Vegetables with Peanut Sauce, Pizza

Happy (almost) Friday! Hope you had a good one! After leaving work today, I got started on prepping dinner. I am a big believer in cooking or prepping food when you have time. This helps me to avoid eating junk just because I'm starving and can't wait for dinner! For me, I made Veggies with Peanut Sauce. I modified Rachel Ray's peanut sauce just a bit to come up with this single serving mix:

For the Veggie's, mix (feel free to play with this and use whatever you have on hand):
1-2 servings stir fry veggie mix (broccoli slaw, broccoli, snap peas)
1 bell pepper chopped
1/3 cup leftover spaghetti squash

For the sauce, whisk together:
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter, slightly melted in the microwave
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Mix sauce with veggies, top with sesame seeds. Serve cold.


I consumed this bowl of deliciousness after I taught 45 minute Body Step and took 45 minute Body Pump with an apple and 1/2 a plum:

Before class, for Josh I prepped a pizza. I used this White Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe from 101 cookbooks, and topped it with a mixture of equal parts tomato sauce and buffalo sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, and buffalo chicken breast from the deli counter:

Josh baked it up when he got home at 400 degrees for 12-16 minutes:

I also made him a side salad of spinach, walnuts and plum topped with just a little olive oil.

Yummy!

I am SO thrilled its almost Friday. What are you doing this weekend?

Holey Donuts and Shrimp, Veggies & Spaghetti Squash

I’m glad you guys enjoyed the larabar reviews! I'm not positive when the new bars will officially be out (the website just says SOON- any help lara)? Work went by quick again today (fabulous). After, I ran a few errands, but mostly relaxed! I also received a sweet package- 3 boxes of Holey Donuts (low fat, gourmet goodies) from a contest I won at Soap & Chocolate. Thank you Diana! I plan to bring these into work tomorrow to share!!


For dinner I made spaghetti squash (micro waved, directions below) with steamed cauliflower/broccoli, boiled shrimp, and a little pasta sauce. Simple, easy, delicious! Unmixed:


Mixed up:

Spaghetti Squash Microwave Directions:

Cut squash in half and remove the seeds. Put in a glass (or other microwaveable) dish cut side down with 1/4 cup water. Cover with a paper towel and cook on high for 10 minutes.

I also ate some cantaloupe and PB. I have a little bit of housework to finish, but other than that I really plan to just relax! What are you doing tonight?

Larabar Reviews

Hello folks! How we doing? Happy Wednesday :) My day started off just right with a 1.5 mile run and then Body Pump. Now its work time. As you may remember, the WONDERFUL people at Larabar sent me samples of their three new flavors: Peanut Butter and Jelly, German Chocolate Cake and Tropical Fruit Tart. Four of my lovely fellow fitness instructors ran the taste testing on the bars and here are the results:

Kristen tried Peanut Butter and Jelly

Her thoughts: "When I took my first bite, I thought…”Mmm….peanut butter and jelly. Tasty!” Then a few more seconds into chewing it, it had a bit of a tang to it. I think the cherry came out. I am not a cherry fan so that’s probably why it hit me so quickly. BUT, I started eating a couple of more bites and really started enjoying it. For an overall synopsis of the bar….I enjoyed it thoroughly. Slight taste of PB & J with a granola bar feel. Just wish I enjoyed cherries more."

Gina also tried the Peanut Butter & Jelly


Her thoughts: "The bar is like a PB & J to go!! without the work! Its filling and was great after a class and a 3 mile jog. Much better then my "after workout granola bar". However, it was too good to share, so I didn't =D"

Jo Ann tried the German Chocolate Cake



Her Thoughts: "I liked it. It was very tasty. It keep me fuller for the morning versus the Zone bar. Not as many proteins in the bar as I would like." Then she asked where she could purchase some ;)

Aleshia tried the Tropical Fruit Tart

Her thoughts: "The Tropical Fruit Tart Larabar is very yummy. I like the tropical fruit taste. The pineapple and orange flavors come out nicely."

Great job on the new flavors Lara! I know I will be purchasing ALL of these in the future. Hope you guys enjoyed the reviews. Thank you ladies!!!!

Fast Tuesday (cookies, pasta, salad)

Today seemed to fllllyyyy by at work! I was super busy working on a proposal which was fabulous! I am not a very good creative writer, but technical writing seems to come much more naturally :). After work, I got started on a big batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. My brother in-laws birthday is coming up and he is a HUGE fan of these cookies. I am shipping out the batch with a few of his other favorite foods :)


While the cookies were baking, I made up some light cauliflower and spinach pasta for Josh:


and then I headed out the door to teach Body Attack. When I got back, I wasn't really in the mood for pasta so I made up a big salad. I included romaine, cauliflower, broccoli slaw, pea pods, lots of white beans, sun dried tomatoes and topped it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. On the side I had a plum.



Not sure whats on tap for dessert yet.

