Kickboxing night!

I've been lazy and slacking in the kickboxing department lately. I love going and I'm always glad afterwards, it's just hard to get motivated to show up.  The class is at 6:30 which also happens to be my dinner time.  I'm a grumpy beast when I'm hungry!  So I snacked on a Think Thin bite.  I don't really like the fakey ingredients but  for 100 calories and 8 grams of protein I'll take it.

Surprisingly this held me over through class, dinner preparation, and a shower!  These are also gluten free.  Always a plus!

Dinner was baked chicken legs, breaded with Hol Grain gluten free breading mix,  homemade cinnamon apple sauce, and steamed green beans.  Easy and delicious! :) 

As for dessert, I had my most favorite chocolate candies.  While visiting with my cousin in Ohio I visited a Malley's chocolate shop.  On an impulse I grabbed a box of  Himalayan Pink Salt caramels.  I don't usually care for caramels but the pink salt lured me in!  Well they are the best EVER!  Sadly they were a limited time only and could not be ordered online.  So my fabulous cousin went back and got me seven more boxes.  I did give a couple away to avoid temptation.  I've got to savor the rest for as long as possible.  I limited myself to two this evening! 

Project jogging...yeah I still suck at it!

I am determined that I will be able to jog a reasonable distance by summer's end! Of course knowing me a reasonable distance may be a mile. I don't have a lot of ambition! :)  Seriously I think it's cool when other people run marathons but as for myself I see no need.  I can't envision a scenario where I'll be required to run that far, plus I know other people of all shapes, sizes, and ages have done it so I don't feel the need to prove I could.  So yeah, basically these are justifications for being lazy and unmotivated! ;P  Anyhow I do feel the need to be able to run some without falling over gasping with a side cramp.  I could be chased by rabid dogs or something , you never know.  So I am taking the walk/jog approach.  This worked last year and I was able to jog a decent bit, and then I got mono.  Back to square one.  Tonight I walk/jogged two miles.  More than I was able to do Friday night, so it's a start.  Afterward I continued my new lifting routine with biceps and chest.  I love lifting.  If I didn't have excess pudge I'd skip cardio all together.  One of the best thing about lifting is getting to snack on protein shakes afterwards! 

  


This is my favorite recipe.  Mango banana!  1/2 cup of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 a small banana, 1/3 cup frozen mango, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (I used Kroger's Naturally Preferred), sprinkling of clove and cinnamon.  Blend and enjoy!  175 calories and 19 grams of protein! 

Dinner tonight was an all-American classic!  Burger and fries! Healthy style!  These were ground buffalo, sauteed portabellas, and swiss on Udi's whole grain gluten free bread.  Served with baked Parmesan fries.

I'll close out with a couple of random pictures.  This is Buttercup letting me hold her like a baby!  I do this when she's being super pushy and needs attention. 

  Finally here is a nice spring picture of the New River in Hinton, WV.  This is the area right beside the Bluestone Dam.  Very pretty and peaceful! :) 

Soylent Green, Jogging, and Millet.

The final verdict on the tofu was it's okay but in the back of my mind I kept thinking this would be so good with chicken or shrimp! Tofu is a food item that the more I eat, the less I want to eat.  Oh well.  I'll keep trying! 

Lately I've been thinking about the stuff people eat.  I will admit I'm a bit of a food snob.  I sneak glances in people's shopping carts at the store, I scope out what my co-workers are having for lunch, and I pay attention to new products coming out.  More and more it makes me think that my favorite cult classic movie, Soylent Green, isn't so far fetched.  Of course the reason real food is scarce in the movie is due to global warming, but the reality today is that real food is abundant but no one wants it!  I've been watching Food Revolution with interest because I live just over an hour outside of Huntington, WV.  It's horrifying to see delicious looking, real food pushed aside in favor of frankenfood in the lunch room!  To think that parents would give their kids chips, candies, and Lunchables to spare them the horror of eating a freshly prepared meal!  Plus so much junk food is fortified with vitamins, antioxidant, etc...Eating fruits and veggies is so obsolete.  So many people read the exaggerated health claims on the front of a box and don't even care what additives are being thrown in to the mix.  I honestly believe the soylent corporation could thrive in today's market!  I'm sincerely hoping shows like Food Revolution and movies like Food, Inc. will make consumers more aware of what they are eating because I'm tired of reading food labels and cringing!

Speaking of real food I tried something new today.  I should say I have tried millet before in gluten free granola bars and cereals, however it's not sold in my local stores so I've not got to experiment with it myself.  So on my recent trip to OH I picked some up!  I decided today was the day to try it! I wasn't sure what to with it and in thinking of other things that needed used up I realized I had a lot of cilantro in the fridge.  So I decided to make a millet salad with cilantro and black beans. It was so easy and delicious!

