Jen Trains

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

2011-06-09T13:39:00.000-04:00

As Vegetarians who love to exercise and lift weights protein and carbohydrates are always a concern especially of my Hubby's who always worries that there is never enough protein!! I on the other hand think between eggs, tofu, beans, tempeh and quinoa we are doing just fine on the protein front.

So instead of the traditional pepper stuffing of rice I used quinoa to up the protein value.

Quinoa, what is it??? Its a delicious grain that has a nutty flavor and somewhat of a crunchier texture than rice or pasta. It is known for its high protein content and fiber but it also has a lot of magnesium and iron. I had issues with anemia about 9 years ago and ever since I have been a vegetarian those problems of being turned away when donating blood have gone to the wayside! Eat more Quinoa!

To Cook Quinoa:
- Boil 1 1/4 cup water
- Add 1 cup Quinoa and 1/2 cup raisins
- Reduce to simmer for 15 minutes
- Take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes

In a Separate pan:
- Heat pan on medium and give a quick spray with canola based cooking spray
- Saute 2 green onions and a 1 Tbl of garlic - about 3 minutes
- Add 2 to 3 cups of Greens (any greens will do) ca
- Add 1 Tbl of cumin, 1/2 Tbl of coriander, pinch of salt and pepper
- If you want some heat add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- Saute till tender and if you need some liquid add a few splashes of veggie stock! SAVES Calories!
- Add Quinoa mixture into the pan, toss to incorporate and get stuffing!

Heat Peppers for a 4 minutes in 375 degree oven to make tender and add stuffing.
Cook for 20 minutes covered, remove cover and cook for 15 more minutes.

Directions for Brent so I can go back to work!

Hiking and Sandwiches!

2011-02-20T20:12:00.000-05:00

More Hiking this weekend! We have found the one thing that our dog loves more than the dog park...putting his nose to the ground and sniffing nature for hours! He definitely fits into our family with his gung-ho outdoor loving attitude.

We hiked out at Prince William Forest Park which is quite a drive especially when you get lost so many times! But we made it and had a fabulous time in a major wind storm...up to 50mph...the trees make such an unbelievable sound with that kind of wind.

I learned that when a tree is falling you shouldn't run away from it because its size and branch spread you should run towards the base to avoid being majorly hurt.

My Boys!

Tall Trees...watch for the falling ones!

Soul Satisfying Sandwiches to fill our bellies after a full day! Grilled Tempeh, Parsnips and mushrooms with Trader Joes Roasted Red Pepper spread (some of the best stuff on sammy's!)

Lots of walking on the weekend...lots of running and lifting this week!

Fresh Fungi!!!

2011-02-17T19:04:00.000-05:00

The Farm share that we received yesterday was plentiful and included a 1lb of white button mushrooms which are delicious and nutritious in so many ways! I love mushrooms in salad, on pizza, in omelets and even roasted by themselves...

Today we had breakfast for lunch with almost everything coming from the farm...eggs, shallots, garlic, potatoes, swiss cheese and of course MUSHROOMS! I also threw in some frozen spinach because every meal should have a little green.

Mushrooms are a great source of Fiber, (8 to 10 percent of their dry weight is fiber) potassium and protein which a lot of veggie eaters don't get enough of.

We are mostly vegetarians at home with maybe 4 meals a month that contain fish when we go out to dinner or see family so we get creative with our veggies! One of the biggest challenges is getting enough protein to keep up with an active weight lifting and cardio regiment while keeping the carb intake at a reasonable level. Mushrooms are the perfect solution!! They will fill you up with lean protein and good fiber while being a zero calorie food containing NO fat, cholesterol and very few carbs!

Today...was an exercise off day with a 1.5 mile walk with Rooney around the lake. Somehow we got a 65 degree day in February so of course he took that opportunity to jump in the water and be a maniac! Tomorrow...5 mile run on the W/OD trail! Looking forward to another amazing day, 70's here we come. I know it isn't going to stay so we might as well take advantage of it now!

I don't think I could ever stay mad at that face! He hams it up wherever we go and most the ladies seem to fawn over him and give him lovin and treats, his master plan is working!

