I just finished watching the 2011 Crossfit Games. Hoe. Lee. COW! I am SO IMPRESSED with these athletes, their ability to push through the pain, and their ridiculous muscles! In order to get to these games, each athlete first had to qualify in the Open. People from around the world did the exact same workouts over 6 weeks and were ranked based on their time. Then from there, qualifiers went on to compete in their Regionals. Each regional was different, and the top three athletes from each regional moved on to the finals in Carson, California. We watched these games last year as well and they are completely fascinating! Over 3 days these individuals completed 10 different workouts. Go to the web page and watch the archived footage and look at the workouts...you will be amazed as well! Dude and I watched some workouts yesterday that involved traveling 100 feet of monkey bars...we were totally inspired to go down the street to the playground at the nearby elementary school and try to swing on the monkey bars! :) It was fun (and WAY harder that I remember it in elementary!). I'm also inspired to work harder at my fitness and nutrition in the future...I'm toying with the idea of actually "competing" in the Open next year (although lets face it, I will probably be 278,986th out of 278,990).
Yesterday we also rendered lard!!! Yummmmm!!! I know, most people think lard? Yuck! Isn't that bad for you?! Well, the partially hydrongenated stuff that's created in a lab somewhere is totally bad for you. The stuff from my friend the piggy is not! We bought a package of lard from Rehoboth Ranch (one of the local farmers from which we purchase grass fed/pastured meats), cut it into chunks, fed it through our meat grinder (thank you Kitchen Aid Mixer!) and rendered the fat in our crockpot all afternoon. What was left was a half gallon of snowy white lard divided into 4 pint sized mason jars. We also got "cracklins" from it, which are essentially pieces of protien and non-melted (but crispy) fat left over from the rendering process. Oh MAN are those things good! We dried them out in the oven for a little bit and let them set on some paper towels and threw some salt on them and we have ourselves a tasty, crunchy little snack! I threw some on top of the salad I had tonight and it was a perfect salty, crunchy addition!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Back in the big D...
This weekend I went and visited Dude in sunny Florida! :) It was SUPER fun and I got broooown. Dude has been in Melbourne, Florida, for work. Melbourne is on Florida's Atlantic coast (or the "Space Coast" as so many tourist-y things called it). I got there Thursday night, went and had dinner at a local seafood place (grilled mahi mahi with a baked sweet potato). Friday I spent some time on the beach in the a.m., sans the Dude (he was working), then spent some time w/ Dude on the beach after he got finished. We also hung out at the pool and got fairly sunburned! I am hurting now!
On Saturday we went to the Sebastian Inlet State Park and hung out on the beach there for a while. We had a lot of fun getting knocked around by the waves...I actually got pushed over and ended up scraping my shoulder on the sand/shells. Boo! I also got a lot of sand in places that don't need sand :-\ yuck. Then, to make it even better, the face of my phone got shattered, so we had to go see about getting a new one. I did get a new phone, the HTC Status, and I'm kind of excited about it! After two hours at the AT&T store, we went up north to Port Canaveral where cruise ships and other "big" ships launch. We had dinner at a restaurant up there...more mahi mahi for me! Apparently people in Florida love their sweet potato fries because I literally saw it on every lunch/dinner menu. The waitress also told me that I reminded her of Robin from General Hospital...I used to watch that show and I always loved her! :) It made me happy! Dude and I had some ice cream on the way home...not paleo but delish none the less.
Sunday morning we had breakfast (oops, I had some pancakes, and they were yummy). We beached it up a little longer (more jumping in waves and squealling like a 5 year old), then made sure I was all packed up, went to lunch (bbq pulled pork sandwich, no bun, & sweet potato fries), and went to this awesome little candy shop in downtown Melbourne. We had ice cream...I had the cake batter ice cream (yellow cake and what looked like chocolate frosting mixed in) and Dude had the Melbourne Mud (vanilla with chocolate and carmel). Soooo good! Then off to the airport...p.s. I hate people and airports and the Orlando airport (MCO) in particular. Security is always a nightmare there (really, there's not much in the way of lines...its more like a mob of people standing around with screaming children), however I'm grateful for the "Experienced Travelers" line. I think there must have been some large group of international students at the theme parks or something because there was a MASSIVE amount of foreign teenagers in the ticket line/security line/wandering around the airport. I finally arrived back in the big D and my friend came and picked me up from the airport. I got home and unpacked and now it is BED TIME! Good night friends! I will be back to blogging on a more regular basis soon! :)
On Saturday we went to the Sebastian Inlet State Park and hung out on the beach there for a while. We had a lot of fun getting knocked around by the waves...I actually got pushed over and ended up scraping my shoulder on the sand/shells. Boo! I also got a lot of sand in places that don't need sand :-\ yuck. Then, to make it even better, the face of my phone got shattered, so we had to go see about getting a new one. I did get a new phone, the HTC Status, and I'm kind of excited about it! After two hours at the AT&T store, we went up north to Port Canaveral where cruise ships and other "big" ships launch. We had dinner at a restaurant up there...more mahi mahi for me! Apparently people in Florida love their sweet potato fries because I literally saw it on every lunch/dinner menu. The waitress also told me that I reminded her of Robin from General Hospital...I used to watch that show and I always loved her! :) It made me happy! Dude and I had some ice cream on the way home...not paleo but delish none the less.
