Ok. So post holidays and after about 6 months of just being plain lazy, the hubbs and I decided we needed to make a change to not be so "fluffly". We decided to go veggie for a little while to explore new foods and sort of jump start a healthy lifestyle.
In addition, yesterday we started the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred Challenge. Its only 20 minutes a day. I can totally do that. We took some before pictures today, which I will reveal when I have after pictures... The "befores" are not pretty. The first level is really quad and hamstring intense with a little bit of arms and abs too. Today is day 2 and my tush hurts, for real. I'll have a bikini butt in to time.
Doing it with the hubbs makes things a lot easier. We can motivate each other, and the workout seems to go by quicker when someone is suffering with you.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Monday, November 15, 2010
Anniversary: The First of Many!
We had an awesome anniversary weekend. We got to spend time just the two of us all weekend long. We never get to do that because we are always hanging out with our families or friends or the Redskins (bye week!).
Friday night we went to La Paneterria in Bethesda. It was amazing. The best pesto I have ever had in my life. It was a cute little Italian hole in the wall restaurant.
We decided to do a night of "stay-cation." We rented a cute hotel room at The Henley Park Hotel. It has beautiful architecture and an old-timey feel. Even the elevators had nice tapestry! We grabbed some lunch at the Cozy Corner Cafe - I had a veggie pannini and a root beer made with cane sugar (not syrup). Yum!
Saturday night we went to The Kennedy Center and saw Hair. It was a fun show. Sort of a 1970s music review with a little bit of plot mixed in. It was fun to get all dressed up and do something we hadn't done before. Prior to the show (for dinner, bomb diggity crabcakes) and afterwards (for dessert and drinks) we went to The Old Ebbitt Grill (an old stompin' ground of ours). It has a really nice atmosphere and the bar tenders are always nice. We usually sit at the oyster bar since its tucked away a little from the crowd.
Sunday we slept all stinkin' day. It was awesome and glorious. Nick woke up at 5:30p and I started to make us dinner. In a casserole dish, I baked rice, fish and veggies with a little Italian spice and chicken broth. It was literally that simple and yummy. We also opened a bottle of wine that we got at our wedding shower. Can you believe we held onto a bottle of wine for over a year? Yea, me either. It was delicious. We also cracked open the top tier of our wedding cake. Can you believe we didn't open some delicious cake for over a year? Yea, me either. The cake was actually awesome. I had kept it wrapped in cling wrap and then aluminum foil in our freezer.
Our gifts to each other: I got him a tie clip (he has actually been dying to have one) and a business card holder (a stretch on the "paper" anniversary). He got me some awesome drawing pencils and sketching paper. :)
Friday night we went to La Paneterria in Bethesda. It was amazing. The best pesto I have ever had in my life. It was a cute little Italian hole in the wall restaurant.
We decided to do a night of "stay-cation." We rented a cute hotel room at The Henley Park Hotel. It has beautiful architecture and an old-timey feel. Even the elevators had nice tapestry! We grabbed some lunch at the Cozy Corner Cafe - I had a veggie pannini and a root beer made with cane sugar (not syrup). Yum!
Saturday night we went to The Kennedy Center and saw Hair. It was a fun show. Sort of a 1970s music review with a little bit of plot mixed in. It was fun to get all dressed up and do something we hadn't done before. Prior to the show (for dinner, bomb diggity crabcakes) and afterwards (for dessert and drinks) we went to The Old Ebbitt Grill (an old stompin' ground of ours). It has a really nice atmosphere and the bar tenders are always nice. We usually sit at the oyster bar since its tucked away a little from the crowd.
Sunday we slept all stinkin' day. It was awesome and glorious. Nick woke up at 5:30p and I started to make us dinner. In a casserole dish, I baked rice, fish and veggies with a little Italian spice and chicken broth. It was literally that simple and yummy. We also opened a bottle of wine that we got at our wedding shower. Can you believe we held onto a bottle of wine for over a year? Yea, me either. It was delicious. We also cracked open the top tier of our wedding cake. Can you believe we didn't open some delicious cake for over a year? Yea, me either. The cake was actually awesome. I had kept it wrapped in cling wrap and then aluminum foil in our freezer.
