This week was a blur...

Overall, though, I was able to juggle everything pretty well. We ate some good food (some of my favorite, healthy fall recipes), and I got in all my workouts! I'm really enjoying kettlebell class, although it is REALLY tough.

Today, we went to Pickity Place for lunch. It was fantastic! Pickity Place is an old farmhouse with little shops and gardens. They serve a luncheon each day that has a fixed menu. The menu changes monthly based on the seasons. The food was fresh and delicious, and the shops were filled with unique gifts. We had so much fun walking around and smelling herbs, browsing the shops, and, of course, eating our lunch! Our table was in a greenhouse, so the area was filled with natural light. If the weather had been better, the day would have been perfect! Even with the rain and cold, we still had a blast. It was nice to slow down a bit and just spend time together.

Cranberry Banana Muffins

It's a snowy fall day in New England, so I did a little bit of cooking. I had some cranberries in the fridge and some overripe bananas on my counter, so I figured I would combine them and make lower carb, higher protein muffins. I like to have a bread or muffin option to pair with a protein for a snack when I'm on the go at work. I prefer a muffin to breads because it is easier to control portions and track my calories. These muffins have healthy fats, potassium, and antioxidants which make them work well in my diet!

Next time, I will probably add more protein powder and use 1 less banana - simply to have an even lower carb, higher protein muffin. I will also try them with slivered almonds.

The texture is just right with these - they taste just like a regular banana bread/muffin!

Cranberry Banana Muffins

(makes 24 muffins)

6 overripe bananas (about 725g)

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (not quick oats - processed into a flour)

1 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder (the brand you use will change the nutritional info)

3 TBS Milled Flax Seed

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp Apple Pie Spice

6 TBS butter (melted)

1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 cup egg white substitute

1.25 cups fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. Coat muffin pan with cooking spray.

Mix oat flour, flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Apple Pie Spice. Set aside.

Beat bananas in mixer until broken down. Add brown sugar and mix until completely incorporated. Add melted butter and olive oil and mix well for about 1 minute.

Slowly add egg whites and vanilla extract.

Add flour/protein mixture gradually.

Stir in cranberries. If desired, you could also stir-in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, slivered almonds, etc. Orange zest would also be tasty.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition info:

Per Muffin

Calories: 155

Fat: 6.4g

Carbohydrates: 19g

Dietary Fiber: 3g

Protein: 6g

I never met a squash I didn't like...

...so I wasn't afraid to try Spaghetti Squash! I had often heard of it as a low-carb option for a side dish, but had never actually seen it in real life until a couple weeks ago. When I saw them at Stop and Shop, I couldn't believe they DO exist out here in Northern Central MA! Jeb was skeptical, but he really can't say no to me, so we picked some up.

I won't lie - the squash sat on my counter for about 2 weeks while I tried to figure out just what I was supposed to do with it. I wasn't REALLY clear on what spaghetti squash actually was, so I didn't know if I could roast it like other squashes, or if it had to be boiled (it IS spaghetti squash, after all!). A few nights ago, I was looking at it and noticed a sticker on it with cooking instructions! Whoops!

Anyway, we decided to cook it in its purest form, and just serve with basic Chicken Parmesan (we like the Cooking Light version). It was a bit weird at first to scoop the stringy flesh out of the skin, but once it was on the plate, I was sold! It was pretty tasty, and I didn't even miss the usual starchy sides that go so well with Chicken Parmesan. We finished it with a bit of salt, pepper, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

The best way to know how much we enjoyed the Spaghetti Squash?? Jeb bought 3 more this week at the grocery store!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Jeb and I went to Judie's Restaurant in Amherst last night. Jeb had a Butternut Squash soup, and it was delicious! We loved the light texture and the layers of flavor, and decided to create our own version. We created our own base, and then added some lean ground turkey breast for some protein and some celery and carrots for some crunch!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

(serves 10)

2 TBS Olive Oil or Butter

1 medium onion, chopped

Ground nutmeg

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

8 cups 99% fat-free chicken broth

2 Apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 cup Apple Cider

1.25ish lbs. lean ground turkey breast

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

Heat olive oil or butter in pan. Saute' onion in oil and nutmeg until soft and transparent.

Add squash, apples, cider, and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered until squash and apples are tender.

While base is simmering, cook turkey breast in a separate pan until no longer pink. Add celery and carrots at the same time as turkey to help them soften. When turkey is nearly cooked, add additional 1 cup of broth (if desired) and cook until veggies are tender.

When squash and apples are tender, puree' the mixture either with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Add turkey and veggies.

Simmer for 5 minutes and season to taste.

