Lend me your brains and your recipes

So, I've been on an eating healthy kick ever since bathing suits started appearing in stores (and Cadbury eggs disappeared).  Fortunately, I like healthy food (I've been a vegetarian for 15 years and I do love veggies), but I also love bread/pasta/chocolate/cheese/butter/etc.  Lately, I've been keepin' it clean, although I'm getting bored with what I'm eating!

Today's lunch (I'm eating it right now!):

mixed veggies & quinoa with Bragg's aminos

Here are some other things I've been eating lately:

kale chips! (kale, olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, s&p, bake 20 mins)

low carb tortilla, one Morningstar black bean patty (crumbled), 

reduced fat cheddar, Greek yogurt, hot sauce

my new favorite thing: Quorn garlic & herb cutlet

plus broccoli and quinoa with Bragg's aminos

roasted yukon gold potatoes, baby carrots, and onions

(pre-oven here; I bake at 400 for about an hour and 15 mins)

There's an emphasis on quinoa because it is a complete protein (supplies all 9 essential amino acids), which is particularly good for those of us who don't eat meat.  I've also been eating sliced apples, cheese sticks, and trying to stomach eggs (though honestly, I think they're gross).  

And by the way, all the blogger hype about the My Fitness Pal app is totally merited.  That thing is amazing and has totally kept me on track for a week now!  It's free (!!), and it allows you to enter everything you eat (it knows 'em all and can tell you the calories, etc.), how much water you drink, which types of exercise you do/how much, etc.  I love it.

So here's where you come in: I need more healthy food ideas!  I'm getting bored with my routines and I think the key to being successful with this is shaking it up some.  I can modify almost any chicken recipe (using my beloved Quorn "chicken").  Help!  Tell me what you eat when you're being good!

Maybe if we share tips we can all look like this by summer:

Right??? :)

Friday I'm in Love (and my own little tribute to Japan)

I know a  lot of bloggers are participating in the Day of Silence for Japan, but I thought a blog post + a link to an amazing donation deal would be just as productive!

Summergirl

You know, for the record, I love hearing about what y'all are loving, too.  And therefore I encourage you to participate in Friday, I'm in Love.  Isn't it great to discover new products/books/recipes, etc.?  Why yes I think so.

1. Bare Minerals

I never believed that this would actually work--that a strictly powder foundation would even my skin tone & provide solid coverage . . . but now I'm a total convert.  I tried it and I love it.  And since my go-to foundation is $60, I think I'm sticking with Bare Minerals from here on out!

Bare Minerals

2. My Impromptu Kale Recipe

The other night I was exhausted and wanted a quick dinner, so it was a whatever's-in-my-fridge sorta night.  Fortunately, I had some good !@#$ in my fridge, cause I threw together this kale & brown rice dish and it was so dang good.  

saute minced garlic in coconut oil

add washed kale

stir-fry kale & garlic with chili flakes, salt, & pepper

when it's mostly done, add slivered almonds & craisins

serve over brown rice

3. Emi-Jay Hair Ties

I bought mine at the Dailey Method when I arrived to workout and had no hair tie with me, but then realized I could order them online.  They're amazing--cute, sturdy, and hold your hair well without breaking it.  Try these!

images from Emi Jay website

4. Living Social's Matching Donations to Japan!

Y'all, Living Social has already raised almost 2 million dollars toward the relief efforts in Japan!  If you donate just $5, they'll match your donation and pledge $10 total.  I donated yesterday--it takes just a second and is so effective!  Click here to donate, and let me know if you do! :)

Happy Friday, & I hope it's prettier where you are than it is in San Francisco, where it's dreary, cold, and pouring down rain!

My Health Buddy

This was my lunch yesterday:

broccoli sauteed in coconut oil with Bragg's aminos

Quorn fake chicken cutlet

UNINTERESTING!  A far cry from my delicious homemade pasta the other day.  