Long time coming

2011-02-15T15:53:00.000-05:00

I have taken a long hiatus from my blog and have missed it soooooo much! I love writing about Food, Exercise and Life! A lot has happened since October but I will try and not fill you in all at once.

We had a busy weekend with family in town and catching up but I did have the chance to make a homemade Vegan Lasagna. I started with making Vegan Ricotta cheese which is a mix of tofu, vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast and spices!

Layer it up!!

Really Concentrating...

Directions for my Hubby!

Rooney looking on wondering what is taking so long in the kitchen

Sunday Hike in Great Falls, VA along Difficult Run, Amazing views and Beautiful weather! We really are creating an adventure dog who can't stand not having daily activity.

FALL!!

2010-10-18T12:45:00.000-04:00

It has been a long month full of activity and events that I had absolutely no time to write about it. I missed blogging so much and am back, I promise! It's amazing how it becomes an outlet, like running, you need to do it in order feel good during the day.

Fall, is my favorite time of year! I love sweaters, leaves, apples, halloween and Thanksgiving! I love it so much that we got married in the fall right before Thanksgiving. This weekend we did a ton a Fall filled activities. This picture will go up in our house, I love it!

Saturday morning Brent and I with my Parents and Rooney headed out to the beautiful Virginia Countryside to our favorite farm, Great Country Farms for Pumpkin Picking, Hayrides and Kettle Corn!

Great Family Photo! We don't have many other than from the wedding so It's great to have one full of fall colors.

This pumpkin has the shape of an apple and looks really cute on our fireplace. I also snagged a cinderella pumpkin which you will see when I finish the fireplace decorations and when I cook it up for pie in November!

Dad, holding down our pumpkin selections to make sure no one else snags one of them.

Of course Rooney found a place a to dig, luckily Dad's chair didn't fall into the hole!

Brent is working on his Old Spice video in hopes that he lands their next commercial.

My Guys!

Afterwards we headed up the Hill to the winery that the Great Country Farm Family opened a few years ago. Amazing View!

Sunday was a change of pace and we took Rooney to meet his new life long friend, Bailey Bear. Brent's Mom got a golden retriever puppy a few weeks ago and along with Bailey Bears older brother Pooh Bear, Rooney was double teamed! They had a great time and Rooney slept from 5pm till about 9am this morning! It was a great break.

Take me out to the Ball game

2010-09-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

Take me out with the crowd, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks...

I love baseball games, not really for the baseball but for the atmosphere! Sitting outside on a beautiful night with a beer and some peanuts, well it just doesn't get much better than that.

We were a little late to the game because I had a 5:30 client but we got there in the 3rd Inning which was just fine with me. 6 more innings is a good amount of baseball watching for me.

Fantastic baseball park!

Mmmmm, nice cold beer.

Game Over and unfortunately the Nats lost, not really surprised but still a bummer.

I have the morning off today so I am looking forward to a nice run in the cool weather!

Labor Day

2010-09-07T14:50:00.000-04:00

Brent and I decided to take a day off from everything this weekend and take some time to be together. It was a wonderful day!

We decided to get in the car and drive up Route 15 with the end goal being to reach the cute little town of Fredrick, Maryland. We passed a ton of wineries on the way up and decided to stop at Tarara since neither of us have been there and it was a great choice. Such a beutiful winery with a lot of land and sprawling hills with lots of picnic locations and a great lake in the center of it all.

Ahhhhh Country Roads! The DC area is great in that you can be out the Virginia countryside in 30 minutes.

Love the Entrance, how do I get one of these in my house full of wine! I think it might last us a year.

The walkway to the tasting deck.

Long Bomb! Very fitting for the Long family

Rooney actually tried to take the BIG Black Labs rawhide! He was not successful but he did get treats from the Labs owners.

After the Winery we were still a little thirsty after walking around Frederick and decided to stop at a Brewery for something a little more Hoppy.

We got the sampler and our favorite was the Pale Ale....I can still taste it!

We continued our walk and found an angel looking out over the main street

We ended the day walking around the water...not picture here is our little guy actually jumping in a fountain that connects to this lovely river. I think Brent had a little something to do with Rooney "falling in" but he denies it. What do you think???