Sunday morning we had breakfast (oops, I had some pancakes, and they were yummy). We beached it up a little longer (more jumping in waves and squealling like a 5 year old), then made sure I was all packed up, went to lunch (bbq pulled pork sandwich, no bun, & sweet potato fries), and went to this awesome little candy shop in downtown Melbourne. We had ice cream...I had the cake batter ice cream (yellow cake and what looked like chocolate frosting mixed in) and Dude had the Melbourne Mud (vanilla with chocolate and carmel). Soooo good! Then off to the airport...p.s. I hate people and airports and the Orlando airport (MCO) in particular. Security is always a nightmare there (really, there's not much in the way of lines...its more like a mob of people standing around with screaming children), however I'm grateful for the "Experienced Travelers" line. I think there must have been some large group of international students at the theme parks or something because there was a MASSIVE amount of foreign teenagers in the ticket line/security line/wandering around the airport. I finally arrived back in the big D and my friend came and picked me up from the airport. I got home and unpacked and now it is BED TIME! Good night friends! I will be back to blogging on a more regular basis soon! :)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Weekend check-in...
There have been some pros and cons to this weekend...let us examine them:
Pro - Got some sweet new kicks on sale at Luke's Locker...the location on Oak Lawn is selling all their stuff at 1/2 off b/c they moved locations. I am the proud owner of some new Nike Frees in black w/ hot pink laces/trim.
Pro - Got in a good run on Saturday morning before it got TOO terribly hot (who am I kidding, it's too terribly hot ANY time in Texas during the summer). I managed to shave 6 minutes of my last weekend's run (same course) and ran the whole way. It's probably a combination of the fact that last weekend was my first long run in a few months (so I was TERRIBLE), and the fact that I ran an hour later last weekend than I did this weekend. Either way, glad to have my mile sub 10 min. again and I am looking forward to improving it some more!
Con - TV went out AGAIN and AT&T was a no show last night when they were scheduled to come out and fix it. On Wednesday evening our TV/DVR box in the living room went down...it wasn't working, we did the trouble shooting thing online and on the phone w/ tech support, and they scheduled someone to come out on Thursday between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to fix it. He came out, fixed it, and went on his way. Friday afternoon, the stupid box went out AGAIN (same problem). This time we knew we just needed an entirely new box. I called tech support again and scheduled them to come out here, AGAIN, on Saturday between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. (that was the earliest they had). So, glad we didn't have any weekend plans...geez. 8:45 rolls around an NO ONE has called us saying they're on their way or anything...so I went online w/ tech support to chat with them...at first they told me to wait until 9:00...of course at that point the clock read 9:05...so I politely told them it WAS 9:00 and no one had called or been here. They said they'd talk to the other department and 20 minutes later (after I just said screw it, let me just reschedule) they said that I'd have to reschedule. Duh. But since it was taking 20 minutes for them to tell me what I already knew, we said we didn't have time to do it at that moment because we'd already wasted our day waiting on them.
Pro - We went out and watched Harry Potter on Saturday night in order to quell our anger at AT&T. :) I cried like a baby, but I cry at everything. I'm pretty sure I have the loudest sniffles in the world and the entire theater probably heard me.
Con - We can't get our TV fixed until Monday! @#$%@#% AT&T!! So because y'all screwed up I have to wait anodhter day an a half to get fixed?! That's crap and I plan on calling, downgrading our service (which we've been meaning to do anyway) and probably complaining until I get something for free or at a very large discount.
Pro - I got to go to the spa today and have a 50 minute hot stone massage and a facial! Woohoo! Those are always a good thing! I went with a co-worker and we went into the steam room that they had ("appropriate swimwear" was required in the steam room), and decided I'm not that into steam...it was very hard to breathe, but I'm glad I did it just to know what it felt like (hot and sweaty and gross and pretty much the same sweat factor I feel after a hard workout at Crossfit in the afternoon). But it was relaxing and I enjoyed every minute of my massage and facial! :)
Pro - It's DAY 21!! Nine more days left in our 30 day paleo challenge! Hurrah! I'm not sure what my re-introduction plans will be, but I guess I need to start thinking about it. Dinner Friday was a beef rump roast that we put in the crock pot (I also threw in basil, bacon, onion and green chiles). Dinner Saturday was a SUPER easy roasted chicken. We seasoned it with salt, garlic powder, and threw some rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves inside the cavity. It was yuuuummmyyyy! As a side dish we had some steamed broccoli and sliced cherry tomatoes...we dressed it with a lime/basil/pomegranate dressing that we threw together a few weeks ago, and it was pretty tasty too! Dinner tonight (in the oven as I type!) is oxtail. I'm a little nervous about trying this, but we have it from our side of beef order last year and we need to use it. I seared the pieces in my big French oven and seasoned it with some garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, & onion powder. Then I added sliced yellow onion and threw in bay leaves on top. I poured water in the pot to about 1/4 of the way up the side of the pot. I covered it with foil and threw it into a pre-heated oven @ 350 degrees and it's cooking for 2 1/2 hours, then I'll check on it and see how we're doing. Crossing my fingers!
This week should be a good one...hope everyone else has had a great weekend!
Pro - Got some sweet new kicks on sale at Luke's Locker...the location on Oak Lawn is selling all their stuff at 1/2 off b/c they moved locations. I am the proud owner of some new Nike Frees in black w/ hot pink laces/trim.
Pro - Got in a good run on Saturday morning before it got TOO terribly hot (who am I kidding, it's too terribly hot ANY time in Texas during the summer). I managed to shave 6 minutes of my last weekend's run (same course) and ran the whole way. It's probably a combination of the fact that last weekend was my first long run in a few months (so I was TERRIBLE), and the fact that I ran an hour later last weekend than I did this weekend. Either way, glad to have my mile sub 10 min. again and I am looking forward to improving it some more!
