Hello followers and fellow food lovers! I am back at it and excited to share with you my latest culinary creations in a new blog that's a little more applicable to what I want to share. I would love for you to join my new journey and follow me, so check out:
http://wholefoodsjunkie.com/
Be sure to leave a little note to tell me you've tuned in. Also, please leave any links to your blogs, so I can be sure to connect from my new post on Whole Foods Junkie!
Happy Fooding,
Angie
Monday, October 14, 2013
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Life changes mean new life ventures!
You all know I'm really good at gungho posting for a few months only to follow that with a ridiculously long dry spell. Well, life has changed just a little in the past few weeks, and I now find myself at a crossroads. This newfound time has led me to explore a new venture, and that has brought me back to this blog.
The first change is this:
Meet Raia, our nearly 4 month old pit bull/german shepard puppy! She is becoming an awesome companion, and her arrival into the family couldn't have been more timely... since I recently lost my job.
About three weeks ago, I found out that the gallery lost its space due to a building renovation, so for the first time in my life I'm on the unemployment line. I never knew what having so much idle time would be like, and I find myself waking up every morning thinking: "what am I going to do today."
Other than taking the dog for a walk, I've decided to fill up my free time by authoring a cook book!
That's where this blog comes in. Using recipes I've blogged about in the past, and other recipes in my arsenal, I'm going to compile a killer cookbook and blog about the testing here on my site. I won't post all the recipes, because then what would the book be for, but I will share tips, tricks, and some of the goodies I make with you all so that you can continue to be inspired to cook great, healthy food.
If you have any recipe suggestions of foods I should test, I would love to hear 'em: amarasco@alumni.cmu.edu.
Thanks for reading and supporting my new venture! If you're a fan of my blog, you'll be the first to preview the book before it (hopefully) gets published!
The first change is this:
About three weeks ago, I found out that the gallery lost its space due to a building renovation, so for the first time in my life I'm on the unemployment line. I never knew what having so much idle time would be like, and I find myself waking up every morning thinking: "what am I going to do today."
Other than taking the dog for a walk, I've decided to fill up my free time by authoring a cook book!
That's where this blog comes in. Using recipes I've blogged about in the past, and other recipes in my arsenal, I'm going to compile a killer cookbook and blog about the testing here on my site. I won't post all the recipes, because then what would the book be for, but I will share tips, tricks, and some of the goodies I make with you all so that you can continue to be inspired to cook great, healthy food.
If you have any recipe suggestions of foods I should test, I would love to hear 'em: amarasco@alumni.cmu.edu.
Thanks for reading and supporting my new venture! If you're a fan of my blog, you'll be the first to preview the book before it (hopefully) gets published!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Canning Crazy!
If you've noticed, I've been a bit MIA over the past 10 days or so because I have been a kitchen maniac. The canner came out a few days ago, and hasn't gone back in its home since.
It all started when I found a little farmer's market in town last week. The guy was selling organic Colorado apples, and I bought a 15 pound box for cheap! So I set out to make homemade apple sauce. Then some of the apple sauce became apple butter. Then, since the canner was out, I decided to attack the BOX of onions that I harvested from our garden....and those got pickled. Then I had a ton of pickling liquid left over, so I made pickled cauliflower and pickles. That's one heck of a domino effect, ya think?
The fruits of my labor yielded:
4 quart jars of home made apple sauce
4 half pint jars of home made apple butter
10 half pint jars of pickled onions
4 pint jars of pickled cauliflower
5 quart jars of dill pickles
2 pint jars of sweet pickles
(from left to right: pickles, apple sauce, sweet pickles, cauliflower, apple butter, and pickled onions!)
I'm pooped! Although, I might get back at it again and can some home made marinara sauce sometime soon :)
Does all this fruiting of labor make my Halloween Costume any more appropriate:
Haha, I rule (at least I think so)!
It all started when I found a little farmer's market in town last week. The guy was selling organic Colorado apples, and I bought a 15 pound box for cheap! So I set out to make homemade apple sauce. Then some of the apple sauce became apple butter. Then, since the canner was out, I decided to attack the BOX of onions that I harvested from our garden....and those got pickled. Then I had a ton of pickling liquid left over, so I made pickled cauliflower and pickles. That's one heck of a domino effect, ya think?
The fruits of my labor yielded:
4 quart jars of home made apple sauce
4 half pint jars of home made apple butter
10 half pint jars of pickled onions
4 pint jars of pickled cauliflower
5 quart jars of dill pickles
2 pint jars of sweet pickles
I'm pooped! Although, I might get back at it again and can some home made marinara sauce sometime soon :)
Does all this fruiting of labor make my Halloween Costume any more appropriate:
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Lunch for One
I watched an episode of Giada the other day where she made this baked "salad" that was a combination of Caprese and Panzanella salads.
A Caprese salad is a classic salad of fresh mozzarella, sliced ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil and sometimes balsamic (or a balsamic reduction). Panzanella is typically a grilled vegetable salad of tomatoes and squashes that also includes grilled bread mixed in. Both are very delicious. And very Italian :)
The bake Giada made was a large party sized thing in a tray, but I modified it to make a nice 4-5 point lunch for myself. I used a mini loaf pan and the following ingredients:
two small tomoatoes or four slices of tomato about 1/2" thick
one clove of garlic minced
one ounce of fresh mozzarella sliced (sliced to fit the pan)
one-two tablespoons olive oil
two fresh basil leaves
one piece whole wheat bread
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Spray the mini loaf pan with cooking spray, place the four slices of tomatoes in the bottom and pour about a tablespoon of balsamic over then sprinkle with salt and pepper and half the minced garlic. Place the slice of mozzarella on top and add the rest of the garlic and the basil (chopped). Cut the bread to just fit the top of whatever pan you're using, and place it on top of the cheese. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, so it gets nice and crusty.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the bread is toasty.
Carefully remove from the pan and enjoy! It might be juicy under there, so watch out!
A Caprese salad is a classic salad of fresh mozzarella, sliced ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil and sometimes balsamic (or a balsamic reduction). Panzanella is typically a grilled vegetable salad of tomatoes and squashes that also includes grilled bread mixed in. Both are very delicious. And very Italian :)
The bake Giada made was a large party sized thing in a tray, but I modified it to make a nice 4-5 point lunch for myself. I used a mini loaf pan and the following ingredients:
two small tomoatoes or four slices of tomato about 1/2" thick
one clove of garlic minced
one ounce of fresh mozzarella sliced (sliced to fit the pan)
one-two tablespoons olive oil
two fresh basil leaves
one piece whole wheat bread
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Spray the mini loaf pan with cooking spray, place the four slices of tomatoes in the bottom and pour about a tablespoon of balsamic over then sprinkle with salt and pepper and half the minced garlic. Place the slice of mozzarella on top and add the rest of the garlic and the basil (chopped). Cut the bread to just fit the top of whatever pan you're using, and place it on top of the cheese. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, so it gets nice and crusty.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the bread is toasty.
