The Return of Dry Beans

Apparently my failed attempts at making dry beans made it to one of Mike's colleagues, Anne, who made a few suggestions. I have always tried the "quick soak" method which involves boiling the dry beans for 1 hour with the lid on, and then cooking per normal instructions. The "long soak" method involves leaving your beans in water overnight, and then cooking them in a crock pot all day. Anne told Mike that she has had success doing the long soak before so we decided to give it a try.

Mike took over this task since I had given up. He followed Anne's instructions and let the beans soak in water over night after rinsing them off. The next day, he drained the water, rinsed them off, and then put them in the slow cooker. He added water to cover all the beans and then left them on low all day. At the end of the day, they were soft and moist, perfect for seasoning of any kind.

I split them up into several glass containers and we have been using them in all kinds of dishes. We just dump them in a pan, add our seasonings and some water, and heat up. Perfect. Thanks, Anne, for bringing the dry beans back into our life! I have bags of pinto and white beans that I plan to try out next. :)

Yesterday Eats
For lunch yesterday, I had some leftover roasted vegetables and a greek yogurt.

Before heading into the hospital, I shoved a peanut butter sandwich in my mouth and then ate an energy ball  when I got out of work. By the way, while I was making a batch of energy balls last weekend, I decided to calculate the calories, sodium, and protein old school style to make sure I was getting the right information. I made one batch which left me with around 18 individual energy balls.  After my calculations, I came out with 113 calories per ball with 2 g of protein and 23 mg of sodium in each one. That is really not bad for a before the gym or mid morning snack. At least now we know. :)

Gym Time

Today, I made it to the gym (yawning) and did a full leg work out. Since I wasn't very sore from my 7 exercises last week, I decided to up my reps a little. I did all 7 leg exercises with 10 reps instead of 8. I usually try to go low on the reps with legs, since I am usually paying for it the next few days, but hopefully with a good stretch, I will be alright.

In case you are interested in what I did:

• Lunges - across the group fitness room, 3 sets of 10 using 15 lbs weight in each hand
• Squats - 3 sets of 10 using 40 lbs on the bar
• Leg Press - 3 sets of 10 with 90 lbs weights added
• Backwards leg curl (you know the thing where you lay on your stomach and bring your feet to your butt?) - 3 sets of 10 - 45 lbs weight
• Thigh and Glueteal Curls (sitting machine where you either extend your legs straight or bend them down) - 3 sets of 10 each - 50 lbs weight
• Calf raises - 3 sets of 15, start with feet pointing in a 90 degree angle, raise up on calves slowly, hold for 5-10 seconds, lower back down slowly. 

Then I did 3 30 second planks on the balance ball - these things are NO JOKE!- and side bends with 15 lbs weights. I got in a 10 minute stretch for my legs and called it a day. 

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 139
Sodium (-) 1019 (!!!!!!!! as I am sure my calculator is a little off, that is still awesome!!!!)
Protein (-) 7

My Nephew Jumps for Nut Butter

For Christmas, I made my sister a big batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Almond Butter. I knew she would love it, but I had no idea her whole family would become a fan. While they were visiting me, I gave her kids each a spoonful and they came back for more at least 10 times. Her husband even enjoyed the health(ier) nut butter, so I think the gift was a win-win. 

Yesterday, my brother in law sent me this video of my niece and nephew begging for more nut butter. So. freaking. adorable. My sister says their stash is getting low, so it looks like "Aunt Dee Dee" (that is what they call me) will be whipping up a few more batches here soon. 

 

Dinner Last Night

My cousin is coming to stay with us this weekend, so Mike and I spent last night cleaning up the house while waiting for our dinner to cook. Dinner was amazing. I love roasted vegetables, so I found a new roasted veggie recipe in Tosca Reno's cookbook: The Eat Clean Diet. We are using up our veggies from our produce box and it makes me really happy. I decided to make a few variations to the cookbook's recipe, since I didn't have some of the ingredients, but it still turned out fantastic.  

