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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Well Tuesday night in our house is going to be Crock-pot split pea and ham soup night. I love how I get prep it in the AM and come home to a great dinner.
that sounds awesome! do you have a link to a recipe for it?
Julie, if you’re craving split pea soup, this is a great recipe. I think Kath made it on her blog a while back, too. Super simple and delicious!
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1882
thank you, justeen!
http://www.yumsugar.com/Sunday-Slow-Cooker-Split-Pea-Soup-Ham-2651055
This is my go to soup recipe but I only use 4 cups stock and two cups water.
Easy pork loin with sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables! Easy, delicious and nutritious!!
I’ve been feeling the same food rut thing too!
Chicken lettuce wraps along with fried brown rice & veggies
Chicken lettuce wraps along with fried brown rice & veggies!
Food ruts are the worst. I find when I hit one, I go back and look at what I was eating around the same time last year (benefits of having a blog!). It’s amazing how I find I forget about some of my old favorites.
Food ruts are tough… I think it’s fun to pick an ingredient and to try out a new recipe for it. I always find awesome recipes on Everyday Food’s website.
Allie from Live, Laugh, Eat posted a fabulous (and easy) recipe for chickpea patties …they’re a current favorite at home!
This is one of my favorite new meals! It all cooks in one pan too, so it’s fast and easy to clean! http://washingtondandc.blogspot.com/2011/09/skillet-gnocchi-with-spinach-and-white.html
I made spaghetti squash lasagna last week and it was soooo good!! I followed this recipe that I found on pinterest and added sautéed veggies and ground turkey meat to pump it up a little more. Seriously, so good and healthy!
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/spaghetti-squash-lasagna.html
I’m trying this tonight!!!
sounds fantastic!!
You should try Healthy Spinach Ziti! http://anniescube.blogspot.com/2011/09/monday-fun-day.html So delish and easy 🙂
I’ve been love love lovin’ enchiladas with zucchini, black beans, green chilis, and onion topped with avocado!
And, if you haven’t had the new mission brand corn and whole wheat blend tortillas, I recommend giving them a try!
That looks like a great leg workout! My legs always kill after deadlifts.
If you like broccoli soup, I just made this the other day and it is crazy good! I also included how to make Parmesan tuiles.
http://gabbysgfree.com/2012/02/roasted-broccoli-soup-with-parmesan-tuiles/
I definitely tend to get food ruts…..here’s some easy stuff that we do sometimes for dinner:
breakfast pizza
scramble 2-3 eggs with some milk, set aside. in another skillet, fry up some turkey bacon, remove it and crumble on top of the eggs. in the bacon skillet, melt a little butter or some oil and cook up some frozen hashbrowns w/ diced onion and bell pepper.
sprinkle about 1/4-1/3 cup of shredded cheese (any kind works) onto a medium store bought pizza crust. Spread the eggs w/ bacon and the hasbrowns on top. Sprinkle on more cheese. Bake at about 350 until the cheese melts and the crust is done, about 10-15 minutes. Serve w/ fruit salad, toast and jelly!
We really love breakfast for dinner and this is a fun way of serving it!!
this is so creative!
I have the same problem. There’s a good recipe from SkinnyTaste for Cajun Chicken Pasta(just in case you want to have a Mardi Gras feel and like spicy food 🙂 ) I haven’t tried it but I plan to maybe this week looks great. The link is right here: http://www.skinnytaste.com . Gina just posted this recipe so it’s like right there! Glad to hear you had a great vacay. No you’ve made me want to put Sanibel Island on my vacay list. I love FL but never even heard of that place b4. 🙂
Have you tried jamie eason’s Italian turkey burgers? They are awesome.. The turkey muffins are excellent as well and very simple to make and freeze..:)
no! i’ll check them out!
i can totally relate to your feelings this morning! we were visiting family in AZ all weekend with lots of eating out and snacking. it was glorious, but i’m definitely looking forward to some healthy eats this week! blueberries are AMAZING lately – i’m going to get some from the store today too!