Some of you read Summer's post yesterday about getting back on track health-wise.  Well, I am right on board with her!  Enough with waiting till late May to panic about bathing suit season . . . it's time to take the bull by the horns.

My general philosophy is that December is for baking.  And really just eating in general, what with all the holiday parties and festivities.  Which means I guess that January should be for cleansing, but I've had one experience with the Master Cleanse and while it was a worthwhile rendezvous, I'm pretty sure we'll never meet again.

And sooooooo, with my health buddy Summer, I'm committed to super healthy cooking and exercise.  I've even started hanging out with this freak again:

shudder

Summer is weighing herself but I am not because, well, I woke up the other morning feeling brave and ready to weigh myself . . . only to realize I don't have a scale.  But I guess the whole point of this thing is being really smart about what I eat and exercising as much as possible, and when you feel good & strong, you just feel it.  Without a scale.  

When my dear friend Amanda and I went on our date last week, she told me about one of her favorite recipes and emailed it to me that evening.  

Chickpea Potato Curry

from

(Ingredients)

*2.5 cups vegetable broth

*2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

*1 14-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes with chilis (Muir Glen has a good one)

*6 baby Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

*1 medium onion, diced

*1 tbsp unsalted butter

*2 tsp minced ginger

*1-2 tsp salt

*1 tsp ground cumin

*1 tsp ground coriander

*1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

(Instructions)

1. In a large pot, combine all ingredients.  Stir to mix and nestle the potatoes into the liquid.  

2. Set the pot, uncovered, over medium heat, and simmer for about 35 minutes (or until the potatoes are tender).  Serve the curry in bowls over jasmine rice.

(Modifications I made cause I can't for the life of me leave a recipe untouched)

*I eliminated ginger cause I don't like it

*I added 1 tsp curry powder

*I boiled veg broth first (I used water & 2 cubes Knorr vegetable bouillon) and then added other ingredients, and I cooked it covered

*I didn't use butter cause I'm trying to be healthy and frankly, I see no use for unsalted butter (bring on the salt!)

*I ate it sans rice, and it was so good.

So here is my plea for more healthy recipes from y'all!  What do you make when you're trying to be super health-conscious?  I have about three restrictions:

1. I'm vegetarian

2. I hate mushrooms

3. I HATE mayonnaise

Otherwise, bring it on!  

"Healthy" Foods are Not Fun Foods

So lately I've been pretty much eating whatever I want, and since my dear friend Anna moved in, I've been drinking whatever I want. Whenever I want. Which is all the time, essentially. I am a little ashamed to admit that Anna and I have progressed from buying bottles of wine to buying boxes of wine . . . YIKES.

hello, alcoholism! nice to meet you.

But seriously, can you believe Bonny Doon makes this in a freakin' BOX?? $18.99 for the equivalent of 4 bottles--that's about a 50% discount! So, I mean, we have to buy the boxes. It's the more financially responsible choice. :)

All of this has resulted in a wine belly:

pretty sure that guy's drinking wine outta that spout

And so, I've decided to do what I always do when I'm feeling like that guy (and I have weddings and other events coming up) . . .

COUNT CALORIES.

It's kinda the bane of my existence. 1200 calories a day means that I can really only budget one glass of red wine into my day (at most). UGH. So not fun. Yesterday I ate: 2 Morningstar "sausage" links, 2 Quorn "chicken" cutlets, 1 cup brown rice, 2 heads broccoli, a Morningstar black bean patty, and one glass of red wine. Not terrible. But you know what is terrible? My snack at work today:

ugh

Help!! Tell me what you eat when you're trying to be "healthy." I'm a vegetarian, but I can substitute fake chicken for anything with chicken in it. And I love vegetables. And for the record, I'm cheating once a week. I can't let this nonsense infringe TOO much on my social life!!

p.s. All this blog post has made me wanna do is plan a trip to the Bonny Doon winery near Santa Cruz. I'm just sayin'.