Scenes From a Weekend

Thanks again for hanging in there and coming back to see my blog and to read my trip recaps.  Before I bombard you with another posting of gratuitous photography, I'm going back and doing a regular post.  This weekend was so good, SO good!  I spent time outdoors with a hike each morning, took 3 yoga classes (even one with my mother-in-law!) and worked out with the husband. We ate delicious food, got help on remodeling, and got to see both of our families.  My heart was so happy ;)

These boys- they are obsessed with Angry Birds and ended up playing together for much of the evening.

This boy found a new friend at his grandparents' house and snuggled with him while looking out the window.  I'm just happy he didn't follow his typical dog park behavior on this little stuffed friend.

We took home leftovers and made delicious grilled wraps and I may have hit a new veggie consumption high.  I may have also hit a new popsicle high this weekend too.

My favorite breakfast this weekend was a slice of quiche from Costco with salad.  It worked and I was powered up for the day.  Veggies for breakfast is the new black.

Anything you are looking forward to this weekend?

My Version of Manolos

I loved hearing all about your numbers after my random post.  I'm still catching up on commenting on your blogs so please hang in there.  I really hate it when people don't respond so I'm doing my best to visit all of you.

After work on Monday I paid another visit to my geriatric doctor and my foot is not as great as I thought it was.  It also ended in being pitched $750 custom orthotics.  Um...don't Manolos and Jimmy Choos cost around that much??  I'm doing some research to see if I really need these things or if I can hobble around for a bit longer.  I work in the pharma industry and I know a sales pitch when I see one but I'm still confused.  I think I may have been suckered into the idea though.  Being an adult is fun, right?  Anyhoo, puppy and I took a walk in the open space once I finished working from home a bit more.

Moving on...I've been eating stuff like salads and veggies.  I know it's not a big deal since the other 3,000 blogs you read have pages and pages of veggies but I have found myself in a slump and I'm finally coming out of it.  Along with not posting regularly I allowed myself to get a bit lazy and only ate carrots and snap peas for my veggie intake for what felt like weeks. Boooooring!

Monday's salad:

Wednesday's packed lunch:

The thing on the right is a puff pastry filled with cheese.  My mom made it and we got to take home leftovers.  It's beyond amazing and I get to eat it after I scarf down all my veggies. I love balance.

Also helping me balance things out this week is getting to sleep on time so I can get to work earlier and get shiz done.  I've received a bit of a promotion and my workload is out of control lately so getting in before the email gets scary has helped me get some focused time in.  I pack my lunch, make breakfast, and pick my clothes the night before when I leave early so that I don't wake the whole house and actually make my train. 

Tonight's breakfast prep included waffles. I love my waffle maker so very much.  I'm still working on getting the shape right ;)

Well kids, I'm off to shower after the gym and get to bed.

Do you have any experience with orthotics (fancy, I know).  Would you get them if they would help you walk/run pain-free?

Some New Staples

One of the things I was afraid of in cutting gluten from our shopping list was missing out on food- really good food.  I'm not even going to think about things like chocolate chip cookies, chocolate bars, ice cream, or CAKE since those items were usually for the hubby and I broke into the stash when I was extra munchy.  I'm talking about my obsession with pita chips, regular yogurt, and whole wheat bread.

I had to make adjustments and of course my other boyfriend Trader Joe's came through.  Each of these items is affordable and delicious- tested by all the members of my household. Both of us.

Going from left to right, here is my breakdown and description of our new favorites:

Rice and beans chips- these are adzuki and rice flour chips and have just a little bit of bite to them and are perfect dipped in guacamole.

Grade A Goat Milk Yogurt- tangy like regular plain yogurt but with a decidedly different taste.  I add a little bit of honey to mine and stir in some chia seeds.

Savory Mini Edamame Crackers- crunchy, salty, made with soy flour and good with dips. 

Roasted Seaweed- good as a salad topping or on its own.  Just make sure you brush your teeth after eating this.