Con - TV went out AGAIN and AT&T was a no show last night when they were scheduled to come out and fix it. On Wednesday evening our TV/DVR box in the living room went down...it wasn't working, we did the trouble shooting thing online and on the phone w/ tech support, and they scheduled someone to come out on Thursday between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to fix it. He came out, fixed it, and went on his way. Friday afternoon, the stupid box went out AGAIN (same problem). This time we knew we just needed an entirely new box. I called tech support again and scheduled them to come out here, AGAIN, on Saturday between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. (that was the earliest they had). So, glad we didn't have any weekend plans...geez. 8:45 rolls around an NO ONE has called us saying they're on their way or anything...so I went online w/ tech support to chat with them...at first they told me to wait until 9:00...of course at that point the clock read 9:05...so I politely told them it WAS 9:00 and no one had called or been here. They said they'd talk to the other department and 20 minutes later (after I just said screw it, let me just reschedule) they said that I'd have to reschedule. Duh. But since it was taking 20 minutes for them to tell me what I already knew, we said we didn't have time to do it at that moment because we'd already wasted our day waiting on them.
Pro - We went out and watched Harry Potter on Saturday night in order to quell our anger at AT&T. :) I cried like a baby, but I cry at everything. I'm pretty sure I have the loudest sniffles in the world and the entire theater probably heard me.
Con - We can't get our TV fixed until Monday! @#$%@#% AT&T!! So because y'all screwed up I have to wait anodhter day an a half to get fixed?! That's crap and I plan on calling, downgrading our service (which we've been meaning to do anyway) and probably complaining until I get something for free or at a very large discount.
Pro - I got to go to the spa today and have a 50 minute hot stone massage and a facial! Woohoo! Those are always a good thing! I went with a co-worker and we went into the steam room that they had ("appropriate swimwear" was required in the steam room), and decided I'm not that into steam...it was very hard to breathe, but I'm glad I did it just to know what it felt like (hot and sweaty and gross and pretty much the same sweat factor I feel after a hard workout at Crossfit in the afternoon). But it was relaxing and I enjoyed every minute of my massage and facial! :)
Pro - It's DAY 21!! Nine more days left in our 30 day paleo challenge! Hurrah! I'm not sure what my re-introduction plans will be, but I guess I need to start thinking about it. Dinner Friday was a beef rump roast that we put in the crock pot (I also threw in basil, bacon, onion and green chiles). Dinner Saturday was a SUPER easy roasted chicken. We seasoned it with salt, garlic powder, and threw some rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves inside the cavity. It was yuuuummmyyyy! As a side dish we had some steamed broccoli and sliced cherry tomatoes...we dressed it with a lime/basil/pomegranate dressing that we threw together a few weeks ago, and it was pretty tasty too! Dinner tonight (in the oven as I type!) is oxtail. I'm a little nervous about trying this, but we have it from our side of beef order last year and we need to use it. I seared the pieces in my big French oven and seasoned it with some garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, & onion powder. Then I added sliced yellow onion and threw in bay leaves on top. I poured water in the pot to about 1/4 of the way up the side of the pot. I covered it with foil and threw it into a pre-heated oven @ 350 degrees and it's cooking for 2 1/2 hours, then I'll check on it and see how we're doing. Crossing my fingers!
This week should be a good one...hope everyone else has had a great weekend!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Not your normal spaghetti...
New dinner alert! Today we made spaghetti. We had some frozen spaghetti sauce that we had made a lot of a few months ago...we vaccuum sealed the remaining sauce in a baggie and put it in the deep freezer and it kept very nicely! Since normal spaghetti is definitely NOT paleo, and spaghetti squash isn't in season right now, we used zucchini! We used one of those wide peelers and created long, thin, wide strips of zucchini and put the strips into a colander (I think we used maybe four zucchinis). After the strips were all made and put in the colander, we salted the strips with a few pinches of kosher salt. The salt draws out the moisture and makes the zucchini strips very flexible and noodle-y. After about 30 minutes, we poured out all the water, rinsed the zucchini noodles and steamed them for about 5 minutes, just to get them warm. Once they were warm (and pretty bright green) we dished out the noodles, dished out the sauce that we had re-heated in a sauce pan, and ate! All we were missing was some parmesean cheese and wine! Honestly, the zucchini was flavorless and had a texture VERY similar to noodles...if they were skinnier and I had my eyes closed, I'd probably be hard pressed to tell the difference! It might not be something you'd get kids to try though...green wide "noodles" might be a bit scary for some people! But I promise, they're pretty tasty!
Also something to note today...my office building treated the tenants to Pacuigo's gelato this afternoon. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. Gelato + Jenni = Heaven. But instead of going downstairs and taking part, I had my bowl of grapes. Day 18 was not ruined! :) I can't believe I've only got 12 more days to go! I'm excited to try to re-introduce new things back into my diet. Dude and I have discussed what we'll try to re-introduce first...namely butter, corn, rice and potatoes. If corn treats us well we really want to make our own tamales! :) Good thing there's a big Mexican grocery store nearby! We might be able to buy some masa and make our own tamale dough...yum!
Also something to note today...my office building treated the tenants to Pacuigo's gelato this afternoon. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth. Gelato + Jenni = Heaven. But instead of going downstairs and taking part, I had my bowl of grapes. Day 18 was not ruined! :) I can't believe I've only got 12 more days to go! I'm excited to try to re-introduce new things back into my diet. Dude and I have discussed what we'll try to re-introduce first...namely butter, corn, rice and potatoes. If corn treats us well we really want to make our own tamales! :) Good thing there's a big Mexican grocery store nearby! We might be able to buy some masa and make our own tamale dough...yum!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Heeeee's baaaaack!
Hooray! Dude came home from his business trip today!! That's two days earlier than he was scheduled to be home so I am SUPER happy to see his smiling face!
In order to "celebrate" we went to the gym together! :) Yaaay! Kind of a weird way to celebrate, right? Well, we're weird like that together :). We are Crossfit junkies...we love it. I actually ENJOY going to the gym now, whereas before I dreaded it. Going to 24 Hour Fitness to run or walk on an eliptical or treadmill for 30 minutes was always mind numbingly boring, even while watching TV or reading a book. I didn't really like Spin class when I tried it, and I just had what I like to call "gym ADD" when it came to anything else at the gym. I didn't know what to do, how long to do it, etc., and I felt awkward. Even though probably no one is paying attention to anyone but themselves at the gym, I was still really self concious.
