Introspective Friday October 20, 2012

My favorite little guy (sporting his hockey shirt from Uncle E!)

Happy Friday! With my husband traveling this past week and Keenan’s puking episode, I am SO glad it is Friday! We don’t have too many plans this weekend, other than our usual trip to the farmer’s market, running a few errands and a birthday party. It will be nice to stay home, relax and spend some quality time together as a family. Since my husband was out of town last weekend, we are having our “at home date night” tonight and going with an “Antipasto” theme. We are making my cousin’s awesome eggplant rollatini (look for the recipe to come soon!), bruschetta with tuna, basil and lemon juice and one with tomatoes, basil and olive oil. We are going to enjoy it with a nice bottle of Sangiovese that we have been saving. In addition to catching-up on some TV shows that we missed during the week, we are also going to vote (we vote absentee). It should be a fun and interesting night! 🙂

Speaking of fun, this morning we met Drew’s parents for a Fall/pumpkin celebration at their friend’s ranch. They had pony rides, a little hay maze, a small petting zoo of bunnies, ducks, goats, sheep and cows, wagon rides and of course, an area to pick out a pumpkin, along with a station to decorate it. They even had face painting. Keenan LOVED the pony rides, in fact, he went twice, first riding on “Little Miss” and the second time, he rode on “Sugar.” He wasn’t too sure of the wagon ride at first, but after we were on it for a few minutes, he had fun! It was a nice morning!

Enjoying a pony ride with Grandma!

Decorating his pumpkin!

After the Fall/pumpkin celebration, we headed back to my in-law’s house for lunch and had ham sandwiches with spinach and avocado on some really good wheat bread. My mother-in-law made peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese frosting for dessert that were SOOOOO yummy! I was going to share my cupcake with Keenan, but after taking a bite, I wanted it all to myself! I burned a lot of calories at CrossFit today, doing a great team WOD and it’s Friday, so why not have a little splurge?!

Enjoying his cupcake!

Speaking of a little splurge, as I was getting ready this morning, I was reflecting back over the past ten days to see how I have done with “mixing things up”. Since I’m such a creature of routine, it has been hard, to say the least! But, I have to say, I didn’t do too bad. The first 5 days, we ate different breakfasts and lunches, trying some new recipes and creations.  This past week, we have eaten our “usual” three out of five days–not  bad, but not great, either. I’ve tried my best to not always talk about routine meals and going to CrossFit, but it wasn’t always easy to do. I definitely have some room for improvement! What I have realized in these past ten days is that I can still lead a healthy lifestyle, even if I don’t eat or do the same things day in and day out. It is good to change things up, including trying new foods or recipes, because you gain new favorites and also consume different vitamins and nutrients that you might not have gotten eating your “normal” foods. I have also realized that it is good to change things up with Keenan, in so far as doing different activities with him. But, at the same time, I have also learned that routines are what make me who I am and I won’t be able to let them go. I need to embrace them, try my best to change things up, all while keeping things fresh.

Well, it is time to start our “at home date night,” so have a good night!

Questions: Do you ever take some time to reflect on where you are in life or how you have gotten there? How do you move forward?

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TGIF and At Home Date Night! October 6, 2012

Happy Friday! It has been another long week, so I’m ready for the weekend! Though, it is going to be another busy weekend, it will be nice to have some family time. Tonight, we are having our “at home date night” after Keenan goes to bed and finally catching-up on all of our TV shows that we missed this week. On the menu for tonight is spaghetti squash tomato bake with chicken (since I didn’t have any ground turkey) paired with a nice bottle of Chianti. I’m also thinking of making a microwave cookie for dessert that I saw on Kristen’s blog! It looked pretty tasty!

Oh, before I go into more about our day, I thought I would give a recap of last night’s dinner experiment/creation. It was a hit! It is definitely something I’ll be making again! The chicken was super moist and the black beans combined with the onion, bell peppers and salsa made a “pseudo chili!” Although, it turned out more like soup, it was still delicious and Keenan REALLY loved it! He sucked down his plate in minutes! I just love crock pot meals, because you can truly toss everything in, let it cook and forget about it (even frozen chicken!)! I’ll definitely be doing more crock pot meals, especially as the weather gets colder. Here is my recipe:

Mexican Chicken in the Crock Pot…so good!

