Meal plan (9/16 - 9/22)

Another week, another meal plan. I try to plan on Fridays so I can shop and prep over the weekend. As always, these meals reflect what I plan for myself (a vegetarian) and my honey (a meat-eater). Though he certainly doesn't mind going meatless a couple of times a week, I try to fix his protein of choice as well. For those meals, I just forego the meat and sub in a plant protein (or I just eat another spoonful of peanut butter).  

I don't want to imply that we eat only what's shown on these meal plans. There are days when I can't live without chips and salsa or I just want cereal for dinner. But having a plan makes sticking to our goals a lot easier. We both strive to limit packaged / processed foods, sugar, salt, and other white stuff. We focus on lean proteins, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and whole / high fiber grains. That way, on our Free Day, we can go CRAZY.  Just kidding.    Sort of.

*protein pancake: I was making and eating these all the time and then got tired of them. But after a little break, I'm a fan again. I put 1/4 cup egg beaters, 1/2 banana, 1 Tbls oats, and a 1/2 scoop of protein powder in my personal blender and blend until smooth. Then I pour it into a hot skillet, flip when the bubbles start to pop, and cook on the other side until done. (Start to finish takes like 2.5 minutes.) I like mine topped with syrup and peanut butter or yogurt and berries.

Eat healthy. Be healthy.

Recipe: kale and chick peas

This is a quick, clean meal you can make ahead of time. And how many salads can you make ahead of time? That aren't covered in mayo, anyway. By processing into smaller pieces and allowing time to marinate, the kale not only picks up great flavor, but a nice texture. A quick tip: don't add the roasted chick peas until you're ready to serve. You want them to stay nice and crunchy.

Start by draining and rinsing a can (or two) of chick peas. Cook them with some onion and dried basil in a little olive oil. Turn up the heat and let them get browned.

Then transfer to a cookie sheet and bake until they're nice and crunchy. Set aside to cool.

Wash and dry a big bunch of kale.

Process the kale in batches in a food processor to get small pieces.

Dress and mix, and then serve with cherry tomatoes and roasted chick peas.

Roasted Chick Peas

What you'll need:

1-2 cans of chick peas (also known as garbanzo beans)

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp dried basil

salt to taste

What you'll do:

Drain, rinse, and pat dry the chick peas. Be sure to remove as much moisture as possible. I rolled them around in a large bowl lined with paper towels. (I made 2 cans, using about 1/2 of them for the salad - but they make a great snack so I made a big batch.)  Heat all of the ingredients in a pan on medium to high heat. The chick peas may start to pop, then turn the heat down a little. But you want to get them nice and brown. Transfer the chick peas to a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until dark and crunchy. Set aside to cool.

Kale Salad

What you'll need:

1 large bunch of kale

1/3 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sweet cherry or grape tomatoes

What you'll do:

Tear leaves from kale stems and rinse in a big bowl of cold water. Remove leaves from water and arrange on paper towels. Roll up the leaves gently in the paper toweling to dry. In batches, chop leaves in the bowl of a food processor into small pieces. But don't get carried away - you want it to still look like kale, not green mush. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil,  honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over chopped kale, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and dried cherries. Stir gently to combine. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve, top with tomatoes and roasted chick peas.

Yum.

Currently. Sept '13

I thought I'd be really bloggy today and jump on the Currently bandwagon.

So here goes.

I am currently...

eating -

lots of veggies!

The produce is just so great this time of year.

drinking -

mango strawberry Spark.

With 45 calories, 21 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, and about as much caffeine 

as a cup of coffee, it is my go-to drink of choice.

making -

a blue and white maxi dress (with pockets!).

I'm using fabric I stole from my daughter. Well, fabric I bought for her but she never used. Is that technically stealing? I'm making a long version of the sleeveless one. I thought it would be great for fall with a denim jacket and a wide belt.

reading -

this book by Brene Brown.

After reading a few novels, I decided to take a break from fiction. I'm really striving to live

 a wholehearted life!

watching -

Hell on Wheels, Season 3. 

At the end of Season 2, I vowed not to watch anymore after they killed off one of my favorite characters. But I couldn't stay away. There's something about Cullen Bohannon....   ;)

catching up on -

ironing. Ugh. 

I don't know why I do this to myself. Instead of ironing 4-5 things every week, I let them pile up for a month and then have to iron 20 things!!

a fan of -

fake toenails!

After losing my big toenail last month, I tried some glue-on fake ones ($5 at Wal-Mart) and almost 3 weeks later, they still look great.

missing -

running.

I know -- boo hoo for me. 

(Grrr. I hate this dumb boot and can't wait to be rid of it. Stress fractures - heal thyself!)

looking forward to -

hiking in fall.

I love all the color.

*The inspiration for this post comes from Emily.

