Gluten Free Spicy Peanut Penne Pasta

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Today's Workout:  3 x 15 bicep curl, 3 x 15 shoulder press, 3 x 15 triceps kick backs, 3 x 15 push ups, around the work plank

Monthly Health Goal - No Eating After 8:00 pm:

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I had purchased this Gluten Free Peanut Sauce awhile back, and it sorta got buried in the back of the cupboard and was forgotten about. I haven't gone grocery shopping in awhile, and needed to pull a meal together last night with scraps I had laying around - this creation was a yummy accident.

Sweet Weekend with Sweet Potato Fries

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Today's Workout: 60 min cross train

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This past weekend was my first in over a month spent in D.C. My other half came to visit me from Chapel Hill and brought back the other love of my life.

This was the first time I have been away from the pup for more than a week since we got him. I will be going away for an international internship this summer and he will be staying with the boyfriend (stupid joint custody). We thought it would be good to give them both some practice so its less of an adjustment when I peace out for a few months.  To help cope with my withdrawals, I requested he text me a picture of the pooch every day. Here were some of my favs:

We spent a lot of the weekend spending time with friends watching basketball. We ventured out to The Daily Grill for some of the games, and snacked on some crab cake sliders.

We also tallied our brackets from the comfort of our own couch and made some homemade treats.

I love sweet potatoes and am a BIG fan of the sweet potato fries served at Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill. We decided to give it a go on our own:

The Top of the Hill version comes with cheese on top, so we usually ask for cheese to only be put on half - he loves cheese and I try to avoid it. We went with the same method in our recreation.

So delicious. I also whipped up my favorite Almond Flour Pancakes for breakfast - also seen here.



Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

Running, Eating, and Drinking in Orlando

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Today's Workout: 5 x 800 meter intervals on the track

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Running in Orlando

One of the best things about my family is that it is filled with runners, so there is never a shortage of running buddies or running motivation when on vacation. We ran/ worked out each day we were there, and the workouts went like this:

Wed: 3 miles easy

Thurs: 40 min interval workout

Friday: 3.5 miles

Saturday: 5.5 miles

Sunday: Cross Train

We were hoping to get a longer run in on Friday, but we kept running out of real estate on the sidewalks surrounding the resort grounds. The immediate vicinity was great for short 3 - 4 mile runs, but we realized we were going to have to do some research to find some serious running trails.

We came across the Cady Way Trail in northern Orlando, which was about a 15 minute drive from our resort. It was worth the extra travel time for sure, and we would have gone longer but had big plans for the day!

The tempo run and cross training took place in the comfy resort gym.

Eating and Drinking in Orlando

While we did make a concerted effort to get some exercise in, we also made sure to eat a lot of yummy food - we are on vacation after all!

Hotel Restaurant and Bar

We had a few meals at the resort's restaurant located right next to the pool behind the main club house. The menu was pretty extensive and it usually had something to fit whatever you were craving. On different occasions I had the grilled Mahi Mahi wrap, and a standard (but huge!) chicken caesar salad.

Margaritaville

If our family had a song, it would be Margaritaville (I'm sure that makes us sound really classy). My parents both love a good margarita, and Jimmy Buffet's song is just so darn catchy. After a long day at an amusement park, the adults were ready for a serious frozen concoction. The food was pretty good too!

I went with the Orange Crush which was delicious (and strong!).

And for dinner I got the blackened salmon.

My dad got the avocado burger which looked mighty delicious.

Wolfgang Puck

My dad had been to Wolfgang's Orlando restaurant previously and was eager to take us there as a family - and I am so glad he did!

My sister-in-law started with the best butternut squash soup we have ever had.

We were gushing over it and the waiter was so nice and actually brought us out the recipe!

For the main course I went with the filet. It had been awhile since I had really good red meat, and I was in the mood to spoil myself.

Mas Margaritas

I was shocked how much alcohol is sold around the Disney / Universal Parks. Somehow I was oblivious to this as a kid, but you never have to go too far to grab a drink. At one of the water parks, my parents rented us a private cabana (more on this later) with a wait staff which kept our pitchers flowing throughout the day.



We also had to make a pit stop at another bar during the course of the trip to cheer on the Tar Heels during the ACC tournament.

Green Beer for Good Measure

Of course this Irish family had to partake in Sunday's festivities.



When weren't eating out, we were utilizing our condo's kitchen. I knew our meal outings would be rather indulgent so I would usually do a light yogurt breakfast and maybe some toast or dried cereal for lunch / snacks between the bigger meals.