Mexican Chicken in the Crock Pot: (serves 3)

Ingredients:

-3 frozen chicken thighs

– 1 can of black beans

– 1 red bell pepper (diced)

– 1 green bell pepper (diced)

– 1 onion (diced)

– 1 cup of salsa

– 1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream

– 1 tsp cumin

– 1 tsp pepper

– 1 tsp garlic no-salt seasonin

– 1 tsp oregano

– pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place frozen chicken on the bottom of the crock pot. Meanwhile, mix black beans, bell peppers, onion, salsa and spices in a small bowl.

2. Place bean mixture on top of chicken. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

3. Once the cooking is complete, put your crock pot on warm and place the yogurt or sour cream on top. Let sit for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Notes: If your salsa is too watery (like the salsa that I used), drain before mixing it with your bean mixture, to prevent your meal from turning into a soup. Top your dish with slices of avocado and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and your meal is complete!

After Keenan went to bed last night, my husband and I enjoyed a glass of  Samuel Adam’s Imperial White while we watched “Up All Night,” before heading to bed. It was the first time I had the Imperial White and it was good. I definitely recommend it!

I was surprised at how good this was!

Speaking of going to bed, my husband and I got to bed early last night, by 10:30! It felt good to go to bed early. I’m hoping to do the same tonight…sticking to my goal one day at a time!

This morning when I got Keenan up, he immediately asked me to go in his crib to read books and go “sleepy sleep.” He thinks it is SO fun to have my husband and I in his crib…it is too cute! So, we read a few stories in his crib before getting changed and heading downstairs for breakfast. Since I went to the morning CrossFit class, we ate a simple breakfast of whole wheat toast topped with peanut butter and banana slices. Of course, I also enjoyed a latte! As you can see, Keenan was thrilled to have peanut butter for breakfast this morning!

Enjoying his peanut butter!

My yummy breakfast this morning!

Speaking of CrossFit, we did a great partner WOD of: 100 sumo deadlifts, 50 sumo high pulls with a 50 lb kettlebell, 100 ring dips and 50 push presses (95 lb). The time cap was 25 minutes and my partner and I were able to finish in 20 minutes (using a band for our ring dips). It wasn’t too bad, but my left shoulder has been bothering me since Wednesday, so after today’s workout, it is definitely sore! Lots of ice and stretching for me!

After CrossFit, I took Keenan to get a haircut, since his hair was getting long and shaggy. The moment I told him we were going to get his haircut, he started crying and saying, “no haircut Keenan!” He was completely scared to even walk into the haircut place (even though he got his hair cut there before). So, after talking with him and offering a small treat of chocolate milk and a sticker book if he was a big boy and didn’t cry while getting his haircut, he was fine. He even smiled while getting his haircut and gave the lady a high-five! I know, I shouldn’t offer bribes, but sometimes it is the only thing that works!

Look who got a haircut!

After Keenan’s haircut, we stopped at the store and Keenan was SUPER excited to pick out his chocolate milk! Unfortunately, they didn’t have sticker books, so I’ll have to get that another time. When we got home, I made lunch: a turkey and cheese sandwich with avocado for Keenan and microwaved egg whites topped with tomato, avocado and salsa, with a side of baby carrots for me. After Keenan finished his lunch, he enjoyed his glass of chocolate milk! He was SO excited to drink it!

Since I went to CrossFit this morning, Keenan and I headed to the park to play a bit after he woke up from his nap. I definitely prefer going to the park in the morning because it was completely crowded with older kids this afternoon!

Well, I’m off for a little bit of “piano time” with Keenan before his dinner and then it’s date night! I can’t wait for our spaghetti squash tomato bake and some wine! Doesn’t it look good and it is not even baked yet?

This should be good!

Question: What is on your menu tonight? Any fun plans for the weekend? We are heading to our local farmer’s market tomorrow morning and then to a birthday party in the afternoon, followed by a charity event in my hometown. I’m hoping to have some time to relax on Sunday and maybe do some pruning/weeding in our backyard.

Thank goodness it’s Friday! September 29, 2012

Good morning!

