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Three Things Tuesday

August 31, 2010 by 1 Comment

This post is a little of this and a little of that of what’s been going on lately! First is  yoga studio review, then a question about Garmins, and a recipe for turkey burgers!

1. Yoga Studio Review:

I tried a new (to me) yoga studio with a free pass that I received. The studio was Yoga One Houston. I did a Power Flow 90 minute class, and it was great. The room was heated to the mid 80s, there was music, and it was hard. The studio was calming and it even had a full locker room with showers. It’s close to downtown and I can see how that would be a major draw to become a member here.

I also liked how the studio offered different kinds of yoga like Forrest, traditional hot, belly dancing, and ashtanga, among others. If you follow my history, you’ll see that I enjoy yoga, but don’t practice regularly. This workout left my hamstrings screaming at me for days in a good way. It was a much needed class, and I’m looking forward to more.

2. Garmin, anyone?

The day after I did yoga, I needed to stretch my legs. I usually take that day off each week, but my hamstrings were seriously tight, so I took walked around Memorial Park (3 miles) with no pace in mind. I am borrowing a friend’s Garmin to help me train better outdoors for the Half Marathon, and I thought this walk would be a good time to try out the settings.

So I have a few questions for Garmin users—-I know everyone swears by them, and I understand how it has a lot of functions, but all I want is the pace and distance.

1. Is there a way to set your pace for minutes/mile? Mine was miles per hour like the treadmill, which is fine, but involves more math to figure out when the next mile marker is coming.

2. The pace would change drastically while walking depending if I was looking at it or if my arm was swinging. Does yours do that?

3. The Garmin looked like a watch from outer space on my arm. Why are they so popular if they aren’t really attractive and so bulky? Doesn’t Timex make a similar device?

3. Turkey Burger Recipe:

Turkey burgers are a favorite in our house–lean meat, great tasting, and can use it in so many things. This recipe was from a Rachael Ray cookbook, and I followed exactly. In parentheses is what I would modify next time.

1 1/3 lbs ground turkey =one package Jennie O Lean Turkey

1 tsp each salt and pepper

1/2 red bell peper, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped (I would use less next time, maybe 1/3 and cut it smaller)

2  garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 T tomato paste

1 T worchestershire sauce

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (this was too spicy for me, I would do less)

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

1 handful parsley (I used dried)

Instructions:

Combine everything together and mix with hands. Divide meat into 6 patties.

Drizzle EVOO on one side of patty.

Put on grill pan until cooked on both sides.

I served ours atop a salad with lettuce, pickles, avocado, tomatoes, and a side of green beans and blue cheese dressing. The taste was spicy and flavorful. The recipe said to break the meat into four patties, but it was very thick so I did six. It was still loose when it cooked, so it might need something else to help it bind. An egg? More tomato paste?

And the blue cheese topper was great! And guilt-free because it’s Greek yogurt which is packed with protein.

Healthy Blue Cheese Dressing:

6 oz Oikos Plain Greek yogurt

any amount of blue cheese (I did maybe 1/4 C)

salt and pepper

Mix all together in bowl and add on top of burgers.

Green Beans:


Bring green beans to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes.

Drain beans in a collander and place back in pot with a little remaining water.

Add teriyaki sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook untl starting to brown, or at least until soft.

Filed Under: Dinner, Houston · Tagged With:

Fun in the Kitchen

August 30, 2010 by 4 Comments

The above picture is not homemade, it’s called Raw “Almost Cheesecake” from Whole Foods. I was curious, so I tried it. Here’s the ingredient list on the label, but I think it’s missing the ingredients for the filling and, like, raspberry?

ingredients: cashews, macadamia nuts, coconut oil, lemon juice, agave, water, dates, coconut, vanilla, sea salt.

It was very tasty, fluffy, and light. Same consistency as cheesecake. The crust did taste as nutty and coconut-y as the ingredients say. And the downside is that it’s $7.50 for this slice.

