hungry no more!

Since we have been really busy over the last several weeks, we haven't taken a lot of time to stock our kitchen with the foods that we normally have on hand. Our grocery trips have been quick and short lately, getting just enough to get us through until the next week. We are still getting the weekly produce delivery, and without that, I think we would be living on take out or eggs. Because of this, our breakfasts and lunches have seriously sucked... like I mean peanut butter and jellies and granny smith apples.  Who eats granny smith apples for lunch? ugh.. not this girl.

Each evening, as we are driving home from work, I am STARVING. Like, I mean, I can't even focus I am so hungry. I know it is because I haven't been eating a solid breakfast and lunch, leaving me starved by 5 pm. Last night, I decided that I had had enough.

We stopped by a friend's house on the way home from work and I raided their pantry. I sampled several different chips, crackers, and chocolates as soon as we got there. I thought about what to make for dinner the entire time we were there and couldn't wait to get home to start cooking. Even though we didn't get home until almost 8, I went ahead and made what was on my mind.

My sister and I are always sharing recipe ideas and last week, she sent me a message with a picture of her leftovers that said; "I think my new favorite meal is roasted veggies, pasta, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and garlic." Ever since I got that message, that combination would not leave my brain.

I know that my sis just uses what ever veggies she has on hand, so I decided to do the same, even though I have some really random vegetables right now, thanks to GoLocal.  So, no matter what veggies you have on hand, here is a recipe for Jaime's Roasted Veggie Pasta. Don't mind the massive amount of olive oil in the recipe, I got 8 servings out of this dish, so per serving, it is just right. 

Jaime's Roasted Veggie Pasta

1 sweet onion, chopped
Vegetables, cubed (last night I used an ivory eggplant, garden carrots, and an acorn squash. Jaime has used broccoli, cauliflower, brussell sprouts, etc. so have fun with it!)
4 garlic cloves, left whole
5 tablespoons EVOO
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 lemons
Sea Salt, to taste
Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
1 package of whole wheat penne pasta (or whatever pasta you like)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place your cubed vegetables, garlic, and onion into a baking dish (I always use parchment paper to reduce clean up). Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to the veggies, along with sea salt and red pepper flakes. Mix with hands and rub the veggies with the EVOO. Roast in oven for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the type of veggies you have, until soft. While your veggies are roasting, cook pasta according to package directions.

Last night, I decided to also use up some of the red and green peppers we had, so I sauteed those in olive oil while everything was cooking. I also threw in some chopped tomatoes at the end of the roasting so that they would still be crisp.

Once the vegetables and pasta is done cooking, mix them all together in a large serving bowl, along with the last 2 tablespoons of EVOO, parmesan cheese, and squeeze the juice from the lemons onto the mix. Stir together and serve! I had some avocado that I was afraid would go bad, so I diced it up and threw it on top of our servings for last night.

By the way... ivory eggplant is delicious! The skin is not bitter like purple eggplant and is so good!

I am currently eating my leftovers for lunch and am sooo happy I made plenty. We will be eating this for lunch all week!

--

Mike and I got up a little early today so we could run together. The weather was perfect for a morning run, considering lately it has been so humid and miserable before 8 am. We did the normal path by his work, a quick 3 miles.

When we got to 3 miles, we were both done! We went our separate ways and headed to the gym/work to get ready for our day.

I had packed myself some overnight oats for breakfast this morning and they were AWESOME. I don't know what I really did differently, but they were amazing. Here is what I threw in: old fashioned oats, skim milk, chocolate protein powder, 1 teaspoon peanut butter, a little sprinkling of shredded coconut, and a few squares of dark chocolate.

It was like heaven. Seriously, try this combo today.

Look at me, 2 posts this week?? Whaaat?!

dinner al fresco

Back when Mike owned an Audi, we dealt with car trouble monthly. Since we traded in and got a Chevy truck, we haven't had too many issues, besides cosmetic and audio. Yesterday, Mike's truck wouldn't start... so he ended up working from home and we will be carpooling the rest of the week. I don't understand why Mike has the worst luck with cars in the world. It is truly a mystery.

Since Mike worked from home yesterday, he was able to get an even earlier start on the yard work than normal. By the time I came home, he was wrapping up watering and straightening the garden. I immediately started on dinner, which turned out to be a big hit.

I didn't want to go to the store, so I decided to use up everything I could from our fridge. Thanks to GoLocal, we had a bunch of veggies to use and dinner turned out fantastic. I browsed the web and found this recipe, which looked like a good starting point. I actually changed it entirely, but it was definitely my inspiration.

