The time has come

I've waited so long for this moment. I have anticipated it and I would day dream about it and all the possibilities. I wanted it so badly and today at 3pm it came, my vacation. I was so ready for it. I could feel it in my weary body for the last few days and especially today. Also around 3pm came my sore muscles. Yesterday's and today's workout's caught up to me and gave me that little message to let me know that I had worked out hard.
Workout
This morning I was up early (for the last time for the next 6 days), and worked out. I did a circuit training workout starting with 15 min. on the spinning bike followed by chest, back, and shoulders. Then I was back on the bike for 10 min. and once again back off the bike for biceps and triceps. I finished up with 20 min. on the bike. Circuit workouts are so fast paced and so hard.
Dinner

To celebrate my first lazy night I made a Chez Gourmet veggie harvest burger. I topped it with a little herb laughing cow, along with an egg and egg white omelet, some lettuce (for a veggie), and some feta. Strange combo I know, but it's so good. The lettuce was definitely strange with the egg, but it worked out okay. I had half of a very ripe peach on the side.

It's not the most pretty egg due to it sticking to the pan, ugh, but it was good.

It's national trail mix day

Who knew it was national trail mix day. In honor of the day Bear naked sent me some trail mix to sample.
All of the opinions and comments on this product are my own.

They have three trail mix flavors, cranberry protein, pecan apple flax, and chocolate cherry.

The cranberry is nice and soft and really delicious.

I love the pecan apple flax. It's full of dried apples, the kind that taste and look like homemade dried apples. The clusters in this trail mix were a little harder in this one, but I think it would be really good in something soft like oatmeal as a topping.

I made my new favorite recipe, oat cake. These are so good and I'm so in love with them.

Oat cake
1/4 cup oats
2 TB. oat bran
dash baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
few splashes almond milk
warmed in the microwave for 30 sec.
then cook in a non stick pan on both sides

Topped with
sunflower nut butter
sliced banana
dollop crofters raspberry all fruit spread
(I haven't had any fruit spread in such a long time, they are so good)
Bear naked pecan apple fax trail mix

What is this green stuff

Workout
Some days a workout is just the perfect answer to life. Today was one of those workouts. I just enjoyed it so much and could feel the endorphins running through my body after wards.

I went to the fancy gym for an all over resistance workout followed by a cardio split. I started with 20 min. on the spinning bike and then I jumped on the stairs for another 20 min. It was tough and it was sweaty, but I felt so good when I was finished.
Dinner

I made a big pot of soup. I first started with lots of veggies and then added the other ingredients and let the whole thing simmer together.

Sweet potato veggie soup
1 small diced onion
2 diced carrots
2 diced sweet potatoes
1 box chicken stock
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can white beans
1 cup brown lentils
1 package diced basil chicken sausage
spices: garlic, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper

Simmer on low for 1 hr.

I was going to add what I thought was spinach until I realized it was basil. I added just a little chopped up at the end. I'm still not sure if it's spinach or basil?

Now as I type this I'm waiting for my bowl of soup to cool down. Soup is always so hot, it takes forever for it to become a temperature that wont burn my tongue.

I have to head back to work tonight for a few hours and then one more day before vacation.

Go to breakfast

Last night I was thinking about what I should make for breakfast this morning. I almost made overnight oats, but I didn't really want to mess with it. Then after pondering oatmeal, pancakes, or cereal it came to me. Why couldn't I warm up one of the applesauce raisin bars. It's everything a bowl of oats has in it, and that's where today's idea was born, and boy was it a good idea.

After warming up one bar for 30 sec. I topped it with some sunflower nut butter, sliced banana, and a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut. I then warmed the whole thing up for another 10 min. This was such a good simple breakfast. I paired it with my usual egg whites for a well rounded meal. I'm thinking about freezing the rest of the bars and saving them for a go to breakfast, It was just that good.

