Stir Fry

Hi guys :) Sorry I went MIA yesterday! After work, I squeezed in a quick 6 mile run, an even quicker shower and then I headed out to a dinner with Josh's work. We went to a Greek restaurant and the food was VERY good. I had a ginormous Greek salad with fresh pita bread. Obviously, given the surroundings, I couldn't exactly whip out my camera ;) The coolest part of the dinner- I met a reader! Hi Michelle!!

Due to my OT the last couple days, I got to take most of today off. I used most of the day to play catch up. I got up at my usual time and headed to the gym for 20 minutes on the elliptical and Body Pump. The majority of the rest of the day was spent cleaning the whole house, doing laundry/ironing, getting my oil changed, and doing a little relaxing with the Frankster.

Tonight, I am headed to the cooking class I mentioned earlier in the week. We will be focusing on gnocchi and risotto. I will try and take lots of pictures (if I'm allowed). Since I'm leaving Josh by his lonesome, I threw him together a nice dinner to come home to -stir fry! This one contains ground turkey, water chestnuts, broccoli slaw, pineapple, leftover TJ's grain mixture, and stir fry sauce:

A sweet reader (Hi Melissa!) asked if I could post my typical day to day schedule. I will be putting this together and hope to have it up in the next post.

I hope you're having a good night. Whats on your dinner menu?

Simple Shrimpy Dinner

Thank you all for your sweet comments on the wedding pictures I posted yesterday! You are all wayyy too wonderful :)

Today was one heck of a busy day. Work was out of control! When the day was over, I coudln't wait to get into the gym. I ran two miles and then took a great 45 minute spin class. I came home to get some more work done and do some laundry/ironing. For dinner, I wanted something simple and delicious. Here is the view via Josh's plate.

Shrimp cooked with a hint of olive oil, lemon juice, and old bay:


TJ's grains:

Pineapple:

Roasted butternut squash:


All together now:

And now its back to work! Hopefully this will mean a shorter day Wednesday ;)

Any exciting events this upcoming week? I have a fancy pancy dinner with Josh's work tomorrow, a cooking glass (gnocchi and risotto) on Wednesday, and my 10k Saturday!

Weekend Wedding

Hope you all had a nice weekend :). We had another busy wedding filled weekend. Below is a summary with lots of pictures.

Friday: Up early and out the door by 6 am. Drove to Virginia for the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The dinner was Hawaiian themed and was held in a park. It was very laid back and a lot of fun.

Josh (right), Groom (center), Josh's friend Andrew (Left):

Josh and I (I wore the multi dress to the rehearsal dinner):

There was a LOT of drinking that took place on Friday night. I didn't join in, but did help form the beer-sphere seen below:

Saturday: Up early again and snuck in 6 miles on the gym treadmill before the wedding. The groomsman and groom messing around pre-wedding:

Josh and I (there were like three cameras clicking away here so we're both looking at different ones haha):

The ceremony was beautiful! Here is a picture of the gorgeous bride (in a dress her mom MADE) and the handsome groom:

One of the best parts of the wedding was that Josh's parents were also invited! Here is a picture at the cocktail hour of Josh's parents (left), Josh, and two of Josh's friends, Ryan and Michelle:

And me and some of the dudes:

The reception was a blast filled with good food and dancing. Below is a picture of Josh, me, and Josh's parents:

and Josh and his friend Andrew:

They provided the BEST vegetarian dish I have ever had at a wedding. Veggies and a phyllo purse filled with Israeli couscous and more veggies all served with a black bean sauce(YUM!):

We crashed HARD last night and were up early early again this morning.

Sunday: Since I knew I wouldn't have enough time either this am or this pm to fit in my entire workout, I decided to divide it up. I hit up the hotel gym for three miles running on the treadmill before we left for SC. Upon returning home, I went food shopping, did another three mile run outside, and did TONS of laundry. We also picked up Franky and I gave him a bath.

Our friend Jeremy came over for dinner. He and Josh had burgers and grilled fries:

I had grilled peaches and veggies with marinutta sauce:

I also had some fruit and cereal on the side (what a random dinner ;)). Now, I am watching football and considering going to sleep. What was the best part of your weekend?

