Category Archives: food

Brain Dead

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You can tell it has been “that kind of week” when you walk out of your house toward your car, realize it is not where you parked it, and start to panic-not about your stolen car- but about how you are going to get to school on time to copy the assignment for first period.  Then you slowly start to realize that your car wasn’t actually stolen, it was exactly where you parked it on another street.  Duh, Lisa.  Welcome to Wednesday.

I was obviously brain dead half awake this morning.

I have been digging my morning smoothies lately, but I really want to make sure I don’t find myself too hungry mid-morning so I switched things up today.  Hey, it is all about finding what works for you right?!

Breakfast was Chocolate-PB Overnight Oats and a french vanilla ices coffee.

In the mix was 3/4 cup oats, 1 tblsp cocoa powder, 1 cup almond milk, and 1 tblsp PB.  I mixed it up last night and refrigerated it overnight.  Yum.  I forgot how delightful soggy, cold oatmeal was.

Today I made my smoothie with about a half cup frozen strawberries, 8 ice cubes (no more, no less :) ), 1/2 cup each almond milk and water, and a scoop of chocolate shakeology. It was blended for about 3 minutes and tasted like Neapolitan ice cream- delish!

I am def. making this one again.  The only problem was that I was unable to keep my smoothie fresh tasting sitting on my desk (it got kinda warm) and I don’t have a fridge in my classroom.  Eating breakfast then sipping on the smoothie throughout the morning left me feeling full and satisfied throughout most of the day.  I had left over lasagna for lunch, a banana for an afternoon snack, and a chocolate chip Clif bar pre-Crossfit.  I think I can make it a full week of trying out these shakes!

I had a meeting after school and found myself getting home at 5:45.  Since Crossfit started at 6:30, I thought I’d make use of the time by running to and from class.  It was pretty warm out, though just a bit windy.

Crossfit is located exactly 1.21 miles from my house.  What a sneaky way for me to get in a run, huh?!

I tried to keep my pace up since it was such a short run (no, I did not run at the 3:04 min pace you see above), but finished 2.3ish miles in about 22 minutes.  This may be a new way to sneak in some speed work into my half marathon training.

Crossfit Strength today was 5 x 5 deadlifts and 5 x 5 overhead squats.  My legs were so tired from all the lunges Monday and the walking lunges yesterday (and the run to the gym today).  I gave it all I could.

  • For overhead squats I used 35lbs.  I tried heavier weight but my knees kept going over my toes, and that is a squatting no-no.
  • The deadlifts are slowly becoming something I enjoy immensely.  I shared a bar with Ali (who I finally got to meet today!) and we maxed out at 115lbs.  It was tough I’ll tell ya.

WOD- 15 minutes- As many rounds as possible

  • 10 toes to bar (my Gosh these are hard, I did a whole varety of interesting ways to get my toes up to the bar.  My left leg was very successful in reaching it, the right leg, not so much)
  • 10 push ups (modified on knee)
  • 10 plate jumps
  • 10 ring rows

I did 4ish rounds.  It was hard!

Well, now I am sitting on the couch, debating if I want red Gatorade or red wine.  Hmmmm. Jack is picking me up some pizza and a Caprese salad from Paolo’s, and Italian restuarant right next to the house.

I may also bake some support for parent-teacher conferences tomorrow in the form of chocolate-y brownies.  I have a feeling my co-workers will thank me!

~L

Say it isn’t so

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please tell me it isn’t only Wednesday?

I feel like we are currently in what will go down in history as the longest week ever.

I wish it was “Jersday” for more reasons than 1!

Now, let’s talk food:

Last night I perfected my art of homemade pizza.  Using one whole wheat pizza dough and one garlic and herb pizza dough from Trader Joe’s I crafted a pretty amazing pizza experience.  Trader Joe’s dough, after sitting at room temp for 20 minutes, easily rolled into the rectangular shape I needed to fit the pan.

Of course I used what all classy cooks used to roll it out:

A wine bottle!  Hey, it works ;)

The pizza was divine.  If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s garlic and herb dough you must.  The trick I used is to brush the dough with olive oil and throw it in the oven for 10ish minutes before adding the sauce and cheese.  The crust came out so crispy.  We also had Alexia Waffle fries on the side.

