Keep on Truckin’ August 12, 2010

Greetings Earthlings! (Now I’m an alien. Sweet.)

I finally did my 7 mile run!

I tried a new pair of contacts after work today, and there was no pain in sight so I took the opportunity to hit the road. Ridiculously, when I opened the garage door I was greeted by rain, but I didn’t let that deter me. I was itching to go for a run.

But let me tell you, I must have been channeling my brother-in-law when I mapped out the route I ran today. I can’t think of any other reason the last 2 miles of my 7 mile run would be in the woods, on a trail, climbing steadily uphill.

Needless to say I took some walk breaks, and I’m not really sure what my official time was because my GPS didn’t work in the woods, but it was probably about an hour and a half.

I was sweating, and panting like a mad woman going up that Tower Path, at Sleeping Giant. But when I got to the top and saw this:

It was all worth it. I even found the energy in me to run up to the very top of the tower and take in the scenic views.

Even though it was a little cloudy.

And you know I had to look down.

I munched on a Kashi protein bar while I was up there. I’m trying to get rid of the ones I have,  but they’re just so dry, and they sit so heavy in my stomach that they don’t make good fuel.

Then I began my descent, and ran into the husband on the way down. I guess he didn’t want to wait in the parking lot, which is fine with me. I enjoyed the company on the way back down.

Trail running is a whole other beast than road running. My legs burned like crazy while I was doing it, and I had to keep a constant eye on the ground in front of me so that I wouldn’t trip. It’s making me worry a little about the race on Sunday, but I’ll worry about that later. Have you ever done a trail run before? Did you enjoy it?

Dinner tonight was EPIC!

I transformed this:

Into this:

And then finally into this:

I made the zucchini into noodles (zoodles!) by using this nifty julienne tool from Pampered Chef that my mother-in-law (Hi Susan!) gave me for Christmas.

I topped said zoodles with this Raw Mediterranean Sauce and then with marinated tofu, and a balsamic reduction.

The tofu was marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, 5-spice powder, garlic powder, turmeric, and sesame seeds.

My whole serving was about 5 Points Value, but it was huge. It could easily be cut down.

This was my first experimentation with Raw cooking, even though it was not entirely raw because of the reduction. Is it still called cooking when the food is raw?

This meal was so light and fresh. I loved the way the flavors of the sauce came together, and the zucchini had this awesome crunch. I am thoroughly looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow. And the best part is that putting it together literally took 10 minutes. That is my kind of meal.

I was skeptical at first about eating raw zucchini, but slicing it so thin makes it nice and light, and the flavor is really mild.

I guarantee you this will not be the only raw recipe that you’ll see on this blog. Do you eat raw food? Any recipe recommendations?

Okay cool cats, it’s time for this blogger to go to bed.

Goodnight, Blogland!

Question for you:

If you could be in any movie what movie would you choose and why? Originally I was going to ask what horror movie, and then I realized that could get pretty gruesome.

I would be in Harold and Maude. I’d play Maude naturally. I hope I’m an eccentric old woman someday.

Egg-cellent Choice August 11, 2010

Well hello there, lovely readers!

Today was another crazy day in Cyndi-land. After working 12 hours my legs felt like crud and I didn’t have the heart to make them bust out a 7 mile run. But it’s coming tomorrow hell or high water.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m a little burnt out. How can you tell if you’re burnt out from training? How do you recover?

The eye doctor couldn’t tell me what was wrong with my eyes, although he was able to rule out that it isn’t the actual eye itself that has the problem. He advised me to throw out my old contacts, the cases, and the solution and attempt to start fresh with a new pair.

I’m going to give that a shot tomorrow (fingers crossed) and I have a follow-up appointment Saturday morning where he’ll put a fresh pair in, that they’re getting delivered to the office, to make sure it’s not my batch of contacts. I’m relieved that he’s willing to listen to me.

Sometimes I worry that my doctor’s won’t listen to my concerns. Do you ever worry about that?

Anyway, onto what you really came here for:

Summer-Fresh Frittata

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup baby portabella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 small jalapeño, chopped

4 eggs

4 egg whites

splash skim milk

2 tbsp grated romano

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 cup crumbled feta for sprinkling on top

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray.

Place all the vegetables in the pan, and cook until golden and delicious looking.

While the veggies cook, crack the eggs, and egg whites into a bowl, add the milk and whisk.

Once the yolks are broken up, add the romano, salt and pepper, and give another quick whisk.

When the veggies are softened add the egg mixture.

Stir with a rubber spatula, and cook until set. Approximately 5 minutes.

In a 400 degree oven bake until fully cooked, approximately 5 minutes.

Then sprinkle the feta on top of the frittata, and broil for a couple of minutes until the top is golden brown.

