I still got it!

Last night I did something that I haven't done in weeks.  I made a homemade meal.  From scratch.  I found a recipe for chicken out of my South Beach Diet cookbook that sounded really good & perfect for summer. 

Say hello to Grilled Raspberry Chicken.  With a side of summer squash.  Ohhh yeah :-)   

LC had his over a side of brown rice.  It felt good to be back on track and into a normal routine of things.  Life has been so crazy for the past month or so, I finally feel like everything's starting to calm down.  Just in time for the big day :-)  

South Beach Diet Grilled Raspberry Chicken

Ingredients (servings:4)

1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

1/4 cup red wine

1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1/2 sprig watercress, for garnish (optional)

1/2 sprig parsley, for garnish (optional)

1/4 pint fresh raspberry

4 ounces frozen raspberries, for garnish (without syrup and thawed, if frozen)

Directions

In a large glass baking dish, combine the vinegar, wine, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and pepper.

Place the chicken in the dish, turning to coast both sides.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning the chicken after 30 minutes.

Coat a grill rack with cooking spray.

Preheat the grill.

Grill the chicken over medium-hot heat, turning halfway through and brushing frequently with the marinade, for 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 160°F and the juices run clear.

Arrange the chicken on a bed of 4 cups of hot brown and wild rice pilaf on a serving platter and garnish with the watercress or parsley and raspberries.

Enjoy!! I'll be back later to talk about my running game & how everything's going with that! 

Little Green Monster Mash

I woke up this morning with very little motivation to get up & workout.  I was just about to hit snooze on my alarm when I remembered that I published this.  I think publishing my workouts for the week on my blog is probably the best thing I could have done.  It definitely holds me accountable & keeps me motivated because, unless I injure myself again, there really is no good excuse. 

After my workout, I made this delightful green monster of a smoothie.  I had some produce in my refrigerator that was about to go bad, so I threw them in the blender and hoped for the best.  It turned out pretty good!

Green Monster Smoothie

1 C of O.J.

1 banana

1 small cucumber

1 small gala apple

2 C of spinach leaves

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

1 T of flaxseed

A handful of ice cubes

*Blend & enjoy!

Today I'd also like to wish my little sister, running buddy, MOH, & BFF a very happy birthday!  She turns 24 today.  Unfortunately, I can't make it up to Milwaukee tonight to celebrate with her, but she's coming to Chicago tomorrow and staying for most of the weekend.  Our weekend consists, of a sushi date, Bar Method madness, & shopping for a dress for my shower.

This is us before we ran our first 1/2 marathon in August 2010.  Little did we know what we were about to get ourselves into! 

 

The Stripper Debate

Happy Friday! Thanks for all of the well wishes on the ankle.  It's coming along.  On Wednesday, I thought for sure I'd be able to go to Bar Method today.  But I did too much too fast and I think set myself back a day. The swelling has gone down, but it's still bruised up pretty badly.  So this week I've just been resting, icing, and lifting some free weights.  I've also been eating as healthy as possible, with the exception of Lou Malnatti's last night. Oh well! 

This morning I got back on track with a really great smoothie.  Probably the best one I've ever made to date.  A chocolate, peanut butter and banana smootie :-)  YUUUMMMMMM!     

Recipe for deliciousness:

1 heaping scoop of whey protein

1 cup of chocolate almond milk

1 medium banana

2 T peanut butter

1 T flaxseed

A few ice cubes

*Blend & enoy!

I'm thrilled that today is finally FRIDAY! I'd be even happier if it actually felt like spring here in Chicago.  LC has his bachelor party this weekend in Wisconsin Dells.  He and a bunch of his guys are renting a party cabin for the weekend.  Should be an absolute disaster :-)  He also informed me that there would be strippers at this cabin, which I already figured there would be.  I honestly could care less because I know him & I trust him and I'm very secure in our relationship.  And I know his friends; the strippers are more for their entertainment than his own.  I have friends who are getting married and they don't understand why their fiancés go to strip clubs or why they have to get strippers for the bachelor party.  I guess the same reason some girls carry around penis paraphenalia?  Because it's all part of the fun of your last "crazy" night out.  I know some of you are getting married soon, so what are your thoughts on strippers/strip clubs for the bachelor party? 

I, on the other hand, could not be spending my weekend anymore opposite of him.  Tomorrow, I will be attending a 1 year old's birthday party and on Sunday I will be going to a baby shower...