Hope you all had a great weekend! I love extra days off!

Family BBQ and Haussermann Night

2010-09-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had a lot going on...

I had 2 clients in the morning and then we had a BBQ at my parents house at Noon followed by a night with the Haussermann's! I love full days that just keep the fun rolling.

Before the BBQ we thought we would take Rooney to the Dog Park to burn off some energy before he tore apart my parents house and terrorized our family dog Cobber. This is how excited he was to be leaving our house. He rides in a car everyday, he is a officially an on the go dog, just like us!

Our Crazy Dog is definitely the rabbit for all the other dogs to chase. He runs around as fast as he can and then finds a good hiding spot...I think he will make a great big brother some day and protect our stroller from all the vicious dogs at the dog park!

Mom and I getting some lunch together at their house.

Spending time in the Garden with a glass a wine and good company (company not pictured - Mom, Dad, Brent, Cobber and Rooney!)

Around 6ish we met up with the Haussermann's for what was supposed to be dinner and laser tag! Our night took a very different turn.

The restaurant that Brent had found for us was really popular and had a long wait with only about 8 tables total in the restaurant so we decided to get takeout and sit at the tables that were roped off for another restaurant...so sneaky of us!

Brent Calling in our order, standing right in front of the window to the place.

Our Wine from the CVS down the street! I love Virginia in that you can buy wine and beer from almost any store. It makes doing things like this so easy.

Luckily the Police didn't come bust us.

We sat and talked for a long time after dinner and decided it was too late to get our blood pumping with laser tag so we decided to head back to our house and stop at a roof top bar that Lori has been wanting to go to for years...we had no idea what we were in for. We found it in a small strip mall on the way home and here was what they had to offer to get the people off the street and into the bar. We saw no steaks or even the sign of a kitchen in this place.

We were promised a nice rooftop but the walk through the bar and up the cage were not making this place look promising.

We were proven wrong! The Rooftop bar was pretty awesome! Really nice cool night with a very interesting crowd to entertain us.

Love a bar that gives you a coozy for your cold beverage

Oh yeah, did you know that Pinball league's exist?? Well we found the best one around with about 10 pinball machines and advertisements for prizes galore!

Good times by all yesterday! Another fun filled day ahead for the Long's!

Working 9 to 5

2010-08-31T22:40:00.000-04:00

I am an official Trainer!!

It feels awesome! I have done a lot in a few months and am so excited to be in such a good place. I love the gym, the people, the vibe and all of my fellow trainers. Reston Sport and Health is going to be a great place for me to grow and learn.

I have so many big plans for this blog including workouts based on fitness level, workout videos on certain moves and interesting articles and facts that I learn being in the fitness business.

Can't wait to get creative and hopefully have people doing the workouts I post!

Last but not least...Rooney Pic of the day!

Dog Day Afternoon and Date Night

2010-08-29T08:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the first time in a long time that Brent and I slowed down and just spent the day together with no obligations or schedule other than Puppy Party at 9am.

We took the Roon-Dog to Wags and Whiskers an event in Shirlington VA so he could play with all the other dogs and we could look for a good boarding location for future trips. Unfortunatley I didn't take many pictures but here is a view down the street of all the pups hanging out while the owners ate some lunch.

Of course Rooney finds the long grass to roll around in and get tons of bug bites that he can itch later! A passerby politely told us that we should probably get him out of there because he has seen quite a few rodents making the grass their house. Rooney doesn't mind...

After our Doggy outing Brent and I decided to hop on our bikes and ride to Fairfax Corner to walk around and grab some dinner. We ended up leaving the Corner and rode to The Cheesecake Factory at the mall. Its amazing how people in Fairfax look at you like your a crazy person riding your bike and not driving a car. Fun times! I love date night!

We love our Mountain bikes and ride them as much as we can, even in cute silver sandals that aren't very bike appropriate but very date night appropriate.

12 miler this evening after work at REI from 10 to 5pm!

Spicy red pepper and basil hummus

2010-08-28T12:08:00.001-04:00

I love HUMMUS! All kinds and pretty much mixed with anything, its so versatile that you can really get creative and throw whatever you feel like into the food processor. It all tastes good!

