I will be leaving tomorrow morning for Windsor, NC for some well-deserved R & R…and no Internet for over a week!  Jim and I plan on doing some fishing at the farm house pond, along with two day trips to the Outer Banks.    I plan on returning refreshed and renewed the following Saturday or Sunday, so expect an update with vacation pictures then.

Thanks to each of you who read my little blog – just don’t forget about me while I’m gone!

And just for fun – here’s a picture my mother emailed me of the sunflower in her back yard…

1) I officially registered for the Virginia Beach Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon – scary…signing up makes it real now.

2) The husband and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary – I can’t believe it’s been that long already!

3) I’m in the midst of reading “The Blessing” for my Companions in Christ group – it’s all about how not receiving your parent’s blessing affects your other relationships, a touchy subject for me.

4) I will be leaving the real world for a week as of Saturday – we’re vacationing to Jim’s family’s farm house in the middle of nowhere.  Seriously, no Internet…just hiking and fishing.  It will be great to have some real down time though.

5) I just had an intense therapy session (I won’t go into details on that one….let’s just say I have a lot on my mind)

With all this going on, blogging my meals wasn’t at the top of my list.  I’m debating if I should just take a break until after I get back from vacation since I can’t access the internet that entire week anyways.

Do any of you seasoned bloggers ever feel burned out?   If so, how do you deal with the “blogging blah’s”?

Anyways, on to the food:

I had 1/2 slice of whole wheat tuscan pane (unpictured) preworkout, followed by the other half with cashew butter and a green monster post-workout:

Heavenly!

Maybe I should call this a brown monster instead of a green monster?  In the blender – 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen peach, 8 oz skim milk, 1 scoop unflavored whey protein, 2 handfuls spinach, and a PureVia packet.  I liked the PureVia yesterday, but it was a little too sweet with an aftertaste today.  I think I’ll be returning to my agave nectar from now on.

Breakfast lasted me until 10:45, and then I reached for my usual:

Cheese stick!

Lunch was leftover grilled tinfoil vegetables (see recipe page) with 1/4 block of tofu and 1 oz shredded Parmesan cheese:

Yum Yum – cheesy goodness!

I was craving sweets this afternoon, so I opted for a “chocolate peanut dream” flavored protein bar from the office at 3pm:

Not as good as real chocolate and peanut butter, but a decent substitute.  I actually ate a second one at 5pm because I was feeling hungry and knew dinner would be at least another 2 1/2 hours or more.  I’m meeting Renee (another RD at my office) and one of her friends to celebrate her birthday at Zen Asian Fusion tonight.  I have no clue what I’m going to order since I haven’t been there before.  Oh, and I had some grated zucchini just now because I’m still hungry!  Grrrr for late dinners; guess it’s the price of good company.

Better go change – I don’t think scrubs qualify as casual dress….

]]> http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/cashew-heaven/feed/ 4 Danielle DSC02227 DSC02226 DSC02230 DSC02232 DSC02233 DSC02234 http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/sampling-sunday/ http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/sampling-sunday/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:21:18 +0000 Danielle http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/?p=631 ]]> The husband didn’t feel like P90X today, so I decided to run instead.  I managed 3.5 miles at a slow pace; not bad for post-alcohol.  Post-run I made lunch:

Cereal (what else?) – 1 cup Kashi Go Lean, 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s O’s, 1 cup 1% kefir, and 1/2 oz almonds…

….and some fresh pineapple.  I planned on this being my entire lunch, but I was still hungry 30 minutes later.

I decided a Banana Smoothie would hit the spot.  It contained 1 scoop Unjury unflavored protein powder, 4 oz unsweetened Almond Breeze, frozen medium banana, and 1/2 packet of PureVia (leftover free samples).  It tasted like ice cream with the added stevia!

Obviously (if  you read my earlier post), my afternoon was spent baking zucchini bread/muffins.  I had 1/2 of the following muffin and might have licked a spoonful of batter.

