Archive for the ‘Dinner’ Category

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On The Wings Of Illness

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Is anyone else absolutely appalled by this season of the Bachelor and yet continues to watch it every week?

Wow.  Come on now ladies, why, why, why are you doing this?!  And must you be so… bachelorettey?  I should count the number of times I almost throw up during each episode.  The tally would be monstrous.

So why have you sucked me into watching for two whole hours?! 

I need a tea.  Oh, and I should mention there’s an announcement at the end of the post.

I Eat

On Saturday morning, I declared it a pancake day.

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I combined 1/2 c. oats + 1/2 mashed nan + 1/3 c. egg whites + cinnamon + bit of baking powder + salt + cinnamon + dash of vanilla.  On top was pumpkin spread + slivered almonds + maple flakes.

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Sunday breakfast was overnight oats eaten at the tech booth at church.  Yummy in my tummy.  And this morning, reheated bananer oats at the office.  I really don’t have many breakfast shots!

Lunches were… surprise, surprise… all about the sandwiches.

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Some tuna salad made with tuna + miracle whip + celery + red onion, on homemade GF bread + shoots + toms.

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And a throw back sandwich on Sunday – peanut butter + naner + cinnamon.  Mmmmm.  I accidentally deleted the good pics of this sandwich, so this crust shot will have to do.  Eee.

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And suppers… Saturday was a huge sushi feast.  Good stuff, but I really did eat way too much, which means I successfully ate more than my share at the AYCE restaurant.  Hmm.

On Sunday, my eating was all out of whack because I snacked all afternoon.  I hate when I do that!  It ruins the rest of my eats.  That’s why I had this sad salad late on Sunday evening:

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Blahhhhhhhhh.

Tonight was much better.

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Roasted squash + steamed broccs + grilled cilantro salmon + sprouts.

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I’m pretty sure I’ve had my share of fish the last few days.  All those healthy fats are surely doing something good for my brain… I hope.

I Move

Saturday – not sure what it was, maybe a combination of mild weather and new found determination (see more on that at the end of the post…), but I ran 10k and didn’t feel like dying after.  Excellent!

Sunday – I managed to make it to the gym.  Not sure how considering how pooped I was, but I did a very non-strenuous 30 minutes on the elliptical.   That was enough.

Monday – some strength training at the gym before work got the week off to a good start.  A warm up of a few minutes on the bike followed by triceps + chest.  Then a full day at the office.

Okay, so what’s the “announcement”?

I’m training for a half marathon.

Am I petrified?  Yes.  Am I second guessing this plan?  Yes.  Would I rather eat dryer lint?  Yes. 

I’m going to be doing most of my long runs with a fun group of gals so, as one friend put it, “it’s a social thing”.  That’s what I’m going to tell myself when I feel like collapsing.  It’s a fun, social thing!  I’ve combined the Hal Higdon Half Marathon training plan with a training plan the girls follow (they’ve run halfs before) and I hope that will prepare me for the race the end of May.

So here goes nothing, peeps…

Adi

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Gym, Lunch, Restaurant, Running | 6 Comments »

Ketchup Time

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Looks like I haven’t posted all week!  I’ve been too busy doing other fun things. :)  Oddly, I don’t have many pictures, either.  I did a lot of eating on the run and ate out for a couple meals and I didn’t snap any photos.

Time to do some catch up.  Ketchup?

Here’s what I managed to grab…

I Eat

Re-toasted weekend waffles are enjoyed immensely on a weekday. :) I had these on Tuesday – yes, Monday was reheated office oats.

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I threw trail mix + cinnamon on top and added some almond butter.  Dipped in plain yogurt, I got lost in a land of deliciousness and then realized I should probably actually go to work.

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On Wednesday, I had some scrambled egg whites + various veggies and a side of GF brown toast + blueberry honey. 

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No no, I didn’t eat the whole jar.  I wanted to, though.  It doesn’t taste strongly of blueberries, it just has a really subtle hint of them.  I forgot how good simple toast and honey with a cup of tea can taste.  Thank you Santa for more farmer’s market honey!

I want to be an old grandma one day who only eats honey toast + tea. 

Thursday I ate an egg sandwich on the bus.  I do not recommend this.  I had work-related stuff to go to in Gatineau (Quebec) and it was a long commute.  I had to leave too early to make something decent.  Bleh.

This morning, more office oats.  It’s sad.

Lunches?  Packed.  Pretty standard fare.  Lots of vegetables, a couple sandwiches, some leftovers.

Dinners were more interesting.

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I reheated some GF, dairy free mac + “cheese” in the oven and added a side of steamed beets.  The mac wasn’t bad, considering it’s been in the freezer for… a couple months.

