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By Liz, November 15, 2009 9:31 pm

I absolutely loved having the day off today. I feel (mostly) recharged and (sorta) ready for the weeks ahead.

I slept into almost 10 o’clock this morning! Ack, it felt good, but I usually like to be up by 8 at the latest. I sure felt rested though!

While laying in bed, I made a game plan for how I wanted to spend my day. Jacob and I had thrown around a couple ideas last night, like maybe hiking. But, this morning we decided on making a relaxing breakfast, hanging out a bit, then going for a long run at Montana de Oro (my favorite place ever!), window shopping in downtown SLO and going to New Frontiers (my 2nd favorite place ever).

First things first…

I made waffles using whole wheat flour, oat bran and ground flax. I reduced the butter in the recipe (from Joy of Cooking) from 2 sticks to 3/4 of a stick. They sure were tasty. For some protein power, I made a 2 egg omelet stuffed with spinach and a thin slice of sharp cheddar cheese. And, of course, there was some maple syrup on the side for dipping the waffles in. Yum!

Jacob and I hung out in our pjs watching some Spongebob Squarepants. I swear I’m still a little kid! I mean…my comforter on my bed is Pooh bear and I have 2 Spongebob pillow cases. Real mature

After digesting breakkie, it was off to Montana de Oro. I ran 7 miles in 64 minutes. I ran in my regular Mizuno trainers, no Vibrams for longs runs yet. I felt amazing…like I was gliding along. The weather was gorgeous, too. A light breeze, just enough warmth, the rustling of leaves…perfect.

After-run refueling was chicken sandwiches I made before we left for the run.

I was afraid all the fillings would fall out if I took a picture of it after I unwrapped it, so a saran wrapped picture it was. I made the sandwiches with 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 1/4 avocado, 1 tbsp. TJs tuscan dressing, shredded carrot, roasted chicken, red pepper slices, radishes and spinach. On the side, I had 1/2 and orange and a homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.

After lunching, we drove into SLO-town and hit up a couple stores downtown. I made some serious hints to Jacob of possible Christmas presents. I also used a gift card that I had from my birthday last January, and bought a pair of running shorts with it. A little Starbucks was had, too.I got my recent addiction of a cafe americano with 2 pumps pumpkin spice with a splash of half and half. Too good!

Of course, our New Frontiers stop was wonderful. This health food store is quite expensive, but aren’t they all? I limited myself to 4 small items, and somehow walked out only spending 12 bucks. I am proud of my smart spending. I made my selections carefully…

Annie’s woodstock dressing (aka my favorite salad dressing), 2 bars of Green and Blacks chocolate (also my favorite dark chocolate in the world) and a package of coconut water. I’ve heard that coconut water is a good natural sports drink, so I’ll test it out one of these days soon.

When we got home, we were both pretty famished! I whipped up some quick dinner.

All pretty:

All messed up:

This dish was inspired from a similar dinner Christina made a while back. I’ve had it in the back of my mind ever since I saw it, and tonight was the night to try it out. I didn’t use the ricotta though, and I’m a bit sad I didn’t. It really would have added something too the dish…next time though. I also added in some green beans for some more veggie action. I loved the green beans in it, too! This dish was fabulous, even without the ricotta and Jacob and I both went back for seconds. Lucky me, there are some leftovers for my lunch tomorrow!

Dinner was accompanied my a beverage…

This was better than the Blue Moon pumpkin ale, more spice to it. However, I was still a bit disappointed in how it almost tasted like regular ol’ beer. Anyone have some recommendations for a really good pumpkin brew?

Dessert was obvious…

This was the first time I tried this variety and I was seriously impressed. I had to hold myself back from eating the whole bar! I will admit I went back for a couple more little squares. Too good, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from G&Bs.

Just enjoying the rest of my night before I have to go back to the daily grind. Nighty night.

Comments (8)

By Liz, November 1, 2009 8:46 pm

I’m all in the holiday spirit over here! The beginning of November is like the gateway to the holiday season. I can’t wait till Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years, then my birthday! And they’ll all be here before I know it. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s recap this day, November 1st.

Actually, I want to recap the cookies I made last night first…

These were truly the best cookies I have made…ever! I switched my usual recipe up a little. I also used chocolate chips and some Halloween treats (reeses and snickers). Here’s the recipe:

The Best Cookies Liz Ever Made

• 6 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2c. brown sugar
• 1/4c. regular granulated white sugar
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2c. chocolate chips
• 3 reeses cups
• 5 mini snickers

Directions:Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Melt butter in medium sized bowl. Stir in vanilla, sugars, egg and salt. The add half the flour and baking soda. Stir in candies and chocolate chips. Finish by adding the last cup of flour. Combine until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Drop onto greased pan in large spoonful (2-3 tbsp). Bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Just to re-iterate again, these cookies were amazing. They weren’t exactly healthy, but they were delicious…and sometimes delicious things don’t need to be healthy. I enjoyed them and savored every bite of my cookies.

Okay, now to today….

