Fitness And The Foodie

M.I.A., Work LIfe Balance

2010-08-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

I have been missing in action for about a week and a half and frankly beating myself up a bit each night that I flop into bed too exhausted to post to Fitness & The Foodie. Work and all the obligations that go along with being passionately and purposefully focused on our business' growth has, unfortunately, resulted in any spare time sucked into a vortex of dinners, sponsor events, and long hours at the office.

The little voice inside my head sometimes screams a bit too loudly that I should be able to juggle it all...fitness, 12-hour workdays, time with friends, my husband, my dog and home, post and keep up with projects for Fitness & The Foodie, make time for hobbies and learning, eat right, make healthy meals five times a day, keep my closet organized, my car clean, my nails polished, my garden green and beautiful.

I've told her to shut up, the voice in my head. I've gagged her and put her in my closet for a time out and may not open the door for her for awhile, if ever.

So while she sits in my closet and thinks about her behavior, I'm going to do my best to post as often as I can with information I think is relevant, interesting and useful. Please forgive me if I miss a night, or two and on rare occasion a bit longer.

Rather than go on and on with my own rant about balance, I thought I'd try to find a good piece on the subject and came across this article on 10 Principles for Successful Work-Life Balance which contains some great tips! Since I LOVE my work and have great fun while doing it the line is often blurred, causing my plate and my cup to runneth over.

What tips do you have for work-life balance? Email me and I'll share with F&TF readers!

My Boogie Shoes

2010-08-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

Bootcamp on Saturday has been starting at 8:00 so that we escape the heat, somebody I think forgot to tell the sun that. We roasted last Saturday but had a great workout with back-to-back drills working everything!

Mike's wife Norma is one of my fitness inspirations. One of these days, my legs will look like that!

My bootcamp teammates indulged me in a photo op after the workout. Man we were beat!

After bootcamp, I headed for an iced latte and got a little life affirmation along the way. I'm always snapping pictures of bumper stickers, funny signs, cool billboards, and could not resist this. I know I should not have been doing this while driving but I could not help it!

It is way past time for new running shoes. This trusty pair has taken me through two 1/2 marathons, endless runs with Becki, and more workouts with Mike than I can imagine.

I finally broke down and headed to RoadRunner Sports to find my new boogie shoes.

I'm SUCH an easy target. The minute I walked in a very enthusiastic salesperson started talking to me about the ShoeDog adventure. An analysis of my run, the arch of my foot, and the way I place weight on my feet to customize my new shoe insole, all designed of course for my optimal comfort and foot health. I took the bait...Hook, Line, and Sinker.

I started by standing on a cushy platform that showed my weight distribution on my feet, or, as they say, the 3D Paw Reading:

Which gave them this view of my tootsies. I guess I was pretty clueless over the fact that I have a high arch.

After that, I hopped on the treadmill and ran barefoot for a bit so that Tony could see if I pronated my knees and ankles. Fortunately, he said I had a pretty normal stride.

After a few measurements, Tony custom molded my new insoles and recommended I stick with the neutral line of running shoes. Even with narrowing it all down, I still had a ton of options.

But finally got down to my top three picks of Nikes, Mizuno and Saucony. Roadrunner has a 60 day return policy, which takes the guess work out of the purchase. I took the Mizunos and the Nikes, will try them out and if either don't work, I can bring them back!

So far, the Mizunos have been great and after a couple of runs have made a HUGE difference in my knee pain.

Roadrunner Sports
5553 Copley Drive
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 974-4455

The Red Door

2010-08-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Recently Becki, Jolee and I met up for dinner at the Red Door in Mission Hills. The restaurant has been around for almost a year now and it has taken me way too long to get in to meet with Chef Brian Johnston.

The girls ordered one of the Chef's famous flatbreads and of course, I had to have a tiny sliver...just to taste! Barbecue chicken, goat cheese, and I think pancetta if I remember right, topped with a little cilantro. I managed to stop myself at just one piece, my trainer does read this after all. He has a way of making me pay later!

