Back to the Grind

As per usual, Monday morning was rushed. For breakfast I had a Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut barand half a grapefruit
I snacked later on half a Blueberry Crisp Clif
I surprised myself by liking this one. I don't usually like fruit flavored granola bars. I prefer muffins or the real thing!
I dragged my butt to the gym today. Was so not feeling it, but once I was there everything was fine. Isn't that always the case?
For lunch I packed an enchilada and a half, plus extra tomatilla sauce. I listened to my senses and only ate a whole enchilada. 2/3 of the below picture. It was so tasty.On the side I ate a carrot and a few grape tomatoes.I missed my hummus, although the carrots and tomatoes didn't really need it. Very good produce.
I was super-snacky today, and I think it was all due to being very tired. I had almonds and puffins. Sorry for the recycled pics, I have no excuse.Dinner was a success. I made a pasta with broccoli and shrimp. It was topped with pecorino romano, and liberally spiced with red pepper flakes and roasted garlic. Yum!
This post has to be a little short because Mr. Beans needs to further his education and write a paper!
'Til next time - check out the fruit basket my mater bought me. Wasn't that sweet? Nice pears too! I can't wait to eat them.

Beans, No Greens

I keep thinking it's Monday again.
I made oatmeal last night but wasn't feeling like eating it this morning. Instead I munched on a bar while working and drank coffee.
I've been trying to only eat when hungry, so today I didn't have a snack before workout.
Lunch was supposed to be a melted cheese, bean, and spinach sandwich pressed on the grill, but the spinach was bad smelling. So I went with a different plan.
This (Orowheat thin, grape tomatoes, and garlic and herb Laughing Cow):became this:
Complete with teeth marks. I ate the carrot on the side as well as a half cup of black beans.


Within 15 minutes I had a Zbar. Afterward I drank a cup of mint medley tea. I need more tea options! I love mint teas, but sometimes want a little something different, like ginger or an herbal fruit tea.
Around 4:00 I got hungry, and decided to eat a Chobani.It was delicious, and also my last one. I'll just have to go back to Whole Foods then.

Before dinner we made a few dips. I made a quick guacamole out of an avocado that we needed to use, and the boyfriend made hummus. We ate all of the guacamole with a spoon. Then we moved on to dinner. On the menu: Tomato soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese was the last of the Amish swiss.
I did not eat all of my soup, but I did eat all of the sandwich. Mmmm....

Duang Tawan

Theme of the day: No cooking!


One good thing about blogging is that I realize how many packaged foods I can consume in a day. (I also keep a food diary for calorie purposes, but I don't always step back and really consider what I'm eating.)
Breakfast: This morning I had a Chobani strawberry with half a banana.
On the side I enjoyed a few Puffins.
Snack: mini Cashew Cookie Larabar.Workout Woes:
My workout today wasn't super great. I felt like I should've had a rest day, although I often feel like I don't deserve rest days because I'm not yet where I want to be physically.
Most of the advice I read about running and aerobic activity is intended for healthy, active people. I feel like I should push myself and workout more than someone who is at their desired weight. I read an article recently that stated people who are looking to lose weight should aim for 250 minutes of exercise a week. This is what I've been going for, although I've read a few articles that say that is overtraining. I don't know what to think.
/end rambling

My lunch was also out of a package.
I'm going to try to make these myself. It might be simple enough to make a batch and freeze them for emergencies. The only thing I'm not sure of is corn masa. I've never made that before.

I had a snack later of the other half of the banana and a Mojo bar. The Mojo was tasty. I love salty and sweet!
Dinner: It was a surprise dinner date! Mr. S told me he was bringing me to the cafe, and we ended up driving to our favorite restaurant, Duang Tawan. They are a sushi and Thai restaurant in Baton Rouge, on the corner of Sherwood and Coursey. We haven't been in quite a while. The sushi is what made us try them years ago, and the curry is what keeps us going back. It is to die for!
We shared a sushi roll for our appetizer. It was a JB roll (Japanese Bagel). The ingredients were simple, classic and tasty: salmon, cream cheese, and scallions. The chef makes excellent hand rolls as well.
I wanted to try something new, but I ended up sticking with one of my old favorites: Panang Curry with shrimp. (The rice was added after the photo-op.)
The coconut milk makes it creamy and sweet, the dried pepper flakes add a mild kick, while the lime leaves add an interesting subtle flavor.

