Oscars

I was so excited for last night! I love the Oscars so much. We were able to watch all movies nominated, but Winter's Bone and The Kids are Alright. I still want to see these two, but we can only fit so many movies into a weekend! I love the dresses, the jewelry, the hosts of the Oscars, the speeches, etc. I'm bummed it's over, but now I can look forward to The Fashion Police on E and US Weekly with all of the best and worst dressed.

I hope you all had a nice weekend! Mine was extremely relaxing and lazy. It was kinda perfect. On Friday, we made some dinner and watched The Fighter. What a badass movie! I had to cover my eyes a few times during the bloody scenes, but the acting was ridiculously amazing! For dinner, Monster and I prepped the following from my fave blog, Iowa Girl Eats.

Whole-Wheat Gnocchi with Sausage & Spinach
Ingredients:
1 package pre-made whole-wheat gnocchi (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup gnocchi cooking water
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small shallot, chopped - I used half a white onion instead
3 links sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage, casings removed - I used 1/2 lb. lean ground turkey instead
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water before draining.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until begins to soften, ~3-4 minutes. Add ground turkey and garlic. Break up turkey and sauté until cooked through. Add in baby spinach, toss and continue to cook until spinach is wilted.
3. Add cooked gnocchi into the skillet with the turkey and spinach, top with parmesan cheese, the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil and the reserved cooking water. Mix together.

On Saturday, we started the day with Toy Story 3 and then hit the gym. Now this was a cute movie. I got teary at the end (of course.) Those toys seriously went through hell and back to avoid getting eaten alive by the fire!!

After the gym (an hour of cardio and abs) I made a batch of Paula Deen's Monster Cookies. Gosh these were tasty!!! Not very healthy, but mighty yum. Here is the recipe in case you are interested.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
2. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, baking soda and oatmeal.
3. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.
5. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

On Saturday night, Monster and I had a date in Andersonville. We gave dinner at Kingfisher a 3 out of 10. The service was awful, food was eh and it was just a bad experience. It's nice that it is BYOB, but don't waste your time. After dinner, we walked to a bar down the road for some beer and dessert which was tasty.

Now yesterday I was a complete bum. At about noon I decided it was time to get outside and run some errands. But before we ran errands, Potbelly was calling our names! Gosh I love this place. Unfortunately I asked for extra hot peppers and my mouth was on fire for an hour after eating my skinny turkey on wheat sammy.

I wanted to make a soup that I could put in the fridge and bring to work with me for the week. I decided to try a low fat Baked Potato Soup recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes blog (http://www.skinnytaste.com/). The soup wasn't bad, but I think I may add some turkey bacon to it the next time I make it. Also, I love that it isn't 100%potato based, it's more of a cauliflower puree which is a yumo alternative. Here is the recipe:

Baked Potato Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 207.6 • Fat: 7.8 g • Carb: 22.5 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Protein: 11.9 g
Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes, washed and dried
1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets
1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup light sour cream
10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 tbsp chopped chives, divided
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)

Directions:
1. Pierce potatoes with a fork; microwave on high for 5 minutes turn over and microwave another 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes.
2. Meanwhile, steam cauliflower with water in a large covered pot until tender. Drain and return to pot.
3. On medium heat, add chicken broth, milk, potatoes and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
4.Add sour cream, half the chives, salt and pepper and cook on low another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 tbsp cheese, remaining chives, and bacon

So much cooking!!!

After a two hour nap, I started dinner which was Chicken Enchiladas. I served these with Mexican Rice for him and spinach with grilled onions for me :). I loved this dish!!!

Ingredients:
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Picante Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 Fajita Size Flour Tortillas, warmed
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 green onion, sliced

Directions
1.Mix soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder.
2.Mix 1 cup picante sauce mixture, chicken and cheese.
3.Spread about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Pour remaining picante sauce mixture over enchiladas. Cover.
4.Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until hot. Top with tomato and onion.

These weren't your typical enchiladas. They were more creamy, but I loved them!!! I may need to make this a staple dish at home.

So I skipped the work out this am, but I plan on heading home to do the Jillian Michaels 30 min Shread. Monday mornings are rough to get up even when you have a lazy weekend. Atleast I made it to the gym on Saturday. I will also be heading to the gym the next few mornings.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and a few of the recipes!!