The Red Door's wine list focuses on small production wines from around the world which proved to be a fun test of my new WSET knowledge. I had the Chateau des Gravieres Bordeaux Blanc which is a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillion.

The chef's cuisine is comfort classics at their best and since the girls and I could not make up our minds we decided to split a few of the chef's favorites. The "Surf & Cheeky Turf" came with sauteed sea scallops, braised pork cheek, roasted garlic jus, fresh vegetables and crispy polenta. HEAVEN!

We also shared Manila Clams and Chorizo with garlic, white wine, tomato and parsley

Becki LOVES short ribs and its rumored that the Red Door serves some of the best. The boneless Meyer all-natural beef short ribs were braised in red wine and veal stock and served with Yukon mashed potatoes, onion straws, veggies and Cabernet sauce. I did not get a picture, probably because it was gone before I realized I had not taken one.

And for dessert, the lemon curd with fresh berries in a caramelized phyllo cup. I think that's Jolee's spoon in the photo, she could not wait for me to snap the picture!

The Red Door
741 West Washington Street
San Diego, CA 92103-1937
(619) 295-6000

Superman Row, Overnight Oats, Tortilla Stratta

2010-08-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

This morning I got up ready to hit my workout hard with Mike (my Evil Training Monster) knowing full well that my arms would feel like jello after an hour of punishment. Today's featured "move" from Mike is the Superman Row.

This exercise is for active strengthening of the upper back muscles, lats, rhomboids, and trapezius while simultaneously work the core muscle of the lower back, pectorals, abdomen, glutes and engaging the muscles of the legs, hamstrings and quadriceps. The move is moderate to advanced. A good starting point for those just starting out is to do the move without weights (pictured below).

Mike Rouillard

Superior Personal Fitness

Okay, that's a whole lot of words to say that this move works! It has really helped me develop overall upper body strength.

If weights are too much for right now, try the move without. Still a pretty hard workout!

After my workout with Mike I was STARVING and happy to have a bowl of Overnight Oats waiting for me at home. Today's oat mixture contained:

Steel Cut Oats
Quinoa
Dried Sour Cherries
Wheatberries
Almond milk
Organic Peanut Butter

We spent the day in Los Angeles at the Western Foodservice Expo looking for companies that might be a fit for our upcoming San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival and The Gourmet Experience events. Needless to say five hours of walking in 31/2 inch heels can wear a girl out.

I knew it would be a hectic day so last night I used up a bunch of leftovers to make a tortilla stratta. Have I ever said how much I love breakfast for dinner? I'll post the recipe tomorrow (I sort of made it up so I need to put it all down for you), but in the mix is:

Ground Turkey, cooked and seasoned with cumin, oregano and red pepper
1/2 cup of onion, cooked with turkey
stone ground corn tortillas
black beans
jalapenos
zucchini
lowfat cheddar cheese
egg whites
lowfat milk
cilantro
green onion

SO good!

Bice!

2010-08-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

The other night I finally had the chance to visit Bice, an Italian restaurant in downtown San Diego with origins dating back to the first Bice Trattoria in Milan in 1926. The restaurant now has multiple locations in the states with San Diego's owned and operated independently by Chef Mario Cassineri, Managing Partner Rinaldo Colantoni, and General Partner Trevor Sacco.

Right away I noticed the the amazing display of imported Italian cheeses. Although we were not there for happy hour, this is a spot I will be coming back to for a glass of Nebbiolo and cheese!

(source)

We couldn't resist the cheese and decided this is how the meal should start! We asked for their in house expert to select his favorites for us to try. We had everything from a creamy Burrata to Pecorino and Gargonzola Dolce. They make their own preserves in house that I'm still drooling over.