Second time around

Tonight's dinner was so easy, pull it out of the fridge, warm it up, and eat. I love nights like that, especially when it's the kind of meal that's even better the second time around, like pizza. The crust was much better the second night, not sure why.

I enjoyed my night off from cooking, but still had a great meal. I paired the pizza with a nice green salad with feta and some balsamic vinaigrette.

I also may have had a few bites of an applesauce raisin bar, they are so good.

Baking for fall

Today is one of those day's that says fall's coming. It's been dark and looking like it could rain at any moment today. With the feel of fall in the air I lit a candle and begun baking.

I first had to gather all my baking ingredients.

In a bowl I combined all the dry ingredients.
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups oats
1 TB. evaporated cane juice
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

In a separate bowl I combined all the wet ingredients.
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup honey
dash vanilla
2 TB. almond butter

I warmed the wet ingredients in the microwave for 1 min. After 1 min. I stirred the wet ingredients together and added them to the dry ingredients. Once everything was mixed together I spread the mix in a baking dish coated with non stick spray and baked it for 12min. at 325 degrees.

Do you know what I made yet?

Oat bars

I made Applesauce raisin bars.
These bars are so moist and full of oats, I cut them in to a giant bar size.

Another day

I'm wearing down, I'm so tired today. But the show must go on.

Today was simple, a bowl of cereal.

In the mix
Barbara's shredded spoonfuls multi grain cereal
Kashi GoLean berry crisp
Honey brown rice puffins
Peanut butter puffins
(This was my first time having the pb that everyone loves. They are so different from the rice puffins, but so good.)
1/4 tsp. chia seeds

Topped with
1/4 of a diced peach
Tj's sunflower nut butter

At least I'm another day closer to my vacation.

Homemade pizza take 50

Tonight I made pizza, I having been planning this all day and thinking about it. I have been working on learning the skills of making homemade pizza for about 6 months now. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it has been such a challenge for me and I'm determined to win.

I started by rolling out some Tj's whole wheat pizza dough that I let rise for 1 hr. I rolled and mostly just stretched it out onto a baking sheet coated with non stick spray and a dusting of whole wheat flour.

I baked it at 450 degrees for 10 min. to cook the dough before adding the toppings.

Once it was baked I added some Tj's pizza sauce, the kind in the refrigerated section which is much better then the kind in a jar. I added diced pre cooked free range chicken breast, zucchini from the family garden, diced tomato, feta, and some herbs.

I topped it off with some fresh basil.

I then baked it for a final 10 min. I actually could have baked it a little longer, the middle could have been a little more done. I am closer to perfecting pizza making, but I think I need to make my own dough. I like the Tj's dough, especially for the convenience. But I need a better dough to really make the best pizza.

An evening drink

I started off the evening with a mocktail featuring some POM wonderful juice. I was sent some to try by the guys at POM and I love it. On it's own it's very strong, but mixed in something it's fantastic.

I mixed about an inch of the POM juice with some mixed berry sparkling cider and a little lemon. It was delicious and refreshing, I also enjoyed drinking it through a straw.

Rustic and messy

Overall it turned out well and I ate it up.

It's definitely a rustic style pizza and a little messy, but so good.

I love the thick puffy crust.

I like to eat my pizza with a fork and knife, no messy fingers for me.

Fluff

Good morning. I had an idea for breakfast and it just didn't work.
I loved the oat cake the other morning that I made. So I thought I would adapt it a little, big mistake.

I added 2 egg whites for a little protein and it just made it too fluffy and not as thin, soft, and dense as the oat cake.
Fluff cake
2 egg whites
1/4 cup oats
2 TB. oat bran
splash soymilk
1/4 tsp. baking soda (I think this was too much because I could taste it)
dash salt
dash vanilla
mix together and microwave for 15 sec. to soften the oats
cook in a non stick pan on both sides

Topped with
almond butter
warmed up pear sauce
sliced peaches
sprinkle of unsweetened coconut

I prefer the traditional oat cake over this one. At least I had a good healthy filling breakfast to start my day. I'm off to work a very long day, see you tonight.

