Taking chances in the kitchen

Hello all!  I am busy getting prepared for the start of the year.  I have been in my classroom everyday for the past week and a half and I am so excited for school to start! 

Even though I am SUPER busy, it is important for me to still take time to eat right and exercise.  I have been making time to run (even if it's just a little) in the mornings so it is out of the way and I don't have to worry about it when I get home. 

I had the opportunity to try Arnold's Sandwich Thins.  You may have seen them on foodbuzz or in stores.  I love them because you can see the good grains right in them.  They are also high in fiber and low in calories.  Perfect for a quick meal on the run on busy days.

You may be wondering why I titled this post taking chances.  Although I LOVE to cook and make modications to recipes I find all the time, I rarely come up with a recipe all on my own.  I have been cooking for about two years so I still consider myself a novice.  I am proud to say this recipe was created completley by me!!  The only stipulation by Foodbuzz was to have something grilled :)

I started by marinating a pound of pork in italian dressing all day.  Then, I grilled it on my george foreman about 12 minutes.

Then, I cut it into strips perfect for a pork sandwich. 

I love the grill marks!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE red and yellow peppers.  I love the sweetness, the bright colors, and the crunch. 

I cut each pepper into strips, then grilled those too.  I do not like overcooking vegetable, so I left the strips in the foreman only about 3 minutes.

Then, it was time to put it all together!  I sprinkled a little mozzarella on the bottom of each sandwich, then topped with pork and peppers.

It was pretty yummy if I say so myself :)

Has anyone tried any new food products lately??

Birthday Celebration

It is Personal Trainer Josh's birthday today!  To celebrate I took him to his favorite sushi buffet.  Here are some highlights:

This was my favorite- spicy dragon roll

Finished up with some seaweed salad--another favorite of ours

The water fountain in front of restaurant has goldfish!

After dinner we burned some calories by taking a walk in a nearby park.

I also tried making Paula Deen's "better than sex" cake.  It's delicious!!  It is yellow cake with pineapple, vanilla pudding, whipped cream and toasted coconut.  It tastes better than my decorating skills show :)

Do you have a favorite celebration restaurant??

Money saving Tip...and it's Healthy Too!!

Josh and I have sworn off processed lunchmeats.  We were in the bad habit of turning to them almost everyday for our lunches.  I hope you all know how bad they are for you!  Anything that is that processed shouldn't go in your body consistently. 

So, we decided to go another route when shopping at Stew Leonard's.  I bought a naked rotissiere chicken.  Naked means it's organic and natural.  This chicken amazingly lasted us TWO weeks! For $5.99, it made us about eight sandwiches.  Now this was what was left of this bird this morning.

I used it to make chicken stock by simmering it in hot water for about an hour. I also added fresh parsley and basil. My apartment smelled fantastic!

Then smiply use a slotted spoon to remove bone. The meat falls right off the bone!

Grilled Chicken and Fried Zucchini

I never ate hot sauce until I met Josh, now I cannot get enough!  When a college friend of mine facebooked about using Frank's Red Hot Sauce to marinate chicken, I couldn't resist trying it!  This morning, I poked holes in the skinless chicken, and let it sit in the sauce.

Then, I simply grilled it on my foreman.  The sauce made the chicken so juicy and moist!!  What an excellent idea!

I also have a plethora of zucchini from my mom's garden so I decided to try to frying it.  I got this recipe from Cooks.com.

In a bowl, mix one egg, 1/3 cup low-fat milk (I used rice milk), 1 cup flour (I used oat) and salt and pepper to taste.  Add water or flour to thin or thicken the batter if neccesary. 

Cut zucchini into steak fry size.  KEEP the peel on!! Dredge the zukes into the batter and depp fry in 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

***Here's a tip I learned from Rachael Ray.  To tell if oil is ready, stick a wooden spoon it center of pot.  If bubbles rapidly come up from around it, the oil's ready.

The Finished Products

 

Progress!

Hello friends!  Hope you are beating the heat.  Recently I told you about how I will be running my first 5K at the end of September...feeling nervous/excited!  I will start intense training late this month, but I have been running with Josh in the morning two or three times a week.  I have run each time straight without stopping!! This is a major accomplishment for me.  I don't know if it is having a running partner, or the goal event of the end of next month, but I am very motivated to turn myself into a full-fledged runner!!  We have also been doing yoga which stops achy muscles after running.  Coupled with those, I am working my abs, arms and core using Perfect Push Up and Perfect Pull Up with ab straps.  If you are thinking about purchasing it, I highly recommend it!!  On day 3 of 21, I am already seeing and feeling results.

When working out in the morning, it is important for me to have a nutrious breakfast.  I recently got the opportunity to try Kellogg's new cereals, FiberPlus.  Along with Cinnamon Oat which is pictured, there is Berry and Yogurt.  I enjoyed the cereals, but didn't see anything spectacular about them.  They tasted good but I would prefer to get my morning fiber through oatmeal or fruit.  What does anyone else out there think?

I'll leave you tonight with a picture from tonight's dinner.  I used zuchinni, basil and parsely fresh from my mom's garden as add ins to pasta sauce, along with shrimp, and poured it over whole wheat pasta. 

What did you have for dinner tonight?

Sometimes Plan B is better...

This past weekend Josh took me out to dinner to celebrate my job position.  We decided to try Plan B, which is restuarant with a few locations in Connecticut that I have been wanting to try for years.  It is natural so you don't have to worry about what you are putting in your mouth (or your kids, it is very family friendly!)

I was immediately impressed because although it was a crowded Saturday night, we were addressed right away and there was only a thirty minute wait.  While we waited for our table, I tried a beer.  Plan B is famous for its burgers and booze.  I like light beers so I had Hooker Blonde Ale.

A perfect way to start the weekend!













When we sat, we were taken aback by the menu choices.  Josh and I immediately decided we need to come back to this place to try more things!! For an appetizer we had portobello mushroom fries.  The mushroom wedges are covered with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and served with a ranch and a horseradish sauce.

As you can see, they were so good Josh didn't stop eating them long enough for me to take the pic!  Another thing I loved about the place was the fact that I didn't feel weird at all whipping out my cell phone to take pics of the deliciouness.

For my entree I decided on the New Englander.  It is natural beef burger topped with corn, tomato, and LOBSTER.  It was as mouth watering as it sounds.  I paired it with organic field greens.

I will definately be back to Plan B, and I would recommend it to anyone!

First 5k!

I went wedding dress shopping today and it added to my realization that I have gained weight through focusing on the classroom, my part-time job and moving.  Not a lot, but some dresses were snugger than I would like!
Josh and I recently registered for a 5k!!  It is my first.  Josh has been a serious runner for most of his life, so it will be easy for him.  I plan on beginning training soon.  I got "5 weeks to your first 5k" on Runner's World's website. 
I am excited to train my body to run again for an extended amount of time.  Not only will it help me tone, it is something Josh and I can do together!

Anyone out there have tips on 5k training?  I would love to hear it!