I was pretty productive this morning...until about an hour ago when I turned The Hills on and sat here with my jaw dropped at the absolute ridiculousness that unfolded before my eyes. Holy crap. I stop watching for like 3 seasons and it's like the show grew beyond train wreck status. WHAT IS HEIDI's DRESS? SERIOUSLY?
Correction, my issue is not with the dress...it's with the freaking accessories. Do you want more jewelry, lady? Because I don't think you have enough on. No. Definitely not.
Yeah, I know I'm way late on the celebrity scoop, but I'm ok with that. Aaaanyway...my morning started bright and early with a super sweaty (we're talking two-towel sweaty) bootcamp class. We did a bunch of stairs, lunges and a few fun things with stability balls - including hamstring curls.
I then set off to do my 8 mile run - which felt surprisingly good on the legs after all those leg workouts! Totally got into zone out mode AND I even had headphones in (gasp!) - yes, sometimes I need music to get me moving in the mornings! It was one of those electronic-y, flashback sort of days that made me happy:
I wound my way downtown to the Lincoln and the Reflecting Pool before hitting the Mall. I was feeling good, but once I got around the Capitol Reflecting Pool, I started feeling this weird bruise-y pain in my left achilles and in my book, that means STOP. You don't f around with stuff like that.
I figured I had gotten a good sweat in so I wasn't about to push it through the pain, especially since I've got a 12-miler tomorrow morning. I think I'm set.
I was starving once I got home, so I made myself a bowl of Fage 0% Total, honey, Craisins, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch.
Not going to lie - I wish we had some eggs in the fridge. I totally could have used something salty for breakfast. Thankfully, I had this waiting in the wings for lunch!
I made a wrap with a slice of gouda, some turkey, Sabra Jalapeno Hummus and romaine...all tucked into a flour tortilla. On the side - sweet potato fries with a sprinkle of salt. I could eat sweet potato fries all day long. No. I take that back. I could eat sweet potato anything all day long. To me, sweet potatoes scream fall. What food item screams fall to you?
I'm off to get some social interaction at work now...and hopefully I'll gain back some of those brain cells I lost to The Hills earlier ;p Happy almost weekend!!
taco taco.
You guessed it...tonight marked the return of the Brown Rice Taco Bowl. Comforting, filling and full-o-ruffage! This time around, I threw some feta in my bowl...um, not a good idea. Not that any of you would be crazy to throw some feta in a taco bowl, but I thought I'd give you a heads up anyway haha.
It's been quite a frustrating day that culminated in me sprinting (we're talking full out sprint for 2-3 blocks in work clothes) in my fairly new shoes only to miss an appointment by like half a minute. UGH. As cute as my shoes are
they are not exactly appropriate for running. Though, I guess I got a random taste of quasi-barefoot running. Hmph.
Passed on my run today since I could barely move my legs. Holy soreness, Batman! Totally a combination of my 19 miler/lack of stretching and bootcamp! I feel like I have buns of steel...unfortunately they hurt when I move! haha.
So, bootcamp...does not involve one of these guys
Nono. It's a fitness bootcamp taught by a personal trainer that I took for a few months earlier this year. From 7:05am - 8:00am Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I pay to get my butt kicked. Or at least that's what it feels like. Our instructor is actually pretty forgiving when it comes to workouts. I was a little scared before my very first class - thinking I'd get yelled at if if I had to stop in the middle of the stair workout I had heard so much about. Thankfully, he's not crazy and understands that everyone is at a different fitness level and is in the class to get into shape.
Class usually consists of jumping jacks, pushups, lunges, ab work, squats, lots of stairs, some running if it's nice out, lots of weight training and other workouts that reminded me of high school track. I enjoy it because it lets me get an early workout in (I am still amazed that I can get up for bootcamp and my long runs, but I fail the rest of the week), it's a different workout each class, AND I get my strength training in!
I complain about the soreness, but I know it's mostly due to the fact that these muscles have been napping since I last took the class in May. I also know that I can attribute all my PRs this year to this class. I noticed after awhile of taking the class, that I felt like a stronger runner - more upright as I ran and felt stronger, faster and super buff...well for me, at least.
Ok, not Madonna buff, but you get it :p
That being said, I'm going to snack on some of Jamie's favorite fall treat
What's your favorite fall candy?
