Be prepared for some cute doggie pictures!!!

But first, just a little re-cap of the weekends events  Thanks for all your entries into the giveaway!  I’m lovin’ those barstools.  I think my favorites are the backless ones.  It looks like the Blender Express Plus is pulling in for the lead with the immersion blender coming in a fairly close second.  You have until Thursday, March 11th @ 8pm PST to enter!  

~~~~

Friday was pretty relaxed.  I went to spin early in the morning and forgot to get everything in the crock-pot for chili chicken tacos, so we decided to go out for dinner.  We headed to a local favorite called Metro Pizza and shared a big salad and a small pizza with chicken, maters, artichoke hearts and basil.  It took for-ev-errrrr for our pizza to come, but I guess when they were taking it out the first time, it ripped!  So we got a free chocolate cake for dessert, but I would have rather had a discount on the pizza.  We each took 2 bites when we got home, and threw the rest away to not be tempted again lol  I attempted to watch the Informant, but fell asleep as usual . . . anyone see that one?

Saturday was full of doggie fun!  First I had a simple bowl of oats for breakfast, and was in the mood for kiwi . . .

Kiwis are a great source of fiber, potassium, and packed with Vitamin C.

And then I found I got a package!!!!  A new TRIPOD!  I’ve been searching for a long time now trying to figure out what kind of tripod and head would be fairly good and not too pricey.  I couldn’t believe how many different brands and models there are out there!  I didn’t really want to spend that much, but everyone I’ve talked to and read says not to skimp on a tripod.  I didn’t go too crazy, and realistically couldn’t afford the lightweight carbon ones, but decided to go for the Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with the Giottos MH 1300-657 head.

I am really happy with my selection, and I’m glad I waited as long as I did just to really search, save up, and have time to make a final decision.  Plus I’m very indecisive!

If you want more information about looking into different tripods, be sure to check out Diana’s tripod guide too.

I like the Giottos head because it has a quick-release plate that attaches right to my Rebel and it also has knobs and not the longer handles, so it makes it pretty easy to adjust positioning without having a long handle in the way.

This is where I usually do all my shots when the sun is shining because it has the best light.  Most of our downstairs doesn’t have the best light, and there is nothing like sunlight for taking photos!

This tripod is pretty neat because the center pole comes up and adjusts to a horizontal position.  This will be good for experimenting with macro shots if I can ever get a macro lens.

After playing with my new toy, we decided to head out with Buster to Bark in the Park!  Buster gets soooo excited to go on car rides no matter what the destination.  Most of the time we take him to the vet and get a bath, but this time he got to have some fun!

First I grabbed a new Luna Protein bar to try for a snack.  I wasn’t impressed with the flavor at all.  It was chewy, chalky, and I couldn’t taste really much of anything.  It was nice that it wasn’t too sweet though.  It only has 12g of protein per bar, when the regular bars have 9-10g and taste much better.

And we were off!  Buster was super excited!

There were a ton of other dogs there and booths with other dogs for adoption, product information and giveaways.

He has the cutest waddle and butt!

Our first stop was the Las Vegas Basset Rescue where we adopted Buster from  Everyone loved saying hi and seeing him again.

They had some awesome doggie tricks too.  These guys were amazing!  They had to run down a long path and then quickly grab the tennis ball lodged in that platform.  I caught them mid-catch!

Whoa, crazy color job!

We also said hi to our friend who works with the Pug Rescue . . . awwwh, pugs are too cute!

Buster got to say hi to his friend Louie!  He sure is a ham.

There was lots of sniffing going on . . .

and of course sniffing butts! lol

Buster was sure tired after about an hour and a half of fun.  He usually naps all day, so this was quite the adventure

Next up we had dinner with Chris’ mom and step dad at an authentic Mexican restaurant called Lindo Michoacan. They have really great food, and even beef tongue and head soup for the adventurous palate.

We started with some chips and dip.  I had 5 chips with freshly made guacamole and bean dip.

For my entrée, I got grilled fish tacos.  I love grilled fish tacos!!!  I also like crispy tacos, but these were a bit too oily : / I should have known better to get soft.  I also shared a carne asada taco which was wonderful as well.

There was a ton of food leftover!  I had about 2 fish tacos, a bite of the carne asada, and half of the rice and beans.  We ordered fried ice cream for all of us to share and I had about 1/4 of it.  Fried ice cream is my weakness!  I love the crispy, honey, flaky outside with the creamy vanilla ice cream on the inside.  mmm . . .

Sunday was spent getting some more errands done, prepping for meals during the week, and doing a bit of studying and cleaning.  I know, terribly exciting!  I ended up prepping everything for chicken fajitas, making chili chicken tacos, applesauce spice muffins and protein cookies.  It is nice to get everything somewhat organized before the week starts up again.

I didn’t get a ride in this weekend, although I’m okay with that because I was feeling a bit tired and knew I needed a little taper this weekend.  The weather turned out to be beautiful and not windy on Saturday (go figure), but Sunday it was cloudy and drizzly.  I did get a nice body pump weight session with Kristen early this morning and I’m feeling strong

I hope to ride into work again sometime this coming week, and hopefully the wind and rain will cooperate!  Hope you all had a nice weekend

Do you have pets?  What’s your favorite breed?

]]> http://eatingrd.com/2010/03/all-for-the-dogs/feed/ 28 http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/fyf-safe-weight-loss-for-athletes/ http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/fyf-safe-weight-loss-for-athletes/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:49:12 +0000 Kristen :) http://wp.eatingrd.com/?p=637

Welcome to the first installment of Fuel Your Fitness!

I’d like to feature a different sports nutrition topic each week, or every other week, here at eatingRD to help fuel your performance, reach your personal fitness goals or just provide interesting information.  I’m open for any suggestions too and have already received great ideas from many of you, which I’ve been researching and compiling.  I picked Friday not only because it goes well together – Fuel Your Fitness Fridays–, but because the weekends can be the start to a great fitness opportunity.  Many of us are very busy during the week and sometimes let workouts pass, but I’m hoping that featuring this important information on Fridays will motivate those weekend workouts

~~~~

While one would think that active individuals never have to worry about losing or maintaining weight because they are so active, think again!!  Many athletes feel pressured to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, especially in sports like dancing and wrestling, and believe losing weight will vastly improve performance.  Heck, I just want to look good naked and feel good about myself too!

