Salt & Humor

The $50 Safeway giftcard winner is Karla! I will submit your info and BlogSpark will get that out to you! To be honest I was pretty shy about how to pick a winner.  I put names in a bowl and stressed all day.  I waited till Jason came home and had him handle it.  He wrote all your names down in order and added the bonus entries then entered the data into the true random number generator.  Thank You for handling that for me Jason! Seriously, I stress out about the smallest things sometimes!!

Moving on!

I started the day with a power smoothie.  I had some maradol papaya left over from the other day.  I am the only one that eats them and it was a good sized one.  I used about 1/2 the papaya, 1/2 banana, 2 T flax oil, cinnamon, 1/2 scoop protein powder and almond milk.

This turned out even better than I thought! Can’t wait to get another one!

I went to get a few things for the Valentine’s dinner that I will be making tomorrow. Unfortunately, Jason works all day but at least he gets home at 7:30.  Just in time for dinner! I told him it was his choice for dinner, aka, my present to him, is the dinner…He picked carne asada.  Next to fish tacos, this would be his favorite. So, I prepped that “stuff” for the dinner tomorrow.
Lunch was well deserved.  I still had some of the black rice left over from the Thai food. So I warmed it up and topped my salad with it.  The perfect salad has something warm on it! (according to me) HAHA! I used some of the avocado/lemon oil and fresh lemon juice for a dressing.  Again, this was better than I was expecting

Since, I am not into the carne asada for dinner tomorrow, I wanted to make something for me.  Hmmm….hummus, of course.  For the sake of the holiday, how about red pepper hummus.  Yes, please!

Oh, yes, that is NICE!!  Even thought it takes a little more time, I prefer to roast the pepper myself, than buy them in a jar.  Last jar I got, smelled and tasted a little off.

Last night, I was reading my February edition of Body + Soul. I really enjoyed an article that talked about guilty pleasures that are good for us.  They spoke of why napping, cheese omelets, gossiping, beer and playing with your iphone are good for us! SWEET! So, while my back is still really tight and inflamed, I have not been getting any workouts in, aside from stretching.  So, I have been trying to eat really strict.  Well, the other night, I was craving a beer and chips and salsa and I DID NOT have it. Well, let’s just say that the article last night may or may not have convinced me to make salsa and enjoy a beer tonight. Just in case you are curious, beer seems to be just as good for you as wine! While it does not have resveratrol in it, it does have more calcium and magnesium, plus 5x the level of free-radical-fighting polyphenols. A 12-ounce bottle of beer may up “good” HDL cholesterol, decrease the risk of blood clots and reduce coronary heart disease rates by 30-40%! All, things within balance, of course.  As, long as it averages out to 1 beer a day.  Whoot, Whoot! Check it!

Guess what’s funny about this picture?? The blade is missing! If you have a food processor, you have probably done this a time or two. Sheesh!

This was a “cheater salsa.” I don’t think the fresh tomatoes are all that good right now for making salsa.  So my take on tonight’s salsa was 1 can, sliced tomatoes, 2 cans, chopped tomatoes with green chile, 1 jalapeno, 1/2 sweet onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 juiced lime, 1/4 t cumin, a bunch of cilantro, salt and 5 NuNaturals stevia drops. who cares if I used canned tomatoes, this salsa was EPIC!!!

So, there you have it, foods for my soul! And I didn’t even feel guilty about it!

I was so happy when I left the chiropractor’s office today! I was in a hurry to get back to work and walked very fast to my car.  Then I noticed that I was walking easier and my posture was a little better.  YAHOO! I had heat, electro stimulus, Graston, minor adjustments and massage.  I think the massage made all the difference.  It was all deep tissue and pressure points.  All I can say is I love Hawthorne Chiropractic!!!

I have some catching up to do! Let start with a picture, shall we.  I figured out a setting in my WordPress profile that made all the difference.  I can post photos again!!

Killer wrap last Saturday: hummus, kidney beans, sprouts, red pepper, cucumber, tomato and avocado.

Mushroom raviolis and salad

Banana soft serve with walnuts and chocolate sauce.

Monday night Jason made dinner for me! That was one of the most sore days for my back and I had just come home from the chiropractor and was told to rest and ice.  I actually sat in the kitchen and guided Jason as to how I would like the dinner made. Also, he took all the photos.  Well except for this one…

Check out my sweet view! xoxox

zucchini, brussels, tempeh and kale

special sauce: tahini, dijon mustard and water.

