Wanted

Posted on by
Reply

My perfect, over-the-top, bestest Memorial Day weekend could very well be in my near future. I may be jinxing things, but this is what I want. And I’m a firm believer in telling the universe what you want.

    This morning, I want to send my heart rate sky-high in Step class. I want to remember what it feels like to push myself and wipe sweat out of my eyes as my heart pounds out of my chest.

    I want to savor my post-gym recovery snack – a chilled Vanilla Almond LUNA with a glass of unsweetened, light vanilla soy milk. Chocolate is sexy, but vanilla…vanilla is romantic.

    I want to fall into a musical trance as I play this song over and over and over for the entire duration of a car ride to my hometown.

    I want to fall into a veggie burger food coma as I try to explain to my father-in-law once again about the many uses of the mighty soy bean.

    I want to drink a cold beer on a patio with my best friend of the last 20 years.

    Tomorrow, I want to sleep in until at least 7:30am in an air-conditioned room with a red-headed man and two felines.

    I want to take out a deck of cards, crank some tunes and conduct a backyard bootcamp for two. Burpees are mandatory.

    I want to empty my pocketbook and purchase every sundress and flip-flop in a 25-mile radius.

    I want to eat homemade pizza with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese in my backyard under the evening sky. Pinot Grigio is optional.

    I want to cheer on my favorite basketball player and I want to awe at Alton Brown’s genius.

    And on Monday…well, on Monday, I want to do whatever my little heart desires because I can.

Tell me – what do YOU want this weekend?

Fave Fridays: Let The BBQ’ing Begin

Posted on by
3

I swear it was just Valentine’s Day…and Easter…and Mother’s Day. And now you’re telling me it’s Memorial Day weekend!? I prepared for the long holiday weekend by treating myself to a pedicure last night.

Best nail color of all time? Big Apple Red by OPI – trust me. But I digress…

My workout this morning was tough but fun. I did an hour of strength training and ended with several one-minute planks, hip thrusts and standing abs exercises. I then spent 15 minutes in the sauna before showering and getting dressed.

I know we all very have exciting plans (and eats! and workouts!) to get to this weekend, so let’s dive right into my favorite posts and articles from the past week.

FitSugar

  • Barbecue Food Breakdown: If you are attending any backyard cookouts this weekend, you may want to print this helpful chart from FitSugar, breaking down some grilling season favorites – including burgers, hot dogs and all the fixings. My advice? Load up on fresh and raw veggies and skip the bun!

  • The Best Cardio Machine For Your Body: I know I won’t be the only one spending a little time in the gym this weekend. For some folks, choosing a cardio machine can be a bit overwhelming. This article provides the pros and cons of each machine (rower vs. stairmill, elliptical vs. treadmill, etc.) and which might be best for you.

______________

Recent Eats: Salad & Protein, Protein & Salad

Ask the Hubs and he will tell you – there is one meal and one meal only which I have been craving lately. I can try to be fancy about it…but I won’t. Almost every night this week, I arrive home from work and enjoy a gigantic plate of greens, raw vegetables, a vegetarian protein source and a low-cal dressing.

I bet you can’t guess what I’ll be having for dinner tonight?!

On Wednesday night, it was a plate of mixed greens, broccoli, cauliflower, white onion, mushrooms, carrots, grape tomatoes, reduced-fat parmesan cheese and a single serving of West Soy Tempeh warmed in the microwave.

I topped this beauty with a mix of Trader Joe’s Fat-free Balsamic Vinaigrette and Ken’s Lite Northern Italian. This was my kind of comfort food after a long day.

Last night, I used leftover vegetarian meat crumbles and made a good ‘ole fashioned taco salad – complete with romaine, spinach, white onion, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, vegan cheese, salsa and lite ranch.

Everything was covered in green onions. Looking back, all this needed for a fresh squeeze of lime juice.

If there is one thing my salads tend to lack is fat. A single serving of almonds, walnuts or avocado would turn these mountains into a perfect summer dinner. Enjoy!

Tell me – what meal are you currently eating over and over?

