I definitely notice that eating sugar makes me crave more sugar. There were quite a few vacation days that started with snacking on leftover dessert or sweet treats before 9 a.m., causing my sweet tooth to run rampant for the rest of the day!
It was glorious, but I’m also ready to get my normal energy back.
Workout
Getting in the gym at 5: 30 a.m. wasn’t too bad. I figured I’d be totally pooped, but Sadie woke me up at 4 a.m. to go outside to the bathroom and I tossed and turned in bed until the alarm went off an hour later. While I would’ve preferred a sound sleep for my last hour in bed, I think it made it easier to wake up since I wasn’t really sleeping well anyway.
Today’s workout began with 20 minutes on the elliptical while reading a magazine. Then it was time to workout my legs!
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This was a great return-to-the-gym leg workout. I would bet good money that I’m going to be sore tomorrow. I did the squats in a wide stance, so my quads were feelin’ it!
Breakfast
Our food is extremely limited at the moment. A trip to the grocery store is necessary today!
Fortunately I had a pack of English muffins stashed in the freezer from when they were buy one get one free at Publix and made myself an egg, cheese and jelly sandwich.
Two fried eggs + Muenster cheese + Raspberry jelly
I was really cravin’ fresh berries this morning to eat along with my breakfast sandwich, so I have a feeling a pint of blueberries will be one of the first things I pick up today!
I am also hoping to make some new-to-me dinners this week. I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a food rut lately, so if you have any go-to recipes you’ve been loving, please feel free to share in the comments section. I’m hoping to make some kind of a dinner meal plan before I head out to the grocery store so I don’t revert back to buying all the same stuff I’ve been buying that’s losing its luster.
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i am also in a food rut. good luck getting out of yours!
I love the turkey salsa meatloaf recipe that I got off FoodBuzz. It has oatmeal in it as well. Very healthy and low fat.
I finally tried the egg and jelly combo and it is fantastic!
My go-to meal is always Spicy PB Chicken Stirfry: http://whittlemymiddle.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/last-minute-dinner-stirfry/
Look up chicken and andouille sausage pasta on foodnetwork.com. Its by Emeril – I tweaked it to make it healthier by doing the following:
I did not use shrimp (only because of cost)
Switch the pasta to whole wheat or low carb pasta (I use Dreamfields)
Use light whipping cream and not heavy cream as listed
Don’t use emeril’s essence (too much salt for me) so I just used a cajun seasoning I had on hand.
It’s super easy and super yummy.
I know exactly what you mean about coming home from vacations. You’re so grateful for such a great time but at the same time so ready to get back to your normal eating habits!
We LOVE this one- it’s easy and quick (if you skip the oven…which we do) plus it’s super customizable. Also, we use a blender instead of a food processor 🙂
http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2011/04/garlicky-broccoli-corn-and-bean.html
Completely feel you on getting back into a routine. I went on vacation and then came back to Valentine’s day…totally fell off the workout/healthy eating wagon. Back at it today.
I love Ellie Kriegers White Turkey Chili, it is awesome! It makes a big batch so I freeze leftovers in single servings and then have a quick lunch another day.
I totally know what you mean about the morning sweet tooth. I heard on the news recently that a study was done and people who ate chocolate cake with their breakfast lost more weight than those who didn’t, but for me, a cookie in the morning means cookies all day long!
I made a very yummy veggie-loaded pepperoni pasta the other day. Might be a good way to get back to your usual healthy ways this week. 🙂 http://abetterlifewithburgers.blogspot.com/2012/02/saturday-night-recipes.html
I swear I’m not trying to be lame and plug my blog, but I just posted an awesome recipe for doughless cauliflower crust pizza…it’s so amazing that I love sharing it 🙂
I have so many go to recipes nowadays but since I just started my blog, I haven’t posted most of them yet. I know you love to cook barley a lot (in fact, you introduced me to it through your blog!), so you might be interested in the “Greek Tomato Barley” recipe I just posted (http://afterdinnerdance.com/2012/02/20/greek-tomato-barley/). It’s great with grilled chicken and a side of veggies like brussels sprouts. Hope you find some great new recipes to cook! I look forward to reading about them 🙂
Eating sugar DEFINITELY makes me crave more sugar. I noticed it this past week.. anytime I have a bite of chocolate, I want to keep it eating it til I get a sugar belly. 😉
This is just the BEST chili recipe. I make it when I’m home from college and it’s easy to throw together. You probably already own most of the ingredients.
