Tag Archives: elliptical

Morning Chocolate

July 9, 2009

Good morning… or almost afternoon I suppose. I was off to a slow start this morning and didn’t get up til 10am. I immediately got dressed and hopped on the elliptical for 40 minutes while kind of watching Rachel Ray’s 500th episode. She just irks me for some reason! Maybe I’m just jealous that she has her own cooking show and I don’t? Possibly. What’s your take on Rachel Ray, do you like her?

After doing some ab work, I made an interesting bowl of oats. The boyfriend’s Mom saved me a mint plant from their yard and I wanted to use it this morning so I came up with some Mint Chocolate Oats.

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Ingredients included:

  • 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill 4 Grain Hot Cereal (or any oatmeal like substance)
  • 1/2 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup water
  • 6 mint leaves
  • Tbsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 small banana
  • Tbsp shredded coconut
  • Tbsp of your fav nut butter

I boiled the water and milk and then added the oats and brought it to a simmer for 10 minutes. Then I added in the chopped mint leaves, the cocoa powder, and the small banana (in very thin slices). I let it cook for a few minutes more, poured it in my bowl, and topped it with shredded coconut and a tbsp of Once Again sunflower seed butter.

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Sometimes I’m just craving some morning chocolate and this is the perfect solution!

Have a great day :)

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Flower Power

July 8, 2009

Good morning! I woke up around 6:50 this morning and was not in the mood to exercise. Surprisingly, the boyfriend was the one to get me outta bed and on to the elliptical, even bringing his laptop down so he could sit and keep me company. I ended up doing 40 minutes at a pretty good intensity and now am so happy I got it out of the way before work, rather than having to do it when I get home tonight around 7:30pm.

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Look at that look of concentration! I’m actually watching the Harry Potter movie premiere in London haha. After showering, I made breakfast.

Kashi Good Friends Cinna-Raisin Crunch cereal with plain yogurt, wheat germ, cinnamon, a sliced nectarine, and Once Again sunflower seed butter.

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I had nothing to read on break yesterday and, after a look through my giant pocketbook, found a free magazine that I got in Aruba called Island Gourmet.

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There was actually some pretty interesting and fun articles in there so I thought I’d share one of the article that stood out – Feasting on Flowers by Susan Campbell. It lists a bunch of edible flowers to add to your salads and what they’ll do for it. Here’s some of the one’s I’ve heard of:

  • Carnations sugary sweet
  • Chrysanthemums peppery, cauliflower-like
  • Lavender flowery sweet , with a hint of citrus
  • Orchids ranges from somewhat sweet to like raw chives
  • Pansies sweet, grassy flavor
  • Tulips sweet, cucumber-like (remove the stamens from the male flower, they are bitter)
  • Violas/violets sweet, mild wintergreen

Then they provide a bit more on these three popular flowers:

  • Roses: All varieties are delicious and have distinctive tastes. Use them to flavor syrups, sprinkle over desserts, or crush them into butters and spreads.
  • Marigolds: Called the “poor man’s saffron” can really spice up stews, sauces, soups, and rice.
  • Young Dandelions: Taste like honey but avoid older flowers because they’re bitter. You can flash-fry, saute, or steam them as a side dish, as well as eat them raw.

Some tips to leave you with…

  • Don’t ever eat flowers from a florist because they’ve been sprayed with pesticides!
  • Always check about the edibility of a flower species because some are poisonous.
  • If you suffer from allergies, be cautious when eating flowers or avoid it altogether.

I don’t know about you, but I think I’m definitely going to try some of these flowers out in my future cooking! Have you ever cooked with flowers? If not, which one would you choose to add to your food?

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On My Own

July 2, 2009

Before getting to this morning’s breakfast, I have to post my dessert from last night because it was just that good. I’m really getting into the whole 4th of July thing with red, white, and blue snacks all the time!

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This bowl of goodness contains:

  • 1/2 banana, sliced
  • 3 strawberries, sliced
  • 1/4 cup raspberries
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup Edy’s Red, White, & No More Blues ice cream
  • tsp of wheat germ
  • 2 tsp of peanuts

It was delicious!

Back to the present, this morning I woke up at the boyfriend’s and made myself a bowl of Bob Red Mill’s 5 grain hot cereal, with flaxseed.

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In the mix was 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/2 a banana, 5 cherries, a tbsp of PB Loco white chocolate raspberry pb and wheat germ. It tasted like regular Quaker oatmeal to me, nothing special but very creamy.

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Then I got on the elliptical for 50 minutes, followed by an arm workout using whatever I could find around the house, including 2 jars of nut butter as weights and pushups on the dog’s (whose feeling much better by the way!) rug. Whats your favorite strength training move to do using only household items?

I showered afterward and took off for the doctor’s office. I was finally going to find out what’s wrong with my leg so I can run again! I was also excited to find out my body fat percentage. My boyfriend read some article about how some people think they’re healthy because they work out all the time but if your body fat index is too low they’re actually not and has been bugging me to find mine out for a few days now.

Unfortunately, after sitting in the office waiting for 20 minutes, the receptionist calls me up and tells me my insurance is inactive, beginning YESTERDAY! I thought they at least give me 3 months after graduation. I’m pretty bummed out now and guess I will just continue to do low impact exercises until my leg heals itself. I’m on my own for this injury!

I came home after the doctor to make lunch. I wasn’t feeling up to cooking anything extravagant so I baked the spaghetti squash I’ve had on the counter for a week now and added some tomato sauce, ricotta, and fresh basil for an easy meal.

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Now I’m debating on taking a trip to Whole Foods with the boyfriend’s sister. I’ll always take a free ride there since it’s all the way in Jersey but I did tell my Mom I’d cook her dinner tonight and am not sure if I’d be home in time. Decisions, decisions…

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