I make hummus a lot because as 2 veggie eaters and a CSA that gives us pounds of herbs every week it only makes sense. It makes a delicious Sammy spread and dip for veggies or pita when your feeling crazy.

Standard recipe:
3 cups chickpeas
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup water
1 TBL of Tahini (the key and I love the Maranatha Brand)
1 TBL of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Extras (This batch but they change regularly):
2 chili peppers
handful of parsley
handful of basil
**Not in this batch but one of my favorite extras is Olives (Delicious!)

Each batch lasts about a week in our house.

Today we are going to Wags and Whiskers in Shirlington VA, hopefully Rooney makes some new friends and has a good time! Very Excited for an afternoon of the 3 of us and no obligations except for our 12 mile run tomorrow.

Farm Share Wednesday

2010-08-26T12:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a busy day with a 9 miler in the morning (ughh 5am) before I walked with Dad. I can feel that I am getting faster with my run taking 1hr and 28min (thats a 9:40 pace) and 1 mile in the middle was a 9:06, not bad if I do say so myself.

Followed by a vet appointment and eventhough he looks like he is smiling in this picture Rooney does not like the vet and he acts nicely for all the nurses but then attacks our house!

The dreaded exam table, dun dun dun...

After the Vet we zoomed into Arlington to pick up our share from the fabulous CSA we belong to, Spiritual Food CSA in PA.

Our Farm Share wasn't as hearty this week as it normally is but that will give us a chance to use up some of the goods from previous weeks that we haven't gotten to you yet. It is still a good amount of food but for 2 vegetarians we go through it pretty quickly.

More Watermelons and Tomatoes! We went through 11 tomatoes last week so 6 will be easy to find uses for...maybe some homemade salsa later this week

Eggplant, Zucchini, Squash and a variety of peppers with different heats!

Lettuce!!! We haven't had lettuce in months!

I am super excited about the homemade Sauerkraut...not sure what I am going to do yet but you will see.

Delicious whole wheat raisen bread. I think that little butt end found its way into my belly, mmmmm.

LENTILS, I LOVE lentils. They are the ultimate superfood with lots of protein and fiber.

Last but not least the most adorable picture of the day...

I don't think he can be cuter

Feeling like Fall!

2010-08-24T17:59:00.000-04:00

I love days like today, a cool 68 degrees, perfect for a good run or a walk to work!

I dropped my car off this morning to get some work done and had a 1 mile walk to the "office", so awesome to go to work in gym gear ready to get people healthy! My walk was really nice and peaceful, it feels good to clear your head before a long day of working out.

My Scenery:

I haven't seen lily pads in ages...I didn't hear any bullfrogs though

I love walking around the gym asking people how their workout is going, if they have any questions, showing them a new stretch for that one muscle they can't seem to relax.

Today was my first training session with a potential client, a young 18 yr. old guy who by the end of our hour session was shaking the entire pull up apparatus...it was awesome!

I got my ghetto name tag today, gotta love label makers! The real one is coming and then when my shirt arrives I will be official.

Rooney Picture of the day (check out his new favorite toy = Cardboard Boxes) and Awesome Video from Puppy Party on Saturday morning. Puppy Party is a room full of Pups under 16 weeks running around like maniacs. The purpose is socialization, I think the only purpose is for us owners to get some peace and quiet for the next 10 hours.

Off to Hang out with the ladies at Mary's New Apartment! Happy Housewarming Mary! Can't wait to see what you've done with the place.

Back to Work!

2010-08-23T14:45:00.000-04:00

The 2 months that I took off from Corporate America to study and work part time at REI while I worked on becoming a personal trainer has been amazing! I have had so much time to spend with my family and do things that most folks my age don't have the luxury to do. Don't get me wrong studying was hard and it is a never ending process in this industry; I will always have to retake my certification, learn new moves and of course get my nutritionist cert but the time off from a high stress job to reach a milestone in my journey of becoming what I want to be is awesome! Thank you super fantastic Husband!!

