New Year and Meeting the Bloggers!

Well it's a new year and I'm hoping it will be full of many exciting things for me!

I'm sure many of you follow Skinny Runner.
Her laid back humor always brings me back to life and helps inspire me to run. Well she was in town, along with a whole boatload of others, for the PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon and setup a get together in Phoenix while she was here.

We met at Seasons 52, (all the girls ran except me, boo for me being too down n out to run) for some healthy dining. I have to say it was a beautiful restaurant with great dessert!
It was so nice meeting everyone! It was my first blog meet up...and hope it's not the last.
Have a great evening ladies.

Favorite Things: Cuisinart Immersion Blender

Since B and I are the only ones in our house, this Cuisinart Smart Stick seems to do the job. Its not nearly as loud as the last immersion blender I had that lasted a whole 2 years (designed by a chef and the thing still didn't have quality)! I don't own a blender because this is all I need. I make salsa, shred chicken for quesadillas and tacos, and chop veggies in the chopper bowl and I make smoothies, blend dressings, and smooth out creamy soups with the stick attachment. Don't worry about ice either...this thing will not leave a bunch of ice in the bottom. I did a lot of homework before buying this appliance and I hope you all will like it too!
This would be an ideal gift for: Newlyweds, any family member who likes to make things at home vs. crappy canned stuff. Attachments are easy to use but it's not dishwasher safe (I stick the 'beaker' in the dishwasher only.)

Cost: $49.99 (Retail, but I'd suggest looking around online for deals or coupons).

Product Review: Zip'n Steam

I'm not some granola cruncher, in fact I'm far from it, but I am one of those people who fear cooking in plastic (I feel like I'm going to get some sort of cancer or something when the plastic heats up and the molecules and plastic properties change). I'd rather cook my food in the oven or stove top via stainless steel or glass. Curiosity got the best of me while reading Abby's blog who raved about the Zip'n Steam bags. Who doesn't need a new way to make veggies easy to eat?My Review:

I used these tonight and steamed a little corn and peas with salt and old bay seasoning and it turned out great! It couldn't have been easier to eat veggies!

Easy Yummy Reduced Fat Alfredo Sauce

While I love Mexican food (I could eat queso dip for BL&D), I've always had a spot in my tummy for Alfredo Sauce. The bad side to it--it's enormous fat and calorie content! When B and I go to Olive Garden we order a side of it for our bread sticks and refer to it as our "lard boat." I never order the whole dish, it's just a gut bomb.

I came across this recipe and thought, "Hey, that looks like it'd be good." So I made a few modifications and came up with my version. It was divine!! Tons of flavor and yummy texture too. I love it with Dreamfield's Rotini.


Reduced Fat Alfredo Sauce
adapted from Our Best Bites

1/2 C skim milk
1/8 C reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 C fat free evaporated milk
1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t dried basil
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

1. Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, pepper, basil and salt in a large cup and process with an immersion blender (or regular blender). Process until smooth and set aside.
2. In a pan, melt butter on med heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.
3. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now. When it's nice and thick (it's almost as thick as a normal Alfredo sauce) remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Add additional garlic powder to your taste.
4. Toss with your favorite cooked pasta and enjoy!

(I hate the flash on my food, I swear it's not cafeteria food)

I can't believe I wasn't being bad...until my second helping. Hey that's spinach salad on that plate so I consider that nutritious.

Zucchini Bread or Muffins

I constantly search for new recipes online that are quick and easy breakfasts on-the-go while still being healthy and satiating. This recipe looked delicious so I lighted it up a bit and made it more healthy than the original version. Since I'm such a muffin girl, I just had to try them in the loaf as well to "think outside the Risa muffin box".

~adapted from Our Best Bites

• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour (or regular if you don't have this)
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/8 t ground cloves
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 t vanilla (i didn't have quite 2, I ran out :-( )
• zest from one large orange
• 1/2 C light sour cream
• 3 C grated zucchini
• optional: 2/3 C chopped pecans, toasted (I used almonds, but wasn't that big of a fan how they turned out in there)

*Topping:

• 1 T white sugar
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside. Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Beat eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla for about 30 seconds. Add sour cream and orange zest and beat to combine. Mix in zucchini. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Divide batter between 2 pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes (or around 20-30 min for muffins) or until a knife comes out clean. Make sure to let your loaf rest on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before you try to remove it from the pan or it will come out in chunks!

I kept a close eye on my muffins, poking them periodically until the toothpick came out clean.
YUUUUUMMMMMYYYY!!

Healthy Lunch

Since Fall is here, I really wanted to pick up some canned pumpkin but there wasn't any on the shelves. Apparently there's a nationwide shortage? (You'd think an ex-newsie would be up on that sort of thing), so instead I'll embrace summer a bit longer with beautiful strawberries. They just had to make it into my lunch for my trip tomorrow to our sister dealership where I work half the time.

This is my take on the Bento lunch bandwagon.
What's your favorite lunch?

Donate for a Chance to Win Philosphy Wash!

Since I'm taking part in three different run/walks I thought I'd post a link for all of you to donate to my causes if you're feeling generous. You don't need to donate a lot, I'm grateful for any donations at all.



The payoff is I'll enter you in my drawing for a Philosophy 3-in-1 body wash!


