALMOST turn me into a straight up carnivore delish. Almost.

By the time I got to my parents house, my mom wasn't at the table. Uh-oh. Turns out, her first bite of steak was caught in her esophagus, and trying to force itself out. This has happened to her before, and her mother, so we already knew there were some esophageal issues. She was breathing ok, not choking, but in this situation, if the bolus came 1/2 way out, it potentially could get really dangerous really quickly. So off we went to the er, mom hiccupping, and gagging forcefully the whole way. It was enough to make you cry, becasue she was in so much pain, and frustrated the stupid steak wouldnt just come up already. Long story short, she had an endoscopy done ( accompanied by a nice demerol and valium drip) and by 3 am we were on our way home. Everybody is fine now, but we were all SO worn out Friday, and mom had a very sore throat, and instructions to eat only soft foods. For lunch, like the golden child I am ( haha) , I made her some potato soupd that was quite tasty if i do say so myself. It was VERY low in fast and high in veggies. I even threw in some of the leftover roasted asparagus as a topper.

yum yum. Healthy comfort food is the best. :)

Tonight I went to a friends 30th bday party, and we did it kid-style with a Harry Potter theme. It was so fun, adn I love the idea of a kids style bday party for the big milestones. One of our brilliant friends even made a cake that looks just like the golden snitch! I wish I had a picture of that. It was so fancy.

So tomorrow starts one of my favorite events, the Memphis Runners Track Club Road Race Series!!!!! This series starts in July, and continues through November. 2 races a month, a different distance each month. we start with 5k tomorrow, and by November, we will do 1/2 marathons!!! It is the perfect training lead in for the St. Jude Marathon and 1/2 Marathon in December. Morgan and I did our first RRS at its 10 year anniversary, and there were only about 250 runners. This year there are almost 800 people signed up and it hasn't even started yet!!!! I will be running 8 miles total tomorrow, so I am glad to have a few buddies for at least part of it. Now off to watch Paul Blart mall Cop with Hubby. Come to think of it...where is he? Goodnight bbs!

Woowee!

Know what's good? Coconut milk in my coffee. Yummers.

How to be a Super Woman, and other things you NEED to know

OK, Girls. Let's talk. Pull up a chair. We are going to have a little chit chat about strength training. I want you to listen to me, and I want you to listen good. Whilst listening, I want you to turn off that little voice in your head that regurgitates all that stuff you read in cosmo, and in People, and US weekly. They don't care about you like I do, and they LIE to you.

Here are some of the things I hear everyday come out of women's mouths, that are....well, they are dumb. Now I don't blame you, I blame the lies you have been fed, and I want to educate you a little bit, so you don't say the same dumb things.

" I just want to tone up, I don't want to bulk up."

" I am going to do pilates, because I want to be long and lean."

" I am going to lift these little sissy weights because I am a girl."

Ok, I don't hear that last one, but it's true.

Strength training is SO super important, especially for women! It can make your bones denser, and stronger, it can make your heart stronger, and work better, it can help control blood sugar, it can help regulate blood pressure, it can make you run faster, and jump higher, and deliver O2 to muscles better, it fights oxidative stress, .....are you getting the picture? It's REAL good for ya. Not to mention it makes you look like Megan Fox, and Jessica Biel, and there is the added bonus that if you need to move around your furniture, or lift something heavy at home, you can just do it yourself.

Here are some things to keep in mind when strength training:

1.You are NOT going to bulk up. I repeat, you are NOT going to bulk up. One more time, you are NOT going to bulk up.

- Most women do not have the amount of testosterone in their body to gain muscle mass like men do. We just aren't made to do it. God wanted us to be soft and pretty. The women that you have seen pics of that look like dudes spend about 6 hours a day in the gym, and supplement TONS of protein, and generally are on massive amounts of steroids. So don't be scared because it's NOT going to happen. Now, don't tell me this little comment I have often heard, " Well, i have lifted before, and I started to gain alot of muscle mass". No you didn't. Look back at pics. You didn't.

2. It's not the pilates that makes you long and lean. Pilates is strength training. You do it, you build muscle. If you have long legs, it is not due to pilates, it is due to genetics. If you have short legs, they are not going to grow no matter how many "hundreds" you do. Pilates is a good form of core strength training, but it is not enough!

3. You must, I repeat, you must pick up a weight that is heavier than your purse. I do not let my clients touch a weight below 8 lb dumbells unless we are working rotator cuff. You are capable of lifting heavy objects, so do it. Don't be scared! Remember- you are not going to bulk up. ( But US weekly says lift light weights and do pilates and I will look like Gisiele...) Nope. Sorry. Waste of time. You have to stress your body to make it adapt and get stronger. If you are using 5 lb dumbells ( unless coming off an injury) you really aren't stressing anything.

4. The appropriate way to pick what weight to use, is trial and error. Start conservative if you are just starting a strength training regimen to avoid injury, you can always add more. I recommend doing 3 sets of 12-15 reps of an exercise. If you have used an appropriate weight, the last rep of the last set will be impossible. To gain the most benefit from your resistance training, always go to failure. Failure means just that, you fail to complete the last rep.

5. There is no such thing as "toning". You can build muscle, and make it stronger, but it does not just get a little nicer. What you think of as "toning" is actually called hypertrophy. Building muscle.