Grilling & Lighter Pasta

The whirlwind of a week continues! Here are a few pictures from our BBQ din din last night- My plate with tempeh (I enjoyed the taste of the tempeh, but the texture got a little funky when I was getting near the end), grilled squash, peaches, peppers and tomatoes:

Josh’s plate with bbq chicken, grilled peaches and squash:

He also tried the butternut squash bread and gave it a thumbs up! He said it is SUPER dense and moist (again, I think it will be better with applesauce vs. oil).

Work today was busy and I finally got my laptop back (hooray for the IT guys!!). After work, I did the usual dinner prep. I made a pasta mixture loosely based on this recipe with whole wheat spaghetti, asparagus, white beans, walnuts, parmesan cheese, fresh lemon juice and olive oil:

Now, I’m finishing up some house work and then heading out to teach step. We have another wedding (last one this season!!) this weekend but I am hoping to fit in posts between activities. I do apologize if I go a little MIA again. What are your weekend plans?

Tuesday/Wednesday, Butternut Squash Chocolate Chip Bread

Hello! I apologize for going MIA yesterday. Below is a recap on my Tuesday/Wednesday (so far) and a great link for a Butternut Squash Bread recipe. Enjoy ;)

Tuesday: Work was pure craziness and my laptop got a major virus in the middle of it all(it is currently in IT surgery)! After working late, I ran out to teach Body Attack(which was fabulous) and came home to do more work and to eat a quick dinner. Salad:


Chobani +I later mixed in tons of pumpkin+some nut butter (YUM!):

I ran to the airport at 11:30 pm to pick Josh up from a business trip. We came home and passed out around 12:30.

Wednesday: I didn't want to miss my pump class this morning (despite the late bedtime), so I some how rocked out of bed at 5 am for 10 minutes on the elliptical followed by pump. As a result, my day has been run by Starbucks ;) (non fat misto with pumpkin spice syrup):

Work has been crazy/busy again. Since my laptop is in for surgery, I am working from home. During my lunch break, I threw together a Butternut Squash Chocolate Chip bread using this recipe (and chocolate chips instead of walnuts). I used some organic butternut squash puree that I picked up from WFs:
The result:


I had a nibble and it tastes great! I may try to use applesauce instead of oil next time around. I will let you know what my official taste tester (Josh) thinks later.

Tonight, we're doing some more grilling (bbq chicken for Josh, squash and peaches for both). I am also going to try something new to me....tempeh!With all of the controversy surrounding soy, I have been trying to avoid it as much as possible. However, since I do not eat meat most days (I eat seafood on occasion and no land based meats), it felt like it was time to give this protein option a try. Research (which always seems to flip flop) shows that fermented soy products are the best option. So tonight, I will give Tempeh a try! I will let you know what I think tomorrow. What are your thoughts on the great soy debate?

Pumpkin, Bean & Veggie Soup

I woke up this morning with my usual sleepy Monday morning eyes and knew today would be heavy on the coffee ;). After work, I decided to do a quick run 4 mile run. Since I have to fit in running when I’m not teaching, these last few days have been very running intensive. To ease my aching muscles, I decided to do Polly’s Yoga for Runners again. It was fantastic! Afterwards, I took Franky for a walk and scrubbed up the kitchen floor.

For dinner tonight, I went with a pumpkin soup based on this Libby’s recipe.

Pumpkin, Bean & Veggie Soup (makes 1 big bowl)

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
Desired amount of garlic
½ bell pepper, chopped
¼ teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon thyme
¼ cup of corn
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup of beans
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Greek Yogurt (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil. Add garlic & peppers and cook until soft. Stir in cumin, thyme, corn, tomato, beans, pumpkin, and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Top with cayenne pepper and a little Greek yogurt, if desired.

This was seriously AMAZING. I can't wait to make it again. I topped it with tons of cayenne pepper for a nice kick. On the side I had an apple to complete my fall themed meal:

Tonight I plan to work on my play lists/tracks for Body Step and Attack and then REST.

Do you have a favorite fall meal?

Weekend in Pictures

PHEW - What a long but fun weekend! I will try to be brief and use mostly pictures.

