Saturday, April 30, 2011

I dream of donuts

We keep talking about donuts. Yesterday in the car on the way to Spokane they were mentioned many times. Josh eats donuts every Saturday. I LOVE DONUTS!

But right now I cannot eat them. They have pretty much everything in them that I cannot eat...the fat...the sugar...the wheat.

Last weekend I cheated on Sunday and ate many bites of these delicious donuts. Heather bought them at a specialty store in Seattle. They were just as delicious as they look!

The maple bacon donut was actually delicious

So today I am NOT eating donuts but I am actively dreaming and blogging about them!!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Eggplant Lasagna

I had a crazy evening! After work got out at six I intended to go to the gym but decided at the last minute to go home and make dinner! I made a lasagna from scratch and went on a fast jog when it was in the oven.

(Side note...I ran nearly three miles in 23 minutes...HA!)


So here is what I did:

1) Slice 1 eggplant and toast in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes.
2) Brown some ground beef (the leanest type!) and some chopped onion.
3) Slice mushrooms and saute with olive oil, thyme and basil.
4)Layer the lasagna with eggplant slices, ground beef, mushrooms, ricotta and marinara sauce. I did two layers and used everything up. Then I added some Parmesan on top.

I tried to keep the meal really lean but I did use full fat cheese! There is something about fat free cheese that is just NOT good.


While I waited for the lasagna to finish cooking (because my run was that fast!) I did some vacuuming and took down a load of garbage and two loads of recycling. Then at eight I sat down with dinner and watched Biggest Loser. I am still watching as I write this! Rulon, the gold medalist just went home. Sad!

Have a good week and eat healthy!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Photos from my weekend! April 15-17

I am about to get up off the couch and ride my bike to work! Yay! But I thought I would post a few favorite posts from my weekend. I got to spend three days in my home town of Spokane...haven't been there since December.

I accidentally ran into James and Josie at the Froyo place...


Yes I know my hand is backwards. :)

Mom, Ruth and I ate lunch at my favorite restaurant in Spokane, Moon's Mongolian Grill. I love that you can eat as much as you want of veggies and meat and keep it healthy!Demonstrating Renae's new hammock swing...
Picture of my mom and dad. They look great but the background is awful! I was going for good lighting, but the fence was sure ugly. Better luck to me next time!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Eating + working out

People have been asking me recently how I eat and what I do to work out. Truth is, I don't really have any secrets! It seems like every one or two weeks I am trying something new. But for the last couple of weeks I have found a way to eat that I am really enjoying. I bought the book "The Eat Clean Diet" on my kindle and read the whole thing in two days. Right away I tried to change some things up!

Here is what has worked for me:

1) Cook food ahead of time. The last couple of Sundays I have done my grocery shopping at TJs and Costco. I baked some chicken breast, cooked some brown rice/wild rice, hard boiled a dozen eggs and pre chopped lots of veggies. I also stocked my fridge with healthy greek yogurt and cottage cheese and almond milk. This has helped SO MUCH to have food available.

2) The book recommends eating 6 meals a day. Of course, these meals are not very big. The goal is to keep the metabolism up. I have had a hard time with this, especially at work, but I've been carrying fruit, nuts, and larabars to work, as well as a salad with chicken and HB egg. I keep an extra snack as well so that I can have something to eat before working out.

3) I love eating oatmeal with flaxseed, almond milk and half banana in the morning. A little cinnamon is nice, but no sugar!

4)I've cut out almost all the sugar in my diet, except for fruit. So far, each week I have indulged on Asian inspired slightly tart frozen yogurt...my favorite! I am not sure I can give this up. I do try to add almonds and fruit to make it slightly more healthy.

5) I drink tons of water! At least I try. I have a 750 ml Camelback water bottle and I try to drink 3 per day. So far I have gotten close each day but not completely finished my 3rd bottle. Its a work in progress.

6) I don't eat wheat. This isn't part of the Eat-Clean diet, but its something I'm trying and so far I like it! I don't seem to have the ability to limit my portions on bread, sweets and baked goods, so avoiding it all together has totally worked.

7) I don't eat anything artificial. Mostly this helps me avoid diet soda and protein bars!!!

