WIAW: Quick, Simple, and Healthy

Happy Wednesday!

First, I have some good news – if you follow me on Twitter, you know I went to the doctor yesterday to see if I have plantar fasciitis or a stress fracture. After waiting 90 minutes to see a doctor (a whole ‘nother story!), she told me I have plantar fasciitis and should go to physical therapy. So, I see that as good news, though I’m still not thrilled that I have to take it easy and lower my mileage.

Since it’s Wednesday, I’m linking up with Jenn’s WIAW party. Be sure to check out everyone else’s tasty meals as well!

First off…I’m back in to loving avocados lately!

Since I stayed with Charlie for the past four days, I had to be creative about meals. I didn’t want to go full out grocery shopping and wanted meals to be quick, easy, and mostly healthy. This is a pinto bean and shredded cheese quesadilla, topped with mashed avocado.

And a corn salsa and chipotle tabasco sauce quesadilla. Loved the chipotle tabasco sauce – smokey with a bit of spice!

Remember last week I made venison burgers? This is a leftover venison burger, topped with Hatch Pepper cheese, eaten in a tortilla covered with mashed avocado and corn salsa. Yum!

And you know I love breakfast…

Typical breakfast for me. Chobani Coconut yogurt, topped with strawberries and blueberries. Coffee on the side, of course!

Note: I used a french press to make coffee all weekend and OH. MY. GOD. I’m seriously debating trading out my Keurig for a french press, that’s how good the coffee was!

And have you ever tried making dark chocolate peanut butter and strawberry jam pancakes? Winner!

I think I told you how I’ve been really into tea lately? Yup, still am. Loving Bigelow’s French Vanilla! Perfect after dinner treat!

Finally, life isn’t complete without ice cream on a cold day. And I had to share with my best bud (don’t worry, he only licked the empty container!).

Yum – it’s been a tasty week! I’m thinking tonight I might try to do an easy run – I took two days off and would like to make sure I’m keeping up with training, just at a slower pace. We’ll see!

I’m also looking forward to connecting with my fellow Girls on the Run coaches to plan the season tonight! I’m planning to share more about GOTR tomorrow, so if you’ve ever wondered about the organization, hopefully this will help (and inspire you to coach?!).

Your Turn!

• When you’re not at home, what are your quick and easy go-to meals?
• Do you give your dog people food? I know I’m not supposed to, but Charlie loves having a taste of ice cream and greek yogurt!

Looking to connect with Racing Bananas even more (yeah, you are!):

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WIAW – I Made a Plan and I’m Sticking To It!

Happy Wednesday! You know the drill…I’m linking up with Jen from Peas and Crayons WIAW party. Woot!

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I made a pretty comprehensive plan for this week, both for meals and workouts. This is to help get myself back on track, as well as to coincide with my beginning training for my half marathon. So, today is a mix of my eats from this weekend and my plan, which I’ve actually been following!

  

Breakfast Sunday morning. I found out while spending the weekend babysitting three kids, that moms don’t have a ton of time to eat if they don’t plan ahead. On Sunday, I was lucky enough to chop up some fruit and toast a mini bagel to fuel my morning. I give all you moms out there mad props – I’m still recovering from this weekend!

Sunday night, Laura (the kids’ mom) sent me home with leftover zucchini pie. She made this with zucchini from their CSA and apparently the kids did not love it. I totally did – it was amazing!

Breakfast Monday morning – Coconut Chobani (aka heaven in a bowl!) with chia seeds and cut up strawberries. And a cup of coffee. Of course (Fun fact – that is my favorite mug, had it since middle school, and the same one was featured on Gilmore Girls!).

On Sunday, I prepped my Southwestern Quinoa salad so that I would have a ready made lunch for work. It’s super tasty – I’ll share the recipe soon! So, I had that, with some of the Hatch Pepper cheese that was on sale at Hy-Vee, with strawberries, and a few pretzels. Yum!

 

For dinner, I prepped some venison burgers! I know not everyone is on the venison bandwagon, which is totally ok! I love it because it’s incredibly lean and (I think) tasty! I topped with the Hatch Pepper cheese again and ate with a side of broccoli and cauliflower.

In training news…

On the calendar for yesterday was strength and stretching, so I decided to try out a Body Pump class at my gym. I got there early and chatted with a couple of women who are regulars. They were great and gave me some good pointers about the class. The class was challenging, but accessible, and I felt great after it was over! I’m really looking forward to Body Pump on Tuesday and Thursday nights (though I can’t go to a Thursday class until September…bummer!).