[source]

The basic equation of all weight loss is not consuming as much energy as we expend.  But that equation can mean different things for different people.  Each individual resting metabolic rate (RMR) can vary, but it accounts for 60-75% of calorie expenditure, while the thermic effect of food (TEF) accounts for 5-10% and physical activity accounts for 15-30%.

The main goal is to reduce weight, preferably fat, without decreasing performance or lean body mass, while still having enough energy to make it through the day!  When we don’t eat enough during the day for various reasons like being busy, not planning ahead, etc, workouts tend to really flop and it forces us to not work as hard and/or workouts stop prematurely.  But, on the other hand we don’t want to eat like a horse and see all those precious workout hours go to waste, right?  The equation isn’t really all that basic because as individuals we each have different metabolisms, and as we decrease our intake over time, our metabolism will slow down too.  Hingsts states

“In a 2007 study, active individuals who followed a diet/exercise regimen for more than half a year did experience a decrease in RMR, starting around the six-month mark” (Training & Conditioning, 2009).

I found this so interesting to think about!  Essentially athletes can maintain a normal RMR for short-term period of calorie restriction because they are active, but eventually after about 3-6 months of calorie restriction, their metabolism can decrease which can hamper performance and training goals.  Decreasing calories below one’s needs can be an effective way to lose weight, but it shouldn’t be a long-term change for most athletes as far as optimal performance goes.  It does make sense though because as we decrease our weight we have less mass and require less calories to maintain that mass.

Hingst, who works with athletes at the University of Nebraska, has some great tips he uses that help athletes to drop weight all while maintaining lean body mass and preventing any declines in performance.  I thought these would be great to share.

• Establish Calorie Goals.  It would be great if we all had a magic button that automatically told us how many calories we need each day, but estimation is usually the best tool to use in real-world, non-lab situations.  Usually I use the Harris-Benedict Equation for determining the basal energy requirements and then multiply by activity factors depending on how many hours the individual is active/not active in a 24-hour period.  ADA recommends multiplying by 1.6 for those performing moderate/active training and 2.0 for vigorous.  A multiplier of 1.3 can be used for general inactivity.

There is another equation made specifically for athletic populations:

(9 x weight in kg) + (11.7 x height in cm) – 857 = RMR

Here is an example for a sedentary individual:

32/24 = 1.33          1378 x 1.33 = 1833kcals/day

A general and safe rule of thumb is to decrease calorie intake by about 500 kcals per day to lose 1 pound per week.

• Increase Meal Frequency. It’s important to eat consistently throughout the day and not go too long without something.  This keeps our metabolism revving and burning  This can also improve insulin resistance, blood lipid profiles and keep our energy constant.  Try spreading out 6 small-ish meals throughout the day instead of 3 larger ones.

• Timing is Important for Energy. It’s important to make sure to be getting enough nutrients when restricting food intake, especially for active individuals.  Carbs before exercise can enhance our ability to maintain glycogen stores and protein can prevent muscle breakdown.  Have a substantial meal about 3-4 hours before you plan to workout.  As it gets closer to your workout/training time, simply reduce the meal/snack size and go easy on too much fat, protein or fiber because these can cause tummy issues in some if eaten too close to the start of exercise.  During exercise lasting longer than 60-90 minutes it’s important to ingest energy during activity like electrolyte-replacement beverages.  And of course post-workout recovery is essential for rebuilding and preparing for the next sweat session.  10-20 grams of high quality protein and high-glycemic carbohydrates are ideal for optimal recovery.

Check out this post for more specifics of carbohydrate amounts and timing.

• Weight Training. This wasn’t one of his tips, but I believe it is certainly an important aspect in any weight loss program.  Even though we all know that muscle weighs more than fat, weight training and building muscle is essential to losing weight because, not only does muscle burn more energy than fat, it also keeps our metabolisms revving.

• Balance and Portion. Make sure to be eating a balanced diet, full of variety and nutrient-dense foods.  Lots of color!  Eating more frequent meals can provide more opportunity to go over calorie needs, so just be aware of portions.  It’s also important for athletes to consider serious weight-loss only in their ‘off-season’ and not during the most critical time of training.  Of course if you are not necessarily an ‘athlete’ and weight loss is a top-priority, reducing calorie expenditure in a safe, tapered method is certainly the best way to go

I’d love to hear your stories and tips as well!

