Happy Easter!

This week's eats (3/24 - 3/30)

1. Breakfast: Special K with berries (hers)

2. Snack: animal crackers (ours)

3. Lunch: veggies and black beans on hummus (hers)

4. Dinner: green salad with nuts, Chinese noodles, feta (ours)

5. Dinner: broccoli slaw with sunflower seeds and tofu (hers)

6. Lunch and snack: turkey and spinach wrap, Greek yogurt, Samoa bars, cutie, Triscuits and hummus (his)

7. Lunch: mac and no cheese with veggies (hers)

8. Snack: hummus and sweet potato Triscuits (ours)

9. Breakfast: apple pie green smoothie (hers)

We arrived in Charlotte on Thursday night to spend Easter weekend with our girls. We're enjoying meals, movies, hiking, coloring eggs, games, and lots of goodies!!

Treats so far...

Chocolate mint chip ice cream cupcakes with Andes mints in and on. Oh my gosh!

Cinnamon coffee cake

Salted caramel brownies

Spring Treadmill Run

Sometimes you just have to pretend.

Here is a 45 minute treadmill run with a beautiful spring photo - you can pretend you are running down this flower arched path. I like to alternate between being uncomfortable and recovering. Changing speeds and watching the time gives me something to do on the treadmill and makes it a little less boring  So instead of zoning out at one speed to a documentary, I did this little interval run.

The snow is melting in my neighborhood but there is yet to be a bud or flower anywhere so -- I am pretending it's spring outside.

Apple Pie A La Mode...

Smoothie that is.

I ran out of bananas.

But there was a basket of apples, all lonely looking.

And then, oh my gosh. This one is my new favorite.

What you'll need:

1 handful of fresh baby spinach
1/2 large apple - peeled and chopped (The apples at our grocery store are HUGE lately so I only used 1/2 of one, which worked out perfectly because then I had the other half to use as a vehicle for my peanut butter later on....)
1-2 Tbsp cream cheese (I used non-dairy, but you could use regular, light, or fat free)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 cup milk or soy milk
optional: 1 tsp of sweetener (sugar, stevia, splenda, etc.)

2-3 vanilla wafers, crumbled
( I like to crumble mine on top or you could stir them in after blending.)

What you'll do:

Minus the vanilla wafers - throw it all in the blender with or without a couple of ice cubes and blend until smooth. Pour into a large glass and sprinkle the crumbled vanilla wafers on top. Stir them in or nibble on them as you sip. Yum!!

Last week's activity (3/18 - 3/24)

Monday

1 hour cardio/strength interval class

Tuesday
3 mile run

Wednesday
1 hour bar ball class
4 mile run

Thursday
1 hour bar ball class
15 minute abs
45 minute yoga class

Friday
8 mile run
2 mile dog walk

Saturday
1 hour bar ball class
3 mile dog walk

Sunday
nada

Mileage goal: 15
Mileage: 15

This week's eats (3/16 - 3/22)

Some random meals we ate this week...

1. Snack: crackers and hummus (ours)

2. Dinner: shredded chicken w/ barbecue sauce, asparagus, and sweet potato (his)

3. Snack: cuties (ours)

4. Dinner: ratatouille with pasta, chicken sausage, and veggie shreds (his)

5. Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean cereal and strawberries (ours)

6. Lunch: spinach, artichoke, tomato pizza (ours)

7. Lunch: toasted veggies on whole wheat tortilla with hummus sauce (hers)

8. Dinner: stir fry veggies and tofu (hers)

9. Snack: celery and peanut butter (hers)

Can't get this song out of my head...

  Click here to listen!!  

Cookies

I wanted cookies. But I didn't want the last hour and a half I'd just spent at the gym to be for nothing. So I made these.

At first, I wasn't sure what to call them...

because the direct quote of someone near and dear to me concerning these cookies was, "if you put one of these outside on the sidewalk, people would walk waayyy around it." Gee thanks, honey. Then he popped another one in his mouth.


But I decided on: Sugar-free-Low-fat-High-fiber-Chocolate-Pumpkin-Oatmeal-Protein Cookies.