12 Minute Workout #17: Fab Abs

Due to my stress fractures, (see The saga continues.) I am completely out of commission for cardio. I haven't even been cleared to swim yet. Ugh. But I will literally climb the walls if I don't do something. I've decided to focus on upper body and, of course, abs.

So here's a 12 minute workout that's all about core work. You will need a timer, a space on the floor, and a hand weight if you have one. For the standing side bends, the weight can be a bit heavy (5-10, even 12 pounds).

Set your timer or app for 12 rounds of 50 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest (use the 10 second rest to get into position for the next exercise). Repeat the whole series once or twice.

Fab Abs

1. weighted side bend - right

2. weighted side bend - left

(keep shoulders, hips, and heels in line as if doing this against a wall, no twisting forward, just bending sideways with abs pulled in)

3. standing crossed knee crunch - right

4. standing crossed knee crunch - left

(put most of the weight in the stationary leg, try to bring knee to elbow without leaning forward, pull abs in on every rep, touch toe down lightly and reach fingertips away, repeat)

5. crossed knee triple tap - right leg crossed

6. crossed knee triple tap - left leg crossed

(in the above position, first tap the opposite elbow to knee -1, while lifted, tap matching elbow to knee -2, while lifted, tap opposite elbow to knee again -3, then release to the floor, repeat)

7. hover

(straight line from heels to the top of head, belly pulled up and in)

8. jack knife crunch - right

9. jack knife crunch - left

(using obliques, lift legs and upper body at the same time, this is a small movement but should feel like a big contraction, think armpit to hip, keep eyes forward, not up)

10. side hover hip lifts- right

11. side hover hip lifts - left

(in side hover position with elbow on floor directly under shoulder, press hips up into straight line, then back down, repeat, keeping abs pulled in)

12. table top reverse pikes

(from table-top with eyes up and bum squeezing, drop hips down, straighten legs as much as possible and pull belly in as you try to bring your hips behind your hands, press back into table top, repeat)

Last Week's Eats (9/1 - 9/7)

1. Dinner: veggie pizza (ours)

2. Lunch: turkey, spinach, and hummus wrap, cherries, mini shredded wheat (his)

3. Lunch/Dinner: garlic and herb marinated tofu, used on salads and sandwiches (hers)

4. Breakfast: kale and pineapple smoothie (hers)

5. Lunch: bean and veggie salad, topped with veggie shreds (hers), topped with chicken (his)

6. Dinner: marinated kale salad with roasted chick peas (ours) --recipe coming soon :)

7. Dinner: grilled veggies (hers) with steak (his)

Last week's treats:

1. Blackberry birthday cobbler (his birthday) recipe from Pioneer Woman - yum!!

2. Flavored Almonds: these were in our race bags from the VA Beach Rock n Roll Half

3. Vegan double chocolate cookies - a kitchen experiment win

The saga continues.

Just in case you might feel a little behind in the saga, you can catch up by reading So, how's your training going? and Virginia Beach Rock n Roll Half Marathon Recap.

✿ڿڰۣ(̆̃̃

After my doc saw the x-rays from Tuesday, she ordered a bone scan to get a clearer look. Though the x-rays showed "possible" stress fracture(s) in the area(s) I have pain and swelling, the bone scan should show if the healing process has begun, how far along it might be, and if there are additional stress fractures or areas of concern. My appointment was Thursday morning.

I arrived at Nuclear Medicine at 10:10am, for my 10:15 appointment. I was taken right in and had the process explained in more detail. I thought I was going to be drinking some substance to help the camera "see" the bones. But I was wrong. It was a shot, an injection, a needle! The tracer is a radioactive saline solution injected into a vein in your arm. The solution travels through your blood stream and into your bones. The camera picks up the tracer in your bones. Areas that appear dark or "cold," could show lack of blood supply to the bone or certain types of cancer. Areas of activity (growth or repair) absorb more tracer and show up as bright or "hot" spots in the pictures. Hot spots may point to arthritis, a tumor, infection, or a fracture. Now, I have no idea what color the tracer is - it could have been neon orange for all I know. I don't like needles. I had to turn away, close my eyes, and sing "LaLaLaLaLaLa" really loudly until it was over.

But I did get a pretty pink bandage. And what's with the light shining just so? It makes my arm look SOOO hairy!! Ew.

The tracer can take 2-5 hours to travel through your blood stream. Since I live about 6 miles from the hospital, I elected to go home until Part 2 of my appointment at 1:30pm. I was told to drink 34-40 oz of liquid during this 3 hour time span to help speed the tracer through my system.

I did what I was told and hydrated. And oh, just FYI: you might think  a 22 oz can of Arizona Green Tea has 70 calories, if you looked at the label really quickly. But upon closer inspection, a can is 3 servings for a whopping calorie count of 210. Ouch. Who drinks only 1/3 of the can?

