El Desayuno

Para esta manana, tenemos avena con manzana, pasas, y canela.

Buenos Dias!

New Phase

So we are starting a new phase of our quest to live healthy lives. For Daniel, it includes daily exercise at the gym (usually a couple hours in the night) and making healthier food choices. We are eating out less and cooking at home more. It's always hard, but this time we really want to stick to it because our end result ultimately outweighs all of the struggling to put down candy, etc.

Today I made a turkey sandwich (no condiments) and what I like to call a sweet and sour fruit salad. I have been reading up on adding things like lemon and cinnamon to a healthy weight-loss diet and I noticed Kayla using them in her dishes so I thought I would give it a try. Today it just has apples and bananas.



And I want to give a shout out to my amazing husband Daniel for exercising every day for an entire week! I'm so proud of you for initiating this healthier lifestyle and for wanting it so bad and doing something about it! I admire your dedication. Even when you have been aching, sore, and tired from the stresses of every day, you still go put in time at the gym. Congrats on your weight loss already after week ONE and I will be here by your side for as long as you need until you reach your goal!

BTW we want to get involved in a local walk or race. Anyone have a cause that is close to heart that we can support? Or does anyone participate in anything coming up? Particularly something stroller friendly and something we have to pay for.

Our meals lately...

For dinner yesterday we had:
-green beans sauteed in balsamic vinegar with capers
-garden fresh salad with homemade croutons
-homemade guacamole (just avocado and tomato)
-chicken breast in a balsamic vinegar sauce

YUM! And thanks again for the GORG plates, Caletta!



And we have been munching on vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Fresh N Easy for desserts! So good... And we are now "Friends of Fresh N Easy" so we get points and cash back for the things we buy. Hey, why not? I love their discount section, especially if I need ripe foods to cook for dinner!



For lunch today we had BLT's with avocados and turkey bacon (MMM!) with some veggies straws on the side. Ariana just wanted the veggie straws =/

Tonight we are going to check out this new store called WinCo Foods on Downey and Lakewood by the gym. We have been watching them build this brand new grocery store on the way to school every other morning and are excited to finally stop by and look around! I am looking forward to seeing some competitive prices!

We have tons of eggs from Costco that we need to use some so I am really looking forward to making mini breakfast frittattas tomorrow. I'll pour mixed eggs into cupcake pans and we can each add our own mix-ins like cheese, turkey, turkey bacon, peppers, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, or salt/pepper/Lawry's. I would especially like to try a cheesey broccoli frittatta. Mmm!



I haven't really been exercising a lot and feeling bad about it. Actually, I haven't exercised at all and the more I think about it, the less I wanna do it, but the worse I feel. =/ Maybe I'll finally break down and buy myself a gym membership for Christmas.

Tonight's Dinner

Beans, beans, and beans.... and maybe some ranchero cheese!

Field Fresh Chopped Salad

I had this salad from Trader Joe's a few days ago and absolutely loved it! I want to recreate something like it. This salad had some cool ingredients, but some of them sound expensive, so will change some things around. And some of the ingredients were chopped really finely, so I think I might have to whip out my magic bullet hahaha!

Romaine lettuce
Yellow corn (fresh or canned, drained)
Red cabbage
Green onions
Red bell peppers
Israeli couscous
Raisons (instead of dried currants)
Parmesean cheese, grated (instead of asiago cheese)
Grilled chicken breast, cubed, sliced, or shredded
Toasted pecans (optional)
Trader Joe's Sweet Basil Dressing (or any other dressing I already have in my fridge)

I loved the fresh combination these ingredients and so did Daniel. Score!

Dinner: Pesto and Panzanella

Shauna's Panzanella

Hey maybe if cucumbers are on sale, I'll add them!

I had this dish made by the lovely Shauna at one of our girls' nights (or baby shower?) and never forgot about it. She was able to send me the recipe on Facebook! Just wanna say, I have a friend that goes to Harvard... Ahaha! Love you girl!


Here's the recipe (it serves about 8-10):

Panzanella:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup plus 6 tbl olive oil
1 french baguette, cut into cubes
1 lb cherry tomatoes
2 tsp salt plus pinches for taste
1/2 tsp black pepper plus pinches for taste
1 lb green beans, trimmed
3 tbl balsamic vinegar (white if available)
2 tbl capers, rinsed
1 tsp sugar
1 can (~17oz) white beans (cannellini, northern, etc)
1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 425F. Add half of minced garlic and a pinch of salt to a large bowl and 2 tbl olive oil, whisking well. Add bread cubes ad toss until coated. Arrange bread on a baking sheet lined with foil and toast in oven until golden. Approx 10-12 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl (can reuse the one from the bread), toss green beans with 2 tbl olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange on foil lined baking sheet and put in oven (can reuse foil from bread to add flavor). Repeat with tomatoes. Roast until tender but not mushy, tomatoes may finish before beans.

Make dressing in bottom of huge serving bowl. Add vinegar to remaining garlic and 1/2 cup olive oil along with capers, sugar, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Whisk to combine well. Add roasted green beans and tomatoes (along with any pan juices), beans, mozzarella, and basil. Toss to combine. Add bread cubes and toss again.





There are always tons of old(er) baguettes for clearance at Fresh and Easy right here by my house. And as I recall, Shauna said it was better to use stale(r) bread for these. Instead of white beans, I'm thinking of using the leftover pinto beans from lunch. I think that should be fine, right? And ahh, my favorite part of this recipe has got to be those CAPERS! I love them. And fresh mozzarella? What a treat! Tonight we're going vegetarian! I'm gonna make Nora's pesto and Shauna's panzanella!