I don’t know about you, but I am SO happy it is finally Friday! This week was a long one, so I’m ready to have some relaxation time this weekend!  To kick off the weekend, we are having an “at home date night” tonight making pizza again, but with an almond flour flaxseed crust topped with grilled peaches, prosciutto, spinach and goat cheese. Of course, we will also be sharing a nice bottle of wine! I think I am also going to try making some almond butter brownies, pumpkin cookies or a pumpkin microwave cake for dessert. I have been reading a lot about microwave cakes, so I am very intrigued. I’ll definitely keep you posted! Also, look for the recipe to the almond flour flaxseed pizza crust coming soon!

Tomorrow, we are going to head to our local farmer’s market in the morning (hopefully ride our bikes there) and then I’m meeting up with a friend for some coffee and pedicures in the afternoon. In the evening, we are heading to a class at a local gymnastics center, as part of our CrossFit box, to improve our gymnastics skills. Tomorrow should be fun! On Sunday, we are visiting some friends in the bay area, who are expecting a baby next month. We definitely have a busy, but fun-fill weekend planned!

This morning, after breakfast of our “usual,” Fage Greek yogurt with flaxseed, chia seeds, Kashi cereal and a banana, Keenan and I headed to our MOMs Club monthly social. At the social, an estate planning lawyer talked to us about making plans for our children, if something happened to us. It certianly made me think about who would take care of Keenan, if something (god for bid) happened, so I think my husband and I are going to set-up a time to meet with him. You just never know what could happen, so I feel it is better to be prepared.

After the social, we headed outside to play at the park for a bit (of course, we had to play with the water fountain, too!) before heading home for lunch.

Playing!

Having fun with the water fountain!

For lunch, I made Keenan a turkey and cheese sandwich (I was able to sneak in some tomato and lettuce for the second time this week, whoohoo!) with some avocado on the side. Since my husband bought chocolate milk last weekend for a treat/post workout snack for him, Keenan has been asking to have it all week. We have been giving it to him as a special treat after he finishes his lunches or dinners (making sure he eats all of his veggies). It has worked really well because he has been sucking down his veggies faster than normal, so he can have a small glass of chocolate milk!

Enjoying his chocolate milk in a “big boy” cup!

Speaking of food, I have received a couple of questions in regards to some of the items that I add to my yogurt or recipes, such as flaxseed, chia seeds and Xylitol, so I thought I would address them here:

What is flaxseed and why do you use it?

Flaxseed is a nutritional powerhouse that is full of omega-3 fatty acids, lignans (which contain antioxidant qualities) and fiber. Researchers are finding many cancer fighting properties in lignans, such as inhibiting enzymes that are included in the metabolism of various hormones and stopping the growth and spread of cancerous cells. Omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart and may help prevent heart disease. Americans don’t typically get a lot of omega-3’s in their diets, because they are mostly found in fish, such as salmon, so flaxseed is a great way to fit them in! You can buy flaxseed in most grocery stores,, either in the bulk or natural foods section. You can buy it ground or whole (small seeds). You can use flaxseed in your baking, subbing it for eggs (it is a great binder), just adding it to your recipe for more nutrition, mixing it into your yogurt, smoothies, protein shakes, or using it as a crispy coating for baked sweet potato or zucchini fries. In addition to the health benefits, I personally love the nutty flavor of flaxseed, so I try to add it into as many things as I possibly can!

What are chia seeds and why are they so beneficial?

Chia seeds are considered a “super food.” They are very high in omega-3 fatty acids (even higher than flaxseed), antioxidants and fiber. They also contain calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, niacin and zinc. Chia is very similiar in its’ antioxidant properties and cancer/disease prevention as flaxseed. In addition, chia also helps to decrease inflammation in the body. Chia seeds can be purchased at most grocery stores and they are usually sold in whole form. Some brands are even incorporating chia seeds into their cereal, crackers or beverages. The easiest way to eat them is to add them to your food, such as yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, shakes and baking.

What is Xylitol and why do you use it instead of regular sugar?

