FMM: What's in Your Fridge?

Thanks to Kenz at www.alltheweigh.com here's this week's edition of Friend Makin' Monday :)

 FMM: What’s in Your Fridge?

1. List a few common items that can always be found in your fridge. Almond milk, homemade salsa (or the ingredients to make it - tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, habaneros, radishes, limes, and cilantro), Granny Smith apples, Arnold multi-grain sandwich thins, salad fixings, salad dressing, minced garlic
   
2. What kind of milk do you drink? Unsweetened almond milk
3. Do you prefer fresh or frozen vegetables? Fresh
4. What do you currently have to drink in the fridge? I mainly drink coffee which doesn't involve anything in the fridge, but there's still a few beers in there from the last time we had some friends over ;)
5. How often do you clean out your refrigerator? Usually right before each grocery shopping trip (about once per week).
6. What’s the healthiest thing in it right now? Homemade salsa, salad, Granny Smith apples
7. What’s the most unhealthy thing in it right now? Besides any of my hubby's stuff, there's still an unopened box of Girl Scout (peanut butter sandwich) cookies in there!
8. What do you wish you had in it that you don’t have now? I'm really wanting to try some Vegan cream cheese
9. How often do you shop for groceries? 2-3 times every 2 weeks
10. What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge right now? Hmm. Turnips maybe? I still have a few left and can't decide if I really like them or not.
    

Now it’s your turn! Don’t forget to answer the questions and come back to post a link in the comments section! Happy Monday!

Friend Makin' Monday - Yes or No?

If you've taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you're new, please take a moment to answer this week's question on your own blog then add a link at the bottom of this post so we can all see your post. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Be sure to head back to Kenz's blog - All The Weigh and check out the rest!

FMM: Yes or No?

1. Do you use coupons?  Sadly, no. Oh wait! I do use running store coupons! Does that count?!
2. Do you like football?  J - E - T - S! Jets Jets Jets!
3. Are you in a relationship? Married :)
4. Is your phone always within arm’s reach? Yep!
5. Do you like thunderstorms? Yep, as long as I'm not out running at the time
6. Can you cook?  I'm a pretty good cook, but a terrible baker
7. Are you – or have you – lost weight? I've lost a total of 127 pounds. I've been maintaining since May of 2009.
8. Do you know how to read a map?  Duh
9. Do you wear makeup?  Very little and not every day
10. Do you read regularly?  Yes! I listen to (mostly fiction) audio books on my mp3 player and I physically read (mostly non-fiction) health/nutrition/running books.
11. Are you publicly affectionate?  Depends on where in public
12. Do you like picnics?  Eh, not really
13. Do you have a/c?  Yes! There are few greater pleasures than central air!
14. Have you ever been out of the country? Yep, lived in Germany for a short time when I was young, and have vacationed in Cancun, Mexico
15. Do you know how to ride a bicycle? An exercise bike ;)  

Just a quickie!

My mojo is back! I couldn't wait to run when I got home last night! I went back into the sweltering garage (I really wish the golfers around here would be more considerate of my running path!) and threw down 4 miles in just over 30 minutes. Yay!

Today started my LONG work week. Even longer now that they've got me doing Fridays (at least throughout the summer). I leave home at 6:30am (5:30 if I'm hitting up the gym) and don't get back home until around 9pm - Ugh! That's Tuesday - Friday. I work at 2 WW meetings on Mondays, and one on Saturday mornings. And that's why I rarely have time to post here.

Upon much consideration, I've decided that I'm not going to completely cut out dairy. Not sure about eggs yet, but if I do go back to eggs, they will be local and cage-free.  I may perhaps change my mind again when I finish these books (or for any other reason), but as a woman I declare the right to change my mind about any decision at at any given moment ;)

Must sleep now. Nighty night.

ABCDEFood!

ABCDEFood!  I saw this on someone else's blog and it looked like fun :)

A: is for Apple, what’s your favorite variety?
Granny Smith

B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of?
 Jewish Rye w/seeds

C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!)
Bear Naked granola: Heavenly Chocolate

D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy?
Nope, do not eat doughnuts

E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared?
 I gave up eggs almost 2 weeks ago, but I used to like them best in French Toast

F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product?
  Again, something I gave up recently: Chobani Greek yogurt: plain

G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours at?
Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Redner's, Giant, and Weis

H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink?
Coffee!!!

I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.
Reeses, topped with.... Reeses!

J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor?
Nope, yuk!

K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product?
Nope, don't do Kashi either

L: is for Lunch, what was yours today?
Leftover casserole: Boca crumbles, black beans, salsa, whole wheat penne pasta, EVOO, onions, olives, and green chilies. Normally lunch is a Granny Smith apple with Peanut Butter and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams

M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack?
Orville Smart-pop Kettle Corn

N: is for nutrients, do you like carbs, fats, or proteins best?
Hmm, isn't peanut butter a nutrient?!

O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use?
EVOO, Sesame oil

P: is for protein, how do you get yours?
  Since switching to veg*nism I have been lacking on proteins. But I'm still learning! For now, peanut butter, black beans, whole grains.

Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats?
Quaker Weight Control Maple and Brown Sugar oatmeal (with walnuts and a banana)

R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast?
Veggies!

