Friday Workout

Dave and I signed up for a 5k road race with our friends- Ras na Heirann U.S.A in Davis Square. I've got one month to get in 'running' shape, and there is only way to do it... by running. So this morning, in between clients, I got in ran 2 miles. I also lifted upper body.

My workout:
- shoulder press - 12x
- pushups- 12x
- lat pulldown- 12x
- tricep pulldown- 12x
- reverse fly -12x
- biceps curls- 12x
- chest press on a ball- 12x
- bicycle crunches - 20x
- ball crunch regular and side- 15x each

My plan is to run atleast two if not not three days a week until the race, and use the foam roller after each run!

We'll see how I do...

Mexican lasanga

Today, before heading out to the Berkshires I made this mexican lasanga for a friend. It's easy, pretty healthy and taste great!



Mexican lasanga ground meat...


Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes






Corn tortilla and sharp Cabot cheddar...



Salsa layer of mexican lasanga..




Mexican lasanga top without cheese...


Mexican Lasanga Recipe

- 1 lbs of ground turkey(94-96%) or lean ground meat(94-96%) or soy crumble
- 1 jars of mild or medium salsa
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 cup of organic frozen corn
- 6-10x corn or whole wheat tortilla
- 1 1/2 cups of lowfat cheese or sharp cheddar
- olive oil spray
- 1x can of diced tomatoes with green chilies


- Preheat oven to 350F. Dice medium yellow onion and green pepper. Spray large fry
pan and turn on medium to high heat. Brown meat and add onion, can of diced tomatoes, and pepper and frozen corn cook for 3-4 minutes. Grab a 9 X 9 pan, cheese, salsa, and tortillas. Start by covering the bottom of the pan with the ground meat mixture, next place enough tortillas on top to cover. You might have to cut the tortilla to make sure that the entire bottom is covered. The next layer should be salsa and 1 cup of lowfat cheddar, again top with tortillas. Next, start another layer with ground meat and again top with cheese. Put in the oven for 20-30 minutes until you see the cheese bubbles. Let stand out of the oven for 10-15 minutes, to set.

Bell and Evans Dinner

Tonight we needed a quick dinner and Bell and Evans gluten free nuggets were the answer. I made some polenta and frozen peas and dinner was ready in 30 minutes flat! I made the polenta in low sodium chicken broth and lowfat milk. Then added some 50% Light Cabot cheese for a little creamy flavor. Delicious!


My plate with way too much polenta)that I couldn't finish)...I love peas :)





Bell and Evans Gluten Free Nuggets:

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size 4 oz (113g)
Servings per container 3
Amount per serving
Calories 180
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 1g
Total Carbohydrates 13g
Dietary Fiber 1g
Protein 20g

Weekend Plans

Dave and I finalized our plans to head to the Berkshires this weekend. Yippee!!
We'll be staying at my cousin's house in Southfield, Mass.

Literally, right across the street is the cutest coffee shop, and the soup lady is about three houses away! I promise to take LOTS of pictures of the food, and our exercise adventures!!



The Southfield Store

Pizza Night

Pizza Night tonight!!

Bob's Red Mills gluten free pizza crust is the best gluten free pizza out on the market right now. It gets crispy when cooked on a pizza stone, and doesn't have that thin rice flour aftertaste like SO many of the gluten free crusts do. Also- it has 4g per serving of fiber, and contains ingredients like whole grain brown rice and millet. Not to mention it makes two LARGE balls of dough per bag of mix.



A really bad picture of our pizza crust...




I used bleu cheese and red pepper slices on my side & mozzarella on Dave's side...




My slice(bbq chicken/bleu cheese/red pepper) on top of mixed greens...


Dave's pizza with beer - WHAT a man MEAL!!!

Snow Day

School's closed today- but I don't have any classes on Wednesday- so my day is pretty normal. I taught a killer spin class this morning and saw a client, then headed home do crank out some homework.

Breakfast: gala apple/2 tbsp. of sunflower butter/ 2 tbsp. of homemade granola

My lunch today: bbq chicken(cooked in the crockpot)/bleu cheese/carrots/red peppers/mixed greens/dijon vinaigrette(1:00pm) & 1/2 mug of African sweet potato and peanut soup(11:00am)




Dave got out at noon, and we decided to make some yogurt together. Ha- couple 'yogurt' bonding...SWEET!!! I'll tell you all how it tastes!!




