Say Cheese

Jul 30, 2010

Bonjour!

Thanks for all your support on my work presentation yesterday. It went really well!!!

I started off my morning with a green monster. It had 2 C. spinach, ½  frozen banana, ½ C. strawberries and ¾ C. of soymilk (plus extra strawberries for garnish). I also made an onion egg white puff.

Just combine 3 egg whites in a bowl, 1 T. chopped onion and mozzarella veggie cheese shreds. Microwave for 45 seconds, scramble and microwave for an additional 45 seconds or until there is no liquid in the bowl. Scoop it into a plate and add cayenne and black pepper. The onion adds a pleasant sweet taste.

A reader recently asked what type of veggie cheese I use. My favorite veggie cheese is from Galaxy Nutritional Foods. I started using their products when I first transitioned to a vegetarian diet and have been hooked ever since. I’m not a vegan, but use veggie cheese when available. I noticed that my sinuses cleared up as soon as I stopped eating milk products. I typically only use the products for my “fast meals” because they tend to be a little pricey.

The Veggie Shreds are great for dishes like lasagna or pizza and the Veggie Slices are great for sandwiches or wraps. They also have Parmesan ‘cheese’ that I add to pasta.

For variety, I alternate between the cheddar and mozzarella Slices for my weekly sandwiches. The Veggie line is soy based and free of trans and saturated fats. Their Rice line offers a soy-free ‘cheese’. The Rice block Cheddar is heavenly. You can also cut the block into bite-sized pieces and serve along side fruit and crackers as an appetizer.

Of all their products I’ve tried, the taste has been dead on. You can find them in the produce section of your grocery store. And no, I’m not being paid for this ‘advertisement’ :)

I ran home during lunch hour and made this:

Whole-wheat wrap with lentils, veggie cheese, bell pepper and spinach.

*******

Yesterday after work we took one of the roomies out to celebrate the final day of his internship. I ordered a “mocktail” just to confuse the bar tender. Kath would be proud! I asked for orange juice with club soda. It was perfect and refreshing for a nice afternoon on the river.

This was guzzled down because I still had to drive 45 minutes to Latin Dance class. After class, a few of us enjoyed dinner at a local café before heading to Latin night at a local club hotel. I ordered a veggie sandwhich. Nothing special. (beware of bad iPhone picture)

We are really coming along in the dancing department and are definitely starting to look more like this…

…well, we think so anyway! ;)

Tonight is a Maroon 5 concert and tomorrow the roomie and I are heading to Boston for a day trip!! Here is what we have planned so far:

  • Sam Adam’s Brewery
  • Faneuil Hall Marketplace
  • Freedom Trail (which includes Paul Revere’s house, the Bunker Hill Monument, the Old North Church, Boston Commons and the Boston Massacre Site)
  • Fenway Park
  • Cheers Bar & Restaurant
  • Duck tour (possibly)

It’s a lot to do in one day, but we are experts. Can you guess which sites are for who?

Have you been to Boston before? What was your favorite thing to see?

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The Better Bottle

Jul 28, 2010

If you’ve spent any period of time with me, you know my Camelbak water bottle is always attached to my hip (I’m picturing the two of ‘us’ running gleefully through a field of flowers, lol). It fits in any cup holder, could hang on the crook of my finger, was spill proof and had a bite-to-sip straw. Did I mention it is BPA free! I would relate the situation to a child with a slight teddy bear obsession. That water bottle was with me up until last weekend when it got left at the Brad Paisley concert. The concert ended with mobs of cowboy-hat-wearing, city-goers rushing for the exit in the pouring rain. In all the comotion the waterbottle got left behind.

I got the Camelbak almost a year ago and have spent 3 dreadful days hoping one of my friends would magically find it in one of their bags. I resorted to bringing a plastic cup to work to fill with water…not cool. I took matters into my own hands and ordered the exact replica of my Camelbak I.

After the excitement of ordering my new Camelbak bottle I had a bowl of Grapenuts with strawberries, soy milk and drizzled with AB (almond butter).

Lunch was leftover Quinoa with Sundried Tomatoes, roasted vegetables and an apple.

Dinner was leftovers (again) with a black bean veggie burger. My favorite brand of veggie burgers is Amy’s. The Texas Burger is amazing, but is hard to find if you don’t have a health food store nearby. The Morning Star black bean burger is the next runner up and can be found anywhere from Wal-Mart to Wholefoods. Veggie Burgers are my go-to freezer food when I need a fast meal.