On the run

Just dropping in to say hello, It's just the start to my crazy weekend. But after next Wednesday I'm on vacation and lovin life. I have so many girlie things planned, along with some killer workout (because I absolutely LOVE working out when I'm on vacation. I think it's the no time commitment that I love). I'm also planning on lots of rest and lazy moments. Until then I must work my booty off, so it's time to head to bed so I can get up early.

Pretty as a peach

I'm working later today so I made a breakfast fit for a queen this morning.

I tried to make Kodiak crepes but it didn't work. The batter just won't flip and it just shrivels up. They definitely need the thickness of a pancake. I still made them on the thinner side, but thick enough to fluff up.

I topped my Kodiak cakes with a few sliced peaches and banana. Along with a drizzle of sunflower nut butter, dark chocolate chips, and I then went back for a drizzle of pure maple syrup and raw honey. On the side I had a couple egg whites for some protein.

I have a very busy working weekend ahead of me before I go on vacation next week. I'm thinking about taking a rest day today from working out and maybe going on a run this weekend. I know I will be getting in some really good challenging workouts next week while I'm on vacation.

Teach Teens and (Yourself!) how to W.A.I.T

By Tristan Gorrindo, M.D.





By now, over 80 percent of teens have an account with Facebook, Twitter, or some other social networking site. A common feature on almost all of these sites is the ability to share with your friends whatever is on your mind. Commonly these posts appear on a “wall” or other profile page for everyone to see.





Postings come in several versions: short bits of text, pictures, movies, and links to other websites. And the content of these posts can range from mundane observations about the weather, to the exuberant joy of being accepted to a highly desirable college, and everything in between. With the average teen having hundreds of “friends” on Facebook every post is fairly public event.





Teenagers are often defined by their impulsivity and their limited appreciation of long-term consequences. As a child psychiatrist, I see how poorly thought through social network posts can have real-life consequences. For example, a teen facebooking, “I’m so mad at Jessica, I could kill her,” might result in suspension from school. Even posts about, “getting wasted last night,” can have consequences for participation in school athletics or college recruitment if adults stumble across them.





In my work with teens, I try to get them in the habit slowing down the entire process of posting, with the hope that they’ll think before they post. One such tool I’ve created is the mnemonic W.A.I.T.





W. Wide-audience





“W” asks the question: Would I say this in front of a school assembly? If a teenage boy, for example, has 800 friends on Facebook, it is then helpful for have him visualize standing in from of 800 peers at an assembly school assembly reading his Facebook posting aloud. Still sound like a good idea?





A. Affect





“A” asks the question: Am I in a good emotional place right now? Drawing from the basic notion that thoughts and feelings are connected, here teens learn to think about the ways in which their mood might be affecting what they are about to say.





I. Intent





“I” asks the questions: Might my intent be misunderstood? The teen tries some perspective-taking to determine if his or her comment might be misunderstood.





T. Today





…tomorrow, or the next day? “T” asks the question: Can this wait a day? In an effort to slow the emotional drive that pushes teens to post to the Internet, this intervention asks teens to evaluate the urgency of what they are about to say. Why is it so urgent? What will happen if I wait?





I recognize that it’s unrealistic to expect that teens will W.A.I.T. every time they want to share something on a social media site, but I ask the teens I work with to write it on a post-it and stick it on their computer with the hope that it’ll slow them down. Using this technique, teens learn a structured way of evaluating whether or not something belongs on the Internet. It also provides clinicians and parents with a structured conversation tool to engage teens in discussions about what they are posting online.





Happy posting.

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Comfort in a casserole

Workout
I actually went to the gym today for my workout. I think I have just been burnt out on the gym atmosphere lately. Also with the summer weather I have been wanting to get outdoors more for my workouts. But today I did some heavy lifting working my upper body. I finished with 30 min. on the sweat inducing stairs. Man I hate the stairs, it's like torcher, but it's such a good workout.