Are they the best cookies you'll ever eat? No.

The best cookie you'll ever eat is loaded with butter, sugar, brown sugar, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate. It weighs in at about 180-200 calories per cookie, with 10-12 grams (or more) of fat.

But these little bites might just take the edge off your sweet tooth without un-doing your gym time. At 60.5 calories per cookie, they have 3.1 grams of protein, 9.6 grams of carbs, 1.7 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber.

What you'll need:

1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 scoops protein powder (I used chocolate)
2 Tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup egg beaters
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2/3 cup sugar free sweetener (I used Splenda Essentials with fiber)

What you'll do:

Mix all of the above ingredients just until incorporated. Spoon by heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.

12 Minute Workout #12: Jack it out

A HIIT Interval app

I have used this 12 minute series as part of my bootcamp class several times. All the jumping jacks really get the heart rate up and burn calories, but you only ever do 30 seconds at a time. In between the jacks, you'll slow down for some muscle moves. This allows you to catch your breath, so when it's time for jacks - you can go all out again. The last burst has jacks followed by squat jumps -- but it's your last burst! You can rest and then repeat if desired.

Set your timer/app for 16 rounds, alternating 30 second and 1 minute intervals. The only thing you'll need is a sturdy chair or low table for the triceps dips (#8). With the jumping jacks, be sure to land softly with bent knees and allow your heels to come all the way down to the floor. This will make sure your whole foot is taking the pressure of each jump and not just the ball of your foot, and also allows for full use of your calf instead of just the very middle of the muscle. Big, exaggerated arms make you work harder. If you get tired and need a little break, just make the jacks smaller all the way around. To take out impact, half jacks can be substituted - just step out with one heel to the side while bringing arms overhead, bring heel back in as arms come down. Then other heel out to side as arms go overhead, bring heel back in as arms come down.

Ready. Set. Go!

1.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

2.  1 minute of sit ups - knees bent, arms crossed over chest with finger tips on shoulders, touch elbows to knees or tops of thighs

3.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

4.  1 minute of push ups - hands wider than shoulders, do as many on your knees as possible before going to toes, tight butt, tight gut

5.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

6.  1 minute of plank with alt knee pulls - hands under shoulders, straight line from heels to head, alternately pull one knee in towards the chest, then the other, no piking, no sagging, this one is about control, belly up and in

7.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

8.  1 minute of triceps dips using a chair - sit, place hands on seat of chair close to bum, fingers facing forward, extend legs, feet on the floor, slide bum off chair, straight legs or bent (straighter is harder), bend elbows behind you and lower bum, then straighten elbows

9.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

10.  1 minute of lunges with right leg back - giant step back so front knee is over front ankle, back knee below or behind hip, bend back knee lowering towards the floor and then back up, no forward and back motion, only down/up movement, press the front heel into the floor

11.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

12.  1 minute of lunges with left leg back - change legs and repeat as above

13.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

14.  1 minute of squats - feet as wide or wider than shoulders, sit back with hips as if sitting down into a small chair behind you, then stand back up, knees can come over shoelaces but not in front of toes, the weight stays in your heels through the movement

15.  30 seconds of Jumping jacks

16.  1 minute of squat jumps - from squat position, squat down and reach towards floor, then swing arms up over head and propel into a jump, landing with soft knees, then immediately sit back into a squat

Just how weird?

Dr. Seuss said, "We are all a little weird...." 

And I think that's very true. Each one of us is weird, in and to varying degrees. But do you ever wonder how your own weird-ness stacks up against everyone else's weird-ness?

I do.

Like I sometimes wonder...

is it weird that I ....

have a playlist titled, "Clean House Music" ... ?

Is it weird that I ....

sometimes think I am lip syncing while running

 on the treadmill with ear phones in, only to realize

 that I actually sang those last two verses out loud?
 -  at the gym!  (At home, I just belt it out, on purpose...)  

Is it weird that I ....

hate to be woken by the sound of birds chirping

 before my alarm? (Okay, that sounds really bad.

 Let me clarify. I don't sleep very well.

