Boos

On Wednesday (when I meant to write this post) I had a really awful spin class. Recently, I’ve become addicted to spin classes. I know which instructors I like and which classes I like to go to. I prefer doing the 6:30 am class. Usually I don’t eat anything before working out because I don’t have time and my body isn’t used to it. On Wednesday I had a plum before working out. My body shut down half-way through the class and I had to significantly downgrade my effort. I’ll also say I probably didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Overall, it was discouraging. I really enjoy my spin classes and it was hard having my body not cooperate.

On Tuesday I had an eye doctor’s appointment which is next door to REI who is having their Labor Day Sale. I know that sometimes they have some dresses and skirts so I wanted to stop in and maybe pick something up to wear to my cousins wedding this weekend. It’s going to be hot and the dress is casual, so I though REI would be the perfect place to look for an outfit. I grabbed several dresses and when I tried them on, they didn’t fit very well. They clung in the wrong places and prints emphasized lumps everywhere. It was actually quite awful, not go home and cry awful, but awful just the same. I think I expected too much of myself. I was so excited about losing weight in the last month, that I thought I should be ready to go try things on. I guess not. Do you ever do that? Overestimate what you’re ready for? It made me feel really self-conscious and it was a rather unpleasant reminder of how far I have to go.

Yays

While my overall REI experience was less than ideal, I did manage to find one dress that I liked and that looked nice. Lucky me it was on sale and it happened to match a pair of shoes that I already own. This dress is coming with me as my outfit to the wedding and as my outfit for celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday when we’re both in San Antonio next week. I think it’s quite adorable and it’s a nice band-aid on my bruised ego.

In other Yays, I just left New York where I was visiting my boyfriend! I just stopped by for a short day-long visit. He just got back from Australia and I was so happy to see him. It’s really hard when he’s on the other side of the world, the time zones are killer. He’s awake when I’m sleeping and vice-versa. It was really nice to get some time together. Last night, at my request, we watched He’s Just Not That Into You because I was itching for a romantic comedy. Major yay that I’m dating a guy who’s OK with me choosing a rom com. 

I’m going to be on the road for the next two weeks which has, in the past, wreaked havoc on my eating and working out habits. I’m going to try really really really hard to not let happen this trip. I would love to come back and see that I’ve stayed at the same weight. Here’s hoping I can make that happen!

(Sorry for the dodgy post, writing-wise, I’m distracted and tired. After a good night’s sleep, I’ll be better an not repeating myself.)

What I really want to talk about today is my new favorite snack. In preparation for Hurricane Irene (seriously, exactly what happened where I was), I bought pudding. It was on sale and I like pudding, as does my boyfriend. I try to keep some boyfriend-friendly food in the house for when he visits, but I hide it so it’s out of sight for my day-to-day life. I had this genius idea for a snack with pudding!

Pudding Banana English Muffin (Chocolate)

1 Thomas Light Multi-Grain English muffin
2 tbsp. chocolate pudding
1/2 sliced banana

Toast English muffin. Spread 1 tbsp. of pudding on each half. Top with banana slices. Enjoy.

Notes: The pictures is with plantains, but it’s waaaaay better with bananas. Since discovering this, I’ve had it everyday! I love that I get fiber from the English muffin, a bit of sweet from the pudding, and potassium (and other good stuff) from the banana. I found that one snack pack of pudding can make three of these, which is pretty sweet. I’m also really looking forward to trying this with vanilla pudding and sprinkling cinnamon under the banana.

Points+: 5

On my way back, I noticed there is a Trader Joe’s near me! I pulled over and spent the next 10 minutes looking for a parking space. Apparently today was the day everyone and their mother was out shopping. It might have to do with being a nice day after a hurricane or (more likely) tomorrow being the first day of school. Either way, I’m pumped that I’m so close to a Trader Joe’s! I was just stopping in to get some bananas, but you never really come out of Trader Joe’s with just one thing. I noticed they had potted basil plants outside, so I picked up one of those. I love pesto and I haven’t made it all summer (since I’ve been gone for most of the summer). I love fresh basil and I’m hoping that I can keep it alive through my next trip and then into winter so I can have basil whenever I want!

I finally found bananas at Trader Joe’s and I bought the last three! What is going on? Is there a massive banana shortage going on that I’m not aware of? Someone fill me in!

I found two things while browsing the internets and I thought I’d share them with you.