Enter Crossfit. A good friend of mine told me about this new gym thing she was doing with her boyfriend and it sounded INTENSE! She was doing pull ups, weight lifting, all sorts of crazy things! She always was more fitness minded than me, so it didn't surprise me but I was about 100% sure that I wouldn't be able to do those kinds of things. She told me that my husband and I should try it, because she was pretty sure Dude would like it. So I googled it, found out there was an affiliate literally a mile down the street from our house and they had a free Saturday morning class, open to everyone. So one Saturday morning in April 2009, Dude and I (and my friend and her rooomate) went to Crossfit Richardson. That previous Thursday, Dude and I had gone to the regular gym and I had jacked around doing a little of this and a little of that...including 10 "girl" push ups (on the knees). That Saturday morning I was still sore from the 10 push ups I had done on Thursday. The workout we had to do included 40 push ups (plus some other stuff I don't remember...obviously the push ups left the biggest impression). FORTY! IN A ROW!!! I thought I would NEVER make it. But I did...and I was hooked. It was brutal, I was COMPLETELY sore the next few days, but I felt like I had DONE something! The gym owner/trainer was SUPER nice and had something planned out for us to do while we were there. I like being told what to do in the gym...I need instruction, guidance, rules...when left to my own devices I play around and don't get stuff done. Crossfit was perfect b/c there's a set "workout of the day", it's usually timed so you just have to do it, no dilly-dallying. And it's in a class setting, so you end up making new friends and encouraging each other instead of trying to ignore everyone around you like at the Globo-Gyms. So if you ever wanna try it, I HIGHLY recommend it! Great stuff!
Okay, off my Crossfit soap box. After Dude and I got done with our workout, we came home and made dinner...I had already taken out some filet mignon to thaw for dinner tonight, so it worked out perfectly to where it was a yummy "Welcome home" dinner for Dude. We wrapped a piece of bacon around the filets and grilled them and they were GRRRREAT! Dude is a great griller...my steak was perfectly medium and tender and delicious. For a side we had some homemade sweet potato chips and green beans (cooked with pastured lard that we rendered from our farmers' market bacon). All in all, this evening has been WONDERFUL! So glad to have Dude home, and so grateful for good food and good health!
In order to "celebrate" we went to the gym together! :) Yaaay! Kind of a weird way to celebrate, right? Well, we're weird like that together :). We are Crossfit junkies...we love it. I actually ENJOY going to the gym now, whereas before I dreaded it. Going to 24 Hour Fitness to run or walk on an eliptical or treadmill for 30 minutes was always mind numbingly boring, even while watching TV or reading a book. I didn't really like Spin class when I tried it, and I just had what I like to call "gym ADD" when it came to anything else at the gym. I didn't know what to do, how long to do it, etc., and I felt awkward. Even though probably no one is paying attention to anyone but themselves at the gym, I was still really self concious.
Enter Crossfit. A good friend of mine told me about this new gym thing she was doing with her boyfriend and it sounded INTENSE! She was doing pull ups, weight lifting, all sorts of crazy things! She always was more fitness minded than me, so it didn't surprise me but I was about 100% sure that I wouldn't be able to do those kinds of things. She told me that my husband and I should try it, because she was pretty sure Dude would like it. So I googled it, found out there was an affiliate literally a mile down the street from our house and they had a free Saturday morning class, open to everyone. So one Saturday morning in April 2009, Dude and I (and my friend and her rooomate) went to Crossfit Richardson. That previous Thursday, Dude and I had gone to the regular gym and I had jacked around doing a little of this and a little of that...including 10 "girl" push ups (on the knees). That Saturday morning I was still sore from the 10 push ups I had done on Thursday. The workout we had to do included 40 push ups (plus some other stuff I don't remember...obviously the push ups left the biggest impression). FORTY! IN A ROW!!! I thought I would NEVER make it. But I did...and I was hooked. It was brutal, I was COMPLETELY sore the next few days, but I felt like I had DONE something! The gym owner/trainer was SUPER nice and had something planned out for us to do while we were there. I like being told what to do in the gym...I need instruction, guidance, rules...when left to my own devices I play around and don't get stuff done. Crossfit was perfect b/c there's a set "workout of the day", it's usually timed so you just have to do it, no dilly-dallying. And it's in a class setting, so you end up making new friends and encouraging each other instead of trying to ignore everyone around you like at the Globo-Gyms. So if you ever wanna try it, I HIGHLY recommend it! Great stuff!
Okay, off my Crossfit soap box. After Dude and I got done with our workout, we came home and made dinner...I had already taken out some filet mignon to thaw for dinner tonight, so it worked out perfectly to where it was a yummy "Welcome home" dinner for Dude. We wrapped a piece of bacon around the filets and grilled them and they were GRRRREAT! Dude is a great griller...my steak was perfectly medium and tender and delicious. For a side we had some homemade sweet potato chips and green beans (cooked with pastured lard that we rendered from our farmers' market bacon). All in all, this evening has been WONDERFUL! So glad to have Dude home, and so grateful for good food and good health!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Oink, oink! I love pig!!
Mmmmmm pig! I think I like it a little too much! Pork chops, ham, bacon...it's all just so good!! Today I had some weirdly excess energy...like...enough to vaccuum the floor (even though our housekeeper is coming to clean tomorrow) and iron some clothes. I think the last time I ironed was around Christmas! Thank goodness for wrinkle-free fabric!