Brain Freeze

This weekend, like most, went by way too quickly.  And I didn't even do a ton of stuff.  Friday, after Bar Method, LC and I met his family out for pizza and a glass or two of vino.  We were in bed by 10:30 p.m.  Awesomeness. 
On Saturday, I woke up and did some major cleaning.  Like 3 hours worth.  Our apartment needed it badly.  After my cleaning extravaganza, I did an Insanity workout and it kicked my butt.  I was in desperate need of a good cardio session and this was just I needed.  I did Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. My calves and hamstrings still hurt today.  Insanity is a 60 day plan where you follow a schedule, 6 days a week for 2 months.  Insane.  I tried following the plan for the one week and I couldn't handle it.  Partly because it is really challenging (the people of the video even have to stop) and secondly, because I get bored working out in my living room.  Now, I just do them sporatically when I need a break from the apartment gym.  On Saturday night, LC and I decided to stay in and make dinner at home and watch The Fighter.  Really great movie!  LC enjoyed the boxing part of it, while I enjoyed Mark Wahlberg shirtless. Besides the eye candy, the story about the boxer was really fascinating and Christian Bale definitely deserved his academy award.

On Sunday I woke up a really sore from my Insanity workout, so I hopped on the bus and headed over to Lululemon for a complimentary yoga class.  I have a wedding coming up so free yoga is good yoga. Right? Wrong, when hosted at a cute athletic clothing store.  The yoga class cost me a t-shirt and a pair of capri pants. BUT they will hem my groove pants for FREE!  I have to go pick them up Friday and I must. resist. the urge. to buy a super cute hoodie that I saw there.  I do enjoy going to Lulu events like the Vino and Vinyasa I went to a few weeks back, but for yoga classes where I need unwind, stretch, and just relax, I will be heading to a studio.  It was kind of odd practicing yoga, while shoppers pressed their faces to the glass to get a better look into the store.  Now I know how zoo animals feel. 


And here we are today.  Another manic Monday.  With all this sunshine that's been happening around me, my brain is in spring mode despite the 30's/40's temps we've been having here in Chicago.  So this morning for breakfast I made a smoothie and sipped it on my way to work.  In my parka.  And Uggs :-) It was de-lish!

Apple Pie Smoothie

1/2 C greek yogurt

1 medium apple sliced

1/2 c milk

1 Tbsp granola

1 Tbsp almond butter

2 Tbsp maple syrup

a dash of cinnamon

*blend and enjoy!

I can't wait for the spring temps to match this spring sunshine.  I'm looking forward to my first run of the year outside.  What are you looking forward to?


                

TGIF

This week has been a rough one.  Work has been insane this week, so I am VERY happy that it's Friday!  Tonight, we're going out for pizza with LC's family.  My sister was on spring break this week, so she drove in on Tuesday and I took a 1/2 day at work.  We spent the day drinking Bloody Marys, getting manicures, and eating pizza from Lou Malnati's.  Despite the rainy and weather, we managed to have a good day.  


This morning, I set my alarm to get up and do some cardio, but that didn't happen.  Yesterday, I ran and did the elliptical in the morning and went to bar method after work.  Needless to say, I was in much need of sleep this morning.  For breakfast I made a really tasty smoothie and topped it with Jessica's granola-Vanilla Maple.  Mm mm good! I found the recipe from a facebook friend and thought I'd share it with you. 


Banana Berry Smoothie
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup frozen mixed berries (I substituted blueberries)
1 banana
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup almond milk


Blend & enjoy!
  

For lunch I made myself a tasty, little Mediterranean wrap.  This idea came to me after having lunch last weekend.  The wrap that I had at Swig was just so good, that I had to have it again.  So I tried to recreate it, minus the chicken.  I took a piece of whole wheat naan, spread it with plain hummus, topped it with alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, avocado, and feta cheese. When I went to go roll it up, it was a bit full, but it was very tasty! Not quite as good as Swig's version but it did the trick.    

Happy Friday!

Tasty Chicken Pesto Pizza!

Happy Monday! My weekend was a blast and I'm sad that it had to come to an end. BUT, my sister's coming tomorrow to visit for the day, so that makes me happy.  I had a weekend filled with great food, good company, and a little bit of wedding planning. On Friday, I came home from work and made a chicken pesto pizza, all from scratch.  For my first pizza attempt, I'd say that it turned out to be a success. I think the only thing wrong with it was that I got a little pesto happy :-) I just love it so much.

Here's the recipe along with some pictures:

Ingredients for pizza dough
 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.   

In a large bowl combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. (I also added in some shredded parmesan cheese and basil)  Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes.  Roll dough on a floured pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved.(I didn't bake it until all the ingredients were on it).