Christmas in August Lunch

Here’s a recent lunch that turned out to be very red and green. Orowheat Sandwich Thin with Laughing Cow cheese. Spinach and pickle and yellow mustard on one side, red pepper on the other.

Side of tomatoes, more red pepper, and carrots. And peanut butter. If you haven’t had peanut butter with carrots, it’s really good. Why does peanut butter make everything better? Like vegetables, bananas, apples, celery, in yogurt, with desserts…I am turning into a nut and must take some days off of peanut butter.

Lily got a special breakfast too: 1 scrambled egg

Kitchen Experiment Time!

Better Cookie Dough Ball Bites

Remember when I tried Mama Pea’s fake Cookie Dough Larabars and it turned out very nutty in texture and impossible to make into bars? Well I tried it again and success! Still made balls, but I like that shape better than a bar.

***Key*** 1 T water was major difference. Highly recommend.

Ingredients:

1/2 C Almonds

1/3 C pitted dates

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 C chocolate chips

1 T water

Instructions:

pulse almonds in food processor and remove from mixer

add remaining ingredients except water and pulse

add almonds back, add water and pulse

mold into pretty balls or bars. Makes 9 balls.

Cherry Nut Balls revisited

I also made more Cherry Nut balls and used 1 T water too.

Ingredients:

1/4 C almonds

1/4 C cashews

1/4 C dates

1/4 C dried cherries

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 T water

Instructions:

Pulse all together, adding water at the end. Made 7 balls.

This picture is both balls ready to be frozen so I can enjoy anytime! They last for months.

PB & J Banana “Ice Cream”

And here is the big winner of the experimenting.

I have made traditional banana ice cream, chocolate chip ice cream, and banana nut ice cream. But here is the ultimate PB & J ice cream.

Ingredients:

2 bananas, pre-frozen

1 T peanut butter

1/4 C dried cherries

Instructions:

Pulse bananas until sandlike.

Add peanut butter and cherries and pulse until ice cream consistency.

Filed Under: Dessert, Snacks · Tagged With:

A Mad Scientist Baking Experiment

August 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Giveaway Winner:

The winner of the Envitote bag is #9, Sarah! I’ll get your mailing address from you and send it your way. I’m not sure how to show you the random number generator widget, but I promise it’s valid from random.org.

If you would like to purchase an Envitote bag, they have offered free shipping to you but entering the code “free shipping on their website. Enjoy!

Baking Experiment:

You can probably tell I enjoy baking from all the loaves, cookies, and muffins on my recipe page. But I actually have no idea how to create my own recipe. I can follow instructions, but not start from scratch.

With some spare time, I decided to have a baking experiment. My refrigerator and pantry are well-stocked with baking ingredients, so I took a look at my inventory and decided to try Mint Chocolate Chip cookies.

Ingredient Experiment:

I pulled out some Andes baking chips, vanilla, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, apple sauce, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.

I combined the dry first because that was easy. The wet part got me confused. Maple syrup, vanilla, and apple sauce together smelled bad. Like cough syrup. I nixed it completely.

Then I decided to add chopped pecans. Then I decided the mint didn’t fit with the maple flavor if I were going to mix that in somehow. So now I’m making chocolate chip cookies with nuts. Well, that’s boring.

By now I still have my dry ingredients looking good, but no wet. So I went back to basics and pulled out butter and eggs. I beat those together and then added my wet to dry and had a real dough. It was a little runny, so I added oats and raisins. Now I have oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies. That sounds a little better! I know it’s been done before, but I created it from scratch. And it tasted good!

And here you have my own recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies:

makes 25-30 cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 C whole wheat flour

1/3 C oats

1/2 C brown sugar

less than 1/4 C flax seeds (optional, still trying to use up a bag)

1/4 C chopped pecans (optional, but cookies are better with nuts)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 C chocolate chips

1/3 C raisins

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 C butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet in another. (In retrospect if I were going by a recipe, I would probably do eggs, butter, brown sugar and vanilla in one bowl and the rest of the dry in the other).

Add wet to dry and mix with electric mixer.

Spoon small balls onto cookie sheet, best if lined with silpat.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and you can smell it through the house.

