Traveling for The Holidays! December 24, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Christmas.Tags: oatmeal, polenta, Sicily, soup
add a comment
Merry Christmas Eve!!!!!
It is so nice to be home and Sissy is here, but avoiding my mom’s cat like the plague!
We had a long car ride up here (2 hours extra) but she did great for her first time in the car!
Before I could hit the road I had to get through a few hours of work…they were really hard and frustrating…at times I wanted to cry, but I just wanted to get out of there!
Mid morning I had an apple.
It was a good things I had this because I was on the phone with my boss for an hour after aka my lunch time!
Lunch was such a mishmash of things that I had sitting in the fridge.
Leftover polenta, pineapple chobani with pom arils, hummus and bread.
Pom and pineapple go really well together!!!!
I left work a few hours early after getting early dismissal!
I thought I was in great shape leaving early, but I guess everyone else in the world did too!
I finally got home and had a simple dinner with the family.
Chicken, green beans and acorn squash. Simple deliciousness with a glass of vino.
After dinner we were all pooped from driving for so many hours (my grandparents hit traffic also) so we all hit the hay pretty early. Plus I had to get up early with Mom to get to Whole Foods!
Before heading into the madness I had a lovely bowl of oats!
In my messy bowl I had 1 packet of Tjs blueberry oatmeal, Bear Naked granola and a dollop of plain Greek and Almond butter. We also had gingerbread coffee on the side.
Mom and I got to Whole Foods with everyone else, but made it out alive. We also went to J.Crew where I got a few things for Nick, really cheap!
Lunch was made about 2min after we walked in the door.
Vegan Curry Apple Pumpkin soup and toast with non-vegan amazing Cabot cheddar cheese on top!
After lunch I went on an awesome 6.5 mile run. I was so nice to have the sun shining and my legs felt awesome! I could have run longer, but I told the family I would be back in an hour, and I didn’t want to worry them.
When I came back I wrapped up a few more presents and put them under the tree. Now Sissy and I are going to take a shower and then head downstairs for hors d’oeuvres and cocktail time!
I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday time with friends and family!
Merry Merry!
Winter Weekend December 12, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in weekend.Tags: kale chips, polenta, running, Sicily
1 comment so far
Hello Hello!
Wow, I think need a nap. I got my errands done before the crowds got too crazy except for at the grocery store.
When I got home I was staving and had an apple and some nuts before going out for a little run. Ugh I ate way too close to running and I was full of carbonated apple juice when I got home.
I did think about some tip for running in the cold today. I know I looked good all decked out.
- Men do not look good in running tights.
- Make sure you wear gloves. When your body is cold it draws blood aka heat to your vital organs and your fingers and toes are the first to go.
- Wear something over your ears. I am a big fan of the ear warmer because I get serious pains in my ears when I run. Some others like winter hats, but they are too heavy or something for me.
- Layer. Under my white Nike I have some Under Armour Cold gear.
- Wear Sun block. You can still get burned in the winter.
- Run on the sunny side of the street. This is kind of a personal one, but I just feel so much warmer and better when I can feel the sun on my body.
To settle the sparkling cider in my stomach I wrapped a few presents and Sissy helped.
She is good at holding the ribbon.
When I was done my stomach wasn’t exactly settled, but it was 2pm and I was really hungry.
I made a plate of kale chips and polenta fries.
Speaking of polenta…this is the recipe I made up back in Thursday.
It started with the recipe on the back of the Bob’s Red Mill polenta bag minus some of the butter.
This included, 2 cups polenta, 6 cups stock, salt, pepper, rosemary and parm cheese.
Boil the stock and then add the polenta s&p.
I started from there and added other elements once the polenta was thick.
Sundried tomatoes, parm and rosemary.
I poured the tick mixture into a baking dish and put a little more parm and some fresh basil on top before letting it set.
I think it could have had more time setting, but that is what leftovers are for! This makes eight large portions.