Carefully remove from the pan and enjoy! It might be juicy under there, so watch out!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Pot, Stock, and a Hell Roaring Time
The final adventure of Nicole's visit included a hike via the Hell Roaring trail to a great vista along a 12,500 ft ridge. Its called the Hell Roaring trail because in June during peak runoff, the water rages through the area to a deafening tone, its hell roaring. Of course, it being October, the snow is just starting to fall. So we didn't have too much raging water, but we did have fresh snow!
The snow we've had up high over the past week made it an interesting hike with some post holing near the top, but it was all worth it to take in this:
Maybe Jim and I even got our Christmas card photo, haha!
The evening ended with a soak in the Penny Hot Springs; a little known spot that Jim and I hadn't yet discovered, but we're now excited to know that we have free hot springs only 20 minutes away!
In honor of this snowy hike, I thought I'd post a great soup recipe. We didn't eat this after our hike; we went out and gorged on some awesome BBQ, but I've been wanting to share this recipe, and what better time to do it than on a crisp fall day!
Soni's Potato Soup
Soni is my mom, and she is known for making some excellent soups. I made this potato soup with potatoes that I dug up out of the garden myself that very morning and an onion from the same origin. I think it tasted a little bit better just because of that.
5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (unpeeled if they are small or the peel is thin)
1 quart chicken stock plus water as needed
1 onion diced
3 tbs butter
1-1/2 cups milk (I used fat free)
2 tbsp corn starch plus 2 tbsp more milk
1 head garlic (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Take the head of garlic, wrap it in foil and stick in a hot oven. Let it roast until the cloves are soft and mushy (this is optional). Cube the potatoes and place them in a pot with the diced onion. I used a 6 quart soup pot. Add in the chicken broth and top off with water (if the chicken stock isn't enough) JUST to cover the potatoes. You want them to barely be covered with the liquid. Add a few pinches of salt and bring the potatoes to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are just fork tender. You don't want them to be as soft as you would for mashing.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and stop the boil. Add the milk, butter, and more salt and pepper to taste. If you are adding the roasted garlic, squeeze the soft cloves out of the head and add them at this time also. Let simmer for 15 minutes or so, and if it needs to be thicker, add the slurry of corn starch and flour. Don't over do it with this though. Continue to simmer for at least another 15 minutes, stirring occassionally. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
At this point, the soup is done but I added one more step. I took my emmersion blender and ran it through the soup for just a few turns. It was just enough to thicken the soup by blending up some of the potatoes, but I didn't mash up all the potatoes. The majority of them were still in their chunky form.
Serve with some grated cheddar cheese and some bacon crumbles if desired.
I made a ton of this soup. Enough to give Jim lunch and have two full meals left over with four meals in the freezer and a full meal given to the neighbors. It was a big compliment when Sally, our neighbor, asked how much cream was in the soup. I consider this a pretty healthy recipe, so her thinking there was so much cream in there meant it didn't taste like it! Go me!
Picture coming soon!
The snow we've had up high over the past week made it an interesting hike with some post holing near the top, but it was all worth it to take in this:
Maybe Jim and I even got our Christmas card photo, haha!
The evening ended with a soak in the Penny Hot Springs; a little known spot that Jim and I hadn't yet discovered, but we're now excited to know that we have free hot springs only 20 minutes away!
In honor of this snowy hike, I thought I'd post a great soup recipe. We didn't eat this after our hike; we went out and gorged on some awesome BBQ, but I've been wanting to share this recipe, and what better time to do it than on a crisp fall day!
Soni's Potato Soup
Soni is my mom, and she is known for making some excellent soups. I made this potato soup with potatoes that I dug up out of the garden myself that very morning and an onion from the same origin. I think it tasted a little bit better just because of that.
5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (unpeeled if they are small or the peel is thin)
1 quart chicken stock plus water as needed
1 onion diced
3 tbs butter
1-1/2 cups milk (I used fat free)
2 tbsp corn starch plus 2 tbsp more milk
1 head garlic (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Take the head of garlic, wrap it in foil and stick in a hot oven. Let it roast until the cloves are soft and mushy (this is optional). Cube the potatoes and place them in a pot with the diced onion. I used a 6 quart soup pot. Add in the chicken broth and top off with water (if the chicken stock isn't enough) JUST to cover the potatoes. You want them to barely be covered with the liquid. Add a few pinches of salt and bring the potatoes to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are just fork tender. You don't want them to be as soft as you would for mashing.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and stop the boil. Add the milk, butter, and more salt and pepper to taste. If you are adding the roasted garlic, squeeze the soft cloves out of the head and add them at this time also. Let simmer for 15 minutes or so, and if it needs to be thicker, add the slurry of corn starch and flour. Don't over do it with this though. Continue to simmer for at least another 15 minutes, stirring occassionally. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
At this point, the soup is done but I added one more step. I took my emmersion blender and ran it through the soup for just a few turns. It was just enough to thicken the soup by blending up some of the potatoes, but I didn't mash up all the potatoes. The majority of them were still in their chunky form.
Serve with some grated cheddar cheese and some bacon crumbles if desired.
I made a ton of this soup. Enough to give Jim lunch and have two full meals left over with four meals in the freezer and a full meal given to the neighbors. It was a big compliment when Sally, our neighbor, asked how much cream was in the soup. I consider this a pretty healthy recipe, so her thinking there was so much cream in there meant it didn't taste like it! Go me!
Picture coming soon!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Hiking Among Snowy Peaks
My friend Nicole is visiting from Boston this week, and so far we've had a fun few days of relxing and adventure.
Friday night was the STYX concert at the Belly Up here in Aspen. The Belly Up is a small venue with a maximum of about 400 ticket holders, so we got to see an awesome classic band from about 25 feet away!
The encore performance - Renegade!
Yesterday, my friend Jamie joined us and we headed to the Maroon Bells, which is one of the most popular areas for tourists here in Aspen. With a fresh coating of snow on the peaks surrounding Aspen, the drive up and our hike to Crater lake was nothing short of beautiful.
The only thing that would have made the views better was a blue sky, but the clouds overhead welcomed us with a few little snow showers, so I'm not complaining.
The Maroon Bells are named for their bell-like shape and their very red color of soil and stone, which is hard to see here with their fresh coating of snow.
Like I said, they're pretty gnarly to climb, and this past summer the papers had a few reports of fatalities up there. We took a somewhat short and easy hike to Crater Lake, which is at the base of the Bells. We even got to enjoy a little snow shower while we were sitting around the lake.