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/best-chili-recipes-00400000058576/page2.html
I totally get the sweet tooth running rampant. I’m working on fixing that. Especially since finding out that a lot of what I’ve been eating lately (soy, carbs and chocolate) are probably affecting some of my health issues and I need to cut them back significantly for the next few months… 🙁
Welcome back! Glad you had a wonderful, safe vacation.
I totally understand the food rut. I get those a lot! I am trying this recipe tonight. I think it looks delish! And full of veggies and flavor (Minestrone with spicy sausage)
http://iowagirleats.com/2012/02/12/on-sunday-morning/
What a great workout Julie! Definitely sounds like a ‘get back in the game’ routine. 🙂 And I totally agree that sugar makes you crave more of it! I heard that it is physically addicting, somewhat.
Creamy chipotle butternut squash soup
http://book.hungry-girl.com/recipes/search?q=butternut+squash&b=1&commit=SEARCH
Check out my Turkey Burgers on my blog I made for this week!
I’ve been posting easy dinners lately. Come over and check it out. ((Garlic ginger shrimp w/ kale, chicken teriyaki, pesto pizza, spaghetti aglio olio))
This recipe is great warm or cold: http://therowdyhouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/bad-habit-long-weekend.html
it also makes enough for leftovers. The last time i made it i used Kashi pilaf as my grain.
Fresh berries sound awesome right about now!
For some reason I always turn to easy casseroles when I feel like I’m in a food rut. This Mexican Black Bean casserole is my favorite! http://www.foundmyspark.com/2012/01/20/socialanxietyblackbeancasserole
thanks, amber! this sounds perfect!
I always love how delicious your breakfast egg sandwiches look. I always forget to add fruit jam to mine, and I think that’s what has been totally missing and why I don’t always enjoy them as much as I think I should. I may have to make one of these for lunch today. Thanks for the idea. Hope you have a great Monday!
Are you from MN by any chance? Not sure if “Juicy Luicy” is a national thing but they are big here in Minneapolis! : )
Oops sorry that is below the wrong post.
An Inside-out burger. (aka Juicy Lucy).
I use 93% lean beef & 2% cheese.
Take 1 lb ground beef, 3 slices of cheese, & buns
Make 6 thin patties. Cut each slice of cheese into 4’s. Stuff cheese in between 2 patties and seal up. Cook until done!
You can use whatever type of cheese you like-american, cheddar, blue cheese, pepperjack, etc.
Serve w/ oven-baked potato wedges. Yum!
Are you from MN by any chance? Not sure if “Juicy Luicy” is a national thing but they are big here in Minneapolis! : )
No, I’m not. Just watch a lot of food network & travel channel. Never had the real thing!
It as great as the hype. Must come here just for the burger. Hahaha.
I always love hitting the reset button after vacation! Can’t wait to see the new dishes you try out!
I always feel in desperate need of veggies after a weekend away.
Jillian Michaels’ fattoosh is on high rotation in our house, especially post-vacation:
http://toquegirls.com/chicken-fattoosh/
I love this goat cheese lasanga!
Ingredients
• 9 oz soft goat cheese
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t dried oregano
• 2 t minced garlic
• 2 14-ounce jars prepared pasta sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 1 lb lasagna noodles, preferably whole-wheat, boiled according to package directions
• 1 10-ounce box frozen kale, collards, or mustard greens, thawed and drained
• 4 cup loosely packed baby arugula
• 4 cup loosely packed baby spinach
• 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix goat cheese, thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic in a medium bowl.