Coco-Chicken Noodles with Fresh Veggies
Serves 4
0.5 box of whole wheat pasta (we used spaghetti)
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large poblano pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 baby portabella mushrooms chopped
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 cooked chicken breast, cut into bite size slices
1 lb baby bok choy leaves
1 tablespoon flour (optional)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add more to taste)

Cook pasta per usual and set aside. In a large skillet or wok, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.

Add in the onion, pepper, zucchini, garlic, and mushrooms until all are tender, probably 10 minutes. Next, add in the water, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, chicken breast (already cooked) and half of the red pepper flakes. When everything seems to be heated throughout, add in the baby bok choy leaves and allow to wilt a bit.

If the sauce seems a little too watery, sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour to help thicken it up. Add more red pepper flakes to create the desired heat and then add in your cooked noodles. Toss together and serve.

We dined outside, which was such a nice change to the usual couch or dining room table scene. We talked about what we wanted to do about our back yard and how we want to make some big improvements this year. We are really hoping to create a really fun backyard, perfect for entertaining and enjoying.

While we were out there, we took a closer look at the garden and we saw cauliflower!!!

It is so tiny right now, but I am so excited that it is actually growing! Mike was also able to harvest an entire head of romaine lettuce last night.

I cleaned it up and put it in a container, so we have salads ready to go anytime we want them. Having a garden is so much fun... as long as you have a Mike to handle the planting, watering, monitoring, and harvesting. I just enjoy the eating part. :)

The dogs were cracking us up last night with their chasing game. Franklin will grab a toy and seriously just run in circles while Deluca chases him. Why isn't Deluca smart enough to cut him off and go the other way? It is pretty entertaining to watch.

Of course, if you just say Franklin's name, he will stop in his tracks and come running over to be pet.

They love the backyard too, and I hope with the changes we plan on making, we can be out there enjoying it with them more often.

--

Yesterday's lunch was provided by my bosses in honor of Nurse's Day. It was really nice of them to buy me lunch and give me a card from all of my co-workers. It is nice to work for such nice people who appreciate you and your work.

When I got into work, there was an e-mail to myself and my cube mate asking what we wanted for lunch. Since she had already responded requesting Chinese, and I didn't want to be a pain, so I agreed and decided to request my sauce on the side. I took this picture and sent it to Mike with the caption, "the most boring Chinese ever."

Even if it was boring, I am still really thankful and appreciative that my bosses were so nice to buy me lunch. I ate about half of my food, except for the egg roll, and brought the rest home for Mike to have for lunch today. Someone should enjoy all that sauce on the side!

--

This morning, since I am working the later shift, I dropped Mike off at work and then headed to the gym. It has been probably 3 weeks since I was last there, but I am really glad I went. I did a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill, and then did arms and abs. I did an ab workout using an iPhone app and realized it would be really easy to do at home. I am going to try to make it a goal to do that workout at least 3 or 4 times a week to tone up the tummy. Since I am almost to my goal weight, I would really like to get everything toned and in shape, which means I HAVE to get to the gym more often. It just has to happen.

I came into work and made some awesome oatmeal. Strawberry and banana, chocolate protein oats.

I added a few sliced strawberries, sliced bananas and a half scoop of chocolate protein powder to my oatmeal with hot water. So good!

Well, that is all I have for today, catch you all tomorrow!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 19
Sodium (-) 214
Protein (+) 14

a long hilly run

So, remember how I was going to run 6 miles last night, then a few miles tonight, then a long walk on Friday?  Well, after 6 miles last night, I will be doing a whole lot of nothing tonight. My legs still feel like jello.

I really just wanted to make sure I could do 6 miles, so now that I know I can, I feel good about resting the next few days. My time is not the best, but I am really not trying to finish in any amount, just as long as I finish.

As soon as I hit the 6 mile mark, I stopped running, gagged a little, and then immediately felt sore in my legs. My knees felt tired and my hips felt like they were going to collapse at any second. Mike and I did a short cool down walk before heading inside to stretch.

Gotta love the post run pic!

Speaking of Mike... that guy is going to smoke me on Saturday. He is doing such a great job with running lately, and I am normally trailing behind him by a few hundred yards. It is funny that a few months ago, he was the one trailing behind me.

In case you didn't believe me when I said that my neighborhood is super hilly, I took some pictures for proof (which could be the reason my times aren't the best...).

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

See??? It is like a mini San Fran route! Slight exaggeration.

It was also a little chillier than normal last night. So I was wearing pants, long sleeves, gloves, and an ear band. Come back spring weather!

As soon as we got home, we threw some veggies in the oven. Mike had already prepped them, so all we had to do was coat them in EVOO and sea salt, and stick them in the oven.

They turned out amazing. They were perfectly cooked. We thought this wouldn't fill us up enough, but since it was almost 9 pm before we started eating, we didn't end up making anything else. 