 I have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep, 

so when I am awoken by anything before my alarm,

 it makes we want to throw rocks at it

 no matter how pleasant that sound might be

 under other circumstances.)

Is it weird that I ....

hate coffee? And beer. 

Is it weird that I ....

bake cookies and then immediately

 "hide" them in the freezer so I don't eat them?

Is it weird that I ....

count stuff?

 ...stairs, the number of mailboxes per street while I walk,

 how many steps from one part of the house to another,

 how many days it's been since I walked to the mailbox, etc.

Is it weird that I ....

don't know how to work our TV?

All those remotes confuse me.

Is it weird that I ....

love my vacuum cleaner? No, really.

 I don't just have a great vacuum cleaner that I am very fond of.

 I have an awesome vacuum cleaner that I love.

 And look forward to using. Several times a week.

Is it weird that...

 this is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes:

Is it weird that I ....

 just shared my weird-ness insecurities?

Last week's activity (3/11 - 3/17)

Monday

1 hour cardio/strength interval class
1 hour pilates class

Tuesday
3 mile run
1.5 mile dog walk

Wednesday
1 hour bar bell class
6 mile run

Thursday
1 hour bar bell class

Friday
1 hour bootcamp class
3 mile run

Saturday
1 hour bar bell class
6.5 mile hike

Sunday
3 mile run

Mileage goal: 15
Mileage: 15

This week's eats (3/9 - 3/15)

Random meals from this week:

1. Dinner: Mediterranean Farro Salad , roasted chicken, and carrots [his]
2. Breakfast: green smoothie (spinach, mango, pineapple, banana, vanilla protein powder) [hers]
3. Snack: shared a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich [ours]
4. Snack: apple and peanut butter [hers]
5. Dinner: chicken and veggies [his]
6. Lunch: Not-chicken salad (tofu) on thin bun [hers]
7. Lunch: big green salad with nuts, raisins, veggie chop, veggie shreds, and croutons [ours]
8. Breakfast: egg "muffins" with veggies and chicken sausage [his]
9. Snack: ginger pop and raisins [ours]

Farro - 2 ways

In my quest for high protein, plant-based foods, my youngest suggested we try farro.

What is farro? That's a good question, as apparently there's a lot of confusion and some disagreement as to what farro is these days. It looks like fat grains of barley and is the "distinct cousin of modern wheat," according to an article written by the Clemson University’s Culinary Nutrition Undergraduate Student Research Group (so there). Some say it's the original grain from which all others came and fed the roman empire for centuries. Depending on where the grain is grown, farro can be several different specific plant species. There are usually 3 grades of farro: long, medium, and cracked. Some interchange the name farro and spelt. Though they look fairly similar, farro needs to be soaked before cooking, while spelt doesn't. Once cooked, farro keeps its firm, chewy texture while spelt becomes soft, and eventually, mushy (I'm told -- as I've never eaten or cooked spelt). But in most recipes, either grain could probably be used with some adjustment in liquids, cooking times, and the soaking part, of course. Nutritionally, farro is said to be a great source of complex carbs and twice the fiber and protein of modern wheat. It has more natural minerals and vitamins than processed grains, and is rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. As with most grains, when farro is paired with legumes or beans, the combination is a complete protein, meaning it then contains all 8 of the essential amino acids. (If you are interested in some of the basic science behind nutrition, please read this post, The Basics of Nutrition.)

When I went looking for farro, I found 10 Minute Farro, (pre-cooked and quick cook, according to the bag) at Trader Joe's. This means it's more processed than a "slow" cook version, but it's what I found. And no soaking required. With a serving being 1/4 cup, uncooked, here's how farro stacks up nutritionally, according to Calorie King:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 170
Calories from fat 0
Total Fat	0g
Sat. Fat	0g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	30mg
Total Carbs.	33g
Dietary Fiber	3g
Sugars	0g
Protein	7g
Calcium	40mg

While 1/4 cup of long grain brown rice, uncooked, looks like this:

Nutrition Facts Calories 171 Calories from fat 12 Total Fat 1.4g Sat. Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 3mg Total Carbs. 35.7g Dietary Fiber 1.6g Sugars 0.4g Protein 3.7g Calcium 10.6mg

And 1/4 cup pearled barley, uncooked, like this:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 176
Calories from fat 5
Total Fat	0.6g
Sat. Fat	0.1g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	5mg
Total Carbs.	38.9g
Dietary Fiber	7.8g
Sugars	0.4g
Protein	5g
Calcium	14.5mg

So, yes - higher in protein, but maybe not life changing. 