Have a great week!
Peri

No Loss and No Gain!

I got my butt to WW this morning for a weigh-in. I truly dread the weigh-in when I haven't been for a few weeks. I got up early so I could get there for the meeting too. Before I stepped on the scale, I told one of the ladies behind the desk that I didn't want to know how I did. She just laughed and when she told me I stayed exactly the same, I felt so much better!!

I walked away from the meeting feeling really good and motivated! We are booking a flight to Ecuador tomorrow for July so I have lots of reasons to stay on track and get to the gym. Also, I need to get to my goal by September! I also walked away wanting to buy a food scale for my kitchen. I may need to venture over to BBB this weekend and check them out.

This weekend we have no definate plans. I want to see a few of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars so I think tonight we will watch The Fighter and tomorrow night maybe Toy Story 3. I also will be hitting the gym tonight, doing my Jillian Michaels DVD tomorrow and then the gym on Sunday.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - 1/2 cup cottage cheese and cinnamon raisin toast
Snack - string cheese
Lunch - I am meeting my girlfriend for lunch at Cosi. I am thinking soup and salad today.
Snack - Orange
Dinner - Turkey sausage gnocchi - We will see how this turns out!

Have a great weekend and stay warm!
PK

Leftys!!

I know I was all talk about going to the gym this week and getting on track, but I snoozed three times this am and skipped the gym! We talked about doing p90x tonight, but it is not going to happen. Oh well. Tomorrow am, p90x is on!!

The best part about getting ready at home today instead of at the gym, is that I could bring my left overs from dinner to work for lunch!! This dish was actually better on day 2!! The bitter lemon taste with the spicy red pepper flakes is just delish :). Even though I had leftys for lunch, I made it to T Joes to pick up some staples. Sad news friends...the soy nuggets have not made an appearance back in the store!! I asked the manager and unfortunately he had no news. Shucks.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Egg beaters on cinnamon raisin toast. I stole this concept from IGE. My girl Kristin uses a cinnamon-raisin bagel topped with melted, cheddar cheese, local bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup. It is sweet and savory and highly recommend trying it out!!

http://iowagirleats.com/2011/01/02/this-year-i-want-to/

Lunch - Leftovers from dinner and a 100 calorie english muffin with laughing cow
Snack - Pretzels and a glass of champagne. Haha, it was my boss's birthday so we got champagne to celebrate!
Dinner - I am feeling soup, but Monster is in charge of dinner tonight. He may be stealing a recipe from IGE too!!

I hope you have a nice day all! It's Thursday manana! Wow, this week is going fast.

PK

Slacker!

Sorry all! I feel like I have been slacking on my blog. It's been a busy few weeks at work and will continue to be nutty until Aprilish. I hope you don't think I am just being lazy and forgetting about all of my loyal readers (ha.)

This weekend was great! I actually had a 3 day weekend since my office closed for President's Day. It was lovely to just do whatever I felt like doing on a week day! This consisted of coffee in my big comfy chair, the gym with Kenoe and a visit with Lexi Bug and Ian!! It was a perfect day!

I was able to get to the gym on Saturday and Monday this past weekend so I felt pretty good. I have been incredibly sore from my work out on Saturday so cardio was rough on Monday. I was in pain for the first 10 mins and then got in my groove.

Monster and I hit the gym this am too. It feels so good to get the work out of the way. If you can get up and make this a habit, I highly recommend it!! I got in a light 15 minute jog before pumping some iron. I spent most of my time at the gym focusing on arms and abs, but I did do a few exercises for my back which I can already feel some soreness. I plan on going to the gym the rest of the week and trying to get in one p90x routine.

In other work out news, I decided to buy the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Some work pals were raving about it, so I thought I would give it a shot. $11 bones later, the DVD is all mine and I am ready to get this 30 day shred going! I will most likely start on Saturday.
Here are some details:



Jillian will guide you through her exclusive 3-2-1 Interval System that combines strength, cardio and abs to maximize calorie burn for a dramatic shredded body. The DVD includes three complete 20-minute workouts which progress by level of intensity

Ok, so I am trying to be really good this week so my lunches that I packed for the week consist of soup...boring! I have some left over fruit and light english muffins which I can have for breakfast, but I feel like I need to hit up T Joes tomorrow to at least have better snacks or something to go with my soup. I usually look forward to my lunch, but today I dreaded it. Let's pray that the soy nuggets are back and fully stocked in the freezer aisle! I miss these and hate that T Joes are working on a new package design. I will stalk these nuggets and let you know when they are back!



