Happy mother's day!

First I have to start by saying, I spent Saturday afternoon watching Food INC. When I went out for drinks/dessert with some friends after, I couldn't stomach many things. I ended up eating a mozzarella, tomato, basil appetizer. I still feel sickened by that movie (though I know I still ate diary).

Here's the weekend update:

I think I ran my slowest two miles on Friday! I was super sluggish. But a really great power up song is Airplanes by B.O.B. featuring Hailey Williams (I used to love Paramore). Here is my run:

I ate a ton of leftovers on friday, so I don't have any delicious recipes to report. But, on Saturday I fell off the wagon. I ate apple jacks for breakfast and a hot dog for lunch (I was with my parents and it's our tradition to eat at this hot dog place after we got to englishtown. I felt guilty breaking it. I figured what's one hot dog), but boy-oh-boy did I feel really crappy. I ended up taking a two hour nap because I was completely deprived of energy. I won't be hitting the unhealthy wagon again after that. For dinner I made the Caesar salad I posted about before. But instead of adding mustard, I added 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and I substituted half of the parm cheese for horseradish cheddar that was in my fridge. It was good, but a little less creamy.

To end my weekend wrap up - today's run was:

I really dislike when I think or feel I am running a far distance, and when I come home, I realize it was not even three miles. I'm going to start lengthening my runs. Here's a little fun fact from the map my run website : The website has green facts. I started logging my workouts online five days ago. These are my green stats:
Total Workout Days: 5
Distance Traveled: 8.42 mi.
Gas Saved: 0.47 gallons
Money Saved: $1.63
Carbon Offset: 9.1 lbs. of CO2

I think that's very cool! For those of you who are runners, here is another fun list of the top 7 foods for runners . For breakfast today, I had a banana-peanut butter protein shake (post workout because I wake up and run. Then, I eat).

Lunch is not planned yet, and since today is Mother's Day, I am going to my in-law's for dinner. They are ordering chinese food. Expect a follow up blog after I spend my afternoon researching chinese food! Let's see what I come up with! Happy Mothers Day!

Phallus, Running, and Frittats

Super excited about breakfast this morning. I had a zucchini-potato frittata.

I've relegated myself to eating flat bread turkey sandwiches for both lunch and dinner because I was running around a lot.

I mapped my run this morning, and it's in the shape of a phallus. I don't know why, but I find it hilarious. Once I link the map to my blog, maybe you too will find it equally funny.


I haven't had a moment to pick up the G Free book, but I'm thinking about trying some recipes from women's health.

It's Peanut butter banana time..

This morning I opted for something different. Who wants to eat egg whites day in and day out? Not this girl! So I got this recipe: Peanut butter banana pancakes



This is the whole wheat batter I use

The pancakes were good. I made extra and froze them. I find it's always better to make extra and freeze them. This way, when you're in a rush or have no time, you can always pop the leftovers into the oven or microwave quickly.

Lunch and Dinner were nothing to write home about, or blog about for that matter. I'm exhausted, which is why I'm being super brief. Tomorrow I'm going to link my workout page and do all new recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It's all about the Caesar baby!

I have found the ULTIMATE CAESAR SALAD! Normally this bad boy is around 850 calories and 64 g of fat/ serving.

Check out this recipe, it's 202 Calories and only 6.1 g of fat.

This makes 4 servings, and it's from Now Eat This this book is definitely worth picking up. It's 150 comfort food recipes jazzed up into a healthy version, each under 350 calories.

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I left this ingredient out)
5 tbsp of low-fat-mayonnaise (I use Hellmann's Low-Fat Mayonnaise Dressing).
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large bowl, combine the minced garlic, lemon juice, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and half of the grated cheese. Add One 9-ounce package of romaine lettuce, 4 chicken cutlets, and the rest of the cheese. Shake it and mix it!!

This recipe calls for croutons, and has a recipe for them; I am not a big crouton person (and I was also too lazy to toast the bread and this whole sha-bang for a little piece of hard bread in my salad). Instead, I took them out and added hard boiled egg whites!

I hit up Subway for lunch. It is a good deal for healthy eating when you're out, but you can make a turkey sammie at home for less money. Here is a list of items that are healthy and unhealthy at subway.

Quick On-the-Go Tip: For those of us smart phone users, I look up the restaurant I'm going to, if I'm out before I walk in. There should be an app for that - I'm going to look into it!

Week one - and done baybayyy!

For breakfast I've been eating the muffins I made in earlier posts. But I've eaten them all, so I'm going to put up some breakfast recipes tomorrow!