After an uneventful bootcamp last night, I woke up feeling famished and new that a smoothie was just not going to cut it today.  I had a headache for the second day in a row which was either because I didn’t start my day with a coffee or my breakfast wasn’t great.  Today I had two blueberry Van’s Waffles with peanut butter and a half of a banana.  Yum.

I enjoyed this gooey baby with a french vanilla iced coffee from Dunks.

Dinner tonight, which I am eating as I type, is marinated chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese.

I de-goobered the chicken (i.e. took off the slimy, fatty parts) Sunday and froze it with some left over Newman’s Own Teriyaki.  The mac and cheese was Annie’s brand, similar to Velveeta shells and cheese, but not so salty.

Oh ya, and I tried a glass of this fun vino.  It is a Garnacha that is about $12 a bottle.  Price doesn’t mean it is good or bad, but I am still yet to find a red (besides Merlot) that I don’t like).

For some reason I LOVE the fact that the cork was black.  I don’t think I have ever seen a black cork.  Kind of reminds me of a giraffe’s tongue..

Tonight I got a pleasant surprise to find Tristan subbing for John at CrossFit.  The workout was very unpleasant (this had nothing to do with Tristan I assure you, he is awesome).  By unpleasant I mean hard as F*@k.  Pardon my French but holy crap!  First, let me preface by saying that this is my third class this week and I did run 4.2 miles Sunday.

Ok, today’s WOD was as follows:

Strength: 5×5 deadlifts

8 minutes each, AMRAP

ROUND 1

  1. 10 box jumps (20 in box)
  2. 10 KB swings

ROUND 2

  1. 15 thrusters (35lbs)
  2. 15 burpees

ROUND 3

  1. 20 double unders (I did 60 singles)
  2. 10 toes to bar (I did a toes to air variation)

I started with ROUND 3, then 1, then finished up with 2.  By the time I got to my final round, which I feel needed the most exertion of all, I had almost nothing left to give.  Thrusters are hard after hanging on a bar and doing kb swings!  In 8 minutes I managed to complete:

  • 4 rounds of double unders/toes to bar
  • 6 +some of box jumps/KB swings
  • 2+some thrusters/burpees

I am totally burpee-d out this week and am totally looking forward to a day off from physical activity tomorrow.

It is getting close to my bed time so I gots to be going.

~L

Total Tool

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After catching you guys up on my weekend, I finally gathered up the motivation to go for a run.  Despite the three hours preparation and new playlist, the run was hard.  My shins burned for the first mile or so (which I am thinking may be due to jumping rope Friday and doing plank jumps Saturday??).  After my body warmed up I was able to complete 4.22 miles, including a couple hills.

When running in sunny but cold weather I dress in three layers:

  • sweat wicking tank
  • long sleeve running shirt
  • zip up jacket

I also wear a fleece headband to keep my head warm and regular gloves from the dollar bin at Target.  I usually take the gloves off once I warm up, but I HATE having cold ears so the headband stays put.

I also wear a Spibelt (which acts as a carrying pouch as well as a belt to keep my tank from riding up.  In my Spibelt I keep my phone and keys and cough drops or gum to keep my mouth busy as I run!

My Garmin gps helps track pace and mileage and my ipod touch keeps me rocking during my run.  I look like a total tool with all the ridiculousness on my body, but it keeps me running nonetheless :)

I then got to doing what I loathe the most: food shopping.  Man is there nothing I would rather do less than food shop.  I always leave it until Sunday and I always put it off as long as I can.

This week I went in prepared with lunches, dinners, and snacks for the week.  I spent about $75 (which is what I spend on average) and after I got home I chopped, and cut, and boiled, and froze, and prepared salads and sauces and sandwhiches.  I am all set for the week and it is quite an accomplished feeling!

Lunches are shaves chicken sandwiches made on Trader Joe’s Habanero Lime tortillas.  I have never had them but I am hoping the are good.  One thing I am NOT good at is making good wraps!

The one thing I am most excited about it attempting to make some smoothies for breakfast. I have tried this before on a whim, but luckily for me I have a few good recipes to try out this time.