Stay tuned for the next installment of FYF which will feature information on Overtraining Sydrome.

~~~~

*In other news* Chris is competing in the Tour de Cure Century Ride for the American Diabetes Association.  He’s trying to raise at least the minimum of $150, but would appreciate any contribution (link above).  All proceeds are tax deductible and support a great cause in the fight of this leading chronic disease.  I know there are so many other things going on in this world right now, and thanks so much for your help if you can!

Here is a picture after the Viva Bike Vegas Century Ride (118 miles!).  I was the camera crew and support

Have a great, active weekend!

It’s my little brother’s 8th birthday party this weekend, which should be fun with all the crazy kiddos running around I’m also going to be testing out some new training products I just got, so we’ll see how it goes!

Any weekend plans???

Happy Wednesday!!!  Wait, Is it really only Wednesday??

Man, oh man this week is draaagin’  . . .

These cute awards have been making their way around the blogosphere and I think it’s a great way to connect with the community and learn fun facts about our fellow bloggers and friends.  I was nominated for the Beautiful Blogger award from Kasey and Kristen and also the Happy 101 award from Michal.  Thanks guys!  I will list 7 things you may not know about me and also 10 things that make me a happy camper.  Ok here goes . . .

1.  I have the nickname Goob that has followed me since birth from my dear mom.  Yep, my mom’s nickname for me is Goob! or Goobie, or even sometimes Goobie Goob.  I also had the nickname hootin’ nanie, but that hasn’t stuck like Goob  Pretty funny, huh?

2.  I met my fiance Chris my senior year of college, and we were actually roomies at the time.  Even more weird, my 4th grade friend (who was also my roomie with Chris) and her boyfriend (who was also my roomie) all went to high school together!  Ok even more weird, we were both born and raised in Las Vegas and went so some of the same parks and had some of the same friends growing up!

3.  Chris and I always make poop and fart jokes, it’s pretty much anything goes in our house!  I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be, especially being a Dietitian it doesn’t gross me out at all.

4.  I’m always cold and have a thing called Raynaud’s Syndrome.  It only happens during the winter and I get little red sores on my fingers and toes if they get too cold.  Weird.

5.  I’ve been an only child all my life, but now I have 3 younger siblings all under the age of 8!  They are my dad and step mom’s children and are so adorable!

6.  There aren’t too many foods I don’t like, but I’m not a fan of kalamata olives or raw onions, ick!

7.  I have to sleep with a fan going with a slight hum even in winter.  I like having the white noise when I sleep

Here are 10 things that make me sing!

1.  Going grocery shopping.  Especially at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or a farmer’s market.  These places are much too dangerous for me because I can’t control myself!  Seeing a new kind of squash practically makes me squeal in delight!

2.  Crafty projects.  I like being creative and using colors/designs.

3.  Cooking and Baking anything and everything of course!!  I read cookbook recipes for fun

4.  Sunlight and being outdoors always makes me filled with light.

5.  Workout High.  The feeling after a kick-butt workout & then getting to EAT!

6.  Anything food photography.

7.  Dancing.  There is nothing more that makes me happier than going to a great dance class and forgetting about everything else.  Now, since I don’t dance as much as I used to, I enjoy taking a hip hop class at our local gym

8.  Kitties.  I had my first cat Sheba since I was 5 years old and she lived to be 19 years old.  I would like to get a kitty in the near future.  Plus I think Buster the basset would like a friend too

9.  Dumb and Dumber.  Okay, I think this is THE best movie of all-time!  I’ve watched it at least 25 times and each time cracks me up and puts me in a good mood.  I can practically recite the entire movie too!

10.  Blogging.  I know this is cliche, but I really enjoy everything about it and this community.

Now I’ll nominate some of my other blogging buddies, which of course is really, really hard to just pick a few:

• Diana from The Chic Life
• Melinda from Nutrition, Food, Travel and More
• Tam from Salad and Sequins
• Shannon from Lessons to Learn
• Astra from Food For Laughter
• Sophia from Burp and Slurp
• Laural from Being Healthier

Thanks again guys!

Be sure to check out the Bake Sale for Haiti which starts TODAY!!  and bid on some granola and other tasty goodies

Speaking of goodies, I need to bring back these awesome granola bars as seen on The Health Nut . . . post and recipe link soon to follow!  Hope you are having a nice week and it’s going by a little faster than mine!

Thank you for all your kind words on the site!  I’m super excited and happy you guys enjoy it.  If you haven’t yet, be sure to enter my giveaway for some Mighty Leaf tea and an Anthro mug here.  I first thought I gave the wrong feed address, but it seems that both of the ones below will work when added to your feed.  Please let me know if it’s not updating in your reader so I can remedy.  I’m a computer retard!

http://eatingrd.com/?feed=rss2

http://feeds.feedburner.com/eatingrd

I am having the darndest time getting up in the morning lately!  ugh, 5am is just too darn early and when the alarm goes off I moan and groan wishing I could just stop time for a few more hours.  I’ve always had this fascination with wanting to be able to stop time.  Wouldn’t that be awesome?  ha, in the mean time I’ll keep wishing for that day and get my butt out of bed!  I think it does have a lot to do with not getting to bed till close to 11pm, which I need to fix.

I’ve been trying to get

most morning tasks done the night before so that if we do end up pressing the snooze a thousand times we don’t end up running around like chickens with our head cut off to get to work on time.  Muesli has been one of those tasks, and boy it sure tastes good!

I tried a new blueberry muesli mix from TJ’s for this morning’s batch and it was pretty good.  I didn’t like it as much as Bob’s Red Mill, but it was still tasty.  I think it may be the freeze-dried blueberries in it.  After soaking they get kind of spongy and taste a little funny to me.  Here’s what went into each batch:

• 1/3 cup Muesli mix
• 2 tbsp quick-cook barley (I found this at Walmart and love the texture it brings)
• 1/3 cup NF milk (or any non-dairy substitute)
• 1/3 cup Wallaby vanilla yogurt (Wallaby is my favorite yogurt style/brand, besides Greek)
• 1 tsp flax meal
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1/4 naner
• cinnamon

In the a.m. I just added a handful of Kashi Warm Cinnamon, some pistachios and some pb.  Yummy and quick!

Much of my cooking philosophy revolves around making several meals that are easy to prepare ahead of time, and then finding other ways to use them throughout the week.  Yes, I would love to go to the farmer’s market and find ingredients for a new dish to make every day, but life doesn’t really allow that kind of time.  boo!  I am definitely a multitasker, anyone else?  I always have to keep my mind busy and focused on many things at a time it seems.  The other night I was on the bike trainer, all while watching SYTYCD, texting and tweeting  But a lot of times thinking too much about all the things that need to get done just leaves me frustrated and overwhelmed.  Or I focus on one thing too much and everything else goes to the wayside.  I saw this funny comic from Oh She Glows (she has some great tips on how to NOT multi-task) and found it very fitting for the society we live in nowadays . . .

Here’s a great recipe that will give you enough time so that while it’s cooking away at home you can be at work, running errands and not have to worry about it.  Nice!  It’s also great for sandwiches and salads for lunch the next day.

Crock Pot Pesto Chicken

Serves:  a butt-load (about 4-6)

Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic (whiz these in the food processor first)
• A nice big handful of fresh basil leaves (I used about 1/2 pkg from TJ’s)
• 2-3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1/3-1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• few splashes of white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
• 4-6 lb. young chicken (preferably no-salt/broth added) – you could also use some bone-in chicken breasts which I want to try next time
• 2 onions, chopped
• about a pound of small yellow taters, chopped (you could also add other hearty root veggies)

Directions

For the Pesto:

Pulse the garlic in the food processor, add the next 5 ingredients (through olive oil), and pulse until a nice paste forms. Save half to serve alongside & for sammies later.  Use the other half to pat over the chicken and underneath the skin.
Place the chopped onion and taters in the bottom of the crock pot, place chicken on top (up to this step can be done the night before, just place the crock in the fridge).