From Instagram last night!

Two days in and I’ve stuck to the plan! Ha…check in again on week 5! Really though, I’m feel excited and motivated and I hope this feeling stays, because it’s amazing! On the docket today is a 2 mile run or cross training. I’m meeting my old boss from UW for dinner, so depending on how I feel will dictate my workout. And I’m getting up early Thursday morning for my 3 mile run, so I need to consider that…..decisions, decisions!

Your Turn!

• What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?
• Do you have a favorite group fitness class?

Looking to connect with Racing Bananas even more?!
Email: RacingBananas22@gmail.com
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WIAW and Vension Taco Recipe!

Happy, Happy Wednesday! This week has been kind of nuts so far – it feels good to know that tommorrow night I’ll be on my way home to Milwaukee for the first time since Memorial Day! It will be a busy weekend but I’m thrilled to get outta town to enjoy my family and friends for a bit.

But that’s tomorrow.

Today is Wednesday which means linking up with Jenn’s WIAW party!

As I was putting this post together, I realize I don’t have a ton of pics of my eats from the past week because this weekend was spent out (as you know) and Monday night was an all day meeting and Ladies Night at a co-workers, so I wasn’t snapping pictures like I usually do. Which is ok.

My usual breakfast. Seriously, every morning. Chobani greek yogurt (aka heaven in a bowl), with strawberries, blueberries, and protein granola from my Foodie Pen Pal.

Seriously. Heaven in a bowl. Love of my life. Amazing. Life changing. You get the picture.

Tea! I’ve been drinking more tea lately, especially at work. I’m liking Chai tea and French Vanilla tea most. And I gotta drink it out of my UW mug. On Wisconsin!

 
Look, more yogurt! But this is different, because I stirred in my berries, grapes, and protein granola so it’s a different view. And I added a rice cake. Which is quite tasty!

And as promised…a new recipe! Venison, Black Bean, and Corn Tacos!

   

 

So, I have a lot of ground venison in my freezer. As you may remember, I come from a family of hunters, and my dad was kind enough to make me 1/2 lb bags of meat to keep in the freezer. I was craving tacos this week and thought I would try making them with ground vension instead of ground meat. They were fantastic and good portion for a person living alone like me!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb ground venison*
• 1/2 c black beans (drained)
• 1/2 c corn (drained)
• 1/2 c canned tomatoes
• 2 tbs taco seasoning (I used Penzey’s Bold Taco seasoning)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

  *could substitute ground beef, turkey, chicken, etc

Optional Condiments:

• Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
• Salsa
• Cheese (I used mozarella)
• Avocado, lettuce, or tomato

Directions:

Brown ground venison in a frying pan (*note – if using venison, you may need to add a bit of olive oil, as ground venison does not have any fat). While browning venison, portion out black beans, corn, and tomotos. Set aside. After browning, drain if needed. Put meat back on stove and add taco seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir.

Next, add black beans, corn, and tomatoes. Stir and let flavors sit. After about 5 minutes, take off heat and allow to cool.

Serving:

This is really up to you! I decided to make traditional tacos with flour taco shells. However, you could put over a bed of lettuce to make a taco salad as well! Add condiments and enjoy! (Feel free to pair with a margarita, if you’re feeling festive).

Yum!

Your Turn:

• What’s your favorite type of meat to cook with?
• Are you inappropriately obsessed with any of the new Chobani flavors?

WIAW Sick Day and Five Things Survey!

Happy Wednesday! Wednesday means WIAW, so as usual I’m linking up with Jenn’s WIAW party!

I’ve been a tad under the weather (I think from a combination of seeing sick family members and being semi-exhausted), so my eats are all from my day at home yesterday. Enjoy!

 

I woke up with a fever, but thought I would still try to go to work. I put together my favorite breakfast of yogurt and berries and cereal (Cranberry Macademia Nut). It was delicious, but too much food for someone not feeling great! I have to remember to listen to my body.

I made it at work for about 25 minutes for an appointment and then went home. Like my co-worker said, the work will still be here tomorrow! I went home, laid on the couch, and dozed off while watching TV.

At lunch, all I could do was crave Starbucks. Don’t ask why. Since I found a gift card (what luck!), I drove over and got a grande chai latte with soy, extra hot and a piece of banana walnut bread. (I also justified going to Starbucks because I needed to stop at the grocery store for supplies!).

Starbucks was good, but it didn’t hold me over. At 3pm I was craving real food. Last night I made lemon pepper chicken and broccoli, so I popped my leftovers in the microwave for a late lunch/super early dinner.