Today has been a pretty lazy day...I didn't get out of bed until 9:00 (slacker!!), but I sorted laundry after getting up and brushing my teeth. I started a load of laundry, started the dishwasher, hand washed a few dishes, made breakfast (3 slices of ham, the last hot dog, some spinach, and blueberries and strawberries), and got out the vaccuum. I went over the hardwood floor because it just seemed like lots of stuff had accumulated over the last week (I had vaccuumed last weekend as well since we had company). Then I emptied the dishwasher, folded laundry & started another load and then sat and watched TV for a little bit. I flipped between Freaks & Geeks on IFC (anyone remember that show? I didn't realize it had Jason Segel in it!), Indiana Jones movies on SyFy, and Harry Potter movies on ABC Family. After lunch (leftover fish & broccoli) and more laundry folding, I went to Target to buy cute stuff for my friends expecting babies (3 in the next month! Geez, baby boom much?) and got a few groceries from Sprouts.
I also made a new recipe for dinner...I got it from the Food Network website. It was really tasty! And I even made myself some avocado dip to go along with it. I'll be having that again, for sure!
I've included the link to the recipe above, it's too long to put on here (and I'm lazy). But my avocado dip was just 1 avocado, 3 super duper small jalepenos from our garden, lime juice, onion powder and garlic powder. Mash it all up and enjoy! Oh, and the red stuff on top of the pork chop is sauteed red onions in a reduction sauce of orange juice, lime juice and chicken broth (I subbed chicken broth for the white wine in the recipe). Now that I've had dinner, cleaned up the kitchen and ironed clothes, I think I'll join Sweet Dee & Charlie...
Today has been a pretty lazy day...I didn't get out of bed until 9:00 (slacker!!), but I sorted laundry after getting up and brushing my teeth. I started a load of laundry, started the dishwasher, hand washed a few dishes, made breakfast (3 slices of ham, the last hot dog, some spinach, and blueberries and strawberries), and got out the vaccuum. I went over the hardwood floor because it just seemed like lots of stuff had accumulated over the last week (I had vaccuumed last weekend as well since we had company). Then I emptied the dishwasher, folded laundry & started another load and then sat and watched TV for a little bit. I flipped between Freaks & Geeks on IFC (anyone remember that show? I didn't realize it had Jason Segel in it!), Indiana Jones movies on SyFy, and Harry Potter movies on ABC Family. After lunch (leftover fish & broccoli) and more laundry folding, I went to Target to buy cute stuff for my friends expecting babies (3 in the next month! Geez, baby boom much?) and got a few groceries from Sprouts.
I also made a new recipe for dinner...I got it from the Food Network website. It was really tasty! And I even made myself some avocado dip to go along with it. I'll be having that again, for sure!
I've included the link to the recipe above, it's too long to put on here (and I'm lazy). But my avocado dip was just 1 avocado, 3 super duper small jalepenos from our garden, lime juice, onion powder and garlic powder. Mash it all up and enjoy! Oh, and the red stuff on top of the pork chop is sauteed red onions in a reduction sauce of orange juice, lime juice and chicken broth (I subbed chicken broth for the white wine in the recipe). Now that I've had dinner, cleaned up the kitchen and ironed clothes, I think I'll join Sweet Dee & Charlie...
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Weekend Eating...
I have a tendency to eat a lot over the weekend...whether it be "good" food or "bad" food...I just feel like I eat a lot more than during the week. I also think I crave junk food more during the weekend...it's probably that "I'm bored, what can I eat" type syndrome. Well, I've almost made it through the whole Saturday without any cheats...only a few more hours to go!
This morning I woke up and went for a run with my Crossfit Endurance group...the rest of the crew ran a 5 mile course, but I only ran a 3 mile course...it's the first time I've run in a LONG time, so a 3 mile course sounded much more managable. Unfortunately, my run sucked. I only made it 1 mile before I had to stop and walk...I ended up walking and running the rest of the way, in intervals. It took me 38 minutes to go 3.38 miles...yuck. Not my best performance!
After I ran (and then ran a couple of errands), I came home and made breakfast...I have some deli ham slices that I bought (nitrate free, sugar free, hooray!) so I threw some of those on a skillet to warm/crisp them up. I ended up having 6 slices of ham and a peach I bought from the local farmer's market. It was really tasty! After breakfast, I got all cleaned up and went and got a pedicure. I figured since I ran I deserved a little foot pampering :). Unfortunately that ruined me for the rest of the day...sitting there for an hour in a massage chair with someone rubbing your feet/legs kinda made me want to go home and take a NAP! Instead I just came home and have been sitting on the couch most of the day, watching the Harry Potter marathon on Family Channel. I suck.
Lunch/mid afternoon snack consisted of one organic, nitrate free, sugar free, grass fed beef hot dog (geez that's a mouthful), a handful of baby spinach and a handful of sunflower seeds. I am just discovering that I like sunflower seeds now...this could be dangerous b/c I have a feeling I could eat a lot of them! Dinner was coconut/almond fried fish (Alaskan Cod), steamed broccoli seasoned with pastured pork fat and garlic salt, and homemade sweet potato chips. I'm so irritated b/c I took some lovely pictures of my dinner, only to discover that I apparently deleted them without realizing it. :( I was able to actually take one with my phone...
The rest of the evening will consist of me cleaning the kitchen, watching more Harry Potter, maybe reading some Harry Potter, and watching the cats do this...
This morning I woke up and went for a run with my Crossfit Endurance group...the rest of the crew ran a 5 mile course, but I only ran a 3 mile course...it's the first time I've run in a LONG time, so a 3 mile course sounded much more managable. Unfortunately, my run sucked. I only made it 1 mile before I had to stop and walk...I ended up walking and running the rest of the way, in intervals. It took me 38 minutes to go 3.38 miles...yuck. Not my best performance!