We finished off the day with some pub grub and beers at the Aspen Brewing Company!
Friday night was the STYX concert at the Belly Up here in Aspen. The Belly Up is a small venue with a maximum of about 400 ticket holders, so we got to see an awesome classic band from about 25 feet away!
The encore performance - Renegade!
Yesterday, my friend Jamie joined us and we headed to the Maroon Bells, which is one of the most popular areas for tourists here in Aspen. With a fresh coating of snow on the peaks surrounding Aspen, the drive up and our hike to Crater lake was nothing short of beautiful.
The only thing that would have made the views better was a blue sky, but the clouds overhead welcomed us with a few little snow showers, so I'm not complaining.
That's me at the start of the hike at Maroon Lake with the Maroon Bells behind me. This area has several 14-ers (a peak that has a summit at 14,000 or above), which are extremely difficult to summit. Most require extreme mountaineering techniques and a lot of equipment like harnesses and ice climbing gear.
Like I said, they're pretty gnarly to climb, and this past summer the papers had a few reports of fatalities up there. We took a somewhat short and easy hike to Crater Lake, which is at the base of the Bells. We even got to enjoy a little snow shower while we were sitting around the lake.
We finished off the day with some pub grub and beers at the Aspen Brewing Company!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Stuffed Mushrooms
I was inspired one day while walking through the produce department of the grocery store when I saw their pre-packaged stuffed portabello mushrooms. I decided to whip up a delicious and filling version of it myself. I've done it twice now and have learned a few things, so I'll tell you how I made them and then offer some addtional suggestions.
Its basically one mushroom per person, so here's for two:
- 2 large portabello mushrooms, stems removed
- 2 tbsp italian dressing
- 1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
- 2 wedges laughing cow light garlic and herb
- grated parm
- 2 slices canadian bacon
- 2 cups baby spinach
Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Take the mushrooms and rub them with the italian dressing and set aside. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, laughing cow, and parmesan cheese together.
In a skillet, heat up olive oil and wilt the spinach. Dice up the canadian bacon and throw it in the skillet with the spinach to heat through and brown a little. Take this mixture and mix it with the cheese mix.
Salt and pepper the mushrooms and put them gill side down on a medium-high grill (you could also do this under the broiler). Grill them for about 3-4 minutes until the gills turn brown. Flip the mushroom so that the gills are up and fill each with half the mixture. Make sure the mushrooms aren't over a super high flame and close the grill. Let the mushrooms cook for aout 4-5 minutes until the mushroom is soft and dark on the bottom and the filling is heated through.
This goes great with a little cous cous on the side. Also, I love these just as is but Jim thinks they need a little more texture and something to cut the creaminess of the cheese, so next time I make them, I think I will add some bread crumbs to the mixture before putting it on the mushrooms. I guess you could also just sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and let them get crunchy...oo that's a good idea!
Really the sky is the limit with what you can stuff these things with. Give it a shot with your favorite ingredients and let me know how it comes out!
Its basically one mushroom per person, so here's for two:
- 2 large portabello mushrooms, stems removed
- 2 tbsp italian dressing
- 1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
- 2 wedges laughing cow light garlic and herb
- grated parm
- 2 slices canadian bacon
- 2 cups baby spinach
Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Take the mushrooms and rub them with the italian dressing and set aside. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, laughing cow, and parmesan cheese together.
In a skillet, heat up olive oil and wilt the spinach. Dice up the canadian bacon and throw it in the skillet with the spinach to heat through and brown a little. Take this mixture and mix it with the cheese mix.
Salt and pepper the mushrooms and put them gill side down on a medium-high grill (you could also do this under the broiler). Grill them for about 3-4 minutes until the gills turn brown. Flip the mushroom so that the gills are up and fill each with half the mixture. Make sure the mushrooms aren't over a super high flame and close the grill. Let the mushrooms cook for aout 4-5 minutes until the mushroom is soft and dark on the bottom and the filling is heated through.
This goes great with a little cous cous on the side. Also, I love these just as is but Jim thinks they need a little more texture and something to cut the creaminess of the cheese, so next time I make them, I think I will add some bread crumbs to the mixture before putting it on the mushrooms. I guess you could also just sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and let them get crunchy...oo that's a good idea!
Really the sky is the limit with what you can stuff these things with. Give it a shot with your favorite ingredients and let me know how it comes out!
Monday, October 4, 2010
My Backpacking Adventure!
There is a very popular backpacking trail that starts right outside of Aspen, which ascends to the Conundrum Hot Springs. Its one of the most popular hikes in the state, and people come from all over the country for this trip. Jim and I are lucky to live right near the start of this trail, and its a wonder neither of us had been up there previously. That said, it was something really cool to share together :)
We set out on the trail around 10 am on Sunday morning with the shock of pulling into a tiny parking lot jammed with over 40 cars. We've heard rumors that the springs can get crowded on weekends, but hopeful that starting on Sunday would behoove us, we set out loaded packs mounted. We planned to possibly stay until Tuesday morning because Jim didn't have to be at work until noon. As we hiked our way along the 9 mile trail, we started passing a steady stream of people leaving the springs. Jim and I estimated we saw about 70 people leaving while we were hiking up, so we were pleasantly surpised when we started hearing from the end of the neverending line of people that only a few couples remained in the camps. I have no idea how anyone would enjoy being one of 70 people up there!!
Our hike up was fairly flat for the majority and then got steeper at the end. We went past a beautiful waterfall that I would have loved to get close to.
We got to camp around 5 pm and as promised found out that only four other people were around. We picked camp site number 13, which came highly recommended by a friend and didn't disappoint.
It offered privacy and close proximity to the main pool, which he hit promptly after setting up the tent.
Three hours later, we finally drug ourselves out into the freezing cold to retreat to the camp, finish setting up, eat dinner, and hit the sack. Our original plan for Monday was to possibly hike to the top of Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak which are both 14,000+ in elevation.
After realizing how long it took to get up to the pools, we calculated we'd have to get up around 5am, pack up and leave before the sun was up to get down in time for Jim to go to work, so we decided to come back Monday. This turned out to be a good idea, because as we were deparing, it started to spit snow.
As we hiked back to the car, the sun came in and out, and we only passed 2 couples hiking in, which meant it would have been anoter quiet evening in the pools. It looked fairly nasty as we looked back, but then it cleared up beautifully, so I hope they had a nice evening.