Our gifts to each other: I got him a tie clip (he has actually been dying to have one) and a business card holder (a stretch on the "paper" anniversary). He got me some awesome drawing pencils and sketching paper. :)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Dreamt I was Pregnant... oh my.
Don't get me wrong. I'd be so very excited if I found out I was really pregnant. But its a scary scary thought. Life would be so different. I can barely take care of myself, my husband, and my apartment. To throw a baby in the mix would be crazy, right?
Well, in reality, probably not. Thank goodness God gives us 9 months to prepare for this life change.
Eventually, I will become pregnant (God willing). So maybe its time to start taking care of myself a little more.
Maybe some healthy habits are in store...
Well, in reality, probably not. Thank goodness God gives us 9 months to prepare for this life change.
Eventually, I will become pregnant (God willing). So maybe its time to start taking care of myself a little more.
Maybe some healthy habits are in store...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Apple Bread
I had some apples that were a little too ripe to just chomp on, so I went for it.
Its my mini-loaf stone pan's debut performance, and it surpassed expectations. The stoneware really cooks things evenly and nicely. My favorite stoneware piece is my pizza stone. Whether you are making pizza from scratch or cooking a frozen store-bought one, it cooks the dough so evenly with out any burnt/raw spots.
Here is the apple bread recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com (such a great site).
I switched things up a little... used 1 egg + 1 egg white, only 2.5 cups of flour then 1/3 cup flax seed, 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar (you could probably cut the sugar a little more too), 1/2 cup of apple sauce instead of veggie oil (I topped off the half cup of apple sauce with a little oil, maybe 1/2 Tbs). This adds protein and fiber while cutting carbs and calories, as well as skimming off some cholesterol and fat.
I peeled the apples with a standard veggie peeler.
I cored them with my apple corer/slicer. Then I used a cheese grater to grate them instead of chopping them.
Delicious! And pretty easy. :)
Dust is for suckers...
Ug. Talk about sneezefest! Not only is it ragweed season, but I decided to dust my apartment today.
It felt good to dust though. I feel like the apartment is cleaner. I even vacuumed the vents to get the dust off them. I never really was a believer in dusting, but then again, I never lived in my own place before.
The mister did the dishes... and I did pretty much everything else (bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, folding, laundry). It all kind of balanced out though, because it takes him a long time to do things sometimes, so he stayed out of my way on a day when I was in one of 'those' moods.
It felt good to dust though. I feel like the apartment is cleaner. I even vacuumed the vents to get the dust off them. I never really was a believer in dusting, but then again, I never lived in my own place before.
The mister did the dishes... and I did pretty much everything else (bathrooms, vacuuming, dusting, folding, laundry). It all kind of balanced out though, because it takes him a long time to do things sometimes, so he stayed out of my way on a day when I was in one of 'those' moods.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Year One: Green Living
The hubbs and I have been in our apartment for a year (already?). Since we moved in we implemented a few easy peasy eco-friendly practices:
1. Instead of paper towels we use cloth towels. The ones I have are crocheted cotton ones that my grandmother's friend made. If I spill something in the kitchen, I wait until I am done cooking then clean the whole counter-top with one. If there is a big spill, I use an older bath towel we keep around for such a purpose.
Result: We have bought a grand total of two paper towel rolls in the past year and are not even halfway through the second roll. (We do realize there are somethings that just need a paper towel)
2. No plastic baggies! have some reusable plastic containers for sandwiches (the black, round Chinese food containers are perfect for sandwiches, we also have some square ones). For other snacks for our lunches, we use other reusable containers and we save the plastic containers we buy butter, sour cream etc in.
Result: We moved in with a 3/4 of a box of freezer bags and we have used them for traveling mostly.
3. Recycling! We have a container for trash, plastics/aluminum/glass, and papers. We line the recycling ones with a plastic bag, but don't throw it away (essentially it doesn't get dirty if you rinse the items).
Result: Less "trash", fewer trash bags used. We are on our third box of trash bags.