So, I was back at the hospital at 1:30pm. I made a quick trip to the little girls' room as soon as I got there. Then walked down the hall to Nuclear Medicine. I signed in and the tech immediately asked if I had to go to the bathroom. "No, I just went," I assured her. "Well, maybe you should go again. At least try," she said. I walked to the nearest restroom, feeling like a 5 year old about to go on a long car ride.

After (and she was right - I went again!!), I took off my robo-cop boot, my shoe, and climbed onto a very narrow, very hard, and very long table. I got to keep all my clothes on (Phew!!) and had to hold my arms down at my sides. A folded sheet was placed between my feet and then the tech stretched a big rubber-band around the tops of my feet. She explained that when people get bored, they tend to wiggle their toes and it's important that I don't move. Only breath. From that point forward, I had an almost unbearable urge to wiggle my toes. The length of time for the scan is based on your height and weight. My full body scan took 23 (long) minutes. At one point, I thought I was going to sneeze. I held my breath and swallowed a few times. I know that's for hiccups, not sneezes, but I didn't know what else to do. It seemed to work. By the time the scan was over, my bum cheeks were hurting and my feet had gone numb. I didn't realize until the machine stopped that I had been clenching every muscle in my body from the eyebrows down. I was exhausted.

I'm not sure why they did a full body scan for a stress fracture in my lower leg, but I guess they want to see all of you before they really look at part of you. After the full body scan, they took a couple more pictures of just my leg.

I know this is a terrible picture but it's all I have. I snuck a picture of the computer screen with my cell phone while the tech was out of the room. I know, I'm such a rebel.

Then a Nuclear Medicine Doctor came in to take a look. He explained that he just gives the films a quick once-over to make sure the images are clear and don't need to be repeated, then they get read by a "specialist" and the report is sent to my doc. My doc should call me (maybe tomorrow?) with the results. He asked me if I have any pain in my neck? Or pain in my lower back?

"Um, no." He says there are "hot" spots there that may need to be looked at, but that they may just be degenerative. Yea, I'm old. That makes sense.

Then, he asked, "Any pain in your lower left leg?"

Duh. "YES!!" (Maybe he didn't notice the robo-cop boot I had by then, put back on.) But yes, the scan clearly showed a lot of activity in my lower left leg with a large spot on my shin, and then a smaller one in my ankle. Was this multiple little fractures or healing of just one? He wasn't sure. "The specialist will have a better idea."

The machine takes a picture from the top looking down (anterior), as well as from the bottom looking up (posterior). So though it might look like both shins are "hot", it's just the left one. And see the round "hot" spot in my pelvis area? That's my bladder, full of tracer, due to my excellent hydrating. First stop after my appointment: the little girls' room.

So there you have it. More details about getting a bone scan than you ever wanted to know.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

I love a colorful, clean meal. And this one fits the bill.
 It's full of beautiful fresh veggies and high in fiber. A little richness from heart healthy avocados makes it really special. And then, lime and cilantro? - sign me up!

 I make a huge batch so we can have the leftovers for lunch. My honey loves a little cooked, shredded chicken with his, but the protein from both the quinoa and the black beans really does make this salad a complete and filling meal. 

Cook 1 cup of dry quinoa in 2 cups of water or veggie stock according to package directions.

 Set aside to cool. 

Quinoa needs to be rinsed really well prior to cooking or the grain will have a bitter taste. I love Bob's Mill brand, as it comes pre-rinsed and ready to use.  :) 

In a large bowl, start adding all your veggies.

Drain and rinse a can of black beans. Slice kernels from 2 ears of corn or thaw 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn in the microwave.

Chop up 1/2 a sweet onion.

And a sweet bell pepper. I used a pretty red one.

Cut a pint of grape tomatoes in half. I had some super sweet little orange ones.

And some buttery avocado.

Wash, dry, and rough chop a bunch of cilantro. You can use less but we love cilantro and I always throw in the whole bunch.

Add in the cooled quinoa and gently stir to combine with all the colorful veggies.

Now for the dressing:

Into a small separate bowl, add the juice of one lime, seasoning, oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper, if desired. I try not to use much salt and don't think it's necessary with the Mrs Dash, but to each his own. Stir to combine and drizzle over salad mixture. Gently combine dressing with salad.

This can be a light meal on its own and serve alongside your next burger burn.

What you'll need:

Salad:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (thaw, if using frozen)

2 avocados, cut into small pieces

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 large sweet onion, finely diced

1 sweet bell pepper (any color)1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing:
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp garlic and herb Mrs Dash

1 tsp fiesta lime Mrs Dash

salt and pepper, optional

What you'll do:
Cook quinoa according to directions (bring quinoa and broth to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes, until broth is absorbed). Cool.

Combine it all in a large bowl and mix gently. Add dressing and toss gently; salt, pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.