Someone, please, help.  I don’t like beets and I think it’s because I have no good recipes for them.  If my Farmer Friend shows up with more beets in my next delivery basket, I’ll save them to throw at the squirrels in the summer, rather than eat them.  Anyone have an easy recipe idea?

Knock knock!  Who’s there?

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The Swiss Chalet delivery man!  Too tired to cook, too tired to do anything but put in an order for a quarter chicken dinner + mashed taters.  My tum felt a bit weird after this – maybe there was wheat in the taters?  I added my own side of mixed veggies.

Maybe I’m just really cheap, but I find it hard to believe that I should have to pay over 12 dollars for a chicken breast and a mashed potato blob. 

And yet, it tasted great, and there’s no arguing that.

Winner of Saddest Dinner Ever Posted:

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When you come home late and don’t know what to eat (and you already ordered Swiss Chalet the night before), coming up with something decent is hard.  I just didn’t bother trying.

Supper was steamed sweet potato + quinoa (with touch of sesame oil) + edamame.  At least I know it had a lot of protein, thanks to the grain and the awesome green guys.

Thursday night I went for Vietnamese and it hit the spot!  Yum.

Tonight, I met up with Martha and my Everyday Food magazine to make this:

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A Quick Chickpea Curry.  Martha Stewart can be a scary lady, so I won’t post her recipe on here, but if you browse her food website in the near future, you might find it someday soon!

I piled it on top of basmati rice and topped it with cilantro + plain yogurt.

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Fantastic!  I have leftovers, which as you know, is a big bonus.

I Move

Okay, let’s see if I can remember…

Monday – strength training at the gym, mostly biceps + core.  I warmed up with 10 minutes on the treadmill to break a sweat.  I haven’t done bicep curls in ages and my arms felt great after.

Tuesday – pretty much a rest day, but I did squeeze in a half hour walk back from the office.

Wednesday – hot yoga.  Very, very hot.  Hotter than usual, I think.  Regardless, sweating out the last three days of work felt good.

Thursday – a true rest day.

Friday – back to the gym before work for some treadmill time.  About 40 minutes, a mix of walking and running, to start the day.  For about the first twenty minutes of cardio I feel sluggish and sore, but then all of a sudden, my body gets into it and I have no problems.  That first part is always the hardest.

I have a great weekend ahead, and hope you do too!  Enjoy it, whatever you’re doing, and whoever you’re spending it with. 

Adi

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Gym, Walk, Yoga | 6 Comments »

Chickadees in Narnia

Monday, January 11th, 2010

What a gorgeous day.  For once, the wind chill wasn’t clocking in at colder than –20 and the sun made an appearance.  A couple friends and I took advantage of it and went cross-country skiing – and I had a chickadee eat seeds from my hand!  He just flew right up and perched on my finger.  Nature is so, so awesome.  My friend put it best when she said:

“It looks like Narnia out here.”  And honestly, it did, way out in the trees in fresh snow. :)

I Eat

Lots of yummy breakfasts lately…

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A big, fat bowl of oat bran  topped with snow + alien brains + cranberry mix + almond butter.

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Saturday’s breakfast used this baby:

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Santa was so very good to me… probably too good.  But, I wasn’t complaining after it popped out a stack of these:

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Some GF waffles topped with pumpkin spread + almonds + raisins + maple flakes.  I added maple syrup later. :)

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Enjoyed with a stack of foodie reads.

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The mix I used was from Molly B Gluten Free.  This is the first product I’ve tried from this company, and I give it two monster thumbs up.  It’s a Canadian company too, which I like. 

Half the mix made a whole bunch of waffles so I put a few in the freezer.

Okay, so what’s pumpkin spread?  It’s pumpkin puree + applesauce + pumpkiny spices + sweetner of your choice, to your taste heated together on the stove.  It’s pretty tasty.  I’ve been putting it on everything.

This morning was some oatmeal.

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See what I mean about the pumpkin spread?

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A few good lunches to report, too.

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A roast chicken sandwich + salad + leftover squash + tea.

Oh, and what’s this?  More pumpkin spread?

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Yes I was still in my pjs at lunch time…

I topped plain fat-free yogurt with the spread + almond butter + cranberry mix.

More sandwichness today on some bread mixer GF bread.

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After this, I ate a cookie + apple and nut butter + way, way, wayyyy too much t-mix.

I felt like lead after that but that’s what happens when you take the container to the couch and start watching TLC.  Bad.

Thursday’s dinner was some salmon + veggie explosion.

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I used a new grill pan for the salmon + broccs, roasted the squash bracelets and threw some dressing on the salad greens.

