*If you visited this blog last night, you may have gone to a page that said the blog was private. I debated closing it down for good, but I like having a record of my recipes. I may go through and edit past posts over time to make this less of a personal blog and more of a resource. Thank you again for reading; I hope you enjoy!*

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• September 9, 2008 -- The Best Crabcakes
• September 26, 2011 -- Inhale, Exhale… 1. Inhale, Exhale… 2. [Yoga Teacher Training - Sun Sals]
• June 28, 2009 -- Chard Oat Bran & salad (duh)
• February 27, 2009 -- Unsweetened Dessert Jelly (Jell-o!)
• November 2, 2008 -- First Thanksgiving Challenge Shopping Day

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breakfast was oatmeal + fruit (melon and grapefruit) + cinnamon from my work cafeteria. i’d say it’s a good 1 cup of oatmeal (cooked) and another cup of fruit. i get this most mornings if i don’t have yogurt + fruit.

for lunch i brought yogurt + banana, and baby carrots + halal dip (the dip that comes with street meat – if you’ve never had it, oh my gosh you are missing out – the best one is on 53rd and 6th ave).

i planned on supplementing this with some kind of snack, and this is what i got…

we have a “snack shack” that opens after the cafeteria closes for lunch and they sell (at a discount) stuff that didn’t go during lunchtime. so this slice of veggie whole wheat pizza (i think vegan? with mushrooms and sauteed kale) was just $1.09. it was big, filling, and i think healthy enough. it was also quite delicious.

for dinner i was craving veggies, so i just cooked up beet greens in butter, steamed a large beet, and topped them together with about 2T brewers yeast (after seeing HEAB eat it often). i also roasted an entire kabocha squash – 450F for about 25 minutes.

to be honest, i usually eat more than this! but i’m very happy with my eats today. everything was exactly what i was craving. and i was accidentally vegetarian.

what did YOU eat today?

p.s. why beets for brains? because i’m currently exercising my brain by taking stanford’s free online machine learning course. if you’re into programming i highly recommend it.

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• March 23, 2010 -- How to Have Fun on a Tuesday
• February 7, 2012 -- Meal of the Day #2
• October 11, 2010 -- Recipe: Maggie’s Macro Plate
• September 5, 2010 -- Being Spontaneous: A Healthy Blogger Weekend
• May 6, 2010 -- A Filling Salad

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Post tags: beets, breakfast, brewers yeast, dinner, kabocha, lunch, pizza, programming, vegan, vegetarian, what i ate wednesday, wiaw, yogurt

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meal of the day #2.1

This was European yogurt from Trader Joe’s (chocolate flavor) with a banana. A very simple breakfast meal.

meal of the day #2.2

And this was cheesy veggie pizza from Lombardi’s for dinner. Imagine this x2

What have you been having for breakfast this week? Do you like pizza?

Like this post? Check out...

• February 8, 2012 -- beets for brains [wiaw - what i ate wednesday]
• December 12, 2008 -- Back to the grind!
• January 5, 2008 -- Scrambled Eggs Recipe | Gnocchi Recipe | Travel Food on a Budget | Fruit Yogurt Breakfast
• June 4, 2010 -- Vietnamese Food Favorites
• July 7, 2011 -- A Girly Breakfast – Yogurt and Fruit

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Post tags: breakfast, dinner, fruit, meal of the day, pizza, vegetarian, yogurt

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This was breakfast/brunch yesterday. I cooked up 4 eggs in bacon fat with onions and chopped Brussels sprouts (split between me and the hubs, I think he got about 2/3 of it), a cup of Irish oatmeal (he got more of this as well), nitrate/nitrite-free bacon (this is the “bits and pieces” from Trader Joe’s – it’s cheaper than the regular strips, but made of the same natural stuff – we split-ish, Bobby probably got a little more), and steamed kabocha squash (I took all the squash).

***

Back in January I laid out some goals for myself for this year. I decided to take them one at a time, a month at a time – seemed more reasonable than doing 12398438 goals at once. My initial goals for January were:

1. Food – Cut the artificial sweeteners completely
2. Life – Read a book for 30 minutes a day.

january goals – update

Now, I don’t think I completely succeeded at either one, but I did make good progress. I think I read 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week for all of January, so I will call that a win. Nice! I’m still not finished with the book I got for Christmas (Bill Bryson’s Made In America), but I’m almost done.  I think I want to add fiction novels to the mix in February because I tend to get distracted when I’m only reading non-fiction.