Welcome to Moe's

Anyone else love Moe's as much as I do? If you've never eaten there, it's a Southwest Grill. Every Monday it is, "Moe's Monday." This means you get any burrito, chips/salsa, and a drink for $6. As per usual, I went there after my gym workout. However before I went, I checked out the nutritional facts. I actually love this option on their website Moe's Nutrition Calculator . Click on the picture of the salad and you will be able to select exactly what you get. I'm not sure what the specific portions are, and I couldn't find anything on the website about it. But, I usually get a Joey Bag of Donuts. After checking the website, I have discovered that my average Monday lunch is 1,310 calories. That does not include the soda that comes with the meal (I learned today that water is not included in "Moe Monday").

After about thirty minutes of playing on this website, I finally went to Moe's and got a Joey Bag of Donuts. However this time, I got it naked, which they call streaked with steak, black beans, pico, lettuce, cucumbers, corn fired salsa, and a pinch of mixed cheese. This equally approximately 360 calories (give or take). However, I was thoroughly disappointed. A naked burrito lacks the gooey goodness of all the flavors pouring into your mouth in one bite. I'll have to play around with my options there, because I really do like Moe's. But it's just interesting to see, a simple burrito equals a RIDICULOUS amount of calories.

Tomorrow marks one week since I started this project. I'm going to weigh in. Today, I'm really hungry, and I've been feeling hungry all day. That's my only complaint.

Yummy

Eating better is really a change of lifestyle, and with that change you begin to recognize where your flaws previously existed. I used to eat out A LOT, I mean A LOT! Who wants to come home and cook after a long work day (and a long drive home)? I know that I emphatically do not want to. As I'm going through my first week, I'm discovering that a lot of my poor eating habits come from the following:

• Being so busy I forget to eat, or feel I do not have the time to eat, and then when I do eat - I want to eat every bad fat, carbs, and the kitchen sink.
• Eating out and knowing nothing about where I'm eating (which isn't always bad because who doesn't want a little adventure in their life), but also not knowing basic facts about eating.

So as I took on the week and weekend, eating out less, but still eating out I was able to visit these challenges with a new mentality (i.e. my previous post about PF Changs).

My breakfast started with a whole wheat pumpkin muffin from another fabulous blog. I do like the banana muffins better, and I feel a lot better about those ingredients, but I had some pumpkin in my pantry.

I went to see an off-Broadway show today, so lunch was in the city (I stopped at the nearest place that had AC because I was melting). Lunch consisted of a small cup of matzoh ball soup and garden salad. I had blue cheese dressing, but very sparingly.

As per the usual family Sunday tradition, I found myself at my parent's house for dinner. My mom came over earlier in the day to pick up some pesto from my house (it's from Sam's Club, and I don't know the brand off hand because I left the bottle at my parent's house. I'll post later when I get it because this stuff is off the charts delicious). There is also a healthy pesto sauce recipe that I'm planning on trying this week. We'll see if it meets my test. I am a very picky pesto eater - a pesto connoisseur, if you will :). Dinner was pesto salad with chicken, a garden salad, and a small layer dessert consisting of vanilla pudding and fruit.

Tomorrow I'm thinking G free for a week? Who doesn't love them a little Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

359 - time is going by quickly!

Resisting temptation and embracing healthier options

Yesterday, I stayed away from the refreshments. There was a ton of food, and I didn't have time to eat the flatbread I had hoped before I left (that I posted about yesterday). I was hungry, but eating healthy has this amazing power. I've been eating healthy and exercising, I no longer see a point in splurging. It felt "not worth it" (I hope everyone enjoys my grammar there). So here is my first EDIT!!

Dinner for yesterday was Linguini with Clams, and before you all cringe at it's unhealthy carb attributes check this out: Sauce 2 minced garlic cloves in 1 tbsp olive oil (I really love olive oil Spray, it just feels more controlled. I'm sure we've all had the accidentally pouring too much OO experience. This allows for a thin layer and therefore less fat). Strain and reserve half the liquid from a small can of clams. Add half the clams to the pan, and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 chopped and seeded tomatoes, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I would say this is optional, but the recipe has it as a listed ingredient), 1/2 cup dry white wine and reserve clam juice. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes Add I cup cooked whole wheat linguini and 1 cup spinach!

Whole wheat linguini is great because it has more fiber than it's white pasta friend. As Rocco Dispirito says, "with more fiber comes a slower release of the carbohydrates into the bloodstream and, long story short, less weigh gain" (p. xxi, Now Eat This!). A quick tip on whole wheat pastas - over cook the pasta until it's tender (not the al dente we've come to love with white pasta) and it's texture is similar to white pasta.

Today's breakfast was one of the banana muffins (I like to make a ton, and freeze them for later) and a glass of skim milk.

Since it's so beautiful out, I went to Stewart's for lunch - I resisted gyros, fat cats, and root beer. For lunch I had a turkey burger with a small side of chili and water.

Dinner was field greens, tomatoes, humus, and lamb.

For a snack - and I'm obsessed with this!! It's unbelievable!! fakeout banana ice cream
Thank you Rachael Ray. I can now enjoy ice cream!!

Still doing and never feeling hungry! I love this!
360 days to go...