Healthy and Sane

Entries Tagged as 'beef'

There is a standup comedian in my house!

January 14th, 2010 · 23 Comments · Boston, beef, breakfast, dessert, man meals, oats, salad, snacks, yogurt

- Why does everybody want to hang out with a mushroom?

- Because he’s a fun guy! (funghi – get it?)

This joke is brought to you by my husband. He came up with this brilliancy while I was cooking up mushrooms/funghi for dinner and saying how much I love them. He plans on going on tour with this one as his opening joke. ;) I was laughing hysterically, mostly at how silly my husband is. lol

So now that we got some silliness out of the way, I need to share with you that over the last few days, I’ve gotten back to some bad old habits. After dinner I’ve been craving cookies, but since we don’t have any, I’ve been trying to fill the void with just random stuff in the house – even though this was putting me above my calorie allowance. What’s the point of carefully counting all day if at the end I just blow it for no reason?! The magic of calorie counting seized to work and I need to do something about it. It’s time to bring back a daily treat! This will screw up my pretty numbers, but I don’t care. It’s about finding the right balance, and I’m determined to get there. Let’s see if it helps. Of course I’ll keep you guys posted! :mrgreen:

[Still laughing about the joke above...]

BREAKFAST

Banana oats (1/2 cup dry) topped with Barney Butter, banana slices (the other half of the banana) and dried cherries

IMG_0389

Man, I hate the lighting in my house!! This picture looks so sad. Do you think a fancy SLR would help the situation??

LUNCH

UFood UBistro salad with chicken – organic mixed greens, tomatoes, feta, walnuts, cranberries, chicken + blueberry-pomegranate vinaigrette

IMG_0393

IMG_0395

IMG_0396

Not bad for a healthy lunch on the go. I was actually going to get their falafel wrap that sounded amazing (and I’ve been on a falafel kick since trying Oleana’s spinach falafel) but at 730 calories, I said no thanks!

SNACKS

Plain oikos, grapes + Nature’s Path pumpkin flax plus granola

IMG_0398

So delicious, healthy + filling!

IMG_0399

A little wrinkly apple in the work library…

IMG_0400

DINNER

The kitchen remodel is officially starting on Monday, so last night I made Adam one of his “man meals” before he takes matters into his own hands and goes out to buy something like that. I made his absolute favorite – a steak and cheese sub, but on my own terms – healthy and natural.

IMG_0401

We used a lean cut of grass fed beef, mushrooms, organic baguette (unfortunately getting whole wheat was a definitely no-go with Adam) + American cheese. Everything was bought at WF – nice and fresh!

IMG_0404

The baguette was actually warm when we picked it up. Just look at this gorgeous crust!! This dinner was amazing – super flavorful without the grease you get at sub shops.  (I cooked the meat and the mushrooms on the skillet with a non-stick spray, then added them to a baguette, topped with cheese and broiled the open-faced sandwich in the toaster oven).

IMG_0403

After dinner I ate 2 clementines, some pecans from their bag, a spoonful of Barney Butter (straight from the container) and then decided to stop the madness and made a few cookies (from this cookie dough).

IMG_0407

x 2

I was definitely boredom eating and even gave myself a bit of a stomachache. :oops: Let’s hope a yummy cookie earlier in the day will make for a more satisfying evening – sans random snacking!

What are your post dinner rituals?

[Read more →]

The kitchen is closing early tonight

January 4th, 2010 · 17 Comments · Cooking Light, beef, breakfast, crock pot meals, dessert, sandwich, turkey

It’s a little before 6pm on Monday and I’m closing my kitchen for the day! On Monday nights, I’m trying to take the Sweat Box class offered at my gym at 7:30 pm. This makes for a bit of a strange eating schedule, but is so worth it – this class rocks! :D

I typically eat breakfast before work, then a snack around 11, workout at noon, lunch after that, mid-afternoon snack and dinner later at night. On Mondays, it’s all out of whack. My mid-morning snack usually gets eliminated as I patiently wait for lunch (if I bring it to work, I often dig in around 11:30) and then dinner is super early so I can digest before class. Today I went home for lunch to assemble a crock pot dinner, so it was ready for me at 5:20 when I got home. I hope it digests quickly – I got some sweating to do soon ;)

BREAKFAST

A maple cranberry goat cheese filled muffin (say that 10 times fast ;) ), 1/2 cup of 4% cottage cheese and a sweet ripe persimmon + coffee

IMG_0117

IMG_0120

[408 calories]

