I Wish I Could Make This

Grilled Vegetable Muffuletta

Ingredients

1 eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch thick on an angle
1 red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise
1 large portobello mushroom cap
1 red onion, sliced 3/4 inch thick
6 ounces baby spinach
1/3 cup pine nuts (a generous handful)
2/3 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (a couple generous handfuls)
1 cup store-bought giardiniera (pickled vegetable salad)
1/2 cup pitted green olives
One 8- to 9-inch round loaf crusty bread
1/4 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Lightly brush the eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, portobello and red onion with 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cover and grill, turning once, until charred, about 6 minutes.
2. Using a food processor, puree the spinach, pine nuts and parmigiano-reggiano; season with salt and pepper. With the machine on, drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Transfer the pesto to a bowl; rinse the food processor.
3. Using the food processor, pulse the giardiniera and olives into a coarse relish.
4. Slice the top quarter off the bread and scoop out the insides. Spread half the pesto on the inside of the bread, layer with half of the grilled vegetables, then spoon the remaining pesto on top. Fill the bread with the remaining vegetables and top with the provolone. Spread the inside of the bread top with the vegetable relish and set into place. Press down firmly, then cut into wedges.

Serves 4.

Anyone else surprised this recipe doesn't have nutritional information? LOL! Oh, how I long for this...

Interesting Day of Reckoning

So, it's Sat. and the day where I weigh-in and attempt a long run. Today was a a draw in terms of outcomes. I had a bad week. I was emotionally upset basically all week with this whole job thing that I did not eat the way I should. I ate too many snacks and didn't really do points this week. I went over pretty much every day. Now in my defense, I never went over more than 3-4 per day, so I suppose that's something. But it still showed on the scale. I was up .2 pounds this week. :-( I was so hoping for a good week, but I really respond negatively to upsetting emotional situations. I need to control that and learn to better handle them.

But, with that being said, off to the park I went. I was not feeling a run today. Not at all. My legs were sore from the Wii Active routine I did Thursday and Friday. The inside of my thighs did not like me one bit. But, I got out of the car and started. I suppose that's all one can ask, especially when you have no desire to run at all. Got to the 1 mile marker and realized I was running only 8 seconds behind my fastest time. This did not bode well for me as I really wanted a slow run. Ah well. At the 1.25 mile marker which is about one lap, I wanted to stop. I wanted to stop really badly. I just mentally didn't want to go anymore. My legs were doing ok and I was breathing fine, I just didn't want to run anymore. So, I had to start talking myself into it. And I had to start calling myself names. I know that sounds odd, but to me, it works. I said I had to get the two laps in this week. I couldn't quit like I always do when things get tough. Yea, I could make an excuse and people would buy it, but I would know the truth and dammit I just had to keep moving. So, I continued on. Not fast, but at least kept moving. The frustrating part was when I hit 2.25 mile marker. Apparently, somewhere between 2 miles and 2.25 miles I had accidently reset my watch to 0. This means, I had NO idea how long I had gone between the two. Ugh. So, I restarted the watch at 0 and kept going, mentally tacking on about 4-5 minutes for the quarter mile. Got to the 2.5 mile marker and kept going. I decided I had to improve upon my last two runs. Brian was waiting for me, but I told him I wasn't done and kept going. I passed two people sitting on a bench and told them if they were considering running, not to. They laughed. Hit the 2.75 mile marker and kept going. Went all the way to 3 miles. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. I was really proud of todays run. I think it took me about 48 minutes to do it, but I did it. And really, that's what counts, right? I ran the furthest and longest of any run in my life. And almost a 5k distance. Maybe that 5k is in my future!

GOALS:

1. Run 2 nights this week
2. Exercise and additional 5 nights this week
3. Drink 64oz of water a day
4. Eat on points 6 days this week

Since I'm behind in my weight-loss goal, I need to really concentrate this week. These are usually the things I need to do to have a successful week. And so, they are this week's goals.