Oh, and a spanking new blender! Check this baby out:

I hope it is a pretty decent blender.  I of course did NO research previous to purchasing so I could end up being a worse smoothie maker than me.

I shall let you know.

Off to eat!

~L

Fried

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My Friday started with an afternoon CrossFit session with Tristan.  The WOD was for the people participating in the Crossfit Open Sectionals to be able to practice.  I am not personally competing in them but it was fun to try out a workout.

Skill review: Power snatches

WOD (AMRAP):

30 double unders (I did singles x3)

15 Power snatches (20lbs)

Power snatches require you to lift an Olympic bar from the floor to overhead in one motion.  When I did my last onboarding session Tristan and I worked on these for a bit and I just couldn’t get it.  Using your hips for the power just confused me.  I know I was thinking about it too much!

Luckily for me I was able to rock the snatches this time!  I completed 2 rounds plus 70 jump rope singles.

It goes without saying I sweat a lot!

After CrossFit I showered and got ready to meet the ladies at Anthem.  I love that restaurant week allows you to try out places which you may not normally have tried.  Anthem is located in the middle of Fanueil Hall and offered a very cool vibe.  We got a window seat which was perfect for people watching.

I started out with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  I loved the melon-y flavor of the wine.  It completmented the 70 degree weather perfectly!  I had two glasses over the course of lunch.

First course was a Ceasar salad.  It was good, nothing out of the ordinary.

The main course was their margherita pizza with buffalo mozzerella, chunky tomato sauce and fresh basil.  It was served on a wooden pizza plank (not sure if that is what it is called).

It was thin and crunchy and tasted very fresh.

Clearly I hated it :)

Dessert was a fried Twinkie served with fresh berries and whipped cream.  The bottom got a little soggy from the berry juice but I liked it just the same.

Everything tastes better fried people!  This we know.  I actually haven’t had too many crazy fried desserts, but my favorite so far is a deep fried Oreo.  Yum!

After lunch we watched some break-dancers for a bit then walked home.  :)

What is your favorite fried food??

~L

 

I’m a Believer

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My Monday was quite a whirlwind!  I am not sure how it got to be 5 o’clock so darn fast!  Did that happen to anybody else?

I started my day with this yummy breakfast (not oatmeal for the first time in a while):

In the mix:

  • sliced strawberries
  • 1/3ish cup of strawberry granola
  • Chiobani vanilla yogurt

I always worry that a breakfast like this won’t fill me up, and I am wrong every time!

Ok, now let’s rewind to last night.

After waking up from a nap and procrastinating food shopping, I finally made it to the store.  I am currently trying to eat out less and make sure I eat more than cereal for dinner.  As I said last week, by the time I get home from CrossFit or a run I have no desire to bake/broil/fry/order take out.  To solve the problem, I am planning and prepping my meals on Sundays.  Coming up on my second week of doing this its already working so well!  I actually went shopping with a list people! I usually wonder aimlessly around the store and spend $80 on nothing.  Having a plan sure makes the trip seem more satisfying!

On the menu this week:

Monday: Crockpot chicken and rice

Tuesday: Dinner with Kristin

Wednesday: Lasagna

Thursday: Ok, I didn’t get that far…but left over lasagna maybe?

Friday: Restaurant week with my mom at Flemings and the play “Mary Poppins”

Today I made BBQ/Teryaki chicken breasts using a recipe I googled.  I threw it in the crockpot on low heat for 5-8 hours.  The condo smelled AH-Mazing when I got home today!

When I took it out of the crockpot the meat fell right off the bone.  And this isn’t a flaky, tuna-like texture, Mom ;) (blech), this is really good!

Recipe:

  • sliced onion and garlic at bottom of pot and top with 2-3lbs chicken parts (I used bone-in breasts), skin removed

Combine:

  • 1/8tsp hot sauce
  • 1/4tsp pepper
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tblsp lemon juice
  • 1 tblsp chili powder
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup ketchup

I had to leave it on for about 9 hours, which kind of made the left over juices dry out and begin to burn.  If I had been able to get to it sooner, I would’ve removed the cooked chicken, added water and a little cornstarch and made a glaze to coat the chicken with.  That would’ve been fantastic (I am a dipper!).