All served over quinoa and millet.  It hit the spot.  I loved the tempeh and the sauce.  He used a juiced lemon to cook the veggies and added some of the avocado/lemon oil.  That stuff is AMAZING! It is pretty darn special that he did that.  It is safe to say, that he pretty much doesn’t like any of it! He did try the tempeh though.  He “thinks” he likes it!!

THANKS J!!

If you haven’t entered the giveaway, what are you waiting for?

**Remember to link to your blog. **

Happy Wednesday! I got my workout in tonight, so all is well. Jason got me a Polar heart rate monitor for my birthday and it came in the mail last night.   Tonight was my first chance to use it.  I programmed it with all my information and set it for exercise mode.  It seemed like it constantly beeped! Either telling me to get my heart rate up, that I was in good range, or to lower it.  Are you kidding me right now! Stop beeping! I need to figure out how to knock that off! Otherwise it was rewarding to know a # to my calories burned.  In 45 minutes of I burned 403 calories. Nice!!

I am pretty much a fan of combining any vegetable, grain and bean.  Last night it was adzuki beans and wheat berries.

This was my first time using adzuki beans.  I have found their stats to be pretty attractive.

Adzuki-Wheatberry Salad

3/4 cup of adzuki beans

3/4 cup of wheatberry

1 medium carrot

2 stalks of celery

2 roma tomatoes

1 avocado

2 persian cucumbers

1/2 red bell pepper

1 tbsp.  cilantro,chopped

Dressing:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lime juiced

2 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. mustard powder

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook beans and wheat berries. I soaked beans all day then rinsed and cooked over medium heat for 1 hour.  Wheat berries cooked on medium heat for about 45 minutes.

2. Chop all veggies and set aside.

3. In small bowl, mix lime juice, garlic, honey, mustard powder and olive oil with whisk or fork and set aside.

4. Drain cooked beans and wheat berries and rinse under cold water. Transfer to large bowl.

5. Add  chopped vegetables and cilantro and combine.

5. Drizzle dressing and season with salt and pepper. The salt will create more juice and add to the dressing.

I had the adzuki-wheatberry salad over a bowl of arugula for lunch.  For dinner tonight, I had it with 2 corn tortillas and greek yogurt.

It is a pretty simple meal. You can make with any vegetable you like.  I usually just use what I have on hand.  Carrot, celery and cucumber are some of my favorites.

That’s all for now, I ran out of stuff to say. *Goodnight*

Skipped the coffee this morning and replaced it with some juice.  I swear, it gives you the same feeling, only better.

That is really a monster carrot! They are Italian carrots-cool huh.

I made oats before my workout so they would be ready after. I have really been enjoying making overnight oats (no-cook), this was similar, only 2 hour oats.

1/4 cup dry oats, 1 scoop of Amazing Grass-Superfood, 1 scoop of Chocolate Biochem protein (thanks April!), 2 tbsp. of ground flax, dried fruit/nuts, unsweetened coconut and cinnamon mixed with half a smashed banana and almond milk. Today, I added the juice from the bottom of the pitcher.  It is usually foamy…ehhh. Depending on my mood, I may or may not drink that part. So in the oats it went!

After my workout and a shower the oats hit the spot, with some almond butter, that is.

It was a beautiful, sunny (for the most part) today.  I am not the only one that loves the sunshine…

This little handsome devil does not like his photo taken! He usually runs off.  So this was discretely taken from inside without his permission.

I picked up a mysterious winter squash at the store a while ago.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with this one, so I sliced and baked.

It was just ok.  The sweet dumpling was way better! The other part of my dinner was better though.

Massaged kale with lime and salt, tahini/yogurt dressing, grilled tofu, yellow pepper and grape tomatoes.

Have a happy Saturday night!

I had intentions of getting so much done yesterday.  That was crushed when I was stuck with a headache! Pain reliever let me down so I juiced.  This may or may not have been what finally made my dreadful headache go away, but for now, I like thinking it did.

The best photo spot right now is by the kitchen sink.  The lighting and natural light of the window usually mean I don’t have to use the flash.  Well, that light burned out and I still need to replace it and it was soo gray out that I had to improvise.