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I like my vegetables.

Friday night = AYCE sushi.  Deeeeelicious.

Saturday night was roasted pork tenderloin + taters + broccs.

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So, broccs were steamed.

Tenderloin was brushed with Dijon mustard + fresh rosemary and popped in the oven at 400 convection for about 25, 30 minutes. 

Taters were chopped, tossed with red onion + rosemary + salt and put in a foil packet.  They got a head start and went into the oven for about 40 minutes.  They were super soft.

Tonight’s supper was easy because I’m tired and I ate such a gigantic lunch I wasn’t that hungry.

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Leftover taters + toast with pumpkin spread + grapes + egg.

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Simple.

I Move

Thursday – it was a nice day off from exercise.  I need to sleep in those extra twenty minutes!

Friday – I did some great strength training at the gym before work.  I need to focus more on weights than I have been lately.  I focused on shoulders + back, but warmed up first with 15 minutes on the treadmill.

Saturday – please, withhold your laughter.  I tried Zumba today.  Yes, that salsa dancing, booty shaking gym class.  I think I laughed through the whole hour because I was just so terrible, but it was fun!  My little sister is a big fan of it.  I think I’ll go back to see if there is such a thing as improvement in that class.

Sunday – two hours of exploring the great outdoors on skiis.  If you’ve been thinking about trying the sport, go for it!  It requires hardly any skill to get going and you can always take lessons to get better.  I wanted to hate winter less and this is allowing that to happen!  Yesss.

Okay, I am pooped.  I’m going to be in bed by 9 pm tonight, but I can embrace my inner grandma.

But first, time to get myself organized for another week of work… goodbye sweet, sweet weekend…

Adi

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Gym, Lunch, Oatmeal, Skiing | 8 Comments »

Roots For Soup

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

I’m sad to report that I only have one oatmeal picture to post.  Eating breakfast at the office isn’t conducive to nice photographs.  Or maybe even permitted photographs… hmmm…

I did step up my game though!  I used to make a few servings of steel cut oats in the evening, put them in separate containers in the fridge, and then add a bit of water to them at work, heat and eat.  A few of you reminded me of this possibility (my brain is not functioning post-Christmas) so that’s what I’ve done this week.  Steel cut oats are a nice change for gooey, rubbery office oatmeal.

I Eat

Breakfast was enjoyed at my kitchen table yesterday, Scottish oatmeal style.

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Topped with unsweetened snow + slivered almonds + cranberry mix + pumpkin seeds + almond butter.

I’ve had a few tasty dinners lately.

This was champagne chicken pasta leftovers that I added kale + weird looking mushrooms to before it went to my tummy.

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This poor quality pic is of a random dinner I threw together while rummaging through my fridge, feeling totally uninspired and about three seconds away from calling Swiss Chalet.

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The picture does it no justice.  This supper was awesome!

I sauteed onion + celery until it got soft, added in some tomato + corn and a can of salmon.  I seasoned it with some mixed salmon seasoning, threw it on basmati rice and declared victory over uninspired moments in the kitchen.

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Yep, balancing on a couch arm.  No formality here.

Tonight supper was another winner winner (no chicken dinner!).

I needed to use up some of the root veggies I have lying around from the farm delivery.  The best way to do that is by making soup, of course.

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So here’s what you do if you find yourself with an abundance of vegetables that are soup-worthy:

  • Sautee 2 small chopped yellow onions and 2 chopped celery stalks in some EVOO and let them soften, about 8 minutes
  • Add one box (or two small cans) of chicken broth, a couple cups of water, and six or 7 cups of chopped vegetables
    • I used parsnips + carrots + sweet potato + new potatoes + odd white things that remain a mystery
  • Bring it to a bowl, then reduce the heat and let it all get mushy – that takes about 25 minutes
  • Mash it with a potato masher, or use a hand blender to make it smooth, if you prefer
  • If you love fall flavours, add cinnamon + ground nutmeg + ground cloves to taste.  I just eyeballed it and gave it a few tastes.
  • Add salt + pepper to taste

This was easy, yummy and makes tons of leftovers.

Enjoyed with a side of GF brown bread + Laughing Cow cheese, all placed improperly on a placement, because that’s how I keep it real…

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I see soup in my future’s crystal ball for many days ahead.

I Move

Monday – hello Monday, hello early gym time.  I was at the gym before work to do some cardio split between the bike and the elliptical.  It was pretty dull.  I finished up with a couple minuts of abs and called it a work out.