Still, I was up for something different and was intrigued by this new grain.

I made two dishes, one for dinner, and one for breakfast.

Mediterranean Farro Lentil Salad
(an adaptation of this recipe from skinnytaste)



What you'll need:

1/2 cup farro, dry
1/2 cup red lentils, dry
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped fine
1/4 cup orange (or any color) pepper, chopped fine
10 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
4-5 kalamata olives, halved
salt and pepper to taste


What you'll do:

For quick cook farro, bring 1/2 cup of farro and 1 cup of water to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, drain any remaining liquid. (If you're not using quick cook farro, soak grain and cook according to the package directions.) Bring 1/2 cup of lentils and 1 cup of water to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender, drain any remaining water. Don't over-cook the lentils as it will make your salad mushy. Allow farrow and lentils to cool for at least 30 minutes. Chop veggies and mix remaining ingredients in serving bowl. Carefully fold in cooled grain and legumes, and chill until serving.

What we thought: 

We both really liked this cold salad, though I must admit the flavor of the farro got a little lost in this Mediterranean blend. I think I could have "forgotten" to put in the farro altogether and made a cold lentil salad with much the same flavor result. I would definitely make this again, according to the recipe above. But I also wouldn't hesitate to make it without the farro and use extra lentils.



Apple Pie Farro
(this is a twist on a similar recipe for steel cut oats)

What you'll need:

2/3 cup quick cook farro
1 cup unsweetened vanilla soy milk (or water plus 1/2 tsp vanilla added after cooking)
1 large apple, diced (I didn't peel mine, your call)
2 Tbsp brown sugar (or other sweetener, more or less according to taste)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp coconut oil
optional: additional fruit and/or nuts for topping


What you'll do:

Combine all of the above ingredients (except topping) in heavy sauce pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Spoon into mugs or bowls, top with additional fruit or nuts, and a splash of milk. I topped ours with walnuts and raisins.

What we thought:

I liked the chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor. And with cinnamon and apples, you can't go wrong. This made about 4 - 2/3 cup servings and was just as good heated up in the microwave the next day. It seemed a little like oatmeal on steroids. I think it would be great after a long run. My honey? He wasn't all that impressed with farro for breakfast and would have preferred a bowl of Special K. 

eh.

I'm a slow learner.

12 Minute Workout #11: Head to toe.

In 12 minutes, we hit it all: fire up the core, wake up the upper body, strengthen the legs, and get the heart rate up. It's super simple and the only things you'll need are your timer, a chair, and an exercise ball, (if you have one). If you don't have a ball, you can use a pillow or nothing at all.

Set your timer or app for 12 rounds of 50 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest  Use the 10 seconds of rest to set up for the next exercise. The timer app I use is the HIIT interval training timer.

If you would rather go for reps than time, ditch the timer and just pick a number. Do 10 (or 20, or 5) of each (each side, where applicable), rest for a minute, and then do it all again. You can repeat this sequence as many times as you like.

Think about form on every single exercise: spine alignment from your tailbone to the top of your head, belly button pulled up and in, and joint placement.

1. Plank with alternate knee pulls
eyes on the floor in front of you, hands under shoulders, straight line from heels to top of head

2. Crunch 
finger tips lightly touching head (not laced), elbows out, eyes up, belly pulled in towards spine

3. Ball Passes (if you don't have a ball, use a pillow)
only lower your limbs to the point of tension, keep low back pressed into floor through the entire range of movement

4. Hover side plank lifts, left 
elbow under shoulder, hips, knees, and ankles stacked, press from floor to a straight line, then lower slowly and repeat

then flip over,

5. Hover side plank lifts, right

6. Ball pikes (if no ball, just place toes on floor)
lift hips as high as possible as you look under body and toward your toes, pull belly in hard, when you lower - don't drop hips, keep the straight line