What I’m Loving Right Now: On the Cusp of Summer

Posted on by
3

First things first, folks. Thank you to all who entered my Adonia Greek Frozen Yogurt giveaway! I’m thrilled to announce the winner:

#21 – Liz: “i just followed them on twitter.”

Liz, please email me with your address and phone number. Ciao Bella will be contacting you and sending you a delicious package!

We’ve had such a beautiful stretch of summer-like weather in Chicagoland this past week. The upcoming holiday weekend appears to be just as hot…and I can’t wait! Since I am feeling all sunny on the inside, I thought I’d spread a little positivity and share what else I am loving lately!

______________

Tone It Up:
Between my new DVD which arrived last week and the daily workouts and motivating newsletters I receive in my inbox from Katrina and Karena, I have just fallen in love with Tone It Up! I have completed several of the workouts from the DVD (HIIT, arms, abs and sculpt) and I love them all.

They are a quick and dirty way to get in a workout on the fly, perfect for a busy weekend!

Lifting:
I am still riding high on my self-imposed break from cardio workouts. I have been focusing on toning, walking, HIIT and lifting! Strength training has been a real joy for me during these last few weeks and I am excited to continue to see my progress.

I feel like this photo speaks for itself and I am pretty darn proud of it for being just a few weeks in.

Dessert:
While I haven’t written about it on the blog, I have been having issues lately eating enough calories during the week. I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous but it’s been a bit of a struggle.

I’ve found adding a sixth snack at the end of the night has helped me overcome any caloric deficiency. Some favorites include strawberries and almonds with lite chocolate syrup, chocolate soy or almond milk, oatmeal with almond butter and frozen yogurt. I make sure my last snack of the day is under 200 calories and contains at least 5g of protein.

Low(er) Carb Diet:
After reading several books (including this one and this one) on the Paleo diet, I started cutting out bread, rice and pasta during the week.

I have found that I feel lighter and tend to eat less carbs in general while on this plan. While I am not cutting out fruit or beans, I have decreased my consumption and I’ve been riding a major veggie high ever since!

Zevia:
Let me tell you about Zevia. Sweetened with all-natural stevia, Zevia is a zero-calorie soft drink that comes in 12 different flavors. While not found in all stores, it is readily available at most Whole Foods and Fruitful Yield stores.

I have a can after dinner every night and it’s a bubbly thirst quencher! Check out all the flavors on their website and even print coupons! My favorite flavor is Black Cherry.

Tell me – what are you loving right now as we head into the holiday weekend?

WIAW: Weeknight Dessert For The Win

Posted on by
7

Well hello friends. We are cruising right along this week, aren’t we? I think the warmer weather in the Midwest this week is really helping – it’s supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees today. I even wore a dress to work!

I started my day with an hour of strength training at the gym. I increased my weights for biceps, shoulders and back, but kept my usual load for chest and triceps. I also completed every rep with a superset focused on my legs to avoid fatigue. Loving my new routine lately!

Time for me to snarf some breakfast and while I do, please enjoy my teeny, tiny Instagram’d contribution to What I Ate Wednesday. What I Ate Wednesday is a celebration of clean eating and I am always happy to partake. If you are ever interested to read more WIAW posts, head on over to Jenn’s blog.

8:00am: The usual fare: plain Greek yogurt, chocolate vegan protein powder, blueberries, stevia and coffee. Flavored Greek yogurt can have double-digit grams of sugar, so I only eat it from time to time.

If you want to make the transition to plain, start slowing by adding fresh fruit, stevia, flavored protein powder (#beastmode) or sugar-free preserves to your plain yogurt for a few weeks. Eventually a single packet of stevia is all you need.

10:30am: My snack yesterday was a perfect treat! I paired a huge handful of baby carrots with a snack size packet of almond butter. Fresh veggies? Check. Healthy fats? Check. Protein? Of course.

The Hubs likes Barney Butter so much that he has agreed that we will stop buying peanut butter and become an almond-butter only house!

Noon: It’s starting to become slightly embarrassing. You know my lunch before I even post it! I wish I could tell you I am sick of this meal…but I’m not. It’s delish every single time!