Brown Rice Tortillas- I found these much harder than regular tortillas so these are best heated.  I top them with almond butter, eat, and then repeat.

Brown Rice Cakes- I know these have a bad reputation as a 'diet food' but these are really good.  The brown rice makes these more hearty and a little nuttier.

Organic Red Quinoa- I love the protein content, the texture, and the color.  You can have this savory or sweet and if you are food combining (or trying to), then you can eat it with protein...which is good!

Another new staple is the gigantor salad that makes its way into my belly at least one meal a day.  I add a little of everything to it- mainly the produce that I buy on a weekly basis and a few fun items.

Arugula, spinach, red quinoa, sugar snap peas, butternut squash, kale and onions roasted in coconut oil, and fresh cilantro on top.

I topped it with some guacamole and it was a filling, delicious meal.

Question for you: What are some new products you have tried recently? 

P.S. I'm adding some pages to try to make this site a little less chaotic.  If you haven't found it hidden in the mess, check out my 'About Me' page.  Also, please let me know if you are not on my Blogroll yet and I will add you as long as you leave your URL.

I Eat the Same Food

Happy Monday or Sunday, depending on when you are reading.  I hope you are all doing fabulous today.  I've been around and making my way through work, work travel, and making sure that I show my face at home often enough to be recognized by my husband.  I'm not sure it's working.

I have found that since I started my first healthy eating journey, nearly 14 years ago, I have been a creature of habit.  I once went on a diet where I cycled boiled chicken breast, cottage cheese, and plain rice every three days.  That did NOT inspire me to stay on a healthy eating journey.  In the fat free haze that we all like to call the 90s, I ate gummy bears and bagels, because no fat = healthy. Duh!  I also watched way too many episodes of Friends, but I'll let that slide.  Let's not even talk about the lifetime supply of Balance Yogurt Honey Peanut bars that I hoarded for my 'protein needs' during the low carb madness.

Years later, I find myself still eating the same things over and over again, simply out of convenience and because I hate change.  Thank goodness I don't blog my daily eats, (for several reasons). 

Take for example the salad that I have been demolishing on a daily basis.

I started with the following ingredients:

• a ripe bartlett pear 
• my new favorite honey goat cheese (from Trader Joe's. run there and get yo'self some...no regrets)
• roasted tofu 
• almond slices
• a fresh bed of organic herb greens
• dressing of choice (I used balsamic)

It's easy, simple, healthy, hits all my food groups, and allows for my daily lunch dessert.

This salad, though not representative of my daily eats, is me.  In my brief time away from complete immersion in blogs, I realized that my way, is the best way for me.  I don't run- in fact, I have not done structured cardio in over a month.  Are you still reading? 
I don't eat/ingest/inhale protein powder because I don't need it.  I also haven't budged since canned pumpkin has hit the shelves and changed lives (we have it year round here- I didn't even notice the difference).  I love having an outlet to write and share and I have to admit I'm a sucker for chia seeds and almond butter.  I love yoga and strength classes, and a walk outside in the fresh air is ten times better than the dreadmill.  However, I eat the same food almost on a daily basis, and I'm cool with that.

Are there any foods you eat repeatedly?  I'm sure I'm not the only one :)

Sunday Picnic

Hi Guys!  I'm hoping you had a good Monday.  It was a little bit of a rough one for me, but on to bigger and better things.

Thanks SO VERY MUCH for those who voted for me for Project Food Blog.  I had a blast with the first two challenges but couldn't hang with the big kids.  I am looking forward to voting for my favorites.  Seriously guys- check out those entries!  One thing I learned is that I'm no gourmet and I just do things my own, stubborn, way.  Things are more fun that way- trust me.

Each Sunday, I do my food prep for the week and also cook a meal for the hubby and I to enjoy.  Husband has been working like a mad man on his thesis because he's smart and I wanted to spend some time with him.  Food always wins.  We don't really have structured meals during the week so Sundays are it.  It's a great way for us to wind down from the weekend and a good way for me to try to avoid the Sunday blues. 