1. Jennifer Hudson posted her meal plan on Self.com. I thought it might be helpful for menu planning.
2. Lunch It Punch It is a neat concept if you want to try to pack your lunches more often. “It’s a ‘loyalty card’ for your health and wealth.” I actually love bringing my lunch when I go to the office because I know exactly what I’m eating and it costs less. If you need an incentive, this is looks pretty useful.

Tomorrow my big plan is to go to spinning, my Weight Watcher’s meeting, and then have a totally productive work day! I need to ramp up on HTML5, so I think that will consume most of my day/week. I’m leaving on Wednesday for a trip and I think I have just enough food to last me until then without having too much spoil.

This week I’ve been all about cooking. This isn’t exactly new for me, but I am happy that I’m getting back into the habit. I find cooking for one person is actually kind of difficult. I have to find recipes that don’t leave too much of an ingredient leftover because I’m not that good at planning what to do with leftover ingredients (random creations/pantry surprise) yet. I also need recipes that have about four servings since I think 8 is too many servings for one person. That would mean I eat it once a day for more over a week and even then, some of the dish may spoil.

Lately, I’ve been loving stuff that’s easy to make and easy to divide. Once I make something, I divide it into serving sizes immediately so I’m not temped to overeat later. Of course, this means my fridge looks like I’m super organized and the rest of my apartment looks like a natural disaster has hit it. Right now, one of my go to resources for recipes are the Self Drop10 meal plans from April and May 2011.

Vegetable Ragout (Self, April 2011)

Simmer 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Add 2 cups arugula, 1 cup chopped tomato, 1 cup canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained), 1/2 frozen peas, 1 crushed garlic clove. Simmer 30 minutes. Top with 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes: I mince the garlic clove. I also double the recipe so I can use the whole can of chickpeas and vegetable broth.

Points+: 9

Mediterranean Turkey meat Loaf (Self, May 2011)

Combine 1 lb. lean ground turkey with 2 eggs, 2 oz. reduced-fat feta, 3/4 cup chopped baby spinach, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs, 1 chopped garlic clove, 1/2 tsp each ground coriander, cumin, black pepper. Form into loaf; bake at 350 until internal temperature reaches 160, about 40 minutes. Cut loaf into quarters; enjoy 1 quarter with 1 medium baked potato topped with 2 tbsp non-fat plain Greek yogurt and 1 tsp chopped chives, plus 1 cup steamed broccoli tossed with 1 tsp lemon juice.

Notes: I’m not sure if I’d make this again. The flavor is a little bland and when I cooked it, I had to scrape of fat. Although that might be because I waited a tad too long to use the ground turkey. I’ll let you know if I make it again and if it improves. Also, I didn’t have it with a baked potato or broccoli, it’s just a serving suggestion.

Points+: 9

Gretchen’s Green Curry Mac & Cheese

For the full recipe, click the title! Gretchen has done of great job of putting her new recipe writing skills to work.

Notes: I added in some spice with this nifty pepper mix my mom bought me and I also added some “Thai spice.” (One of my good friends, Malisa, is Thai. She brought back a bag of spicy deliciousness last time she went to Thailand. I have no idea what it is, just that it’s spicy and I LOVE it.) I wish the dish was a little more curry-er, but I can fix that by added more curry paste next time. I loved that I was able to break up a 2-serving Annie’s box into three servings loaded with veggies.

Points+: 8

Whole-grain berry rhubarb muffins

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup orange juice
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup rhubarb, chopped

1. Heat over to 375. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray). In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, butter, juice, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated (do not overmix). Fold in the fruit (two cups of your favorite fruit).
3. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.

To make ahead: The muffins will keep at room temperature for 3 days and in the freezer for 1 month. Warm in the microwave, 1 to 2 minutes.

Adapted from Whole-grain Blueberry Muffins, Breakfast Breakthroughs, Real Simple, September 2011

Notes: I had some rhubarb that I needed to use, so I though why not make muffins with it? They’re healthier than a cobbler or crumble and I can freeze them! I was nervous about the tartness of the rhubarb and adding enough sugar to balance it out, but they came out great! I omitted some ingredients, like pecans, and increased the amount of sugar and flaxseed meal.

Points+: 5

• Cinnamon Fruit Dip (from Self)
  1/4 cup low-fat or fat free plain yogurt (I used Chobani)
  1 tsp. almond butter (or your favorite nut butter)
  1tsp. honey
  1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  Mix. Enjoy with fruit; my favorite is apples!
  