Spinach with green peas, mustard and black pepper topped with a crumbled garden burger from Morningstar. I also enjoyed my second plain Greek yogurt for the day and called it dessert.

3:00pm: My favorite bar. I used to only be able to purchase these at Trader Joe’s, but last week I found them in the “Supplement” aisle of my main grocery store. And I stocked up! The ingredient list is very long, but I’m thrilled with 17g of protein for 200 delicious calories.

6:30pm: For dinner, I microwaved a spaghetti squash and topped it with Lightlife Smart Ground (1/3 cup = 70 cals, 11g protein), and a sautéed veggie mix of tomatoes, peas, red onion and red pepper. I also had a small side salad because I’m obsessed with vegetables! I topped everything with reduced fat parmesan cheese.

This is volume eating at its finest!

7:30pm: We took an after-dinner walk and I came home, flopped down on the sofa and cracked a Ginger Ale Zevia. Love.

8:30pm: I’ve been eating a dessert for the past two weeks every night to keep my calorie count up for the day. Last night’s treat was a Blueberry & Vanilla Greek Frozen Yogurt Bar by Adonia. This creamy bar only has 75 cals for 5g of protein.

It’s hard to think of desserts under 200 calories with contain protein and aren’t all carbs! These bars match my criteria perfectly.

My day in stats: 1,261 Calories, 120g Carbs, 29g Fat, 99g Protein, 32g Fiber. Not too shabby!

Tell me – what are your favorite “healthy” desserts?

Meatless Monday: Roasted Chickpea Salad

Posted on by
3

Morning, all!

First things first. Want to win some amazing protein-packed frozen yogurt? Be sure to enter my Ciao Bella giveaway!

I skipped the gym Monday morning and slept until 6:15. I’m such a diva. I made up for it last night however and completed both the Summer Arms and Bikini Abs workouts from the Tone It Up girls. I also lifted weights and walked in place during “The Bachelorette.”

I made a bargain with myself. If I am going to watch mental garbage, then I am going to treat my body well at the same time. You should try it!

Prior to that, I sat down to an awesome meal created by the Hubs last night – Mexican cooking is his domain. This is a perfect Meatless Monday dish for you to try at home. I know things like tofu and tempeh can be intimidating…but chickpeas?!

Chickpeas aren’t intimidating in the slightest!

He made a quick Mexi-marinade by adding a few (unmeasured) dashes of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and fresh-squeezed lime juice. He then roasted the chickpeas in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes, making sure to watch them and give the pan a shake halfway through.

In the mean time, he prepped the salad portion of the meal by chopping:

  • Romaine
  • Red onion
  • Red pepper
  • Green onion
  • Tomatoes

He also put out a fine array of condiments: salsa, lite ranch, vegan rice cheese and regular ‘ole cow’s cheese.

Here’s my masterpiece:

The chickpeas were crunchy and went perfectly with the sweet tomatoes and red pepper. While the lime juice cut the heat of the salsa to make for a perfect summer salad!

Tell me – are you eating more salads now that the temps are starting to warm up across the country?

A Fro-Yo Giveaway From Ciao Bella

Posted on by
25

It’s been well documented on this little blog…I love frozen yogurt.

I love it so much I’m even willing to buy it at the grocery to ensure I have a lower calorie dessert at home to keep me from sending the Hubs out for Oreos when the sweet tooth attacks.

Recently, several brands have introduced lines of Greek frozen yogurt – brilliant! Same lower-calorie fro-yo but now with several grams of protein per serving. As such, when the kind folks at Ciao Bella offered to send me samples of their new Greek line to review, I gladly accepted.

Adonia is available in several flavors, including vanilla, raspberry, wild blueberry, key lime, peach, mango and espresso. Greek frozen yogurt bars are also available in wild blueberry and peach!

While I think the best flavor is peach, the Hubs was partial to vanilla and espresso.