S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind?
Dark chocolate Peanut butter with strawberries and banana on an Arnold multi-grain sandwich thin

T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling?
 I pack a lot of my own stuff. Other than that, I do the best I can

U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos?
I used to LOVE cream cheese and (green) olive sandwiches. Nowadays it would probably be chocolate chip pancakes with a side salad ;)

V: is for vitamins, what kind do you take?
Flintstones chewable: complete with choline. Same vitamin I've been taking my whole life. Regular "adult" vitamins don't agree with me.

W: is for wasabi, yay or nay?
Every once in a while

X: is for X-RAY. if we x-rayed your belly right now, what food would we see?
My lunch (see above) and lots of coffee

Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood?
Peanut butter! Bagels, Potato pancakes, Pierogies, and Chinese Food

Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it?
Grilled! Yummy!

Sweat is Sexy! aka the Return of my Mojo... maybe? And my garden is growing!

The golf course was too crowded and I actually "wanted" to run today (could it be my mojo returning?!) so I headed into the sweltering garage where my treadmill is. I knew I wouldn't make it too far because of the heat, but I did manage to get in almost 4 miles. I did 3/1 intervals, and where I normally don't like doing intervals (they make me feel even slower) the walk breaks were very welcome today!

I have to admit I'm loving my new haircut - even buckets of sweat doesn't mess it up ;)

Went to Barnes and Nobles earlier today and found 2 of the books on my "want" list: The China Study and the Vegan's Daily Companion.  As soon as I finish updating everything here I'm off to start reading :)

Nothing exciting on the food front today.  For breakfast I had a Granny Smith apple with 3 Tbsp of Peanut Butter and Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams (the bestest peanut butter in the whole world!!!), lunch was a Morning Star Asian veggie burger on an Arnold Select whole-wheat sandwich thin with some of my super salsa and some fresh romaine out of my garden! Sided with a small salad using the same romaine, some radishes, sunflower seeds, and sesame dressing.

I think dinner will be leftovers from last night's casserole, and maybe tomorrow I'll make the quinoa. Caron (she's another WW winner! Check out her blog!) gave me the link to a Vegan Blog with some yummy-looking recipes. Thanks Caron!

Joining the PETA Pack!

Today is my 2-week vegetarian anniversary :)  I feel pretty good and my tummy issues are all but gone!  I'm still having nightmares about cows and chickens though, so I'm thinking it's time to take it one step further by eliminating dairy and eggs now also.  

As some of you may know, I have recently lost my running mojo.  I did manage to get 2 runs in this week, but they weren't easy.  Well, I think I've found the inspiration I've been looking for! The PETA Pack! PETA has one of those 'Team in Training" groups that I can use. Although they don't have my Philly RnR HM on the list of races, I can "create" my own race! Personally, I much prefer to race that way - by myself ;)  Those crowded races cause me way too much anxiety (but yes, I am still going to do the Philly RnR - it's already paid for! And most likely the Las Vegas RnR as well!).  So anyways, once I have it all set up I will definitely post the information here. By the way, it is a fund-raising thingie, so any/all donations would benefit a great cause (PETA), and be udderly (get it?!) appreciated. But again, I will have more information once I get all signed up.

On another note, I made my first Vegan meal today, which included trying another new food!  Don't laugh, but I have never eaten a black bean before!  I have to admit it came out WAY better than I was expecting.

Southwestern Vegan Casserole
- 1 box organic whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 bag Boca crumbles (it really looks like ground beef!)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 1 Tbsp EVOO
- 1 can (15oz) southwestern black beans
- approx 2 tsp cumin
- approx 1 tsp hot mexican chili powder
- 1 can (4oz) sliced black olives
- 1 can (4oz) diced green chilies
- 2 cups Super Salsa

Cook the pasta, drain and set aside in a large mixing bowl. In a frying pan, heat the EVOO. Add onions and saute for a couple minutes. Add the Boca crumbles, cumin and chili powder, olives and green chilies. Add black beans (I pureed them first so they wouldn't look like beans, haha!). I let it all simmer together for about 15 minutes (until the Boca crumbles looked like cooked ground beef). Pour the "meat" mixture over the pasta and combine. Add the salsa and mix it all together. Dump into a 9x15 foil pan and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Voila!  It made 6 huge servings, but I probably could have made 8 because the calorie/carb counts are kinda high. Calories: 508, fat: 8, carbs: 87, protein: 31.

Tomorrow I may finally attempt the quinoa! Stay tuned...  

Vegetarianism Day 10

So, after watching Food Inc. I quit eating meat. Today is Day 10 and I've had no cravings at all. I've tried a few new things - Turnips, Spaghetti Squash, and Green Beans. Other than overdoing it on the turnips, all has been well. And my tummy issues seem to have disappeared! Yay!

My first attempt at making the spaghetti squash was a success. I put it in a shallow baking dish with a little water and baked it for an hour at 350. After letting it cool off some (about 30 minutes) I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds and goopey stuff. Then I took a fork and made spaghetti with it. I sauteed some mushrooms and black olives in EVOO and then mixed it all together, dumped it into a casserole dish, topped with 1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese and baked it for 30 minutes. It's DELICIOUS!

I also bought some quinoa and black beans. Those are next on my list of things to try.

My running mojo still has not returned, so last night I decided to go running without it  ;)

I still don't know what exactly to do with this blog.  I suppose I will just write (type) when I have time, until I can figure something out.