After the cheese I had the lnsalata di Lenticchie di Castelluccio con Barbabietole e Caprino all' Aceto Balsamico....or, a salad of Castelluccio Lentils with fresh Chino beets, crumbled goat cheese and balsamic dressing:

For my Primi Piatti (Insert Italian Accent Here), I went with our server's recommendation of the Pappardelle al Telefono con Pomodor, Mozzarella e Basilico which was Pappardelle with Mozzarella Cheese and Fresh Basil in Pink Tomato Sauce. This was a splurge for me but tonight I had a total "When In Rome" moment and jumped face first into this creamy bowl of carb filled pasta. I only ate about half which still took incredible restraint considering I killed myself on cheese.

The chef treated us to one of his signature desserts, which unfortunately I did not get the name of. It reminded me of a Zabaglione which is a custard traditionally from Northern Italy made of egg yolks, sugar and dessert wine. It was served over fresh berries and with a bite of Biscotti.

Can't wait to go back!

Bice San Diego
425 Island Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101-8609
(619) 239-2423

Push Up To Ball Roll

2010-08-10T07:21:00.001-07:00

I get a lot of questions about my training with Mike and most are about the equipment we work with or the ~~torture~~ exercises he puts me through. Each week, we will highlight one exercise and Mike will give me details about it to share with you. Here's this week's Push Up To A Ball Roll which we did in Monday morning's session.

The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen and build the upper back, chest, shoulder and arm muscles while engaging the core muscles of the lower back, abdominal wall, the glutes and hamstring complex. This exercise challenges the whole body as well as working our stabilizers for balance. This is a moderate to advanced exercise but can be modified for beginners.

Mike Rouillard
Superior Personal Fitness

Start with your hands on the ground, feet on the ball, in a plank position:

Bend arms so you move down into a push up

As you push up, bring your knees in so you get a little abdominal crunch

Push legs back out until you are back in a plank position, repeat!

Or, if you want more of a challenge, you can add a Bosu to this move:

Overnight Oats, Where Have You Been My Whole Life?

2010-08-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

I recently found out about Overnight Oats, and feel just a little more nutritionally enlightened because of it. I'm always on the hunt for good-for-you foods that smack of decadence and I gotta' tellya, Overnight Oats are G- double O-D.

I need to work on making this look as tasty as it is. For those of you who are Overnight Oats newbies like me, the OO's are basically oats that are soaked in all kinds of good stuff overnight so by morning, you get a chewy, crunchy, yummy bowl of raw goodness. Here's how I did my first attempt:

1/4 cup of steel cut oats
1 tbsp of Quinoa
1 tbsp of Wheatberries
1 tbsp of dried cherries
1/2 cup of nonfat milk (switching over to Almond Milk now though)
tiny dash of cinnamon and vanilla (careful with the cinnamon, it can really overpower!)
1 tsp of slivered almonds
1 tbsp of peanut butter

Combine ingredients (I put the PB in the mix in the morning), and stick in the fridge overnight.

Careful on the calories with this though. Oats and grains, while great for you, can get high in calories, not to mention the peanut butter. I did this on a very intense workout day. Future combos will be a little more calorie friendly (maybe I'll omit the PB for a bit of Flax Oil instead.)

We Made The Buzz!

2010-08-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hooray and thank you! Fitness & The Foodie has officially been picked up by FoodBuzz! I am now a featured publisher on their site, thanks to you!

In the past few months, I have heard from many of you who have found information I share including fitness tips and new goodies for foodie helpful. Please feel free to share Fitness & The Foodie with your friends and, if you have not done so already, encourage them to visit the site and subscribe or become a follower.

Thank you again!

Michelle

Puppy Love

2010-08-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Right now I am absolutely puppy obsessed. I finally have convinced Michael to bring in a companion for Hunter (okay, for me!!) and now need to make up my mind on what breed to go with. Help me decide! If you go to my website at Fitness & The Foodie (just click on the words or visit http://www.fitnessandthefoodie.blogspot.com), you can enter your selection in the poll.

Here are my choices, look at how adorable they all are? You can understand my dilemma, right? Let me know what you think!

