Healthy and Sane

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Temptations at work, temptations at home

December 30th, 2009 · 14 Comments · Ellie Krieger, baking, breakfast, chicken, dessert, salad, snacks, yogurt

Things I was tempted with at work, but stayed away from due to an unknown amount of calories…

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Things I had a much harder time resisting at home…

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Chocolate peppermint bark cookies I made for our New Years party tomorrow (recipe found here, originally discovered through CNC)

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So I cut myself a piece. I had to know what they tasted like before serving them to my guests, no? ;)

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[~177 calories]

I made half a batch topped with crushed candy canes and half with walnut pieces. The walnut pieces side is so me with my nut and chocolate addition. This is one buttery “cookie.” I think our guests will enjoy them.

I also made Ellie Krieger’s lemon icebox bars from her new cookbook So Easy, which my husband got me for Christmas (recipe can also be found here). They are this week’s CEiMB recipe hosted by Playing House. Unfortunately my bars did not set! They are delicious lemon cheesecake mush. I’m going to need to find a creative way to serve them tomorrow. No bueno as of right now :(

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[150 calories]

Aside from sweet temptations, today went pretty well. It did feel different, counting calories and not grabbing a snack “just because.” I guess that means it’s “working.” I’m not going to celebrate just yet. It’s been 1 day, and I won’t be counting on New Year’s eve. I am excited about continuing this into 2010. Those holiday pounds will be gone in no time, and my self-esteem should come back with those lost pounds. *Fingers crossed!* Here is what the rest of my eats looked like…

BREAKFAST

Nonfat yogurt with 1/2 mango, 1/2 pear, 1/2 persimmon + a handful of Kashi GoLean cereal and pecan halves

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So many gorgeous colors!

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[308 calories]

LUNCH

Leftover risotto with cauliflower, tomatoes and walnuts

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[~449 calories]

Still creamy and delicious! :)

WORKOUT

During lunch hour today, I took a 40 minute boot camp class called SHRED, then jumped on the elliptical for 17 minutes. The entire time I felt pretty out of shape. Those extra pounds are really affecting my performance. I’m excited to change that! :D

SNACKS

Power bran muffin + tea

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And a sweet fresh apple

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DINNER

Dinner was kept on the lighter side because I knew I wanted to taste each of the sweet treats. It was a mish-mosh of things, all combined into a giant salad. The goat cheese tied them all together.

Chicken, mushrooms, olives and diced tomatoes (all from leftover chicken cacciatore), roasted brussels sprouts (from last night’s dinner) over mixed greens, topped with goat cheese and dressed with lemon juice

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It was actually pretty awesome. I love warm salads like that! :grin:

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[~271 calories]

Approximate total for the day: 1646 calories (I’m trying to stay in the 1500-1650 range)

So that’s today for ya. Thank you all for you support on my previous post. It means a lot to me that my readers really care about me. Hopefully a thinner Elina is a lot happier and thus more inspirational. One more day left in 2009. Can you believe that?!!

Happy New Year to all of you! I’ll hope to see you back here in 2010!!!!!!! :mrgreen: :cool:

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Back to the drawing board

December 30th, 2009 · 21 Comments · Cooking Light, Uncategorized, beef, man meals, sandwich, side dishes

I hope you guys enjoyed my 2009 recap post. It was so fun searching through the blog for my favorite recipes of the year. I really need to remake every single one of them – each one was absolutely fabulous! :D

The post today is a little bit more “serious.” Naturally with the year nearly ending I’ve been doing lots of reflecting. Yes, I’ve grown a lot over the year, but I’m not finished yet. The holiday season set me back once again (I talked about it here, did better the next day, and went back to my old bad habits the day after that). I just haven’t been very happy with myself lately and I know the reason is too many mindless bites (that I cannot seem to avoid no matter how hard I try or how motivated I am!) which often lead to sub-par workouts (or none at all if I’m too full – today was exhibit A of such behavior). So for one millionth time this season I mentioned it to my husband. He can tell I haven’t been myself/100% happy, even if I try to hide it. It’s hard because usually there isn’t much he can say to “make it better,” but for some reason today his suggestion worked (at least in theory). So here it is… I didn’t want to do this, but I’m desperate and I think this will do the trick – I’m temporarily going back to calorie counting. I know I can eat intuitively and maintain my weight, but for some reason I’ve gotten way off track and can’t bring myself back to only eating intuitively (and not stuffing my face with chocolate and random snacks). Calorie counting will be a bit of a shock to my system, a shock that I think I very much need. It won’t be about severe restriction, although I will cut down a bit since those 6+ holiday pounds I’ve gained must go! I will try this for the month of January, and see if this is enough to get the old Elina back. :)

