We have entered day three of this sugar detox and all is well… so far. No illness, no stomach upsets, no death. Who would have thunk it? I’m proud to say I received another sticker for yesterday as I followed both of my rules – exercise and no sugars. Although, I did have about five grapes to cure my sugar craving that was creeping up. So sneaky I tell you!

After my 55 minute cardio session while watching Modern Family – which is absolutely hilarious by the way – I went home and decided I wanted to try an “Egg Muffins” recipe that I came across from another blog, “The Food Lover’s Primal Palate.” <—- Awesome!

Ingredients:

• 50/50 mix of omega 3 eggs and Trader Joe’s Cage Free 100% Liquid Egg Whites
• Onions
• Broccoli
• Peppers (green or red)
• Coconut oil
• Non-stick muffin pan or a traditional size muffin pan with cupcake papers.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Saute the vegetables in a frying pan over medium heat with the coconut oil. Besides tasting great, coconut oil has many health benefits (and is also a fat-burning catalyst, because it is a medium chain fatty acid. Here is a great article explaining the health benefits of coconut oil!)
3. Cut off the sauteing process about half-way through cooking. The veggies will finish in the oven.
4. Divide vegetables evenly between your muffin tins.
5. Mix the eggs and the egg whites in a bowl, and pour into the tins. Only fill the tins ¾ of the way to the top – they will rise a little.
6. Stir the vegetable and egg mixture briefly to disperse the vegetables evenly in the tins.
7. Bake the egg muffins in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. Your cooking time may vary depending on the tin, the oven. Adjust accordingly.
8. Once muffins have cooled, store in your refrigerator for a healthy breakfast meal / anytime snack! They typically keep for about a week.

After:

These are so cute and so perfect for on-the-go people who don’t have time to sit down for breakfast or are too lazy to make something in the morning!  These also make a good mid-afternoon snack when you need some extra protein to hold you over and last but not least, a great way to get your veggies in. I actually had two of these today for breakfast alongside a Van’s waffle. This girl is one satisfied Sally!

*Suggestion: These came out a little bland because I didn’t use enough salt. As you can see, this recipe doesn’t list any spices –  but what’s great about this recipe is that it’s easily modifiable. Next time, I will add some more spices like salt, pepper, cayenne and also cheese! Who doesn’t love cheese, right? I’m thinking grated Parm or Feta (obvi) would be delicious!

Happy Thirsty Thursday

Last night I ended the month with a mouth full of interesting flavors.

For starters:

*goat carpaccio . tongue-olive vinaigrette . smoked roe (yep, I tried raw goat)

*warm marinated olives (not that good)

*goat chorizo flatbread . ajvar . peppers . green tomato . apricot . fresh ricotta (Delicious)

*hen of the woods mushroom ragout. sweet potato agnolotti . shroom creme fraiche . capers (also delicious)

*braised beef tongue . masa . beef vinaigrette . salsa verde (Not good)

*wood oven roasted pig face . sunny side egg . tamarind . cilantro . potato stix (Delicious)

*roasted cauliflower . pickled peppers . pine nuts . mint (So good)

*confit goat belly . bourbon butter . lobster n’ crab . fennel (One of the best dishes)

*chickpeas fritters . eggplant-tomatillo caponata . crave brother’s mozzarella (One of my favorites)

*ham frittes . smoked tomato aioli . cheddar beer sauce (I mean any type of “frittes” has my heart)

Last but not least – Dessert.

*chocolate bouchon . foie fluff . salted toffee . milk chocolate  sorbet . gooseberry compote

*pork fat doughnuts . honey yogurt . carmelized figs . lemony eggplant . ham streusel

As you can see, the brownie was demolished. The doughnuts not so much. Overall, it was a fun experience! Glad I ended the month with a big overload of sugar and salt – this way I’ll have absolutely zero withdrawal today

*Food description is off of the Girl and the Goat website.

