MakingMine
-
-
First 30 Days: My P90X Journey
I started my 3rd attempt of P90X on March 29th, 2012 (read here about my last attempts).
30 days into it, I already... -
-
-
Summer Lime Salad
(I don’t care if it’s not summer yet, this salad tastes like it!)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1 1/2 cups...
You know how I’ve been on the hunt for some high-quality, food SAFE, reusable storage bags? Well the search is over - AND you’ll get $22 worth of goods for only $10! Click the link above to get your deal!
You know how there are how to’s and tutorials pretty much everywhere you look on the internet? Ever feel overwhelmed with this abundance of helpful advice?
Well you’re in luck, because I’m here to tell you how NOT to make eggplant parmesan. Follow my instructions, and you will end up with some sort of weird eggplanty/corndogy/dry patty concoction for dinner - sound remotely appetizing? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Step 1: Find an awesome Eggplant Parmesan recipe like this one
Step 2: Ignore the aforementioned directions and mix ALL of the ingredients together - and I mean EVERYTHING - into what becomes a cement-like mixture that you’re pretty sure will have to be chiseled out of the bowl
Step 3: Attempt to salvage your breading by packing it around the slices of eggplant you so lovingly cut and let sweat for 30 minutes
Step 4: Put in oven
This is what your results should look like:
Step 6: Serve it to a loved one and watch them try to smile through dinner
Seriously though. How did I mess this up?! It really ended up tasting pretty good, but the texture was completely off. Next time I’ll have to monitor what I’m actually dumping into the dipping and breading mixtures. Oops!
Carrots, apples and lettuce straight from the winter market!
J and I tried a new vegan recipe tonight that I found on Pinterest - Spinach Linguine with Edamame Pesto. I pretty much followed the recipe as is except for a slight variation on the fresh herbs I used. The recipe was quick, easy and DELICIOUS! And guessing by the two big bowls that J ate, he agreed :)
We’ll definitely be making this again! Love finding new recipes on great blogs. If you’ve never checked out Post Punk Kitchen, I’d highly recommend it! Happy cooking - and eating ;)
How perfect would this meal have been for St. Patty’s day?! Ah well, there’s always next year!
Another convenience post about…. you guessed it: food! More specifically, breakfast. And what screams breakfast more like a piping hot bowl of oatmeal? Seriously, oatmeal is the wonder breakfast. It keeps me full through lunch so snacking doesn’t even cross my mind.
It seems like getting going in the morning is a main focus for both J and I. This weekend I took the time to make a GIGANTIC pot of oatmeal to use throughout the coming weeks. I felt like a character straight out of Oliver Twist - no, you may not have some more. And don’t call me sir!
Anyways, back to the huge batch of oatmeal… I divided it between 8 mason jars for use this week and scooped the rest into muffin tins. I popped the tins in the freezer for a few hours, emptied them into a storage container, sent them back to the freezer, and voilà - breakfast on the go! We can grab a couple of these bad boys from the freezer on our way out the door and heat them up at work. Easy peasy - and not to mention yummy!
Today I made my 1st vegan creation in the kitchen- banana bread! I originally found the recipe on Pinterest which led me to the awesome blog, Love and Lemons.
I’d been craaaaaaving it for weeks now, but I kept missing the window of ripe banana vs rotten banana. So…. today I found a little trick to get it just right: 1 hour in the oven at 300 degrees. You can see the photos in an earlier post. Not the prettiest, but it worked like a charm.
And the banana bread? Delicious! Can’t wait to try more recipes this week!
A couple of weeks ago J and I made a new, lasting commitment…
…to a farm. Yep, here’s the story:
A woman in a class of mine mentioned on the first day of class that she worked for a local farm. A few weeks later I saw her tweet about the farm and clicked through to the website. About half and hour and 20 pages later, I was completely convinced that this was something J and I needed to take part in.
The JenEhr Farm in Sun Prairie, WI grows organic vegetables and sells them at local farmer’s markets year round. They also have CSA (community supported agriculture) options that allow individuals and families to reserve allotments of produce during different times of the year. This was a new concept to me, but I immediately liked the idea for various reasons. J and I have been on a journey of healthy living and this seemed like the answer to our struggle with finding fresh, high quality produce.