During my time off last week my Aunt Barbara from California was in town and all of us ladies headed out to Occoquan VA for afternoon tea. I am a huge tea drinker (no coffee for me) and I have never actually gone to tea. SOOO much fun, this place The Pink Bicycle tea room was absolutely adorable. As we waited for our table we each got to pick a hat for the day, you can't see it in the photos but mine had a pretty sweet veil in back.

We each got a cure little tea pot with the tea we requested...by the end of this I was about to float away on tea!

MMMMMMmmmmm Finger Sandwiches and Lemon Bars. I love Lemon Bars so gooey and delicious.

Ladies who lunch photos (My Mom, Me and Aunt Barbara)

Mutti is the hippest Grandmother in the world!

All of us at the table enjoying each others company

Here I am ready for my first official day of work as a Personal Trainer! Sport and Health here I come! I am so excited to work at this Gym, I see so much opportunity with applying my Personal Training knowledge, my soon to come Nutrition Certification and hopefully my Group Exercise Certification. More to come about my first day later.

Rooney Montage!!!

2010-08-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

I have taken an insane amount of puppy pictures over the last 2 weeks...here are some of my favorites!

Passed out at my feet in Petsmart waiting to make his name tag

With his favorite treat! Ice Cubes!

Afternoon Nap amongst the speakers and cords of Brent's Desk

At the Rivah House thinking about swimming...

SWIMMING!!! But looking really scared doing it.

Exploring the dock looking for a place to jump in

With DAD and stick!

Zonked after a long day

With his bud Cobber waiting patiently for treats....mmmmmm

Of course...sleeping again : )

Lots going on in the Long's life...coming soon!

Puppies, Marathon Training, Job Interviews...OH MY!

2010-08-10T16:52:00.000-04:00

A lot is going on in the Long family this week! We got a PUPPY!!!! An adorable amazing little creature who is awesome as long as he's not chewing everything we own. Meet Rooney! How could you ever be mad at that face.

Marathon training is continuing! We completed 14 miles on Saturday which is the longest that I have ever ran and I could tell. It was a little rough but looking forward to the 16 miler this weekend.

We have decided that we need to do destination runs for the long distances and not just run out the front door to the boring sights of shopping malls and loud streets. This weekend we ran Difficult Run which goes from Reston into Great Falls Park, VA! Amazing park and views of the Potomac. Here I am crossing a small stream

It was hot but the tree cover made it more bearable along with the camelback! I don't know where I would be without that camelback this summer, it's been a lifesaver. It was a Christmas present from the in-laws last year! YAAA!

PS - 3 Job Interviews this week!! Personal Trainer title here I come!

NASM Certified Personal Trainer!

2010-07-29T15:05:00.000-04:00

I have officially passed my NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Training Exam! I can now train all the people out there who want to lose weight and get in shape! I am ready to conquer the world...all I need now is a job.

I have a workshop starting tomorrow that will help prepare me to perform all the exercises and instruct others how to do them properly. Can't wait to meet some other folks in the industry and hopefully learn from their experiences. I have been training one client, pre-certification, which has helped me a great deal in applying all the concepts I've learned from assessing his physical fitness capabilities to designing a workout and pushing him through it.

I plan to start applying for jobs next week and reaching out to the contacts that I have met in the past few months for their recommendations but until then here are some things that I have been doing:
Traveling to see Manchester United take on the Philadelphia Freedom with Brent...as you can see we sat in a boat load of traffic and we weren't happy about it.

But we finally arrived!

We also attended the Beach Boys Concert at WolfTrap. Beach Balls Everywhere!!!

Another great thing about time off is all the time I get to spend at home with Brent and make super fantastic lunches like this one.

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad!

In a bowl combine:

- Chopped Carrots (About 15 Baby Carrots)

- Fresh Peeled Beets (8 Small)

- 4 Garlic cloves sliced

- 1 big handful of fresh parsley

- Sea Salt and Pepper to Taste

- 1 Tbl of olive oil

Put it all on a roasting pan for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Place on a bed of lettuce with a 1/2 a chopped orange and a 1/2 cup of cabbage

These days of always seeing each other will make it very hard to go back to working an 8 hour day out of the house. But the time will come....soon!