I definitely hit my quinoa limit today!….but I had to eat it quick because I saw my roommate eying it ;)

I managed to fit in a relaxing 3.5 mile run in after work because I slept through my first alarm this morning. I find that it is so much harder to motivate myself after a long day in the office. I’m always more lethargic and physically/mentally drained after work. My pace was slow, but it was definitely needed to de-stress.

I’m off to review for the presentation that I have tomorrow.

‘night bloggies!

Questions:

If you are single, do you make single serving meals or make multiple servings for leftovers?

Do you have a favorite water bottle that you take everywhere you go?

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The Wurst Tri Ever

Jul 27, 2010

It’s official. On September 12th, my sister, my mom and I will tag team the Wurst Tri Ever!!! My sister will complete the 250 meter swim, my mom will do the 14 mile bike ride and I will be doing the 3.1 mile run. This distance is what I would consider an ‘easy morning run’, but I’m so excited to finally have a mother-daughter tri team. When my sister and I were younger, we went to all my moms races and typically just sat there dumbfounded. “Why would any one want to do that? All that physical activity at once, are they crazy?!?” Well, not this time my friends. We are going to be the crazy ones now. Less than two months and counting!!!

(source)

I’m sure your next question is “What is Wurst?” Well, it’s short for Wurstfest or “sausage festival.” The race is in New Braunfels, Texas, a small German community about 15 minuets from my parents home and they definitely love their sausage. Needless to say, I won’t be eating the sausage but I will be basking in the glory of completing a tag-team tri.

However, this race is just the beginning. I have some ideas brewing about which races I want to do in the fall. Isn’t it funny how once you start exercising consistently and reaching new goals, the sky becomes the limit. Your whole mindset changes; you become more open-minded, willing to accept challenges and able to accomplish what you set your mind to. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement!

Onto daily eats…

I modeled breakfast after Angela‘s vegan overnight oats (VOO), but instead used the steel cut oats I had on hand. For my ROSCO (Raw Overnight Steel Cut Oats), I mixed 1/2 C. steel cut oats, 1 C. soymilk, 1/8 C. flaxseed and 1/2 banana then put it in the fridge overnight to let it do its thang. I prefer the nutty flavor and thicker texture of steel cut oats to 1-minute or 5-minute oats. No heating was required because the ROSCO absorb all the milk overnight. All I had to do this morning was pull it out of the fridge and throw some strawberries on top!! mmm….

I also had 1/2 C. of coffee because I stayed out late Salsa dancing last night. Does anyone see a reoccurring theme? lol

I took a picture of my semi-dull lunch before throwing it into the lunchbox and heading to work. Apple, carrots, granola bar and veggie burger. This meal was eaten in shifts around “Lunch Hour Pilates” at work. I also grabbed an un-pictured greek yogurt for afternoon snack.

Dinner, however, made up for the mundane lunch!

Behold quinoa with sundried tomatoes!!

“What’s quinoa?!?” my roommate asked. I proceeded to ramble off nutrition facts from a book I like to call The Food Bible. “Well, quinoa is not only very high in protein, but it is a complete protein source, meaning that is includes all nine essential amino acids making it a good choice for vegetarians. It has tons of lysine, essential for tissue growth, iron and fiber. The native Americans used it as a staple food for thousands of years because they realized it was good for them….AND it is actually the seed of a herbaceous plant, not a grain like most people think.” He sort of nodded and probably made a mental note not to ask me anything else for the evening. Can’t anyone get excited about a grain seed anymore?!? ;)

Quinoa with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Sunflower Seeds
adapted from The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook

1 cup uncooked quinoa
8 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups of vegetable stock (or water)
1 t. EVOO
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
sunflower seeds for garnish
S&P to taste

  1. Heat EVOO on medium heat and saute tomatoes, onions and garlic for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
  2. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and cayenne pepper. Return to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
  4. Mix in cilantro, garnish with sunflower seeds and add S&P to taste.

Look at that texture!!!

I also made my Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes: 1 large, diced, sweet potato, sprinkled with thyme and rosemary, drizzled with EVOO and roasted at 425ºF for 35 minutes. I threw in zuchinni, yellow squash, asparagus and mushrooms for good measure.

This dinner was so good!!!

I’m off to prepare for a presentation I have on Thursday, but I will leave you with this…

What have you done recently to challenge yourself (either mentally, physically or both)?

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

~ John Rohn

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