Now what did I learn? Why do we always have to learn something?

Well I learned that eggs and butter are probably really important to cookies, and I’m not sure how to sub for them properly.

I probably could have added more raisins and oats.

I’m still not sure of the purpose of baking powder and baking soda but I know it’s important.

Maple syrup + applesauce + vanilla is not a good combo.

Playing around in the kitchen is a fun way to experiment.

Filed Under: Dessert, Recipes · Tagged With:

Recent Eats and a Book Review

August 26, 2010 by 4 Comments

Last day to enter the tote bag giveaway!

**Giveaway Reminder** Please remember to enter my giveaway for the Envitote. It’s a reusable grocery tote that is more sturdy but still lightweight than other reusable bags. You have until this afternoon to leave a comment on the giveaway link to get you entered!

Book Review: Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

I just finished Jennifer Weiner’s most recent book, Fly Away Home. I love her earliest books like Good In Bed, Certain Girls, and Goodnight Nobody, so I was eager to start a new one. I have actually read all her books because I love her writing style so much. Did not enjoy last summer’s Best Friends Forever.

Fly Away Home is about a politician who cheats on his wife and mirrors real life couples like the Spitzers, Sanfords, Edwards, and Clintons. (Gosh, why are there so many? And always men?!) The book tells the story from the wife’s point of view. She and her two grown daughters (one a doctor who is having her own affair, and one a recovering addict who is knocked up by a man) cope with his infidelity and move on with their lives in the public eye. The book was also similar to “The Good Wife” television show.

As always, I like Jennifer Weiner’s writing style and character development. The women were easy to like and relate with. Her jokes were funny, there weren’t too many characters to get confused. But to me, the plot didn’t go anywhere. It almost seemed amateur that the women were broken down and then came back together to heal at their vacation cottage. There wasn’t much surprise anywhere in the book. It was enjoyable and a quick read, but when it ended, I was ready to move along.

What I’ve been eating lately:

My meals have been really simple. When it’s just me I’m cooking for, I like to put things together with minimal ingredients or mess. That also means clean eating mostly, so no complaints here about my recent minimalist approach to meal preparation.

Breakfast:

One slice of Blueberry Cinnamon loaf, 2 hard boiled egg whites, unpictured extra blueberries. I cut the loaf when I made it and froze it in slices so I can eat them without any prep. Just defrost and enjoy. And I boiled the eggs over the weekend. Ready in seconds.

Lunch:

Big Salad with Tuna Fish. The salad part was lettuce, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 avocado, carrot sticks, two slices fresh bread left over from Sunday dinner.

Tuna was 1 4 oz pack tuna, 1 hard boiled egg white, pickles, salt, pepper, yellow mustard.

Snack:

4 oz Oikos Greek Vanilla yogurt with banana and ginger snap

Dinner:

Although not the prettiest, this is one of my favorite go-to dinners when I need some vegetables and basics. 1/2 sweet potato, 1/2 C baked beans, roasted brussels sprouts, snap peas, and yellow pepper. I roasted them at 350* for about 25 minutes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin seed. I ate more vegetables than pictured.

I have the second half of the whole meal for the next night.

Quick doesn’t have to be boring. And it doesn’t have to be from the freezer aisle. These meals are flavorful, varied, and nutritious. Plenty of fruit, vegetables, protein, and fats.

What’s your go-to meal?

Filed Under: Books, Breakfast, Daily Update, Dinner, Lunch, Snacks · Tagged With: ,

When to say No

August 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment

**Giveaway Reminder** Please remember to enter my giveaway for the Envitote. It’s a reusable grocery tote that is more sturdy but still lightweight than other reusable bags. You have until Thursday afternoon to leave a comment on the giveaway link to get you entered!

Guest Post:

Did you see my guest post on “What Health Means to Me” on Healthy Living Blogs? Did you know there are over 700 blogs on their lists? The site is only two weeks old!

Saying No:

Why is saying no so hard to do, especially for Type A personalities?