Bootcamp started up again today and let me tell you, my legs and eyeballs wanted nothing to do with getting up at 6:15 this morning. Nothing. After a little coercing, I managed to get out of bed and out the door and down the metro escalator. O boy. Walking down stairs was not cool. Lesson number one - ALWAYS stretch after running. I tend to slack off on the stretching, especially when I'm in a rush and I'm always paying for it afterward. Ugh. Bad bad bean!
Luckily our bootcamp instructor was recovering from being sick so he 'took it easy' on us this first class. HA. A bunch of push ups, jumping jacks, 10 sets of stairs, walking lunges and squats, overhead presses, ab work and planks later and I'm a sweaty mess. Oh stairs, how I haven't missed you! I was reminded that my arms are the weakest part of my body ALL DAY haha. And you know what? I love the soreness and the sweat. I guess that's why I keep going back for more ;p Do you secretly enjoy being sore after a good workout?
Had a busy day at the office and then off to the running store I went. Thankfully, the two hours I was there flew by - we were pretty busy for a Monday night (not that I've ever worked on a Monday :p)! Walked home in some gorgeous evening weather and Jamie had dinner all ready! Yep, Chef Jamie went to work on some Breaded Pork Tenderloin with Italian Zucchini Saute.
This is sort of a big deal because Jamie made the whole meal on his own - he never cooks whole meals on his own! WOOO! The pork tenderloin was so tender and flavorful, though Jamie will say the breading was too mushy on the bottom, and the zucchini was tangy and oniony and delicious!
Close up of the pork:
And the veggies:
Yum yum!
Time to put my feet up and rest! Phew! This morning's 19 miler started off dark and chilly, but we knocked those somewhat hilly miles out in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Not too shabby considering we both were guilty of skipping a few runs this week and the whole sick thing! Wooo! The weather was absolutely PERFECT for running and the strange thing was that I was actually able to breathe! haha. My sinuses were totally clear and happy during the run, but the minute I stopped, they clogged up again. Argh.
New kicks worked out wonderfully, save the last surge up a hill where I got a pinching feeling between my middle and ring toes, but I'm pretty sure it's something weird with my feet. V and I had a casual walk to my old bagel spot in Woodley Park, grabbed a SALTY salt bagel and some watermelon and we were golden :)
The only downside to our run? Somewhere between mile 16 and 17, we stopped to refill our bottles at a water fountain on the mall. V took a sip as we made our way around the Washington Monument and immediately spit it out. Me, being curious, took a sip of mine and wanted to gag. It tasted like sewage! Even after emptying my bottle it smelled foul! UGH! Amphipod is getting soaked in hot water and soap as we speak!
Before heading off to work this afternoon, I went with my latest breakfast creation - the PB&J Quesadilla:
OK, I KNOW, it's not a pretty picture! I toasted two flour tortillas and spread some peanut butter and guava jelly in between. The peanut butter got all melty and the crunch of the two tortillas was a perfect balance! Beats all the extra bread in a pb&j sammich!
It's been a LONG long weekend filled with working tons of shifts at the store, which is time consuming, but a fun change from being stuck in an office all day. So glad to finally be able to stretch and let my feet rest! We did a quick grocery run for the week (hoping to do at least two fun new dinners) and saw that Sabra Hummus was on sale - Buy one, Get one FREE. Score! Only flavor left? Um, THE BEST KIND!!
Seriously, people - AMAZING hummus. But you know what, if no one wants to buy it in my neighborhood, then so be it. I will gladly take all the Jalapeno Hummus Giant has to offer :p
For dinner tonight, we defrosted a container of chili - nothing exciting so no photo, but I do love eating chili long after the first time it's cooked :)
For dessert we had some Lychee Coconut Ice Cream
I saw Janice's creation on Filipina Loves Food a few weeks ago and knew Jamie was going to get an urge to make some ice cream soon, so I immediately sent him the recipe. He ran into a bit of a freezing problem - I think he added the lychees and juice too soon - and it wasn't freezing properly in the ice cream maker so he ended up just dumping it into a container and freezing it. After stirring it occasionally, it finally froze, but had more of an ice milk texture. Whatever, it was still DELICIOUS! SO addictive!! Two thumbs up!
Bootcamp starts up tomorrow so I'm off to get ready! I'm preparing for jelly legs since I haven't run stairs in AGES. :) Hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend!
These rainy Mondays really need to stop.