OOOOOOO, and my secret weapon in this whole thing: Slow Cooker Liners!  I had read about these things and I have NO IDEA why I didn’t try them sooner.  Look, no clean up (this pic was after I removed the bag).  I am a believer in these things, and you should be too!  Because I know doing dishes isn’t anyone’s favorite chore ;)

CrossFit tonight then coming right home to this delicious dinner.  Planning sure does pay off.

How do you plan your dinners for the week??  Do you shop with recipes in mind or buy a little of this and that and go from there??

~L

 

Cozumel

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Cozumel was the first stop on the cruise and the first thing I liked about it was that it was docked at the port.  I love walking off the boat into the little shopping area.

It was the first day of the trip and Jack was feeling super relaxed, he let me bring him in all the shops (regardless of the fact they all sold the same goods).

Since we didn’t book an excursion we wandered toward where we thought may be the direction of downtown and happened upon a small beachside bar and grill.  The had caronas for me and offered seaside massages for Jack.  While he relaxed, I drank a couple cervezas and chatted with a couple couples from Canada.

I also had a beer at Fat Tuesdays while Jack ran to grab something on the boat.  Fat Tuesdays was also right on the water and was very festive.

Upon Jack’s return I was getting hungry.  When I get hungry I get grumpy (even after a few beers) so we headed to a restaurant across the way called “3 Amigos”.  We got a nice table on the deck overlooking the water and I promptly ordered a mango margarita…

which was served on our waiter’s head?!

Jack must’ve felt left out, so he got a cool balloon hat to wear

We munched on some fresh tomato salsa and jalapeno poppers.  I love jalapeno poppers!

Cozumel was warm, sunny, and a great first stop on the trip.  We spent the whole afternoon there and I enjoyed every second of it.  I even picked up my goodies for my mom, dad, and brother while I was there!

On that note…buenos noches :)

A Bright Idea

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Good evening :)

I just got back from an Avalon CrossFit bootcamp class that left me the sweatiest I have been at that place yet.  It was a really great workout and it lasted for a short 24 minutes!  Not that the 24 minutes were one bit easy, but ONLY 24 minutes!

About an hour pre-workout I ate a Blueberry Crisp Clif bar.  These are pretty amazing!

Blueberry Crisp

(SOURCE)

Bootcamp: 3 rounds, 1 min each station

  • ab mat sit-ups
  • plank hold
  • rowing machine
  • tire flip
  • side steps
  • shuttle runs
  • kettlebell swings with side step
  • jump rope

I am loving CrossFit a lot, but the problem I have been having is that the “regular” classes (where we do the prescribed Workout of the Day) are from 6:30-7:30. By the time I get home I never end up cooking dinner!  I usually each cereal after a class and wasting the meat and produce I bought for the week.

Today I had the idea that when I got home from school I’d cook dinner BEFORE class so it would be ready to eat when I got in from class.  This bright idea made my belly very happy.

Tonight I made chicken (which I marinated over night in Newman’s Own Teryaki) and whole wheat rice pilaf.  Delish!  I couldn’t take a picture because I am devouring as I type this post!

On tap for me tonight: Glee! and a Cozumel recap (well, depending Word Press will let me upload my pics…grrrrrr)!

Stay tuned!

PS- CrossFit posted an interesting article titled “4 Things Women Should be Doing in their Fitness Training- but Aren’t” on their Facebook page.  It is pretty interesting, check it out!.

B-Fast

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Breakfast could hands-down be my favorite meal of the day, and it is hard to believe I didn’t start eating breakfast every morning regularly until last year.  Looking back, I don’t know how I even made it through the day without eating before lunch time!

My breakfast on the cruise almost every morning: raisin bran and half a bagle with OJ and skim milk

I bet I was pretty grumpy, my head was probably foggy, and I sure didn’t have much umph to get me through the day.

Since I am such a routine person, I go on food kicks eating the same thing for days on end.  That means that though I have a bunch of different breakfasts that can be prepared in the morning, are quick and easy (done in under 20 minutes), AND fill me up, I tend to eat the SAME THING until it makes me want to puke!