After I ran (and then ran a couple of errands), I came home and made breakfast...I have some deli ham slices that I bought (nitrate free, sugar free, hooray!) so I threw some of those on a skillet to warm/crisp them up. I ended up having 6 slices of ham and a peach I bought from the local farmer's market. It was really tasty! After breakfast, I got all cleaned up and went and got a pedicure. I figured since I ran I deserved a little foot pampering :). Unfortunately that ruined me for the rest of the day...sitting there for an hour in a massage chair with someone rubbing your feet/legs kinda made me want to go home and take a NAP! Instead I just came home and have been sitting on the couch most of the day, watching the Harry Potter marathon on Family Channel. I suck.
Lunch/mid afternoon snack consisted of one organic, nitrate free, sugar free, grass fed beef hot dog (geez that's a mouthful), a handful of baby spinach and a handful of sunflower seeds. I am just discovering that I like sunflower seeds now...this could be dangerous b/c I have a feeling I could eat a lot of them! Dinner was coconut/almond fried fish (Alaskan Cod), steamed broccoli seasoned with pastured pork fat and garlic salt, and homemade sweet potato chips. I'm so irritated b/c I took some lovely pictures of my dinner, only to discover that I apparently deleted them without realizing it. :( I was able to actually take one with my phone...
The rest of the evening will consist of me cleaning the kitchen, watching more Harry Potter, maybe reading some Harry Potter, and watching the cats do this...
Yeah, I think I've been like them all day long...oh well! :)
Coconut Fried Fish
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/4 c. almond meal
2 sprigs of oregano
2 sprigs of basil (about 10-15 small leaves)
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
2 Tbsp coconut oil (not extra virgin, something more tasteless instead)
2-3 filets of a white, flaky fish of your choice
Rinse fish just to get the outside slightly wet (you could probably use egg to coat the outside if you have one on hand). Dredge the fish in a mixture of the coconut flour, almond meal, herbs and spices. Melt the coconut oil in a skillet, then place the fish into the hot oil. Fish cooks quickly, so keep an eye on it! Flip the fish after the first few minutes, then serve when the fish easily comes apart! Enjoy!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Meat + Meat = Meaty Goodness
So it's Friday night, Dude is out of town for work, and I was feeling cranky driving home. All I wanted in life was some french fries. Instead, I resisted the urge to order them and I ordered a plain, cheeseless Wendy's Baconator (1/2 lb double, of course). I threw away the buns when I got home and put the bacon between the two hamburger patties and made my own little bacon sandwich. That little number DEFINITELY satisfied crummy mood. Now I'm ready to focus on other things, like cleaning the house, syncing my iPod for tomorrow's run, and watching Harry Potter. :)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Taco Chicken Wings!
MMMM! I love these chicken wings SO MUCH! I found the recipe on a website called Health Bent...it's really good! I was going to take a picture of them but I ate them all...oops! I was going to try to make my own version of the guac dip that goes with them, but the avocado I had was too squishy for my tastes. If I had a ripe avocado I would have chopped up a jalepeno, added onion powder and garlic powder and mashed it all together with a squirt of lime juice. I'll just have to do it next time I suppose! It's probably best to use pastured chicken wings if you have 'em, but regular old store bought ones will do just fine too!
For the Guac Dip
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, or just use a fork to smash everything together.
Taco Chicken Wings with Guac Dip
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken wings
- F.O.C. (fat of choice)
- 2 t garlic powder
- 2 t chili powder
- 1 1/2 t salt
- 1 t smoked paprika
- 1 t regular paprika
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper
For the Guac Dip
- 2 avocados
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 handful cilantro, chopped
- chili garlic sauce, to taste
- salt
For the Guac Dip
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, or just use a fork to smash everything together.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
10 days down...
...20 more to go in my Whole30 challenge! One third of the way there! My dinner menu for this past week has looked like this:
Monday - BBQ'd pork loin chops (bbq sauce recipe below) & green beans
Tuesday - Chile Verde (like mom makes it but without the added flour)
Wednesday - Baked chicken breast seasoned with garlic salt, onion powder, paprika and pepper, and sauteed yellow onion and yellow and red bell peppers.
I am SO looking forward to September when my TV shows arent' re-runs anymore! One can only watch so many new episodes of Teen Mom before feeling like the world is going to hell. And I'm not really supposed to watch Mystery Diagnosis (Dude has kind of banned me from that show since I have a tendency to think that I might have a rare brain disease if I have so much as a headache). Right now the only thing worth watching on TV are the Harry Potter previews...and let me tell you I get giddily excited when I see them. Someone get me off this couch, please.
Plans this weekend include running with my Crossfit Endurance class (3 miles in the heat at 8:00 a.m...hopefully I don't die), heading to the farmers market to get some bacon or chicken or peaches or something good and local. I may also paint (I have a big blank canvas that's just asking to be made pretty) and I need to caulk and fill the crown moulding that Dude put up this past weekend. Perhaps a pedicure, too. :)
Son of Grok BBQ Sauce
- 1 to 1.5 cups of beef stock (I made my own but if you buy, you want it without salt)
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 of an onion
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
2. Sauté the onions until they’re soft.
3. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Whether you use 1 cup or 1.5 cups of beef stock will depend on how thick you want your sauce.
4. Bring sauce to heat on stove with a low setting.
5. Cover and simmer. Stir frequently and taste regularly. The longer you simmer, the more consistent your flavor will be. I simmered for 20-30 minutes.
6. Once my sauce had cooled off a little, I threw it in the blender and puréed it a little, just to make it less chunky.
Monday - BBQ'd pork loin chops (bbq sauce recipe below) & green beans
Tuesday - Chile Verde (like mom makes it but without the added flour)
Wednesday - Baked chicken breast seasoned with garlic salt, onion powder, paprika and pepper, and sauteed yellow onion and yellow and red bell peppers.