Boston Terrier

Pug (a face only a mother could love!!)

King Charles Cavalier

French Bulldog

Cairn Terrier

Pass the Peas, Please!

2010-08-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

There is a produce distributor in San Diego that allows public access during select hours and, so we had been told, is like a candy store for food geeks like me. So, on Sunday Jolee and I took a trip to the Specialty Produce warehouse to look around. My looking turned into $60 worth of beautiful vegetables, new artisan salts, oats, and fruit.

Oh, and did I mention fresh peas?

I found a great source on Green Peas from the World's Healthiest Foods:

When purchasing garden peas, look for ones whose pods are firm, velvety and smooth. Their color should be a lively medium green. Those whose green color is especially light or dark, or those that are yellow, whitish or are speckled with gray, should be avoided. Additionally, do not choose pods that are puffy, water soaked or have mildew residue. The pods should contain peas of sufficient number and size that there is not much empty room in the pod. You can tell this by gently shaking the pod and noticing whether there is a slight rattling sound. All varieties of fresh peas should be displayed in a refrigerated case since heat will hasten the conversion of their sugar content into starch.

Aside from being just simply sweet and delicious, fresh green peas are a nutritional powerhouse. The are packed full of 8 vitamins and 7 minerals, dietary fiber and minerals. They also promote bone health with vitamin K which we convert to help maintain our levels of a chemical called osteocalin which in turn makes sure that bone mineralization is not impaired. Peas also supply a good amount of folic acid and B6 which helps reduce homocystein, a molecule that contributes to osteoporosis.

After shelling my new fresh peas, I dusted two Ono fillets with a bit of yellow curry, coriander, and Thai ginger sea salt.

I sauteed the peas with basil, cilantro, garlic and onion and added a tiny bit of vegetable stock. Add whole grain brown rice and YUM!

Let's Catch Up!

2010-08-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to post for the last couple of days and there is so much to catch up on! At the start of the week I put together a list of things that, when looking back, I would be happy to have done. Here's what is on my list this week:

~~Continue to eat the Game On way for the final week of our fitness competition~~
~~Make it to Body Pump at least once and~~ ~~Spin twice~~
Run at least once this week
File the bills on my desk (LONG OVERDUE!)
Update recipes on Fitness & The Foodie
~~Food journal every day, no excuses!~~
~~Call my grandfather (I've been meaning to do this forever and feel horrible that I have not called him yet).~~
Study for my Level 2 WSET (Wine, Spirits & Education Trust) exam coming up on Saturday and pass!
Get through my "to do" list at work and finalize all our celebrity chefs for the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival
Work on super top secret project that I'll finally be able to announce at the end of next week!

Well, I'm part of the way there. It is good to check in on the list though and certainly will kick me into high gear through the weekend!

My Spaghetti Sqash Addiction

2010-08-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I LOVE Spaghetti Squash. I do. It has to be my new all time favorite fast, inexpensive, hearty, healthy, low calorie food. I've been craving pasta so this week I made a really hearty sauce with diced chicken sausage and a little bit of salami sauteed with onions and celery. Michael of course had his with the real stuff although I did make sure it was whole wheat.

I used the spaghetti squash in place of pasta for me and was in total heaven! There are lots of ways to cook the squash but since I was short on time I microwaved it in a little water bath for about 10 minutes.

Scraping out the squash after it is cooked gives me a little over two cups in 1/2 of the squash. Looks like pasta right?

I did not even miss the pasta and was able to have a huge bowl rather than limiting myself to just 1/2 a cup. Did you know a four ounce serving is only 37 calories? I topped with some fresh grated Parmesan and I had a healthy but super filling dinner.

The next day, I used the other 1/2 of the squash to make a "pasta" salad. I tossed a bunch of chopped up veggies including broccoli, tomatoes, red bell pepper, hearts of palm, and added kidney beans, fat-free feta, Gaelos Miso Caesar dressing, and fresh basil. All for only 225 calories!