Another fun weekend has come and gone, which led to some bad food decisions yesterday, but that usually happens when you don’t treat your body right the night before!

The Good:

I was prepared for a sloth Sunday, so I decided to run my first ever four miles on Saturday. The last mile was slightly brutal, but I pushed through!!

Celebration with great friends

“Making a thousand friends is not a miracle.  A miracle is making one friend who will stand by your side when thousands are against you.”

Too much of this: (birthday shots)

Leads to that: (weird fish faces)

And that: (too much fun!)

Never underestimate the power of good company.

“The happiest people I know keep an open mind to new ideas and ventures, use their leisure time as a means of mental development, and love good music, good books, good pictures, good company and good conversation.  And oftentimes they are also the cause of happiness in others – me in particular.”

Definitely never underestimate the effect of late night extravaganzas the following day – or maybe I”m just getting old :/

*A lovely new addition to the Boudouvas and Konstantopoulos family. 8lbs 21 inches – a big prince was born. BBB – Baby Bobby Boudouvas!

The Bad:

Food, nap, food, nap, more food and more nap. That’s pretty much how my Sunday flew by.

Meal 1 of 100.

I didn’t have the energy to do my 50 minute cross train yesterday, therefore today I’ll be using my “rest” day for XT day.  Happy Monday. Oh, the joy.

Be well

Happy Monday and fresh new start to the week!

Lets start with food from the weekend:

Whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and frozen blueberries

Roasted Brussel Sprouts sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and bacon

Grilled pork chops and chicken breast

Friday night was rest day and date night (my favorite) so I indulged with some dessert!

Apple pie with hazelnut ice cream. It looks much better than it tasted. Very disappointing.

Sunday we went to a pumpkin farm: (Me in my workout gear for my 3.5 miles after, yes I did complete my run and yes, I did get lost in a straw maze… for kids)

We had a little bit of this: Corn on the cob

And a little bit of that: Liquid butter

Which resulted in a little bit of sweet tooth action: Peanut butter brownie and pumpkin pie

The food didn’t stop there. I had Kashi pizza for dinner with Alexia baked onion rings and some spinach artichoke dip. Yup. True story.

The great news is, I completed my first week of 10K training and I have the stickers to prove it:

Sunday’s long run was quite the task because I was running against the wind, but my new snazzy shoes (will post picture later) kept me going

Hope you all had a great weekend as well and remember, new day – new you!

We can all get easily discouraged because the truth is it’s much easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than it is to exercise, but the bottom line is that we all need to move – for the rest of our lives. Period. This is just non-negotiable, so below are some images from pinterest.com that I found to be very motivating last night as I had a few five handfuls of kettle corn - told you it wouldn’t last longer than two days! As I read a few of these, I found myself walking to the garbage can and dumping out the rest - oh, yes I did!

I’ll be honest, yesterday I was feeling really crappy. Massive headache all afternoon and it was the first day of my 10K training, but I didn’t let that stop me. When you have a goal you really just need to do it. I completed 2.5 miles which means I get a gold star on my training calendar The easy way out would have been to use my headache as an excuse, but no one ever accomplished anything the easy way and the feeling of accomplishment is so worth the pain!

When I got home after my run, I went straight to the kitchen to make some steak fajitas – with Feta (truth be told, I eat Feta with everything. I’m Greek - it happens.)

• Breakfast: buckwheat waffle with peanut butter, frozen blueberries and a drizzle of raw agave nectar.
• Lunch: my quinoa salad with shrimp.
• Unnecessary snack: kettle corn.

I don’t count calories because I would lose my mind and it seems to have the opposite effect for me. Again, there’s no one method that works for everyone - as we are all different, so do what works for you! Instead of counting calories, I sort of just eye-ball it.