Oven Roasted Vegetables

adapted from The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno

8 small potatoes cut in quarters (I used *red potatoes and yukon gold potatoes, since that is what I had on hand)

3 *beets, peeled and cut in quarters

4 large *carrots, cut in long chunks, quartered

1/4 of a large *onion

1 bag Brussels Sprouts, stems and outer layer of leaves removed (to reduce bitterness), cut in half

4 tbsp EVOO

Sea Salt and Pepper (to taste)

2 tsp dried rosemary

* denotes items from our GoLocal Produce Box

Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss veggies with EVOO, S&P, and Rosemary and arrange in a baking dish (we used 2). Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 35 minutes, remove foil, stir and then bake for another 20-30 minutes until carrots and potatoes are soft.

We had our veggies with some Trader Joe's Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage and it was a great meal. I just cut up the sausage for myself and ate it with the veggies, while Mike had his on a bun. 

We both love the TJ's Chicken Sausage. I would say that Sweet Apple is my favorite, but the Jalapeno comes in at a close second. For us, they are a good replacement of hot dogs, only 100 calories per link and no nitrates.

I finished my meal off with a chunk of dark chocolate, the perfect sweet treat. :) 

Rest Day

Since we went to the gym every day this past weekend, I took today off to finish cleaning up the house. I am working at the hospital tonight for a few hours, so I won't be able to do anything tonight. I don't even want to take rest days right now, but I know they are needed and helpful when I have other things going on in life. 

I am feeling great about my work outs lately and feel like I am putting in real, quality work each time. Yesterday, I worked my chest and abs, and then did 30 minutes on the treadmill doing interval running. Tomorrow, I think I will do legs, since I haven't done them since last Thursday. Speaking of legs, I did not get nearly as sore last week after doing a good 10 minute stretch after my leg work out. I did a lot of different leg exercises too, so I hope the stretching is making the big difference. It is so much nicer to be able to walk up and down steps after a leg work out.

Hope y'all have a good day! 

Yesterday's Stats:

Calories (+) 73

Sodium (-) 211

Protein (+) 7

Days like yesterday make me realize that I am definitely on the right track. Only over my calories by 73 and then staying below on my sodium and above on my protein! Yeah!

The Sitch...

We had a bit of a situation over here at the Black household this past weekend...

Scary, right? haha... that is just beet juice, don't worry... :)

Well, there was no blood shed this weekend... just a few tears when our beloved 8 year old television finally bit the dust...

Although I am glad to finally be rid of the eyesore television that took up an entire wall of my living room, I was not glad to be rid of the hundreds of dollars from our savings in order to get a replacement... since this wasn't cutting it.

our bedroom TV

It looks sooo small! We spent the better part of our weekend researching and shopping for a new TV... well, more like we spent the better part of our weekend asking my brother in law to research and shop for a new TV for us. He likes to do that kind of thing. :)

We finally decided to pull the trigger yesterday and came home with this beauty...

It is 10 inches smaller than our old TV, but it is so much slimmer and seems so much smaller than our old one. We definitely need to get a taller stand for it too, since this one is quite low. Another day, though...

Weekend Happenings

We had a full weekend for one that was supposed to have "no plans." We did make it to the gym all 3 days of our weekend and Mike finally decided to join, so that was pretty exciting.

Friday night, we went to a wine tasting in Chapel Hill with friends. We sampled wines and cheeses and then went out for a few drinks afterward.

Saturday, Mike and I raced to the door to see what was in our GoLocal Produce Box.  This week there were lots of goodies so we made our meal plan based on the items for this week.

Our surprise items this week were carrots,

and purple cabbage.

There were also sweet potatoes, a pineapple, spinach, and garlic. I am so glad we decided to do this.

Saturday night, we met with some friends at a bar to watch the Patriots vs Tebow Broncos game where we had some beers and ate very healthy...