4. Use cloth grocery bags. I started with using backpacks and whatever other cloth bags I have around the house. At my bridal shower, several people gave me gifts in a reusable grocery bag and I started using those. I try to keep some in my car, in case I go to the store on a whim. And you can use them for other kinds of shopping too! i.e. clothes shopping. When I grocery shop, I try to bag stuff myself at the self-checkout. Baggers tend to put one thing per bag and end up using the plastic bags for the over flow.
Result: I rarely use plastic or paper grocery bags, when I do I return them to the recycling bin at the store. I know some people need plastic bags for their pets, but I suggest using mostly cloth bags, and a few plastic bags.
1. Instead of paper towels we use cloth towels. The ones I have are crocheted cotton ones that my grandmother's friend made. If I spill something in the kitchen, I wait until I am done cooking then clean the whole counter-top with one. If there is a big spill, I use an older bath towel we keep around for such a purpose.
Result: We have bought a grand total of two paper towel rolls in the past year and are not even halfway through the second roll. (We do realize there are somethings that just need a paper towel)
2. No plastic baggies! have some reusable plastic containers for sandwiches (the black, round Chinese food containers are perfect for sandwiches, we also have some square ones). For other snacks for our lunches, we use other reusable containers and we save the plastic containers we buy butter, sour cream etc in.
Result: We moved in with a 3/4 of a box of freezer bags and we have used them for traveling mostly.
3. Recycling! We have a container for trash, plastics/aluminum/glass, and papers. We line the recycling ones with a plastic bag, but don't throw it away (essentially it doesn't get dirty if you rinse the items).
Result: Less "trash", fewer trash bags used. We are on our third box of trash bags.
4. Use cloth grocery bags. I started with using backpacks and whatever other cloth bags I have around the house. At my bridal shower, several people gave me gifts in a reusable grocery bag and I started using those. I try to keep some in my car, in case I go to the store on a whim. And you can use them for other kinds of shopping too! i.e. clothes shopping. When I grocery shop, I try to bag stuff myself at the self-checkout. Baggers tend to put one thing per bag and end up using the plastic bags for the over flow.
Result: I rarely use plastic or paper grocery bags, when I do I return them to the recycling bin at the store. I know some people need plastic bags for their pets, but I suggest using mostly cloth bags, and a few plastic bags.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Its Almost Pumpkin Season!
I love fall.
The colors are so rich (orange leaves bring out my eyes).
The air is crisp (goodbye humidity, and goodbye frizzy hair)!
And PUMPKINS are everywhere... time for pumpkin bread (traditionally, not so good for the hips...)!
Here's is my famous pumpkin bread recipe (well, famous to me because I love to eat it). I've tweeked some basic recipes to make it a little healthier. NO taste was compromised in the making of this bread!
* 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
* 2 eggs
* 2 egg whites
* 2 cups pumpkin puree
* 2/3 cup water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two loaf pans.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend sugar, oil and eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Slowly blend the flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. While blending the mixture add water incrementally. Pour the batter into the two loaf pans.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 80-90 minutes - do the fork test to be sure they are done. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans.
Makes 2 loaves. This recipe is easily halved, but the pumpkin comes in a can of 16 oz. so I just covered it with plastic wrap and popped the rest in the fridge.
The colors are so rich (orange leaves bring out my eyes).
The air is crisp (goodbye humidity, and goodbye frizzy hair)!
And PUMPKINS are everywhere... time for pumpkin bread (traditionally, not so good for the hips...)!
Here's is my famous pumpkin bread recipe (well, famous to me because I love to eat it). I've tweeked some basic recipes to make it a little healthier. NO taste was compromised in the making of this bread!
* 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
* 2 eggs
* 2 egg whites
* 2 cups pumpkin puree
* 2/3 cup water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two loaf pans.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend sugar, oil and eggs. Stir in pumpkin. Slowly blend the flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. While blending the mixture add water incrementally. Pour the batter into the two loaf pans.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 80-90 minutes - do the fork test to be sure they are done. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans.
Makes 2 loaves. This recipe is easily halved, but the pumpkin comes in a can of 16 oz. so I just covered it with plastic wrap and popped the rest in the fridge.
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