Friday: 6 mile run then Josh and I flew up to Philadelphia and met up with his parents and sister at the airport. We headed into Philly to pick up his brother who is going to medical school. Yes ladies, he is available ;)


On the way to the wedding location in NJ, we stopped at a chocolate shop in Philly. Josh's dad (a HUGE chocolate fan) got a glass of liquid chocolate:

We checked in and enjoyed the free robes:

Then headed to dinner to celebrate Josh's Mom's birthday:

We passed out afterwards and slept in on Saturday (it was HEAVEN). We headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I got the awesome fruit and yogurt combo (low fat yogurt with granola, an apple, grapes, and an apple bran muffin (I only had a few nibbles of the muffin then passed it along to Josh and his bro to finish ;)):

We headed back to the hotel and I rocked out another 6 miles on the treadmill before heading to the wedding. Josh and his mama:

Josh and Me (in the winning Gray dress):

Joshers :)

The wedding was beautiful. I didn't get a lot of pictures because my camera died! The whole thing was held outside which was a litttttttle cold for this South Carolina girl. Me (freezing) and Josh during din din:

We got up this morning, I ran another 6 miles (not sure how this became my daily routine this weekend), got some food and then headed to the airport. I went food shopping and then picked up Franky. I gave him a bath and since that time he has been passed out on our bed (guess he had a wild weekend at the pet hotel ;)). Now I am trying to catch up on blogs and eating some yummy food. How was your weekend?

Fun Products & Grilling

Today was my Friday, as we will be starting the wedding festivities tomorrow! This particular wedding is for someone in Josh’s extended family, so I am very excited to see his parents, brothers & sister tomorrow. After the usual work, I came home for some snacking and then headed out to do errands, which included WFs! The wonderful people at Newman’s Own Organics sent me some coupons and I could not wait to use them. Here are the Newman’s products I picked up:

I also picked up a fun box of 365 cereal that was free via coupon I got in the mail:

I also taught 45 minute Body Step. When I got home, I got showered up and prepared for some grilling with Josh. On the menu was burgers for Josh, grilled corn on the cob, peaches, and eggplant (for me!). Josh’s plate of goodness:

And mine ( I served my eggplant with some more un-pictured marinutta - I can’t get enough of this stuff):

Now its time to watch the AWESOME Thursday TV line up. Do you have weekend plans??

Thank YOU and Sesame Noodles

Hi friends! Thank YOU so much for voting on what I should wear to the wedding (and for all your kind comments - you made my day)!! Gray is in the lead right now. Keep the votes coming!!

It has been a lovely day thus far. I did a two mile run this morning and then took body pump. Work was busy busy. This afternoon/evening I am working on cleaning the house. I also just finished prepping dinner, one of my favorites- Rachel Ray's Hot and Cold Sesame Noodles. I made Josh's with chicken:


And mine without+ extra veggies. It is chilling in the fridge and I cannot wait to dive into it later. Rachel has some fun and easy recipes. I usually try to lighten them up a bit.

Who is your favorite food network host? Do you have a favorite recipe from this host? I have a few favorites- Giada (Parmesan, Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad), Ina (Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad) and Ellie (Macaroni and 4 Cheeses aka Squash Mac n Cheese).

Chicken Parm, Marinutta, Dress Help!

Thank you all for the wonderful feedback and support regarding my goals that I posted yesterday. You are fabulous! After the usual work business, I came home and did a few things around the house and then prepped up our dinners. For Josh, I made my healthier chicken parm and made it into a sammy. On the side he had steamed veggies and an orange (note: since it was going into the fridge, I didn’t put the chicken on the bun to prevent sogginess):


For myself, I was inspired by Heather and Meghann and finally tried Heather’s Marinutta sauce. I cut up some eggplant and roasted it in the oven. I mixed the roasted egg plant with some additional steamed & fresh veggies:

And then I topped the bowl with a combination of marinara sauce, nut butter, and flax. The result…

But before I could enjoy my dinner, I had to run out and teach Body Attack. Class was good, but my participants seemed like they were dragging!! Everyone must have had a busy weekend. When I got back, I finally got to dive into my bowl of veggies. Seriously guys, even YUMMIER than it looks. Heather- you are a genius!!

OK- I need your help. We’re going to wedding number 819023456 this summer and I’m having trouble with what I should wear! Here are three of my choices? Any preference? Thank you in advanced!

Gray:

Brown:

Multi:

Or Option 4- new dress time ;)

poll by twiigs.com