I went in and out on the artificial sweeteners one. One day I would be adamant about not having Diet Cherry Pepsi; other days I caved. I’m guessing this was a 50% fail rate. So it needs work. One thing I noticed was that I tended to use the excuse, “I’ll have this soda instead of that cookie my coworker brought in,” but then I would end up having the soda AND the cookie! So that is not valid, not valid at all.

I didn’t have a good way of tracking these goals – so I will do that for my February ones.

february goals – food and life

1. Food #1 – ditch diet soda (continued).
2. Food #2 – no snacks 2 hours before bedtime (eep hard for me).
3. Life #1 – keep reading 30 minutes a day; add fiction books.
4. Life #2 – go to sleep by 11:00pm 5 nights a week (eep this is also a killer).
5. (*general – track these in Google Calendar or a Google Doc – tbd*)

There is another thing I’m going to do in February but I don’t want to include it as a goal, because I don’t want to have more than 4 goals hanging over my head. It is to post one meal a day (see above) for the rest of the month. February is a short month so I only have 24 meals to post, including today. I have been taking lots of meal photos because of that Eatery app I mentioned.

Do you have any February goals? How are your new year’s resolutions working out?

P.S. Woohoo Giants! Who were you rooting for? I brought this large plate of veggies and hummus to a super bowl party last night and they were a big hit. The favorites were baby carrots and the peppers.

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• January 25, 2012 -- simple stirfry, siggi’s breakfast, & resolutions update
• September 10, 2011 -- 8 Foods I Couldn’t Live Without
• July 4, 2010 -- Ketchup Versus Catsup
• May 11, 2010 -- Brunch at The Mudspot: Perfection
• April 25, 2010 -- Menu Plan Monday: when things don’t go as planned!

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Post tags: bacon, breakfast, brunch, eggs, february resolutions, goals, kabocha, meal of the day, new year's resolutions, oatmeal, reading, squash

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• Split squat jumps (in lunge position, jump up and down X times on one leg; then switch to other side)
• Single leg lunges with back foot on a chair (X times on one leg; then switch to the other side)
• Superman pushups (do a pushup, but come down to the floor and do a superman, then another pushup, floor, superman, etc…)
• Skaters!

It was a ponzi pyramid scheme where you go through the rounds and do 5 reps, then 10, then 15, then 10, and finally 5 again. I just did it along with Zuzana and if I finished ahead of her I did jumping jacks. This workout took me about 18.5 minutes.

Here is me afterwards, sweaty face and all:

I definitely would like to build up some more tone, but I have stayed in shape from all the yoga. I can do pushups better than ever before.

Yeah, I know, I was supposed to do a 3-miler today. But I have an update on that front – I am officially going to walk the half marathon - my knee started bothering me this weekend. Sigh. Silly knee. I don’t want to push it. I’m so excited to walk it though! I know I will find a cool group of people to chat with as we speedwalk to the finish line, and I know I will enjoy the training more.

And here is how I fueled up afterwards:

Roasted (no oil) kabocha and butternut squash. I stuck them in the oven at 475F right before I started the workout and they were ready 25 minutes later. I snapped the pic using this awesome app I just found called The Eatery. You take a picture of your food and other people judge whether it’s healthy or not. I am addicted.

So far for the week my other workouts have been…

• Monday – off (as planned)
• Tuesday – 3.75 miles running/incline walking (on treadmill)
• Wednesday – 1.5 miles walking (on my lunch hour) + some additional walking after work (1 mile or so) = 2.5 miles total
• Thursday (today) – 1ish mile walk at lunch, and the ZWOW I just finished.

What are your workouts of the week? Have you done a ZWOW yet?

Like this post? Check out...

• July 13, 2011 -- Work It Out Wednesday! Yoga + BodyRock + Walk
• July 5, 2011 -- A Week of Moving – Rocking and Walking
• January 27, 2010 -- My boyfriend’s back…
• February 6, 2012 -- February Goals + Meal of the Day #1
• June 28, 2011 -- Complex Versus Simple Carbohydrates

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Post tags: bodyrock, kabocha, squash, walking, working out, zwow

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Giada (source)

Or else, they’re not fit and slim, and they have health issues. Like Paula Deen. (If you didn’t hear, she recently announced that she has type 2 diabetes.)