7. Squats
weight is in the heels, knees are over toes but not in front of toes, squeeze your bum on the way up

8. Air squats 
land softly and get a full squat, then propel yourself up as you jump

9. Lunge kicks, right
big step to the back as you reach toward the floor, kick slowly and with control, bring kicking leg straight back into lunge

then change legs,

10. Lunge kicks left

11.Chair triceps dips
keep hands narrow, fingers pointing forward, bend elbows behind you, belly pulled in, straighten legs more as you get stronger

12. High knees 
it's all about heart rate, pump your arms, open your mouth and breathe

A picture is worth a few words.

Yesterday, I posted this on Instagram:

It generated some comments and questions and I thought maybe I should clarify. So in case you are wondering why I would do such a thing, let me explain.

I pack my honey's lunch. I have for years. I enjoy doing it. So every morning, I was going to great lengths to pack him healthy, nutritious, colorful lunches and then... I would eat graham crackers and frosting for lunch, cereal for snack, and a tub of hummus and half a box of wheat thins and call it dinner. I decided I needed to put as much effort into choosing and eating my own food as I did with my honey's. Some days, it's just a mental plan: as I am putting together his lunch and snack, I plan exactly what my lunch and snack will be.

Why not just grab what you want, when you want it? As I've explained, what I grab isn't always what I should. And I hate when food gets "lost" in the fridge. We've all done it. Toward the end of week, "oh - there's the fill-in-the-blank! I forgot I had that," as we transfer it from the fridge to the garbage can. And some foods require portion control. Like nuts. And I sometimes struggle with portion control.

Won't the fruit and veggies go bad? This is snack for both of us during the day and then one to share as we watch TV in the evening, so three to four days' worth. As long as I start with really fresh produce, it should all be fine.

You eat the same thing every day? Yep. I mean, it's nine different foods, so though it's the same nine every day (for 3-4 days), it's a lot of variety. And we may add some hummus to dip the veggies. And some days, the fruit may end up in the blender bottle with vanilla soy milk.

Why not just prep and slice the fruit and veggies as you need them? Some weeks I do. But this is a busy week sandwiched between two weekends with social events in which we won't be eating like we probably should. Once I have spent the time putting these together, and they are prominently displayed in the fridge, they're going to get eaten. And if I am eating these during the day, I'm not eating graham crackers and frosting.

Last week's activity (3/4 - 3/10)

Monday

1 hour cardio/strength interval class
15 minute abs

Tuesday

3 mile run
2 mile dog walk

Wednesday

1 hour bar bell class
6.5 mile run

Thursday

1 hour bar bell class
45 minute pilates class

Friday

1 hour bootcamp class

3 mile dog walk

Saturday

1 hour bar bell class

4 mile run

Sunday

3 mile run

Mileage goal: 15

Mileage: 16.5

Last Week's Eats (3/2 - 3/9)

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably know Saturdays have traditionally been my Meal Plan Day. And they still are. But I was afraid the Saturday meal plan post was becoming repetitive, boring, and repetitive. Using the labels on the left, you can easily access months of meal plans if you need ideas. I won't bore you each week by posting my plans for our breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners for the upcoming week.

Instead, I will bore you with pictures of random meals we ate over the last week....

1. Dinner: Taco casserole: my honey's with ground turkey and cheese, mine w/tofu and veggie shreds; both versions have lots of veggies and flax seed tortilla chips from Trader Joe's. Yum.
2. Dinner: Salad with tofu, veggie chop, veggie shreds, and avocado
3. Snack: baby carrots, hummus, TJ's flax seed tortilla chips
4. Dinner: Curried lentils and sweet potatoes over butternut squash, topped with veggie chop
5. Breakfast: green smoothie- almost every morning, my go-to of late
6. Lunch: green salad with tofu and avocado
7. Lunch: salad with red beans and veggie shreds
8. Dinner: roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes
9. Dinner: Mixed veggie salad with spinach pesto dressing topped with veggie shreds