I've been cooking with spaghetti squash for awhile but thought I'd do a little investigating before this post on just how good the squash is for you. I came across this article on Faulousfoods.com that gives some good tips on preparation, storage and nutrition.

Win It Friday!

2010-08-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

As you know, I had my first golf lesson a few weeks ago and will have my second coming up this Sunday. I'm absolutely terrible but love getting out there with Michael. My golf instructor Kim wanted to give something for our next Win It series and has provided a private, one-hour lesson for one winner! The best part? You get to bring three friends with you!

Kim is a golf pro at Sycuan in San Diego's East County which is consistently ranked as one of the best courses in the city. The course is beautiful! And trust me on this, whether you've been golfing for a while or have never picked up a club (like me!), Kim is a terrific instructor not to mention its just a really fun way to spend and hour and get out into nature.

(source)

Okay, to win the hour lesson for you and your friends, email me at fitnessandthefoodie@gmail.com and respond to the following question:

What is something you've always wanted to try and do, but have not yet done?

Cinque e' Cinque Sample Promotion!

2010-08-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted about Lucini Italia's Cinque e' Cinque and got a lot of response. Here is a picture of the dish I ~~made~~ devoured.

Lucini Italia just told me about a promotion that I had to pass along to you since I had so many readers interested in their product: How would you like to get Cinque e' Cinque for a year? Check it out:

Handcrafted, gourmet Italian products delivered to your doorstep...

Enter to WIN Lucini products for a year!
1 Lucky Grand Prize winner will enjoy Lucini products for a year which include Lucini’s award-winning extra virgin olive oils, artisan vinegars, gourmet tomato and cheese sauces, savory soups and our new Tuscan treat, Cinque é Cinque, all on us!*

Two First Place winners will receive a 12 inch cast iron pan, Lucini engraved silver whisk, one of each new Cinque é Cinque and a 500mL bottle of our Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Ten Runner-Ups will receive a Lucini engraved silver whisk, one of each new Cinque é Cinque and a 250mL bottle of our Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

In addition, you will be entered for weekly product and coupon giveaways!

*Grand Prize is capped at a retail value of $50 per month for 12 consecutive months. Any combination of available Lucini products can be selected for each months shipment. Please see official rules for full details.

Click Here To Enter And For Details

Sunday Night Grilled Fish Tacos

2010-08-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon we gathered at Ken and Jolee's for some sun and pool time followed by a mega feast of grilled fish tacos, sweet corn, watermelon and feta salad, chimichurri, scalloped tomatoes, and grilled pineapple with blueberries and Saba for dessert. I'm gathering recipes and will post by this weekend, stay tuned!

Oh, and did I mention the four-legged guests? Maggie, Poppy, Rita, Hunter, Lucy and Jacques:

Upside Down

2010-08-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

I trained with Mike this morning and focused on upper body. On my way (at O'Dark Thirty), I managed to get in a cup of hot black coffee and a Greens + Protein Bar.

I get a lot of questions about my training with Mike so I've managed to twist his arm to help out with Fitness & The Foodie. Every Monday, starting next week, Mike will explain an exercise that we are working on and the purpose it serves. Today, though, I just kept getting a head rush. Maybe I was spending too much time upside down doing shoulder presses?

After my workout I went home and did a little bit of careful planning for my day. A business lunch and Happy Hour with coworkers can mean disaster for me if I go into either super hungry. So I gathered two snacks and headed to work.

Snack #1:

I'm addicted to egg whites right now so for a late morning snack I made an Orowheat sandwich with egg whites and avocado and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese.

I was so thankful I ate this as my business lunch was at Harry's, land of big pasta and bigger steak sandwiches.

I did not manage to take a picture (oops!) and, since I was not starving, I was able to feel really happy ordering a simple salad with a flattened salmon steak. No dressing, just balsamic vinegar. I only ate about half and took the rest back to work for our chop licking lab, Hunter.