I really like these potatoes from TJ’s because they cook super tender and not mealy.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Be careful when taking the chicken out because it falls apart!  (Note:  There will be a lot of juice and fat at the bottom, so that’s why I’d like to try just bone-in, skinless breasts next time?)  Drain and scoop out the veggies onto a sheet pan and roast in a 400 degree oven until golden, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Reserve skimmed broth for another use (I think I’m going to make soup).

What’s great about this recipe is that you can multi-task in a good way by making pesto panini sandwiches for lunch the next day with the leftover pesto.  I also schmeared a light laughing cow on one side with a few slices of mozzarella.  You could stuff all kinds of things in there too like roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, etc.

Gotta love that crispy, gooey pesto cheese!!

Are you a multi-tasker?  What are your best strategies to staying sane?

*~REMINDER~*

The Chic Life is hosting the Bake Sale for Haiti starting tomorrow the 27th!!!  Check out all the awesome baked goods that are up for bids here .  I’m going to be whipping up a batch of Gina’s crunchy and nutty granola too, so be sure to bid on it if you want some amazing oat-y goodness

Hope you all are having a nice week so far!

After much contemplation, brainstorming, searching, asking, thinking, organizing, trying, re-trying and frustration, I can finally announce the launch of the new eatingRD site!!!!!!!! aaaaaah I’m so excited and Chris and I have been working diligently for many many hours to at least get it up and running.  By all means it’s not perfect, but it’s getting there

You will notice that many of the page links are still under construction because I am still working on the complete organization of all my recipes and nutrition information resources.  For now the ‘Recipe Tags’ category on the right sidebar will serve as a search for various recipes based on ingredients.  If your feeling like ‘pasta’, simply click and all my posts with pasta in the recipe will come up.  I am also working to get a google search up to search for more specifics.  You will notice if you open the site in Internet Explorer, some of the spacing is weird.  If you open up chrome, the RSS feed link doesn’t work.  I recommend Firefox to be the best internet browser.

My new feed address is:  http://eatingrd.com/?feed=rss2 (let me know if this isn’t working)

If you are looking for a great web design/layout resource, check out  Mrs. Micah.  I had her help with a few things and she is reasonably priced and actually gets back with you in a timely manner which was refreshing.

Can you believe that out of the 136+ posts that I transferred over from Blogger, I didn’t categorize or tag any one of them, not one?!  Whew, that took a lot of time and I still need to double and triple check that all the tags/categories are right. Please let me know of any bugs or discrepancies you encounter.  I’m still working on all the formatting and I can’t seem to get the comments to show up.  It’s been a bit frustrating to say the least, but it’s getting there!  I want to make this site as user-friendly as possible.  Feel free to complain & I’ll keep trying and searching!

As time allows I would like to add other unique things to my site.  Please let me know if you have any other ideas that will make it even better!  I sure hope you enjoy it.

Now onto a little info about foods+immunity!

With the winter chill settling in strong in most parts of the country, and the ever impending threat of flu and sickness, I wanted to touch on the important topic of the role of foods for our bodies immune function.
Food can be a powerful tool in regulating our immune response.  For some reason I always seem to feel much better when I eat a lot of veggies and yogurt when I’m starting to get sick.  Call it psychological, but many studies out there have yielded some interesting results on the role of food in helping our immune systems fight off those nasty pathogens.  Many of us face different immune threats every day from acute malnutrition, mental/physical stress, aging, or an unhealthy lifestyle, and certain foods can be a powerful tool to modulate these events.

Here is a table of the most common foods known to modulate immune responses:
(Chart courtesy of an article by Carol S Lapin, MS, RD, CSSD in the Wellness-CV Newsletter)

Omega-3 fatty acids regulate the function of immune cells because they can change the lipid component of the cell membrane and act as anti-inflammatory agents.  Gina always has some great information on Omega-3s.

Probiotics are another big player that has received a lot of attention lately for a whole host of ailments including digestive regulation.  Lactobacillius paracasei and Lactobacillus salivarius have been shown to induce a specific immune response that may be useful in the clinical setting for improving immune responses.  Probiotics help to stabilize the intestinal microflora barrier, which plays a large role in our immune response.  Emily has some great information on probiotics.

Really the best thing that we can do to help keep our immune systems healthy and functioning well is to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods with lots of colors!!  Yes, we can take supplements, but those don’t have the synergistic properties that foods do and can even be harmful.  Many components in foods that specifically help to modulate our immunity still have yet to be discovered . . . Check out some more immune-boosting foods.

I myself do take a basic 100% multivitamin every once in awhile (maybe once a week or even less?) just as an insurance policy to make sure.  I also started taking 400-700mg of DHA/EPA per day in a fish oil capsule.  I don’t eat nearly enough fish (2x/week of fatty fish is recommended) and I want to make sure I’m getting enough, because I’ve found the benefits out way the minimal risks for me.  But always be sure to discuss any kind of supplements with your doctor to make sure you don’t have any conflicting conditions that could cause an unwanted response.  Learn more about fish oil with a comprehensive review here.

A nice cup of soothing tea always seems to make me feel better when I’m not quite feeling up to snuff too, or if I can’t seem to warm up during chilly days.  Green tea has anti-carcinogenic properties, and has been shown to play an integral part in the prevention of several cancers including lung, breast, ovarian and prostate.  Habitual green tea consumption may decrease LDL cholesterol.  There also appears to be an immediate effect to improve endothelial function and enhance blood flow, therefore reducing the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events like a stroke. Consumption of a high-catechin green tea (subjects drank 4-6 cups/day) was even associated with significantly larger reductions in body weight and abdominal fat adiposity.  Tea catechins with caffeine can increase 24-hour energy expenditure by 3-4% (50-100 kcal/d).  Not all that much, but they concluded that green tea could be used as part of a weight-reduction program if the individual doesn’t have any contraindications to caffeine intake.  Of course this would have to fit in with eating healthy and staying active.  I myself am a big fan of tea, especially in the winter and I like to have naturally sweet tea (has to be decaf though) to satisfy that dessert craving which always seems to greet me after dinner

The tea company Mighty Leaf sent me a few of their hand-crafted teas to sample and sent some extra goods for one of you to try!  Here are the flavors that I sampled, including a little review of each below.  I think what I liked best about these teas is the quality.  You can’t really get any better than loose-leaf tea, and Mighty Leaf has created a way to capture the essence of loose-leaf in individual tea bags.

Vanilla Bean - A deep blend of Ceylon and China black tea leaves with Madagascar vanilla bean and caramel (caffeine).  This one was great for breakfast, with a smooth and subtle vanilla flavor.  I first tried it plain and then added just a splash of milk and a teeny drizzle of agave.  mmmm it was like a vanilla latte!  Definitely didn’t make me shaky like coffee normally does.  This one came in a very close second to my favorite of the bunch.

Marrakesh Mint – China gunpowder is mixed with Morrocan peppermint for a refreshing, cool lift (light caffeine).  It has a nice subtle cooling aftertaste along with the normal green tea earthy characteristics.  I always enjoy a good cup of mint tea because it usually helps settle my tummy and is very refreshing.

Organic Hojicha – Organic Japanese bancha tea, a mixture of pan-fired and slow roasted loose leaf green tea leaves that yield a rich, nutty brew (light caffeine).  This one was unique.  It tasted like green tea but a bit nuttier.  It reminded me of a tea we like called kyoto, which almost has a ‘popcorn-like’ toasty flavor.  Yum!

Rainforest Mate – Herbal blend of energizing maté, licorice, spices, rosehips and pineapple chunks that refresh and revitalize when brewed. Maté also called yerba mate is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and contains natural caffeine, which affects the body differently than regular caffeine, both calming the nerves and bringing about an energetic lift (light caffeine).

I think this one was my favorite! It was very fragrant and herbal with a nice hint of spice and sweetness from the real chunks of fruit.  It also gave me a nice boost, but not a shaky one like I usually get from caffeine in coffee.