The Menu:

Spinach, roasted beets, marinated onions, almonds, pomegranate arils, slivered almonds, honey goat cheese and honey mustard vinaigrette.

 Garlic roasted potatoes and stuffed peppers (zucchini, garlic, tomato, basil)

Ahi tuna 'cooked' in lime juice and spicy goodness, homemade guacamole, and marinated spicy shrimp

Fresh veggies for dipping and face stuffing (me mostly)

All enjoyed 'picnic style' in the comfort of our living room

This, my friends, is how we eat our fancy Sunday dinner- other days we sit on our bar stools in the kitchen and sometimes I like to pace around the kitchen while I chew ;).  
I drink water out of a coffee cup and we eat our chips out of the bag (but we don't double dip because that's nasty).
I like to sit on the floor with my legs crossed for complete comfort- because who sits on couches when they are on a picnic?  That's just silly.

Other dining habits?

• I eat breakfast on the run and usually show up to work with food on my face, unless my husband catches me before I get out of the car.
• I eat past 7:00 PM most days of the week because I rarely get home before 8:00 PM and have not turned into a pumpkin or melted yet.
• I eat out of the container if it's only my food- like almond butter and pumpkin butter.
• I prepare breakfast dessert on a weekly basis for my husband because I know he likes it and he gets to eat whatever he wants for his tournament training
• It almost hurts me to follow a recipe- I always have to tweak something for no reason other than my stubbornness

Tonight is my 300th post and I'm glad to have shared some of my quirks with you guys.  I never intended to keep this blog up for so long and wanted to quit many times but realized that it's something I love to do.  For those who read and comment, I'm truly grateful to have you here in my little home.  I invite you to come over for a virtual Sunday picnic.  Maybe I'll even let you sit on the couch and share some dark chocolate with you after dinner.

P.S. Any NYC bloggers up for lunch with me on Sunday, October 24?  I'll be in town and would love to meet you!  Email me onehealthyapple at gmail dot com

Too Fruity

Hey Guys!  I hope you are doing well!  I'm wrapping up what I declared as Salad Week up in here because Sabrina is having an I LOVE Salad Challenge.  Have you missed my earlier posts?  Here they are in backwards order:
Bay Area Style Salad
Tabouli Salad With a Twist
Easy Asian-Inspired Salad
Roasted Veggie Salad

Today I present you with my Too Fruity Salad (major Seinfeld reference going on):

Want to know how I got to this?  I went hog wild at the grocery store because organic strawberries were on sale.  I also snagged some apples and our orange tree produced two oranges in one week!  Score!  The only problem is that I'm the only one in the house who voluntarily eats fruit on its own.  I'm capable of a lot of things, but not of eating roughly 8,456,456 pounds of fruit all on my own, so the Too Fruity Salad was born!
Ingredients:

• Spicy delicious arugula
• Spinach
• Broccoli slaw
• Sliced apple
• Sliced strawberries
• Sliced orange

When I ate it for lunch today, I felt smug getting in over half of my daily serving of fruits and veggies in one meal.  I rarely feel smug.

Just because I'm delirious and love you guys, I am throwing in an extra salad- the fruit salad.  It's often overlooked but who can resist fruit salad?

All chopped in bite size pieces and doused with lemon juice so that the fruit doesn't turn brown- double points in my book.  Who knows, maybe even my hubby will go for it? 

I have been loving all the variety and although I eat salads at least once a day (I truly DO love salad) it has been fun to actually think about what it is I'm chowing down on since I tell you guys!
Let's get this weekend started- tell me your plans! Hubby and I are getting all gussied up and going to a formal wedding in the city.  It should be legendary!