Today I got up a little early so that Mike and I could ride together, and I could get some errands ran. We actually got up in time to make breakfast at home and we left a little early. Mike had some cereal, while I made a smoothie.

I added a handful of spinach, 4 frozen strawberries, 1 banana, 1 scoop of chocolate Sun Warrior, and 8 oz of skim milk. Spin away!

It turned out really good! I thought it would be greener, but I guess the chocolate protein powder kept it nice and brown. It was exactly what I was thinking about for the past few days, and I hope it amps up my nutrients some.

Tonight we have a list of things to get done before the weekend, and I plan on trying out that acorn squash I got last week in our produce box. I just can't decide if I want to stuff it with quinoa and veggies, or try it with butter and brown sugar. I have seen both recipes floating around, now I just have to decide... Any recommendations?

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 247
Sodium (+) 86
Protein (-) 14

I need a little trash...

Hey! Since I didn't get a chance to post about our weekend yesterday, here is a quick recap.

Friday night, I worked at the hospital, so nothing exciting to share. :( I find that when I wake up after working an overnight shift at the hospital, that I just can't jump right into anything. I need a little time to get myself together. This is usually when I open up the DVR and find the trashiest television to mindlessly watch. My favorite is Teen Mom or Jersey Shore, but since I didn't have either of those to watch, 16 and Pregnant was a good replacement.

After about an hour or 2 of that, I am ready to get my day started. It is so strange that I actually need this. It is almost impossible for me to get through the day if I don't spend a few hours doing this after an all nighter... Life is so funny sometimes.

After I was done watching McKenzie and her boyfriend, Josh, find that being 16 and Pregnant was not only hard for the tumbling cheerleader, but also a major embarrassment for their families, I got my Saturday started. We had planned to go to Greenville for the afternoon/evening to celebrate a friend's retirement from the Marines. We headed down a little earlier to spend a little snuggle time with this guy.

My friend put together a really cute retirement party for her brother, Jason, along with his fiance. It was a good time seeing friends, and having a few glasses of wine.

This was the cake. Not only was it gorgeous, but it was delicious! It was red velvet with a cream cheese frosting, and then a fondant decoration. I love the chewiness of fondant, but I can only have a very small amount before the overload of sugar starts to hurt my teeth.

It was a fun time catching up with a few of my best friends. Jennifer, in the middle, is the mama of little P-rez. Doesn't she look great?!

I love that all of my friend's are interested in healthier eating and working out. It is so nice to be able to talk about that kind of stuff with them and to all have a common interest. I feel like they are all so supportive of my lifestyle change, and I am the same with theirs. I think it is really hard to lose any kind of weight when your friends are not on the same page, and it has made my choices so much easier now that they are all going after the same goals.

We headed back to Raleigh after the party and headed straight to bed. I was exhausted!

Our Garden is GROWING!

While I was sleeping on Saturday, Mike took the boys to Lowes to get supplies for his inverted tomato plants. He decided to make some upside down tomato planters, because apparently that is the way to grow tomatoes (he gave me the full run down of why this is the case, but I really can't remember... something about the plants like to be warm or something...).

Don't mind our tall grass, Mike cleaned all that up on Sunday and now our yard looks really clean and maintained, I promise. :)

Our planter boxes are looking really great too. Check out that romaine lettuce! So pretty!


I hope you all had a really great weekend. I am looking forward to the upcoming weekend, since my family and friends will all be in Raleigh.

Have a great day!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 454
Sodium (+) 206
Protein (+) 2

he's back!

This week has been pretty rough. Not for any real reason other than the fact that I have been so busy and haven't gotten a quality work out in since last weekend. I am feeling like I am in a mini funk, although this time, I have the desire to get out and get moving, I seriously just haven't had the time.

Look who is home!!!

All sun burnt and golfey looking.

Last night I thought I would be able to sneak in a run as soon as I got home from work, but once I got there, I was just too excited to see Mike to leave. Plus, he already had dinner on the grill and I didn't want to miss having dinner with everyone.

Mike grilled some chicken cheese burgers for his dad and I. He spiced up the ground chicken with some jalapeno, onions, seasonings, and oatmeal. They were delicious. He also baked some sweet potato fries on the side.

I was so glad I didn't have to cook last night. I was so exhausted from working late on Tuesday, and I had some extra work I had to get done after dinner so I spent a few hours last night studying for a skills check off that I am going to at the hospital tonight. It is pretty boring, and I will be glad to get it over with.

We headed to bed pretty early, since the guys were worn out from golfing and the sun, and I was just plain tired. The pups were pretty excited to see Mike as well, but Deluca would never let you know that. He plays such a tough guy, but we all know he was bursting with excitement.