~~~~

Here’s what you can enter to win . . .

A box of Chocolate Mint Truffle tea (15 ct) + a mug from Anthropologie!

Chocolate Mint Truffle is made with rooibos tea, an herbal plant also known as Red Tea from South Africa, is an intoxicating blend of chocolate cacao nibs, mint and rooibos leaves.  This is perfect for that after-dinner guilt-free indulgence!

This mug can also be used as a mini bowl, since it’s pretty wide.  Great for portion control!

But Wait! I’m also giving away a runner-up prize as well, which will include one jar of THE best Peanut butter (in my opinion) and 2 of my favorite Lara Bars

Here’s how you can enter:

• Simply leave a comment with a tea from Mightly Leaf that looks good to try, or one of your tried-and-true favorites.  If you’re not a tea drinker, what do you like best?
• For an second entry you can copy this & tweet ‘Check out @eatingRD ‘s new site and enter to win some @MightyLeaf tea + an Anthro mug! [link]‘ and leave a separate comment.
• For a third entry, simply post about this giveaway and the site launch on your blog and leave a separate comment.

You have until February 1st 8:00pm (PST) to enter!

Busy Little Lexi is giving away some Navitas Chia seeds!  Check it out here.

Here’s to a healthy new year and lots of good whole foods!  Hope you enjoy the new site!  I have some great recipes for crock-pot pesto chicken and kabocha black bean burgers coming up and some information about overtraining sydrome.

]]> http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/its-finally-here-a-giveaway-2/feed/ 75 http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/just-a-quick-hello/ http://eatingrd.com/2010/01/just-a-quick-hello/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:41:00 +0000 Kristen :) http://wp.eatingrd.com/2010/01/just-a-quick-hello/

Hello!  I hope you all had a nice week!  I think Vegas has gotten more rain in these past 4 days than we have in all last year!  Crazy.  I can’t believe how much rain California is getting too.  Overall this week has been nice, work wasn’t too crazy, I got my committee together for my thesis (finally) and I may be doing a couple cooking classes for Whole Foods!  The site is sooo close, but there are a few things that I need help with still, so I just won’t say a date anymore ugh.