On Tuesday morning, I said no to my planned run. As a review, I am running the Dallas Run The Rock Half Marathon in December, which is more than double what I have run outside. I also have frequent shin splints and periodic hip pain that gets in the way of increasing my mileage. When I signed up for the race, I made a training schedule to give me order, goals, and accomplishment. I gave myself permission to adjust, and I obviously don’t want to hurt myself.

Back to Tuesday: Over one shoulder was my Type A personality telling me to stick with my plan, don’t be a wimp, and get it done. My other shoulder was the reasonable one that said to back off, do something low impact, and wait it out. It also pointed a finger at me and told me that I know what happens if I overdo it. Do you talk to yourself like this?

I obeyed reasonable shoulder and did the elliptical machine and stairmaster and stretched, and I still worked up a sweat. My body knows good pain from bad, and at this very moment, I actually can feel both. The good pain is from swinging a 35 pound kettlebell 75 times on Monday morning at Crossfit and power cleaning 85 pounds! (one time only for one rep max. Bragging over.) And bad pain from a sore right shin that needs rest.

So why do we have such a hard time saying no? Do you know the difference in good pain and bad pain, and can you say no before it’s too late? Here are a few tips that work for me:

1. Know if your pain is general or local. For instance, “my legs are so tired!” is general and will go away, but a sharp pain over your shin or hip is local and you need to stop.

2. Discomfort is not pain. Crossfit is uncomfortable and hopefully causes good pain (see above), lunges make it hard to walk the next day. Not being able to sit down because of back pain is painful.

3. If the pain hits you when you aren’t exercising, you should rest. Sometimes I can feel shin or hip pain when I am walking down stairs or just walking the dog. That’s bad.

4. You know yourself best. Are you generally a sissy or are you really hurt? You probably know even if you don’t think you do.

My tips to get over bad pain (if it’s not too late before seeing a doctor):

1. RICE–y’all know this one, right? Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Do you know the difference in icing and heating–you ice a pain immediately to reduce swelling and inflammation, and use heat for chronic pains.

2. Stop doing the activity that made it hurt! Why is this one so hard for us? Don’t just run less, stop running. Just for a bit to see what happens. You won’t lose your fitness level unless you are actually out for months. And even if you are benched, you will survive and adapt.

3. Don’t stoop into denial or depression–try a new activity until you’re better. Think of it as broadening your horizons. Did you read the Runner’s World article that compares athletic injuries to real depression? Don’t let it happen to you. This article is really great in showing you how our thoughts on pushing ourselves can really be grief related.

I know it’s easier said than done, and I really want to not feel hurt, and it is a bummer. But I also know that resting for a week or two or even three is much better than months or chronic pain and never being able to run again.

What have you said no to lately?

Filed Under: Running, Thoughts · Tagged With: ,

Brand Loyalty

August 24, 2010 by 5 Comments

Please remember to enter my giveaway for the Envitote. It’s a reusable grocery tote that is more sturdy but still lightweight than other reusable bags. You have until Thursday afternoon to leave a comment to get you entered!

Here are some pictures of recent meals. Breakfast has been delicious lately because I found Chobani Vanilla at Kroger, and I added the homemade granola to my bowl (on the left under the Fiber One).

For lunch one day I made a lox sandwich on an Orowheat Sandwich Thin with lettuce, tomatoes, and Laughing Cow cheese instead of cream cheese. I have written about these before, but they are great. 35 calories and 2 g protein per wedge–great for sandwiches, or spread on apples. That’s my favorite way to eat them. They have new flavors coming out, including sundried tomato and basil, which we have been trying out. Delicious!

Sunday night dinner was Greek inspired. We had lemon grilled chicken (recipe was not exceptional so I won’t post it), crostinis brushed with olive oil and topped with feta, tomatoes, and parsley, and a salad of spinach, red onion, feta, kalamata olives, and watermelon. Topped with balsamic vinegar.

