At least, the little guy's summer vacation has begun. I feel a lot more work coming my way. Ha! I absolutely cannot believe he's a first-grader now. Just...wow. I might have to come up with a new nickname for him. We kicked off the season with a grocery-getting jogging-stroller run--man, that's hard now that he's so big! He turns six in a few weeks. Because it is summer, and I didn't have a school dropoff to make, I just didn't feel like getting up early to run. :p
We picked up some locally-made multigrain bread, a few fruits and veggies for dinners and juicing, and a bag of local tortilla chips to shuttle guacamole to our faces. Most importantly, we beat the rain that was headed our way, and I didn't have to wait for The H to come home before I could exercise. :)
Tomorrow's juice will be a concoction that includes melon (from the reduced rack--nice and sweet), carrot, tomato, grapefruit or lemon, celery, an old spotty pear, and maybe some cranberries.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Lunch is ready!
A delicious way to refuel following a 5 mile run and 75 minute hot yoga class (after my "extreme peach" smoothie at the local deli next to the studio):
Strawberry caprese salad with garden basil, a touch of salami, heirloom tomatoes, chipotle olive oil, and blueberry balsamic vinegar. A little sweet, a little tart, with just a touch of salty zing. Fresh foods are so much fun in the summer!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Behold, my raw materials
This is what I'm working with this week, in terms of fruits and veggies. Of course I'm filling in the blanks with quality proteins and carbs where applicable.
If I write down what I have to work with, it helps me remember what's lying around and prevents me from finding limp brown celery at the bottom of the crisper in a month. So far, we've only completely crossed off "kale" because I made a batch of my one true love for lunches. The little guy and I made great progress on the green beans, onion, mushrooms, and cucumber tonight, but haven't completely wiped them out yet. Our oven stopped working--it doesn't come up to temperature and smells like gas when it's on--so I'm trying my best to work with stovetop, slow cooker, Foreman grill, and microwave (last resort_ as much as possible. Lucky for me, little man prefers his veggies raw.
Tomorrow I plan to use the celery, remaining bit of onion, carrot, brussels, and last few mushrooms to make chicken noodle soup with some leftover frozen rotisserie chicken. The forecast shows more rain and the potential for my least-favorite weather EVER (hint: it rhymes with NO!) for the next few days, so it'll be a nice addition to the menu.
Got any brilliant ideas for sweet potatoes? My preferred prep is thinly sliced and baked/broiled, but that's obviously out.
If I write down what I have to work with, it helps me remember what's lying around and prevents me from finding limp brown celery at the bottom of the crisper in a month. So far, we've only completely crossed off "kale" because I made a batch of my one true love for lunches. The little guy and I made great progress on the green beans, onion, mushrooms, and cucumber tonight, but haven't completely wiped them out yet. Our oven stopped working--it doesn't come up to temperature and smells like gas when it's on--so I'm trying my best to work with stovetop, slow cooker, Foreman grill, and microwave (last resort_ as much as possible. Lucky for me, little man prefers his veggies raw.
Tomorrow I plan to use the celery, remaining bit of onion, carrot, brussels, and last few mushrooms to make chicken noodle soup with some leftover frozen rotisserie chicken. The forecast shows more rain and the potential for my least-favorite weather EVER (hint: it rhymes with NO!) for the next few days, so it'll be a nice addition to the menu.
Got any brilliant ideas for sweet potatoes? My preferred prep is thinly sliced and baked/broiled, but that's obviously out.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Clean Eating Wheat Bread
The past few weeks around our house have been all about getting creative with the meat in the freezer, using the all the veggies languishing in the crisper, and making do with what we have. I've gotten tired of shopping when the first layer--the "good stuff"--gets used up, leaving the same old rock-hard roasts and soggy celery dreaming of their chance in the spotlight.
OK, maybe I'm dramatizing the contents of my kitchen just a little. But for real, we did need to start using what we already had. Some unexpected expenses this fall have made me very aware of where our money is going. Bonus, I've always loved the nerdy satisfaction of using something up completely, whether it's toothpaste or a loaf of bread. Maybe it reassures me that I can provide for my family without going overboard or leaving them up a creek. In the name of provision, tonight I found myself making bread. Because a hunk of frozen lunchmeat just isn't very tasty by itself.
As I was making this, and a loaf of GF bread for The H, I wondered why I got away from homemade bread to begin with. The recipes are so simple! They come together remarkably quickly. And they saved me about $10 off the grocery budget this week.
I posted a link to this bread recipe years ago, but recently discovered it no longer works. Here is the recipe, from Clean Eating Magazine, with my minor tweaks at the end.
Whole Wheat Bread
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
Warm water
Mix 1 3/4 cups warm water with the flour and yeast. Let this mixture rise until doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes. Add salt, honey, and oil to the dough and stir in completely; dough will be sticky. Let rise another 30 minutes, then knead or stir and let rise for 30min once more. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes. Slice and serve.
Tweaks: I know, from making this in the past, this has the texture of primordial ooze and will not tolerate kneading. It works well to simply punch/stir instead of kneading. Also, I moved 3/4 of the dough to a greased loaf pan before the final rise and made a flat focaccia out of the leftover. Tonight I was out of olive oil, but substituted blood orange infused oil with amazing results. Place a baking sheet under the loaf pan just in case.