I got some pretty good workouts in this week:

Mon – thanks to the handy dandy bike trainer I rode for about an hour watching SYTYCD & tweeting, all while it was pouring outside.

Tues – body pump was a nice hour full-body weight sesh

Wed – Rest

Thurs – 3.5 mile run, progress!!

Fri – early morning spin, woot!

We’ve been having some yummy eats too.  I’ll have to share a crockpot pesto chicken recipe with you soon.  I think this was the most tender white meat I’ve ever had.  Just melts in your mouth like butta’.

And is the bomb for paninis with gooey, crusty pesto cheese.

I think I’m on a muesli kick this week and breakfast this morning was pretty tasty!

This bowl included:

• 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill muesli mix
• 1/3 cup NF milk
• 1/3-1/2 cup TJ’s NF honey Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1/4 naner
• little squirt of agave + cinnamon

This morning I added some Kashi Warm Cinnamon, 1/4 naner, grapes, peanut butter and Nutella!!  oh man the Nutella sent it over the top.  Yum!

Plus it just tastes better in a cute bowl

Sorry this is so short, I need to get to studying, researching, getting the site presentable, organizing about 2,000 pictures, making granola bars and prepping food for the week.  Kabocha black bean burgers are on the menu tonight!

Happy Weekend to you all!

The best part about the weekend, aside from getting to sleep in till 7am and getting caught up with life, is being able to whip up some tasty meals and really enjoy the company of family.  Usually during the week I rush home to get something on the table, talk briefly about the day’s happenings and then spend the rest of the night trying to catch up on school work, research, blogs, blogging, etc, never being seen again till bed time.  I don’t like that, although for the next 3 semesters it’s going to have to suffice somehow

I just wanted to share a couple tasty recipes that I hope you can enjoy with your family and friends or simply in the solace of your own company . . .

Roasted Spaghetti Squash topped with Roasted Veggies & Tofu in a Curry Peanut Sauce

Serves:  2-3 (Chris and I enjoyed it so much, we ate it all!)

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups cubed tofu (I used TJ’s teriyaki flavor)
• 1/2  cup matchstick-cut carrots
• 1 zucchini, chopped + 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
• 1/3  cup chopped green onions (I didn’t have any on hand this time)
• 2/3  cup light coconut milk
• 1-2  tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2  tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3  tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
• 1  tsp curry powder + a bit more turmeric
• pinch cayenne or more if you like it HOT

For the spaghetti squash:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Cut squash in half lengthwise, place cut sides down on a foil lined baking sheet.  Pour about 1/2 cup water in pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes, turn squash over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until tender.  I also put a little butter in mine.  When it’s done scoop one 1/2 into a bowl and save the other half for another meal.  To the bowl with the squash add a splash of rice wine vinegar and toasted sesame seed oil to taste.

Sauté the tofu, carrots, zucchini, bell pepper and green onions until tender and browned.  Mix the coconut milk and last 6 ingredients in a bowl and microwave to soften, then add to the sauté pan over low to mix.

Scoop some spaghetti squash on the plate and top with the curry peanut mixture and enjoy!

I really wish we would have had some leftovers!

Next on the list of weekend eats is . . .

Lasagna Rolls

These are a favorite in our house and they are fun to make with kids!  This would be great for a party too because it serves a lot of people.  I first got this idea from Giada and then tweaked it since she likes to use whole fat everything

Serves:  7-10

Ingredients

For the Béchamel Sauce:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups NF or 1% milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch cinnamon and cayenne

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 light garlic+herb laughing cow wedges
• big handful of basil, chopped
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan + 1/2 cup Italian shredded cheese mix
• 1.5 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• herbs de provence, thyme, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash
• 12-15 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is slightly thick and smooth (may take a bit longer with the lower fat milk).  Whisk the salt, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne into the béchamel sauce.  Keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Get out the goods.

Whisk the ricotta, basil, Parmesan/Italian cheese mix, laughing cow, prosciutto, pepper and spices to taste in a medium bowl to blend.

Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Pour the béchamel sauce over the bottom of a 13 x 9 dish.  Spread about 2 spoonfuls of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the béchamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.

Spoon 2-3 cups of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls (more if you like it saucy).  I got this sauce from TJ’s and it was really nice and fresh tasting unlike most jarred sauces.  Cover tightly with foil.

Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20-25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 10-15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes (if you can stand it) and serve!

We had a salad on the side with romaine, cranberry goat cheese and walnuts, along with a glass of J. Lohr Merlot.

It is a nice red, slightly toasty with notes of dark cherry and plum.  It is pretty reasonably priced too.  We played the tasting game with a cute notepad I picked up at Anthro called ‘Rate that Wine’.  This would be great fun for parties too.

I had 1 1/2 rolls with the salad and a small glass of wine.  After dinner I grabbed a coconut water and we curled up on the couch to watch a movie, but fell asleep not even half way through!  Ah well, this usually always happens with us!

It was sure a nice night because Chris and I got to sit down and had a great time chatting over dinner again for longer than usual.  That’s another great thing about eating at home, you can sit at the table for as long as you want!

With the terrible tragedy that has hit Haiti and continues to trouble their existence, Diana from The Chic Life has developed another great idea to help.  She will be hosting a bake sale coming up around January 27th, and all the online bidding proceeds will go to the Red Cross Relief Fund.  I have volunteered to bake up a big batch of Gina’s awesome granola and it looks like there are some other tasty goods being made as well.  I may just have to bid on some myself!  Check out the details here if you’d like to become a baker or a bidder.  I just can’t imagine what they are going through right now.  While they have had many donations made, it’s been tough actually getting the supplies to them.  I feel so blessed to be safe and have access to all of life’s necessities.  Thanks for all your help!