I also made some dark chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for Wednesday’s bible study group.

I let these cook for too long, so the bottoms burnt…boo.  I couldn’t resist trying one, so I took this one with the ooey-gooey Ghirardelli:

Burnt bottoms aside, it was delish!

The cookies used the last of my oats, so I made a trip to Healthy Home Market for some bulk bin goodies – wheatberries, oat bran, rolled oats, and cashews.  I wanted to try my hand at some homemade cashew butter:

6 oz cashew pieces into the mini food processor

5 minutes later

10 minutes later

I thought my poor processor was going to overheat, but it’s still alive.  I sampled a Tbsp to make sure it was edible – and oooh buddy, it’s edible alright!  Can’t wait to use this stuff over the next week!  After all my “samplings” this afternoon, I decided my 30 minute run wasn’t going to cut it.  I hopped on the elliptical for 45 minutes and then showered.  By 7, I still wasn’t hungry but didn’t want delay dinner much longer.  I settled on another banana smoothie (unpictured, since it’s the exact same as earlier) and a plate of leftover grilled tinfoil veggies with Parmesan cheese:

YUM YUM – the Parmesan makes this dish!

Now it’s time for some relaxing with the husband.  Hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend!

]]> http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/sampling-sunday/feed/ 11 Danielle DSC02206 DSC02207 DSC02208 DSC02218 DSC02219 DSC02220 DSC02221 DSC02222 DSC02223 DSC02225 http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/blueberry-zucchini-breadmuffins/ http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/blueberry-zucchini-breadmuffins/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:18:45 +0000 Danielle http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/?p=611 ]]> As requested, here is the recipe for my mom’s blueberry zucchini bread.  After looking at the ingredients, I knew this one was going to pack a calorie punch because of all the sugar – around 260 calories and 32 grams of sugar per slice using the recipe calculator on www.sparkrecipes.com!  I decided I would prepare the original for my bible study group on Wednesday and try my hand at a lower calorie version just for fun.

Mom’s Blueberry Zucchini Bread (the original recipe)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9×5 pan and dust with flour.  Grate zucchini (I used a food processor):

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in one bowl; combine zucchini, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and sugar in another. Toss blueberries with 2 tsp flour. Add flour to zucchini mixture, stirring until just combined.  Fold in blueberries.

Bake 60-90 minutes or until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center is clean. Cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

On a pretty platter:

Number of Servings: 12

Nutrition Stats: ~260 calories, 1 g fat, 57 g carbohydrate, 32 g sugar, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein

Lightened Up Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

Same directions as the original, except I decreased the sugar to 1 cup and replaced the 2 whole eggs with 4 egg whites.   I also used a muffin tin since the loaf pan was in use and muffins = automatic portion control.  These cooked in about 45 minutes instead of 1 hour.

Nutrition Stats (per muffin): ~200 calories, 44 g carbohydrate, 20 g sugar, 3 g fiber, 7 g protein

I could tell these weren’t as sweet, but they were still really good!  I froze them after they cooled so I don’t feel obligated to eat them all within a week.

Pre-Workout Lunch

Chopped squash with a cheese stick and balsamic vinaigrette – weird I know (I’m trying to use up the crisper full of squash)

Workout: P90X Shoulders & Back and Ab Ripper DVDs

Post-Workout Lunch

Mexican Egg White Veggie Scramble

(2 HUGE servings)

- 2 cups egg whites

- medium squash

- medium zucchini

- medium onion

- 1/2 cup salsa

- 1/2 cup 2% cheese

- spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika

I sauteed the veggies & spices first (a dash of each) on medium heat.  Then I added salsa and stirred it around, followed by the egg whites:

It was a little watery, so next time I will add the salsa after the eggs are cooked.

Top with cheese and enjoy!

I also had two clementines:

One was perfectly sweet and one was just okay.