Day of Reckoning Will Be Bad

It has been a bad week on the healthy diet/exercise train here. I think it's been a combo of weird schedule and just being emotionally drained. I am interviewing in-house for a new position at work. If I don't get it, I am being let go. No pressure. So, yesterday was the interview. I know I ate more than I should have the night before due to emotional eating. Last night wasn't too bad, but I was definately not doing good. And I should have run last night, but I chose to do 30 minutes on the bike instead. Ugh. It's not going well.

I did use the Wii Active today. Got through the whole set too. Finally figured out the darn controllers! LOL! I was going to run this evening after work, which is actually work from home because boss doesn't want me in the office when the other candidates are walking the halls, but we were just invited to an O's game tonight. So, I did get in 25 minutes on the Wii, but no running. So, tomorrow must be running night. I want to do the Wii Active again tomorrow, so I think it will be done mid-day, then a quick run after work. It won't counteract all the devestation I caused during the week, but at least I can say I accomplished two goals this week. Sigh...

Goals

Well, I was so thrilled for B yesterday, that I totally forgot to put my goals for the week down. Silly me.

1. Exercise 4 days this week.
2. Eat on points 5 days this week.
3. Run 2 days this week

This is a weird week with having Monday off. I get in such a grove with work and packing a lunch that when that changes, it throws me off. I also have Thursday and Friday off, so this week is going to be a little rough. I need to make sure I stay on track Thursday and Friday. I did good today (Monday), but I had a TON to do and got all of it done. So, I have to make sure I have lots of do at the end of the week so I don't sit around snacking. I will spend one day cleaning the house and one day doing research for my thesis. I have several books to read, so I can sit on the sofa and get started.

And I have a new option in exercising. B bought me the Wii Active. I tried it today and man, it is harder than the Wii Fit. I was doing some running and it knew I wasn't going very fast and called me on it. LOL! I'm having trouble with the controls, so I think it's going to take some getting used to, but it should be a good alternative to running/bike/Wii Fit.

All Sorts of Good Stuff

Sunday afternoon, a tad overdue for the weekly weigh-in update, but eh. So be it.

Yesterday was weigh-in day. I was a little unsure how it would work out. The scale at home was doing crazy things all week. One day saying I lost, the next saying I was up three. Really? Three pounds overnight? Did a grow a small cat or something? So, I wasn't sure if I would stay the same or loose. Not to be boastful or anything, but I was pretty sure I didn't gain. So, off I went to weigh-in. Had the lady I like weigh me in. She's nice and very encouraging. And I lost! Woohoo! Lost 1.6 last week. So excited about that. Now I'm down a total of 17.4 since January. Not too bad. I need 13.6 between now and the end of July. It's going to be tight. I might be able to swing 10 between now and then, 11 even. But, I should be close. :-)

After weigh-in it was off to the park. Brian came along, but he wasn't running. He was prepping for a 10k this morning and didn't want to run the day before. So, he walked while I ran. My running coach told me to go with another 2.5 mile run this week. Off I went for 2.5. It was not a fun run. Maybe no run is a fun run, but by the end of the first mile, I was feeling it. I think I didn't stretch my thighs enough and they hurt more than usual. Plus it was hot. I'm not digging the hot weather so much. It needs to go back to being cold for my running training. I got to the 1 mile mark and really didn't want to keep going, but I had a feeling my running coach would kick my butt if I didn't, so I kept moving. And I was moving fairly quickly, for me at least. I ran into an issue between mile 1.75 and 2 where I just kinda slowed down a lot, but picked it up on the last quarter mile and finished strong. I completed the two loops in 36:57. That was 34 seconds faster than the week before. :-) That made me happy, even as I was dying. LOL!

And since I mentioned Brian's 10k, he ran that this morning in Baltimore. He did AWESOME! It was HOT this morning, but he rocked it and finished in under an hour. It was his first 10k ever and did wonderful. And with that, he's done with 10ks until fall. LOL! Which I completely understand. Running a race in the city on a hot day? Yea, bring on the fall and cooler temps. Congrats Brian! You did amazing!

More on the last post

This quote seems to go nicely with the blog entry I posted earlier today. I thought I would share.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

A Very Good Point

I found this blog - Chubby to 5k - this morning and this particular entry made me pause. Pause so much that I am sharing it with you. I never thought about weight-loss/exercise this way before.

Meaning Behind the Words

Running Fool...LOL!