Brand Loyalty:

On Sunday, I did something huge–I got all my grocery shopping done at one store. I am usually a real brand loyal person. I use the same salespeople at stores, drink Ozarka over any brand, buy Asics shoes over others, etc. My brand loyalty especially coincides with my grocery store choices. In Dallas, I shopped at Tom Thumb, so in Houston, I wanted to shop at Randalls because they are under the same parent company. My local Randalls is quiet, the workers are helpful, the store isn’t too large.

But recently I have been let down. They don’t have the produce I want, the yogurts I like, or some other odds and ends. I decided to try Kroger and was surprised that I didn’t have to go to a second grocery like I usually do. They had the Chobani yogurts that Whole Foods stopped carrying, new Larabar flavors that I couldn’t find anywhere, Aidells sausage varieties that I couldn’t find, fresh produce, Boars Head meats, etc.

Sometimes breaking our loyalty serves us better. Competitiveness is capitalism, right? So long as I beat the mad Sunday grocery rush.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Thoughts · Tagged With:

Giveaway Monday!

August 23, 2010 by 15 Comments

Before you read about this week’s giveaway, there are lots of exciting things happening!

New CultureMap column:

Did you see my first entry of my new column on CultureMap? I will be writing a periodic column for CultureMap called “Happy Healthy Me.” My first article is called “Blog all about it: A Tweet way to a healthy life.” I’m really excited about writing for CultureMap, so I hope you’ll follow me over there too. And if you found me from CultureMap…welcome!

Please click it, tweet it, show your friends, and leave a comment if you’d like.

There’s a new blog in town:

For Houston people (or those interested in a healthy life in Houston), please check out Houston Health Blogs. Rachael, who blogs from The Woodlands, has created a one-stop place for people to find healthy information about Houston. It’s new but growing, so hop on over for a visit.

Homemade Granola:

For my Sunday in the kitchen recipe, I made homemade granola for a friend who recently had a baby. If I were home all day for a long period of time, I think I’d want some healthy options to choose. And not just because I’m a healthy living blogger.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C rolled oats

1/2 C slivered almonds

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C mixed dried fruit (I did craisins, raisins, and apricots)

1/2 C apple juice

1/3 C maple syrup

1/4 C brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 C flax seeds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl (oats, flax seeds, almonds, cinnamon, salt, dried fruit). Combine wet ingredients and brown sugar in mixing bowl or measuring cup (apple juice, brown sugar, vanilla, syrup) until sugar dissolves.

Pour wet onto dry and stir until combined.

Spray baking sheet with Pam and spread mix evenly.

Bake for 25 minutes, mixing around every 10. Let cool and package it, eat it hot, or add to yogurt, cottage cheese, or anything else that sounds good!

It’s Giveaway time!


Recently, I found out about a company called Envicorp based in Houston. They make eco-friendly grocery bags called Envitotes, and I asked if I could try one out and offer it as a giveaway.

I used the bag (canvas with an adjustable velcro strap) at the grocery store (my grocery picture is above), and it is super sturdy, really holds A LOT of groceries that pack nicely because the bag does not collapse when open, and then packs down nicely at home when you remove the bottom.

Taking your own bag to the grocery made transporting home easy, and no plastic bags to throw away.


To enter this give-away, please leave a comment here telling me about that you’d like to win this eco-friendly and stylish bag to take to the grocery store with you. For a bonus entry, please follow them on Twitter (@envicorp) or Facebook (Envicorp Products LLC) and leave a second comment here telling me that you did so.

I will pick a winner on Thursday afternoon and announce it on Friday morning on my blog.

ALSO–if you do not win this giveaway but do order a bag from their website, you will get free shipping for being a blog reader of mine! Just enter Free Shipping as the coupon code.

Filed Under: Houston, Snacks · Tagged With: , ,

Guest post by Lily the dog

August 20, 2010 by 7 Comments

Hello everyone, this is Lily and I am taking over this blog for the day. Do you like my smile in the picture above?  This post has taken me all week to type because my paws aren’t so agile with these keys. But anything for my mom, who told me that I am very popular on this site and her readers might like to hear from me.