My meal plan for the day:
Pre-gym - cereal bar
Breakfast - String cheese and english muffin with laughing cow
Lunch - Mega Noodle soup and apple sauce
Snack - Chex mix - so random, but I was starving!
Dinner - Salad and Chili, Lemon, and Basil Shrimp with Israeli Couscous (recipe below)

I saw this couscous recipe on-line on thekitchn.com and had to make it! It was super easy to make and delish!!! Def try it out!!



Chili, Lemon, and Basil Shrimp with Israeli Couscous
serves 2

For the couscous:
Olive oil
1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the shrimp:
4 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, to taste
1 pound cooked shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the couscous and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it starts smelling a little toasty. Add the lemon juice and stir until the lemon juice evaporates. (Reserve the lemon zest for the shrimp.) Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer then turn the heat to low and cover the pan tightly. Cook for 15 minutes, then take off the heat and let the pan sit, still covered, until you are ready to serve the couscous.

Yum! I can't wait to have this for dinner tomorrow night!!!

Once again I am sorry for being late on my blogs and missing a few days.

Have a great week!
PK

I can smell 5pm

Gosh I am ready for 5pm! I know I said that in my last blog, but I need the weekend to be here. Ever have that feeling? :).

I didn't make it to the gym this am, but I am planning on getting up to go to a spin class tomorrow at 9am. A day off is totally ok.

I have dinner plans with some of the girls tonight and then CP's birthday dinner tomorrow night. I am looking forward to a fun weekend!!

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - 100 calorie english muffin with cream cheese and a soy sausage patty
Snack - Pop chips - I love these!
Lunch - Potato and brocoli cheese WW meal and applesauce
Snack - Orange
Dinner - Gino's East! I think I am going veggie and light light cheese. Yum!

Have a great weekend! Sorry for the blah blogs this week.

PK

President's Day - Yes Please!

I can't wait to have Monday off (thank you Legacy for closing the office for President's Day!!) I actually just can't wait for Friday! I have been antsy this week and just excited to have a weekend in Chicago. We have a visitor coming into town from Des Moines which is exciting! Pic attached :).



We will also be celebrating Christina's birthday on Saturday at Chicago Q! Boom! Pic attached :).



Brunch plans were cancelled for Sunday, so as of now, Sunday and Monday will be a chillax time. I do have one important agenda item for Monday and that is to get over to see Miss Lexi Bug! I haven't seen her since she was 2 days old and now she is a month old and needs some Aunt P time.

I got up this morning and did a p90x workout. I just can't get enough of the p90x kickboxing! It's truly a great full body workout. When I have a good workout, I tend to think about vacation and goals. We have Ecuador tentatively planned for the end of July which makes me want to work hard at the gym. I may need to make a paper chain to start the Ecuador countdown.

I saw this today and it made me laugh.

http://studenttravel.about.com/od/springbrea1/tp/to_spring_break.htm?nl=1

How awesome was Spring Break in high school and college?? I have some pretty crazy memories from Florida, Cancun, Charleston, etc.

Anywho...

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - 100 calorie english muffin with cream cheese and soy sausage patty (out of laughing cow)
Lunch - Asian chicken salad from Al's Beef. I tell ya peeps. Get there for lunch!! It's awesome. The salad may have been a tad much but I asked for it w/o cheese which helped.
Dinner - I have some chicken breasts thawing. I am thinking grilled chicken with either baked potatoes or couscous. I guess you will find out tomorrow!

Later,
PK

P.S. How is awesome is the weather today!?!?!

Happy Valentines Day!

What a weekend! Monster and I left Friday morning via megabus for Des Moines. This experience on the Megabus was the best we have had. We left on time, stopped for food, arrived in DSM on time. It was great! I kinda dreaded the drive back on Sunday, but same deal. We left on time, stopped for food and were back in Chicago at 2:15, home by 3pm. It was lovely!