• Spread 1 cup pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Add one layer of cooked lasagna noodles.
• Top lasagna with thawed greens, followed by a layer each of arugula, spinach, and red peppers. Dollop spoonfuls of the goat cheese mixture over vegetables. Repeat layers, finishing with pasta and sauce.
• Sprinkle grated Parmesan on top of the lasagna and bake uncovered for about 40 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.
• Let the lasagna stand 10 minutes to make cutting easier. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.
I was at Cheesecake Factory this weekend and I had their Tuscan Chicken off their new skinnylicious menu. Trying to recreate it tonight. Grilled chicken topped with tomato, artichoke and caper salad with balsamic vinagrette. All served over farro.
How about some cubed salmon on skewer with evoo, salt and pepper. Broil 4 min each side. Drizzle with agave and serve with sauteed spinch and mashed potatoes. Save the left over mashed potatoes for mashed potato soup later in the week 😉
Turkey meatloaf!
http://littleapplebigcity.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/turkey-meatloaf/
Two jam-packed with produce recipes I LOVE:
http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/superfood-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette/
http://peasandthankyou.com/2012/01/23/cauliflower-rice-paella/
I just made sweet potato chile Mac via cooking light it was Delish it’s in the march issue do u subscribe? If not I’ll pass the recipe along to u
check out thesweetslife blog she has this pasta with ham and cawliflower sauce that I made for dinner and it’s so good!
This is a go-to recipe that I discovered last year when we had an abundance of Kale from our CSA. I based it on the following recipe with a few changes…
-whole wheat pasta
-an entire bunch of kale instead of just 1 C. Also, be sure to cut out the stems, they can be bitter
-spicy peppers – i like it spicy, so I do 2 serranos and sometimes a jalapeno
Tastes best when using super fresh organic veggies from the farmer’s market, but we make this all the time!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-pepper-pasta-toss-with-kale/
I just made this amazing Rosemary & White Wine Chicken croc pot recipe! I used the extra chicken I made for leftovers this whole weekend! So yummy!! I ate it with some quinoa, and poured the broth all over the chicken!
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
3 tablespoons of white wine
2 tablespoons of olive oil (you probably could get away with 1)
6 cloves of garlic sliced
1-2 tablespoons of dried rosemary crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in crock pot except chicken
Coat chicken in mixture in crock pot
Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low
Sooo easy!! Enjoy!!!
I’m the same exact way about sweets. The less I have it, the less I crave. I’ve been eating those Think Thin bars with 0g sugar and 20g protein, I think. They are so good; lime eating candy but the no sugar part makes me not crave so I just cut it up and have bites here and there if I do want something.
Tonight, we had an awesome Black Bean Soup that was super easy, short ingredient list (4?), quick, and SOOOO good! You guys gotta try it!!!
http://www.oneshetwoshe.com/2012/01/black-bean-soup-10-minute-delicious.html?m=1
*like, not lime. 😉
Here’s a new recipe that I made last night…had to test before I suggested it. It was delicious!!
Sweet Potato & Blueberry Pancakes!
http://vitaljuice.com/entry_detail/everywhere/12648/Sweet_potatoes_are_packed_with_beta_carotene_and_vitamins_C.htm
Hi Julie! I’m sure you have a list of recipes already because I’m a little late to the post BUT I thought I’d share these because even the my boyfriend approves, so I thought Ryan might too!
http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2011/04/healthy-or-not-healthy/
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/01/asian-turkey-meatballs-with-lime-sesame.html (These are so easy & the creations are endless)
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1843551
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/07/cream-of-mushroom-soup-dairy-free.html
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/02/cashew-chicken/
http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/03/asian-slaw-with-ginger-peanut-dressing.html (Perfect for a cookout)
awesome!! thank you! ryan will be thrilled! 🙂
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