Hope you all have a nice week!  It looks like we are going to actually have some nasty, rainy weather coming up this week here.  I’ll have to be getting on that bike trainer and treadmill

Hello!  It seems like I’ve been gone forever and I’m sorry to be MIA lately!  I think the new site is juuuust about there.  Just a few more little things and it should be presentable at least.  I hope.  I spent most of today working on it and it seems that I can’t focus on anything else BUT this site!! aaah!  I’ve been dreaming about it.  Must get it done so I don’t get too behind on school, geez.  Chris has been a huge help so far since I pretty much don’t have a single clue, and I’ve been begging, bribing, pleading for him to help finish!  I can’t understand why he’d rather watch football . . . hehe  I hope to launch it sometime next week *fingers crossed*

~~~~

In other news, the Eat In Month Challenge is still going good!  I have to admit not going out for frozen yogurt sometimes has been a killer, but we are saving quite a bit of money.  Chris is doing really good because he usually buys lunch about 3x/week.  I’ll let you know specifics & my full summary at the conclusion of the challenge

~~~~

I’ve tried a few more of the Glo Bars and I’m afraid I didn’t eat them all soon enough.  There isn’t an expiration date, but I wouldn’t leave them out longer than a month, and either place them in the fridge or freezer for longer keeping.  I should have realized this   When I took a bite into the Classic flavor again, it just tasted off and I was so bummed.  But, I did try the Present flavor and it tasted really great!  All the warm spices had more pronounced flavor than the first one I sampled.  I can say though that the texture of these bars is superb.  Nice and formed, crunchy yet airy, not too sweet and full of great ingredients.  Sure looks tasty . . .