Snack #2

On my way to Happy Hour I ate a huge pear, six almonds and half a stick of string cheese, which totally did the trick, allowing me to avoid temptation at the bar!

New Beginnings, Farewell Evan!

2010-08-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

We met tonight at Rock Bottom Brewery to say good-bye to our teammate Evan who started with the company as an intern and morphed into a media guru and valued member of the Fast Forward Events family. When Ken and I started the company I knew that transition with staff was just part of the gig and I was not sure how I would react when it started to happen. I'm actually just proud to see Evan pursue his passion and to know that we helped give him tools to accomplish great things in the next phase of his career.

There was plenty of temptation and the Sangria looked great, but I was able to resist, ordered sparkling water and watch the others munch on dip, chips, shrimp and rolled tacos.

It was a fun way to end the day and Evan's tenure with us. There is great reward in mentoring and I feel lucky to have such a special group of young professionals to work with. Mary, Joyce, Jessica, Evan and Ashley are all a huge part of the story of our company and instrumental in helping to write its chapters.

Good luck with your new beginning Evan!

Starting Monday In Reverse

2010-08-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Oops! In publishing this weekend's post the order got reversed so let's start our Monday off doing things backwards. Scroll to the bottom of the last broadcast, and read from bottom to top so that it all makes sense.

This actually brings an idea to mind that I've been trying to apply to my life as much as possible. I'm taking a few minutes to picture myself this time next Saturday, waking up for the weekend and looking back at the week. I'm asking myself, What will I be happy to have done this week?

So, I'm living this week (for a moment) in reverse and planning out what will make me the happiest to have done. I don't know if I'll get to it all but here goes!

Continue to eat the Game On way for the final week of our fitness competition
Make it to Body Pump at least once and Spin twice
Run at least once this week
File the bills on my desk (LONG OVERDUE!)
Update recipes on Fitness & The Foodie
Food journal every day, no excuses!
Call my grandfather (I've been meaning to do this forever and feel horrible that I have not called him yet).
Study for my Level 2 WSET (Wine, Spirits & Education Trust) exam coming up on Saturday and pass!
Get through my "to do" list at work and finalize all our celebrity chefs for the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival
Work on super top secret project that I'll finally be able to announce at the end of next week!

What's on your happy list?

If you have not taken time to write a few things out, do this for yourself. It is really helpful and for me at least provides clarity on what will leave me with a feeling that my week was everything I wanted it to be. I'm going to print this out and put it on my computer, just as a tiny reminder.

Have a fantastic Monday and start to a very happy week!

Michelle

Pay To Play

2010-08-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

After a night of far too much wine I had to make myself rally for kickboxing at the gym when what I really wanted to do was to lay on the couch and watch reruns of Top Chef all day. You've got to pay to play though so off I went.

Getting there is half the battle, right? An hour and about 100 forward, side and back kicks later, I felt great and happy that I made myself go.

The rest of the day was spent updating the Fitness & The Foodie website followed by a Sunday evening Fish Taco barbecue at Ken and Jolee's. I'll post on that amazing meal later on Monday.

Searsucker Grand Opening

2010-08-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

I was invited to the opening of new restaurant by Celebrity Chef Brian Malarkey. For the Searsucker celebration, we were asked to come dressed Preppy Chic (which I admit I had to find out what that meant exactly). My dates for the night included Becki, Jolee and our friend Jill who was just in for the weekend from New York. This turned out to be a great GNO (Girl's Night Out)

The restaurant is absolutely chic in a playful, unpretentious way. Brian put in three community tables, which I'm a huge fan of, and mixed the rest of the seating as part lounge, part dining room.

After an hour or so, a three piece band got the party going with a fun mix of '60s and '70s classics and the girls and I wasted no time in getting out on the dance floor.

The whole night was filled with try passed appetizers, wine, champagne and samples of the Chef's signature cocktails. Which, for some reason, always seem like a good idea at the end of the night.