Paula (source)

As a very non-professional cook but expert food eater I can definitely attest to the work that I do to stay slim and healthy. I eat salad, I do yoga, I walk (now run… until April). When I make something decadent I try not to stuff my face eat in moderation.

Or, I just make something healthy.

This was a mix of:

• romaine lettuce (base)
• sauteed in bacon fat: turnips (or parsnips, I forget), mushrooms, onions, cilantro, garlic powder
• topped with whipped cream cheese – then mixed in because it gets all melty! + organic balsamic vinaigrette
• ended up adding a few strips of bacon (unpictured) – I cooked them for Bobby and then stole some for myself

Ah, so good. The bacon fat and the cream cheese make it taste so rich and hearty. (Note: I have said this before but I’ll say it again – when eating bacon, it’s important to get it without nitrates/nitrites!)

Do you make healthy or more decadent dishes?

I like to think food can be both at the same time.

Like this post? Check out...

• September 5, 2010 -- Being Spontaneous: A Healthy Blogger Weekend
• July 7, 2010 -- Recipe: Summery Israeli Tomato Salad
• January 30, 2012 -- I’m Still a Salad Loving Yogi
• August 28, 2011 -- Weekend Link Love – 08.28.2011
• July 1, 2011 -- Potluck BBQ RECIPE: Mexican Couscous and Bean Salad + How to Cut an Avocado

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In September I began a huge undertaking – yoga teacher training. For 3 months I was in yoga classes 3-4 days a week (both taking and observing) and in training on the weekends (Friday night, Saturday and Sunday all day). Yoga was my life, basically. I stopped taking my long weekend walks and I started a new job further away – which meant that I couldn’t walk to or from work anymore either (at my old job I would occasionally walk home – it was probably about a mile). I know I need to write a looooong summary of my TT experiences – I know, I know! It’s just that there is so much to say and I never know where to start.

But anyway, back to the point. I love walking. I miss walking. And I’m using the half marathon as a way to explore the city like I used to.

As for yoga, I will still be teaching it, doing it, and sharing my thoughts and teacher resources with you all. I can’t not talk about yoga.

And for food – I will definitely need healthy nourishment during the training. And I’ve been getting back into cooking at home more – gosh, did I miss it. My new job has brought a lot of balance into my life that I didn’t have before. No more weird, crazy hours (unless I want them). A gym in my building. The opportunity to teach yoga to my colleagues. And great benefits. So because of this new job, I have the chance to go back to my roots and cook my own meals. There is something satisfying about creating exactly what you want, when you want it.

Enough with the seriousness though. This weekend my sister was in for a day and we got to go out for our favorite:

Salad sisters!

We both have reusable bowls from Just Salad and we love to make our own creations.

• Maggie’s salad: tofu, avocado, and double butternut squash, double broccoli, and double beets. I topped it with a tahini dressing.
• Julia’s salad: avocado, an egg, black beans, sun-dried tomatoes, corn, beets, and banana peppers. She also picked the tahini dressing.

I had a few bites of hers and definitely want to try it next time. It’s so good to branch out from my usual routine.

Past posts on walking:

• Walking At Home
• Walking For Exercise
• Walk For Health
• Manhattan Morning Walking Routine

What are some routines that you do? Are there any that you used to do and want to start up again?

Like this post? Check out...

• November 25, 2009 -- Family Yums & Workouts
• September 5, 2010 -- Being Spontaneous: A Healthy Blogger Weekend
• July 21, 2010 -- Grilled Baby Fennel Recipe
• July 11, 2010 -- Brunch at Sacred Chow (Again)
• July 9, 2010 -- My Little Piece of Heaven: Pilates and Green Oat Bran

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Post tags: half marathon, salad, vegan, vegetarian, walking, yoga

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No, I’m not really a runner. I can run, but I don’t usually. In fact, I’ve probably berated lots of people for running because it’s not that good for your joints. But for some reason I thought this would be a good idea, and signed up impulsively Friday afternoon. (I’m glad I did.) I think it’ll be really fun – both the training and the actual event. I may not end up running the whole thing (I’m a big fan of the jog/walk), but I will definitely finish.

Me, this afternoon, on my way out for a 4+ miler (thanks for snapping the pic Jules!)