Millet and Black Bean Salad

1/2 cup millet

1/2 can of diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

2TB lime juice

chopped cilanto

First I simmered the millet in 1.5 cup of water for 30 minutes.  Then I stirred in tomatoes and black beans.  Drizzle with lime juice and stir in chopped cilantro.  Chill for at least 30 minutes!  I served it with chicken legs coated in Hol Grain gluten free breading and baked.  I should definitely have not told my husband that millet is used in birdseed because he opted for microwaveable mac and cheese instead! lol! 

Not all the goodies I bought in OH were as wholesome as the millet.  I found some pink grapefruit gummy bears.  I love gummy bears and I love grapefruits (I eat them like oranges).  These tasted really good, but smelled really strange.  

So as for exercise...yesterday I seriously passed out the second I got home from work.  I decided I obviously really needed the rest.  Today my energy level was okay so I did the chest and bicep routine from this months Muscle and Fitness Hers and then I did something completely out of character.  I went on a walk/jog. The walk part isn't unusual but the jog part really is.  I hate jogging.  Every year I go through a phase where I convince myself I can learn to enjoy jogging.  Today was not a great success.  A creepy guy kept circling the block and trying to talk to me, my chest was on fire, and I hacked and coughed for about an hour after I finished.  I've heard that we are having record high pollen levels so that could be a factor...also the temperature dropped unusually low today so maybe that played a part too.  I still feel good that I burned some calories and enjoyed the sunshine!  I also made friends with a Dusty the golden retriever.  All in all a good evening! 

Giving Tofu Another Chance!

I have had some terrible experiences with tofu.  I have tried numerous recipes and all have failed.  In fact the terrible tofu with peanut sauce fiasco is still remembered with fear and loathing in my home five years after the fact.  I had decided to write tofu off for good...until I read this months Oxygen magazine.  I saw a recipe for tofu pad thai.  I looked so tasty I decided to make it for a couple lunches this week.  

I made this for lunch tomorrow but I tried a bit with dinner tonight.  I liked it!  I substituted cashews for peanuts and bok choy for regular cabbage.  I left out the bean sprouts as my store didn't have any.  I always leave onions out of any recipe I make.  Otherwise it matches the recipe.  :)

Since my husband is not a fan of tofu or rice noodles I had to make something different for our dinner!  I decided to make another improv meatloaf recipe.  I call this one Mediterranean Meatloaf.  Here is the recipe:

1 lb. ground chicken

1 TB dried oregano 

1 egg

1/4 cup Hol Grain gluten free chicken breading mix

1/2 cup feta cheese

2 TB tomato paste

1 TB white balsamic vinegar 

1 TB dijon mustard 

Mix together, spread into a loaf pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Easy! :) 

As for working out I got the new Muscle and Fitness Hers this weekend.  I am planning to "unofficially" do the  transformation challenge.  If you are so inclined you can send in before and after photos and measurements and enter to win a photo shoot.  I just want a new workout to get me motivated.  I did New Rules of Lifting for Women last year and saw results.  Unfortunately I immediately got mono and was laid up for months right after finishing.  Results gone!  Wish me better luck this year! :) 

I'm ridiculously lazy and I suck at blogging!

True confession...I've spent the last month eating too much of really bad things (still no gluten).  I've been really lazy with exercise.  Partly due to getting some horrible cough/snot/sore throat thing but mostly due to pure lazy!  So I'm here today to reaffirm my vow to improve myself.  I'm going to get more exercise and eat more fruits and veggies.  I prefer to say I'm going to eat more healthy stuff than to say I'm going to eat less fat/sugar/junk.  It sounds more positive somehow!

I made a few notable meals the past month.  One being this tasty thrown together minestrone kind of thing.  In the crockpot: stew meat, red wine, white kidney beans, chopped carrots and zucchini, canned fire roast tomatoes.  Cooked on low for 8 hours.  I stirred in baby spinach a few minutes before serving.  Quick, healthy, and delicious.

  This looks super gross but tasted really good.  Lundberg Farms brown rice couscous, topped with sauteed baby spinach, sun-dried tomato tuna, and goat cheese.  Quick and a practically no-cook meal. 

 Last night I made Lundberg Farms butternut squash risotto and it was so tasty.  Served with a pork chop, sauteed in olive oil with Bragg's herb seasoning, salt, and pepper.  My veg was roasted broccoli.  Drizzled with olive oil and seasonings and roasted at 400 for 20 minutes.  It was a bit dry though.  Will probably stick to steaming from here on out.  

As for fun and recreation I recently visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.  Awesome! I love traveling! :)  I got some exciting gluten free goodies...Sadly when you live in WV you get excited about buying fun food on vacation.  We have such a limited selection here.  I'll share some food finds in a future post!