Thank you guys SO much for all the PB/AB brand suggestions. Your list included:

• Fresh Ground Nut butter from WFs (haven't tried)
• WFs brand AB/PB (haven't tried)
• TJs brand AB/PB (haven't tried)
• Mara Natha AB (LOVE)
• Justin's PB/AB (LOVE)
• PB&Co (I've only tried the dark chocolate dreams but I LOVE it)
• Barney Butter (pretty good, Josh LOVES)
• Harris Teeter's Natural Salted Peanut Butter (haven't tried)
• Naturally More (LOVE)
• Smucker's (LOVE)
• Blue Diamond AB (haven't tried)
• Cashew Butter from Once Again Nut Butter (haven't tried)
• Target PB (haven't tried)

I hope to try each of these soon! Thank you again for all the suggestions!!!!

Step Launch and Toasty Hummus Pitas

Hey guys! How are you? Good Monday? I actually enjoyed mine! After work, I got a few things done at home and then we had our Body Step Launch. Here are the instructors, minus David who refused to get in the picture with the ladies ;)

The launch went really well! Look for these lovely ladies later this week as they will be reviewing the new larabar flavors I received last week!!

After, I came home and made up a dinner of Toasted Hummus Pitas. Josh's pita contained hummus, melted mozzarella cheese, roasted artichoke hearts and spinach. We also had a side of plums and bananas and a really awesome raw salad.

For the salad, I mixed broccoli, snap peas, broccoli slaw, chopped raw asparagus, slivered almonds, a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese, a hint of olive oil and lemon juice:

My pita contained hummus and tons of fresh peppers:

It was a yummy din din. I also just finished up my jar of almond butter (tear!). I will need to get back to Costco to pick up another! Whats your favorite brand of nut butter?

Sunday blahs

As much as I love how relaxing Sundays are....the thoughts of returning to work on Monday always make me feel rather blah! Anyone else? Josh and I did have a nice day. I walked 2 miles to the pool where I sat and read for a few hours. Josh drove over and joined me later. Afterwards, we headed home for some relaxing and tv and then I just ran a few errands. For din din tonight, Josh had steak, asparagus and bananas:

While I had a monster salad with romaine, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli slaw mix, white beans, salsa, and a few TJ tortilla flatbreads. Mmm

Afterwards I had an apple and some nut butter. Time for my favorite night of tv- Next Food Network Star, Kendra, Entourage.

What are you looking forward to this week? We have our Body Step launch tomorrow!

Desserts!

Hello! Hope you guys are enjoying the weekend. Yesterday was one of those days when I just felt like blasting through my to do list. I woke up and taught Body Step and then came home to really get started on my to dos. I cleaned the whole house, cut Josh's hair, gave Frank a bath, got caught up on laundry and ironing, ran errands, and made up my desserts for the party we were attending last night (phewwwwww).

You guys had sent me SO many wonderful dessert ideas, it was almost impossible to choose what to make. In the end, I made Gina's fabulous Black Forest Tarts (minus the white chocolate as my white chocolate chips refused to melt nicely), Frozen Bananas (half topped with chopped nuts and half plain), and chocolate covered strawberries.

The party was at our head group fitness instructor's house and it was SO much fun. We didn't get in until around 12:30 and we were exhausted! Its 10 am and I just woke up (felt so good to sleep in). I think I am going to walk to the pool and get in some reading and relaxing!! What are you up to?

Lara Love, White Bean Bowl

Hooray for Friday! Another quickie tonight guys- sorry! I have to go pick Josh up at the airport :) :) !! I actually had a really great day! I had my performance review at work and I got a raise (yippee!!). After work, I came home and did a bit more cleaning and then headed out to teach Body Attack.

From class, it was onto the food store for my weekly food shopping. When I came home, I found a very fun package....LARAS!!!


Larabar sent me a sample of their new bars and a great little note:


The new flavors are German Chocolate Cake, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Tropical Fruit Tart:


Thank you so much Lara! I have a fun plan in mind on how I'm going to sample all of the new flavors so look for that in the upcoming week.

I threw together a quick dinner by cooking up some white kidney beans in a bit of olive oil with some garlic. I threw the cooked beans on top of steamed broccoli with sun dried tomatoes and topped it all with a little Parmesan cheese and half of a toasted pita.

And...you guessed it....I also had some papaya and un-pictured almond butter (which is become a nightly tradition ;)).

Ok, airport time! Hope you guys are enjoying your Friday night!

Long Workout, Quick Dinner

Phew! Hope you all had a wonderful day...this post will be quick one because I'm exhausted! After work, I got some things done around the house and took off for the gym. I taught 45 minute Body Step with my friend Kristen, took 45 minute Body Pump, and then we had Body Step practice for our upcoming launch for another hour or so. My belly was talking quite loudly on the way home, so I threw together the quickest dinner I could!! Sweet potato with white beans and salsa:



More papaya

I also consumed lots of almond butter with some crackers (un-pictured mmmm).

After reading this post about Osteoporosis from Inside I am Dancing, I remembered how important calcium is for women and that I NEED to start taking calcium supplements again. I ran out to Publix today and picked some up!