  
  
• My new Vera Bradley Bags
  
• Sweatybands (the only headbands to ever fit right!)
• All my plastic food containers that are nicely organized in the cupboard. They make me feel like at least some part of my life fits together.

Things That Irk Me

• Wasting my time. I metro-ed down to Columbia Heights today for a session with my trainer and apparently we didn’t have a session today. So yesterday I texted “Same time? If not, let me know what’s on your schedule.” which evidently warranted no response. I assumed the same time. That was wrong. It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t head over during peak time. I didn’t get a session in, I wasted >$6 and an hour and half getting there, the treadmill I was going to work out on was crap. I’m not very happy with my trainer right now and I’ve been talking to a different trainer about taking over with me. #angryDinosaur.

In other news, yesterday was a day of horrible, horrible eating. Horrible, yet at the same time delicious and greasy. Between pizza and P.F. Chang’s, I went way over any points+ allotment for the day. But that’s alright, it was off day. Today has been much better, I’ve snacked on fruits and veggies and I made several dishes for dinner and lunch (perhaps breakfast too, if the breakfast police don’t knock on my door ). Now I’m headed to the store to do some produce shopping and pick the ingredients for Green Curry Mac & Cheese, courtesy of Honey, I Shrunk the Gretchen.

Yay for day-to-day improvement!

I did, however, lose 2 lbs. this week! There are two possible reasons for this:

1. Working out that extra bit really helped and lightly watching what I eat when I go out was really helpful.
2. I wore a different outfit to weigh-in today. I usually throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and go. Today I didn’t work out in the morning, so I hadn’t really started my day, which means my wardrobe choices become way more relaxed. I grabbed a pair of Lucy pants and a t-shirt. Is it possible I stayed the same weight, but “lost” 2 lbs. because I put on a pair of cotton pants instead of jeans?

I’m afraid the reason is the latter, so I’m going to work hard this week to eat right and get my workouts in to make sure last week wasn’t an outfit fluke. It’s not like it can happen again, unless I weigh-in in my birthday suit! And since I have an intense aversion towards being arrested for indecent exposure, that’s an unlikely scenario.

In other news, I’ve signed up for two running events: the Hot Chocolate 15k and the Rock n Roll Half Marathon. I’ll likely start training for these this week. I’m always looking for work out buddies, so if you’ve signed up and want to go on a light jog (re: slow), let me know!

The past two weeks I’ve had people come stay with me in DC. While this is super awesome and I love having friends come and visit, it also means that I go out to eat a lot. That’s bad not ideal. I have a lot of trouble eating healthy things when I eat out. It’s definitely one of those things that I need to work on. Sometimes I’m better at and I can remember to order something reasonably healthy and take (at least) half home to have the next day. Other times, it’s more similar to “Please bring me that delicious sounding sandwich on Texas toast with sweet potato fries.”

One thing that I’ve discovered is that I will eat mindlessly when I’m out. And I’ll eat past the point of being full, even when I know I’m full! This is bad not ideal. We went for lunch at Johnny Rockets and got two burgers to split and share. I finished half of one burger and with that half-burger and the amount of fries I’d eaten I was full. I knew I was full, but I went for the second half-burger anyway. It was as if I was afraid to ask for a box to take it home. I think it’s a money complex: “I paid for it, I want to eat it.” Or maybe it’s a social complex: “Other people are still eating, I should still be eating.” I don’t know. All I know is that I ate too much. Maybe I was embarrassed at not eating a whole burger.

Does anyone else have difficulties eating out? Are there any strategies you use?

• Spin class
• Shower
• Breakfast
• Pack and load car with a few boxes
• Sign new lease
• Jump around new apartment!
• Drive into DC for a luncheon featuring Kodu games made by student teams from the Boys and Girls Club
• Drive back to apartment to unload boxes
• Find out Verizon is on strike and my order won’t be processed for awhile
• Drive to Columbia Heights
• 30 minute nap
• Apple & nectarine snack
• IGDA DC meet up
• Dinner

I’m still going to pack up the car and take one more load over to the new apartment. I’d also like to make a batch of muffins tonight before everything gets packed. We’ll see how that goes. My movers have confirmed that they will be coming at 8am tomorrow. They’ll have a lot of packing to do! Hopefully it’ll go fast; there will be four of them.