LUNCH

TJ’s whole grain flax seed wrap with Laughing Cow wedge, 2 turkey slices and red grapes + fresh cauliflower, baby carrots and a few extra grapes :)

IMG_0131

[271 calories]

Wrap close-up… I love this combo! Sweet + savory = delish :grin:

IMG_0132

Today’s photo-set up…

IMG_0130

Hardcore, I know! :lol:

SNACKS

A handful of raisins from this little box

IMG_0129

[~42 calories]

Hershey’s chocolate snacksters (from a very old stash – still good though :) )

IMG_0134

[100 calories, duh]

DINNER

Star ingredient: grass fed beef chuck stew meat

IMG_0133

I did a little research for crock pot recipes and found this one from Cooking Light for beef daube provencal. This recipe was featured on their “All Time Best Recipes.” Sounded promising :mrgreen: There was quite a bit of prep-work but then I could leave for work and it cooked itself. Perfect!

IMG_0135

The beef was super tender. I liked this… I don’t know about the best recipe ever, but both Adam and I enjoyed it :)

IMG_0137

Dessert – 3 squares of the dark chocolate bar filled pear caramel (from my xmas stocking :D )

IMG_0138

+ a little pack of roasted almonds (I think you’ve seen enough pics of them, right? :lol: )

[dinner = ~600 calories, all together]

Total calories consumed today: ~ 1500

Time to kick some butt!!!! What’s your favorite crock pot recipe? Hook me up, peeps! :cool:

[Read more →]

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

IMG_9915

IMG_9919

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!

IMG_9920

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!)

IMG_9923

IMG_9924

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? ;)

IMG_9925

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

IMG_9928

Mmm, melty brie…

IMG_9932

IMG_9929

Dessert – an almond stuffed date

IMG_9935

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.

IMG_9940

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.

IMG_9941

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:

IMG_9939

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):

IMG_9943

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…

IMG_9944

4 fries + maybe 2 bites of the baked potato

IMG_9945

and about 3/4 of the brussels sprouts

IMG_9946

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

IMG_9947

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:

[Read more →]

Spring is back

December 4th, 2009 · 16 Comments · Boston, Ellie Krieger, Mexican, Uncategorized, beef, breakfast, dessert, salad, soups

Wow, today was fabulous! I was productive at work, the weather was gorgeous (we had spring weather in December – great weather makes everything better!!!) and I had the best workout all week. I love how powerful exercise makes me feel. I took a Group Power class and was lifting more than the guys – talk about a confidence bust! Let’s see- I also took an abs class, ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill and then stretched for 10 minutes. I was a sweaty mess and I missed it (my workouts all week were just yoga which is great but in a different way). And then I came home to dinner – all ready to be eaten. Seriously, today rocked!!

IMG_9239

But let’s rewind to…

BREAKFAST

I’ve been having a bagel with lox craving for a few days now so today I made it a reality: 2 Kim’s Light ww bagels with whipped cream cheese, wild lox, tomato and dill

IMG_9232

The bagels are only 110 calories a pop, so I had 2. This breakfast kept me full for over 5 hours and even then I only ate because it was convenient. That’s some awesome staying power! :cool:

IMG_9233

LUNCH

B.good southwestern chicken salad – still one of my favorite restaurant salads of all time!

IMG_9234

Mesclun, avocado, corn, tomatoes, black beans, toasted corn, and chipotle balsamic dressing – all super fresh and incredibly tasty.

IMG_9236

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

A mini-brownie at the office. Double this pic because I couldn’t help but go back for seconds. Brownies are my favorite dessert!!

IMG_9237

DINNER

Well today is Thursday, which brings us another Ellie Krieger recipe. I followed her recipe for confetti chili (named three bean and beef chili online), except I made it in a crock pot since I knew I was going to the gym after work and was going to be home late. I threw all the ingredients in the crock pot this morning (browned up the beef in the skillet before throwing it in there) and turned it on during lunch (you could leave it on low all day long), and voila – dinner ready for you when you are!

IMG_9243

The colors were beautiful but the taste was missing something – a little more salt and cumin fixed this right up. I enjoyed a second (1/2) helping after gobbling this up. :) Thank you, I’ll Eat You, for picking this recipe for us. It was perfect for a busy night like tonight. What’s your favorite crock pot recipe?

A little dessert for the road… I resisted a cookie and made a yummy healthy dessert: 1/2 FFL english muffin with Barney Butter

IMG_9245

A few more spoonfuls of BB jumped into my mouth :oops: This stuff has crack in it, I tell ya ;)

And that’s today in a nutshell. I just finished watching So You Think You Can Dance and am once again touched and inspired. Love this show!!