Here’s a little about me in case you are new or haven’t seen my pictures yet. I am 7 months old and my mom and dad took me home in April. I am a shih tzu and weigh about 7 pounds (I am only telling you this since it’s a health and fitness blog and think you might be wondering). I don’t know my height, but it’s short. I am pretty sure I’m within an appropriate range so don’t worry.

It took me a few months to teach them the ropes (they tried to put me in a crate to sleep at night!), but I’ve got them wrapped around my finger now. And I sleep on their big king sized bed too. It’s so soft and comfy.

Now I will tell you about one of my days. Isn’t that what she writes about on here? Let’s take yesterday for example. My mom told me that we were going to sleep until 6 a.m. I woke her at 5:30. She told me to go back to bed. I said no and sat next to her staring at her until she got up to take me outside. Heh heh heh.

Then she said that she was going to do yoga for an hour and I should go back to bed or play with my toys. I did that for a little while, but I got bored. So I sat on her mat, pulled her hair, licked her hands, and barked. She got real annoyed and then couldn’t finish her podcast, whatever that is. I win again.

I ate a little breakfast (Avoderm chicken and rice puppy kibble if you were wondering), we walked outside, and then I got in trouble for eating things I wasn’t supposed to. How am I supposed to know? I’m just a dog. I also poo pooed in her closet while she wasn’t looking. I had to go! I’m still not good at giving a warning.

For my daily fitness, you won’t find me training for any races. I walk a house or two and play fetch inside.

Here are some pictures of me that I posed for doing different things during the day like sitting, resting, and playing. I’m real cute.

This is me with my dad watching sports. He likes to watch TV when he’s home, and I just like it when he holds me and scratches my back. I don’t know what sports are anyway.

This is me before bed. I get real tired and fall asleep fast. I love my bed.

 

I hope you have a good weekend! My mom will be back on Monday to entertain you again…after she feeds and plays with me, that is.

Filed Under: Lily · Tagged With:

Recent Dinners, and a new Loaf Recipe

August 19, 2010 by 9 Comments

 I brought the above salad to a Shabbat dinner last weekend. Isn’t it colorful? I love to use my entertaining pieces that never get to leave their cabinets. This one had mixed greens, avocado, apple, candied walnuts, craisins, and a green pepper.

Race news: I signed up for a new race! I had been looking for a race to practice before the Run the Rock Half Marathon in December. I am very scared about that. I will be running the Monster Mash 10K on October 30 in Houston. Interested in running too? There’s also a 5K for the same price of $20. And you get to wear a costume! I do realize that this race falls on a Texas home game vs. Baylor, but maybe the game will be later in the day and you can do both (attention Jeffrey Harris Gilbert).

Recipe News: I love recipes by Anne. And here’s a trick that I’ve figured out. If you find bloggers that you like, you don’t have to buy many new ingredients because your kitchen is like theirs. For example, the only thing in this recipe that I didn’t have was applesauce. And now I can bake more with that.

Blueberry Apple Cinnamon Yogurt Bread

 

Ingredients:

Dry:

2 C spelt flour (I subbed whole wheat)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C finely ground flaxseed (I subbed non-ground)
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Wet:

1 C unsweetened applesauce
1 C skim milk
1/2 C nonfat plain yogurt
2/3 C blueberries
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

1) In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, then add wet to dry.

2) Pour the batter into a 9×5 loaf pan.

3) Bake in the oven for 55 mins to 1 hour.

It’s delicious, not too sweet. Don’t be scared by using applesauce or yogurt. Notice there aren’t eggs, butter, or white sugar. Try it. And I like that it has a short ingredient list. Freezes great for future breakfasts or snacks, great with peanut butter on top. Enjoy!

 

Dinnertime:

Pan Seared Tofu with Brown Rice and Vegetables

My dinners during the week are really not complicated. But I’m writing this blog for me (since my readers are silent!), and I get turned off by something that looks hard or time consuming for a weeknight meal. This barely counts as cooking, it’s just gathering. I’m telling you this because you can easily put together a meal at home that is tasty, balanced, and fast.

