Some Outside Activities, Meal Plan, and Recipe Review

Living a healthier lifestyle is WAY hard. I'm conscious of every calorie I consume and burn. I suppose that's what I need to do, but it's just hard to recognize that some of my favorite consumables won't fit into my day (or I won't fit into my pants). I also need to find some more active activities to burn those calories away. It's so cold that outdoor activities are hard for me to wrap my brain around. With some not too bad temps this weekend, Pat and I headed into the wild. Well, we took a couple short hike/walks and played some disc golf. I love using those opportunities to capture the beauty in nature.

Cypress Tree(s) at Weeks Bay Reserve

Boat launch in Weeks Bay

Fishing pier in Weeks Bay

Camilla in bloom at the Orange Beach Disc Golf Course

As the temperatures continue to drop (even way down South where I am), I'm not sure outdoor activities will be in the plans this week. I'm going to have to buck up and do some other activities like the WiiFit or the dreaded exercise video! ACK! (first world problems, I'm well aware.)

At least I can look forward to yummy meals. I'll admit I haven't considered the calories for each of these meals, I'll just have to watch how much I consume instead.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Oatmeal/grits, Egg white cheese omelet, French toast, Eggs w/biscuits

Lunches: Leftovers, Sesame noodles, Pizza (from freezer) w/salad, PB&J, Chicken salad, Soup w/grilled cheese, cheese quesidillas

Dinners:

Roasted cauliflower alfredo w/salad

Taco hand pies w/salsa

Broccoli and cheddar soup w/Crusty Italian bread

Vegetarian chili over rice

Coffee braised Brisket with potatoes and carrots (slow cooker)

I'm linking up my menu for Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Tofu parmigiana: This was really, really good and such a great alternative for tofu. I will very likely use this recipe again.

Guiltless cheesy mac: I've made this before and make it again. It's a great way to feed my mac and cheese cravings and a bunch of veggies at the same time.

Jalapeno popper stuffed mushrooms: Since this is my own recipe, I knew it was good. However, I think this time around it was even better than the first time I made it. YUM.

I've actually been sitting here too long writing this and am aching to stand up and get moving. . .that's a great sign! How do you stay active in the cold winter months?

Menu and What-not

So much for getting back on track. If you are in the US and celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope it was a good one. If you aren't/don't I hope last week was good for you. Now, I hope that covers everyone.

Moving on. . My eating and exercise habits of late have been quite horrendous. As such, I'm feeling all kinds of flabby. That's really not so great as we enter the season of food. So, last night I pulled the below out and plan on using them AND the MyFitnessPal app/program to get serious again about losing some of this excess poundage.

My exercise routine options

I even got up early this morning to do some yoga. Yay me! Of course, along with exercise, I need to make sure I'm eating right/better. I know the MyFitnessPal will help me keep track of the calories. So, that's somewhat of a relief. I'll try to be sure to watch my portions and snack healthy. Here's most of what I'll be eating this week.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Cereal, Raspberry parfaits, Ham & egg sandwiches, PB&J muffins (from a cookbook)

Lunches: (options) Ham sandwiches, Pita cheese pizzas, Tuna noodles, PB&J, Bean burritos, Cheese pizza (from freezer), Leftovers, or Soup and grilled cheese

Dinners:

Bucatini with mushrooms w/salad

Veggie burgers (w/fixins') w/sweet potato fries

Tofu stir fry w/veggie potstickers

Thai chicken tacos w/mixed steamed veggies

I'm linking up my meal plan at Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Fancy mac-n-cheese (w/mushrooms): I made this without the meat. This was a repeat and was awesome as always.

Lemon-thyme chicken with sauteed veggies:  We really liked the chicken. I liked the simplicity of the flavors and the whole dish really. I left out the tomatoes for the sake of Pat. The vegetables were great to me, but Pat thought they were a little overcooked. I'll reduce the cooking time the next time I make this.

Pad thai soup: I've made this before and loved it then. I loved it just as much this time too. I doubled the recipe and have frozen the leftovers. This recipe comes together SO QUICKLY. I will make it again for sure.