Monday night. The start of the week. This is the first day of summer hours. During the summer we work Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and have a nice half day on Fridays - 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. While I love the Friday afternoons off, but this whole 8:00 a.m. start time KILLS! It is times like these that I wish I were a morning person. LOL!

Anyway...headed out to Shelley Park tonight to run. The weather is gorgeous! Sunny and cool, but not cold. Just a really great evening. So, last run at Shelley was 1.5 miles and my run Saturday at Couselor was 2.5 miles, so tonight was 2 miles at Shelley. Decided I felt as if I could do 2 miles last time at Shelley, but didn't want to push it. So, headed off for 2 miles tonight. I did fine! I might have been able to go to 2.5 tonight at Shelley - hills and all - but decided to go slowly. The park will be there all summer. I can get to 2.5 miles eventually. But for now, I am THRILLED with my 2 miles at the hilly park. It's something I honestly never thought I would see since it's so hilly. Apparently I am capable of more than I thought. :)

It's that time again

Saturday morning/afternoon. Time to check in to make sure I'm on track with my weight-loss efforts and my running. I hate that I have to get up early on a Saturday to weigh-in, but really it's the only day that works for me. Sucks. I like to sleep in!

Got up this morning and headed off to WW. Got there and there were people waiting. That hasn't happened in a while. Guess it's the "oh crap! I have to get into a bathing suit soon!" people. ;-) Anyway...there's a girl there that I like weighing in with and she was working today, so I got in her line. She's really nice and young, so it makes weighing in a little easier. I wasn't sure what today would bring. I thought I did a great job of sticking to my goals this week, but you just can never tell. The scale at home did NOT want to budge. But, the WW scale said down 1.4 today. Yea! Very happy about that. I wanted 2, but you know, 1.4 is nothing to scoff at. So, I am still moving towards my goal of 30 pounds lost by the end of July. I may not make the full 30, but I'll be darn close!

So, off to the park I went. I was told after my abyssmal run last week that I need to drink and eat before hand now that the weather has turned warm. So, I brought a water bottle and some dried cherries with me today. Ate the cherries on the way to the park and had a tad of water from my water bottle. I didn't want to have to stop to use the ladies room while running. LOL! Goal today was 2.5 miles. Which is a HUGE jump from last Sat. 1 mile running and then off-and-on again second mile. But, I slowed down this time and just did it. It was warm, but to horrible. A nice cool breeze every so often. I can't say I particularly enjoyed the run per se, but I was proud of myself for getting to 2.5 miles after that horrible run last Sat. And, did I mention I did it without my shuffle? I totally forgot it this morning. I was afraid without it I would be BORED silly, but I spent the entire 37:31 telling myself I could run the 2.5 miles. LOL! Goofy I know, but I had to do SOMETHING with my mind. I also added in a small hill to this run. I took the long loop and I think that made all the difference in running the 2.5. Phew! I'm very happy with myself for getting that far. :-)

So, goals for the week:

1. 2 nights of running
2. 3 nights of other cardio
3. On points 6 days

It seems like my goals will generally be the same each week, but having written them down last week and done a fairly good job in keeping them, I'm going to continue.

Happy Saturday!

What a Fantabulous Run!

After work I decided to head to the park and run. I go to a park near the house that's very hilly. The same park I ran on Monday night. I have traditionally run a mile there because there's a HUGE hill and I just couldn't get past it. So tonight, I took a short cut. There's a bypass to that hill and tonight, I took it. By taking the short cut, I was able to run two laps at the park rather than the one I've been running for about 2 months.

I started out slow. Knowing that I normally run the course faster than I was going, but I thought distance over time. I'm hoping I got that right! I was really excited that I was holding up well. I will say that the first little bit of the short cut was rough! I expected it to be easy compared to the big hill, but no. The first 20 feet was worse than the big hill. LOL! That'll teach me to take the short cut. ;-)

I came around to where I started and began the second lap. I was only at .75 miles at this point. Normally, when I'm back to the start, I've run a mile, so that was hard to wrap the mind around. But, onward I trudged. And trudge is an apt word. I was not going fast at all, but I was moving.