I paired it with some sweet italian sausage.
Other ideas I used it for, sandwiches, fries.
OK I am going to take a power nap and then wrap a few more presents and try to get some cleaning done…this place is a mess!
How Many Pumps December 4, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Friday.Tags: Sicily, starbucks
1 comment so far
Greetings from BWI airport!
I got here pretty early and am taking advantage of the free for the holidays wifi.
I went straight to Starbucks for a tall peppermint mocha with one pump mocha and one pump peppermint…and then they told me they were out of skim milk. How is Starbucks out of skim milk on a Friday morning!!! I thought it was insane and I ordered it with soy. They looked at me like I was insane with my specialty order, but I justify it by saying, “If I am paying $4 for this coffee it better be how I like it!”
So now I am sitting in the swanky leather chairs of Southwest – this terminal is so much nicer than AirTran’s – drinking my coffee and reading my G-reader and g-chatting. I heart google.
OK I am going to get back to read/chatting, but I wanted to leave you with a little Christmas cheer from this morning.
Sissy under the Christmas Tree!!! She likes to pay in our “tree skirt” hence why it is off the stand.
Happy Friday!
Eat What You Love, LOVE What You Eat! December 1, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Tuesday.Tags: balance bar, brussels sprouts, clementines, pumpkin, Sicily
add a comment
Welcome to Biggest Loser Tuesday! Wait, don’t we usually play trivia on Tuesday night? Yes, but I opted out tonight. I needed to get some laundry and cleaning done for my trip on Friday. I am going to a runner meet up tomorrow night and I want to spend time to Nick Thursday so chores had to get done today!
Work was extremely confusing today. I had procurement training all day long and it was seriously just depressing. Overall I learned like so many other establishments suffering from the recession, MDE is under staffed that is undertrained. I don’t think I can or need to say much more, but it was just seriously depressing.
Something not depressing but delicious!
1/2 baked pumpkin, spinach, cran-apple chutney and goat cheese. WW sourdough 12 grain bread and a clem.
Can someone please explain to me the sticker that was on my clementine??? Katherine?
I think I must have taken this to the gutter, but I couldn’t figure out the cutie clem connection. Maybe I should check the box.
Snack was eaten in the car given that training went until after 4pm.
I found a bunch of Balance Pure Bars in the reduced items bin at Giant and thought I would give a few flavors a try. This was berry, berry, chai.
It tasted like a SoyJoy and the third ingredient was sugar. Not my best choice, but it managed to handle my hunger well, but that could have also been due to my late snack time. I did like he chia seeds though!
At the gym I did 30min of Hill at 6.2 mph level six, 20min hill at incline 10 3.5mph, negative splits for a 3 mile run.
Because Nick was going to trivia I heated him up the other pork chop and made him a salad before hopping in the shower and shoving some brussels into the oven covered with EVOO, balsamic, mustard and S&P.
Along with the sprouts I had what I was craving…
Sprouted grain bread with pesto, spinach and brie toasted.
1/2 avocado with balsamic pool and S&P. I used to eat avocados like his all the time and it is so good all scooped out!
AND probably about 2 cups of my lovely mustard brussels.
I really do enjoy a good baby cabbage.
I am now off to throw another load of laundry in and make a cup of tea.
Sissy says Happy Holidays!
Pretty Kitty with the poinsettia!
Night All!
Present Time! November 9, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Monday.Tags: chickpeas, curry, food inc, salad, Sicily, tofu
add a comment
Hello all! I hope everyone had smashing Monday!
Sicily sure did!
She clipped her own nails, ate and slept. I wish she could cut her own nails, it would make our lives much easier.
While Sicily was having a grand old day I was busy at work consuming a lovely lunch and typed away.
My breakfast held like a rock, yay yogurt, so I only found myself needing to eat at lunch time. That would be 5.5 hours, whoa! Needless to say I was ready to break into lunch at noon!