Half Marathon Training Plan

My half marathon training plan will be as follows (based on this source). It’s a modified 12-week plan because I started midway through the first week. The weeks go Monday to Sunday.

*Saturday’s jog (1/28) was on my way to yoga. Thanks to the class I wasn’t sore the next day (today) because it was an amazing stretch. Sunday’s (today, 1/29) was a jog/walk. I think I walked about 1.3 miles of it.

That’s it! I’m hoping to jog most of the allotted mileage, but will be happy as long as I get through it, even if that means walking.

So what will I eat? Hmm….

Snack after today’s run: sauteed (in bacon fat) broccoli stalk, frozen corn, frozen Brussels sprouts, and whipped cream cheese. Because the veggies were warm the cream cheese got all melty and it was fabulous.

Have you ever done a half marathon? Or any other race?

I’ve never done any races before but I did used to run a lot when I lived in California.

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• July 21, 2009 -- More raw & combining stuff
• October 17, 2009 -- Viva la VIA
• December 5, 2009 -- Review: Joe’s Shanghai In Chinatown (New York)
• September 30, 2010 -- CSN Giveaway Winner
• April 11, 2008 -- Fried Plantains

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i decided to bring my lunch to work this week. i work at a big bank and we do have a cafeteria, but to be honest – it’s not that healthy, and after 3 months of the same old slop, i needed a change! this stirfry is made up of:

• broccoli + broccoli stalk (don’t throw that part out – it’s great if you saute it)
• red pepper
• can of tuna
• frozen corn
• fresh cilantro
• garlic + chili powder
• cooked in bacon fat (i save this each time i make bacon)

i had a sesame bagel alongside the stirfry. i’m really into bagels this week.

i also vowed to bring breakfast. i don’t usually like to drink my calories, but i have found several drinks to be quite delicious as of late, in particular:

this is siggi’s probiotic drinkable non-fat yogurt in plain. i also bought the strawberry but i haven’t tried that yet. i don’t like siggi’s greek yogurt (insanely thick) but i did find this drinkable yogurt to have a good consistency (not too thick, not too thin) and flavor. i added some cinnamon to mine before drinking up. only 45 calories in this bottle which leaves plenty of room for other breakfast goodies like no-sugar scones.

—

resolutions update: i’m going in and out with the diet soda thing. i figure, if drinking a diet soda will keep me from snacking on something sugary – probably better to go with the soda. but it depends on the day. as for reading, i’m still plugging along on my book. it’s a slow read, not because it’s boring, but because i really want to absorb every detail. but i have been reading every day. it’s almost february so i need to figure out what my february resolutions will be. i have some ideas.

what do you put in stirfrys? do you drink your calories or save them for chewing?

Like this post? Check out...

• February 6, 2012 -- February Goals + Meal of the Day #1
• January 10, 2012 -- Veggie Sushi and Resolutions 2012
• June 1, 2011 -- A Better Breakfast? (+ Giveaway!)
• March 21, 2010 -- How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Ice Cream
• February 14, 2010 -- Brunches and Valentine’s Day

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Post tags: bacon, books, breakfast, dairy, january resolutions, lunch, new year's resolutions, reading, resolutions, stir fry, tuna

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“With malice towards none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right… let us strive… to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

–Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, Saturday, March 4, 1865

Workouts For Last Week

Monday, 1/16: slim & sleek, fast (45 minutes); loooots of walking (meandering for 3-4 hours)
Tuesday, 1/17: ~2 miles walking
Wednesday, 1/18: teach yoga @ lunch (45 minutes); ~1 mile walk
Thursday, 1/19: Ashtanga workshop (2 hours); teach yoga @ lunch (50 minutes); ~1 mile walk
Friday, 1/20: nothing feeling sick
Saturday, 1/21: Yin Yang yoga (90 minutes), ~2 miles walking
Sunday, 1/22: ~3 miles walking

What exercise have you been doing lately?

Like this post? Check out...

• February 2, 2012 -- ZWOW!
• August 28, 2011 -- Weekend Link Love – 08.28.2011
• August 9, 2011 -- Garden Beets and Nuggets of Wisdom
• July 13, 2011 -- Work It Out Wednesday! Yoga + BodyRock + Walk
• July 5, 2011 -- A Week of Moving – Rocking and Walking

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Post tags: inspiration, quotes, working out

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