I definitely know what you mean about feeling “out of the zone” after vacation. A week up north in NYC totally messed my training up…not to mention I probably gained 3 pounds alone in cheesecake and pizza pies 😉
I just said last night I am getting in recipe rut…it’s been ages since I’ve tried a new one. The healthy spinach ziti Anna suggested looks great!
First on my list: Fiest Lime Rice: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/fiesta-lime-rice.html
Second: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/02/easy-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-with.html
Good Luck!
*Annie…sorry! 🙂
This is a good recipe for when you’re in a bind and need to make something fast! We usually have all the ingredients on hand anyway. It only takes about 10 minutes to make!
They’re pizzas using tortillas as the crust!
http://washingtondandc.blogspot.com/2011/08/perfect-pizza-portilla.html
thanks for sharing, catherine!
I definitely know the feeling of wanting to get back to a healthy routine. Vacations are fun but after awhile the lack of exercise and excess delicious food catches up with you.
A 5.30 workout? Thats dedicated. Bet your day was great afterwards though 🙂
Food ruts are the worst!! Sometimes I feel like I rotate between five or six dinners which is never very exciting.
I recently made this warm chickpea and artichoke salad and it was amazing! Super quick and easy to prepare, too. We were having it for dinner, so we served it on ciabatta rolls as kind of a chickpea salad sandwich. Yummy!
http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/warm-chickpea-and-artichoke-salad/
I just wanted to say that I miss and love you. Hope you have a great fresh slate day!
i miss you right back!!! we really need a reunion!
Chicken enchiladas or homemade pizza! I make this super EASY homemade pizza crust and it’s amazing. It’s fast, yummy, and filling (Whole wheat) : http://www.enjoyyourhealthylife.com/2012/01/07/greatest-pizza-dough-ever/
Have a great day back to it all!
I was wondering, what kind of weights do you use when you’re working your legs? Do you use a barbell and change the plates according to the exercise? Or dumbbells? Sounds like a great workout!!
it depends! for squats and deadlifts i typically use a barbell. for lunges and step ups, i usually use dumbbells.
Thanks! You lift SO much, I’m really impressed! I’m motivated to increase my weights now 🙂
Hey lady! Here are a couple of my faves – healthy and really delish!:
Greek chicken rice soup: http://fritosandfoiegras.blogspot.com/2011/11/avgolemono.html
Honey mustard chicken: http://fritosandfoiegras.blogspot.com/2011/10/honey-mustard-chicken.html
Cheatloaf:
http://fritosandfoiegras.blogspot.com/2011/08/chicken-meatloaf-cheatloaf.html
I make vegetarian stuffed peppers about once a week. I take the insides out of 4 peppers and then boil them slightly for about 5 minutes (to soften them a bit). Then I make brown minute-rice and season it with cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, tumeric. Then I drain black beans and mix it with a small can of green chilies and some fresh diced tomatoes. I layer the rice, bean mixture, salsa, and cheese in each pepper and bake. It is really good and then you have leftovers for the next day. You could put meat in too, but we don’t eat it.
Food ruts are hard to get out of sometimes! We have a rotation of meals that are simple to make that I always tend to lean toward. Homemade pizza with great dough (store bought, or I make double batches in my bread maker and freeze the dough), lasagna, crock pot chicken noodle soup, and baked ziti are all easy dinners to help pull you out of a food rut! 🙂
This is more of a side dish, I guess, but it’s SO delicious, I just had to share: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/
I am feeling in a rut too! I told my husband I was being a bad wife for not cooking much last week. We hit up the store for some new things to try. Hopefully that busts our rut!