Swamp juice on window sill it is!
Did you know, that Starbucks straws make the best smoothie and juice straws!… Just thought you should know

I heard the kitties “chirping” at the birdies. Yes, even cats chirp, it is a fact. I was quick to grab my camera.

Did I mention that is was a gray day? Plus, I took this from inside.  It was fun to watch, sorry the photos are weak.

I made bean burgers for dinner. Jason seemed confused but I think he liked them.

burgers: pinto beans, quinoa, garlic/onion, cilantro, salt/pepper, salsa and cornmeal.

I also made a Waldorf salad: apple, celery, cranberries, walnuts and fat-free yogurt. Dinner=perfect.

I did not get a workout in tonight. This afternoon I got another headache This one still didn’t go away with pain reliever.  My back was also killing me and I am pretty sore from some working out over the weekend.  I think I will do some yoga for the back after I finish this.

Tonight’s dinner:
leftover burger on salad with yellow bell pepper and Annie’ Goddess dressing.

Just a quiet Monday. Some how the day managed to go from beginning to end in no time, starting with the 5 snooze sessions it took to get me out of bed!  It will be a quick post tonight.  I ate clean today and actually didn’t feel very hungry all day. I say, when the hunger is like that, you go with it.

Came home and did Jillian Michael’s- No More Trouble Zones. I have not wanted to go to the gym for a while now.  So, I am just going with that too. Have no worries though. Between yard work, Jillian and Jackie I have been getting my workouts in.

Tonight was one of those nights when you are not sure what to fix for dinner as far as the planning.  I kinda just started fixing one thing and then another. I managed to mix and match until I saw that I made plenty prepared for dinner and tomorrow’s lunch. Before you know it, I had a big plate.  My hunger finally kicked in.  I waited until dinner was done.  One of my bad habbits is to snacking before and while making dinner.  Bad news! Then I am to full for dinner. I have been working hard to knock that off.

Spinach and tomatoes with cooked frozen veggies on top with feta dressing,

quinoa polenta

carrot and sweet potato fries with mustard.

Dang, let me  say, I didn’t realize I was this hungry and it was soo good. Tonight I cooked the sweet potatoe fries a little bit longer and must say I prefer them with the burnt spots.  WOW!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Monday!

We all need to believe in our selves. I believe that I can make myself happy and achieve my goals.

I am a huge Etsy fan.  I just treated myself to this new pendant from Alaiyna B. Designs.

Breakfast was a bowl of fresh blueberries and a banana with soy milk and ground flax seeds.

A little while later I had the same eggs, toast and black beans as yesterday.

It has been a while since I have done Jillian Michaels-Boost Your Metabolism. What better time than today.  I swear, one day I will be able to this without pressing pause or modifying the mountain climbers for jumping jacks! (believe) That is the beauty of home workouts.

Post workout smoothie: lots of spinach, Jay Rob chocolate, rice protein, unsweetened cocoa, ground flax, frozen blueberries and soy milk. Divine!

Tonight’s dinner was a salad with tomatoes, brussels, flax chips, leftover taco stuff, avocado, feta dressing and salsa.

It was delicious and super filling. In fact, I think I should start making my salads in a smaller bowl.

This afternoon I went grocery shopping and to Petsmart.  Sometimes on my Petsmart trips I pick up a new toy for Wocha- Murry (one of Yoshi’s many, many nick names) This kitten is ALWAYS sooo excited for a new toy. I think he likes the way it smells too. Silly kit! I tossed him the new pink mousie and he immediately ran down the hall with it in his mouth.  That might be my single most favorite thing when kitties play; watching them carry things off in their mouth.

Sadly, I think this only took 5 minutes!

Where did the month of December go?  No really… I can’t figure that out.  Christmas is seriously next week!!! Gal!  I better get some gift shopping in this weekend. Even today flew by. (like that is any different from any other day)

I did make up for that ice cream last night.  I ate very light today and went to the gym. Jason got off early today, so we were able to go together. YAHOO! We hardly even have time together with his schedule any more.  So tonight was a real treat.  I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and we both worked on arms and chest.  I was  so hungry after. It was a straight bee line for the kitchen to put my dinner together!

salad: romaine, cabbage, red pepper, broccoli, grilled tofu and baked/seasoned garbonzo beans with honey mustard dressing.