My early dinner was tasty, but didn’t hold me over. At about 8, I put together a tortilla and cheese quesadilla for a late snack. It really hit the spot!

Old School Blogging

I’ve seen this old school blogging survey on some of my other favorite blogs and since you know I love surveys, thought I would give it a try!

5 Things I Have Passion For:

Running

Helping Others

My Friends and Family

Writing <—blogging and fiction writing. I’m starting to love being creative again!

Food <—I love food. It’s basically my life.

5 Things I Would Like to do Before I Die:

Tour Europe

Write a Novel <—this surprised me when I wrote it…

Raise a Family

Become Truly Happy With Who I Am

Get My Doctorate <—woah, I double surprised myself with this! Anyone want to fund me?

5 Things I Say A Lot:

Wow! <—this is in a pretty sarcastic voice..

I don’t know.

Let’s Go! <— I hate being late!

You can do it!

I’m crazy. <—I hope this doesn’t mean I’m actually crazy…

5 Books or Magazines I’ve Read Recently:

Running with the Kenyans <—highly, highly recommend!

Blackberry Winter

The Shadow of the Wind

Food Network Magazine <—basically food porn

The New Millenials <—work book on millenials in college

5 Favorite Movies:

Wizard of Oz

Little Mermaid

Closer

The Holiday

Waitress

5 Places I Would Love to Travel To:

Italy (but really, all of Europe. ALL. OF. IT.)

Seattle, WA <—always been on my bucket list. Original Starbucks, what what!

Wilmington, NC <— aka where Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill were filmed

Australia/New Zealand

Southeast Asia <– very general, but I couldn’t pick just ONE place!

So that’s a little bit of me! I tag all of you to answer these questions on your blog! Or in the comments below – I want to hear your answers!

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WIAW – Fruit and Veggie Edition!

Happy, Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a good week and staying cool. I, for one, am over this whole humidity thing. Fall, where are you?!

Anyways.

It’s Wednesday which means I’m linking up with Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday! Here we go!

   

Check out all of this yogurt! And honestly, this isn’t even the half of it. My morning meals have been mostly the same. Chobani Greek Yogurt, mixed with flax seed, and fruit. I’ve been LOVING blackberries lately, but blueberries, strawberries, apples, and pears have made repeat appearances as well!

Check out this leftover Roasted Veggie and Goat Cheese sammie from the Craftsman Tavern. Yum!

New creation! Whole wheat toast, fried egg, lettuce, cheese, and salsa. Tasty, tasty! I ate it twice, on different days.

Left – a summertime drink from the Great Dane; Right – My morning coffee!

 

Lunchtime = salad! I’ve really been digging cottage cheese on my salads. This is lettuce, tomato, chicken, orange bell peppers, and cottage cheese.

 

And more salad! Yum! Got a little crazy and sliced some avocado for my salad on the right!

My week wouldn’t be complete without fro-yo.

Or homemade ice cream! Frozen bananas, blended with PB2. Then to indulgent, I melted a few Reeses Peanut Butter cups and mixed. OMG. YUM. No words!

Mmmm, it’s been a pretty tasty week! I’m actually heading back to housesit today-Sunday, so you’ll probably being seeing more pictures of yummy creations. Maybe I’ll venture beyond yogurt and fruit for breakfast! Feel free to follow me on Instagram to what yummy creations I try to make!

Your Turn!

• Any food you’ve really been digging this week?
• What’s your favorite indulgence?

WIAW – Super healthy, yummy edition!

Happy Wednesday all! It’s that time of the week – What I Ate Wednesday! As you know, I’ve been dog and housesitting for almost a week now and have had lots of time to focus on creating healthy meals. YUM! If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you have already seen some of this (and if you don’t follow me, let’s connect!).

As usual, thanks to the lovely Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting!

The sweet girl I’ve been dogsitting. I just love her!

 
My dinner Thursday night – I was lucky enough to be left leftover grilled salmon and broccoli. I paired it with a a Blue Moon, which was perfect for the warm weather!

And for dessert…Blueberry Chobani with strawberries and blueberries.

And my typical breakfast – this time Raspberry Chobani with strawberries and blackberries and a small bowl of Cranberry and Macademia Nut cereal. Totally filling and delicious!

After my shopping trip on Friday, I stopped at Menchies for some fro-yo! I got the cake batter fr0-yo with frosted animal crakers and white chocolate chips. Not the healthiest, but definitely tasty!

This was my breakfast on Saturday. Toasted whole wheat bread topped with cheese, a fried egg, and hot sauce.