My Bay Area Style Salad

When I tell people I am from the San Francisco Bay Area, they make Berkeley jokes (my husband included) and I think the salad I made is quite representative of the perception of the Bay.  We eat sprouts and veggies and there is no California style without an avocado in it.  We like our greens and herbs and I'm no exception.
Here is my salad step by step:
Spicy delicious bed of organic arugula

Sprouts layered on top

Chopped shrooms (perhaps a salute to the good ole days of San Francisco's past), cucumbers, and avocado

California almonds, dried cranberries, raspberries, and pomegranate arils

I love this combination together and hope you'll give it a try!

Are there any distinct foods that describe where you live?  San Francisco definitely has Ghirardelhi chocolate, sourdough, and a crunchy, hippy personality that rocks my socks off!

Tabouli With a Twist

Hope you are all having a great week.  Mine has been muy interesante, but I'm a positive girl, so let's rock this joint with Salad #3 of the week! 
I'm a huge fan of Mediterranean foods and tabouli is a huge favorite of mine!  I use a really easy recipe based on this one from Food Network!

Here is where I ended up with my tabouli recipe:

• 1/2 cup organic quinoa
  
• 1 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 2 cucumbers, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 1 teaspoons sea salt and pepper to taste

You'll see that I used quinoa, green onion in place of yellow onion, less olive oil, and a ton of lemon juice.  I also chopped everything up really chunky because my favorite part of the dish is the veggie goodness! 
Here is what the final product looked like:

 I made it on Sunday and the flavors came together wonderfully when I served it up for dinner tonight:

I served the tabouli on a bed of arugula (love the spicy taste) and served it along with a couple of fresh tomatoes, hummus, and peas for dipping.  I wish I had some fresh pita for dipping, but a girl can't have anything!

How about you girls/guys?  Do you like Mediterranean foods?  I love it!  It seems like a lot of the foods I grew up with have a lot of influence and I am a fan of anything covered in hummus :)

P.S. I still can't believe I made such a blog blooper earlier!  Ya'll need to call me out when I don't make sense :)

Easy Asian-Inspired salad

**Edited** My salad must have eaten a part of my post.  I don't know what happened, so I have edited to add the recipe!
Welcome back to day 2 of my salad week! Today I am sharing a restaurant favorite but something that can easily be made at home in under five minutes- I don't have a name for it, but it has the influences of all of my favorite Asian cuisines.

Another thing to note about my presentation is that I bring my lunch 99% of the time and Tupperware rarely makes food look exciting but it gets the job done!

Asian-Inspired Salad:
*1 cup spinach
*mung bean sprouts (water filled and fibertastic)
*fresh peas
*1 chopped orange
*3-4 chopped mushrooms
*black and white sesame seeds
*fresh chopped mint and pickled ginger  to garnish

A few modifications can include adding some shrimp or grilled chicken as well as finely chopped green onion, omitted because of the stink factor.
I love the sweetness and flavor the oranges give once I dig in, but a spicy peanut dressing works perfectly with this salad!
Hope you enjoy!

What are your favorite Asian-inspired flavors?  I love ginger, sesame oil, and anything with seaweed!

Roasted Veggie Salad

Remember when I mentioned Rhodey Girl Tests's I Love Salad Challenge?  Well I LOVE salad!  This week I'm going to be featuring five of my favorite salads and I'm pretty excited.  One of my problems with the perception of healthy eating is that salads and all health foods are boring.  It's not true at all!  I think we can add more veggies (and fruits) to our diets and get the benefits not only in our stronger bods, but in our taste buds too!

Salad #1: My Favorite Roasted Veggie Salad
As we leave Winter, I will be eating more raw fruits and veggies, but I can't leave behind my favorite roasted veggies- sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus.  This salad has all three:

Directions:
Roast your favorite veggies of choice seasoned in salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Once they are ready, cut them up and top 2 cups of fresh spinach with the roasted veggies.
My salad includes 1/2 of a medium sweet potato, 1 cup of sprouts, and 4 roasted asparagus spears.  I'm not a huge fan of dressing with this salad because the roasted veggies add enough flavor, but I bet a simple oil and vinegar would be fabulous!