All in all it was a great trip for Jim and I. We travel really well together, even though I'm a turtle in comparison (or my analogy of Jim = Energizer Bunny and Angie = Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man), and we really enjoyed this trip. If you ever have a chance to go to Aspen and take this trip...do it! And make sure you let me know you're in town :)
We set out on the trail around 10 am on Sunday morning with the shock of pulling into a tiny parking lot jammed with over 40 cars. We've heard rumors that the springs can get crowded on weekends, but hopeful that starting on Sunday would behoove us, we set out loaded packs mounted. We planned to possibly stay until Tuesday morning because Jim didn't have to be at work until noon. As we hiked our way along the 9 mile trail, we started passing a steady stream of people leaving the springs. Jim and I estimated we saw about 70 people leaving while we were hiking up, so we were pleasantly surpised when we started hearing from the end of the neverending line of people that only a few couples remained in the camps. I have no idea how anyone would enjoy being one of 70 people up there!!
Our hike up was fairly flat for the majority and then got steeper at the end. We went past a beautiful waterfall that I would have loved to get close to.
We got to camp around 5 pm and as promised found out that only four other people were around. We picked camp site number 13, which came highly recommended by a friend and didn't disappoint.
It offered privacy and close proximity to the main pool, which he hit promptly after setting up the tent.
Three hours later, we finally drug ourselves out into the freezing cold to retreat to the camp, finish setting up, eat dinner, and hit the sack. Our original plan for Monday was to possibly hike to the top of Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak which are both 14,000+ in elevation.
After realizing how long it took to get up to the pools, we calculated we'd have to get up around 5am, pack up and leave before the sun was up to get down in time for Jim to go to work, so we decided to come back Monday. This turned out to be a good idea, because as we were deparing, it started to spit snow.
As we hiked back to the car, the sun came in and out, and we only passed 2 couples hiking in, which meant it would have been anoter quiet evening in the pools. It looked fairly nasty as we looked back, but then it cleared up beautifully, so I hope they had a nice evening.
All in all it was a great trip for Jim and I. We travel really well together, even though I'm a turtle in comparison (or my analogy of Jim = Energizer Bunny and Angie = Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man), and we really enjoyed this trip. If you ever have a chance to go to Aspen and take this trip...do it! And make sure you let me know you're in town :)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Baking Fool
Tania and I are having a pizza party at her house tonight to invite some clients and potential acquaintence type potential clients, and we're making homemade pizza in her wood fired brick oven (that she built herself, ha). The pizza comes out sooo good from that thing. Anyway, I was put in charge of dessert!
I made three things:
Apple Crisp
Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Low Fat Gluten Free Brownies (Tania is gluten intolerant)
The low fat brownies are actually really good, and they aren't gluten free specific. The original recipe uses regular flour, but I used gluten free for Tania.
Here's the recipe:
3T butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
or 1T butter
2oz square baker's chocolate
Melt combination of choice above and add:
1 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla
3T (one small baby food jar) prune puree
Mix Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour (substitute gluten free but add about 2T extra)
2T cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Combine all ingredients and pour into 8x8 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. You can also add walnuts if you'd like. I calculated the points for these brownies without the nuts, and its 3 points! They're REALLY good brownies for 3 points. Taste super fudgey and not fat free...so its a good option if you don't have a box of no pudge :)
Yum!:
The pumpkin cookies were a HUGE hit, so I'll post the recipe for those tomorrow. Despite the fact that they are in no way waist friendly, they are a nice festive treat to take to a fall party.
I made three things:
Apple Crisp
Iced Pumpkin Cookies
Low Fat Gluten Free Brownies (Tania is gluten intolerant)
The low fat brownies are actually really good, and they aren't gluten free specific. The original recipe uses regular flour, but I used gluten free for Tania.
Here's the recipe:
3T butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
or 1T butter
2oz square baker's chocolate
Melt combination of choice above and add:
1 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 tsp vanilla
3T (one small baby food jar) prune puree
Mix Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour (substitute gluten free but add about 2T extra)
2T cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Combine all ingredients and pour into 8x8 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. You can also add walnuts if you'd like. I calculated the points for these brownies without the nuts, and its 3 points! They're REALLY good brownies for 3 points. Taste super fudgey and not fat free...so its a good option if you don't have a box of no pudge :)
Yum!:
The pumpkin cookies were a HUGE hit, so I'll post the recipe for those tomorrow. Despite the fact that they are in no way waist friendly, they are a nice festive treat to take to a fall party.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Pumpkin!
I've heard some rumors that the Great Pumpkin shortage is starting to wane, and pumpkin is slowly becoming available in stores again. Out here in the great wild west, we haven't been so lucky, so I bought a CASE of pumpkin online about a week ago. It arrived a few days ago, and the cans are all nicely stacked in my canning storage area. I've already made pumpkin spice muffins, and this morning I made pumpkin waffles!
I saw a recipe for these in the October issue of Food Network Magazine, and I decided I had to try them. I set out to make them for breakfast this morning, and then realized I was missing one ingredient. So I got on my trusty Weight Watchers site and found a recipe there - one that I'm sure was much more figure friendly - which I could make entirely from my pantry.
Here's the recipe directly from WW:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 cup buttermilk
Mix the first six (dry) ingredients, then mix the remaining (wet) ingredients and then combine and whisk until just mixed and cook in waffle iron.
I made a few variations to this recipe.
I swapped 1/4 cup of the all purpose flour for whole wheat
I added 1/8 tsp ground ginger
I tasted the batter and it seemed like it wasn't pumpkin-y enough, so I added another 1/4 cup of pumpkin and 1 tsp of vanilla also. I think my version is better, and the changes didn't increase the points value. If anything, I think adding the whole wheat flour made them more filling.
I have a four waffle style iron, where it makes four connected squares. This made four full squares (16 individual waffles), of which I ate three with a little light butter and syrup and was full.
Delish!
On another note, I am excited that tomorrow is my first fit test since starting the INSANITY workouts. I took it at the beginning, and its been two weeks, so I am excited to see the measurable amount of progress that's been made.
Today, I am going to enjoy my insanity day off with a bike ride!
I saw a recipe for these in the October issue of Food Network Magazine, and I decided I had to try them. I set out to make them for breakfast this morning, and then realized I was missing one ingredient. So I got on my trusty Weight Watchers site and found a recipe there - one that I'm sure was much more figure friendly - which I could make entirely from my pantry.
Here's the recipe directly from WW:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 cup buttermilk
Mix the first six (dry) ingredients, then mix the remaining (wet) ingredients and then combine and whisk until just mixed and cook in waffle iron.
I made a few variations to this recipe.
I swapped 1/4 cup of the all purpose flour for whole wheat
I added 1/8 tsp ground ginger
I tasted the batter and it seemed like it wasn't pumpkin-y enough, so I added another 1/4 cup of pumpkin and 1 tsp of vanilla also. I think my version is better, and the changes didn't increase the points value. If anything, I think adding the whole wheat flour made them more filling.