How was your day? Was it unusually warm where you are? If so, did you take advantage of it?

Don’t forget to enter my Waterpik giveaway! Oh and I am still missing addresses for 2 winners of the NuNaturals giveaway. Please send me your addresses asap or I will have to redraw. Thanks :)

[Read more →]

Miracle muffins + V8 soup giveaway winner

October 30th, 2009 · 24 Comments · Boston, Eating out, Ellie Krieger, baking, beef, breakfast, salad, sandwich, snacks

On Wednesday night, I baked the CEiMB recipe of the week: pumpkin pie muffins. I had a little bite to make sure they were edible and quickly put the rest away because I knew I could eat the whole 6 muffins right then and there! Then I set out to do something crazy ambitious – wake up extra early for a morning workout. Whoa – that’s just whack ;) My alarm went off bright and early the next morning. I almost turned it off, but then I remembered – I can have 1/2 muffin for a pre-workout snack! I was lying in bed, contemplating what to do, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the muffins!! So I crawled out of bed, grabbed 1/2 of a muffin and proceeded to get ready for the strength class. I made it to the class on time! Thank you, miracle muffins, for getting me out of bed :lol:

The strength class was just ok, but honestly I couldn’t handle something more intense early in the morning (yeah, I am slooooow before my morning coffee and some down time) so it was the right pace for that hour in the day. I will say that it was pretty fantastic to be done (and showered) by 8:30! I actually made it to work a little earlier than I usually do. Kind of ironic. Back to the miracle muffins…

BREAKFAST

1 pumpkin spice muffin, 1 small plain oikos with 1/2 banana + coffee

IMG_8086

Of course the muffin was the star of breakfast.  It was so light and moist! Ellie’s baked good recipes are my favorite (I find the savory ones to be a hit or miss) and this one definitely goes on my “to be made again” list. I halved the recipe (now totally regret it…), used powdered buttermilk and added walnuts to the batter. I thought the walnuts were a really amazing addition. They add a nice texture, some healthy fats and of course great taste. Mmm, nuts… and MUFFINS!! Ok, now I sound crazy….

IMG_8085

Thank you, Oddball Oven Mitt, for picking this recipe for us to make!! :D

LUNCH

Salad: mixed greens, grilled chicken, grapes, walnuts, dried blueberries, cranberries and raisins + goat cheese and strawberry balsamic vinegar

IMG_8090

Yum!

IMG_8091

+last piece of the chocolate bread with Barney Butter

IMG_8094

SNACKS

Baby carrots and sugar snap peas

IMG_8095

I really love this combo (note the Halloween colors!). The sugar snap peas remind me of my wedding day. We had a bunch of them in the house and I didn’t want them to go to waste (we were going on our honeymoon the day after the wedding) so I brought them to the hotel to snack on while we were getting ready. My make up and hair people were so confused. Is she always this healthy? Haha

No, I’m not always this healthy… my second snack was a Dancing Deer Baking Co caramel pecan brownie. I still think these may be the best brownies I’ve ever had. Dancing Deer is a local company and they sell these brownies in my local supermarket, in packages of 4! Yeah, can you say dangerous? :)

IMG_8097

After work I also had 2 glasses of Cabernet at Brownstone. No pics, I had half of my company there. The wine could have something to do with the reason I thought my dinner was beyond incredible… but probably not ;)

DINNER

B.good cousin Oliver beef burger with the optional secret sauce, no onion

IMG_8099

There were large slices of tomato and lots of pickles (I love pickles!!!!) and the secret sauce was amazing – again I think it had lots of pickles and maybe capers. I slathered it on :)

IMG_8102

I think I need to become a spokesperson for b.good because every time I have one of their burgers (and usually salads) I can’t stop raving about them. I always know I like the place, yet for some reason I’m blown away by the food – every time! I’ve also been trying to be adventurous and try to get a different kind of burger every time I’m there. This was my first time trying the cousin Oliver and I am definitely a fan. Maybe I’ll do a post one day, listing every burger by my order of preference. I think the adopted Luke is the only one I haven’t tried yet… and I’ve never tried their veggie burgers. I’m afraid they have onions :(

And that’s my day. Try those muffins… and b.good if you live in the Boston area!!! :grin:

***

The winner of the V8 soup giveaway is commenter #9! Congratulations!! Please email me your address to elina@healthyandsane.com

***

Sorry, last thing – are any of you Bostonians going to the Vegetarian Food Festival? I think I’m going to check it out on Sunday!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

[Read more →]