The second lap wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Though on the way back to the start point, I dreaded that short cut area. I knew that those 20 feet were going to kill me, but if I could get past them, I could do the rest of the run. When I got to the end of the two laps, I had run 1.6 miles in 24:51. It was slow, but I've never run more than a mile at this park, so I was fine with my time. I almost felt like I could have gotten to 2 miles, but I decided I didn't want to push it. That course is really hilly.

So, that's my fantastic run and I'm really excited about it!

Good Day

It's Monday. Work just sucks. There's nothing there for me right now and it's a waste of my time. Frustrating.

BUT, with that said, the rest of my day went well. I came home, changed and went up to the park for a run. This park is hilly, so I expect nothing more than a mile at this point, though I think I am almost ready to push it a little to add more distance. I thought it was tonight, but I was wrong. LOL!

I had a great run tonight though! For the first time in three runs at this park, I didn't walk the big hill. I ran it. Though I am sure if you saw me, you would think otherwise. ;-) It's a rough hill and not walking was an accomplishment. Finished my run at 14:06, yes, a 14 minute mile, but I am THRILLED with this time! It's 3 seconds faster than last time and 18 seconds faster than last time I ran there. Woohoo!

Then came home and made dinner. We took turkey breast and coated them with jerk seasoning. Heated those in the steamer (which if you don't have one, GO BUY ONE!) for 30 minutes. In the skillet, I heated up onion, green pepper, and tomatoes with a little oil, Italian seasoning, basil, and rosemary. It was so freaking good! It made me so happy to have a great run and a great healthy dinner. So, it's been a fantastic day since 5:30 p.m. LOL!

Day of Reckoning

It's Saturday, which means it's weigh-in day. I wanted to loose the 3 pounds I gained last week, but it was not to be. I was down 2.4 pounds in the week and a half since I was last there. Disappointing, but it was a downward shift, so that's good in and of itself. I can have a kick-ass week this one and loose the last .6 +!

My run followed the weight loss. Disappointing. Apparently my body is not used to running in warm weather. I got in a mile before my body yelled at me. So, I walked a 1/4 mile, ran the next 1/4 mile, walked the third 1/4 mile, then busted my butt to run the last 1/4 mile. I was hoping for 2.5 miles today, but the weather did me in. I'm so used to running in cold temps that the 60 degree weather killed me! Live and learn.

So, goal for the week:

1. Loose 2 pounds by staying on points Sunday through Friday.
2. Run two additional days this week.
3. Exercise three days outside of the 2 additional running days for a total of 5 exercise days.

I need to get my butt in gear. I have 11 weeks before the wedding in Vegas and 16 pounds to go. It can be done. I need to focus and I need to motivate myself to stay on track.

Dessert

I love dessert. It's really the best part of any meal. And there's really nothing I don't like. I'm not a huge fan of the chocolaty chocolate desserts like Death by Chocolate or those with chocolate cake, frosting, and mousse in them. That's B's department. Other than that, I'm pretty open to whatever you want to hand me that's desserty. Hence the reason for me to have this blog and to eat healthier and exercise. LOL!

Tonight, I had a dessert that I forgot was so good. I bought a sugar-free angel food cake at the store on Saturday when I went to the store. I like angel food cake an haven't had it in awhile, so I thought, why not? So, I sliced myself a piece, added some light Cool Whip and cinnamon. OMG! Really, I forgot how gosh darn good this dessert is! And then I started adding up the points. Ummm...1 point. I was shocked! I didn't realize that sugar-free angel food cake is just 14 calories a slice. So, that 1 point came from the Cool Whip. Loved it! I can't wait to have it for dessert again. Technically, I could have another slice tonight since I have 5 points left for the day, but I am going to refrain. But, if you are ever in need of a low calorie/point dessert that tastes awesome, I would say keep your mind open to sugar-free angel food cake, Cool Whip, and cinnamon.

5k Maybe?

I am a very slow runner, but as my friend Kim says, by saying I'm a runner and going out there, makes me a runner. Though the longest run I've ever had is 2 miles and that at 30 minutes. I have run in the Harrisburg Mile the past two years. That's a rough mile only because it's a Wednesday night in July. Who has a race in July...at night???