I woke up and went right on my long run. It was my last long run of this cross country season. I ran 8.5 miles in 1hr 22 min. I was proud because I ran my typical route around town a good 5 minutes faster than usual. Maybe it was all the cookies and candy . I felt great!

I wanted a super super healthy breakfast after my indulgences last night (I had a fair share of candy, in the upwards of 10 pieces!). So what better than a green monster to start my day?

Plus a slice of ezekiel toast with butter for something solid.

I worked for 4 hours today. Lunch was leftover chili and strawberries for dessert. I think you guys have seen enough pictures of chili, so I won’t bore you with that.

I had an extremely stupendous snack after work though, that is very noteworthy.

I used Tay’s idea for custard oats. I didn’t follow her recipe exactly. Here’s what I did: Cooked 1/2c. oats, 1 cup water and one egg on stovetop. Topped with cinnamon, brown sugar and 1 tbsp. of peanut butter. I am going to make these a regular appearance on here. The egg made the texture of oats so thick and custardy. Totally delish! I love the fact that the egg adds more staying power also.

Jacob and I went grocery shopping after my snackie. We loaded up on all the essentials plus a few fun things. Oh, and I didn’t forget my Project Feed Me items for last week…

I chillaxed with a glass of beer for a bit…

Then I made dinner…

I tried out a new soup recipe, black bean soup from Rachael Ray. This was supposed to be a thicker “stoup”, but it came out pretty thin. It was spicy just to the point of perfection for my tastebuds. I really liked it. I accompanied my soup with a grilled cheese sandwich made with 2 slices of ezekiet bread and pepperjack cheese.

All together:

I had the last of my jug o’beer with dinner too. This was pure comfort food at it’s best.

Dessert was a coconut bar and 3 mini Halloween candies.

I’m watching Saw right now with Jacob and Justin (one of my roomies). They’re getting drunk on sake because Justin’s truck broke down, so he’s drowing out his sorrows with alcohol…haha, I’m refraining…early morning workouts and hangovers don’t mix well.

Have a good night y’all!

Comments (7)

By Liz, October 21, 2009 9:47 pm

Good evening guys!

Today was not the typical Wednesday. Not in any super unusual way, it was just different in the way that I didn’t do my usual schedule of things. It kinda threw me off to tell ya the truth.

Anyways…

I didn’t get hungry for my lunch until 3:30. Totally not me, I’m usually starving by 11 or 12. Jacob packed me a really cute lunch today.

Happy! That’s what it looked like before I ate it…and here’s what it looked like after…

My salad included spring mix greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, radish, cuke, shredded chicken and goddess dressing. Super yum. One of the guys down in the bike shop gave me some candy today at work.

It’s almond toffee with dark chocolate. I can’t believe I was able to restrain myself and wait half the day to eat it after lunch. It was way way delicious. I forgot how much I liked toffee. I also had a pear.

Kona was very intrigued by my picture taking.

After eating my late lunch I did some studying then Jacob and I went grocery shopping. I bought two especially special items while shopping. One of them I’ll show you guys soon…but I’ll give you a hint : HEAB. The other special item that I got was Project Feed Me items.

This weeks items were two cans of tuna. I also caught up and got last weeks items, which were two cans of chili. If anyone doesn’t know about Project Feed Me, go over to Natalie’s blog and check it out. It’s a great way to help your community by donating items to your local food bank. I think it’s a great idea and am so happy to be a part of it. Great idea Natalie!

Dinner tonight was spaghetti squash with meat sauce.

I cut the squash lengthwise and cooked it face down on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 450 degrees. Then I ran the insides through with a fork and the result was stringy squash strands. I made a meat sauce to top the squash with. I sauteed onion and pepper, then zucchini and yellow squash, broccoli and spinach. Then I cooked up some lean ground beef seasoned with pepper and garlic powder and added that to the veggies once cooked. Pour in 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of diced tomatoes, season with basil, thyme and garlic powder. Voila…meat sauce! I also made garlic bread with 2 slices of ezekiel bread smeared with butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

This was a lot of food! I finished the bread but only ate about 3/4 of the squash and sauce. By the way, I made my plate all pretty and ready for a picture. Then I sat down to eat and totally forgot to take a pic! So, what you guys get is a semi-eaten dinner photo. Silly me!

I also accompanied my dinner with a glass of red wine. Just some two buck Chuck…nothing special.

I poured the wine in our new Halter Ranch glasses. Jacob made a comment after his first sip of wine that he felt so spoiled after all the wine we tasted on Sunday. We tasted some really great wine and the cheap stuff just does not compare! One of these days we’ll get a really good quality bottle, when we have a little more money.

A little homework is waiting for me tonight. Thank goodness it’s nothing crazy and I won’t be up till 11 or 12!

Goodnight folks. Sleep well!

Comments (0)

By Liz, September 13, 2009 8:13 pm

Hey guys! It has been a lovely Sunday afternoon. Jacob and I went grocery shopping, we made a yummy dinner and now we’re going to settle down and watch a movie. I love relaxing Sunday afternoons.