6. But I read that lifting weights will make me gain weight. You know what? At first, it might, but it will not make you gain fat. It will actually burn calories and help you get rid of some fat. A few things happen when you start lifting. Your blood volume increases. Your bone mineral depositing improves making bones heavier. You gain a little muscle. Your muscles learn to work better, therefore they hold more water, water is heavy. The pay off is WAY bigger in the long run than the 3 lbs you might put on a month in!!!!

So now you aren't scared of strength training anymore. Good thing we cleared up all that false information out there. Any time you want to get started with a strength training program ( now is a good time) I recommend meeting with a qualified trainer to make sure you have proper form, so as to prevent injury and get the most out of your workout. And of course if you have had any surgeries or recent injuries, get a doctors clearance before starting any new exercise, and disclose this to your trainer.

If you need any scientific sources for this info I can get it for you, but all this came from my big ole brain because I am super duper smart. Like WWAAAAYYYYY smarter than your average bear. ;) Don't hesitate to post any questions you may have in the comments section, I PROMISE somebody else was wondering the same thing.

Go Lift!

Sup with saturated fat?

Anna and I have been enjoying the tasty benefits of So Delicious' Coconut Milk (if you haven't picked up a carton- run along to the store now). I know many of you read nutrition labels and if you don't know this little tidbit about Medium Chain Fatty Acids (a saturated fat), you might gawk at the label. The FDA (do not agree with 95% of what they do or say) and some cardiologists make us scared of a saturated fat, but you need to know there are animal saturated fats (super scary) and plant saturated fats (very polite, kind).

Note: I'm only using the term "super scary" because I'm hilarious. Poultry and fish and leeeaaann beefs do not contain a lot of saturated fats. Think about fatty meats (sirloin) and butter, heavy cream, 2% milk. As always, everything in moderation! Basically, you should think, "how active is my protein source" before buying. Cows (not very by FDA/USA standards) to fish (very, very active). The more active your protein is, the fewer bad fats it will have. This is a statement I just thought of, well, because I'm a genius.

Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA) are nothing to be scared of. Look, I will draw you one: C6H12O2 (caproic acid)

Lauric acid: C12H24O2

Your body breaks down and utilizes the animal vs plant saturated fats in two different manners.

Animals saturated fats (baaad)

• animal fat (mostly saturated) is solid at room temperature
• long chain fatty acid=stored in your arteries for blockage

Plant saturated fats (good)

• Medium chain, broken down and used for energy
• also supports immune system
• also found in nuts, seeds (pecans, macadamia, etc)

Coconut milk is praised by many cultures for its healthy, healing values. You can research it yourself, as there is a laundry list of "pluses" on the coconut side.

If you have any questions, please ask. I like information session blogs. I think the next topic should be strength training and why EVERYONE NEEDS IT!! That would be Anna's info session/area of expertise!

Have a coconutty day!

Pizza is the way to a girl's heart, er, or maybe pizza with diamonds on it.
I had zero energy after I left strength training so I skipped my run and decided to please my inner fat girl. Tonight I wanted to attempt to make different type of pizza... a tortilla crust pizza. I saw this recipe in the newest edition on Food and Wine Magazine, and what did I do? I adapted.
Tortilla Pizzas:
Heat oven to 450 and stick your pizza stone in there for 40 minutes to get it nice and hot.

Pizza sauce:

• 1 can crushed tomatoes-I used Fire Roasted Organic
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1/2 diced sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• red pepper flakes
• fennel seeds (just a small pinch-around 10 seeds!)
• dried basil and oregano
• kosher salt
• freshly cracked pepper

heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. saute for 5 or so minutes. Add tomatoes, paste, spices and to taste. Heat, but only to meld the flavors. It will continue to cook on the pizza. Blend in blender to make a puree or use your immersion blender.

Set aside

Chop whatever you want on your pizza-I made 2 margherita pizzas and 1 veggie (green olives, tomato, red peppers)/turkey bacon pizza.
Most importantly-USE FRESH MOZZARELLA!!! (Cut it into shreds though!)

Spoon sauce on tortillas (I used unbleached flour tortillas), lay your cheese down
cook for 8 minutes or until the crust is browning and just after the cheese melts.

for the veggie/TB pizza-put cheese down, veggies, then more cheese, then TB
again cook for 8 minutes

Remove from oven (and be careful)

Add chopped fresh basil to the top!

Try not to eat it all before you sit down!


Spinach Salad
This recipe was crafted by one of my bffs Stacey Garrett Logan. I've known her damn near since middle school. She knows a lot of crap about me, so I try not to piss her off.

• Mozzarella (fresh) cut into cubes
• red onion, cut into half moons
• tomatoes
• green olives
• few gianormous handfuls of Spinach
• top with cooked crispy turkey bacon

Mix together in a bowl!
You really don't need a dressing for this. Just add some black pepper. (and Stacey typically uses black olives and artichoke hearts-but I had none of those items)

SEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dessert was of course coconut milk ice cream with 5 Reece's Pieces on top of a Crunchy Granola Cookie.


I'm planning on waking up early for a 45 minute run pre-work so I need to hit the sack about 2 hours ago.
Good night my healthy loves!

I promise I will work on taking more pictures throughout the day!