I have a four waffle style iron, where it makes four connected squares. This made four full squares (16 individual waffles), of which I ate three with a little light butter and syrup and was full.
Delish!
On another note, I am excited that tomorrow is my first fit test since starting the INSANITY workouts. I took it at the beginning, and its been two weeks, so I am excited to see the measurable amount of progress that's been made.
Today, I am going to enjoy my insanity day off with a bike ride!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Comments have been fixed...
Apparently there was an issue with posting comments, which explains why I myself was having issues posting comments to respond to people, lol. I believe I have fixed this problem, so if you try to post a comment and it doesn't work, please email me.
For some reason, it was set so that only registered users could post, but I modified that option...so hopefully you can all tell me how wonderful I am now :-D
For some reason, it was set so that only registered users could post, but I modified that option...so hopefully you can all tell me how wonderful I am now :-D
Green Monsters...
And no, I don't mean that big wall at Fenway!
In case you are out of the know, the Green Monster smoothie is ALL the rage right now. I finally bought myself a Magic Bullet Blender, so I got to try my first Green Monster this morning. According to: greenmonstermovement.com, the basic Green Monster is made as such:
2 cups of spinach
1 cup milk (cow, almond, soy, whatever you prefer)
1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
A lot of people also add Flax Seed in, so I am going to buy some and try that.
Whirl it all around in your blender until you have a very green and very frothy drink that contains 2 fruit servings, two veggie servings, and dairy!
I made the traditional Green Monster, as above, and it was really good. I think I was a little heavy handed with the spinach and added more than two cups though because it was a hair grassy tasting. Otherwise, it tasted like a strawberry banana smoothie, but had a lot more volume:
Yes, I know it looks a little like baby food. Or maybe baby puke? But trust me, they're really good and filling. I got about 2/3 the way through and decided to do Insanity and have the rest as my refuel afterwards.
I think tomorrow I will try and do some peaches in there....then who knows, the possibilities are endless!
In case you are out of the know, the Green Monster smoothie is ALL the rage right now. I finally bought myself a Magic Bullet Blender, so I got to try my first Green Monster this morning. According to: greenmonstermovement.com, the basic Green Monster is made as such:
2 cups of spinach
1 cup milk (cow, almond, soy, whatever you prefer)
1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
A lot of people also add Flax Seed in, so I am going to buy some and try that.
Whirl it all around in your blender until you have a very green and very frothy drink that contains 2 fruit servings, two veggie servings, and dairy!
I made the traditional Green Monster, as above, and it was really good. I think I was a little heavy handed with the spinach and added more than two cups though because it was a hair grassy tasting. Otherwise, it tasted like a strawberry banana smoothie, but had a lot more volume:
Yes, I know it looks a little like baby food. Or maybe baby puke? But trust me, they're really good and filling. I got about 2/3 the way through and decided to do Insanity and have the rest as my refuel afterwards.
I think tomorrow I will try and do some peaches in there....then who knows, the possibilities are endless!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Back to normal
I think I'm finally recovered from the hike from Hell. I took Monday off because my legs were extremely sore, and then Tuesday I got back to it with the INSANITY. I took it easy that day, since of course the schedule called for the plometric workout, which makes me feel like a mexican jumping bean. Yesterday's workout, Pure Cardio, was easier than last week, and I felt pretty normal.
Also, I'm not sure if it was the monster hike or the switch to the Wendie version of WW, but I had a great loss this week, finally breaking a 6+ months stand off with the scale. Seeing a 2.6 lb change always brings a smile on my face, and with one week of Wendie under my belt, I am ready for a second week of it with hopefully equal results.
For dinner last night, I made the WW recipe for Moo Shu Beef Lettuce Cups. I forgot to take a photo, so I swiped the stock photo from WW, but luckily, this is actually what they look like:
Here's the recipe:
1 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 cup yellow onions thinly sliced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger root minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups bok choy, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups mushrooms (about 10 mushrooms; I used crimini)
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
8 leaf bibb lettuce
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, ginger and garlic; cook until beef is browned and onion is soft, breaking up meat as it cooks. This takes about 5-7 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes to give them a head start. Then ads bok choy, pepper, and soy sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy is wilted and pepper is tender-crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes.
I deviated from the WW version in adding the mushrooms a little earlier than the rest of the veggies. I also added a squirt of srirach and a tiny (and I mean TINY) blob of that asian garlic chili paste. That stuff is HOT so be careful. It is good with only the soy sauce but it needed something else.
I served with extra soy sauce and sriracha and also some cooked brown rice. Jim LOVED them, and I was shocked at how filling it was. A serving size of this is only 4 points, and its two lettuce leaves with 1/2 cup of mix in EACH. I was full after eating three lettuce cups with about 1/4 cup in each, so its a great, filling, low point yet YUMMY dinner!
Also, I'm not sure if it was the monster hike or the switch to the Wendie version of WW, but I had a great loss this week, finally breaking a 6+ months stand off with the scale. Seeing a 2.6 lb change always brings a smile on my face, and with one week of Wendie under my belt, I am ready for a second week of it with hopefully equal results.
For dinner last night, I made the WW recipe for Moo Shu Beef Lettuce Cups. I forgot to take a photo, so I swiped the stock photo from WW, but luckily, this is actually what they look like:
Here's the recipe:
1 pound uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 cup yellow onions thinly sliced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger root minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups bok choy, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups mushrooms (about 10 mushrooms; I used crimini)
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
8 leaf bibb lettuce
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, ginger and garlic; cook until beef is browned and onion is soft, breaking up meat as it cooks. This takes about 5-7 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes to give them a head start. Then ads bok choy, pepper, and soy sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until bok choy is wilted and pepper is tender-crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes.
I deviated from the WW version in adding the mushrooms a little earlier than the rest of the veggies. I also added a squirt of srirach and a tiny (and I mean TINY) blob of that asian garlic chili paste. That stuff is HOT so be careful. It is good with only the soy sauce but it needed something else.
I served with extra soy sauce and sriracha and also some cooked brown rice. Jim LOVED them, and I was shocked at how filling it was. A serving size of this is only 4 points, and its two lettuce leaves with 1/2 cup of mix in EACH. I was full after eating three lettuce cups with about 1/4 cup in each, so its a great, filling, low point yet YUMMY dinner!
Monday, September 20, 2010
My INSANITY Day off...
HAHHAHA. Yeah right. According to my INSANITY Calendar, Sunday is my day off. Jim and I both had the day off from work, and since the leaves are peaking right now we decided to go for a hike. We decided to hike Mount Elbert, which is Colorado's highest peak at almost 14,500 feet above sea level. Its also the second highest Peak on the continental U.S. We figured the view from up there would be fantastic.
Well, let me tell you that my INSANITY day off ended up being the most INSANE of them all.