Example: If I eat a heavy breakfast or heavy lunch my dinner will be lighter or if I eat a lot of starchy carbs for breakfast and lunch my dinner will be more lean and green. You know when you are over-eating better than anyone else, that’s why it’s hard for me to say only eat this or that. My best advice would be, through trial and error, figure out what keeps you full throughout the day and eat off of a small plate – just don’t keep going back for more

Words of Wisdom:

  WORK IT – WORK IT!!!

Alright, so my proposed goal was to wake up bright and early today to run. Yeah…… that didn’t happen. In my defense – I needed sleep and hoping to make it happen tonight after work.

I think I’ll point the finger to pms symptoms. They really do get the best of us. In fact, I downed a bag of peanut m&ms today after my chicken salad. I mean, I’m only human after all – what do you expect! Sometimes you just need to do what you gotta do and enjoy every minute of it – which I did at the time, but right now the bloat, sugar crash and headache really aren’t working out for me!

I really should have followed my tips on how to overcome situations like this, but I caved. All I want to do is curl up in a ball and go to sleep until Sunday. Instead, I have a loaded weekend full of activities so I have to just suck it up and gain my energy back somehow. To help gain energy you need to keep moving even though you don’t feel like it. So, when I’m having days like these I typically go for elliptical machines because they require less energy than running. It’s better than nothing, people!

My food hasn’t been the greatest (I cheated last night and today- for obvious reasons) but it could always be worse. So far, my favorite dish was the sweet potato concoction! In fact, last night I made it again and ate the entire sweet potato. Followed by two Greek cookies. This is not a joke, I assure you. Oh, and the no snack rule hasn’t been working out for me this week either. :/

Today is as follows:

• Breakfast: Whole wheat English Muffin with Peanut butter
• Lunch : Chicken salad and peanut M&Ms
• Dinner: I should probably starve until tomorrow – very unlikely given my appetite as of late.

On a lighter note, it’s FRIDAY!!! Freedom never smelled so good! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend planned too

Let the week begin! Despite the nasty weather outside, I’m ready to take on this week’s challenges – whatever they may be.  AND – I’m expecting you to do the same

Weekend Workout Recap as follows:

Friday – 3 mile run in 35 minutes (2 minutes less than on Monday!)

Saturday – 2 mile run outside – 1 on the dreadmill (So much better to run with a buddy!)

Sunday – straight up bum-day after Saturday night’s activities – I know, terrible of me.

I get 4 gold stars on my calendar for last week. I guess I can insert “that’s better than nothing” to this post – all things considered.  Anyway, I must also note that Friday I went and saw “Contagion” which was really good – besides the fact that you instantly become a germaphobe – and I didn’t get popcorn (and I’m the “can’t watch a movie without popcorn girl!) Thank you, thank you! I came prepared and brought my own little goodie-bag that consisted of raw almonds and mini plums – and let me tell you – popcorn is so much better. Really, I mean – if I said it wasn’t I’d be lying, but how you feel afterward is what counts, and resisting that greasy, salty, crunchy oh-so-damn-good popcorn makes you feel pre-tty good about yourself!

Here’s a little tip for all you “can’t watch a movie without popcorn” people. There is a brand of popcorn called “Skinny Pop” and it’s absolutely a-mazing. Caution: you might eat the whole bag – so be sure to put your serving in a zip lock, walk away and never look back! I bring this to the theaters all the time if I don’t have time to pop my own! It’s a million times better – for you-  than eating theater popcorn and you don’t feel guilty about it afterward. Plus, there are only 35 calories per serving!!

Saturday night we went out to a Mexican bar/restaurant in Chicago called “Mercadito.” The food was unbelievable – and so were the drinks. In fact, too good that I “forgot” to take pictures of the wonderful food presentation I don’t think I have had better tacos in my life and I’m a Mexican food junkie – what can I say, guacamole had me at hello.