But, I am contemplating a full 5k. Yup, 3.2 miles. I am thinking this race

Baltimore Women's Classic

I would have two months to go from 2 miles to 3.2 miles for the race. There are plenty of people so I could get lost and maybe not finish last (t-shirt to the first 1,500 registrants). From what people say on the website, it's well run and fun. And it's women only. Which means, no offense hubby, that I wouldn't be running with Brian. He's WAY faster than me and I would like to do this on my own without worrying I'm slowing him down.

So, I'm thinking of running a 5k. I have until June 18th to make a final decision, but I think I'll decide before then. If I'm gonna do this, I want the t-shirt!

Exercise

I rocked at exercise today! LOL! I didn't know what the day would hold since it's raining. So, I did an hour on my little exercise bike, then some arm exercises with my 8 pound weights, and finlly did some karate punches. I like doing those and you can work up a sweat if you do them fast enough.

Then, the rain slowed down dramatically from this morning. And then, after hearing my friend Lynn ran a marathon in pouring rain, I decided I would run, even if it was raining. So, off I went to the local park to run a mile. I haven't run in about 3 weeks. It was a sad, sad mile and I walked a little on the hill, but I did it. I ran my horrible hilly course today in the rain. Not a great time 14:24, but for not having run in 3 weeks and having a record of just under 14 on this course, not too bad, right? I was wrong. Fastest time at Shelley was 14:09, so just 15 seconds faster than today. But today was faster than last time I ran at Shelley, about a month ago. Gotta run more often and consistently.

I'm now debating whether I try a race. I am so proud of my friends who run races, no matter what the distance and I would like to do one too, but I have horrible times. It would take me close to 45 minutes to do a 5k and I don't want to finish and have no one there. There's an all woman 5k in Baltimore at the end of June. I'm debating. Plenty of time to register as I think the deadline if June 18th. So, we shall see. I may keep my eye on it and see. I just don't know if I could finish with a decent time...or at least one where people would still be at the finish line...

A New Week, A New Start

I am hitting the week running! So excited for being back on track this week. I really need to stick to my weekly schedule of weigh-in Sat., splurge day Sat., then good the rest of the week. When I get off that schedule, things go decidedly bad. So, a good start to my Sunday will give me a good start to my week.

Already had a good morning. Got a good night's sleep last night. Thank God! Last week's sleep was not so great. Catching up with that is good.

This morning I made a delicious new breakfast - Pina Colada Parfait Surprise from Hungry Girl. Delicious! B and I had it and even he liked it. It was good and only 3 points. Which is only one more than my traditional dry cereal b-fast and more filling. Very happy about that.

Yesterday I bought romaine lettuce rather than the bag lettuce that I usually buy. Today I ripped up the lettuce and learned I spent less on the lettuce and got more than buying the bag. So, I will continue to to buy the lettuce rather than the bag stuff. I am very proud of myself for that. I also cut up cucumbers for salad/snacks/etc. We are going to try making grilled cheese out of cucumbers this week. I saw a recipe for doing it with eggplant and I thought I could do it with cucumbers. I'll let you know how it goes.

It's raining pretty hard here today. I am going to use my little bike for exercise, but hoping the weather clears up later for a quick run. If it's sprinkling, I'll go, but it's pretty nasty right now and my course has a wicked hill on it that I am sure to wipe out on in the rain. But, I will bike so that even if I don't run, I've done something.

Pina Colada Parfait Surprise

INGREDIENTS
6 oz. fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/4 canned pinapple tidbits packed in juice, drained
1/4 cup chopped banana
2 tablespoons Fiber One cereal (original)
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

DIRECTIONS
Mix coconut extract into yogurt. Place about 1/3 of the yogurt mixture in the bottom of a parfait glass, or any small glass.

Top with half the pineapple tidbits and half the chopped banana.

Sprinkle half of the cereal over the fruit layer, and then spoon another third of the yogurt on top.

Add remaining pineapple and banana, and then add a final layer of yogurt.

Finish it all off with the rest of the cereal. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
175 Calories
.5g Fat
129mg Sodium
42g Carbs
5g Fiber
28g Sugars
8g Protein