On those mornings where I feel really bored with my breakfast choice of the month day I find myself trying to scavage for an alternate, which ends up being a doughnut.  This isn’t necessarily bad (eating a doughnut for breakfast) but I prefer my breakfast to sustain me until my morning snack around 10 am.

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite breakfast recipes here.  I have made the first two in the mornings while getting ready for school!

1) Oatmeal-Banana Bread Bake (recipe here)

2) Peanut Butter French Toast (you can do this with or without the banana in the middle/peanut butter)

3) Overnight Oats in any variation!

4) Go Lean Crunch (or any granola) with Chiobani yogurt (or any yogurt) and blueberries (or any berries)

aaannnnddd that is all for now.  I think I need to take ym own advice and whip me up some french toast tomorrow morning!

Lata :)

 

Reclaiming His Heart

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In the midst of a rash of snowstorms throughout the Eastern United States, Jack went to the Dominican Republic.  He came back raving, but not about the sun or the beach or the 88 degree weather.  No siree, my boyfriend came back from his tropical vacation raving about their vanilla cake.

You read that right.

The best part of his vacation was dessert.  Vanilla cake nonetheless!

Oh, I forgot to mention this magical vanilla cake also had vanilla frosting on it.

Up until this vacation, he adored my risotto balls.  So you can imagine how I felt after hearing of his adoration for this vanilla cake.  I was determined to bake my way back to the top of his stomach heart.  I mean, there was no way my boyfriend was going to walk around telling people the best thing he had ever eaten was vanilla cake from the Dominican.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner (well, tomorrow) I thought it would be a prefect time to try out a new dessert: vanilla cake balls. (Recipe inspired by Bakerella)

Bake and cool a cake flavor of your choice.

Crumble in a bowl.

Add one can of frosting (I used Betty Crocker Vanilla)

Massage cake crumbles and frosting with hands.  Its kinda like making meatballs, but way stickier and messier.

Place and fridge for several hours, then work in batches to roll the mixture into bite size cake balls and dipping in melted chocolate using a fork with the two middle digits removed.  Let cool in fridge.

This is for sure the way to reclaim his heart!

Happy Valentine’s Day!
~L

Arincini Di Riso- Part 2

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Happy day after the 4th!  I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!  I sure did!  Saturday was a cookout with my fam and Sunday was a party with Jack’s!  I ate tons of food and drank my fair share of beer, went swimming, stayed up late, and watched the fireworks.

I tried Shock Top, which is a Belgian White beer with a very slight (in not nonexistent orange flavor).  It is 5.2% alcohol by volume and overall not my favorite “fruity beer” I’ve had.  I still like trying new ones though!

My mom put out a HUGE spread for us on Saturday which included Dom’s steak tips (mmmmm, so delicious), two types of marinated chicken, dogs and burgers, two types of macaroni salad (one with mayo the other with Italian dressing) and potato salad.  I think I pretty much ate a little of everything on Saturday!

This was the serving platte, not my plate :)

_______________________________________________________________

My contribution to yesterday’s cookout were my Risotto Balls (AKA Arincini Di Riso).  If you missed part 1, check it out here.  And whatever you do- try not to lick the screen :)

Arincini Di Riso- Part 2

Ingredients:

  • 6 mozzarella cheese sticks
  • breadcrumbs
  • oil for frying
  • salt to taste

Pour a half cup of breadcrumbs into a bowl and set aside

Unwrap the 6 or so cheese sticks

Cut the sticks into half inch-ish slices

Using a teaspoon, take a scoop of the cooled risotto mixture

Place mixture in your hand and put a piece of the sliced cheese in the middle

Roll into a ball with the cheese in the center

Roll in breadcrumbs

and repeat until all mixture has been rolled.  Place on a cookie sheet. (makes about 50)

Heat oil in a frying pan and cook arincini in batches until golden brown or cheese oozes out of the sides

Serve immediately with marinara sauce or pesto on the side!

What is your favorite appetizer?

Tonight I am doing dinner with Kristin and my godson Nicholas.  We are going to Regina’s and we all know how much I heart Reginas (and Kristin and Nick too ;) )

See ya later!

~L