Being that it was a perfect fall night, I was in the mood to bust out my black tights and red lips. That may not sound right – but you know what I mean

Here is a pic of me and a few of my besties! You can’t see my tights, but I promise I was wearing them under my shorts. I absolutely love-love tights. Why? Because they cover your pasty winter-white skin and they add some flare to an otherwise boring outfit! Plus, they keep you warm As for the red lips – the trick is to get the right shade of red. Some have more blue undertones and some more orange. Figure out which one matches your skin-tone best and go easy on the eye make-up – but that doesn’t mean your only option is the typical boring cat eye. You can use lighter earthy shades (taupe, brown, beige, gold) with some liner and mascara!

Alright, enough about the past. Lets focus on the present. Today has been rough, not gonna lie. It’s incredibly gloomy out, which makes it that much harder to stay awake – let alone stay focused. For days like these, I like to make a second cup of coffee just to give me that extra jolt I so desperately need – especially if I want to make it to the gym later. I strongly suggest you do the same (if you’re feeling sleepy) because Monday usually sets the tone for the week, so let’s make it a good one!

I will leave you with this quote: 

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

*Jump on the dreadmill and act like you love it

Pumpkin Season

Fall is – by far- my favorite season of all and it’s right around the corner!  I can’t help but think of warm pumpkin spice lattes – thank you, Starbucks. Just about anything pumpkin, really. Everything – from the weather, to the color of the leaves, to the food, to the fashion – and dare not forget, HALLOWEEN!!! Fall – is - just – fabulous!

This fall, I want to set some goals for myself- but before I go into those, I want to talk more about fall and how we can make it the most fabulous one yet! I don’t know about you, but this Summer felt like one big BBQ. I love-love bbq’s, but my scale… not so much! The time is now. The time to kick into high gear because before you know it, it’s Thanksgiving dinner and you’re wearing sweats at your aunt’s house because you have muffin top in every other pair of pants that you own! T-N-O.

One of the dietary theories I learned about in school, was Ayuverda. According to Ayuverda, there are three seasons: Fall-Winter, Spring and Summer. So, the basic principle is to eat what’s in season. Sounds obvious, right? Well, it’s so incredibly easy now-a-days to do just the opposite. When you go into a grocery store, you will find products from all over the world and that’s why you see some fruits and vegetables available all year round. Let’s think about this logically. Why do we eat watermelon in the summer and not in the winter? You’re thinking – easy… because watermelon is cooling and refreshing, so it wouldn’t make sense to eat it in the winter when you want to stay warm. Well, you’re exactly right. (You guys are so brilliant)! That my friends is, essentially, all there is to it. Eat in season. Simple. Mother earth has created a system and every single fruit and vegetable grows in a specific season for a reason! (rhyme was not on purpose- cute though).

One of my goals- and should be yours too- this fall, is to eat more seasonal foods. Unprocessed, of course. Here is a site that lists the top ten autumn comfort foods (thanks for sharing, Renata) along with a brief nutritional description. This list is just the “comfort foods,” but there are other in-season veggies too, like one of my personal fav’s: squash! (I make squash fries all the time – slice, spice, and bake. done). Here is a link to a printable grocery list.

Below are the comfort foods listed out:

1. Apples (Green have the lowest GI)

2. Cranberries

3. Pumpkin (mix it into your oatmeal- quick and easy!)

4. Garlic (pick the right time and place for this one, peeps)

5. Ginger

6. Parsnips (Link takes you to a great parsnip fries recipe – from a blog I love)

7. Kale (Basic Kale chips recipe- amaze)

8. Sweet Potato (Make sweet potato fries- notice the fries theme)

9. Cinnamon (Amazing spice. Helps speed up metabolism too! Use in everything.)

10. Pepper

My next goal this fall, is to register for my first 5k race! That’s the other great thing about fall – there are so many races coming up (or maybe I’m just more aware of them now.) Fortunately for me, my fabulous friends agreed to join me, which makes it that much more fun and exciting! Plus, you’re giving back - always wonderful Now, I’ve been pretty active this summer because I do sit behind a computer for 8 hours, and it’s super easy to pack on the lbs, but in order to get into this whole race thing, I plan to kick up my workout routine to 6 days a week and adding more runs.  I know, I know… working out isn’t that pleasant for most people- including myself, but when you want something you need to work for it. Period. So do what you gotta do… brainwash yourself and go into – what my friend Lea likes to call- ”robo-mode” (it works.) Another great trick is positive reinforcement (thank you, my psychologist friend, Nina.) I put a sticker on my calendar for every day that I workout and it really helps! Try it if you don’t believe me