What's your favorite roasted veggie? Those above as well as eggplant, butternut squash, kabocha squash, mushrooms, and red peppers.

I Like Fruit With My Veggies

Hi Guys!  I was going to come at you with some crazy deep thoughts (I'll save it for another day) but instead I've got a salad for you.  It's almost summer and I'm getting excited about all the fruit!  As a side note, my hubby does not like fruit unless it's already cut up for him (a rare, fat chance) or if it's been pulverized in his smoothie with protein powder (more likely). 
I love fruit for real and summer makes it taste more delicious- now if only I could do something about getting a full three months off of work like I did when I was a kid.
When my parents picked us up from the airport the other night, they brought us some fruit to eat.  I monopolized the strawberries and hubby promised to eat a few grapes.  The lovely strawberries inspired my lunch:
Strawberry Spinach Salad:

• Spinach base
• Sprouts
• Strawberries
• Cucumbers
• Almonds
• Trader Joe's Fat Free Feta Cheese
• Chicken tenders

It's summery, light, and full of fruit and veggies.  The only thing that would make this meal better is if I could find a way to add chocolate to a salad.  Challenge accepted.

Question for you: Can you eat fruit in your salad?  Or is it too bizarre?

Mid-Week Roasting

Hi Beautiful Bloggie Amigas!

I'm about to hit you with another quickie!  It's been another long day, including some mid-week food prep and kitchen scrubbing.  As I mentioned before, I like to cook on Sundays and then do very minimal work throughout the week because of school and work for both of us.  Since we've been extra hungry, all of the food somehow disappeared by Wednesday.  It was time for reinforcements:

First, these smelly treats:

I also tried the fabulous recipe of kale chips with nooch!!! I think lots of my favorite bloggers have made them and I know why!

They were amazing.  Like Doritos, but better!
I also roasted up some almonds from my giant 3 pound bag of raw almonds:

I love throwing almonds into snacks or eating them plain as I wander aimlessly through the kitchen.  My husband has been adding them to his breakfast of yogurt and brownies :)

I used my new ingredients to make a giant salad for my lunch tomorrow:

• Spinach, kale chips, red bell pepper slices, peanut sauce dressing

I know it's a bizarre combo, but it sounded good at the time and I'm sure I'll gobble it up.

One thing I gobbled up today was my lunch- at 10:30 AM.  I tried to wait, but 10:31 was the latest I could wait and I was truly hungry:

I had the Starbucks Tarragon Chicken sandwich with a serving of Sun Chips.  It was good, until I was ready for dinner at 3:30.  You win some, you lose some, right?  Sometimes there are dumb rules like eating appropriate foods at appropriate times.  I've tried to follow them, but sometimes I want cake for dinner and a sandwich for breakfast.

I am trying to honor my hunger cues, but think it's wise to quiet down my sugar monster cues.  I'm not a fan of deprivation because it makes something in my brain go nuts, but I would like to set a goal of only one treat per day.  Fruit doesn't count, but chocolate does!  I'll let ya'll know how I do!

Some questions for you:

Do you categorize certain foods for certain meals only?  
Do you eat by a clock, by your growling stomach, or by the crazy voices in your head? 
Do you have a sweet tooth?

Buttah

Hope ya'll had a great Tuesday!  Mine was filled with lots of good eats!  It started off well with my big salad:

• Organic mixed greens
• Lots of steamed broc
• Hardboiled egg
• Carrot fries
• Spicy sesame dressing

Then I remembered we had carrot cake left, most importantly FROSTING from the carrot cake.  I helped myself to some buttah:

There was an inch of butter with a sliver of cake under.  Woah baby!
After work I met my hubby for some sushi.  Have I mentioned how much I love sushi?  I may even love it more than chocolate.  Maybe.  I've been dreaming of it and was supposed to have some this weekend but had to flake because of homework (sorry bro).  It was dreamy:

• Caterpillar roll
• Rainbow roll
• Poki Maki roll

It was basically amazing.  I am off to bed because I hear rumors that our technically challenged DVR may have recorded an episode of How I Met Your Mother.  My bed, space heater, and my funny bone are all waiting for me.
Ciao bellas!