We saw some family, had fun at the baby shower, shopped and that's about it. It was a very quick trip. I was happy to get home and have some time last night to relax before the work week started.

We had plans to go out for dinner tonight to celebrate Valentines Day, but decided to stay in and cook together instead. We are going to make Shrimp Scampi (we love this meal!) and I am going to make Monster's favorite dessert - scotcharoos, for dessert. I also want to hang my new art work that Monster picked up yesterday! Luckily Urban is right around the corner. I can't wait to see how it looks!

How cute is this quote?? I saw it today on one of my favorite blogs and think it's worth posting.



I hit the grocery store last night and stocked up on healthy food for the week. I plan on going to the gym at least 4 times this week and maybe this weekend too since I will be in town. I need a good loss at WW this weekend!

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - English muffin with raspberry jelly
Snack - banana with reduced fat peanut butter
Lunch - WW meal (santa fe rice and beans) and an apple with laughing cow
Snack - TBD, maybe an orange or string cheese
Dinner - Shrimp scampi and salad. I am going to keep it light and healthy and watch my portions tonight

I hope you all had a great weekend!!

PK

Mildly obsessed with...

Wall art. It's very random, but I am obsessed with 3 different pieces of work that I can't wait to buy! If I had space on my walls in my small apartment, I would have all of these hanging.

I am for sure getting this cute one this week. I continue to look on-line at it and just need to purchase it. It's pretty cheap and I have a great spot for it, so now I have to just get to urban and purchase.



The other two will have to wait, but I have to let you all see :).

This one will hang in my kitchen at my next apartment. I saw this on two of my fave blogs today: http://collisinchicago.tumblr.com/ and http://www.thekitchn.com/



This other one will hang in my dining room one day. Check out Matthew Lew Art when you have a second. I bought one of his prints at CB2 last year and he is extremely talented! Local artist too!

Here is the link: http://www.matthewlew.com/#featured-artwork/3

And that was my random rant...

I slept through my alarm today. I had plans to do the p90x kickboxing, but my snooze button decided to go off 4 or 5 times...

I am not really in the mood to hit the gym tonight. I keep thinking about how dirty my place is right now and I want to do a deep cleaing. That may take place tonight instead of the gym. Not a bad thing.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - 1 1/2 Egg and cheese omelette with a mini whole wheat bagel. We have zero food at home so this was random.
Snack - choco chip granola bar
Lunch - Chili and pita chips with hummus
Dinner - I set out chicken and a whole wheat pizza crust. I am thinking bbq chicken pizza for din.

I hope to make it to the gym tomorrow morning. It's just the coldest day of the year and I have no interest today...

Hope you are more motivated than me today!

PK

Chicago Q

Hi All!

Chicago Q rocked last night! I am so excited to go back in a few weeks for CP's birthday. The events coordinator at Chicago Q was wonderful. She was able to give us "tastes" of everything we wanted to try before making a final decision on the menu. The hush puppies were something else and the corn bread?? Wowza! The 19th can't come soon enough.

This morning, I tried the P90X - Plyo routine. I didn't give myself enough time to do the work out and get reaady, so I only managed to get through half of it. I'm sure tomorrow will be tough to move around, but it felt great. Lots of jumps...

If you aren't sure what plyometric movements are, here is some info: Plyometric movements, in which a muscle is loaded and then contracted in rapid sequence, use the strength, elasticity and innervation of muscle and surrounding tissues to produce greater strength, more speed and explosive power.

The p90X plyometric workout contains five sections of four movements; the first three last 30 seconds, and the final movements typically last 60 seconds.

If you are considering trying p90x, do it! It's a nice change from the gym.

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - Soy sausage sammy with laughing cow spread
Lunch - Chicken sandwich from Brett's Kitchen - this place rocks!
Snack - choco chip granola bar
Dinner - Monster and I are going to Deleece tonight for din. The menu looks awesome! I am going with either the turkey burger or a salad.

Stay warm!
PK

Recap from the weekend in KC

Monster and I took off on Friday night for Kansas City, MO to spend the weekend with my family. My brother and his family drove in from Hutchinson, KS and my mom and sister drove in from Des Moines. It was half way for both of them and a quick flight for me to get there. We had a wonderful time. From shopping on the Plaza, spending some time with Bethie and a solid BBQ experience from Oklahoma Joes, it was a perfect weekend.