I took some fun photos of us at the grocery store! I bet the people in the store thought we were a little weird, but whatevs

Just after Jacob picked up that pepper, like 12 of them fell off onto the floor. I laughed…oh yes I did!

An apple a day…

This was a massive sweet potato. It reminded me of the Coneheads.

The best bread out there is by far the Food for Life line. My favorite is the 7-grain loaf.

I found this little poster a bit hilarious. Well, it actually made me a bit mad, too. Grain feeding is really bad for cows, and grass fed and finished beef is actually more tender and nutrient dense, not to mention better for a cow’s digestive system.

The cereal isle can be  scary place. Look for cereals with little (less than 10g) to no sugar. Whole grains are the best, and watch out for preservatives like TBHQ and BHT.

I cannot live without peanut butter! Laura Scudders is one of my favorite brands. A good rule of thumb is, if you don’t need to stir it, you shouldn’t get it. Peanuts and salt should be the only ingredients.

Gotta get those greens!

Here’s the loot all together:

• green tea
• lowfat plain yogurt
• baby spinach
• Barbara’s Shredded Oats
• Fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• wild alaskan salmon
• black and garbanzo beans
• frozen strawberries
• eggs
• Ezekiel 7-grain bread
• peanut butter
• Smoking Loon Petite Syrah
• sharp cheddar cheese
• broccoli
• kale
• bananas
• pears
• apples
• carrots
• red onion
• limes
• sweet potato
• peppers
• fat-free milk
• cauliflower

….And I think that just about covers it. We went to two grocery stores, one for the majority our veggies and one for the other stuff. We spent 20 bucks at the first store and 63 at the second. I say 83 bucks for about a weeks worth of food is not bad at all! Yay for having a stocked kitchen!

Once we got back from the store, we were both very very hungry. I went straight to work. I wanted to make a special dinner for us tonight, so I made salmon with sweet potato fries and a salad. We don’t buy fish too often, so it was definitely a special treat.

A little wine to start the night…

And the main course…

I cooked the salmon perfectly and the sweet potato fries were the best I ever made. I seasoned the fish with salt, pepper and fresh lime juice and cooked it on the Foreman for 5 minutes. I seasoned the fries with garlic salt, pepper and cumin then tossed them in olive oil and cooked them at 425 degrees for about 25 min, flipping them halfway through. The salad was just a simple mix of greens, broccoli and carrots with about 1 tbsp. of woodstock dressing.

I had a little treat right when I booted up the laptop…

I had a 1/2c. fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt topped with 1 tbsp. peanut butter and chocolate chips. Confession time….I think I need to cut back on my sweets a bit. I have a treat or two almost every day! My weight hasn’t been going up or anything, I just feel like the extra sugar in my desserts cannot be helping my health. Sweets are my one vice. I can turn down almost any food but desserts…pass a brownie by me and I will be all over it. However, I do turn down desserts prepared with ingredients I don’t like, such as a cake made from a boxed mix (boxed cake and cookie mixes are choc-full of trans-fats…we’re talking 3-5 grams per serving!) So…I am going to challenge myself to cut down a bit and see how I feel.

I still have a few more waking hours of my Sunday night. I will savor it while it lasts. Have a wonderful night!

Comments (1)

By Liz, August 30, 2009 8:36 pm

Howdy!

After I got off work I went grocery shopping with Jacob! Yay! Here’s the loot:

I got:

• Organic Spring Mix Lettuce and Spinach
• broccoli
• Barefoot Sauvignon Blanc (only $4.50!)
• red onions
• sweet potatoes
• grapes
• bananas
• apples
• nectarines
• a yellow pepper
• organic celery
• green tea
• canned beans (garbanzo, black and pinto)
• canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes
• tuna packed in water
• Laura Scudders chunky peanut butter
• butter
• Chocolate Moose Tracks (to share with the roomies )
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• plain low-fat yogurt
• sharp cheddar cheese
• whole wheat tortillas
• Ezekiel 7-grain bread
• frozen veggie blends (California style, Asian mix and Tuscan style)

All together I spent $113.69. Not too bad, especially for getting a few treats (wine, chocolate chips, ice cream). I didn’t get too many veggies because I want to wait until the farmer’s market on Tuesday.

I was way hungry, so I popped open the jar of peanut butter and the bag of celery.

Cellerah in my bellah! It’s sad, but that is the only green thing I ate all day. Not a good thing, not at all! I also had a pear.

Apparently, Jacob was not too happy about this. :p Hehe.

I was in a baking mood, plus I just got those chocolate chips, so I made cookies.

The goods:

The dough:

In the oven:

All Done:

 And in my belly:

Mmmm…I had some Chocolate Moose Tracks with my cookie. Sinfully delicious! My sweet tooth was totally calling tonight. I had another serving + a cookie about and hour after this, too.

And what would a Sunday evening be without a little wine?

I had about a 4oz. glass. Not the healthiest of days, but hey, I can’t be perfect all the time..eh? It’s time to enjoy what is left of my Sunday night.

Blogging=FUN!

Bye guys!