Much Better!

I had a few different titles today before I went with the ole boring one one top:

• What Was I Thinking?


• Pimp My Salad


• An Organized Mess

See? I was going nowhere with these names and my imagination is broken today. I decided to be lazy last night and didn't pack a real lunch. I quickly threw some mixed greens into a tupperware and called it lunch. When I opened it up at 12:30, it looked like this:

A sad excuse for a salad, right? I think this is what people think of when they think diet food- just greens. I knew I had to get some more food or I would be hungry about 2.5 minutes after eating this. I went to the salad bar/ hot foods bar across the street. This does not compare to Whole Foods, but they have a lot of fun options:

Going clockwise from the top left:

• Marinated mushrooms
• Kale
• Tofu
• Kalamata olives (hi husband!)
• Fresh mushrooms
• Ginger
• Kim chee
• Sprouts
• Seaweed salad
• Roasted butternut squash

Much better- and much more colorful. I mixed the two together and it didn't look good, but it tasted GREAT! This is an example of making a healthy, balanced meal even if it didn't start out that way!

Question:

#1: What do you do when you have to improvise a meal?

#2: I need your help! What would you like to read about in my blog?

• Daily food reports?
• New recipes?
• Wedding recaps?
• Random thoughts?
• Workouts?

Hope you have already started your weekend! I think my brain already has- just need to get my body there. Ciao bellas!

Mud Pie Fusion PSA

Mud Pie Fusion

After seeing all of the bloggers enjoying the Met-Rx Protein bars, I decided to give one a try. How can you go with something called Mud Pie Fusion? I love the concept of mud pie and fusion restaurants are all over the place, so how could that be bad? I LOVE fusion. Well, apparently this was a fusion of protein bar with real mud, or maybe cement? I took one bite and put the sucker away. I'm going to save it for a time when I'm really hungry and will eat anything. I just don't have the heart to throw it out. What are your favorite bars?

Here is the offender on top of my book:

On to lunch...

This lovely pile of randomness is now all gone! The flavors were amazing together. I scrounged up some soy sauce in the fridge and also found something called Banana sauce, but decided to skip it. I'm also eating a chocolate that I found in out kitchen...it's just ok.

I'm about 30 minutes into my lunch and am attempting to finish a paper for school, so that's all for now!

Three Snacks do Not Equal Dinner

This afternoon I promised I would post my snacks- well that didn't happen. I often have a hard time deciding on how much food to bring and when to eat it since I spend traditional dinner time in school twice a week. Afternoon snacks included the following:

• 4:00 p.m. - A serving of baked tofu, a serving of peanuts (I know strange combo)
• 6:30 p.m. - A Granny Smith Apple, a low glycemic cookie (from my mom), and a handful of goldfish
• 9:00 p.m. - 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with a homemade mini muffing

What I learned is that I should just bite the bullet and pack dinner for each of these days. I can either eat at 5:00 p.m. on my commute, or at 6:30 right before class. I guess I will have to see what works as we go along.


In an effort to plan, I decided to make lunch/dinner for tomorrow. We had a bunch of food that is on its last legs, so I made a super salad. Please disregard the lovely tupperware.










Here are the ingredients- again, I was cleaning the fridge/using what I cooked for Mike's dinner, so no recipe here, obviously!

• ~2 cups Broccoli slaw (it's in there)
• Roasted brussel sprouts
• 2 tbsp corn
• 1 serving of baked tofu
• 2 baby mandarins almost ready to be chucked
• 1/4 cup Cous Cous
  

I think I got everything here. I plan on adding in some celery waiting for me in my work fridge and bringing some more baked tofu to add so that I can split this into two meals. I'm not much of a dressing person, but I'll let you know what I use.

Well, I'm off to catch some sleep (watch TV till I pass out).