We left the house around 7 because you have to get an early start when hiking 14ers because it usually takes 8+ hours round trip. Luckily, this time of year we don't have to worry about afternoon storms, but the sun goes down earlier. We took a route that is closest to Aspen, but isn't frequently used. We didn't see a single other person the entire day, and as you'll soon find out...the entire day meant the ENTIRE day.
We have a 14er book, which details all routes to hike 14ers, so we used it to get to the trailhead. Too bad the book sucked for getting to the trail head because we couldn't find the road it was talking about. So we parked and bushwhacked around for like 2 hours before we finally found the trail. Luckily the views were good anyway:
At this point, we figured we'd just go for awhile and then turn back because it was too late to start the 10-ish hour hike. About an hour into the hike, I realized that my legs were WAY more fatigued from the INSANITY work outs than I expected them to be. We kept going, but it was slow moving. We saw some great sights. Probably 10+ other 14ers, great foliage, waterfalls, etc. We got above tree line to about 13,000 feet after about 3.5 hours of hiking. I realized at this point, I was out of water. Dont' you think that would have been a good time to turn around? Except that I figured we were that far, we might as well keep going.
And then we hit the ROCK FIELDS. I hate rocks. We spent 2 hours climbing over rocks and got to the final horribly gnarly ascent to the final ridge to the summit. At this point we were about 3/4 mile from the top, but we looked around and the light was about to hit the ridge, so we had to turn around. That last 3/4 mile would probably have taken an hour and a half anyway. See:
Good thing we turned around when we did because we got out of the rock fields right when the final light left the sky. We had ONE headlamp to share, and spent the final 2 hours of hiking out sharing it. That final two hours probably would have taken 1 hour if we both had headlamps...or if it was light out. My legs were also like jello by this time, and I just broke down in tears. I definitely pushed myself too far, but Jim was super supportive about it.
We finally got back to the car TWELVE hours after we left it. TWELVE hours of hiking. This is ridiculous.
The one victory for the day is this: I checked my heart rate monitor and it read 5,333. Yes, 53 activity points friends. Which means I don't feel one bit guilty for eating an entire box of 7-11 mozzarella sticks when we got home :)
Here are some photos to enjoy!
Changing Aspens along the drive up Independence Pass
An old mining building left from the "Last Chance Mine"
Me hiking!
It is pretty cool to be around 13,000 feet at sundown :)
Well, let me tell you that my INSANITY day off ended up being the most INSANE of them all.
We left the house around 7 because you have to get an early start when hiking 14ers because it usually takes 8+ hours round trip. Luckily, this time of year we don't have to worry about afternoon storms, but the sun goes down earlier. We took a route that is closest to Aspen, but isn't frequently used. We didn't see a single other person the entire day, and as you'll soon find out...the entire day meant the ENTIRE day.
We have a 14er book, which details all routes to hike 14ers, so we used it to get to the trailhead. Too bad the book sucked for getting to the trail head because we couldn't find the road it was talking about. So we parked and bushwhacked around for like 2 hours before we finally found the trail. Luckily the views were good anyway:
At this point, we figured we'd just go for awhile and then turn back because it was too late to start the 10-ish hour hike. About an hour into the hike, I realized that my legs were WAY more fatigued from the INSANITY work outs than I expected them to be. We kept going, but it was slow moving. We saw some great sights. Probably 10+ other 14ers, great foliage, waterfalls, etc. We got above tree line to about 13,000 feet after about 3.5 hours of hiking. I realized at this point, I was out of water. Dont' you think that would have been a good time to turn around? Except that I figured we were that far, we might as well keep going.
And then we hit the ROCK FIELDS. I hate rocks. We spent 2 hours climbing over rocks and got to the final horribly gnarly ascent to the final ridge to the summit. At this point we were about 3/4 mile from the top, but we looked around and the light was about to hit the ridge, so we had to turn around. That last 3/4 mile would probably have taken an hour and a half anyway. See:
Good thing we turned around when we did because we got out of the rock fields right when the final light left the sky. We had ONE headlamp to share, and spent the final 2 hours of hiking out sharing it. That final two hours probably would have taken 1 hour if we both had headlamps...or if it was light out. My legs were also like jello by this time, and I just broke down in tears. I definitely pushed myself too far, but Jim was super supportive about it.
We finally got back to the car TWELVE hours after we left it. TWELVE hours of hiking. This is ridiculous.
The one victory for the day is this: I checked my heart rate monitor and it read 5,333. Yes, 53 activity points friends. Which means I don't feel one bit guilty for eating an entire box of 7-11 mozzarella sticks when we got home :)
Here are some photos to enjoy!
Changing Aspens along the drive up Independence Pass
An old mining building left from the "Last Chance Mine"
Me hiking!
It is pretty cool to be around 13,000 feet at sundown :)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Insanity Day 5...and Balloons!
Today's INSANITY workout was the same as Day 1 (Tuesday), and I am happy to report that I actually noticed a measurable (albeit small) change in my ability. I noticed that I could sustain the elements of the circuit longer and needed fewer breaks. After less than a week, its nice to see such fast progress!
This weekend is the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Aspen and Snowmass. They have races and other cool stuff, which are unfortunately held pretty early in the morning. However, this evening around dusk they have this thing called "night glow" where all the balloons are tethered in field, but they fire. And as the sun goes down they light up the place. I'm going to go check it out and take some pictures, so I will report back later!
Happy Saturday!
This weekend is the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Aspen and Snowmass. They have races and other cool stuff, which are unfortunately held pretty early in the morning. However, this evening around dusk they have this thing called "night glow" where all the balloons are tethered in field, but they fire. And as the sun goes down they light up the place. I'm going to go check it out and take some pictures, so I will report back later!
Happy Saturday!
Friday, September 17, 2010
INSANITY Day 4....and Pizza dough!
You can make pizza dough in the bread maker - WHO KNEW!?
Since I am lacking a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and I am just too lazy to kneed that crap by hand, I figured I'd give it a shot. I don't like buying bread dough, and I finally used up the last of the good stuff that Tania and I had made, so here I go.
Check it out:
I found out its easy to store dough in the freezer too. Just put it in a freezer container that is sprayed with cooking spray. At least one day before you want to use it, take it out and put it in the fridge to thaw completely, and then when you're ready to make pizza, take it out of the fridge and set it on the counter for at least an hour. You want dough to be at room temperature so you can "roll" it out properly. If its too cold, its too elastic!
I topped it with a tiny bit of sauce, a few thinly sliced tomatoes, some thin slices of fresh mozzarella, and a little fresh basil. Its like my modified version of a Margherita Pizza...and of course made on the pizza stone. Can't do home cooked cripsy crust without it! Pizza my way:
I will say, however, that this dough is not nearly as good as the dough I previously used that was made according to Tania's recipe. It is posted on an older blog post, so I highly recommend that recipe of this one!