Bootcamp this morning was brutal. We do this 'game' with a deck of cards at least once a week where each suit is a different exercise (hearts=step back lunges, jokers=squat thrusts, diamonds=push ups). Now, while I do enjoy tough workouts, it seems our trainer likes them even more since he sneaks in some cards here and there. Today's class was no exception. Somehow there weren't any diamonds lower than 6 in that deck - and I find it hard to believe that there are three 10 of diamond cards in a single deck ;) Totally beat after that class.
Lunch today was only a salad w/goat cheese, crasins and pepperoni (random, yes, but I had some leftover from pizza night last week). I found myself wishing I had some leftovers from last night instead :\
Last night's dinner was part experimental, part safety. I went with an Asian-y tilapia inspired by one my mom does. I was missing slivered almonds this time around, but I'll include them in the recipe below. Then I decided to use some shiratake noodles I picked up at Daruma for a noodle salad with sesame ginger dressing. I love the ginger dressing you get on salads at Japanese restaurants, especially on the slices of cucumber and carrot, so I decided to create a noodle salad around that:
The tilapia ready to go into the oven
Plated w/the noodle salad
Verdict? BOO TILAPIA. I've given this fish so many chances and lately it's done nothing but disappoint me. It's totally the cheapest fish at the store for a reason - no matter how you dress it, it tastes like dirt too earthy. That being said, I love the seasonings I used, so definitely give this a try with any white fish (I've done this with halibut and I think cod before). The noodle salad was really tasty, especially with the dressing. I must give fair warning - it's really oniony!
Asian-Inspired Tilapia
2 tilapia fillets, or any other white fish. PLEASE use any other white fish! :)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1/4 c scallion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp ginger, grated
2 tbsp slivered almonds
3 tbsp sesame oil
Preheat broiler. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce and mirin. Sprinkle fish with ginger, garlic, half of the scallions and sauce. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until cooked through. While fish is cooking, heat the sesame oil in a pan. Take fish out of oven and sprinkle almonds and remaining scallions, drizzle fish with the hot oil.
Shiratake Noodle Salad
1 package shiratake noodles
1 c cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 c carrot, julienned
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 small onion, grated
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Boil water for shiratake noodles, soak for 3-5 minutes, drain and cool. Mix tahini, soy sauce, onion, ginger, sugar, vinegar and oil. Place noodles on plate, top with cucumber, carrot and dressing.
Tonight's dinner was a total experiment. I wanted to make pad thai, but my fridge and cabinets seemed to have other plans. The result was something tasty and reminiscent of pad thai, but definitely not anything close to an authentic pad thai. I'd make it again though...with a few adjustments.
Eh, bad bowl color choice ;)
I improvised since I a) didn't have tamarind paste or juice b) ran out of fish sauce as I was cooking c) realized as I got home that the tofu would be better if it was flavored but only had a few minutes to flavor it and d) I ran out of my experimental sauce. I also realized as I looked up pad thai recipes that I must be the only asian on the planet without a wok.
I stopped at the Giant to pick up some eggs and figured I should get a back up sauce just in case mine needed help or needed to be replaced. So I went with this:
Thai Kitchen is one of those brands I'll reach for in a non-Asian grocery b/c it's usually pretty good for sauces/pastes when you need one in a pinch. When I opened this one, it was really tomato-y so I just used it sparingly (until I ran out of sauce at the end and had to dump some extra in...oops!)
I 'spiced' my tofu by dipping them in a mixture of Chinese five spice powder, soy sauce, chili oil and mirin. Totally would have been better if I soaked them during the day.
Verdict: Not bad considering all the experimenting. Definitely needed more sauce - totally underestimated the power of the noodle. Here's the recipe, with modifications on the measurements:
Wannabe Pad Thai
1 package pad thai noodles, soaked and drained
1/2 c fish sauce
1/4 c worcestershire sauce
1/4 c lime juice
1/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c bean sprouts
1/3 c scallions, chopped
2 eggs
2 tbsp chili oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 package firm tofu
In a small saucepan, heat fish sauce, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, sugar, peanut butter and Pad Thai sauce; set aside. In a wok or large pot, heat chili and vegetable oil. Add garlic and bean sprouts. Push to one side of the pot and scramble eggs on the cleared side. Add tofu, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add sauce, scallions and noodles. Cook another 3 minutes until noodles are coated.
Correction, my issue is not with the dress...it's with the freaking accessories. Do you want more jewelry, lady? Because I don't think you have enough on. No. Definitely not.
I figured I had gotten a good sweat in so I wasn't about to push it through the pain, especially since I've got a 12-miler tomorrow morning. I think I'm set.