Ok time for some Twilight (did you all see the New Moon Trailer???) and bed with my boyfriend...

Have a great night- tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!

Mexican Shrimp Bowl & Papaya

You all are SO wonderful :) Thank you for the dessert suggestions....I have no idea which ones I will make now! Today was a very nice day in my neck of the woods. I got up extra early (~4:45 am) and headed to the gym to practice the tracks I am teaching at our upcoming Body Step launch and then I took Body Pump.

After a full day of work, I went out to run some errands and then picked up a misto at Starbucks. I sat out in our backyard with my misto in my make shift lounger with the third Twilight book...

It felt so wonderful to read for a couple hours :). Dinner tonight was extra yummy (to borrow a word from Polly ;)). I picked up a papaya from Publix (they're on sale this week!!) and enjoyed half of it with dinner....

I also took some inspiration from Sandra Lee (even though shes not exactly my favorite Food Network host) to make the following Mexican Shrimp Bowl (makes 1 serving):

Ingredients-

~ 9 medium shrimp

1/2 avocado

1 pepper (I used 1/2 a red and 1/2 a green bell pepper)

1/2 tomato

1 tablespoon salsa

1-2 teaspoons lime juice

(feel free to play around with the ingredients, use whatever veggies you have on hand)

Directions-

Boil up shrimp for ~3-4 minutes until cooked through. Place veggies on grill or under broiler until cooked to desired tenderness.

In a bowl, mix up salsa and lime juice (feel free to add some fresh cilantro as well). Add avocado, cooked shrimp and veggies and mix well. Enjoy!

Josh is on work travel again, so I plan to spend the night with my boyfriend (Frank ;)), do some more reading, and watch SYTYCD! What are you up to?

Avocado Salad, Dessert HELP!

Hey guys :) Hope you're doing well today! Before I get to my day and dinner, I have a request: I am going to a dinner party on Saturday and I am in charge of dessert. I plan to make a few different items including a vegan option. I want to make small/individual desserts so people can grab and sample a few different desserts. Can you send me some of your favorite desserts?? I would REALLY appreciate it ;)

Onto my day! After work, I got laundry and some housework done and then taught Body Attack. I truly LOVE this class. If a gym near you offers Attack, give it a try and let me know what you think :)

Next, I ran to Whole Foods to pick up some more fruit and veggies for the week. By this time, it was already 7:30 and I was hunnnnngry! I picked up a pack of Brother's All Natural Pineapple Crisps. This package of freeze dried pineapple contains only 60 calories! It was the perfect little snack for the car ride home:

For dinner, I made another salad (I know...I'm getting pretty boring here haha). This one contained romaine, pinto beans, tomatoes, red and green pepper, yummy avocado (healthy fat!), tortilla flats, and salsa. It totally hit the spot.
For dessert, I had a big bowl of cantaloupe and some un-pictured almond butter (yayy for more healthy fat).
Do you guys use UrbanSpoon? It is one of my favorite websites to use to find new/unique restaurants in my area. Urbanspoon rocks!

Hope you have a good night ;)

Light Fish Tacos, Fish Taco Salad

As I always say on Mondays- we made it through!! Today consisted of a light 2.4 mile run, work, doctors appointment, relaxing. For dinner, I made awesome tilapia tacos.

For the tilapia:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Brush tilapia with mixture. Sprinkle with chili powder. Bake for 6 minutes, flip. Bake for an additional 6 minutes, shred.

Josh ate his tacos in traditional form:

Tilapia, spicy corn (corn boiled and then sprinkled with chili powder), TJs refried beans:

Lettuce, cheese, magic bullet salsa (Josh doesn't like tomato chunks so we smooth it out with the magic bullet):

Flour tortillas:

I opted for a fish taco salad (tilapia, spicy corn, salsa, peppers, romaine, TJs refried black beans, TJs tortilla flats broken up):

Totally delicious.

How did your Monday treat you?

Fabulous Day, Shrimpy Bowl

Today has been a really relaxing day! I woke up early....apparently too early for this guy...

ate some raspberries and went for a quick 2.4 mile run. I did some prep work for step this week and then headed to the gym to take Body Pump. After Pump, I went to the pool and spent a good deal of time reading Twilight. I also snacked on this Amazing Grass Green SuperFood Bar.

I actually liked this bar much better than the chocolate flavor. When my tummy started to rumble, I came home for a nice lunch, a nap, and then some more reading. For dinner tonight, I made a shrimpy bowl containing:

Shrimp (boiled)

Steamed cauliflower

Chopped green peppers

Tomato sauce

Garlic

Parmesan cheese

Yummy! I also had an apple with some cinnamon on the side (I know- odd combo ;)).

Tonight is Next Food Network Star, Kendra, and Entourage! Then I'm off to pick Josh up from the airport (hoooray!). I have feeling there will be some more Twilight reading in there- so addicting!

Did you have a nice Sunday? What are you looking forward to this week? I'm looking for a nice dinner with Josh tomorrow night before he takes off again for a work trip!