I think I deserve this pizza after today's Insanity workout, which was HELL ON EARTH: PURE Cardio. The name itself should make you shudder. Or maybe not since you haven't done the workout but one word: BRU-TAL. Most of the other work outs have periodic 30 second water breaks to help bring your heart rate down. Noooooot pure cardio. Eight gazillion squats, power jacks, jumping jacks, pushups and other nonsense. So remind me again why I also decided to go for a bike ride when I got home.
A friend of mine from back in Boston sent me this like today: http://toughmudder.com/
She is trying to convince me to go back East in May 2011 to participate in this ridiculousness with her in Stowe, VT. Why, I ask you, WHY....am I actually considering it. I'm excited to talk to Jim about the feasibility of this little project. While it looks absolutely just stupid, I think it would be fun and challenging....annnnnd I will happily go use my altitude living to my advantage at sea level. Hehe.
Since I am lacking a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and I am just too lazy to kneed that crap by hand, I figured I'd give it a shot. I don't like buying bread dough, and I finally used up the last of the good stuff that Tania and I had made, so here I go.
Check it out:
I found out its easy to store dough in the freezer too. Just put it in a freezer container that is sprayed with cooking spray. At least one day before you want to use it, take it out and put it in the fridge to thaw completely, and then when you're ready to make pizza, take it out of the fridge and set it on the counter for at least an hour. You want dough to be at room temperature so you can "roll" it out properly. If its too cold, its too elastic!
I topped it with a tiny bit of sauce, a few thinly sliced tomatoes, some thin slices of fresh mozzarella, and a little fresh basil. Its like my modified version of a Margherita Pizza...and of course made on the pizza stone. Can't do home cooked cripsy crust without it! Pizza my way:
I will say, however, that this dough is not nearly as good as the dough I previously used that was made according to Tania's recipe. It is posted on an older blog post, so I highly recommend that recipe of this one!
I think I deserve this pizza after today's Insanity workout, which was HELL ON EARTH: PURE Cardio. The name itself should make you shudder. Or maybe not since you haven't done the workout but one word: BRU-TAL. Most of the other work outs have periodic 30 second water breaks to help bring your heart rate down. Noooooot pure cardio. Eight gazillion squats, power jacks, jumping jacks, pushups and other nonsense. So remind me again why I also decided to go for a bike ride when I got home.
A friend of mine from back in Boston sent me this like today: http://toughmudder.com/
She is trying to convince me to go back East in May 2011 to participate in this ridiculousness with her in Stowe, VT. Why, I ask you, WHY....am I actually considering it. I'm excited to talk to Jim about the feasibility of this little project. While it looks absolutely just stupid, I think it would be fun and challenging....annnnnd I will happily go use my altitude living to my advantage at sea level. Hehe.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Stuffed Zukes
I totally wussed out of my bike ride this evening. I just felt like after a recovery day of INSANITY it would be nice to just leave it at that. And by the time I got home, it would have been to dark at the end of my ride. That sounds like a good excuse, huh?
For dinner tonight, Jim and I had wild caught salmon. I always love the time of year when wild caught salmon is not only available, but also on sale! Because of increased levels of mercury and unfriendly farm conditions, we do not buy farm raised salmon. The salmon was cooked in little foil pouches with lemon, garlic, shallot, and a little olive oil, yum!
To go along with the salmon, I made stuffed zucchini for the first time ever! I have been craving zucchini fries (the WW version - the recipe is awesome, try it!), but stupid me picked up the squash at the store forgetting I had been craving said fries...and I have no panko. So I decided to use the pantry and give stuffed zucchini a shot! I was tempted to use some of the squash from the garden, but they're still a hair on the small side. So using my seemingly neverending pantry, I made this:
Angie's Bloated Squash:
2 medium zucchini halved lengthwise
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely minced onions
2 large cloves garlic
1 eggs beaten
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1-2 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt shopping list
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper shopping list
1/4 -1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
Scoop out inside of zucchini. Chop scooped zucchini into bits and cook in oil with onions and garlic until onions are soft. Combine sautéed ingredients with tomatoes cheese, herbs, eggs, salt and pepper. Add in about 2 Tablespoons of the breadcrumbs to the stuffing mixture.
Lightly salt and pepper each zucchini half. Fill each zucchini with mixture and dust (generously if you're me) with breadcrumbs and some extra parm cheese.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
They came out really good, and Jim really enjoyed them which was great considering the consistency of eggplant and soggy squash like things dont' jive with him. The zucchini stayed pretty firm, but slightly soft, and the stuffing was crunchy on top. I think it was a good combo. Let me know how yours comes out!
For dinner tonight, Jim and I had wild caught salmon. I always love the time of year when wild caught salmon is not only available, but also on sale! Because of increased levels of mercury and unfriendly farm conditions, we do not buy farm raised salmon. The salmon was cooked in little foil pouches with lemon, garlic, shallot, and a little olive oil, yum!
To go along with the salmon, I made stuffed zucchini for the first time ever! I have been craving zucchini fries (the WW version - the recipe is awesome, try it!), but stupid me picked up the squash at the store forgetting I had been craving said fries...and I have no panko. So I decided to use the pantry and give stuffed zucchini a shot! I was tempted to use some of the squash from the garden, but they're still a hair on the small side. So using my seemingly neverending pantry, I made this:
Angie's Bloated Squash:
2 medium zucchini halved lengthwise
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely minced onions
2 large cloves garlic
1 eggs beaten
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1-2 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon salt shopping list
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper shopping list
1/4 -1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
Scoop out inside of zucchini. Chop scooped zucchini into bits and cook in oil with onions and garlic until onions are soft. Combine sautéed ingredients with tomatoes cheese, herbs, eggs, salt and pepper. Add in about 2 Tablespoons of the breadcrumbs to the stuffing mixture.
Lightly salt and pepper each zucchini half. Fill each zucchini with mixture and dust (generously if you're me) with breadcrumbs and some extra parm cheese.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
They came out really good, and Jim really enjoyed them which was great considering the consistency of eggplant and soggy squash like things dont' jive with him. The zucchini stayed pretty firm, but slightly soft, and the stuffing was crunchy on top. I think it was a good combo. Let me know how yours comes out!
New Look! (and INSANITY Day 3)
So the blog got a makeover today. I also decided to finally change the name, so that an unsuspecting vegetarian didn't come around and become offended by my clearly NOT vegetarian content heh heh....