I mentioned joining the CSA to J in passing. He liked the idea, but we didn’t talk about it again for a few more weeks. Then as luck would have it, my college was having a health fair that JenEhr was participating in. J and I talked over our options in more detail, I met with one of the farmers at the fair, and the rest is history. I signed on the dotted line, and our share starts in June.
Here are the fast facts:
- From June - November J and I will receive a box of produce every other week at our neighborhood farmer’s market
- The box is “as is.” No requests. No preferences. You get what you get.
- In November J and I will get a large supply of produce known as the Fall Storage Share - perfect for hosting Thanksgiving and freezing for use throughout the winter ahead.
- As CSA members, we will be invited to strawberry picking events out at the farm and are allotted a share :)
We are thrilled at this “by chance” meeting and are so excited for our share to start in June. Receiving a box of random veggies seems a little daunting, but I can’t wait to try new foods and experiment with recipes all summer. The pick-up couldn’t be easier - close to home and convenient timing. And strawberry picking?! It’s like they can see through to my soul! Mmmm… strawberries :)
A quick note of importance: Many companies have programs to reimburse employees for making healthy decisions such as joining a CSA. If this is a route you’re looking to try, I would highly recommend contacting your HR rep and asking about any options available. Who knows? You could be happily surprised, we were!
My agenda for the day? Oh, just ripening some bananas (Taken with instagram)
J and I finally took the time this weekend to watch a documentary that’s been on our list for months - Forks over Knives. It was an incredibly enlightening view on exactly how the diet decisions we make daily have a longterm impact on our overall health. We both really enjoyed the film and had some pretty major takeaways. If you haven’t seen it, we highly recommend watching it. It’s available to stream via Netflix, and their website has some additional options for viewing.
We both want to make a significant change in our lifestyle and are working on a plan to implement a plant-based, whole foods diet. If the past year has taught us anything about jumpstarting a change, we know that we need a plan. Random and impulsive decisions don’t have much longevity and are the perfect storm of imminent failure. The past few days have been about absorbing as much research as possible to make truly mindful decisions about what is best for us as a family.
So no, I haven’t ravaged our pantry and freezer throwing away anything and everything that contains animals :)
We’re taking small steps and adding vegan components to our diet while slowly removing animal-based foods. Today we’re starting the first phase of our journey. I’ll take some time this week to share our long-term (continually revised) plan with you all.
Some days I leave the house so early and get home so late that I have to pack breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. I like measuring out my servings the night before and putting everything in ziplocks to make getting out of the house easy.
However, this seems incredibly wasteful. Between J and I, we are just flying through plastic baggies. We’re talking granola, egg muffins, fruit, etc… I don’t like the idea of using plastic storage containers either (too bulky). Anybody have a suggestion for an alternative?
Life is getting busy. In an effort to save time and money while still maintaining a healthy diet, I whipped up 2 of our favorite muffin recipes (Original Bran Muffins and Poppyseed) for a quick breakfast. I kept a few out to get eaten up right away but threw most in the freezer. No excuse not to start each day off right! :)
I whipped up these egg bakes last week. J has been leaving the house by 5:00am most mornings to catch the gym before it gets busy, so he’s been piecing together various breakfast options (none of which were all that healthy or filling). I had seen variations of egg bakes all over Pinterest, so I decided to give it a try! As you can see, I just mixed eggs, turkey sausage, peppers and cheese. I sprayed the muffin tins and baked for ~25 minutes. This batch made 24 “muffins”. I refrigerated some but put most in the freezer. Now J can grab a couple on his way out the door, microwave after his workout, and be fueled and energized for the day ahead! So easy - I’ll definitely be making these again! What variations would you like to try?
I really want to start focusing on preparing healthier meals for J and I. I found this great site that has a plan for introducing organics into your diet! Another goal of mine is to start adding more vegetarian recipes to my repertoire. Does anybody have any favorites that they’d like to share?
Anybody out there using My Fitness Pal?
Friend me (jro64217) and we can hold each other accountable! It’s a win-win!