My ultimate goal is to run 3 miles in 30 minutes, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves now. I’ll be updating you all on my workouts and seasonal foods that I incorporate into my health kick this fall. Doing that also keeps me accountable because I can be quite the cheater – but at least I’m not quite the liar  My final “goal”, is to come up with a fantastic halloween costume!

What are some of your favorite fall foods? What do you plan to do this fall to kick into high gear? And most importantly, what are you going to be for halloween?!  Let me know!

PS: I didn’t forget about fall fashion. Lets be serious- that gets it’s own post!

*Vicky

Truth be told, I love carbs. Who doesn’t? My digestive system. Oh, and my waistline. Nevertheless, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the irresistible craving now and then. Of course, I feel guilty for having these cravings because I don’t have the “will power” to just say no and back away from the bag of tortilla chips – until I’ve reached the last few pieces in which then – and only then – do I decide it’s time to walk away. So, that being said, in order to allow some guilty pleasure in my life, I have created my own version of a recipe I got from the “Tone it Up” girls – who are AMAZING btw! I like to call this my “Power Protein Pancake” Yes, I said pancake!

Don’t freak out just yet fellow Carb Addicts Anonymous. This Pancake is low in Carbohydrates, high in Protein and high in good Fats. It also has Amazing Grass – which I’ll explain to you in another post because it really is that amazing that it needs its own post. Oh, and did I mention that it’s delicious! Here it goes…

Ingredients:

3 tbs of Oat Bran (Oat bran is higher in protein than oatmeal, but you can use oatmeal. If you want to make sure it’s gluten-free, be sure to check the packaging for a GF label)

1 scoop of Amazing Grass Greens Super-food – Cacao Flavor (for those of you who want to just try it, Whole Foods sells this in individual packets and it comes in many flavors!)

2 tbs of Greek yogurt – my mom’s delicious homemade Greek yogurt is shown in the picture, but Fage works too (by far the best tasting, in my opinion)

1 egg white or egg substitute

Cinnamon, pumpkin or nutmeg to taste

Power Protein Pancake Ingredients

Toppings:

Organic Natural Peanut Butter (Costco’s is by far the best that I’ve tried)

Raw Agave Nectar (You don’t need much because it’s very sweet and has low GI)

Instructions:

In a small bowl combine your dry ingredients, then add the 2 tbs of Greek yogurt and 1 egg white. Mix all together until it’s completely wet – don’t be afraid of the color. Trust me.

Spray a small non-stick skillet with some EVOO. Pour the batter (about 1 cup) into the skillet over medium heat. When it starts to bubble and form on the edges, flip it over. This whole process should take no more than 5 minutes. When it’s done to your liking, top it with a tsp of peanut butter (or as much as you’d like) and a drizzle of raw agave nectar or honey. I choose agave because it has a lower GI value and you need less of it than you would honey. You now have yourself a DELICIOUS chocolate peanut butter, low carb, high protein, super-food pancake. Makes a perfect breakfast – or dinner if you’re like me! Indulge

PS: I am going to start playing with images later because I just wanted to get this post out today. Plus, my camera is old and has issues so maybe this will be my excuse to buy a new one Below are some pics I took – in order of the steps. Try it and let me know what you think! Also, since it is pumpkin season, adding some pumpkin in place of the super-food powder would be equally delicious – if not more! Get creative