Look at my veggies–looks like the Italian flag, huh? I baked snap peas, mushrooms, and red peppers in the oven for ~20 minutes on 350 degrees with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

 I used Uncle Ben’s 90 second brown rice.

For the tofu, I followed Emily’s instructions as usual like here too. This is fool-proof. And leaving it in rectangles makes the cooking easier too. You must give tofu a chance, or another chance. All together, I had three pieces of tofu blocks, brown rice, and mixed vegetables. Super simple and tasty.

Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Running · Tagged With:

Houston Restaurant Week

August 18, 2010 by 6 Comments

Have you heard of the new website that compiles healthy living blogs like mine called Healthy Living Blogs? If you don’t live in Houston and want to find a similar blog where you live, check out HLB for one in your area. The site is just a week old, so keep checking back! There’s a widget button on the bottom right sidebar to click to the website also.

In food related news, Houston is concluding Restaurant Week and we checked out two restaurants. For $35, you get a 3-course meal offered at 130 restaurants in the city, including the swankiest and hottest restaurants in town. $5 from each dinner goes to the Houston Food Bank. You have until Saturday if you still want to check out some places! The nice thing about Restaurant Week is that the restaurants enjoy it too. They fill with people in a typically slow restaurant month and show off their food.

Benjy’s:

First up was Benjy’s on Washington. We have been to Benjy’s before, but this was a good excuse to try some new things. A fun and modern atmosphere is relayed in the food as well. We had a great waitress, Benjy walks around to check on tables and deliver food, and the food was great too.

First up was the pre-appetizer table sampler of rye chips, beet-flavored pickles, and parmesan crackers. More original than rolls! They used to serve popcorn. I liked the parmesan crackers best.

My salad was Farmer’s Market Tomatoes with Basil, Manchego Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette. Can’t go too heavy yet–we had a three course dinner. And I will try local and fresh tomatoes any day.

My main course was Grilled Canadian Salmon with watercress salad, Asian pears, and vanilla-kumquat vinaigrette. The portions are big and tasty, and the fruit and vegetables underneath were delicious paired with salmon. There was also some kind of grain on the left that I am not sure of. Maybe a quinoa?

Jeffrey’s main course was an all-star entree–Crunchy Chicken pistachio and pecan crusted, marbled potato gratin, and a sweet corn reduction. It’s delicious.

And my favorite part of going to Benjy’s is Mom’s Chocolate Cake with fudge pecan icing and vanilla bean ice cream. Rumor is that “mom” makes the cake daily and brings it to the restaurant so the recipe stays a secret. Also served with frozen berries and a not-too-crunchy biscotti.

The other dessert on the table (everyone gets their own!) was butterscotch bread pudding with ice cream. Equally delicious, but my heart belongs to classic, dense chocolate cake.

Haven Houston:

Next up for our anniversary, we went to Haven. This restaurant is relatively new to Houston, and focuses on locally grown everything served in creative ways. Like spicy shrimp corn dogs with a lemonade shooter. It is a beautiful space inside with a pretty patio area too. You’d never know you are a block from a major highway. We love hidden Houston restaurants.

I started with the baby arugula salad with peaches, peach vinaigrette, candied pecans and a goat cheese crostini. It is delicious to eat fresh peaches in the summertime.

My main course was the vegetarian option. I usually would order a chicken or fish, but their choice was squash, and I love squash cooked for me. It also had other ingredients that I don’t know how to prepare (like kale).

Summer Squash with quinoa, shelling peas, mire poix, butternut squash, kale

I learned that I like butternut squash best. Can’t wait for Fall!

Jeffrey had the Free range chicken with bacon spaetzle, and crispy onions. What is Spaetzle? I’m still not sure but it looked like mini gnocchi.

And again, our own dessert. I ordered the Ambrosia with blackberries, peaches, blueberries, lemon curd, pecans, coconut, peach sorbet, and fresh mint. It was delicious and light.

Jeffrey got the coconut tres leches bread pudding. Mmmm good too.

And with that, we will roll home and eat salads for the rest of the month. Restaurant week goes on for 21 days–Try somewhere new if you haven’t yet!

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