Pesto Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste

Directions:Place all ingredients in a small blender or food processor, and blend/process until a smooth paste forms. If you like, add additional salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For this recipe, I kept it out until I needed it.

For the chicken, I just cut it up into bite size pieces and cooked it on the stove with a little bit of garlic and pepper.  After the chicken was done, I spread the pesto sauce on top of the crust, then sprinkled on some shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesean cheese.  Then placed the chicken, as well as sliced mushrooms on top of the cheese.  After the chicken and the mushrooms went on, then I sprinkled a little bit more cheese.  I didn't use any specific measurements for the cheese or the chicken, just good judgement :-) After that I put it in the oven and baked it for about 15 or so minutes or until the cheese started to bubble.

This is something I would definitely make again.  I was a little hesitant to make my own crust, since I've never worked with yeast before, but everything worked out. 

On Saturday, I woke up super early in the AM, and drove up to Milwaukee.  I was scheduled to meet my mom at Pier Wisconsin for our table mockup at 10.  Since I got to Milwaukee a little early, I ventured around Milwaukee Public Market. 

And had a green giant juice (apple, cucumber, lime &wheatgrass)

  yum!

After our table mockup, my mom and I enjoyed lunch at Swig.  I love coming here for lunch when I'm in Milwaukee. They have amazing food and even better service :-) I had the Mediterranean chicken pita- seasoned grilled chicken breast, feta, hummus, kalamata olives, cucumbers and sprouts with cucumber yogurt dip.  Very good recommendation made by our waitress!  

Later, I drove back to Chicago and LC and I got ready for our date night at Girl and The Goat.     

It is, hands down, one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.  So much so, that it deserves its own post :-)  

After our wonderful dinner, we met up with some of our neighbors at English and reunited with old friends.    

  

On Sunday, LC and I made breakfast and snuggled on the couch and watched movies. It was the perfect rainy Sunday to be lazy.  I was supposed to go to a special Bar Method class they were holding benefiting Save the Children of Japan, but the rain kept me on the couch. I still made my $20 donation though, so the money went to a good cause anyway, even if I didn't make it to the workout class, right? Right!

Sláinte!

On Thursday, we celebrated St. Patrick's day, just like any good "Chi-rish" person would do.  Well I am considered "Chi-rish", LC's actually Irish.  To celebrate this day, we made an Irish themed dinner and invited his family over.  Two things I've never done before: Make Guinness Beef Stew and entertain the future in-laws.  Both went off without a hitch.  The beef stew was so tasty and full of flavor.  I would definitely make this again.  The only problem with it was that I should have made more.   

 

  

I found the recipe on the Cooking Light website.  I made a few modifications to it, such as more Guinness, less beef broth :-) Here it is! 

Total: 3 hours, 18 minutes
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons  canola oil, divided
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 2  pounds  boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 5  cups  chopped onion (about 3 onions)
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 4  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
• 1  (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness Stout
• 1  tablespoon  raisins
• 1  teaspoon  caraway seeds
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices carrot (about 8 ounces)
• 1 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices parsnip (about 8 ounces)
• 1  cup  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled turnip (about 8 ounces)
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt; dredge beef in flour. Add half of beef to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove beef from pan with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and beef.
2. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in broth and beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return meat to pan. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, raisins, caraway seeds, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot, parsnip, and turnip. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

LC thought it was necessary to pick up mini-cupcakes from Jewel...he gets an A for effort :-)

And of course, it wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without a taste of Guinness. Sláinte!

 

 

Fat Tuesday Feast!

This past weekend LC and I headed north to Milwaukee for our drill weekend.  While in the land of beer and cheese, I did what any good Wisconsinite would do on a Friday night: Brewery tour and fish fry.  Lakefront Brewery has always been a favorite brewery tour of ours.  Reason being, you can drink while on the tour!  So we drank some beer, learned more information about brewing beer, and enjoyed our fish fry.    

     

*Bottling Line*

*beer eyes*

On Saturday, my mom and I went to visit, Janie, the woman who is doing my dress alterations, and I got to try on my dress.  I didn't want to take it off!  Good news is that it will need very little alterations.  Janie, also does table linens and and centerpiece set ups.  Through all the wedding planning process, this has been one of the most troubling for me to figure out.  Janie has been so helpful in giving me ideas, I am so greatful for her.

 This is one of the mock ups she did for us-LOVE!

On Monday, I took the day off to rejuvinate from my drill weekend.  LC and I did taxes, worked out and met his mom and dad at a restaurant to plan wedding shower #2. 