I am SO looking forward to September when my TV shows arent' re-runs anymore! One can only watch so many new episodes of Teen Mom before feeling like the world is going to hell. And I'm not really supposed to watch Mystery Diagnosis (Dude has kind of banned me from that show since I have a tendency to think that I might have a rare brain disease if I have so much as a headache). Right now the only thing worth watching on TV are the Harry Potter previews...and let me tell you I get giddily excited when I see them. Someone get me off this couch, please.
Plans this weekend include running with my Crossfit Endurance class (3 miles in the heat at 8:00 a.m...hopefully I don't die), heading to the farmers market to get some bacon or chicken or peaches or something good and local. I may also paint (I have a big blank canvas that's just asking to be made pretty) and I need to caulk and fill the crown moulding that Dude put up this past weekend. Perhaps a pedicure, too. :)
Son of Grok BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 6oz can tomato paste (preferable organic)- 1 to 1.5 cups of beef stock (I made my own but if you buy, you want it without salt)
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 of an onion
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
Directions:
1. Dice your onions and garlic as fine as possible. You want your BBQ sauce a little chunky but the more fine you dice these, the better the flavor will spread through the entire sauce.2. Sauté the onions until they’re soft.
3. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Whether you use 1 cup or 1.5 cups of beef stock will depend on how thick you want your sauce.
4. Bring sauce to heat on stove with a low setting.
5. Cover and simmer. Stir frequently and taste regularly. The longer you simmer, the more consistent your flavor will be. I simmered for 20-30 minutes.
6. Once my sauce had cooled off a little, I threw it in the blender and puréed it a little, just to make it less chunky.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Independence Day!!
Woohoo! Happy 4th of July everyone!
I have TONS of wonderful memories of the 4th of July with my family growing up. We lived right next to my grandparents in the country, so we always shot off fireworks from Nana & Papa's big driveway. Sometimes it was just my immediate family and Nana & Papa, sometimes it was ALL the cousins, aunts and uncles. Nana and Papa had a big inground pool so every 4th of July celebration included a swim (weather permitting). Usually we'd wake up, make some kind of food for the afternoon celebration (remember that United States jello mold? I do...we had that every year!). We'd then go buy some fireworks, come home, shoot off a few Black Cats (those were the firecrackers I remember), then go swimming for the rest of the afternoon! Then it would be time to eat, and we'd have fried chicken (or bbq/grilled chicken or pork or beef), jello, slaw, potato salad, and ALWAYS ice cream.
Side note: Nana & Papa's house was FULL of sugary sweet good stuff...ice cream, M&Ms, cookies, Hershey's Kisses...you name it they had it! My youngest brother once told my mom that "going to Nana & Papa's is like going to a concession stand, but you pay with hugs and kisses!"...awwww!
After the feasting, we'd always swim until it turned dark, then we'd start up the fireworks. Sometimes my uncle would bring fireworks from Arkansas...we lived in Oklahoma and you can only get so much firepower there apparently...oops! The fireworks he'd set off were LOUD and HUGE and AWESOME! :) I remember loving that sooo much as a kid! I also loved the Saturn Missles...the little box of what looked like plastic bullets that would whistle really loudly and shoot off one by one (and sometimes if you got a crazy box they'd chase you...that was always a little thrill!). But, true to my girlish form, I really loved the pretty stuff...cones, fountains, and "big boomers" as we liked to call them.
Now as I sit in my house in Dallas, I like to remember those times...although Nana & Papa are gone and the cousins have all spread out, grown up and have their own families, it's fun to remember the swimming, food, and fireworks with family. I'm very grateful to have these memories and I'm grateful to the men & women fighting for this country to make sure the next generation has the opportunity to make their own memories.
I have TONS of wonderful memories of the 4th of July with my family growing up. We lived right next to my grandparents in the country, so we always shot off fireworks from Nana & Papa's big driveway. Sometimes it was just my immediate family and Nana & Papa, sometimes it was ALL the cousins, aunts and uncles. Nana and Papa had a big inground pool so every 4th of July celebration included a swim (weather permitting). Usually we'd wake up, make some kind of food for the afternoon celebration (remember that United States jello mold? I do...we had that every year!). We'd then go buy some fireworks, come home, shoot off a few Black Cats (those were the firecrackers I remember), then go swimming for the rest of the afternoon! Then it would be time to eat, and we'd have fried chicken (or bbq/grilled chicken or pork or beef), jello, slaw, potato salad, and ALWAYS ice cream.
Side note: Nana & Papa's house was FULL of sugary sweet good stuff...ice cream, M&Ms, cookies, Hershey's Kisses...you name it they had it! My youngest brother once told my mom that "going to Nana & Papa's is like going to a concession stand, but you pay with hugs and kisses!"...awwww!
After the feasting, we'd always swim until it turned dark, then we'd start up the fireworks. Sometimes my uncle would bring fireworks from Arkansas...we lived in Oklahoma and you can only get so much firepower there apparently...oops! The fireworks he'd set off were LOUD and HUGE and AWESOME! :) I remember loving that sooo much as a kid! I also loved the Saturn Missles...the little box of what looked like plastic bullets that would whistle really loudly and shoot off one by one (and sometimes if you got a crazy box they'd chase you...that was always a little thrill!). But, true to my girlish form, I really loved the pretty stuff...cones, fountains, and "big boomers" as we liked to call them.
Now as I sit in my house in Dallas, I like to remember those times...although Nana & Papa are gone and the cousins have all spread out, grown up and have their own families, it's fun to remember the swimming, food, and fireworks with family. I'm very grateful to have these memories and I'm grateful to the men & women fighting for this country to make sure the next generation has the opportunity to make their own memories.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Mmmmmm Dinner! :)
It's the day before the 4th of July (also known as the 3rd of July) and we made BURGERS! Yum!! (How American!!)
