5 Things I am lovin' - 1/24/2012

Here is another installment of 5 Things I am lovin'. 

1.  Jillian Michaels

source

I got the option to try Jillian Michaels website for free for 4 weeks.  I have always loved her on The Biggest Loser, but I have never been a big weights person.  Also, with the holidays finally coming to an end, I noticed my eating habits were less than stellar.  So I signed up and it's been pretty good.  I am not following it exactly, because most of her meals are not vegetarian or vegan, but it gives me an idea of how I should do my meals.  I think I need more protein in them really.  I am following for a balanced oxidier, according to her quiz.  Like I said, I am not going crazy trying to make what she is recommending, but using it as a guide to how much I should be eating.  And I have been adding protein to most of my meals and snacks.  It helps for a while, but I am just not a big protein person so after a week, I just want some cereal.  :)  I am also doing some of the circuit training she recommends.  I know I can't do 4 days of circuit training (being that I am running 3-4 days a week training for the half), so I am trying to do as many days as I can.  I usually can't finish it but I do as much as I can.  It helps me get in 3 days of abs though, so that is good. 

2.  Detox Salad

source

I found this recipe over at Oh She Glows a while back and have made it several times now.  It was a great way to start the New Year off right.  It is a delicious, nutritious salad that is nice and light.  It's a great way to start off a meal.  I make a big batch and it lasts for a week.  No one else in my family really cares to even try it (I might be able to get the little lady to try it if she sees me drizzle maple syrup over it).  I used my new food processor to shred almost all of the ingredients, so it didn't take nearly as much time as before.  I made it a couple of weeks ago already and can't wait to do it again.  Yum!  Thanks Angela for finding this one. 

3.  Multigrain tortillas

I am in love with these right now.  They are low in calories, multrigran, but soft!  I always find the whole wheat tortillas are hard and don't bend as easily.  Not these, they are great.  I can't say enough good things about them.  Oh, did I mention, they aren't expensive either.  I find them at Kroger in the international foods isle.  Stock up people, they are delicious!

4.  My new shoes

I love it when fashion intersects with mom friendly.  I scored these boots as a Christmas present for myself via Christmas money.  I love the no heel so I can wear them out and still run after children, carry them, etc. without having to worry about anything.  I went with brown because I already have a lot of black boots and I scored a sweet deal on them as well. 

I decided to get 2 new pairs of running shoes, my tried and true Mizuno Wave Creations, but also a pair of Mizuno Wave Riders.  The wave riders are over an ounce lighter but are still somewhat supportive.  Both were on sale (got the older version of both), but the wave riders were only $60 which is what pushed me to try them.  I have been running in them for almost a month and really love them.  Of course no long runs in them, but I will probably save my long runs for the creations.  Now those puppies have some cushion.  I have not had any feet problems since using my Mizunos.

5.  NBC's The Firm

As I was looking for a great picture of this, I found out that it is likely to be cancelled.  :(  The hubs and I did not start watching it when it first came on, but we watched a couple of episodes over the weekend OnDemand.  I personally fell in love with it.  I wasn't expecting to like it so much, but I am hooked.  I am so sad that more people aren't watching it.  If you haven't seen it, give it a chance and watch one episode. 

What are you lovin' right now?

Vegan Cobb Salad

There are few things I miss since going vegetarian a few years ago, but now that dairy is out of the question, I have been mostly vegan for the past 2 1/2 months (ok, some ice cream has fallen into my mouth a couple of times, but that's it).  For the most part, I can make anything that I had before in a vegetarian or vegan way.  The problem is when I go out.  Now I don't go out very much and definitely even less with kids, but when I only sleep for a couple of hours continuously, and try to run, maybe work that day, straighten up the house, make lunches for the next day, etc. I am pretty tired and making a lovely dinner is not a priority.  Of course, I would rather be in the kitchen making a yummy dinner than cleaning the house or doing laundry.  So I have had to down play dinner for a past few months.  One thing I used to love is cobb salads.  I never made them at home, but I used to order them a lot.  Now I know they are not healthy, but boy they were yummy.  Well this is something I really can't order anymore, so I had to come up with something I could do at home.

Vegan Cobb Salad

(serves 1)

Ingredients

2-3 cups romaine lettuce

1/2 plum tomato

1/4 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 strips of veggie bacon (I used Smart Bacon by LightLife)

1/4 cup celery

1/4 cup non-dairy cheese (I used Daiya cheddar shreds)

2 tablespoons of your favorite dressing (I wanted creamy so I went with Goddess dressing)

Directions

1. Make bacon according to packages (I have microwaved it and cooked it on the stovetop, if you have the time use the stovetop)
2. Spread out lettuce
3. Take each ingredient and line them up over the romaine
4. Sprinkle on the dressing

Yes, simple directions, but like I said, this was never something I made, I usually just ordered it in restaurants.  I haven't found a restaurant that does vegan cobb salads, so this is a great way to get my fix.  The chickpeas are a great substitute for eggs here.  And I usually got mine without chicken anyway, so I don't miss a thing with this version.

Do you have any meals you now make at home that you used to get only when you were out?

The great smoothie/salad experiment

My husband has always been an active guy, and because of that, he has not had to worry too much about what he eats and can stay at a healthy weight.  Well when I was pregnant with the little lady, I was put on modified bedrest and told to up my calories.  Because one of my 2 vices is ice cream, he made me sundaes and milkshakes nightly.  We both gained weight this way but I had a baby and lost mine, but he didn't have the luxury having a baby.  Right after that, he graduated with a PhD and got a new job.  He now works very long hours and doesn't have much time for exercise anymore (he doesn't like the idea of getting up early to workout either).  He also doesn't really like healthy foods.  He will eat a salad but would always prefer chips or fries. 

So he is a little frustrated to have these few extra pounds on him, and not being able to get them off is even more frustrating.  I was doing a little blog reading this weekend when I came across No Meat Athlete's post on "My 7 links."  The post he chose for "Most Helpful was one on smoothies. 

He starts off by describing that if you eat 2 healthy meals a day, you won't get fat.  Basically, he is saying that if you eat a healthy smoothie in the morning, then you will be more likely to have a healthy lunch, and if you have a healthy salad in the afternoons, you will set yourself up for a healthy dinner, because of how good you feel.  I agree with what he says, because I feel that when I have a healthy breakfast I will make healthier decisions later on. But I also like the idea of getting all your fruit and veggie requirements out of the way with 2 simple meals. Then the rest of my meals can be more of what I am feeling and not how can I include a fruit or veggie into your sandwich. And then any fruits or veggies I have during another meal is just a bonus.

So the Smoothie Formula . . .
Basically it's 1/2 frozen banana,
small handful of other fruit,
3/4 cup liquids,
1 T binder (pb, ground flaxseed, rolled oats, etc.), and
3/4 T oil (flaxseed, coconut oil, etc.).
Then you can add in other healthy super foods like spinach or cocoa nibs.

Then the idea is to have a nice big salad in the afternoon with tons of veggies, nuts, and some healthy oil.

So we are going to experiment with this over the next couple of weeks. But I need your help. I tend to get into a rut when it comes to food.

What are your favorite smoothie recipes?

What do you put in your salads right now?

How can we keep this experiment going?

So we are goi