And this is my new favorite lunch! I toast 2 small tortillas with a sprinkling of cheese and orange bell pepper. After the cheese is melted and the pepper is a tad cooked, I top with turkey, mixed greens, and salsa. Talk about delicious! I ate this 4 days in a row for lunch…no shame!

   
And my new favorite breakfast. Toasted whole wheat bread topped with peanut butter, Nutella, and Blackberry-Strawberry jam. I am totally aware that Nutella is not the best thing to have for breakfast, but a little indulgence never hurt anyone! No lie, this sandwich was divine!

Monday night, I met Heidi for a run and then we made dinner and dessert. For dinner, we baked a Hy-Vee chicken breast, stuffed with a bit of pepper jack cheese and with cornbread crust and a side of sauteed broccoli and red pepper. And for dessert…

We (and by we I mean Heidi) made a tart! A peach, nectarine, with a jam glaze tart. Holy cow, this was amazing. Heidi made both the crust and the filling and was sweet enough to tell me how…I think I may take a stab at making my own version sometime soon!

And finally, my breakfast Tuesday morning. A bowl of Cranberry and Macademia cereal and a fruit salad with strawberries, blackberries, and a pear. Again, totally feeling and even more delicious.

Phew! That was a lot of food to share with you today! I really got inspired this week to start cooking and eating more clean again, which was much needed. I’m all down housesitting on Thursday, but am planning on bringing this culinary ambition back to my apartment! I’m working on my upcoming meal plan (like I said I would in my July goals) and am looking forward to a good upcoming week!

Your Turn!

• What types of food did you eat this week? Have you tried anything new?
• Any fruits or veggies you recommend I try? I’m making my grocery list and would love some suggestions!

WIAW & a Quick At Home Workout!

Happy Wednesday all! Before I begin What I Ate Wednesday, I wanted to let you know that I my dear friend Jessi let me take over her blog over at What the Efff for a guest post on motivation! Head on over there to check it out!

Now on to WIAW! As usual, thanks to the wonderful Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting this fantastic link-up!

So, I have to be honest. My schedule has been a bit nutty over the past week, and because of my vacation this weekend, today’s WIAW post will be more like a “look at some of things I’ve nibbled on over the past couple days” post. Sorry. I’ll be better next week!

I’ve been drinking a lot of smoothies, since it’s in the upper 80s and 600% humidity in Wisconsin. These keep my nice and cool! My Tropical Smoothie remains my go-to smoothie!

Last week, I made chicken wings and carrots for dinner. I seasoned the wings with salt, pepper, and Chicago Steakhouse Seasoning from Penzey’s. YUM!

Oatmeal. Surprising, right? Not really. I eat oatmeal almost every day for breakfast and love packing it with fruit!

I drink every at least one cup of coffee every day. At least.

Life cereal with blueberries and skim milk. Sometimes dinner needs to be quick and easy. And still delish.

I enjoyed a margarita (or 2) on vacation!

And as you saw from Monday’s post, I enjoyed an ice cream cone on vacation as well!
Monday night after work and doctor appointments, a quick dinner was what I needed. Low carb tortilla + 1/4 c refried beans + cheddar cheese + a sprinkle of goat cheese = quick, easy dinner!
Oatmeal packed with strawberries and bananas. Mmmhmmm.
And finally, Tuesday’s dinner after yoga. Heidi and I went to the Hubbard Street Diner and I got the Rice, Bean, and Veggie Bowl. Besides the tortilla chips, it was super healthy and incredibly tasty. And I have leftovers for lunch today!

Last night, Heidi and I went to yoga and a local yoga studio where we bought a Groupon. This was our third class here and by far my favorite. The teacher was fantastic – even though she was sick and didn’t demo the poses for us, she was able to explain the class in a way that a newbie like me could follow along and feel successful. I’ll definitely be going to her classes again!

After yoga, we went to dinner and when I got home, I was feeling super energized. I figured that I would ride this energy wave and do a strength workout in my living room. Why not?! Below is the workout I did.

I used 8lb weights for the arm exercises and 12lb weights for the leg exercises. I felt really good and tad exhausted when I was done. If you’re looking for a quick, at home workout to do while watching TV, this will do the trick!

Well, that’s all for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow – I’m putting together a post on things that are defining my “late” twenties. It’s been making me giggle a bit and I hope you maybe you can relate to one (at least) of the things on the list!

Your Turn!

• What was the best thing you ate this week?
• Do you do at home workouts? Any go to moves that you try to incorporate!