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday! To celebrate this day, I picked up some Paczkis for LC (he loves them), made jambalaya along with a side of cornbread and a Lakefront Big Easy. So, so so good! I found the recipe from Cooking Light.  It was simple to make and good to the palate.  The cornbread was made from Bob's Red Mill gluten free Cornbread.  The cornbread was great considering it was gluten free.  It was not dry at all like some gluten free items can be.  I would definitely recommend it.     

*our feast*

Fiesta, Fiesta!

Waking up this morning to run was a bit easier than yesterday, now that I have the Chicago Marathon hanging over my head.  I didn't really have a goal in mind this morning.  I guess my goal was to just run, which I did.  I like working out in the morning because it gives me so much energy for the rest of the day and it's one less thing I have to do after I get out of work.  I can't wait for the weather to start warming up here in Chicago, because I hate running in the cold and I hate running (training) on treadmills.  I think they're the worst.  I did a little bit better today with the little time I had. 

   

Today's breakfast was eaten at my desk at work.  I love oatmeal, especially on a cold morning.  I picked up these GF instant oats at Whole Foods over the weekend.  I ate the apple cinnamon flavor this morning with a 1/2 cup of almond milk.  And it was by far the BEST instant oatmeal that I've ever had.  It had a lot of flavor, what tasted like real chunks of apple, and it left me very satisfied!  I would choose this brand over Quaker any day.   

Tonight I went to bar method with my friend, Hollie.  She introduced me to this class back in December and I instantly fell in love with it and signed up for a month unlimited.  After the month I pondered on whether or not I should invest in the 6 month bridal package.  The decision wasn't an easy one because these classes are not cheap and I had a gym membership at the time.  Luckily, I was able to transfer my gym membership to LC so then I didn't feel so bad signing up for bar method.  Now, I work out in our fitness center in our apartment building.  It's not the best, but it has everything that I need and it's never crowded.  After a month of consistently (3-4 times a week) attending bar method, I've already lost some inches off of my waist, hips, thighs, and arms.  During February, I didn't do a ton of cardio and I still lost inches, so I'm excited to see how my body will change this month with adding running into the workout! 

Tonight is Fiesta Wednesday at la casa de Maria :-) On the menu we have goat cheese and shrimp quesadillas, black bean salad, and whole grain mexican rice.  I found the recipe for the quesadillas on another blog, Eat, Live, Run.  And to drink (because what kind of fiesta would this be without some bebitas?) we have my favorite, Skinny Girl Margaritas!!

Here's the recipe for tonight's main dish:

Shrimp & Goat Cheese Quesadillas

serves 2

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas
8 raw shrimp (frozen or fresh, deveined with tails off)
1/2 cup frozen sauteed pepper and onion mix
1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
pinch of chili powder
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne
salsa and avocado slices for serving

Directions:

Heat up the frozen bell pepper and onion mix in a skillet over high heat for about a minute. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, spray with cooking spray and crank up the heat to high. Add the shrimp and cook quickly for about thirty seconds. Add the cayenne pepper, salt and chili powder and toss to coat. Immediately take off heat (shrimp cook fast!).

Scatter pepperjack cheese and goat cheese on two tortillas and then top each with four cooked shrimp and a little bit of the onion and pepper mix. Lay other tortillas on top and cook each in a greased skillet over medium heat until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are golden brown and crispy.

Let cool and then cut into four slices with a scissors. Serve with avocado slices and salsa.

Time:

10 minutes

Kickin' Chicken Pot Pie

Tonight, I made one of my favorite hungry girl recipes from the cookbook,  Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World.  Here are the (nutritional) facts: Per serving (1/4th of pie): 235 calories, 6g fat, 723 mg sodium, 26g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 6 g sugars, 18g protein.

Ingredients

8 ounces raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

3 cups frozen (or fresh) mixed veggies

One 10.75 ounce can Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery Soup

3 Servings Pillsbury Reduced fat Crescent Rolls refrigerated dough

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Cook chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick spray, until chicken is light brown (cooked but still tender). Set aside.

Heat frozen veggies in the microwave according to package instructions.

Mix chicken (I season with sea salt and pepper), veggies, and soup together, and then place in a 9-inch round baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray.  Place dish in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly, stirring half-way through.  While dish is cooking, unroll 3 (I use 4) crescent rolls.  Use your hands to combine pieces into one large ball of dough.  With a rolling pin, roll dough out (super-thin) into a circle just large enough to fit inside the dish (a little less than 9 inches wide).

Add dough to the top of the mixture and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, until top is golden brown.  Makes 4 servings.