Now let’s see what today’s eats looked like…

BREAKFAST

1 FFL english muffin with Barney Butter and 1/2 banana + coffee

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I woke up starving but for some reason this breakfast really filled me up. I was actually sick for hours after eating it as if I went overboard at an unlimited food buffet. Not sure what’s up with that but it was not a good time :???:

“SNACKS”

1 real snack – this orange was beyond sweet and juicy. Yum!

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And then the junk food raid began… (there is a limitless supply of cookies and chocolates in my office so when I get a craving, it’s way too easy to satisfy it!)

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I will say these were very yummy :D

LUNCH

I ended up having lunch at home, which is always fun. Did I ever show you guys where I often take pictures when I’m home? Yep, that’s our back yard. The lighting in our condo is terrible so when it’s light out (and I decide to brave the cold), I go outside and snap a photo there. Pretty scenic, no? ;)

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Brie + green apple and dijon mustard panini + salad with mixed greens, remaining apple and Annie’s goddess dressing

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Mmm, melty brie…

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Dessert – an almond stuffed date

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DINNER

Dinner was definitely a “man meal.” We were able to get some grass fed beef at WF on Sunday, so Adam requested that I cook some sirloin tips for dinner and make fries. Here is what we got…

Grass fed sirloin tips, marinaded in EVOO, balsamic vinegar, garlic and brown sugar (used an Ellie Krieger recipe) for a few hours and grilled for about 10 minutes.

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For the fries, I following this recipe for garlic fries from Cooking Light, using fresh thyme instead of parsley (Adam doesn’t like parsley). The fries were beyond amazing! I wish we had more than 1 potato so I could have had more than just a few of these.

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Of course veggies are a must. I deviated from my tried and true recipe for parmesan brussels sprouts (from 101 cookbooks) and tried the roasting method by following this recipe from Cooking Light (originally found through A Better Bag of Groceries). Looking good my little babies… :lol:

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Unfortunately this recipe cannot even compare to our beloved parmesan brussels sprouts, even after I added some shredded parmesan. I think cutting them in half really helps with the texture + brussels sprouts on the stove top take way less time. Heidi’s version definitely wins!

My plate (I only had a few fries so Adam could have them but we had a baked potato in the fridge so I had some of it instead):

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Oh yes, while cooking dinner I snacked on some (unpictured) somersaults, fresh cauliflower and roasted almonds which definitely spoiled my appetite! I had maybe 3/4 of the steak…

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4 fries + maybe 2 bites of the baked potato

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and about 3/4 of the brussels sprouts

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What I really wanted was Adam’s fries. SO good!!!!!!!!

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The decision to resume counting calories was made after dinner because I was upset with myself for overeating right before it (this has been happening a lot lately). I hope you guys support me in my journey back to what I know has worked in the past and hopefully will work again. My first day should be interesting :shock:

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Best 9 eats of 2009 + 2009 resolutions review

December 29th, 2009 · 17 Comments · Uncategorized

Only a few more days left in 2009, which makes it the perfect time to evaluate the year that’s nearly past! Since I’ve been blogging for over a year now, the first thing I searched for was the blog post on my New Year’s resolutions for 2009 (if you are interested in the original post, you can find it here). Let’s see how I did…

- Become truly Healthy AND Sane! – well, well, well – as expected this was a loaded goal and a really tough one to achieve! I think this is still a work in progress. I’d like to think I got a little better at the balancing act this. Making the decision to stop trying to lose weight (and be ok with maintenance instead!) and stop counting calories and eating intuitively I believe has tremendously helped me in this quest. This goal is staying on my 2010 resolutions list!

- Stop being scared of running outside – ha, kicked that one’s butt! In fact, I now prefer to run outside and miss it terribly these days (running in the cold has not been fun so I’m back to treadmill running for the season).