I got to the book group right in time last night- it was nice to see all the ladies, and catch up. Thank you Hilde for a wonderful evening!!

remnants of book group sundae party... I got a bite of whipped cream, some cashews and a glass of red wine... :o)

School Day

First off, my legs are KILLING me right now. It's awesome, but is also very hard to get up and down out of my chair-- I really need to stop drinking so much water :)

It's my long day at school today ,and then I have book group tonight. I actually had time to read the book for once and it was so good. Hopefully by the time I get there it won't be all over...

Tuesdays are a NONE workout day for me - but today I wish I would have gotten up really early to help these legs out a little by doing some cardio. Oh well...

My lunch today: hummus/two slices of feta/ red peppers/carrots/Marys Gone Crackers



Snack: homemade granola/apple/black tea(I'm out of Yogi green tea- YIKES!!)


A snack for my nutrition epi class(they are my new food testers!)
They are trying my granola & for Valentine's I brought them dark chocolate Dove hearts!!

(sorry it's upside down!!!)

Monday Workout

I had a couple of personal training clients this morning, but snuck in a great circuit workout for myself. I already can feel my quads(front leg muscles) are going to be sore tomorrow. Yippee!!

My workout today:

2 minutes jump rope
Squats on the riser(see picture above)- 12x each side
Static lunges(front foot on the bench)- 12x each side
Pushups on the smith machine- 15x
Static lunges(back foot on the bench)- 12x each side
Dips off a bench- 15x
Platform jumps-10x
Lat pulldown- 12x
Squats- 15x
Biceps curls- 12x
Tricep rope pulldown- 12x

I did this twice minus the jump rope!

Ab circuit
bicycle crunches- 20x(alternating sides)
elbows to knees crunches- 15x
reverse crunch- 15x
REPEAT
butt buster with a band(ONCE with a BLUE BAND- YIKES!!)

Cooking on a Sunday

Yesterday was a wonderful day of cooking, relaxing and getting some homework done. I made some granola for the week with: oats, sunflower seeds, walnuts, raisins and dried cranberries(sweetened with pineapple juice). For dinner I made a warm asian salad. After three days of dinner plans- it was nice to have a day at home together.

My granola...


Dave's warm asian salad plate...


My smaller portion of warm asian salad...


Warm Asian Salad Recipe:


Gluten free sauce(2 tbsp.)

2 tbsp. of Whole Foods creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup of red peppers, sliced
1/2 cup of carrots, chopped
1 cup of celery
2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 3/4 cups of diced freshly roasted chicken(could substitute tofu)
1 tsp. of canola oil

Method:
Make two cups of brown rice by package directions. In a bowl mix all liquid ingredients together(peanut butter, sesame oil and gluten free sauce). Heat up 1 tsp. of canola oil in a fry pan on medium to high heat. Add in diced tofu or chicken, and all the veggies. Cook til desired tenderness of veggies(I like crunchy veggies so I cooked them for 1 minute). Add in the sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cilantro, then the brown rice, and cook for 1 minute. Serve hot. Add fresh cilantro if desired, as a garnish.

Note: This would be really good without the brown rice, but Dave likes more to his dinner than protein and veggies :)

Hummus recipe

I've been making hummus since college and have loved converting non-hummus lovers to hummus obsessed hounds. I think the difference in making your own at home and purchasing a container full is the acidic aftertaste of most store bought hummus. So why not try making your own at home...

My Hummus Recipe

- 1 can of organic(if possible) no salt added chickpeas(drained)
- 1-2 tablespoons of tahini(sesame paste)
- 1-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- salt and pepper to taste

Other add ins:
- 1/2 cup of parsley chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1/2 can of pureed pumpkin
- 1/2 cup of kalamata olives

Methods:

After you have drained the chickpeas place in a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, place the beans on a plate and smush all the chickpeas with a fork. Then add the tahini, garlic, salt and pepper. If you have a food processor- mash for 15-20 seconds. If not, mix the ingredients with the smushed chickpeas. Add in 'add-ins' now and mix or process. Next, add the olive oil slowly to either the processor or the bowl until the hummus is a consistency that you like of your hummus. I usually process for another 20-30 seconds. Serve immediately or store in the fridge. I personally like my hummus more at room temperature and not just from the fridge. Serve with veggies or Mary's Gone crackers.