Kitchen Sink Bean Soup!

2010-07-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had to train a client at 6am in the morning and work from 6pm to 10pm. It makes it a really long hard day and I never feel like making dinner when I get home but I am always starved. Normally Brent will cook something but yesterday I thought I would make soup in the afternoon from all of our CSA veggies (we get a new load today!) and a bag of Mayacoba beans that I received as a gift from Mary B! I had never heard of Mayacoba beans but they taste like a pinto bean and are normally used in latin american cooking. They made a great addition to my soup! :)

I started out soaking the beans and because I didn't have all night, I covered the beans with 3 times as much water by volume and brought them to a boil, cooked them at med-high for 2 minutes and then let them soak in that water for 1 hr.

Soaking Beans

While the beans were soaking I chopped up 3 cloves of garlic, an onion, 1/2 a head of green cabbage, 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage and shelled about 1 lb of english peas.

After the beans were done I sauteed the onion and garlic (2 Super Cancer Fighting Foods!) in 1Tbl of olive oil, sea salt and pepper for 5 minutes.

Next I added all the other veggies and sauteed them together for about 6 minutes along with a can of diced tomatoes, 3/4Tbl of cayenne pepper and 1Tbl of thyme.
Lastly, I threw in 4 cups (a carton) of veggie stock, a cup of water and 2TBL of nutritional yeast and brought the whole pot to a boil. I then reduced it to a simmer and cooked it on low heat for 1 1/2 hours.

Yum! It was great to have dinner waiting for me when I got home!

Marathon Training in full swing

2010-07-19T11:25:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted to run a Marathon and this year we decided we were ready to tackle the challange so we started with the National Half Marathon on March 20, 2010 with the thought that when we finished we would sign up for the Marine Corp. Marathon held right here in Washington DC! This year it's on Halloween and I hope there are great costumes out running to help keep me going.

We recently ran the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond which is ranked one of the top 10 races in the country and they had awesome costumes!! Looking at all the people you are running next too is a great motivator to hurry up and catch up to some other great costumes. Here is a little sample of a Tornado that we ran across!

Anyway back to Marathon Training, we currently just started week 4 today which is a total of 31 miles and consistently climbs over the next few months. Here is the training program that we are following, it is Hal Higdon's program with walking and circuit training added in.

It has been a little hard to get motivated to run in this heat with it being 90+ everyday but we are logging the miles we need too and hopefully this weather will give us a break soon. I just want a cloudy cool morning of 78 degrees.

Haircut Day!

2010-07-16T17:54:00.003-04:00

The Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule of walking with Dad continues…it has been really nice to get to spend so much time together over the past month since I left my corporate gig. He has definitely been a great sounding board for me during this whole studying and planning process! So much to do and so little time...

Of course Cobber was there to see us out! He’s getting older and can’t quite pull off a mile let alone a 3 miler.

Pink Flowers in the front garden to match my awesome pink nike shorts! Running shorts are key to keeping cool and comfy during these hot summer months.

Got a long overdue haircut today…its been about 6 months! I got it cut right after we got married and have neglected it ever since. You know when your brush stops moving its time to get a cut :)

Off to work! The Husband is making dinner tonight...can't wait for his next veggie creation

Here we go...

2010-06-06T12:26:00.004-04:00

So Exciting, this is my very first blog post about the new career I am embarking on! For the past 4 months I have been thinking about what I want to get out of life and what is going to make me and my family the happiest. I am confident that I am making the right decision but of course can't help being a little scared moving from a steady income to a part time job while studying to be a personal trainer, looking for a nutrition program to enroll in and of course planning a future business.

The PLAN, which may change over time because nothing ever goes to plan but here is the idea of what I hope for the future. Study for and obtain my NASM Personal Training Certification, get a job at a gym that will provide a wide variety of clients who want to get HEALTHY, enroll in a nutrition program so that I can help people eat right and feel good, complete my business plan in order to get out on my own creating workout plans for private clients, boot camps for large groups and creating nutrition plans for all my clients to make the world a healthier place.

I hope that I can reach people and help them get healthy and eating right. I want people to get off the couch and get moving while eating local fresh delicious food!