(source)
The MOST exciting thing I've done lately was to see these guys!  Alice in Chains!!!  At the top of my FAVORITE Bands!  (the others if you are curious: Stone Temple Pilots, the Cure, Tool, APC, the Haunted, Guns N Roses, and Slayer!)  They were in Huntington, WV on Monday. I seriously appreciate them showing up....most bands totally skip WV.  I almost always have to drive 6 hours to see a concert.  Not only did they show up, they totally rocked.  They played Grind and Heaven Beside You.  Two of my very favs.  My main two favs are Love, Hate, Love and Confusion but I don't even think I'd want to hear those without Layne.  <3

I Love St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Yes I am one of those white people who proudly proclaim their minute percentage of Irishness!  I'm not ashamed! :P  As such I enjoy celebrating St. Patrick's Day  and I feel my dog Cocoa should celebrate as well.  This year I decided to make a bit of an Irish feast.  I started with some Irish stew.  It turned out okay.  Not great.  I didn't picture it.  To go with it I made:

Irish Soda Bread

I basically followed the recipe except I am not dairy free so I used real milk and real butter.  This stuff was so easy and tasted fabulous!  It didn't have the gluten free bread taste at all! 

Of course I can't go without dessert so I made this Irish Cream Cake.  I used a Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix.  I've heard mixed reviews about whether or not Bailey's is safe for gluten free folks but I decided if I could not have Guinness I was at least having Irish Cream! This cake was so delicious.  Easy too.   I'll be making this one again! 

As an added treat I made Irish Cream Fudge.  I used my basic fudge recipe: simmer fat free sweetened condensed milk, add a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir til melted, remove from heat add a shot of Irish Cream (or other liquor), add 1/2 cup of nuts, and 1/2 cup of coconut.  Pour into an 8x8 pan and put in the fridge til set.  Fool-proof!  

Well the holiday is officially over and I'm heading to bed!  Here's a last shot of Cocoa.  He's super happy about his green shirt! ;)  Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day!  

Weary of winter but loving chai lattes!

I'm honestly a terrible blogger.  I update this much too rarely.  I need to get more excitement in my life so I'll have more blog-worthy events!  This has been the worst winter I've ever experienced.  I've spent a lot of time indoors and bored.  So my goal for March is to do, see, and eat more exciting stuff!  Wish me luck! 

I did try something new recently.  Chia Goodness.  I first tried it mixed with hot water and it was not so fab.  Then I mixed it with plain yogurt and frozen raspberries.  Viola!  Fantastic!  I got the cranberry ginger flavor because I love anything cranberry or ginger! Plus I really like chia seeds.  

Another thing I'm in love with this month are peanut butter ginger chews.  They are 25 calories a piece and really hit the spot after lunch.  I've got this dessert mentality where I think I must have sweets after every meal.  Strangely as a child I would almost never eat dessert. I just didn't care for sweet stuff.  I'm making up for it now! :) 

I've been eating a lot of comfort foods in this snow.  This is the leftover picture of possibly the best meatloaf ever!  It's BBQ cheddar meatloaf.  Served with Parmesan mashed potatoes. I took a pound of ground bison and mixed it with 1/4 cup Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce, 1 egg, and a cup of Minute brown rice.  I patted it in the loaf pan and topped it with more bbq.  Then I baked it for 30 minutes at 350, covered with cheddar and baked 15 more minutes.  OMG yumtastic.  I always improvise with meat loafs and mashed potatoes.  I mix different things in everytime.

Another improv meal for me is chili.  I never make the same chili twice.  Last night I had chicken chili.  I cooked a pound of ground chicken, added 2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of white kidney beans, and 1 can of white corn.  Then I added one cup of  Minute yellow rice. Sprinkled liberally with cayenne and simmered while I did my exercise video. Then I topped with Daisy light sour cream and shredded cheddar.  Very tasty.  I love when my dinner cooks while I exercise!  

I have recently developed a deep love for chai tea mistos at Starbucks.  Of course I don't want to pay $4 every time I crave one.  Lucky for me my super friend Danielle gave me a milk frother for Christmas!  It is so fun!  I can make pretty drinks in like two seconds!  I've developed a method that I think is better than Starbucks!  I heat unsweetened vanilla almond milk to a slight simmer.  I pour it over a Stash Chai tea bag and a spoonful of raw honey and steep for a few minutes.  Meanwhile I heat a bit more almond milk until it's about to simmer, remove from heat and froth.  Then I spoon it on top of my chai and sprinkle with cinnamon.  It's so good.  The almond milk gives it an amazing flavor!  It's so much better than steeping it in water.