Check out the stats of the fro-yo (vanilla):

And for the bars (peach):

All of the flavors were light yet very creamy – and chock full of protein. I would absolutely pay for this treat myself and I guarantee I will once my stock runs out! I am thrilled to tell you that Ciao Bella was kind enough to offer a sampling of the entire Adonia Greek line to you!

The rules:
One winner will be selected at random to win the complete line of Adonia pictured above. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents, ages 18 and up.

You can earn up to three chances to win, one for each item below that you complete and enter as a separate comment on this blog post telling me that you did so.

Please note that for the sake of fairness, I will delete any duplicate or false entries. This giveaway will remain open until 8:00pm CST on Wednesday, May 23rd.

If the winner does not respond within 72 hours of notification, another winner will be selected.

Blogger’s Note: While I was sent these products without fee, the opinions stated above are my own and I was not compensated in any other manner.

Sow Kale, Not Oats

Posted on by
3

After Saturday’s perfect day, Sunday had high expectations.

After a quick breakfast (strawberries, almonds, LUNA bar, soy milk), I hit my makeshift basement gym to complete two workouts from the Tone it Up Beach Babe DVD – Bikini Sculpt and HIIT The Beach. While I only spent about an hour working out, it was tough and I was breathing hard and covered in sweat. Loving these girls so far!

Note: Be sure to purchase 3-5lb. weights prior to purchasing this DVD. My 8 and 10 pounders are way too heavy for the acute, toning exercises included in each circuit.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent shopping for and planting our very first vegetable garden! Given it was a little later in the growing season, we chose (thank gosh for Google) to use plants versus seeds for our vegetables.

All together, we came home with:

  • Bell peppers
  • Zucchini
  • Tomatoes
  • Red onion
  • White onion
  • Mesclun greens
  • Kale
  • Garlic
  • Dill
  • Basil
  • Cilantro
  • Chives

The Hubs laid everything out in a grid after planning it via Excel. Once the grid was in place, we got to work planting.

Grow babies, grow! Greens are towards the bottom, then a layer of onions and zucchini and finally the peppers and tomatoes towards the end.

The Hubs then moved on to weeding, while I planted the herb garden. It’s not very impressive yet.

Later that evening, I put together a veggie-centric, hippie bowl for dinner.

First, I sliced and sautéed vegetarian Italian sausage until browned. I then removed the sausage and sautéed garlic, red onion, mushrooms, zucchini, chopped cherry tomatoes and spinach. I also added a fair amount of red pepper flakes for heat. I added the sausage back into the mix and served everything over a single serving of brown rice.

We dined outside for the first time this season – such a luxury! As a side, more veggies of course. This steam-in-a-bag mix had peas, green beans, lima beans, corn and carrots. I topped it with lots of black pepper.

I then ended my evening with lots and lots of television and an incredible dessert which I just might be able to share with you later today! Stay tuned!

Tell me – lima bean lover or hater? Lover!

Just Another American Saturday Night

Posted on by
1

Yesterday was a perfect day, start to finish.

I worked up quite a sweat x2, ate some very tasty and healthy eats and enjoyed the best of this early summer weather in Chicago. Here are a few highlights:

I rarely share my Saturday breakfast because it’s usually wolfed down standing in the kitchen prior to rushing out for the gym. Thanks to an earlier than normal wake-up call from my fur babies, I had time to blog and snap a photo.

Oats with strawberries and almond butter and drowning in almond milk with a big glass of soy milk for calcium and vitamin B12.

After my usual two-hour Saturday morning gym session, I hit the sauna for a little meditation and then quickly showered and headed out for my next workout of the day.

After I arrived home, the Hubs and I headed out to shop for the needed items for our summer landscaping. Over $250 later, we were home (ate lunch, watched the “Grey’s Anatomy” finale – um what?) and got to work.

The necessary tools – good gloves, lots of cold water and SPF 100. It was almost 90 degrees yesterday. The sun and heat felt absolutely amazing.

For my CrossFit friends, here’s a new addition to today’s WOD – haul 15 bags of red mulch from the trunk of your car to your front and side yards.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent jamming to country music (you are welcome, neighbors), while we assembled our loot:

Normally, I will pick a preppy, monochromatic theme of pink hues for my flowers. This year, I decided to embrace my inner hippie and selected greens and flowers in a charming hodge-podge of pinks, purples, reds, whites and even yellow.