Afternoon Snack

An end slice of whole wheat tuscan pane with light cream cheese

Dinner

Grilled Tinfoil Vegetables

- medium onion

- large squash

- large zucchini

- handful baby carrots

- dash of dill

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Place a double layer of heavy duty foil on counter.  Fill with chopped vegetables; top with olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.  Close vegetables tightly into long foil package.  Grill for 30 minutes or until desired consistency, then top with Parmesan cheese.

We also grilled corn and burgers (96/4).  Jim put cheese in the middle of his, and I added onions & garlic powder to mine.  The corn was delish and super easy.  All you do is pull back the husks, remove the silk, coat with butter and salt (we used spray butter), replace the husks, and then grill for 10-20 minutes (turn regularly).  While everything was grilling, I enjoyed one of these:

Kenan might have enjoyed a few sips of Jim’s:

He’s almost 21 in dog years, so I let it slide

My plate – I finished everything but was stuffed afterward! Must be the beer appetizer!

I had another beer while we watched the movie (Pursuit of Happiness) and 1/2 cup of Edy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream:

We opted for the “real deal” instead of the light – those 30 extra calories are worth it!

Breakfast today was the leftover Mexican Egg White Veggie Scramble…

…and a piece of whole wheat tuscan pane with almond butter & apple butter:

YUM!

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda today besides a workout and tidying up around the house.  Hope everyone else is enjoying this beautiful Sunday!  Oh, and don’t forget to check out Angie’s Trader Joe’s Giveaway! 

]]> http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/05/july-4th-grill-fest/feed/ 4 Danielle DSC02173 DSC02174 DSC02175 DSC02176 DSC02182 DSC02183 DSC02191 DSC02193 DSC02192 DSC02194 DSC02201 DSC02203 DSC02205 DSC02204 http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/stillworkingongettingcaughtup/ http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/stillworkingongettingcaughtup/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:51:57 +0000 Danielle http://rddailybites.wordpress.com/?p=575 ]]> Playing catch up again…

Friday

Breakfast

1/2 cup oats with drizzle of maple syrup/agave nectar blend, 1 Tbsp pbu, and a mini box of raisins

Physical Activity: 5 mile run in about 1 hour, which should probably be called a jog.  I felt like I could have gone farther, but I don’t want to increase my mileage too quickly and risk injury.  I think I’m going to try and increase by 1 mile each weekend.

Lunch

Green Monster!

Frozen fruit (medium peach, small banana, 1/2 cup pineapple), 1/2 cup 1% kefir, 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt, splash of skim milk, and two handfuls of spinach all blended to perfection!  Very refreshing after a hot run, but I wanted some substance as well…

Enter mini whole wheat pitas with fresh ground almond butter and apple butter…

YUMMY!!!!

Afternoon Snack

The last of my cottage cheese (~ 1/3 cup) and a chopped golden tomato from my grandparents

I met my sister-in-law for coffee around 5 and had an iced tall skinny latte.  We ended up talking until 8:45 – whoa!  Needless to say, I was quite ravenous when I got home.  “Dinner” was on the table in two minutes flat:

Kashi Go Lean and Mighty Bites with skim milk…

…and a 100-calorie bag of popcorn, which I cooked a few seconds too long.  I was too hungry to care though!

It was so nice to have the day off, even though I didn’t do too much relaxing.  Jim and I turned in around 10:30 after watching a King of the Hill episode.  It was the one with the organic food co-op, so I actually found it to be entertaining…especially when they talk about how the organic tomatoes taste like “heaven balls.”  That’s what I thought with my homegrown tomato this afternoon!

Okay, on to today…

I was craving cereal when I woke up (imagine that…me craving cereal?), so I decided to go for it….