Boot Camp

2010-08-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning started with Boot Camp, of course! For some reason, this workout is especially hard as we also worked outside with Mike's wife Norma, who I have to say, is probably just as intense as he is.

Norma has it set up for us to move through about 10 stations before going inside to work with Mike. For 25 minutes we:

Hop over the green hurdles (forward and sideways)
Do football style footwork through the ladders
Work our arms with what seem to be an endless amount of rope lunges
Suffer through Speed rows
And, Speed presses
Take on front kicks
Push ups
Triceps dips
High step ups
And, sideways lunge with leg band and weight

What an awesome way to start the day!

A Day At The Races

2010-08-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon, Ken and I took Mary and Joyce to an industry conference, which really was just an excuse to take part in the Day at the Del Mar Races the association hosted following lunch and the keynote. For Mary and Joyce this was a first so we had to quickly get up to speed on the whole betting thing.

My strategy? Go with the horse withe best name. Unfortunately, this tactic did not work so well for me this time!

Mary won! Beginners luck!

The event was catered but of course it was not exactly healthy.

I grabbed a bit of bean dip, veggies and olives for a snack and steered clear of the chips, channeling a bit of will power.

Somehow, my plate just did not do it for me. Good thing I was distracted by the horses!

Not Your Childhood Waffles

2010-08-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

My freshman year in college I lived in a a dorm room just barely big enough to fit a bed for myself and roommate, two desks, and two tiny dressers. We had a microwave that saw its fair share of Jiffy Pop, and Ramen Noodles, and a toaster that warmed my breakfast staple - Eggo Waffles.

So walking through the frozen isle of Henry's on my way to grab a loaf of Ezekiel bread, I found myself drawn to a line of boxes calling to me with an offer of nostalgia filled sweetness.

I grabbed a box of Van's 8 Whole Grains waffles with a plan to make them at work Friday morning for breakfast for myself and Michael.

Okay, perhaps this is not the frozen waffle of my youth but still, it was absolutely delicious and did the trick. I topped the waffles with fresh blueberries, 1/2 a banana, chopped walnuts and Agave syrup. I'm just sayin'.

Early Morning Wake Up Call

2010-07-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

My morning started at 5:00 a.m. Bright and early, too early sometimes I think for training with Mike. Today we worked on several moves using negative resistance. According to Northwest University Health Sciences:

Negative training refers to emphasizing the eccentric or negative part of the contraction. This can be a great tool for reducing momentum that you might be using to help you and to break past plateaus you may have reached in your training. Typically, you lift the weight for 1-2 seconds and lower it for 2-4 seconds. In eccentric or negative training, you would still lift the weight for 1-2 seconds but would take 8 to 10 seconds to lower it, thus forcing the muscle to control the weight in a different part of the movement.

I didn't exactly leap out of bed this morning eager to have my butt kicked but I felt great when I was done. Workout? Check!

Vega Shake & Go Smoothie

2010-07-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

After my workout with Mike, lunch could not come fast enough! I stuffed an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla full with Oregon's Choice Gourmet Albacore, fresh baby spinach, red onion and avocado. And sliced up a bunch of cucumber on the side. It was really filling and held me over until my late afternoon snack that I was very eager to try!

I was just sent this package of Vega Shake & Go Smoothie, a plant-based protein powder that I mixed with a frozen banana and a little nonfat Greek yogurt as an afternoon snack. Packages are available on the company website for $23.95. It looks like the Tropical Tango is currently out of stock but other flavors are available.

Vega Shake & Go Smoothie is packed full of nutrients including protein, fibre, Omega-3, probiotics and greens, it combines whole food goodness with fast food convenience. The Smoothie contains:

Two servings of veggies

2500 mg Omega-3-6-9

11 g complete protein

Only 100 calories

1 billion probiotics cultures
The Smoothies come in four flavors: Bodacious Berry, Vanilla Almondilla, Choc-a-Lot and Tropical Tango.