Two hours later, we were done. After a quick shower, we enjoyed a little time chilling in the air conditioning before we dressed and headed out for dinner. We decided upon something easy, but fresh and of the highest quality, and ended up at our favorite Italian cafe and bakery. I had my “usual” – minestrone with a chopped salad.

This beauty was filled with apples, dried fruit, nuts, and cheese. I poured balsamic vinaigrette over everything.

While it was still well into the 80s, a steaming hot bowl of soup sounded perfect to me. This minestrone was chock full of pasta, beans and veggies. I covered it in red pepper flakes for a kick.

The rest of my perfect day included watching the Sox win at the bar, a fro-yo date (suggested by the Hubs), OKC v. LAL and salty, air-popped popcorn. Like I said, just another American Saturday night.

Tell me – what is your preferred SPF? I wear 35 SPF daily on my face, hands and neck and 100 SPF when under the sun for an extended period of time.

My Steadfast Opinion of Kitten Heels

Posted on by
Reply

I survived NATO and all I got was this lousy t-shirt! A few notes from my adventures in Chicago yesterday.

Full disclosure – all the craziness should start TODAY!

1. I saw a man on a bike get hit by a car. I’m talking rolled-onto-the-hood-got-hit-by-the-car. He rolled off, grabbed his bike and took off. Did I also mention it was also National Bike to Work Day? Irony isn’t lost on me.

2. I cannot think of a more embarrassing sight than being witness to a grown man in a business suit running with a backpack to catch a city bus. I have to advert my eyes every single time.

3. Food at trade shows, conferences and business meetings can be challenging for health-conscious vegetarians. I ate a plate of raw spinach for lunch. Thank goodness the Hubs had packed me a few healthy snacks (Gala apple, carrots, sugar snap peas and almonds) otherwise I certainly would have swooned of hunger.

4. I walked to and from the train station to the location of my meeting. I easily hit 10,000 steps for the day on my FitBit!

5. Taking photos of yourself in public bathrooms is an art form. When you get caught, just pretend like you are reading important emails.

6. When in doubt, fashion your business attire after that of Michelle Obama. 60′s style form-fitting dress – check. Statement necklace – check. Contrasting cardigan – check. Kitten heels – NEVER! Stilettos forever. Ouch.

Under-eye bags courtesy of my 4:20am alarm clock. Lovely!

Now, I am getting ready to enjoy oatmeal with almond butter and a big glass of soy milk. I’m heading to the gym and then to the nursery. This weekend is all about filling our flower and vegetable garden!

Tell me – kitten heels, flats or stilettos for work?

Fave Fridays: Cancel Your Reservations

Posted on by
6

Hi friends! Happy Friday to you!

By the time you are reading this, I’ll be heading into Chicago for a day-long meeting. Here’s hoping an insane clown doesn’t throw a pie at my face.

Source.

But I digress…

I started my day even earlier than usual at the gym with a little strength training, a little leg toning and a lot of Glee listening. Perfect Friday workout!

As I make what could be the commute from hell, please enjoy my favorite article from the week…which includes some of the least shocking news in history!

USA Today

  • 96% of Restaurants Exceed USDA limits: I’ve admitted this before on OIMH, but I have a love/hate relationship with restaurants. Being a healthy vegetarian who favors low-cal, low-fat meals, dining out can be a challenge. According to a recent study, 96% of restaurant entrées served across the country exceeded limits as recommended by the USDA for calorie, fat and sodium consumption. Again, least shocking news ever! My solution – eat a cheat meal out once a week, and then prepare everything else in your own kitchen!

It’s a short and sweet Fave Fridays today.

Enjoy your weekend and be sure to check back on Monday for what promises to be a very delicious, cold, creamy and protein-packed giveaway!

Tell me – do you live in Chicago? How are you surviving NATO this weekend? Cubs or Sox? Go Sox!