The wins from the weekend:
Seeing my family
Spending time with Maggie and Sammy
Monster and I exchanging V-Day gifts
Eating Oklahoma Joes BBQ - This restaurant is in a gas station! Check out the pic.
Working out on a Saturday am on vacation

My losses:
Failing on my diet...

One thing my family never does is starve while on vacation. Food is always the topic of conversation while on a trip. It's hard with children b/c they always need to eat. You can't skip a meal with them. Our whole day revolves around where we are going to eat and what time. I was stuffed last night when I went to bed!

When we got back yesterday, we rushed to Kyle's to watch the super bowl. The spread there was awesome too! Someone made a ridiculous pulled pork in the slow cooker. There were plenty of dips, chips, sweets...you name it!

I was ready to start my Monday with a good work out and healthy diet. Xport was calling my name. I did about 40 minutes of cardio and abs this morning before heading into work. It was so nice to sweat it out!

I am trying to eat light today as tonight I am meeting CP for din at Chicago Q. I have been so excited to try this new restaurant. I will have a full recap for you tomorrow on the menu items we try.

My meal plan for the day:
Pre-gym - cereal bar
Breakfast - Soy sausage sammy on ww english muffin
Lunch - soup and salad
Snack - I brought an orange, but not sure I will be hungry for a snack
Din - CHICAGO Q!!!

Talk to you tomorrow!
PK

Rough Week, but...

I lost .2 today. I was a tad worried stepping on the scale this morning, but it ended up being a loss which I am very happy about.

I am almost to 8 lbs and my goal is to be at 10 by the time Feb is over.

We are heading to KC tonight after work to spend some time with my fam. I can't wait to snuggle with Miss Mags and see Binks!! They really make everything better :).

Sorry for the short blog today and lack of blog posts this week, but I hope to start up next week again!

Have a great weekend all :).
PK

Post #100

Yay for me! I hit post #100 today. I had no idea this blogging thing would be something that I enjoy doing. I love to blog over my lunch hour for a quick break in the work day and just zone in on my meal thoughts and my work out plan. Today I changed it up. I am sitting on my couch watching Fashion Police and under my comfy blanket just relaxing. I didn't have time today to blog and I kinda missed it. So here it is :).

The weather today is absolutely crazy!! I looked out the window of my boss's office around 1:30pm and shrugged off this blizzard rumor. When I got up to get water around 3:30pm it was a completely different story. Monster actually had to fly out today for a work trip around 1pm and he got out with zero issues. Good for him, but bad for me. I have lots of anxiety when anyone travels in this weather. Luckily he got to Duluth, MN safe and sound and missed/will be missing this blizzard going down in Chi.

Before bed last night I started to put together my work out bag and thought to myself...I'm going to do p90x in the morning. I slept for an additional 30 minutes which was heavenly and got up and ready for an hour of kickboxing. Monster decided to join me today and it was probably the funniest experience ever. First of all, the space we had to do kickboxing in was tight. We had about a 5 x 4 square if that for kicks, punches, jumping jacks, etc. Also, Monster had a ton of energy this morning. It was just a goofy time, but very happy to get a work out in this morning and out of the way.

I had a good amount of energy today post work out and put in a full day at work before hailing a cab to bring my home in this snowy mess. One hour in a cab + $30 = home safe avoiding a crowded bus!

My meal plan for the day:
Breakfast - egg beaters with laughing cow wedge, soy sausage patty in half a whole wheat pita pocket
Snack - CCPB granola bar
Lunch - Salad with dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese - maybe 1 tablespoon not a lot, a few croutons and 1 tbsp honey mustard dressing plus 3 stuffed shells from dinner on Sunday.
Dinner - Campbells Mega Noodle soup with a few oyster crackers, Morningstar BB burger on half an english muffin

The 45 - 50 mins of cardio I did today allowed me to eat a few more points than my daily amount. That's actually one of the biggest reasons I force myself to go to the gym in the morning. I like that I could eat a few more points if I wanted. It's nice to have the option.

Hope you are staying warm!!! TTYL.

PK