Xylitol is a natural carbohydrate that tastes like sugar and looks like it, too. It is a sweetener that comes from any fibrous plant material, thus being completely natural. It is mostly extracted from corn cobs and hardwood. In addition, it is also made in our bodies during normal metabolism. Researchers are finding many health properties to Xylitol, such as fighting/preventing cavities, thus you will see it in many toothpastes or gum. In addition, Xylitol can help prevent bacteria that causes respiratory illness, thus you will see it added in nasal sprays. Xylitol contains zero calories and its’ ratio to sugar is 1:1. I use it in my coffee and baking as I would normally use sugar. I find that the taste and sweetness is the same as sugar. I use Xylitol because I don’t like to consume too much sugar, if at all, due to the health consequences and calories. I’ve tried other alternatives, such as Stevia, but Xylitol seems to taste better to me, as well as provide the same level of sweetness as sugar. On the downside, Xylitol is a little harder to find. You can get it at  health food stores and some grocery stores (in the natural foods section) or order it online. My local grocery store fortunately carries it.

After Keenan’s nap, we headed to CrossFit. Since it was a partner WOD, my husband and I teamed up. The WOD was 6 rounds of 20 medicine ball cleans to the wall, 50 m wheel barrel carry and 40 v-ups. The time cap was 25 minutes and we finished in 23 minutes. It was a fun WOD for the end of the week! Tomorrow evening should be fun at the gymnastics center! I am looking forward to it, since I haven’t tumbled since high school!

Well, its time to do Keenan’s bath and bedtime and then it is date night! Have a great evening!

Questions: What are your plans for the weekend? Do you use flaxseed or chia seeds? If so, how do you incorporate them into your food?

Enjoying a Saturday at home September 22, 2012

Last night’s dinner turned out great! The Cauliflower pizza was delicious, though, it definitely didn’t have the texture of an actual pizza crust. It was lightly toasted, rich in flavor and very satisfying! As a bonus, my husband and I split the entire pizza because the crust was all cauliflower (with one egg and a little Greek yogurt added)! We will definitely be making this again!

Our beautiful pizza ready to eat!

Cauliflower Pizza: (serves 2)
 Adapted from Megan at Detoxinista

Ingredients;

– 4 cups steamed cauliflower rice (about one medium head)

– 1 egg, beaten

– 1/3 cup Greek yogurt

– 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

– pinch of salt and pepper

– 2 roma tomatoes

– 1/4 cup basil (chopped)

– 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or you could use fresh mozzarella cut in medallions)

– 5-6 oz. chopped chicken

– 1/2 cup tomato/pasta sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.

2. To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.

3. Place pulsed cauliflower in a microwavable safe dish, add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook in the microwave for 6 minutes (to steam). Once it is steamed, drain into a fine-mesh strainer.

4. Once you’ve strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dish towel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dish towel, twist, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! *This is critical to getting all of the moisture out, so your pizza crust is nice and dry!

5. In a large bowl, mix the cauliflower,  egg,  yogurt, and spices.

6. Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep the dough about 1/3″ thick, and make the edges a little higher, to resemble a crust.

7. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees, until golden brown.

8. Top with sauce, cheese, tomatoes, basil and chicken. Place pizza in oven at 400 degrees and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice and enjoy!

Pulsing the cauliflower.

The steamed cauliflower after twisting it in a dish towel to drain all of the excess moisture.

Mixing it all together to form the “dough.”

The pizza crust prior to baking it.

While we were waiting for dinner to be ready, we enjoyed some wonderful wine that we bought in the Anderson Valley of Northern California, last February.

I just love this wine from Toulouse Winery!

We also munched on some candied Pecans that my Foodie Pen Pal sent! They were SO good, that they were addicting! We kept eating the pecans until there weren’t any left!

Sugar Toasted Pecans…SO good!

After dinner and great conversation, we caught up on “So You Think You Can Dance” (finally watching the Finale) and started “Glee!” I just love that Kate Hudson is on the show this season! I can’t wait to finish the episode tonight!

This morning, Keenan woke up bright and early at 7:00 a.m. He brought a few of his books to our bed, so we read Llama Llama stories and cuddled as a family. For breakfast, my husband made almond flour pancakes (trying a new recipe) that were tasty, but a little dry. We need to add either a banana or more liquid next time. Sorry, I was totally absorbed in our family time this morning, that I forgot to take a picture of our pancakes!

Dancing with Daddy after breakfast this morning!