Dinner
On a day like this today when it's dark and looks like it might rain at any moment, dinner calls for a meal with lots of comfort.

So tonight's dinner needed to be something that I had the stuff to make, and fit the comfort that I was looking for.

That's where Nacho bake was made. I love the ease and convenience of this one dish casserole.

Nacho Bake
Cook ground lean turkey with a dash of cumin, garlic, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. In a casserole dish coated with non stick spray I layered baked chips (I used Guiltless gourmets chili lime), black beans, refried beans, the ground turkey, salsa, and reduced fat cheddar cheese. For a little color, flavor, and just to fancy it up I topped it with diced tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min.

Everything came together to make the perfect meal. The cilantro was the ingredient that made this dish. It just added that little something of flavor. A little squeeze of lime on top would have also been good.

I topped my plate with some shredded green leaf lettuce for a nice crunch and for a healthy serving of veggie.

Oat cake is back

I whipped up a new recipe this morning. I made an oat cake and man was it good.

Oat cake
1/4 cup oats
2 TB. oat bran
1/4 tsp. baking soda
dash cinnamon
1 TB. pear sauce (you could use applesauce also)
2 TB. soymilk (or milk of choice)
mix together
microwave for 30 sec.
cook in a non stick pan on both sides

Topped with
sunflower nut butter (this stuff is so good)
few slices of banana
sprinkle of chia seeds
drizzle of pure maple syrup

I loved this recipe, it was dense like baked oatmeal in the middle and crispy on the edges. The only bad part was my pan got too hot and the oat cake got a little too toasty on both sides.

Crock pot in the summer

Dinner started with a big salad made with green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
Both of the veggies were from the co-op garden that I planted with my mom. We are finally starting to get some veggies.

This morning I put together in the crock pot the makings for barbecue shredded chicken burgers. It's my interpretation of pulled pork sandwich's, but with chicken instead.

Barbecue shredded chicken burgers
1 pkg all natural chicken tenders
(I think next time I would use chicken breasts and maybe a couple bone less chicken thighs)
2 cups BBQ sauce
1 cup water
dash each of cumin, garlic, chili flakes, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
cook on low for 5 hrs.

I had mine on an Ezekiel English muffin and Jeff had his on a whole wheat hamburger bun. Both were topped with a little reduced fat cheddar cheese. I was surprised how good these were and how easy it was to make. Next time I would like to try the chicken with Mexican seasonings and use it in burritos, would that be good.

Summer lovin

Workout
This morning I missed dancers workout and kickboxing. I only slept for a few hours last night, I just couldn't get to sleep. So when I got up this morning I felt like I had been ran over. I decided I couldn't get my butt in gear in time for class. So I got some rest, had a great breakfast, drank lots of green tea, and at 9:30am I worked out. At home I did a mix of kickboxing and resistance training working the whole body. I did a lot of legs and abs today, just like we do in class. I finished with 15 min. of yoga and stretching.
Lunch

I sliced up half of a sweet potato and microwaved it for a few minutes. Once done I topped it with two black bean burgers and some hummus. On the side I had half a peach.

The sweet potatoes are definitely better cooked slow in the oven, but for a quick lunch the microwave works.

And I would like to leave you with a nice view from my deck, as I enjoy my lunch.

Falls coming

I saved this whole wheat non fat cinnamon apple muffin yesterday to be featured in today's breakfast. Say that one five times, wow.

Today's breakfast is all about Fall. It's just around the corner and I'm ready for fall flavors.

In the mix:
1/4 cup oats
(I got burnt out on oats for a while and then fell in love with oat bran, but now I'm a little tired of those also. So I'm going back to the oats.)
2 Tb. Bob's apple cinnamon hot cereal
1/4 cup water
mix together

Topped with
warmed up pear sauce
drizzle of Tj's sunflower nut butter (this stuff is so good)
drizzle of Tj's pumpkin butter (It's a little too spicy for me, so a little goes a long ways)
dash of cinnamon
few hunks of the apple muffin