- Race a 10K! – Yes, yes, yes. Achieved this one back in May (recap can be found here) and even trained for a half marathon later in the year (something I thought was impossible a year ago – see the 2009 resolutions post). If you haven’t been following my blog then and would like to read the horror story of my first half marathon, you can find it here (it’s slightly depressing but there are lessons to be learned too!). I signed up for another half in 2010, so you better believe I’m finishing one next time!

– Improve this blog! – another loaded goal! I guess you guys can tell me if the blog got better. Some days/weeks I feel like I’m really onto something and am cruising; other days it’s hard to find things to talk about and I find my posts are a little flat. My readership has grown quite a bit over the year, so I guess at least some of you like the blog ;) Please comment once in a while so I know you’re there! It’s good to be reminded that I’m not writing into space. I’m keeping this goal for 2010 as well :D

Overall I think 2009 was a really good year. My husband and I bought a condo (a major milestone achieved!), as mentioned above I stopped counting calories and started eating more intuitively (another biggie) and I met so many great friends though the blog that taught me lots in the process (like the fact that running can be fun and is not just a way to burn calories!). I hope 2010 is even better!! (I’ll do a separate post for resolutions for 2010)

Now let’s get to some fun stuff – 9 best eats of 2009! I should note that I’m excluding meals out – these are best eats that were prepared by me (and you can replicate them in your own kitchen!). It was fun reading through old posts to come up with this list. :mrgreen:

1. pumpkin spice muffins

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2. Endive boats stuffed with oranges, goat cheese and candied walnuts

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3. pork tenderloin stuffed with goat cheese, dates and pecans (this recipe is now our all-time favorite and has turned Adam into a goat cheese lover!)

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4. sweet potato ravioli with lemon-sage brown butter

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5. stir-fried tofu with bok choy and ginger sauce

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6. maple mustard chicken thighs

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7. savory pumpkin pudding (this one was not prepared by me but by a fellow blogger and friend Shannon, but it was one of the year’s highlights and you guys should make it! :) )

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8. pumpkin whoopie pies

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9. chocolate cherry almond clusters

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How was your year? What was the best thing you made in 2009?

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Kitchen design is on its way

December 29th, 2009 · 20 Comments · breakfast, comfort foods, dessert, rice, risotto, snacks

Did I mention on the blog that we are remodeling our kitchen? I’m sure I have since this is a project we’ve been thinking about since buying our condo back in August and have been trying to get it under way for months now. After interviewing half a dozen kitchen designers and contractors, and accepting that it will cost nearly double what we originally budgeted for it (can you say ouch?) we finally signed the papers last night and put our deposit down. The very same night, the kitchen designer came over, discussed all the details with us and promised to have the sketches done by the end of the week. It’s actually happening!!! I am beyond excited!! In fact, I had a hard time falling asleep last night, because I kept on thinking about it. Weee :mrgreen: Do you guys want to see the kitchen before it is gutted? I’m thinking of doing a little video tour of our condo…

BREAKFAST

Power bran muffin with a sliced persimmon and nonfat yogurt

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Lots of textures and tastes!

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LUNCH

Thai food leftovers. The papaya salad was still crazy spicy but so yummy :)

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SNACKS

3 things I’m obsessed with – TJ’s ww Tuscan bread, avocado + baba ganoush

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I actually had some more bread with baba ganoush after dinner as a snack. The stuff is my new crack – my Barney Butter de jour if you will. ;)

A little piece of fudge with walnuts at the office…

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DINNER

Dinner was one creamy concoction – risotto with cauliflower and walnuts (based on this recipe, which I found through Tri to Cook). I used only 1 cup of dry arborio rice but added some cooked wheat berries, inspired by this recipe. I also only used 1t of EVOO (for toasting the rice), 3 oz of brie and walnuts instead of almonds (we ran out of sliced almonds). This was SO indulgent tasting!

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It was actually overwhelmingly creamy (Adam thinks that’s crazy talk ;) ), so mid-eating I decided to add some fresh cherry tomatoes to the bowl. What a great addition! The tomatoes added such freshness to the dish. I still managed to eat only 1/2 of this bowl.

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Soon after dinner, I found room for dessert!

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I ate 3 out of the 4 cookies in the package. These guys are so much yummier (and junk ingredient free!) than oreos. The cookie is actually chocolaty.