After breakfast, we headed to the Farmer’s Market and got vegetables for the week and then ran a few errands. Keenan was so tired that when he was eating his snack (Trader Joe’s Fruit leather) while we were driving, he was falling a sleep!

A little bit ago, I enjoyed a berry smoothie of frozen berries, yogurt and a scoop of protein powder, as my late lunch/snack. Here is the recipe:

So delicious!

Berry Protein Smoothie: (serves 1)

Ingredients:

– 1 cup frozen berries

– 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

– 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy!

Note: You might need a spoon, because it will be pretty thick! I think I will also add some faxseed and chia seeds next time!

After Keenan wakes up, we are heading to Costco! Tonight, my husband and I are going to enjoy another date night after Keenan goes to bed. For dinner, we are thinking of grilling some corn, tomatoes and country style pork ribs. We might also try Carolyn’s idea of grilled peaches wrapped in prosciutto for an appetizer! Also, I didn’t have a chance to make the peach cobbler last night, so I’m going to make it this afternoon. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Questions: How did you spend your Saturday? What are you having for dinner tonight? Do you tend to spend more time cooking on the weekends then during the week? I definitely do! I usually try new recipes on the weekend.

TGIF: At Home Date Night September 21, 2012

TGIF! I’m SO glad it is Friday!  Even though the week went by fast, it was a long one! Did anyone else feel that way? Since I really didn’t have a relaxing or restful weekend last week (though, I had a blast at the CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Course!), this week seemed long. I’m ready for the weekend and our “at home date night” tonight! As an added bonus to kicking off the weekend, I just found out that I passed my CrossFit Level 1 exam, so I am officially a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer!! I felt confident when I took the test last Sunday, but hearing the news today made me relieved and ready to celebrate!

Keenan woke up early (6:45 a.m.) this morning, but fortunately he went to bed on time last night. I REALLY hope he gets back to his normal sleeping habits soon! While I got breakfast ready, Keenan wanted to watch “Elmo’s World.”

Watching “Elmo’s World” and smiling for the camera!

For breakfast, I felt like yogurt, so we had our “usual” with Fage Greek yogurt, chia seeds, flaxseed, strawberries and little of Kashi Cereal. Keenan insisted I add cheerios to his yogurt, in addition to the Kashi! Before my husband headed out to his work event, he made each of us a STRONG latte, which was SO needed, because I felt really tired this morning.

Friends!

A little while after breakfast, Keenan and I met our friends for a walk and to play at the park. It was nice to catch-up with my friend, and let the boys play. Keenan and his friend are only 5 days a part, so it’s cute to see them interact together. They are pretty much the same size, too.

Playing on the Frog!

The boys sharing the swing!

After playing at the park, we headed to Marshalls to return some workout shorts and then home for lunch. Keenan was SO tired, so I made him his favorite: a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich with a glass of milk. He sucked that down in minutes! Poor thing, he must be worn out from the past couple of days, in addition to his teeth bothering him, because he fell asleep in less than 5 minutes!

Once Keenan gets up from his nap (hopefully, a long one!), we are heading to CrossFit. I missed yesterday’s class, due to the awful traffic going through downtown Sacramento on my way home from my parents’ house! I thought I could make it, but I completely forgot how backed up the traffic gets at 5:00 p.m.! Needless to say, I am looking forward to a good workout today!

Sine we are having our “at home date night” tonight, we are feeding Keenan, putting him to bed and then making our dinner. I am looking forward to having a relaxing dinner, sharing a bottle of wine and catching-up on all of our favorite TV shows that we recorded this week! On the menu is pizza made with a cauliflower crust inspired by Megan. We are going to make a Margherita pizza using the tomatoes we picked yesterday, fresh basil from our garden and leftover mozzarella cheese that I had from last week. For additional protein, we are going to add some chopped chicken. For dessert, I’m going to make a peach cobbler, using the peaches we picked yesterday, almond flour and Xylitol. Look for the recipes and pictures on Monday!

Question: What are your plans for tonight? Any fun plans for the weekend? We are staying home and running errands, including a trip to Costco, going to the Farmer’s Market and hopefully fitting in a nice run with some speed intervals (I need to work on improving my run time/pace for my WODs)!