Bruschetta and Basketball

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Today's Workout:  4 miles easy

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Another wonderful weekend in Chapel Hill gone by too fast. I arrived later than usual due to Friday's black tie dinner, but we made the most of the time we had together.

The weather was beautiful and called for a run around campus with the pup, checking in on the Dean Dome before the big game of course.

We thought the Carolina Blue skies were a good omen, too bad the night didn't turn out in our favor.

We did some shopping, some movie watching, so chatting with friends, some vino consumption, oh and some eatting.

We had a craving for bruschetta and set off to the local Harris Tetter for the ingredients.  They were all out of fresh basil leaves so we had to go with the bottle option, not ideal, but the end result was still yummy.

Here's the recipe:

Some pics of the process:

We paired the bruschetta with some Chicken Cesear Salad. We cut the original bruschetta recipe in half and made some pretty small pieces, but still had plenty to share with the other roomies. It was a great and semi-healthy dinner for a grad school budget.

His plate (mine looked small, sad, and pathetic):

I took the MegaBus back, per usual (review to come), and the pup stayed there. I'm going through serious puppy withdrawal.

I have serious to-do's to cross off my list before girls come over tonight for a little make-up party and before I leave bright and early for Florida to spend time with my family!

Cookies and Cream FroYo and a "Snow Day"

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Today's Workout: 4 miles with Tubby

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Yesterday DC got some cold rain, which constituted a "snow day" declaration by the federal government. No school. No work.

This was all that was on the ground by the end of the day. Weak DC, very weak.

Since the roomies and I were "stuck" in the house we made treats with what we had and got caught up on current events recent episodes of the bachelor and housewives.

We had some vanilla greek yogurt and oreos....everyone loves cookies and cream.  We used the non "iced side" of the cookies (post twisting of course), approximately two per yogurt serving , mix it up, and put the bowls in the freezer for about 30 min. When it came out and we stirred it around we almost convinced ourselves we were eating actual cookies and cream ice cream.  A little hint if you want it to be less tart.... a little bit of maple syrup adds just the right amount of sweetness to the mixture.

Enjoy!

Casseroles - Grad School Life Saver: Pesto Chicken Casserole

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Today's Workout: 30 min cross train

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Two things have been certain since I started graduate school:

1. I'm poor

2. I am seriously lacking in free time (especially time to cook)


Casseroles have been my life saver. In Minnesota, we call casseroles "Hot Dishes" - but whatever you call them, these suckers are the key to eating actual meals when you are on a budget with a busy schedule without having to opt for the money sucker --> takeout.

My game plan is usually to make these Sunday evenings, and then ration it out into Tupperware so I can just grab it out of the fridge on my way out the door. My favorite combinations include a pasta, meat, and some veggies so I get a little bit of everything. Not to mention in cold winter months, comfort food is good for your soul too :)

This past weekend I whipped together a favorite casserole: Creamy Pesto Chicken

Paleo Chinese

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Today's Workout: 6 miles bike

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In hopes of adding some more paleo-inspired recipes to my menu, I decided to make a paleo version of another one of my favorite cuisines, chinese. I used this recipe from Deliciously Organic for some Cauliflower "Fried Rice," and this recipe from Health-Bent for some Paleo Orange Chicken. I was hesistant about the cauliflower, but the flavor was truly amazing. The chicken also had a bold flavor, without leaving you with the greasy weighed down feeling of standard chinese. Hope you enjoy!

Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

1 tablespoon Tamari Sauce

2 teaspoons dry sherry

1 clove garlic, minced

2 heads cauliflower

1 cup peas

2 carrots, cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons coconut oil

4 tablespoons tamari sauce

3 large eggs

4 green onions, chopped

Place chicken, Tamari, sherry and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir and let sit at room temp for 30 min.

Chop cauliflower in food processor, place chopped cauliflower in a bowl.

Place peas and carrots in small saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender, and 8-10 min, drain.

Heat large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and swirl to coat. Add cauliflower and tamari to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes until cauliflower is hot and coated with Tamari. Mix already scrambled eggs. Add peas and carrots, and green onion. Stir all ingredients for about 2 minutes until all are incorporated and hot. Season to taste. Serve immediately.

Paleo Orange Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces)

3 T coconut oil

Juice of 2 oranges

Zest from one orange

1 t fresh ginger

3 T wheat free soy sauce

1 t chili garlic sauce or sriracha

3 green onions

In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a saute pan, heat 3 T of the fat of your choice, over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken thighs and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce pot and stir to coat with the orange sauce. Serve topped with sliced green onions.