1 cup Kashi Go Lean, 1/2 cup Kashi Mighty Bites, 1/2 oz almonds, and 1 cup skim milk

Jim and I did some gardening this morning, and now we are going to do the P90X Back & Shoulders DVD.  I still haven’t gotten around to reading everyone else’s posts but I promise I will get caught up within the next day or so.  I don’t see how those of you with huge readerships keep up with it all – it really is a part-time job in itself!  Not that I’m complaining one bit, because I am starting to feel like a part of the blog community.  Thanks for the love!

On the ground…

The control panel…

Me and Dad geared up…

It’s so pretty up there!

We flew over my parent’s and grandparent’s houses.  My parents live in the “hole” on the left and my grandparents live in the “hole” on the right.  The houses are buried in the trees, but you can see the pool, garden shed, and pond.

This is the pond where I learned to fish as a child…

You can almost see the garden…

Pretty blue sky…

Back in the hanger…

Reminds of a “Bob the Builder” character from this angle.  And check out this crazy contraption…

You won’t catch me (or my Dad) in that thing!

I was going to post a video as well, but apparently I would have to pay for a “video upgrade” – I think I pass on shelling out cash.  Ya’ll can use your imaginations on this one. 

Wednesday

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch, 1% Kefir, banana…

…1 egg & 1/4 cup All Whites

Morning Snack

cheese stick and cucumber slices

Lunch

Tuna salad with homemade pickles, whole wheat mini pitas, carrots, and squash

Afternoon Snack

One of the protein bars we carry at our clinic for our bariatric surgery patients.  Here are the stats:

Not completely natural, but they make a nice treat every now and then.

I also had a spoonful of nut butter and a package of Kashi crackers a few hours later, but forgot to snap a picture.  Dinner was unpictured as well…forgive me.   One of my friends from college is a teacher and in town to visit her family for a few days.  She invited me to eat dinner at her dad’s house.  Dinner was a mexican casserole (refried beans in tortillas topped with enchilada sauce and veggies), a side of rice, and Edy’s ice cream for dessert.  It was excellent!  I didn’t get home until 10:00, so I skipped posting and opted for bed instead.

Thursday

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch with 1% Kefir and a kiwi.

I was planning on doing the P90X shoulders & back DVD, but opted for a run instead.  Being short on time, I kept it to 2.5 miles and then did about 20 minutes of the stretching DVD to cool down.  Lunch had to be quick (and super early…11am!)

Two slices TJ’s low calorie bread with pbu…

…and leftover squash & zucchini (dill, champagne vinegar for flavoring), to which I added tofu and mozzarella cheese.

Luckily, I was able to shower and make it to my dentist appointment on time.   They took impressions for the bite guard, which should be ready in a few weeks.  Following my appointment, I made the 40 minute drive to the regional airport to meet my dad.   I brought some squash to munch on in the car…

Don’t worry – I didn’t eat this straight like an apple.  I had a knife I used to chop it up!

But that didn’t do the trick, so I stopped at a gas station for this:

YUM!

Dad and I flew for an hour or so, and then headed back to my parent’s house for dinner.  My mom made fresh okra, grilled “tin-foil” vegetables (squash, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini with olive oi & spices wrapped in tin foil on the grill for 30 minutes), and teriyaki steak kabobs:

A variety of “salads”:

I wasn’t a huge fan of either cole slaw so I only had one bite of each, but I finished the three bean salad.

…and Breyer’s light cookies & cream ice cream for dessert!  Delish!

We walked to my grandparent’s after dinner and hung out with them for a bit.  They had to show me my grandmother’s “second kitchen” (she started a catering busy at age 60….so cute!), which was formerly part of my grandpa’s workshop.  And we also checked out the  enormous garden…the garden alone is bigger than my backyard!  One of the perks of country life.  After a fun day/night of visiting, it was time to go home.  Dad flew me back to the airport and then I drove the remainder.  I had a quick snack, bath, and then settled into bed around 11pm.

TJ’s low calorie bread with light cream cheese

I think I’m going to save the flying pictures for my next post.  It’s starting to get hot outside and I wanted to get a run in before it’s officially roasting….more to come this afternoon….