The only other thing is most of the time when I have a bar it’s for a snack.  These bars mostly have calorie counts in the range of 200 or more.  I wish there was a mini version since I have a hard time just eating half

~~~~

I also ran my second 5k race this morning!!  It was for the Chefs For Kids Program at my work (UNCE).  I’ve been trying to run more, and it’s slowly but surely getting somewhat easier.

Last night for dinner I had some leftover Polenta Mushroom Casserole topped with spinach, an egg and micro’ed egg white.  Such an easy and cheap dish to make! mmm

The race started bright and early at 7am!  Thank goodness the weather is decent here, or I would have been a frozen popsicle.  I started out with a sprouted cinnamon raisin bagel with 1 tbsp peanut butter and jam, a micro’ed egg white + water.

Here’s some shots of the race . . .

Stretching . . .

Warming up . . . I also ran down the course a bit.  It really helps to get the lungs going before, since I don’t do well with the cold air.

Waiting . . .

And we’re off!

There was even a Chef running!!

I ended up finishing it in 27:57 which was a bit better than my first 5k at 28:36.  Very slow, but progress!

Had to bring some coconut water for afterwards

Of course they had tons of goodies to eat!  I had 3 glasses of water and 1/2 a blueberry muffin.

Can you believe I placed 2nd in my age group?!  Must have not been very many in my age group lol

When I got home I made a bowl of oatmeal to warm up and then I made a smoothie with the immersion blender, and 1/2 grilled cheese on GH Dakota for lunch.

This one had a scoop of whey, NF milk, chia seeds, 1/4 banana, spinach and frozen blueberries.

Most of the day has been spent working on the site, hopefully it will be ready next week!  I should get some more studying/research done this weekend and other boring house chores, maybe a bike ride?   I’m thinking spaghetti squash is on the menu tonight, just haven’t quite figured out what I want to do with it . . .

Other menu items will include:

• lasagna rolls
• kabocha & black bean burgers
• crock-pot roasted chicken with pesto veggies & potatoes

Hope you all are having a nice long weekend if this is your time off!

I don’t have too much time to blab on today, as I’m trying my darndest to focus on my proposal,  but I did want to just stop by and share a few good finds I discovered and some eats I made this weekend.

Can I just say that it is absolutely glorious sleeping in till 7am and eating when the sun is actually up!!  Because we went out to dinner a bit late with our friends Friday evening (terrible pictures by the way), I decided to sleep in just a little bit.  I love having the sunshine to be able to take food pictures!! Yay!  Most of the time I leave when there’s not enough sunlight and get home when the sun is just going down.  Dang you time change.

I could even take a nice picture of breakfast!  This is just a mixture of Wallaby yogurt mixed with a scoop of LF cottage cheese, topped with frozen blueberries, cereal, banana, and flax.  I also had 1/2 a date bran muffin I found in the freezer.  Those muffins are definitely our favorite!

Saturday we spent most of the day running errands and grocery shopping.  I found some items I can’t wait to try . . .

For lunch I made a munchie plate with crackers, hummus, string cheese, apple, and salmon salad with pistachios and persimmons.

I tried a Fuyu persimmon for the first time this season and I really enjoy them.  It tastes like a subtle creamsicle to me?  I like to put them in chicken lettuce wraps too.

I also found the Laughing Cow cheese finally and am looking forward to adding it to various recipes like so many of you do!

Persimmon Pistachio Salmon Salad

• one small can wild salmon with bones (for added calcium!)
• 1/3-1/2 cup low fat greek yogurt
• 1 Fuyu persimmon, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
• various seasonings (all-purpose, garlic powder, s & p, splash of vinegar)

Mix it all together!

I found this quick cooking barley at Walmart.  This will be great to add to soups, oats or make a salad with because normally barley takes quite awhile to cook.

I have to say I am impressed with Walmart’s selection of healthier items and brands at a reasonable price.  For some families, it’s just being able to find these and make the choice to buy them over what they usually do, and that can be tough.

That afternoon we went to a bike demo for a local bike shop that we like to go to and it was also a charity event for our local Shade Tree Shelter.  Lots of bikes!

We signed a waiver and then tried out a few of them.  Most of the people there were mountain bikers, which is a completely different crowd than road bikers.  Kind of like the laid back surfer dude type.

First we tried a couple road bikes.  Boy, it’s amazing how much better those felt compared to my baseline model.  I was really looking forward to trying a tri bike, but they didn’t have any there to sample.  We also got to ride around Red Rock on a mountain bike.  It was so much different than a road bike but a lot of fun!

Hey, even this dog was enjoying a little road biking!  I thought this was too funny.  How does that little guy stay on there?

After a C25K run/walk this morning, I made one of my favorite festive bowl of oats this holiday season.  I call them festive oats! (gee that’s inventive)

I just love Egg Nog and usually find the low fat version or the soy version around this time of year.  I also saw some kind of pumpkin spice nog at Walmart that I’ll have to try.  Both low fat nog versions taste equally yummy.  I could imagine these would be awesome in your morning coffee too.

Here’s my version this morning:

• 1/2 cup soy nog or low fat egg nog
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, fresh nutmeg
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 banana (1/2 mashed to add with oats, 1/2 for topping)
• 1 tsp flax mixed in
• splash of vanilla extract
• 2 dates
• Handful of Kashi cinnamon cereal and shredded wheat
• sprinkling of pistachios and pomegranate seeds for the festive touch!

It’s not even Thanksgiving quite yet, but I thought this would be fun

How do you add a festive touch to your dishes?  Any favorite items only available during the holiday season?

If I don’t post again till Thanksgiving I sure hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend no matter what holidays you celebrate!  We are going to visit Chris’ dad and step mom who just moved into a new cabin for their retirement.  It’s going to be freezing, but I’m looking forward to spending time with family and enjoying a great meal.  I am definitely most thankful for my family without a doubt.  It just wouldn’t be the same without their never ending love and support.  Hope you all enjoy your time too

Last night was a wonderful example of good things that can happen when I don’t plan all the time!  Chris invited his dad and step mom over for dinner last night.  We were going to try to make some seared tuna that his step mom had given to us, but it wasn’t even close to being defrosted since we took it out of the freezer too late.  Ok, move to plan B. . .

I made some lemony tofu pesto pasta the night before on Friday thinking I was going to take it over to a friend’s house for a little pot luck.  Chris ended up getting home pretty late from a meeting, and their house was all the way across town, so I decided to skip it to be able to wake for the gym the next morning (I hadn’t made it to the gym all week so I was getting a little antsy and felt the need).

So . . . I thought I’ll just heat up that pesto pasta and pair it with some balsamic marinated chicken for tonight!  ‘That will work, but I don’t really have any other stuff, what if they won’t like it that much?  It has tomatoes in it and Chris’ dad hates tomatoes.’ Then Chris invited two other friends to come over last minute.  ‘Wait!  I haven’t planned for this, I need to have things all situated, more appetizers, need to clean, do wash, aaaaahhh!’ This was my inner self talking and feeling a bit out of the comfort zone lol  But I humbly agreed and hoped we would have enough food and the day old pasta would be ‘good’ enough for my guests.  I want them to really enjoy my food and come back!

Turns out the dinner party went pretty darn well!  I mean the pasta wasn’t perfect, got a little cold and was slightly not as bright green as the day before, but it tasted pretty darn good.  That’s all that mostly matters, right?  Chris BBQ’d the chicken and it was a little chewy, but it was still pretty tasty.  I had other munchies like cheese and crackers, along with pretzels and nuts, but I think people secretly wanted to have a little more food.  I should have made something like a salad, but we ended up making smores and having some vanilla ice cream with a drizzling of cabernet (you have to try this!), so that worked out.  Who doesn’t like a little dessert?  Sorry no picture

We ended up going through 4 bottles of wine!!  And everything’s better with a little wine, right?  lol  We also played a fun game of Cranium into the night.  I love this game, but I am terrible at it lol

Overall success!  Should I have worried so much about not having everything perfectly mapped out?  No, it’s really not that big of a deal, but you know that is something that I’m working on and when something like this happens on a whim it moves me forward in the right direction   It’s weird because sometimes I will just do things spontaneously that I normally wouldn’t and it’s really cool, but other times I think about it too much and that’s when I get into a funk.  I say just go for it, whatever it may be!

Home Goods is the best for fun, cheap serving bowls and all kinds of other stuff for the home . . .

So here is the recipe for lemony tofu pesto pasta.  It’s a great dish for at least 6 people as a side.  And hey, it’s even not bad the next day!  It won’t be as bright green, but it’s pretty darn tasty in my opinion

This time around, in addition to the version above . . .

• I used two lemons because the ones I had were pretty small
• added 1/2 an avocado to the sauce to make it extra luscious.
• cubed some fontina cheese to add in at the end to get slightly melt-y
• instead of home made linguini, I used boxed farfalle pasta, and you can use any kind you like really
• I had about 1/2 cup of pesto leftover to use in other things like sandwiches, yum!

For the chicken I used a really simple, but flavorful balsamic marinade that gets really sweet and slightly tangy.  In a bag, along with about 1.25 pounds of chicken breasts, you add:

• balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and that’s it!
• You can also reserve the marinade, reduce it down slowly and baste the chicken with it and serve it on the side as a drizzle sauce.

So I say let’s not plan for once, just go out there and do anything spontaneous!  Who’s with me?

What have you done today that was spontaneous and fun?