Side note: My husband and I are on day 7 of our Whole30, which means we're paying close attention to what we're eating for 30 days...no grains (corn, wheat, rice, etc.), dairy, legumes (not a problem for me b/c I'm not a big bean fan anyway), and the hardest one...sugar (no fruit juices, no cracking out on fruit, no sugar, no sweeteners of any kind, and no added sugars in anything purchased from the grocery store, you get the picture). If you Google "Whole30" and/or "paleo" you'll find the reasoning behind this, but basically it makes us feel loads healthier. I've done a Whole30 before, back in February, and (unfortunately for my love of pizza and all things sweet) it really did make me get leaner, feel more energetic, sleep more soundly, my seasonal allergies were practically non-existent, and it made my skin clearer. I had some pizza after the 30 days were over and within 2 hours I was completely congested and couldn't sleep. Ugh. :(
Back to the burgers! Since we're eating "clean" right now, our burgers mean no buns! We bought a side of grass fed and finished beef from the farmers market a month ago or so...we ended up with a LOT of 80/20 ground beef (YAY!) so hamburgers are likely to be common in our household for a while. Anyways, my husband (we'll call him "Dude") made hamburger patties and added chopped red onion, chopped hatch green chilies, balsamic vinegar and salt. We threw 'em on the grill and they were DELICIOUS! We put them on some green leaf lettuce and Dude made a little bit of guacamole with half of a leftover avocado, some mild jalepenos (picked from our garden!) and cherry tomatoes.
Another side note: I have the tastebuds of a 4 year old. Up until February, I liked ketchup only on my hot dogs and hamburgers (don't even get me STARTED with cheeseburgers, gross). I also ate lots and lots of pepperoni pizza, chicken fingers and french fries, spaghetti, and tacos and burritos. I have never liked guacamole.
So I tried the guacamole with my burger...it was actually pretty good!! Hooray for maturing taste buds! The burger patty itself was MARVELOUS! Kudos to the chef!
This evening I also made our own "paleo" bbq sauce. I took a little taste while it was simmering and it was SO GOOD! I'm looking forward to drizzling it over some pork shoulder, chicken breast or some kind of beef roast. I'll probably post about it when it happens :).
Side note: My husband and I are on day 7 of our Whole30, which means we're paying close attention to what we're eating for 30 days...no grains (corn, wheat, rice, etc.), dairy, legumes (not a problem for me b/c I'm not a big bean fan anyway), and the hardest one...sugar (no fruit juices, no cracking out on fruit, no sugar, no sweeteners of any kind, and no added sugars in anything purchased from the grocery store, you get the picture). If you Google "Whole30" and/or "paleo" you'll find the reasoning behind this, but basically it makes us feel loads healthier. I've done a Whole30 before, back in February, and (unfortunately for my love of pizza and all things sweet) it really did make me get leaner, feel more energetic, sleep more soundly, my seasonal allergies were practically non-existent, and it made my skin clearer. I had some pizza after the 30 days were over and within 2 hours I was completely congested and couldn't sleep. Ugh. :(
Back to the burgers! Since we're eating "clean" right now, our burgers mean no buns! We bought a side of grass fed and finished beef from the farmers market a month ago or so...we ended up with a LOT of 80/20 ground beef (YAY!) so hamburgers are likely to be common in our household for a while. Anyways, my husband (we'll call him "Dude") made hamburger patties and added chopped red onion, chopped hatch green chilies, balsamic vinegar and salt. We threw 'em on the grill and they were DELICIOUS! We put them on some green leaf lettuce and Dude made a little bit of guacamole with half of a leftover avocado, some mild jalepenos (picked from our garden!) and cherry tomatoes.
Another side note: I have the tastebuds of a 4 year old. Up until February, I liked ketchup only on my hot dogs and hamburgers (don't even get me STARTED with cheeseburgers, gross). I also ate lots and lots of pepperoni pizza, chicken fingers and french fries, spaghetti, and tacos and burritos. I have never liked guacamole.
So I tried the guacamole with my burger...it was actually pretty good!! Hooray for maturing taste buds! The burger patty itself was MARVELOUS! Kudos to the chef!
This evening I also made our own "paleo" bbq sauce. I took a little taste while it was simmering and it was SO GOOD! I'm looking forward to drizzling it over some pork shoulder, chicken breast or some kind of beef roast. I'll probably post about it when it happens :).
Welcome!
I decided to start a blog! Woohoo! I have nothing exciting to share really other than food that my husband and I make and some funny pictures of my cats...but even if no one reads this at least it will allow me to post this stuff without filling up facebook with posts about paleo dinners and fat cats!
The title of my blog stems from a classic "Jenni" moment...I had asked my mother in law if she wanted to buy some poinsettias from my little brother, who was selling them at Christmas time for his high school band stuff. She said she would, and we went on watching TV or whatever we were doing. About an hour later, I realized I hadn't asked her what color poinsettias she wanted, so I asked her, "Red, pink or white?"...just like that...aaaand everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently since no one had mentioned the poinsettias for the past hour, that question was pretty random and no one was sure what I was talking about. Oops! That's just a little taste of what it's like living in Jenni World...hope you're ready!
The title of my blog stems from a classic "Jenni" moment...I had asked my mother in law if she wanted to buy some poinsettias from my little brother, who was selling them at Christmas time for his high school band stuff. She said she would, and we went on watching TV or whatever we were doing. About an hour later, I realized I hadn't asked her what color poinsettias she wanted, so I asked her, "Red, pink or white?"...just like that...aaaand everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently since no one had mentioned the poinsettias for the past hour, that question was pretty random and no one was sure what I was talking about. Oops! That's just a little taste of what it's like living in Jenni World...hope you're ready!
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