Game Night

Last night, we had a few friends over for Game Night. We played some 'parlor' games and laughed hard all night long.


The menu for the night:

Homemade hummus & veggies(carrots, celery and red peppers)
5-layer dip(healthy style) - recipe coming soon
turkey chili with chipotle peppers and sweet potatoes
pistachio bark
gluten free peanut butter cookies with dark chocolate kisses


Beer and wine glasses table


The bowls and limes for the chili(note: I forgot to put the lime wedges out)


The 'grub' table...




My famous hummus and veggies(recipe coming soon)


Two of the Game Night ladies and a tired Lenny...


Some of the Game Night crew...

Race up Boston Place

The building I raced up today...twice...


Yes, that's right twice!! This morning I competed in the American Lung Associations Fight for Air Climb where my team and I raced up One Boston Place. The amount of stairs you ask....789...flights of stairs...82...floors...41!!!! My first round felt great, I was disappointed I didn't push myself more. I had about an hour and half to wait for the rest of our team to go, so I went for a quick breakfast where I had a 'side' plate of corned beef hash(I had never had it and wanted to try it). Unfortunately, my dear friend and teammate had a family dog emergency this morning so I stepped and climbed again with my teammate Elise. So actually I raced up 82 floors today! :) Below are some pictures from this morning...


Half our team's 'before' picture(Ali, Nyssa, me, and Dave)


The cones into the stairwell...


The post 'free' race food(bananas, Odwalla bars, and my favorite brand of GLUTEN free chips



Did I mention I love these chips...



Same half of the team's 'after' picture...we look pretty sweaty...

CPR/ Grocery Shopping

An early start this morning- with a client and then a four hour CPR training(to keep myself up to date).

I had to rush out the door this morning and stopped at Buloco to grab a quick breakfast before CPR. I got scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa and cheese.



Tonight we're having my friends over for a pre-race dinner before ourFlight For Air Climb. We'll be climbing up One Boston Place- 792 steps of pure pleasure!

So off to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Market Basket I went with my friend Carrie to get enough food for two nights of hosting!

My pile at Market Basket- note:the Diet Coke(We haven't had soda in the house in six months!)




My car after all three stores(Carrie's bags on the left, mine on the right:)


Leftover gluten free buffalo chicken sausage pizza for lunch on a bed of baby spinach...


Off to do some cooking/cleaning/homework...

Dinner in Dedham

My grandmother was in town last night, so Dave and I headed out to Dedham to my aunt and uncle's house. My aunt made a wonderful dinner for all of us: chicken with artichoke hearts and olives, steamed broccoli, kamut pasta and marinara sauce. I forgot to take a picture of my plate though- argh!!


My cousin Tyler tried to help me take a picture of the chicken, but snuck his beer bottle in at the last minute to support Long Trail...




Almost empty dinner plates= a good meal



There was a fruit tart for dessert- NOT gluten free :(

MFM

Every Thursday I get an email from Gwyneth Paltrow’s blog Goop. This week was a little different than her normal recipes, travel ideas, or fashion tips.

This week she highlighted Meat Free Mondays which is a environmental campaign that Sir Paul McCartney created with his children: Stella(the designer) and Mary to "raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption."

Meat Free Mondays was started due to literature by the United Nations, stating that "the livestock industry as a whole was responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the whole of the transport sector."

The campaign has been written up in magazines, and has become huge hit in the U.K.

Sir Paul McCartney happily writes about eating one meal without meat:

"It’s amazingly easy to take one day in your week, Monday or any other day, and not eat meat. When you think about it, there are so many great alternatives, for instance, in Italian cooking, so many of the dishes are vegetarian already and Thai and Chinese cuisine are the same. All it means is that you have to think a bit about what you’ll eat that day but, in actual fact, far from being a chore, it’s a fun challenge."



I think I might try this. What about you all?