Here are the links for the three activities:
1. Komen's Race For The Cure (Must donate before 10-4-09)

2. American Lung Association's Corporate Cup Race (Must donate before 9-20-09)

3. Nebraska Humane Society's Walk For The Animals. (Must donate before 9-27-09)

** One entry for donating to one of my above causes.

** One entry for posting this giveaway on your blog.

** If you donate to the Walk for Animals, you get two entries. (Yes I'm a little biased, I love animals.) If you play your cards right, you could get a lot of entries ;-)



I'll pick a winner Oct. 5th. Which is the day after my last race.

Each of my causes are important in their own way. Good Luck :-)



Thank you!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Let me preface you with the information that I am not a professional runner and never ran in high school, I'm pretty pathetic actually. In the past few weeks some races have sort of fallen on my lap:

1. Race For The Cure: I'm a member of the Junior League of Omaha and we have a team running in the race. I had always wanted to run in the Race For The Cure but never had the opportunity. While my family doesn't have history of breast cancer, it's scary. One in 8 women will get this scary disease and after losing an aunt (she married my mom's brother) to the disease, it's hit closer to home. I'm doing this race for her.
2. ALA Corporate Cup: Our dealership group is sponsoring this race and I've been involved with the marketing and planning of this event for the past month and a half . While I won't be running in the 10k (I'll die if I run the whole thing), I decided to run a quick 2 mile, non-competitive route. My grandmother had lung cancer (wasn't a smoker for several years) and so this one is for her :-).



3. Walk for the Animals: I also found out about a Nebraska Humane Society event happening in two weeks. This is a super near and dear to my hear issue plus my little angel can come with. I'm a HUGE animal lover. I don't believe in "buying animals", I believe in adopting one from a shelter. They love you just the same and if you are truly looking to love an animal, they don't need to be purebred. My love, Duke, was rescued from a bad situation in Kansas and was taken in by a loving foster mom who taught him everything he needed to know to get adopted. I couldn't ask for a better dog in my life than him. We believe he's a black lab/border collie mix. He's the smartest little angel ever. My husband and I love the crap out of this babe--
If you are looking for a dog or cat, I recommend Petfinder. It's where we found Duke and they have so many animals looking for a forever home with a loving mom and dad!

Batter Blasters Breakfast

I'm one of those people who HAS to have breakfast in the morning but I don't like processed crap either. I like my breakfast to be fast and wholesome in the morning before I rush out the door for work.

While at Super Target yesterday I came across this stuff:



Fearful of it's toxic ingredients, yet the easy spray drew me in. I turned to can over to see "ORGANIC" and all ingredients I could pronouce? Can it be? Yay- in the cart you go.

I tried them this morning and added blueberries and topped with REAL maple syrup...delish. I'll be honest it's a slightly lighter texture than regular batter coming out but the end result is very good.

Banana Berry Smoothie

Finally it's "normal" temperatures here in Nebraska in February. Well normal for me is 50's + since I'm from AZ, but this 'heat wave' isn't normal for the Midwest. In the Southwest, it's springtime by now and we're sporting summer attire. I still haven't adjusted to that type of season yet here. I made a smoothie before work this week on one of the warmest days ever that was very tasty. I can't drink smoothies in the winter and have been dying for one so I jumped at the chance.

This drink is a healthy alternative to store/restaurant smoothies since I'm controlling the ingredients. It's wholesome and yummy and hits the spot on a sunny spring day!

1/2 banana
5 small fresh strawberries
10 fresh blueberries
1/4 cup crushed ice
2 Tbsp fat free plain yogurt (I just used the grocery store generic)
Tbsp flax seed
Tbsp wheat germ
serving of vanilla protein shake mix
8 oz of skim milk


Mix all ingredients with blender and enjoy!

Thursday's good

Here's a breakdown of my meals yesterday via www.selfdietclub.com. I stayed on track for my calories, even though I had a few slip ups in the marshmallow department. I also missed the gym yesterday due to a migraine.

Today I woke up and lost one pound! Yahoo for me:-) Every pound is a struggle. I don't know how well I'll do for dinner tonight, I'm really craving Ruby Tuesdays. Let's hope it stays off for good!

Another Lunch...Another Pita

Well the day is almost over but my migraine isn't. This morning for breakfast I took an Excedrine Migrane with some Kashi Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal topped with blueberries and a non-fat, sugar-free, cinnamon dolce latte. I guess that was more caffine than I bargained for. As lunch approached, not only was I suffering from the migraine, but now a jittery feeling as well. On my lunch break, I made a pitstop at the Chiropractor. Hopefully the migraine subsides...

Many of you may read and think to yourself, "Why doesn't this girl blog about anything but pitas?" Well it's because it's the easiest thing in the world to whip up on a rushed lunch hour. I was planning on making a soup but my Baked Chimichangas filling took longer than anticipated. I'll be posting pics and recipe information on those tonight or tomorrow.

Disciplined is the Word

So I've already shot myself in the foot today as far as food is concerned...

As you can see, I've really helped myself to a plethora of breakfast items. I ate my normal breakfast and then bagels somehow appeared here at the office. Luckily I didn't totally oink out and only served myself half, with reduced fat hazelnut cream cheese. See the above breakdown of calories remaining and I haven't even had lunch yet! I don't have room for many other things for the rest of the day. Luckily today is my cardio day and I can make up for it at the gym today after work.

I highly suggest keeping a log of your diet. It really shows you where you are with the day's caloric intake. I prefer Self Diet Club's. You have to have a subscription to self, but it's only $8 so for a year to use this tool for that price, you can't beat. It also charts your weight loss and exercise too!