8) I work out every day and keep it different! I like to go to spin class twice a week and do a lifting class once a week. I also run almost every day, or do the elliptical on an "off day." I also try to keep active and walk a lot! I am still working on lifting more weights at the gym, and I also want to try more yoga and pilates. When there is a boot camp class, I go! (Unfortunately these are rare.)

9) I do write everything down and somewhat keep track of calories. I really don't freak out about how many calories I eat and it really varies between 1400 and 2200. I am sure I end up eating more on the day or day after a really hard work out.

10) The diet has really helped me eat more protein. It recommends combining complex carbohydrates and proteins at every one of the six meals. I get most of my protein from Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, chicken breast and beans/rice. And I eat healthy fat every day, usually in the form of nuts and sometimes some olive oil or avocado.

And this is it! I will add more if I think of anything!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My recent scrapbooking...

I have been recording my every day in this cool book, "Project Life" this year. My mom did it last year and I thought it was so cool. Last year I took a photo a day for 365 days. I haven't been nearly as strict this year. I sometimes go three or four days without taking a photo and I sometimes I take several in a day. I really like this book because it has lots of little pockets for collecting the things of life. I have always been someone that loves to keep everything, receipts, tags and lots of random stuff. And now I have a place to put it!

Here is the recent week's pages:
And here is a page from a couple weeks back where I added lots of extras! I got a couple post cards from Joy that I added, as well as some important ephemera in an 8.5 X 11 page protector.
Thanks for looking! I really like this project. So much fun!!!

Tomorrow I will be heading to Spokane for the weekend! I get to see my mom and Renae. I haven't been back home since beginning of December, so I am super excited!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Before I am 27.

I have seen lots of lists on people's blogs about what they will accomplish in the coming year. I thought it would be a good idea to write some goals down so I will be accountable! However, I am going to give myself until age 27 because I'm almost half way through my 25th year. (Scary!)

1. Travel outside the U.S.
2. Learn to play the guitar.
3. Learn how to speak Spanish.
4. Be happy with my body.
5. Pay off my student loans.
6. Organize all my scrapbooks.
7. Make a new friend.
8. Read the Bible more.
9. Visit all the counties in Washington. (Yes, I know, a silly goal. :) )
10. Learn how to run barefoot.
11. Do chin ups and pull ups more easily.
12. Write more. Write some poetry.
13. Bike around Mercer Island.
14. Paint pottery.
15. Complete a mountain bike race (maybe a beginner one!)
16. Learn how to swim.
17. Have a picnic with Matt.
18. Randomly try a new restaurant.
19. Paint my kitchen (hopefully!)
20. Learn how to get enough sleep.
21. Make my house look cute.
22. Visit Cannon Beach again.
23. Stay on top of my health and nutrition.
24. Drink more tea.
25. Go unplugged for one week (no internet!)
26. Spend a weekend in a cabin.
27. Go to a play or musical.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Will it ever stop raining?

I am ready for summer.

Apparently summer is not ready for Seattle.

Its not even really spring here because its SO COLD! However, the trees are beautiful.

Its the time of year for the ducks to be having babies at green lake, for the daffodils to fully bloom and for the trees to be perfectly pink. I am sure Spring is happening somewhere out there, but right now I am stuck INSIDE! B

Because of the weather, the crazy rain and heavy wind.

I am ready for summer!!!! Where are you?

Friday, April 1, 2011

I love my coffee




This morning I was delighted to receive some delicious steamed soy on top of my americano. Thank you barista from Starbucks! It was delicious!

So that got me thinking about how much I love coffee and that I should do a blog post about my favorite little drink.

Mostly at home I drink drip coffee, no cream or sugar. Matty usually makes it for me! (Lovely guy!)

At Starbucks I generally get a tall Americano. Usually I put a little cream in there but lately I've been staying away from the cream. That's why I got soy today.

When I visit random coffee shops I almost always order a 16 oz latte. When I feel like being healthy I make the latte non fat.

I love latte art. I also love donuts. This picture was taken at Top Pot the afternoon after my half marathon. Fortunately I haven't really indulged in crazy unhealthy sweets since then!

I love sitting in a coffee shop. Sometimes I think its worth the ridiculous $7 for a latte and sweet treat, just so I can chill out for a couple hours and read or spend time with friends.
Coffee: I will never leave you. I may go crazy every couple of years and try to "quit" you, but I will always be back.

I am a coffee drinker for life. :)