Eh, it happens.


Sunday, we went to church, Sunday School, then straight to the gym. We left the gym, did some grocery shopping and then searched for a TV. By the time we got home, we were exhausted. We made some dinner, ate some cookies and milk and then crashed by 10 pm.

Since we both had off on Monday, we decided to try out a different gym in the area and loved it. I think it will become our new weekend gym since the one I usually go to is too far from our house. After that, we spent a good few hours deciding and purchasing a new TV.

Before we left on Monday, I made a smoothie for breakfast and threw together some chili in the crock pot (recipe below).

After the gym and TV outing, I came home and finally tackled my beets that I had gotten last week. I had reached out to several people and the consensus was to roast them with EVOO and sea salt and pepper.

Roasted Beets (sort-of recipe)
Beets (however many you want)
Sea Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
EVOO (for 1 beet, I used about 2 tsp)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Peel your beets and slice into discs. Make sure you wear an apron because these things are colorful and will stain!

Once sliced, place beets in an oven safe container with the other ingredients. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping half way through.

Easy peasy... I threw mine on top of a grilled chicken salad with goat cheese and walnuts. It was delish!

While I am at it, check out these awesome individually wrapped goat cheese packets I got from Trader Joe's! Great for on the go packing.

Anyway, we had the chili last night for dinner and it turned out really good. Pretty spicy, but really good.

Tex-Mex Chili with Shredded Chicken 


1 lb cooked shredded chicken
1 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can "chili-ready" beans
1 can corn (drained and rinsed)
1 jalepeno, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
Sea Salt - 1 - 2 tsp
Black Pepper
1-2 tbsp chili powder (to taste)
1-2 tbsp cumin (to taste)
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

Combine all in the crock pot and set to low, leave for up to 8 hours. Serve with toppings and cornbread!

We have so much for leftovers, so we will be eating that for lunches for a while.

Well, that was our weekend, I hope you all had a great one as well. Have a good day!

Super Late and Suuuper Quick Post!

Hey! I have been really busy today at work, so I haven't had the time to post. major sad face.

I didn't get home from the hospital until after midnight last night. It wasn't busy, just short staffed so my relief got there late. When Mike got up to go to work, I couldn't even open my eyes, so I stayed in bed.  My abs are suuuper sore, arms are still tender, and my legs are just beginning to feel sore... so I think it was a good day to take a break. After 4 awesome workouts in a row, I am taking a well deserved rest day.

Just a quick update on my recent eats-

Lunch Yesterday:

A grilled chicken, black bean, and veggie wrap

An apple from our produce box and some greek yogurt.

For dinner last night, on my way into the hospital, I had a peanut butter sandwich. I saved the apple and ate it on my way home from the hospital... my stomach is always growling when I leave there.

Today, I had some peanut butter toast for breakfast (not pictured) and then I went to lunch with a this guy:

My office is right next to an awesome lunch cafe. They are only open from 11-2 on weekdays, but they are our favorite place to get lunch together. It is called Meridian Cafe, so if you are ever  in Durham between 11-2 on a weekday, please check them out. They also do catering. I promise you won't be disappointed. The owner/chef always gives me cooking tips on quinoa, kale, and other items that are new to me in the cooking world. they have some great fresh options, as well as a huge variety, and I haven't been disappointed once since I started going there over a year ago.

Mike got his usual, the Miami Cubano. This sandwich is really good, but I like to try something different each time I go. Unless they have veggie frittata that day, and then I have to get that, it is my favorite.

Today I had the sweet and sour chicken with a side of citrus kale salad... told you... they have so many options! Their salad options alone will overwhelm you. And it is all made right there, by a family that all works there together. I love it.

We rarely eat lunch out when we work, but when we do go out, we go to Meridian 85% of the time. It is a nice little date in the middle of our work day. :)

I have to get back to work now, so I will catch you all next week. This weekend is filled with a whole lot of NOTHING, which I am super excited about. Wine tasting tonight, hanging out tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday - since we are off! Yay!

have a great weekend!