Did you know I have a lime tree? I bought it to use the leaves in curry. The only con to Panang Curry is that there aren't many vegetables, only a couple tiny slivers of red bell pepper. I know that that's the way it's supposed to be, so I shouldn't complain. I stole a few of my date's green beans and eggplant. Here's his Pad Ped Pork:
One other thing I like about Duang Tawan is they use seasonal vegetables, and sometimes throw in a little surprise to your dish. (Like sweet potato, eggplant, etc.) It always compliments the dish, and feels like a bonus.


Off to watch "The Soup" and drink a Sam Adams!
P.S. Later on this night I had a couple of these:
And a piece of plain pepperoni pizza from Schlittz & Giggles, which is a bar and pizza joint located in downtown Baton Rouge.
I blame it all on Mr. Greens.

Spicy Oat Love

Breakfast:
This morning, I had Spicy Oats for the first time. This recipe is a favorite and usual on Green Dog Wine's blog (which I love), and little did I know when I was eating breakfast this morning that it is her blog's one year anniversary. Wahoo! Ingredients used: one egg, Old fashioned oats, 2 morning star sausage links (she recommends the patties), and Tabasco.
The original recipe calls for Frank's Hot Sauce. Here's my cue to say, "down here we don't take too kindly to them Nawthun brands."It looks beige and mushy, but it was very very good. I had to throw it in a tupperware and eat at my desk because I was running out of time. My muffled "Mmmm's" and "omigods" could probably be heard throughout the building, but that's not unusual. My workplace likes to eat.

Before working out I had a fuji apple. The banana in the picture ended up in the freezer. It was a little too mushy. It's ok though, it will be reincarnated as banana bread.I also had half a Clif bar. The other half was eaten in the afternoon.


Lunch:

For lunch I had my homemade hummus, with carrots, bell pepper, and grape tomatoes. The tomatoes have been very good lately. Not too squishy or seedy. There was also a salad which I didn't finish, and a grilled cheese sandwich. The salad had spinach, radish, walnuts, and green apple.An ounce of cheese and Orowheat thin.My well-loved Snackster, which makes pressed hot sandwiches.
Dinner:
Boyfriend made pita pizza while I took a small (but well-deserved) nap. The crust was Kangaroo pocket pita. They were the "salad pockets" if I'm not mistaken, and you can tell in the picture that the pizza halves are not joined. That was ok by me! The sauce was Newman's Sockarooni (love), the toppings were skim mozzarella, black olives, onion, red bell pepper, and Hormel Natural Choice Pepperoni. Doesn't that look good? For us, pita pizza is a fast meal that is customizable. You could definitely make this healthier. Our kitchen gets too hot to make real pizza, so I leave that to my mother who knows how to make a good dough, and also has central a/c.

Exercise:

30 min on elliptical
10 min on stationary bike

My coworker has been going to the gym with me lately, and she mentioned wanting to go swimming. We have a lovely indoor pool at the gym and hardly anyone uses it. I think part of it is the "Swim With A Partner" policy. I told her I have to buy a swimming suit first!



Links/Notes:

Breathing during exercise
Best way to cook vegetables
Organic Food Industry Chart

Monday Bloody Monday

Breakfast:
This morning I was in a huge rush.
All I could scramble up was half a Clif Bar and a small banana.
I worked overtime at work today. I usually use my lunch time to exercise at the gym at work, but today I was dragging so much that I wanted to get out as soon as possible, so I just ate at my desk.
Lunch: was a reheated Chik patty on an Orowheat bun, with a Laughing cow wedge, and mustard.
When I make chik patties, I bake two at a time, and zap the other in the microwave the next day. They have never been good straight microwaved to me, but reheated is ok.

This photo was taken at home, but I keep another jar of honey dijon at work in my little fridge. It's good stuff.

Dinner: When I got home, my boyfriend was already cooking.
He fried up some potatoes in a teaspoon of butter, and a misting of olive oil. We both agreed that the pulled pork I made a couple of days ago wasn't my best effort, so he added it to make a corned beef hash (sans beef).
Like any hungry man, he added two fried runny eggs to the top of his mountain of hash.
My serving was one modest egg.
Almost immediately afterward I had half a grapefruit with my new grapefruit spoon. Thanks, mom!

Aren't they pretty?