Thursday, October 27, 2011

A Little Catch-Up

Hey everyone! So sorry I've been MIA for almost 10 days! It's been a little busy around here and I've also lost access to a computer at home so I can't blog unless I'm at work. So anyway, on to a quick recap of the only stuff that I can remember important stuff around here.

My mom and I joined a gym together a few days ago and I've been making sure to kick her butt while we're there. I was already a member at a gym around the corner from my house, but it was so tiny and this new gym is so big and beautiful and there was a pool. If you didn't know, I used to be a champion swimmer so swimming is definitely a love of mine! Last night my mom and I took a zumba class together and it just happened to be her first zumba class ever. She had fun, but was still challenged a bunch which is exactly what she needs. She's signed me up as her own personal trainer so I'm looking forward to pushing her and keeping her motivated. After my workout I made sure to try this new smoothie that I've heard a bunch about called a Green Monster. It's super easy and really delicious. Why is it green? Well, it contains a whole lot of spinach, buuuut before you get grossed out by drinking a spinach smoothie, it tastes nothing like spinach. It's actually quite sweet and delicious when you add the right ingredients. Here's my recipe:

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1 banana frozen and cut into chunks
2 ice cubes
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 Greek yogurt

The only reason I use Greek yogurt is because I'm out of milk, whoops! It'll be a lot easier to blend with milk so definitely stick to the milk. Please try this, it's absolutely delicious and refreshes you after an intense workout.

Last Saturday I also got a new tattoo! I've been wanting this for awhile, but couldn't decide where I wanted it. I got it behind my ear and if you want a virtually painless tattoo, go behind the ear. It tickled more than anything and my tattoo artist was done in like 10 minutes. I just hate the fact that I can't see it, but what are pictures for hmm?



There isn't much more to catch up on so hope everyone enjoys they're upcoming weekend and Halloween!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

What I Ate Wednesday

Hello there everyone!

One of my favorite things to do is to exercise. Sounds crazy right? But I love the healthy lifestyle. I love pushing myself to new limits and eating delicious healthy food. I've made it my goal lately to be aware of what I put in my body and what I do with it to keep it in shape. One of the wonderful things I've discovered in the blogging world is called What I Ate Wednesday. Jenn at Peas and Crayons does this every Wednesday and will tell you what it's all about. It's a good start to really thinking of what you put in your body everyday rather than mindlessly shoveling food in your mouth. So here we go!

Breakfast:
 Blueberry Greek yogurt with homemade granola

Snacks:
Red grapes (not pictured) & pita crackers

from Trader Joe's and garlic hummus

Lunch:
Turkey pita sandwich with feta Greek spread
(I'll post the recipe at the end)

Dinner:I was too busy eating it to take a picture whoops!
Lean Cuisine Cheese Ravioli

Doesn't sound so hard to record the food you eat right? Try it for a week, you'll notice how more conscious you are of what you eat! And that recipe I promised you? Here you go!

Greek Salad Pitas with Feta Spread and Turkey (makes 4 sandwiches)
recipe by Ellie Krieger
For the spread:3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)
3 TB nonfat plain yogurt
1 TB fresh lemon juice
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwich:4 whole-wheat pita breads
4 large pieces romaine lettuce, torn in half
1 English cucumber, sliced into half moons
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 pound thinly sliced roasted turkey breast

Combine feta and yogurt with a fork. Stir in lemon juice, oregano, lemon zest, and pepper. Keep the spread in an airtight container in a fridge for up to 5 days.
To make the sandwich cut a pita in half, line each pocket with half a lettuce leaf. Spread 2 heaping tablespoons of feta spread into each pocket. Fill each pocket with about 6 cucumber slices, 4 or 5 mint leaves, and 2 or 3 slices of turkey.

My personal changes: I used Greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt and it had a really great consistency. I didn't use a cucumber because I forgot to buy one (whoooops!) and I didn't use mint leaves because I don't like fresh mint in sandwiches.

Please make these! They're delicious!


 

Sunday, October 16, 2011

A Little Switcheroo

Welcome to my brand new blog everyone! Now, as the post title says, this is a bit of a switcheroo. I had an old blog that was about my life as a future military wife in the Navy. Unfortunately the military factor is out of the equation now. My fiance got discharged from the Navy for having asthma which no one detected before he went to boot camp. I didn't feel it appropriate to keep posting on that blog so I created a new one with a new focus. Now that we have that lengthy explanation out of the way, let's get blogging!

This weekend I kept pretty busy trying to keep my mind occupied. Friday I ended up skipping out of work halfway through the day since that was the day I learned my fiance had been medically discharged. I went to a barbeque with some friends to brighten my spirit and then came home and had margarita night with my best friend. I ended up munching down a bunch of junk food and let me tell you, going from healthy food to processed food was very comforting.

Saturday I spent the day shopping with my friend and what more can brighten your day then buying new clothes? Unfortunately I ended up sick so I couldn't go to the bonfire that I had helped plan so I just lied around on my couch watching The Lost World. Fun fact: The Lost World and Jurassic Park were my favorite movies when I was little. I reenacted scenes during recess with my friends and everyone was expecting me to be a paleontologist when I grew up....I ended up being a pastry chef, but! my love for dinosaurs never diminished.

Sunday I cleaned my much abused apartment for hours. Surprisingly I enjoy cleaning because who doesn't love the feeling of a clean house and in turn cleaning up your life? Sunday is also football day and that's something I definitely don't miss. As I write this my Chicago Bears are playing and kicking ass. What a wonderful end to a good weekend!

Hope you all have a great week!