Whole wheat waffles: I used white whole wheat flour and really enjoyed the texture of it in these waffles. I was only able to get about 5 waffles out of this recipe and not the 8 the recipe says. I'll likely use this again.

So that's it for me today. I would love to hear your tips, recipes, and exercise routines to stay thinner this time of year. Thanks for swinging.

Menu Plan and a Blown Diet

Even though the craziness of this past weekend is over, I still feel a little pressed for time. I'm hoping that my mind will slow down soon and I can focus on the things I need and want to accomplish this week.

First and foremost on my mind is my diet. I really went overboard on the comfort foods and sweets this weekend and the scale was groaning in protest about it this morning. I've got to learn to make better food choices when I go out to eat, but sometimes it's so very hard not to get the cheesiest, carb-iest, fatty-est food on the menu. I've already messed up today with lunch even, but I'm hoping we can stick fairly close to the rest of this week's menu.

Breakfasts: Juice; Smoothies w/peanut butter bagels; Cereal (hot or cold) w/fruit; Bacon, potato, and egg casserole w/fruit

Lunches: Cheese bagel and mushroom pizzas w/fruit, Juice, PB&J w/fruit & string cheese, Tuna noodles w/carrot sticks, Black bean and corn quesidillas

Dinners:

Mushroom stroganoff w/steamed green beans

Peanut crusted tofu triangles w/seasoned rice and broccoli parmesan fritters

Easy vegetable beef soup (substitute soy crumbles for the beef)

Spicy orange garlic shrimp w/brown rice and turmeric roasted cauliflower

There's more Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I'm still using My Fitness Pal to track both my calories and exercise and should have known better this weekend when I was avoiding entering some of the foods I consumed. I think I got them all in there, but it's embarrassing to look at how much I went over. I MUST do better.

Now, I'm wondering how YOU decide to make the right, healthy choice when dining out or at a party? I'd love to know if you have any tips or tricks to make yourself eat more consciously. Oh, and if you're using My Fitness Pal too, friend me. I'm CraftyHope (of course). Help me be accountable!

Menu Plan Monday: Low Meat Week

We FINALLY got out of the house this afternoon and rode about four miles on our bikes. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was HOT and we were happy to be active.

When we got back I got a shower and finished up the menu so that I could share it with you wonderful peeps! I'm pretty proud that I made a menu that includes only TWO meals with meat in them. That's impressive for me. As far as backing off on the other animal products (cheese/butter), I haven't done as well. I'm working on it.

Here's the menu as it currently stands.

Breakfasts: Blueberry muffins, oatmeal/grits w/fruit, Juice, yogurt w/granola & fruit, banana cinnamon waffles (p. 57)w/fruit

Lunches: PB&J w/fruit, tuna salad on greens, hummus and veggie pita w/fruit, Juice, cheese panini w/vegetable soup, leftovers

Dinners:
Seven layer tortilla pie (recipe below)
Roasted corn, pepper & tomato chowder (p. 393) with rosemary focaccia bread
Black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries
Spaghetti squash with edamame-cilantro pesto (p. 193) w/salad
Chicken stir fry
Baked vegetable lasagna (p. 102)

The page numbers listed are for the recipes I'm using from the Cooking Light Way to Cook Vegetarian Cookbook that Pat got me last weekend. It's full of beautiful pictures, loads of information, and some really yummy-sounding recipes.

 Don't forget that there's MUCH more Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Now, here's that recipe. . . it's another one that I'm not sure where I found it.

Seven Layer Tortilla Pie   
INGREDIENTS  
·     2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed  
·     1 cup salsa, divided  
·     2 cloves garlic, minced  
·     2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro  
·     1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained  
·     1/2 cup chopped tomatoes  
·     7 (8 inch) flour tortillas  
·     2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese  
·     1 cup salsa  
·     1/2 cup sour cream  
DIRECTIONS  
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  
2.  In a large bowl, mash pinto beans. Stir in 3/4 cup salsa and garlic.  
3.  In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup salsa, cilantro, black beans and tomatoes.  
4.  Place 1 tortilla in a pie plate or tart dish. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with 1/4 cup cheese, and cover with another tortilla. Spread with 2/3 cup black bean mixture, and top with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering twice. Cover with remaining tortilla, and spread with remaining pinto bean mixture and cheese.  
5.  Cover with foil, and bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Cut into wedges, and serve with salsa and sour cream.  

