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A doggone good Sunday

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

I woke up to a gorgeous Sunday — no clouds, no wind and oddly, no chill. (Did I somehow sleep until summer?) I still had a hankering for a hot breakfast despite the warm weather, so I made “banana bread” oatmeal with:

  • 1/3 cup each of Bob’s Red Mill 5-grain rolled whole grain hot cereal plus flaxseed, water, Living Harvest hemp milk
  • half a banana
  • 2 tablespoons walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • sprinkle of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

I couldn’t believe how much this tasted like fresh-from-the-oven banana bread…definitely making this again! I brewed a pot of coffee for JD, and decided to have a cup too, with a couple of tablespoons of Coffeemate Belgian Chocolate Toffee creamer. Yum…

Love this mug — it was a birthday gift from my mother in law. The other side says, “Hey, cutie, could I get a refill?” Ha Ha! Thanks, Linda! JD and I weren’t going to waste such a beautiful day inside, so he suggested taking Tex to the dog park. We had never been before, so it was a great time to try it out!

That’s one happy pup! :)

We were famished by the time we got home. Lunch was made with tuna, Ezekiel and party leftovers:

I mixed 2 ounces of canned tuna with Sabra red pepper hummus, then added lettuce, mushrooms and cucumbers. A big pile of veggies, another tablespoon of hummus and four cheese cubes completed the meal. I love leftovers — especially healthy ones. :)

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football, napping and shopping. I used birthday money, and added a bit to it, to buy a few sweaters (even though I definitely couldn’t wear one today), a button-down camel-color skirt and an adorable dress that cost a mere $13. And the best part…it was a size smaller than what I normally wear! I know clothes run differently, but I’m going to celebrate it anyway…I’ve been working so hard, and actually wearing results of that is such a motivator to keep it up. I think I’m going to save the dress for my friend Jessica’s bachelorette party this weekend…I’ll be sure to share some pics!

Dinner was simple and light:

We threw together a veggie stir fry with shrimp, and JD made the absolute best sauce. The ingredients are “secret,” but I can say pineapple chunks and hot sauce were involved. I also wanted to try my hand at cooking tofu, (first timer here) so I pan seared a couple of servings with two teaspoons of sesame oil. So good! I halved it so I could take some to work for lunch tomorrow.

Does that bowl look familiar? :)

Getting up in the morning is going to be tough if I don’t get my buns to bed! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, and a successful new week. :) A big shout out to my mom and sister, Tiffany, for starting their own food and fitness plans. I’m so proud of you guys!

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Tuna time

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Breakfast held me over incredibly well today. I wasn’t hungry again until almost 11, so I ate a small snack to refuel before my workout:

7 celery sticks (yes, I’m weird and eat the leafy top too on the small, center pieces), and 2 tablespoons of Sabra Greek Olive Hummus. Fresh and filling!

I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical doing the weight-loss program (think lots of intervals), and rocked out to the likes of Black-Eyed Peas, FallOut Boy, Katy Perry, Lady GaGa and a few other of my keep-on-going favorites. Thank goodness for iPods — I don’t know how I’d work out without one! After a quick gulp of water, I did some strength training: bicep curls, squats, arm raises, push ups and crunches. I upgraded to 8-lb weights from 5′ers…feelin’ the extra burn for sure!

Lunch was this plate of deliciousness:

I made a healthier version of tuna salad with:
  • 2 oz. canned Starkist White Albacore tuna
  • 2 oz. Greek Gods plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • An onion quarter, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Diamond sliced almonds
  • 2 tablespoons Athenos basil & tomato feta cheese
  • Few dashes of salt, pepper and organic cumin

This was my first time subbing yogurt for mayo, and while the first couple bites were a little different for me (kind of like trying sushi for the first time), I started to embrace the new flavors.

I toasted two pieces of Ezekiel bread, cut them in half and topped them with the salad. Open face sandwiches, to me, helps not mask the tastiness of the inside.

Wanna bite? :)

JD got off work early today (yay!), so I think we are going to go run some errands before taking Tex out for his daily walk. I still have to do some cleaning too — I got distracted by blog reading and reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond. :)

Will post dinner this evening!

Posted in Ezekiel bread, Sabra Greek Olive Hummus, celery, elliptical workouts, healthy tuna salad recipe, iPod shuffle, strength training for weight loss | Comments Off

Sometimes the best things in life are free

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

I love my husband’s grandmother, “Mama Betty.” She’s sassy, opinionated, caring and an excellent cook. I felt a connection with her the very first time I met her, when she was bustling about, buttering bread and pouring freshly pressure-cooked peas in a bowl.

About every Sunday, we make the hour drive to JD’s hometown for church and family lunch at Mama Betty’s house. True to her Southern roots, she believes in real food and real frying. Fried okra and squash, extra crispy chicken…you name it, she’ll batter it. Luckily for the healthy gal I’m trying to be, she also puts out plenty of fruits and vegetables straight from their garden (which is big enough to feed the entire state of Texas). And even luckier for us, she has no problem sharing…a lot! She sent us home with loaded bags of squash, tomatoes and way too many green peppers to ever imagine eating between the two of us. (Any takers?) Organic veggies without the organic price tag…love it!

Enthused by our supply of homegrown produce, the husband and I made a trip across town to the Fresh Market for seafood and more organic goods. On the menu this week will be wild Flounder tacos, topped with MB’s tomatoes, chicken and shrimp skewers, with the squash as one of the ingredients, and a big batch of chili with green peppers. I also got two boxes of organic cereal, my first loaf of Ezekiel bread and blue corn organic tortilla chips. I feel fresher already! Ha!

Hopefully all this real food will cancel out the way-too-many calories I consumed yesterday. College football has begun, which is more of a fixation in the South than an ice-filled jar of sweet tea. We went to our friends, Brett and Amy’s house, to catch some pigskin action, and boy, the food was a plenty! Burgers, hot dogs, chips and dip, sweet potato fries, fruit…oh my! I made the mistake of sitting right in front of the chip bowl, and I do believe my hand was possessed. Next time, I’ll put a few on my plate and move away…far, far away!

For everyone who has tomorrow off, (YAY!) have a happy and healthy Monday!

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