Cut into 8 wedges and enjoy!

Makes 4, 2 wedge servings.

Points Value 3

This was so delicious! I loved that it came together so simply, but tasted so fresh and light.

The feta added a nice saltiness, and broiling it gave it a little crunch.

I can see myself making this over and over again. Feel free to use whatever veggie is in season, I think asparagus would be amazing in this dish, especially if you roasted the asparagus first. Oh man, I have so many egg-based dish ideas right now.

I promise to share.

Best of all, I get to have the leftovers for breakfast.

In other food related news, I have an amazing idea for a dinner. Hopefully it will come to fruition tomorrow. Stay tuned for that. It could either be a success or a failure. Only time will tell. (Cooking is kind of like a soap opera, huh?)

Here’s a hint: it involves zoodles.

Alright friends, it’s time for me to make some dinner, and maybe do some yoga.

Sleep tight, Blogland!

Question for you:

What are your favorite vegetables to put into egg dishes?

Kitchen Sink Tofu Stir-Fry August 1, 2010

Good evening!

Sometimes I don’t think there is anything better than spending a relaxing day with my husband, and then coming home to make dinner. It’s the simple things, right?

Tonight for dinner I had some nice looking zucchini from our garden that I wanted to use up. But I also needed to use up some tofu, and I wanted couscous.

Enter:

Kitchen Sink Tofu Stir-Fry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

16 oz extra firm tofu, cubed (I bought pre-cubed tofu. That’s how I roll.)

2 cloves garlic minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 ridiculously large zucchini, or 2 medium

1 cup mixed vegetables (I had broccoli blend in the freezer, but anything you have will work.)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon tomato paste

dash of Tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (anise, cinnamon, pepper, fennel, and salt)

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and the tofu cubes.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes until the tofu is browned.

Add the zucchini, and sprinkle with salt.

Cook for 5 minutes until the zucchini is tender.

In a separate bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, Tabasco sauce, tomato paste and 5 spice powder in a bowl, mix well.

Add the veggie mix to the pan, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the veggies cook through.

Add the sauce, and heat through.

I didn’t figure out the points value for this, but I would guess it was probably 6 Points.

Serve over rice, or couscous, or both like we did since I didn’t have enough of either to make a full serving.

I have to say I was a little worried at first about how the sauce was going to taste, but it was surprisingly good. The hint of cinnamon from the 5 spice powder really enhanced the dish.

The husband liked it, but he’s pretty easy to please in the food department.

Well, I’m off to spend what’s left of the night relaxing with the husband, and finish watching Trueblood with Lauren.

See you tomorrow, Blogland!

Question for you:

Do you eat tofu? I know it’s an acquired taste, but if you don’t eat it would you be willing to try it?

The Tasty and the Sinful July 28, 2010

Hello!

I hope you’ve had a good day. I woke up bright and early for work this morning, and then decided to hit the trail for a brisk 3 mile run. Except it didn’t work out that way. Do you ever feel like you’re just not into exercising? I mean, my mind was set on running, but my legs just did not want to cooperate. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

Anyway onto the tasty:

I made this for dinner for me and the husband the other night and it was delicious.

Baked Sesame Tofu:

16 oz brick of firm tofu

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs.

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Take the tofu and wrap it in several layers of paper towels. Gently squeeze the water from the tofu.

Cut the tofu into 4 even pieces.

Combine the panko, sesame seeds, chili powder, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.

Press the tofu into the bread crumb mixture, making sure to coat all of the sides of the tofu.

Place the tofu on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, and serve with your favorite roasted veggie. I used asparagus because it was in season at the time, but any veggie you’re craving will do.

4 Points per piece

Honestly, I love tofu. I wasn’t a huge fan at first but I keep finding new and interesting ways to eat it. And this recipe is great for the tofu novice. Don’t be shy! I promise you’ll like it.

Okay, and now for the sinful.

I’m sorry I don’t have a picture of this. But, they were just way too delicious, and I couldn’t stop myself from eating them long enough to take a picture.

Are you ready for this?

Nutella Crescents

It’s so ridiculously simple, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been stuffing random things into crescent rolls for years now.

All you need is:

1 tube of reduced fat crescent rolls

4 tbsp Nutella

Unroll the crescent rolls and place a generous dollop of the Nutella in the center.

Roll up the crescent roll, making sure to seal the ends. Mine ended up looking like little bundles.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes.

3 Points Values per roll

Try not to burn your mouth on these delicious little morsels when they come out of the oven.

I know that it’s not the healthiest treat in the world. But sometimes you need to live a little. Variety is the spice of life you know.

Well, I’m off to relax and spend some time with the Bear before hitting the hay.

Goodnight, Blogland!

Question for you:

Do you have a guilty pleasure food? How often do you indulge?