Hi Julie,
After I’ve had a week of eating debauchery, I like to make what I call my “garbage disposal” soup. I take every vegetable in my fridge or go out and purchase: celery, onion, carrots, zucchini, kale and/or peppers. I saute the onion, then toss in the other veggies and add stock. I let it simmer for about 45 minutes on medium to high heat. You can then either puree the soup or leave it chunky. The result is a delicious healthy vegetable soup! It’s excellent for lunch the next day. 🙂
One of my favorites is Stuffed Peppers (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/turkey-stuffed-peppers-45-pts.html). They are super easy, healthy, and make a TON so you can eat leftovers for days 🙂
I saw this on ohsheglows.com. I really really want to try it. It looks so amazing.
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/31/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta/
I made pot roast last week and this recipe was delish. It also makes excellent BBQ sandwiches the next day:)
http://alidamron.com/2012/02/secret-ingredient-pot-roast/
Some of my fav and easy recipes are: baked pasta (with lots of cheese), tacos, a big chopped salad, and meatloaf ( the kids love meatloaf cupcakes!)
There are SO many great, quick recipes on Pinterest – as most of them come from the USA I had to go out and buy a set of measuring cups when I was in Florida but I have made some great dinners from my board!
http://pinterest.com/bylynnewatson/food-that-s-good-savoury/
My husband & I have been obsessed with this recipe for “un-done” stuffed pepper casserole since I made it a few weeks ago: http://4thesakeofcake.com/?p=3824
I’m OBSESSED with butternut squash, kale, and goat cheese pasta. I made it a few months ago, and I simply can’t get enough.http://breakfasttobed.com/2011/12/07/force-field-against-stupid/
You’ve been making me crave english muffins! I wonder if they make gluten free ones… I’ve yet to find any. And that leg workout looks good, I did one yesterday and it really slowed down my short run today! Haha so sore!
Food for Life makes gluten free english muffins! They’re a bit dense, but they’re out there. whole foods has another line of them as well, but i can’t remember the name. 🙂
Thanks!!! I’ll look those up online right now!
I’m totally in a food rut too! The worst. Maybe you’ll offer me up some inspiration this week? I can’t wait to see your creations 🙂
I’ve been loving my Tuscan White Bean Soup. It is so hearty and nutritious! http://totesmyoats.com/2012/01/15/popping-out-recipes/
We are having whole wheat tortellini soup with tomatoes, and spinach tonight. We also make ground turkey taco salads about once a week. They are easy, and you can top them however you like. 🙂
I get into food ruts with my lunch. Sometimes I really just don’t know what to pack that’s portable, healthy, and have enough options that I’m not bored.
I love asking friends and family what they’ve made lately for dinners… that always inspires something new.
I totally needed this post….for the food ideas! I’m emailing them to my husband right now, since he’t the cook at our house 🙂
I made these recently for a culinary event and they were a hit!
http://www.food.com/recipe/tilapia-fish-tacos-216778?scaleto=40&mode=null&st=true
Also this was wildly popular
http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/2008/11/recipe-black-bean-chicken-and-mango-stew.html
Enjoy!
I just posted about this too – during my bday week I ate so much sugar after having small amounts and since then I have been craving it more and having to ween myself off! haha
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/salsa-verde-enchiladas-ghk0308
… I love these! They are so tasty and easy to make ahead and freeze for a busy day. I usually half the recipe for just myself and my boyfriend.
I am a total fish lover (it is just so easy to make), here are a few of my favorites I posted on my blog that I have put together:
http://nutritiousnibbles.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/fresh-out-of-the-ocean/
http://nutritiousnibbles.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/fit-fishy-dinners/
And if you’e in the mood for burgers, here is a skinny spin on turkey burgers! http://nutritiousnibbles.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/how-to-prevent-yourself-from-going-off-the-deep-end-this-4th-of-july/
enjoy!
I’m a big chili fan. Makes a lot and it’s delicious! Jenna (Eat Live Run) has a great chili recipe, but you can find one anywhere probably!
Mmm the egg sandwich looks so good! 🙂