The main feature was a grande salad.
In the bowl we have romain hearts, carrot, tomatoes, roasted chickpeas from last night, chipotle hummus and balsamic dressing. I really liked these chickpeas and I going to try making them for my family for thanksgiving as an addition to apps and cocktail hour. I will most likely take out the pepper and hot sauce so that my grandmother can also enjoy! Thank you MamaPea for the recipe!
I also had an apple sliced and a chewy piece of chewy 12 grain organic Whole Foods bread.
My afternoon went by quickly and was pretty uneventful until I whipped out this baby for my pre-gym snack a-la car ride!
I made my own sort of trail mix this morning when I was trying to figure out what to grab for a snack. I threw in some Kashi GoLean Crunch, mixed nuts, chocolate chips and orange cranberries. So good I am making it again for tomorrow. I love these cranberries with the chocolate chips!
At the gym I finally decided to return to Body Pump. It has been about 4 months since my last class so I went light on the weights. I am not sure how Erica survived a whole weekend of this class! Awesome girl! My legs were burning after the squat track and it was only the second song! I know I will be sore in the morning! I also did 30min on the t-mill for an easy warm up.
I had been wanting to make curry tofu for a really long time now and I finally got around to it tonight.
I started with roasting a whole butternut squash in the oven while I showered. Then I sautéed up 1/2 an onion, tofu and chicken in the Trader Joe’s red curry sauce and put on a pot of TJ’s harvest grain blend. To top this all off I steamed some green beans in the mirco then added a tad more sauce to the finished product.
Piled high.
I got a high five from Nick for this one (he had the chicken, I had the tofu). I have to give all the credit to the Trader Joe’s red curry sauce. The stuff is amazing!
We are now settling down to some tea and… look what my amazing boy friend got me today!!!!!!!
Food INC. dvd! Awesome!!!! I am so going to make my family watch this over Thanksgiving!
I have to try and get him to put it back on…we have switched to Monday night football. Go broncos beat those stealers!
Good night all! I hope everyone had a good day!
Breakfast Guest November 9, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Monday.Tags: almond butter, banana, chobani, jelly, kashi, Sicily, Uncle Sam
add a comment
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Too bad I will be in a cube all day.
I know I had mentioned peppermint patty oats, but I changed my mind when I looked into the fridge this morning.
I can’t remember the last time I had a yogurt mess and an almost empty Chobani container was calling my name! Sicily was excited for it too.
Don’t worry, she didn’t eat any, just making sure it was safe for me to eat. She does not eat people food and I plan to keep it that way.
Almond butter, banana and jelly yogurt mess.
Along with the ab, jelly, yogurt and banana there was 1/2 a cup of Uncle Sam and 1/2 cup of Kashi H2H with a side of Sissy snifs. I think she was after the yogurt, but again she did not eat any of my breakfast.
OK time to head out the door!
Happy Monday!
Best Not Be the Flu! October 27, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Tuesday.Tags: apple, enchilada, salad, sandwich, Sicily, tea
add a comment
I am going to make this short and sweet. I am sleepy and my throat hurts!
My day through pictures…
applesauce with pumpkin granola, apple pie larabar, turkey with cheese, guac and mustard on a bulky roll.
Snack: Apple (yes this is the core) and a mint tea from the cafe downstairs.
Non-fat refried bean enchiladas with a side salad of greens, sprouts, maters and Newman’s black bean corn salsa. In the enchilada was: non-fat refried beans, a little mexi cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa, hot enchilada sauce.
Sicily likes her new bed! It is a little small though…
45min of yoga On Demand, Giant, Target and Petco.
French dark chocolate cookies and tea recommended by Jenna . Two thumbs up! Too bad they were expensive, but on sale.
Check out this article
Food labeling in the news again…remember the cheerios???
Thanks for letting me slack tonight.
See you in the morning for waffles! There better be waffles!