Sometimes when you are so hungry, everything seems to tastes even better.  This was the case tonight

This is one of my favorite ornaments.  It is hand painted.  My Mom and I both have one. It is from Pier 1. I worked at Pier 1 in high school and loved it.

“Yoshi, there is not room for you too!”

Let me just say that when you are trying to eat good and diet, IT IS HARD! Imagine my temptation when I came home to this!!!!

This is probably Jason’s favorite dinner to make.  It may or may not look terribly appetizing in that photo.  Take my word for it, it is!  It is insane good!  It is ramen noodles, chili and most likely a frigen block of cheese! Um K! Lets see…served on a tortilla with more cheese and sour cream, it is hard to walk away.  When I first walked in, he had just made it, so it was all warm and gooey too  I DID, take a bite.  YES, it was good.  Then I realized how this S%#t is not worth it and how awful I feel after… So I made my own dinner (as usual).

Salad: steamed kale, tempeh, olives, red peppers and mushrooms with MORE hummus for a dressing.  It was good times.  Plus, I feel so proud for resisting that fat globule producing crud!

Enogh ranting.  Sorry.

Last night we were kinda on the same page.  I made his and hers enchiladas.  We both had shredded chicken and black olives.  His had cheese and mine had zucchini.

a little hot sause and greek yougurt make it all good!

I did make it to the gym before work yesterday. YAY! However I slept in this morning.  I didn’t make up for it either, because I had a hair appointment after work. It is a must tomorrow.  I miss it now.  I don’t like it when the soreness starts to go away. Up at 5 am yo, bring the soreness!

Wowsa!  I did some maja squats and lunges with weights on Saturday.  I was so out of shape sore that it even hurt to move in bed.  Sitting and standing were a chore! I think I was even more sore this morning!  So, as the day passed I was thinking of using this little excuse to pass up my workout after work….Well, I didn’t and I am so glad!  I put in 35 minutes on the elliptical and did arms and stomach.  I love how good it feels post workout!

Last night I cut up the last pumpkin from Halloween.  All others were carved.  I made sure to save one for decoration and cooking.  I like to cook it and then freeze it 1 cup and half cup measurement for later use.

I made some pumpkin soup.  It wasn’t to shabby.  Although, I think I am a pumpkin/sweet, more than a pumpkin/savory kind of gal. Into the food processor went: cooked pumpkin, roasted onion, garlic and red bell pepper, vegetable broth, salt/peppa, chile and cayenne, and 1 bay leaf.

It also doubled as leftover lunch.

QUESTION: Is it ok to drop globs of hummus into your soup?

ANSWER: Hell fricken ya!

The hummus kinda melted into the soup when I stirred it.  Cool deal!

After the gym I rushed home to make a salad.  I was crazy hungry!

green leaf lettuce, spinich, yellow pepper, mushrooms, tomato, sweet potato, hummus and baked tofu. Dressing was a combo of some teriyaki sauce and the hummus.  Good times!

I could really go for a hot fudge Sunday right now.  I was hoping the tea would curb that though.  It did.  Phew!

Do be warned, this stuff is tart. Oh well, it helped me stop wanting sweets.

My goal is to try and wake up @ 5:30 tomorrow and get to the gym before work.  Wish me luck

Well, I had the right idea when I decided to make a green monster this morning. If I only new I was going to ruin it by adding the amazing grass. Into the blender went: 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen cherries, almond butter, 1/2 scoop of amazing grass (pomegranate, peach,mango), handful of spinach, splash of soy milk and water. It looked good, but didn’t taste good. I like the chocolate superfood. Not sure why I thought I should chance it and order a whole 2 pounds without even sampling it. Yikes!! No wonder it was on sale.

I sat out back, while I let the kitties out. (They like it better when I hang out with them.) I used to eat almost every meal during the warmer months in our back patio. It is so nice and comforting. It was a little to darn cold for this today though. My smoothie needed a snuggie.
(seriously though, those blanket commercials creep me out)

The gym rocked today. Some days you do great, others you have to get through it. Today I rocked it! I love those days!
I made a sweet dinner. It was a hard red wheat berry and wild rice salad.

Even though breakfast was a dud, I made up for it in dinner. I am definitely making this one again.
Have a good night everyone!