Nutrition info:

Calories: 155

Fat: 3.4g

Carbohydrates: 18.6g

Fiber: 4.2g

Protein: 15g

The Results

So, I made it to the gym - and it felt great!

I got up early (well, early for me at least), had my protein, and off I went. I stuck to the plan and did Workout 1, Phase 1 of NROLFW. It definitely smoked me, but I had missed 2 weeks of workouts and morning workouts are always rough on me. I'm hoping my body will adjust - I had to drop the weight on almost all my lifts. Maybe in a couple weeks, it will get easier and I can get back where I was. Or, maybe I just need a coffee before my workout!

Today, I woke up with sore lats and some light soreness around my hips - nothing major, and a day of work easily helped loosen me up. I'm excited for Workout 2 tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a New Day

Work has been crazy the last couple of weeks, and it's affecting EVERYTHING! So much for balance, right? I've been averaging 12-hour days - with my commute, I'm pretty much home to sleep, eat dinner, play a few rounds of fetch, and prepare for the next day! Duke and Wendy have been sticking to me like glue - those little puppy eyes make me feel so guilty after a particularly long day, but there's nothing like playing with them and sitting with them to help put things in perspective!

With all of these long days, I haven't made it to the gym in a couple weeks - it's simply not open by the time I get home! For tomorrow, though, I've made a decision - I'm going to get up and out to the gym before work. It will be rushed, but I think it's just what I need to clear my head and prepare for the day. I'm excited - but apprehensive! It's been awhile since I've had to "re-start" my workouts. I'll have to take it easy for a couple workouts to shake off the cobwebs, and I've decided to focus more on dynamic warm-ups to help reduce the likelihood of injury!

For now, I'm going to do Phase 1 of New Rules of Lifting for Women. I'm comfortable with it, and I know I'll get results. I'm also really really excited for Leigh Peele's Body By Eats which comes out later this month. If there's a program or two in that package, I will probably want to try it - I don't want to get too deep in something else at this point and not be able to make the switch. So, for now the focus will be physical readiness, I think.

Fun With Pumpkins

I was recently reading one of my favorite foodie blogs - Cara's Cravings - and was completely inspired by her most recent recipe. She baked a filling inside of sugar pumpkins!! This, I had to try. I love pumpkin, and have loads of fun mixing fall flavors together. My version was different, however. Here's my recipe:

Turkey, Quinoa, and Veggies in a Pumpkin

serves 10

2 Sugar Pumpkins

2 lbs. 93% lean ground turkey breast

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup chopped red pepper

3 cloves garlic

1.5 c (plus more if desired) chicken broth

3 oz. Vodka (I use Svedka)

1 cup dry quinoa

2 TBS olive oil

2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp cinnamon

fresh ground pepper (to taste)

salt (to taste)

freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)

Herbes de Provence

3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Preheat oven to 375. Cut around the stems of the pumpkins and remove the top. Scoop out all the seeds and stringy flesh and add a very small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Replace the stems and bake for 45-60 minutes (until flesh is tender). Make filling while pumpkins are baking.

Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Cook turkey until no longer pink.

• Cook onions, celery, red pepper, and carrots on medium heat until onions are soft and transparent.
• 
  
• Add garlic and cook approximately 3 minutes.
• 
  
• Slowly pour in the vodka and cook until most of the alcohol is cooked off and the liquid is reduced.
• 
  
• Add half of the chicken broth and bring to a slow simmer.
• 
  
• Mix in the prepared quinoa (including any cooking liquid), turkey, and remaining chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.
• 
  
• Season to taste, using dry mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg, Herbes de Provence, and cinnamon. You can add other seasonings if you would like. Stir in hazelnuts.

Scoop turkey mixture into the pumpkins, replace the stems, and bake for 15-20 minutes. To serve, scoop filling into a bowl along with flesh from the pumpkin. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutritional information:

Calories: 247

Fat: 8.6g

Total Carbs: 31.7g

Dietary Fiber: 4.2g

Protein: 23.0g

This was a very flavorful and filling Fall dish! Jeb and I both really enjoyed it, and are looking forward to leftovers this week!

I used the leftover seeds to make a nice snack too! I simply roasted the seeds and added them to some freshly popped popcorn with salt and Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle - one of my favorite popcorn toppings! Yum!!

The First One... an introduction

This blog is going to be a hodge-podge of sorts. I'm working on striking a balance in my life - my work is incredibly fulfilling, but I also find myself getting completely sucked into it at the expense of everything else! I'm hoping I can use this to help me remember to make some time for everything I love - I love to cook (especially natural, healthy foods), and am really working on improving my fitness and general health. My two dogs (Duke and Wendy) keep me happy and entertained, and I also LOVE the NFL. I hope to write about all these things as I incorporate them to try and strike a balance between work and play in my life.