Almond Flour Love

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Today's workout: Bike 4 miles easy (still recovering)
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DC weather has been all over the place. Last week, we had our first real substantial snow.

Yesterday was 70 degrees. I'm sure the swinging temps played  a role in my recent run-in with the flu and walking pneumonia. When I started feeling the symptoms coming on, I knew I needed to get Tubby to the daycare since I didn't know how long I would be in urgent care. Problem was my car was in N.C. and I was too fatigued to walk him that far. Lucky for me, most cabs in D.C. will allow you to take your pup along for the ride, at an extra cost of course.

Spoiled city pup.

Now that my appetite is back, I have been craving breakfast in the mornings again. My favorite go-to breakfast is Almond Flour Pancakes from paleoplan.

I tried these out when I was looking to incorporate some paleo into my diet, but I found I enjoy these so much more than regular pancakes. The fact that they are healthier for you is a nice bonus :)

Almond Flour Pancake Recipe

1 cups almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbs coconut flour

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I also add some cinnamon for taste)

1/4 tsp sea salt

coconut oil

Traditional Pancakes Nutrition: 160 calories, 8 g fat, 18 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein

vs. 

Almond Flour Pancakes Nutrition (per pancake): 149.5 Calories, 6 g fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 6.1 g protein

You can find another one of my favorite paleo creations here.

Paleo Mexican "Tortillas" & FitDay Update

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Today's Workout: kettlebell workout - details to come.

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So I have been worse than terrible at updating my progress with FitDay on here. I have been good about recording my food and activity in the program, but translating it into blogs posts...well......I'll try to do better. You can see where I was on my last date (over a month ago) here. And below are where my stats stand now.

 I have consistently kept my caloric intake below my caloric expenditure, but I need to be more consistent with keeping it under my daily allotment.

I have lowered my carb intake, but need to do so more.I am eating a good amount of protein, and almost all of my vitamin intake has significantly improved.

I am losing weight, but I am behind my goal pace. I can sit here and pretend to not know why, but we all know carbs are the main culprit and I need to adjust my diet accordingly. Enter paleo inspired food.

I have been intrigued with the paleo diet for some time, and while for a number of reasons I don't want to live a life on such a restricted diet, I am eagerly looking for new substitutions for my favorite carbs to try to improve my weight loss and nutrition. One of my favorite paleo recipes is Almond Flour Pancakes, which I will share another time. Today is about a different creation: Paleo "Tortilla Chips" and Guac.

I love Mexican food, which is probably obvious by the number of times that cuisine graces this blog. I was excited to come across a few recipes for paleo tortilla chip.  There are so many different recipes out there for this, and I ended up combining a few recipes to meet the ingredients I had in my pantry.

My recipe looked like this:

Paleo "Tortilla Chip" "Tortilla" Ingredients

(the plan changed to tortillas during the process, explained below)

2 cups almond flour

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt to taste

cayenne pepper to taste (1/4 teaspoon)

(additional olive oil for cooking)

Directions:

Mix batter in a bowl (sorry I only took a picture after I had made half a batch) 

Roll small, even-sized balls, on to parchment paper. (I was at first planning to make chips, so if you are making actually tortillas, make the balls a little larger, below are approximately 1 inch in diameter).

Cover with parchment paper, and flatten with rolling pin. (or if you are domestically-challenged and do not have a rolling pin, you can use a roll of saran wrap like we did)

Gently peel off top layer of parchment paper

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake at 350 until achieved desired crispiness. (It was late at night and out of fear of burning them, I took them out after 8 minutes (I turned them over at 4 minutes)). The texture I ended up with is something like a pita, but thinner. I would have tried to cook longer, but I was too tired to start from scratch if the experiment failed. I had left over chicken and peppers from the day before and thought these "tortilla chips" could actually make decent "tortillas" - and they did!

I packaged them up  and stored in the fridge overnight so I could bring to work and devour with friends.

I used the same guac recipe from this post, and everyone was a fan of the final product.

Next time I want to play with the texture and seasoning a little more, but this was definitely a good start.

Nutritional Comparison (per serving):

Traditional Tortilla = 150 calories, 8g fat, 2g protein, 25 carbs, 1 g fiber

"Paleo Tortilla" = 104 calories, 7g fat, 10.3 protein, 5.6 carbs, 3.8 g fiber