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After the kitchen designer left, Adam and I watched 5 episodes of season 3 of Entourage. We just couldn’t stop. Have you seen the show? We’re addicts here! :lol:

All right kids, I’m off to work! Happy Tuesday :)

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Baking, walking, singing, eating

December 28th, 2009 · 17 Comments · Boston, Eating out, baking, breakfast, restaurant reviews

Hi bloggies! Is everyone back from their Christmas weekend travels? It was quieter than usual around the blog world, which I thought was a good thing. Hopefully everyone spent time with their families and/or friends and got some quality R&R. I can’t believe it’s time to get back to work already. Time flies when you’re having fun! ;)

I started my last weekend day with a little baking project. I ended up with 5 new cookbooks for Christmas, and I’m dying to put them all to use. I found out about Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano during my last Cleaner Life Challenge, when I eliminated all refined sugars from my diet (did you follow my blog then?). The idea of baking with agave really interested me, and my first recipe from the book, amazing black bean brownies, was nothing short of amazing.

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This Sunday morning I chose this recipe from the book for power bran muffins. I’ve been craving warm breakfast lately, and there is only so much oatmeal a girl can eat. These muffins are little power houses with not only whole wheat flour but also wheat germ, wheat bran and flax. I used a mix of different dried fruit (cherries, raisins, cranberries, blueberries) and added walnuts. I also subbed 2T of oil with nonfat yogurt but I think I’ll use the full amount of oil next time – they were tiny bit dry.

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Adam and I both liked them :)

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WORKOUT

In the afternoon, I decided to hit the gym. I am slowly getting back into running on the treadmill and am looking forward to getting back to my half-marathon fitness level. I did 3.5 miles on the treadmill+ 30 mins on the elliptical on Saturday. On Sunday I was itching to get on the treadmill again and ran/walked for 5 miles. It’s getting easier! :)

SNACKS + LUNCH

After my workout, Adam and I rushed to the grocery store. I munched on some sample fruit at Whole Foods. So juicy!

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… and lunch was a bunch of stuff from their hot bar – chicken tikka masala, basmati rice, garlic broccoli, mushrooms and roasted peppers. SO good!!

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MOVIE TIME

I haven’t seen a movie in the theaters in ages! Yesterday some of my girlfriends went to see the musical Nine. Have you seen it? It was one weird movie. I can’t decide if I liked it or not. The entire time I was watching it, I kept on thinking I wanted more of it and that it was a little too strange, but by the end I was somehow “into it.” ;)

DINNER

We saw the 4:15 show, so after the movie the girls and I were ready to eat. A thai restaurant, Montien, was right around the corner. I was really excited – it’s been ages since I’ve had thai!

I started with a glass of Seven Oaks cabernet savignon. It was pretty atrocious – waaay too sweet. I had a few sips and gave up.

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As I was looking through the menu, a craving for papaya salad hit but I didn’t see it. I asked the waitress if they made it and she gave me the “thai menu” (as opposed to the American version) that included papaya salad. I decided to also order something else from it – I wanted authentic thai!

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I certainly got authentic! The salad was SO spicy – it was burning hot! I loved the taste but could do with slightly less heat. I ate about 1/3 of it (all I could handle).

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For some extra protein, I also got the grilled squid with sweet & sour chili sauce appetizer (also from the thai menu).

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The squid was very fishy and the sauce was too sweet. It did help to counteract some of the spiciness from the salad. Once I realized how spicy the papaya salad was, I also ordered some steamed brown rice to absorb some of the heat. Everyone else really enjoyed their meal (I tried a few things – the green curry was my favorite!). This is a good “secret” spot in the theater district. All the other pubs in the area are always packed and I think the food there is nothing to write home about. I wouldn’t hesitate going back to Montien again if I’m in the area! :D

DESSERT

I can’t go a whole day without dessert. After coming home, I grabbed the last of the seven layer bars we took home from the Christmas dinner.

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… and then had about 8-10 dark chocolate covered cherries from my Christmas stocking :D

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Yummy yummy.

I’m still fighting a cold. Hopefully it goes away because I sick of my runny nose, and we’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party so I have to be on top of things! Speaking of NYE – any fun plans? I still can’t believe it’s almost 2010! Doesn’t that sound futuristic? :lol:

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