Tuesday – hot yoga night.  The NYE resolution folks are out in full force, which meant there were probably 15 extra bodies in the room, which left everyone doing an awkward mat shuffle before class started.  That cut into my pre-class nap.  It was a great workout though, with a couple new poses thrown in.

Wednesday – back to see Jim this morning for about 40 minutes on the treadmill.  At yoga last night during dancer’s pose, the teacher said “have fun with this, don’t take yourself so seriously, and that can help”.  I remembered that on the treadmill this morning and it made running feel (somewhat) easier.  Nothing too strenuous today.

Tomorrow is surely a rest day.  I think I’ve finally got my workout routine sorted out.

I think it’s tea time!

Goodnight!
Adi

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Gym, Recipe, Yoga | 5 Comments »

Party That Keeps On Giving

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

The NYE party was a good time with some oh-so funny friends.  I had a couple giggle fits which resulted in stomach pain (which is way better than stomach pain caused by eating bad things) and a sore face from laughing.  Has anyone played Apples to Apples?  It was a fun game and a great way to get to know some new peeps.

There was lots of food which translated into lots of leftovers, my favourite of which was the fruit platter that I demolished in one day.  I wish I could say there was only a few pieces of fruit left, but no, it was about half full and this. girl. loves. fruit.

I Eat

The first breakfast of 2010 was… not oatmeal.  I know, it’s almost sacrilegious to do, but my mouth wanted some waffles.

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I had 2 GF Nature’s Path waffles + fruit leftovers + cottage cheese + cinnamon + maple syrup.

A delicious start to 2010.

Yesterday I went for brunch with friends and had a tasty smoked salmon + spinach omelette with a side salad.  I like leafy stuff for brunch at restaurants.  It was good eating, great company.

This morning was sensational oatmeal.  It was sensational simply because it wasn’t made in the office microwave.

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This was a regular 1/2 c. oats + 1/2 nan + 1 c. water + cinnamon + cranberry t-mix + cacao nibs + almond butter.

I’ve been eating a lot of this lately, too:

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It’s GF banana bread and I replaced the sugar with Splenda.  I pulled out half a loaf from the freezer – and oops, it’s gone now.

Lunches have featured… sandwiches and leftover party hummus.

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That really doesn’t look appetizing, but it was good.

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I bought some new GF brown sandwich bread today, and tried to avert my eyes when the cashier rang it in at almost seven dollars.

Seven dollars.  For a mini loaf of bread.

I might as well be making sandwiches out of dollar bills.  Normally, GF bread tastes like paper anyway, so it wouldn’t be a stretch.

This bread passed the tasty test though!

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There was laughing cow cheese + toms + red onion + sprouts on this one.

Okay, this shrimp + kale + shrooms dinner was horrible, so let’s not even talk about it.

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Last night’s pasta was much, much better.

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Chicken + stuffed olives + cherry toms + rice pasta + EVOO + garlic + champagne.  Yes, this pasta dish sparkled.

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I have leftovers that I’m thinking about eating for dinner tonight.  My tummy is getting h-angry.

I miss barbecuing my dinners!  Doesn’t look like that is happening any time soon…

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Guess what that big black thing is?  Yeah.

I Move

Friday – started off the New Year at a vacant gym.  Where was everybody?!  Oh right, enjoying their holiday!  The place was dead.  I did cardio split between the treadie and the elliptical and did some core work that left me hurting the next day.

Saturday – no workout!  It was really nice to spend the day with a couple friends and go here and there around the city.  I did pick up my latest gift to self that “Santa” helped to fund…

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Here it is folks, my next sport.  I’ve decided to take up cross country skiing as an attempt to embrace winter.  As a friend puts it, we might as well live in Siberia when you look outside, and it’s not going to change, so we might as well go with it.

Back in the day, I was a downhill skier.  I had no fears about bombing down a hill, loved feeling the edge of my skis carving  freshly groomed hills and being completely in control.  When I was even more adventurous, I picked up snow blades, which is the equivalent to signing my death wish.  I loved it but moved away from the ski hill and without easy access to one, I gave it up.

I lost my daredevil side too, and the thought of strapping those things back on my feet is terrifying.  Cross country skiing seemed like more civilized choice. ;)

Sunday – I gave them a whirl!  I went out with friends to a trail near by and we skied for about an hour and a half.  At first, I was about as graceful as a donkey on ice skates.  By the end of loop, I was getting into a groove and was starting to understand how different muscles should feel during the stride.  I’m taking lessons at the end of the month so that should help… a lot.

Back to work for a full week tomorrow – really?  Already?  This was an awesome long weekend.

Off to catch up on some blog reading,

Adi

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Gym, Lunch, Skiing, Snack | 6 Comments »

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