No stats - no time, but I promise they were pretty good!

I Am A Changin'

Mike and I try to ride together on the days that I work 9-5. This whole week, I have been dropping him off at work very early, going to the gym, and then heading into work myself. It saves on gas, mileage, and allows us a little time to catch up and hang out on our way home.

Last night, when I went to pick him up, I wasn't in the mood to go home. I didn't feel like making dinner, or doing dishes, so I suggested we go out to dinner. Since this is a pretty rare occasion, Mike was on board. At first, we decided to go to Bonefish Grill, since it was Wednesday and that is $5 Bang Bang Shrimp day. We figured we could each get an order and a glass of wine, and that would be all we needed for dinner. Stupid me, I decided to look up the nutrition facts... We pulled into the parking lot and I hesitated to go inside.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely eat out at many restaurants, some even worse than this, and never even look at the nutrition information. Even if I did look at it, usually, I would just eat it anyway. But, I have been on such a good path since Christmas, I really wanted to stick with it. (Also, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Bonefish, I love their food, especially the Bang Bang Shrimp.) Mike could tell I was hesitant, so we made a deal that if there were no seats at the bar, it was a sign to go somewhere else. Guess what? There wasn't a single seat at that bar. :) 

It is crazy to think of how much I have changed in the last 2 years. I was someone who ate out a majority of the time, never looked at calories, much less sodium, and now I am so interested in it. I want to know everything I am eating and how it is going to affect my numbers for the day. Sure, there are times when I will go to restaurants and have whatever I am in the mood for. And, I am sure that I have not had my last order of Bang Bang Shrimp, I just wasn't having it last night.

We decided to get sushi on our impromptu date night. We headed downtown where there are lots of sushi options. One thing pushed us towards Glenwood Avenue - Frozen Yogurt. Remember when I was disappointed that Raleigh didn't have a FroYo place downtown or close to us? Finally, we have one! More on that in a minute, let's get through dinner first.

We had dinner at Sushi Blues Cafe, a great sushi restaurant that offers BOGO sushi rolls all the time! I refuse to eat sushi anywhere that doesn't offer this deal since there are so many that do. We got 2 rolls to split after some edamame and drinks. I had a glass of Cabernet, while Mike enjoyed a glass of Sam Adams Winter Lager.

 

Next, we ordered 2 rolls of sushi, the Wolfpack roll and Accross the Street Carmen. The Wolfpack is pretty standard anytime we get sushi. But, I think the Accross the Street Carmen has become a new fav. It had tempura shrimp and sweet potato inside and I loved it. 

I like my sushi with a little wasabi, a layer of ginger and then a quick dip in low sodium soy sauce. Soo good!

Next up, we headed to Tutti Frutti across the street for some frozen yogurt. This place just opened in downtown Raleigh and we recently bought a living social deal for $10 worth.

Their frozen yogurt was really good. They had lots of options for flavors and tons of toppings. The girl working the counter was super sweet and she was giving us all sorts of good ideas for our dessert. I decided to get 3 different flavors, pomegranate tart, death by chocolate, and banana. The tart is pretty awesome and I should have just gotten that since it is healthier, but it tastes a little more spring-like and I wanted chocolate. The banana was just too good not to get, so I had to have a little.

My toppings were pretty random, fresh fruit, mochi, chocolate sprinkles and fruity pebbles. I forgot to get a picture before I devoured mine, but it was awesome. We got our yogurt to go so we could get home and let the dogs out and eat.

I am glad we decided to have a little date night last night. Since it was one of our new year's resolutions, and we already missed last week, I figure we are going to have to try to incorporate them into our weekly night life if we want to have them.

Jello Legs
I got in a killer leg workout this morning with 7 different moves. May have been a wee bit too much, but I wanted to spend an entire 30 minutes on legs alone. I made sure to do a really great stretch, so hopefully I can move tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be my rest day, but it will just depend on what time Mike goes to work.