OK, maybe I'm dramatizing the contents of my kitchen just a little. But for real, we did need to start using what we already had. Some unexpected expenses this fall have made me very aware of where our money is going. Bonus, I've always loved the nerdy satisfaction of using something up completely, whether it's toothpaste or a loaf of bread. Maybe it reassures me that I can provide for my family without going overboard or leaving them up a creek. In the name of provision, tonight I found myself making bread. Because a hunk of frozen lunchmeat just isn't very tasty by itself.
As I was making this, and a loaf of GF bread for The H, I wondered why I got away from homemade bread to begin with. The recipes are so simple! They come together remarkably quickly. And they saved me about $10 off the grocery budget this week.
I posted a link to this bread recipe years ago, but recently discovered it no longer works. Here is the recipe, from Clean Eating Magazine, with my minor tweaks at the end.
Whole Wheat Bread
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
Warm water
Mix 1 3/4 cups warm water with the flour and yeast. Let this mixture rise until doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes. Add salt, honey, and oil to the dough and stir in completely; dough will be sticky. Let rise another 30 minutes, then knead or stir and let rise for 30min once more. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes. Slice and serve.
Tweaks: I know, from making this in the past, this has the texture of primordial ooze and will not tolerate kneading. It works well to simply punch/stir instead of kneading. Also, I moved 3/4 of the dough to a greased loaf pan before the final rise and made a flat focaccia out of the leftover. Tonight I was out of olive oil, but substituted blood orange infused oil with amazing results. Place a baking sheet under the loaf pan just in case.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
CLEAN EATING MACHINES LIVES ON!
After what feels like *AGES* of not being able to log in to this blog, my brilliant husband figured out how to get me up and running again. I'm so very relieved that I get to settle back in here and continue sharing the clean-eating love! There have been many times since my last log-in that I've wanted to jump on here and proclaim some awesome recipe/tip/workout to the blogosphere, but I couldn't. SO frustrating! But here I am again, still, and now I get to continue carrying on about delicious food, and running (marathon #4 is in the books), and the little guy--who, by the way, turned FIVE this summer and is in kindergarten! It's been a busy six months since I last posted, and I can't wait to start filling in the blanks.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Meal plan for two
Once again, The H is off exploring the wide wide world (Milwaukee is sooo exotic) so the little guy and I are enjoying some glutenriffic meals together. Here's what we have lined up this week:
Sunday - leftovers from a cookout with friends, including very early but very tasty sweet corn on the cob and strawberries
Monday - cheese tortellini or butternut ravioli with turkey meatballs, fresh green beans, mango
Tuesday - eggs and toast after running
Wednesday - I plan to go out with friends after yoga; little guy enjoys grandparent time
Thursday - lime quinoa or couscous, grilled salmon for me and chicken for the little guy, with a fresh veggie plate (carrots, bell pepper, green beans) and mango. The little guy prefers his veggies raw, which is a-ok with me.
Friday - pizza (pesto, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, olives, local beef pepperoni)
My work lunches will be leftover kale-quinoa, yogurt, tomato-avocado salad, and hummus-on-whatever.
Sunday - leftovers from a cookout with friends, including very early but very tasty sweet corn on the cob and strawberries
Monday - cheese tortellini or butternut ravioli with turkey meatballs, fresh green beans, mango
Tuesday - eggs and toast after running
Wednesday - I plan to go out with friends after yoga; little guy enjoys grandparent time
Thursday - lime quinoa or couscous, grilled salmon for me and chicken for the little guy, with a fresh veggie plate (carrots, bell pepper, green beans) and mango. The little guy prefers his veggies raw, which is a-ok with me.
Friday - pizza (pesto, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, olives, local beef pepperoni)
My work lunches will be leftover kale-quinoa, yogurt, tomato-avocado salad, and hummus-on-whatever.
Digging out
A few months ago I posted a giant whinefest of self pity. Good news: this is not another one. Even better, I'll keep this short and sweet, giving you the bullet points of what I've been doing to dig out of that waist-expanding hole:
1. Ran a half marathon
2. Stopped eating multiple weekly cupcakes
3. Invested more time in meal planning
4. Registered for another marathon
5. Joined some new people for long runs
6. Cut back my drinks-with-dinner consumption
7. Eating more good fats to feel satisfied longer and not mindlessly munch
After all this I am happy to report that my jeans fit better, though the number on the scale hasn't moved much. As long as my clothes fit like they should, I'm trying not to think too much about the number. Now that the weather is truly warming up, I'm looking forward to taking the dog on longer walks (he's 10 next week; can't keep up on my runs anymore), playing at the park with the little guy, and of course, beginning a marathon training plan in the middle of May.
Happy spring!
1. Ran a half marathon
2. Stopped eating multiple weekly cupcakes
3. Invested more time in meal planning
4. Registered for another marathon
5. Joined some new people for long runs
6. Cut back my drinks-with-dinner consumption
7. Eating more good fats to feel satisfied longer and not mindlessly munch
After all this I am happy to report that my jeans fit better, though the number on the scale hasn't moved much. As long as my clothes fit like they should, I'm trying not to think too much about the number. Now that the weather is truly warming up, I'm looking forward to taking the dog on longer walks (he's 10 next week; can't keep up on my runs anymore), playing at the park with the little guy, and of course, beginning a marathon training plan in the middle of May.
Happy spring!
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