Loaded Toast October 16, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Friday.Tags: almond butter, banana, flax, toast, Sicily, jam
add a comment
39?!?!?! 39?!?!! Is it December??? Why is it sooooo cold and rainy right now. I moved to MD to get away from this weather in Boston!
Another annoyance…Sicily…she does not understand that humans sleep at night, not throughout the day. She started waking me up around 3AM and did stop until I got up and fed her around 4. She came back to bed, but was less bothersome. I need to figure out a plan for her not to keep waking us up! I can’t keep loosing sleep!
OK so I am a bit of a Debbie Downer, I think it is the weather.
Part Uno of breakfast!
Organic flour bread, 1/2 naner, crunchy almond butter, fruit preserve and flax.
All together now!
Loaded toast!
First bite of yum! I love AB&J with banana! I need to make them in a panini again.
I’ve got yogurt and nola for my 2nd half breakfast.
Tomorrow I am making a delicious seasonal LARGE breakfast! What else are Saturday mornings for??
Happy Friday Everyone!
When Did It Become Winter? October 12, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in Monday.Tags: almond butter, grapes, jelly, kashi, larabar, pumpkin muffin, salad, Sicily
add a comment
Afternoon all! Does it feel like it is going to snow anywhere else in the country today??? The sky is grey and there is a huge chill in the air. I had to shut all the windows this morning and I am still chilly. Brrrrrr. Why does 54 feel like 34???
I started off this morning was something to warm me.
2x pumpkin muffins zapped for 1min on high with almond milk, 1/4 cup Kashi H2H, 1/2 cup Go Lean Crunch!, 1 banana.
After breakfast I started to put the place back together after the weekend before taking Sicily to the vet. We are trying a new food and running a more complete panel of tests. She also got some probiotics, yogurt for kitties! I have to bring the vet a sample once Sicily gives it up…maybe she is getting better! Fingers crossed.
When we returned I gave her some new food and yogurt and I headed off to spin class and munched on this before leaving. Mini Larabar from the race.
This was my first spin class at the new gym and it was hard! I think my legs are still a bit dead from Saturday, but it was a nice 40min sweat followed by some arms and core work. I am going to have to figure out a new workout schedule, but I know it will involve being inside more because I do not enjoy running in cold weather.
When I returned I really wanted to be able to go to the vet and then Target, but Sissy was not having it so I made up some lunch even though I wasn’t super hungry I knew that once I went out I would be at it was already 1:30.
Huge salad of CT lettuce, maters, cuc, broccoli and balsamic on my new plate! I also had a small almond butter and jelly toasted and some grapes on the side.
OK well I am going to get some more cleaning and laundry done while waiting for Sicily.
Post Half October 10, 2009
Posted by lilybeans in half marathon.Tags: apple, cookies, half marathon, larabars, oatmeal, Sicily
add a comment
I did it! 13.1 miles in, according to my watch, 1:55!!!!!!!!!!!
I felt good for most of the race and I was able to finish strong and under 2 hours, my goal!!!
This morning I started with a standard banana oatmeal and coffee.
Except they were special in a jar! 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup h2o, 1 banana, tbs flax, handful of raisins and yummy almond butter all over!
I chugged this on the way down.
We started here…Ravens!
I will write a full race recap when I get all of my mom’s pictures but here is a picture of me, Nick, Jen and Bryan after the race.
And I may have eaten a ton after the race!
I grabbed about 20 of these in every flavor. Mini Larabars!!!! I also had a banana, water and gatorade.
I have also had about 3 of these amoretto cookies that my mom got me from my favorite Italian cookie place! 
best!
1/2 sandwich with sprouts, cheese and smoked turkey on a croissant that I split with my mom. There were also chips and a pickle. When I got home I took a long shower and had 1/2 and apple with some PB.
I also hung out with Sicily!
We have a dinner reservation at 6:45 tonight so I better get my sore legs moving!
Thank you again for everyone that supported my lovely furry friends!