I am working at the hospital tonight for few hours, so my dinner will be an apple and a peanut butter sandwich. Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is FRRRIIIIDDDAAAYYYY! Yipee!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 14
Sodium (-) 125
Protein (-) 8

My numbers may have been a little off since it is hard to calculate the nutrition facts for independent restaurants. I went heavy though, so hopefully not too off.

Giving Up on Dry Beans

I was at the gym by 7 this morning and got in a stellar ab work out. I put in 30 minutes of hard core work, which I rarely ever do. I usually treat my abs like a side work out, only doing anything for them when I have time. I think I should take this approach more often, though, and spend 1 day a week working solely on just abs. I guess we will see how they feel in about 12-24 hours first. yikes!

When I was done with abs, I got on the treadmill and struggled through 30 minutes of interval running. Usually, interval running goes by so quickly and seems so much easier. I had a hard time getting through it this morning. I was tiring out quicker than normal, my legs felt heavy, and the run overall just felt sluggish. Maybe 3 days in a row of interval running is not a good idea? I managed to get through all 30 minutes, but they were certainly tough. Luckily, today was the last day I had planned to do intervals this week. Maybe next week I will space them out a little differently.

Tomorrow I plan to do legs without any cardio and then Friday I am taking a rest day. I have made it to the gym every day this week, plus I did some working out and cardio over the weekend, so I feel really good about this week. My upper body is pretty sore from this week's strength training as well, so I am looking forward to giving that half a little rest. Depending on the weather this weekend, I hope to get in some outdoor runs and a few gym sessions during this long weekend coming up.

Yesterday's Eats

I ended up saving the apple because I was stuffed!

So, you know that hummus recipe I posted yesterday? Seriously, go make it NOW! It is the BEST hummus I have ever made, and I would even say it was the best I have ever tasted. The roasted garlic is strong, which I love, but you can adjust that if needed. I tasted it while I was making it the other night, but when I put it on my sandwich yesterday, I couldn't get over how great it was. After sitting all night in the fridge, it tasted so amazing.

Let me give you a closer look at my sandwich...

So. incredible. And it makes me really happy that 3 out of the 5 ingredients on that sandwich were ingredients from my produce delivery box. :) Mike made the same sandwich yesterday and was also quite impressed with how wonderful it was. Luckily, I have enough ingredients to make one more sandwich for my lunch today. I am pretty excited about that.

Dinner last night was just OK. Keeping with the meatless thing, Mike had a good idea to make veggie tacos. I had prepped some dry beans on Sunday so that we would have black beans throughout the week, but I think I am giving up on dry beans. I have tried to make them so many times and they are always hard. I can't seem to get them soft enough to be very good. I follow the directions to the tee and have tried many different variations, but they never come out soft. HELP!

I decided to have my taco sans tortilla since we made some rice and potatoes. We have a ton of red potatoes right now and we are trying to get through them. It was one of those dinners that was good, but nothing to get too excited about.

B-Fast This AM

I have to get better about eating something before going to the gym. I am just so tired when on the way to the gym and food just sounds gross to me. So when I finished at the gym, I came to work and had another monster bowl of oatmeal. I love bananas in oatmeal, they seriously make the oats so much better. I swapped out the strawberries for raspberries today, since I am all out of strawberries. Still a great combination.

Mike is still feeling crummy and we headed to bed pretty early last night. I am surprised I haven't started to feel sick, but I am thankful for that. Hopefully he starts feeling better soon!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone! 

Yesterday's Stats:
Yesterday my stats were really good. I ended the day under in calories and sodium! I was short on my protein, but only by 10 g, so that isn't too bad. Maybe this meatless thing is a good idea. But, I don't think I will go down that road just yet. I enjoy food too much to cut out a huge section like that.

Calories (-) 101
Sodium (-) 518
Protein (-) 10