I will be adding some avocado to the side of mine as well. I've not tested out this menu before so I don't know if it's any good and will have to let you know how it is later. I'm hoping to get it made in just a few before we head off to the funeral home for the visitation with my friend's family. It's going to be a rough evening. I'm hoping for something yummy when I get home. This might just fit that bill!

Wish me luck on this low-meat week. OH, and if you've got any awesome vegetarian/vegan recipes I'd LOVE to hear them!

Have a great week also. :)

Link-a-palooza and other Randomness

Today I just want to share a bunch of randomness with you. S'alright? I apologize for the rambly-ness of  my recent posts.

First, if you're looking for my Bead Soup reveal, there's a link to it just up there /\ below my banner. . .see it on the left? Next to the Home button? There ya go! I thought that might be the easiest way to keep it available.

Fruit at the local Farmer's Market

I don't think I've outright mentioned that Pat and I are doing this whole healthy diet thing. He's the researcher for these things, I'm just the planner. I didn't post my menu for this week because it took me a little longer to get in the mindset and since we were preparing for Issac, I wasn't sure if we would actually get to eat the meals I planned. By Tuesday afternoon we weren't in the direct path of the storm and I had it worked out. Here are the basics of what we're doing (I think).

• We're cutting back on our animal product intake. I cannot go full vegetarian or vegan. . .I like cheese, bacon, and butter a little too much. (Probably how we got in the shape we're in to start with.)
• As well, he says we want to eat as much 'whole' foods as possible. Basically, we want as little processing to go into our foods. So, fresh over frozen or canned. No problem. . .I think fresh tastes better anyway. 
• The processed bread/cracker/pasta items we DO eat need to say 'whole' in the first few ingredients. . .or something like that.
• We've also continued to juice for at least one meal a day (breakfast or lunch work best for me). 
• Oh. . .and there's something about cutting back our sugar intake. Whatever.
• We had planned on trying to be more active, but have gotten cooped up inside because of the storm. Now that it's passed, we hope to work on that a little more.

So that's the general gist I have of it right now. I haven't completely figured out all the rules, but I'm trying. Pat bought  me a vegetarian cookbook (I like books) and I actually cooked Tofu earlier in the week. It was. . .okay. For now, I'm feeling kinda crummy, but I've been told that it's a fairly normal feeling when all those toxins start to leave your body. I'll ride the wave for now.


Since I'm going with randomness as today's theme, this seems a fitting time for a

• This is a little late, but Michelle Mach has a list of Beading & Jewelry Making contests for Summer/Fall 2012. Shoot. . .some of the links she has go into 2013. What a helpful gal she is!
• GIVEAWAY: Anne Gardanne of Gardanne Beads is having a giveaway of two sets of her beautiful wares. Check out the rules and how to enter on her blog. 

  

  Just one of the yummy sets available to win

• If you still haven't seen Lesley Watt's (The Gossiping Goddess) cool tutorial for these little bracelets you must have been hiding under a bush. Welcome back to the world and check out this fun bracelet  tutorial now!
• Social Media is a topic close to my heart. I plan on writing up a post at some point on how I determine if I will follow you on Twitter. In the meantime, this post from ProBlogger on the 10 Rules of Social Media Engagement is a really great overview on how best to use social media.

Now let me share just a little shop news and I'll be out of your hair for at least the rest of today.
Some of my Shabby Beads were featured in this brightly hued treasury.

Hot Pink and Blue Treasury

On Sale

Unearthed Necklace

 New

Heavenly Earrings

I just have to mention how excited I am that the College football season has started up. I'll  be rooting for the Alabama Crimson Tide tomorrow night and I cannot wait!! Roll Tide!

With the sun FINALLY out after the storm, I'm hoping to soak it up and get my creative juices flowing again. . .and get my butt OUT of this computer chair. What are you hoping to accomplish this weekend?