One little guy did not keep his excitement hidden. He laid on top of Mike for a while and then just sat there, letting Mike pet him for as long as possible.

--

So I forgot to tell you all that Mike planted us a garden over the weekend! I am so excited to grow some of our own veggies and can't wait for them to actually come in. We had made 3 above ground garden beds last summer, out of some leftover wood from our fence. Mike went out and got some of the veggies last week and planted them on Saturday. So far, they are looking pretty good!

He planted brussel sprouts and romaine lettuce in this planter:

and red cabbage and cauliflower in this one:

We plan on adding sweet potatoes to the 3rd planter and then hopefully we can get some tomatoes growing as well. I can't wait to eat one of our home grown vegetables!

We have lots to do tonight with getting packed up to go out of town tomorrow and me having to go to that skills thing tonight. We are going to DC tomorrow, so maybe I can get a run in on Saturday around the capitol, that would be fun!

Yesterday's Stats:

Calories (-) 242
Sodium (+) 1001
Protein (+) 12
 

fashion faux pas

My brain must already be on vacation. Which would be fine with me, except I have a lot to accomplish before tomorrow so I would appreciate it if it would return for another 24 hours. Then, it may do what it pleases.

I have already told you all the shenanigans of our morning routine and how we rarely get out the door on time. Today was one of those rare mornings that when the alarm went off, we got up. Without any dogs to care for, we were out the door at a pretty decent time and made it to this side of the world (where we work/gym) in record time. I was feeling pretty great about being me when I realized I had forgotten my clothes for work.

I thought about just driving back home, getting ready there and then heading into work without a work out. But then, I figured between gas prices and the distance home, I might as well just go grab something to wear and see if I could still get in some sort of activity for the day. There is a WalMart pretty close to my gym and I figured I could find a pretty basic outfit to make due for the day without spending too much money. It was also 7 am, so where else was I going to go?

I found a pretty cute shirt for $5 and then started looking for a pair of black pants to go with it. I had 2 choices... polyester pants in the junior's department, or pants with a built in elastic waist in the woman's department. Why don't they just have normal clothes there? I ended up going with the first choice because I could not fathom putting on a pair of elastic waist band slacks.

There is something about polyester black pants that just bring me back to college. From the moment I put the itchy fabric over my legs, I suddenly had the urge to hit up the nearest club to do a little booty shakin'. I think I had roughly 10 pairs of polyester black pants that I would don each and every night with a sparkly midriff exposing shirt my freshman year of college... oh, the wonder years.

So, here I am. Almost 30 years old, wearing pants that remind me of my teenage years and feeling pretty stupid for forgetting to grab my clothes that I had hanging up above my gym bag. I did make it to the gym for a 20 minute basketball session, so I will call that a win. I am pretty sure these pants will be donated to good will tomorrow, but I will keep the shirt.

My WalMart Special - that white spot was on the mirror, not my fancy pants.

Today is probably going to go by very, very slowly since it is my Friday. I also have been working my butt off lately trying to get everything accomplished early, so that I wouldn't leave anything for my co-workers while I am gone. Now, I have very little to do the rest of today.

I got a load of laundry started last night and a little bit of packing complete. Mike was studying the entire evening for his midterm that is today. Tonight, I will have his help to get everything done. Before I started packing, I made a veggie filled dinner.

My standard potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and garlic roast.

Some fresh corn on the cob that came in our produce box a few weeks ago. We put it in the oven at 350F for about 45 minutes and it was perfectly cooked!

I also cooked us each an egg for some protein. It was a rather random, but delicious dinner.

I have been over-dosing myself on vitamin C and zinc this week because I am trying not to get sick. I had a cold on this trip last year and it was miserable! This past Saturday I had a little sniffle and sneezing going on, so I started taking zinc supplements immediately. Some people think it is all in my head, but I think zinc is really helpful. If I start taking it right when I begin symptoms of a cold, I usually don't end up getting the full blown sickness. Either way, I am feeling better now, but continuing the zinc and vitamin C until tomorrow.

This stuff tastes pretty awful, but I try to take one every 3-4 hours. I am also getting lots of vitamin C through my grapefruit each morning.

It is highly doubtful I will do any sort of posting from my vacay this weekend. We don't really have cell service up there and I will be busy skiing, eating, drinking, or just lounging in the hot tub. But, I will be back next week with a full recap! In the meantime, you can be very jealous. :) 

I hope Mike does great on his midterm today. He told me as I was getting out of the car "If I do well on my test today, we should go out like we used to in college."

Might as well, I already have the pants for it.


Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 441
Sodium (-) 643
Protein (-) 11