Today was a good INSANITY day. Want to know why? It was CARDIO RECOVERY Day!!! Whoo hoo...this basically means I sweat about 1/2 as much (which is still more than on any other given day), and it largely resembled a power yoga work out. So not much cardio, but lots of strength and stretching. I feel rejuvenated and ready to hop on the bike tonight....I wonder if that's a bad idea? I would like to walk tomorrow :)
There is this dude playing music on the pedestrian plaza outside the gallery who just really needs to be put out of his misery. Or maybe I need to be put of my misery? He's not that bad, but he's not that good either...and after hearing him play at least twice a week ALLLLL summer, my ears would like a rest.
Cheer folks. Happy Thursday!
Today was a good INSANITY day. Want to know why? It was CARDIO RECOVERY Day!!! Whoo hoo...this basically means I sweat about 1/2 as much (which is still more than on any other given day), and it largely resembled a power yoga work out. So not much cardio, but lots of strength and stretching. I feel rejuvenated and ready to hop on the bike tonight....I wonder if that's a bad idea? I would like to walk tomorrow :)
There is this dude playing music on the pedestrian plaza outside the gallery who just really needs to be put out of his misery. Or maybe I need to be put of my misery? He's not that bad, but he's not that good either...and after hearing him play at least twice a week ALLLLL summer, my ears would like a rest.
Cheer folks. Happy Thursday!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Insanity Day 2....and Buff Chicken Pasta
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could actually GET out of bed this morning, and I wasn't as sore as I expected to be. Today was Day 2 of Insanity, and it was just as brutal as yesterday but at least I did it all. I'm hoping that by tomorrow the initial shock of the intensity of these work outs will lessen enough for me to also get on my bike. Shitloads of APs (activity points for you non WWer folk) here I come (if my body can take both)!
So I've been reading all about this Buffalo Chicken Pasta that you make in the crockpot, and I am finally making it!
Here is the recipe:
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta
4 Bonelss Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Franks hot wing sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp melted light margarine
1/8 tsp celery seeds
black pepper to taste
5 wedges Laughing Cow Light Creamy Herb and Garlic
4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Combine the wing sauce, vinegar,
margarine, celery seeds and black pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the
chicken and cook on low for about 6 hours. When chicken is cooked, cut it
up into small pieces (I actually shredded it with a fork) and add the 4 wedges of cheese, stirring until melted.
Cover and let it cook for awhile longer, just to let the cheese mix in well.
Serve over hot cooked pasta.
For the pasta I chose a rotini style because there's lots of little nooks to grab on to sauce and chickeny goodness.
I also topped Jim's with a dollop of homemade ranch and mine with a few blue cheese crumbles. It was awesome! Jim loved it. I thought there would be more sauce, but the chicken soaks most of it up, and I think if there were more sauce it would be too hot so it works perfectly. I served it wit some celery and dip. Yum!
So I've been reading all about this Buffalo Chicken Pasta that you make in the crockpot, and I am finally making it!
Here is the recipe:
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta
4 Bonelss Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Franks hot wing sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp melted light margarine
1/8 tsp celery seeds
black pepper to taste
5 wedges Laughing Cow Light Creamy Herb and Garlic
4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Combine the wing sauce, vinegar,
margarine, celery seeds and black pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the
chicken and cook on low for about 6 hours. When chicken is cooked, cut it
up into small pieces (I actually shredded it with a fork) and add the 4 wedges of cheese, stirring until melted.
Cover and let it cook for awhile longer, just to let the cheese mix in well.
Serve over hot cooked pasta.
For the pasta I chose a rotini style because there's lots of little nooks to grab on to sauce and chickeny goodness.
I also topped Jim's with a dollop of homemade ranch and mine with a few blue cheese crumbles. It was awesome! Jim loved it. I thought there would be more sauce, but the chicken soaks most of it up, and I think if there were more sauce it would be too hot so it works perfectly. I served it wit some celery and dip. Yum!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
INSANITY Day 1
So today I started the Beachbody INSANITY Workout. I did the Fit Test yesterday, which is fairly hard itself. You do eight moves that are variations of squats, lunges, pushups, etc and count how many reps you can do in one minute. Then write that down on your chart, and you do the fit test every two weeks during the 60 days INSANITY work out so you can track your progress.
I stick the dvd in the player this morning, turn on the Heart Rate Monitor and go to work. I was sweating before the warm up was over. The workout involves max interval training, so you basically suck wind for like three minutes, get a 30 second water break, and then do it all over again. We did these level 1 drills from hell where you had to jump down into a plank, do four push-ups, then do kicks in the plank position, jump back up and then repeat. Mix that in with suicides, power squats, basketball jumps, and wicked fast jabs and I felt like I was back at volleyball bootcamp when we used to do 3-a-days! By the end of the work out, I had burned almost 400 calories during the 40 minutes (15 of which was stretching, warm-up and cool down), had a max heart rate over 170 and was drenched. It will be interesting to see if I can get out of bed tomorrow, since I could already feel it two hours after I was done.
I'm both scared and excited to continue the regime tomorrow...and hope I don't die in the next 60 days.
Also, as part of the workout, they recommend you take a before photo to compare the results at the end of the 60 days. So, I did that yesterday, and for fun I decided to update my "before and after" photo for my overall weight loss. So I'll share it here.
The picture on the left is exactly two years ago, the day I moved to Breckenridge. The picture on the right is yesterday...35 lbs gone. Hopefully INSANITY will help me toss the last 15. Can't wait to see the before and after INSANITY pictures...and then see the after insanity picture next to the true before pic. Go me!
I stick the dvd in the player this morning, turn on the Heart Rate Monitor and go to work. I was sweating before the warm up was over. The workout involves max interval training, so you basically suck wind for like three minutes, get a 30 second water break, and then do it all over again. We did these level 1 drills from hell where you had to jump down into a plank, do four push-ups, then do kicks in the plank position, jump back up and then repeat. Mix that in with suicides, power squats, basketball jumps, and wicked fast jabs and I felt like I was back at volleyball bootcamp when we used to do 3-a-days! By the end of the work out, I had burned almost 400 calories during the 40 minutes (15 of which was stretching, warm-up and cool down), had a max heart rate over 170 and was drenched. It will be interesting to see if I can get out of bed tomorrow, since I could already feel it two hours after I was done.
I'm both scared and excited to continue the regime tomorrow...and hope I don't die in the next 60 days.
Also, as part of the workout, they recommend you take a before photo to compare the results at the end of the 60 days. So, I did that yesterday, and for fun I decided to update my "before and after" photo for my overall weight loss. So I'll share it here.
The picture on the left is exactly two years ago, the day I moved to Breckenridge. The picture on the right is yesterday...35 lbs gone. Hopefully INSANITY will help me toss the last 15. Can't wait to see the before and after INSANITY pictures...and then see the after insanity picture next to the true before pic. Go me!
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