Photo Food Diary

This is what I had to eat yesterday, Thursday

Woke up for an early meeting and grabbed a bowl of cereal with cut up strawberries and blackberries
Ran off to work and did a lot of paperwork and prepping for my departure next week.
For lunch I've been dining out a lot as my colleagues have been wanting to take me to lunches.

I went to El Ranchito with a colleague for lunch then stopped over at Wholesome Choice which is this amazing Meditteranean themed market. I loved it!  For lunch I had machaca and eggs with rice and beans and flour tortillas. Thankfully I only ate half.

When I got back to my office I sat and had some tea and went to more meetings. I was antsy yesterday with all the benefits and last min interviews I have to get scheduled before I leave my job.

I packed these late afternoon snacks so I wouldnt gorge for dinner... but alas. I did!

For dinner I went to Yardhouse and got the side salad, tomato basil soup and a side of fries. I coulda done without the fries!

Oh well- it was delish.

Looking forward to a full and busy weekend!

Workout Week May 1- 7th 2013

My personal goals: 
 - Like last week I was super busy- so I was just trying to get through the week

Overall personal goal analysis: I have not really set any goals and I think that's a big big reason that I've really fallen off the wagon. I don't monitor myself anymore and I'm eating mindlessly. I didn't get to exercise much because of my work schedule and that always throws me off. I need the meditation and cathartic body release that exercise provides me. I am hoping to really get back on the wagon this week.

Here’s how my workouts went:

Wednesday: Bootcamp was accomplished! Proud of that. In the evening I went to Gyu Kaku with the gang for happy hour. We ate and drank A LOT. But had a blast!

We had 3 pitchers of lychee soju, 5 plates of bistro harami, 2 plates of sweet onion, 4 plates of zuchinni, 5 bibimbap , 1 chicken garlic friend noodles, beer, and cheese wontons.  You would think that's all?

Nope! We finished it off with 4 orders of smores!

Thursday: I had Angels in the eve so no workout

Friday: Met up with my old Angels girls after work for happy hour then had softball in the evening. I went home right after softball let out at 10:30 because I had to be up super early the next day

Saturday: Didnt get to go to the gym like I usually do, which sucks. BUT instead I went to Huntington Beach to volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk. It was a wonderful event and I was so happy to be a part of it!  Afterwards I scooted over to Angels where I worked until about 5pm. That evening I went over to the Soto's house to see their new baby.

Sunday: I was exhausted and slept in.  But when I finally woke up I hauled it to work and then went out with Matt after.  

Monday: I spent the evening with my parents.. Again no working out

Tuesday: I went out with my friend Dave in the evening... Again no working out

Overall workout analysis:

How I feel: I feel really exhausted but happy. I had good times this week and much more to look forward to. Health wise, like I said I need to get back on track.  This week is a little more mellow so I plan to do that.  I am also going shopping tomorrow for some healthy food and I want to try to eat at home more.

For next week: I'm recommitting to my eating and exercise goal. I want to lose 5 lbs in May... I am gonna do it!  I also start my new job on the 20th so that'll be a tumultuous time. 

Dont buy jam- make your own!

Ever since I was little I have been watching my grandma make jam. While she made an abundance of strawberry, whenever figs, apricots and peaches were in season, she'd always make small batches of those as well.

I loved eating my peanut butter sandiness with my grandmas homemade jam and knew nothing of Smuckers or Mrs. Knott's growing up because I was spoiled like that  :)\

Since my grandma has grown older, my mom and I have taken on the jam making duties. One day a year, we set aside a whole afternoon and make a ton! We then proceed to jar it, and send it off to various destinations around the nation- aka my brother gets a couple jars in NY, my aunt gets a case in AZ and my cousins in Nor Cal get some.  Its quite the family hit and a very hot commodity. Its like liquid (or jelly) gold in our family. But we make sure to make enough to last all year.

So here's the process:

INGREDIENTS

5 cups  prepared fruit (about 2 quarts fully ripe strawberries)

1 box  SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

1/2 tsp.  butter or margarine (optional)

7 cups  sugar, measured into separate bowl

TOOLS

Food processor OR immersion blender

Large pot

Spatula

Measuring cups galore

Sanitized jars- we boil ours

Wax to seal

Jar lids

Ladle

Look for strawberries to go on sale or just buy in super bulk like we did from Costco:

Wash and stem them.

Next whip out your food processor/ immersion blender and blend up some strawberries until you measure 5 cups.  Strawberries don’t have to be smooth just puréed. Sometimes its nice to have chunks.

Transfer strawberry puree to a large pot and turn heat to medium/high. Add a teaspoon of butter (to reduce foaming) and pectin or Sure-Jell.  Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Bring separate small sauce pan filled with prepared wax to boil and ladle a light layer over the top of each jar to seal in and keep air out.  Cover each jar with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly.

You can see some of the jars in the back have wax on them and those towards the front I havent gotten to yet.


LASTLY spread over your favorite bread or cracker and enjoy!!!! YUM- there's nothing like it!

Photo Food Diary

This is what I indulged in yesterday- CINCO de MAYO!

Firstly I woke up SOOOO late. This is the first time in 5 years I've ever been late to Angels EVER... I was so upset with myself. But to be honest I've been running myself ragged and the sleep didnt hurt me that's for sure. On Sat I woke up at 4 am for the CFF walk then worked all day and in the evening went to visit the Soto's and their new baby.  I ended up staying at their house way longer than I thought I would- I can't believe i lasted!

I hurried out the door but before I left I quickly made myself a green peanut butter smoothie- Recipe Here

I love how this is a photo "in action"

As luck would have it- we were potlucking at work that day in honor of CINCO! I was grateful because I usually pack a lunch and didnt have time that morning.  Throughout the day I munched on bean burritos, ceviche and horchata. I tried to control myself and stay away from the sweets and bakery.  But doesn't the spread look legit?

I worked 6 hours and then met up with Matt and his friend Jim who were at the game.  Matt and I had plans to hang out that night so Jim left him with me and we went back to my condo. He was so sweet and made me the cutest flower arrangement for my patio. I loved it.  We hung out and had wine and cheese and crackers.

Later that night we went out for dinner to a place he loves which I've never been to. Its called Green2Go in Brea.

I love what their all about. Their food is fresh, seasonal, strictly organic and grown about 5 miles away at a hydroponic farm.  Matt and I sat outside on the patio by the waterfountain and the Manager came out- as he and Matt are friends - and chatted us up about his restaurant.  I ordered a chicken salad with avocado and Matt got the angus burger. I sadly only got pics of the aftermath but my salad was amazing. It had so many garden varieties such as kale, cabbage, dill, basil, escarole, red cabbage, and organic flowers. Their homemade house salad dressing was also to die for.  Matt's burger was equally delicious.  We also got a side of marinated grilled veggies which has a medley of cauliflower, purple cauliflower, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, squash etc.  I loved it.

Here's the remnants of our meal... Not pretty but so tasty!
We spent the rest of the evening on his porch sipping wine, and when it got way too cold and drizzly outside, we went in to watch Game of Thrones. PERFECT day!

Amy's Lasagna

I am a big fan of lasagna. One of the best things about it- is its versatility. You can make it way in advance and freeze it for a rainy day, you can add a ton of ingredients and make it delish and its a complete crowd pleaser.

Recently two sets of my best friends had a baby and I thought there would be no better gesture than to provide them a nice home cooked meal made with love.

In the past I've often followed Ina's recipe for Turkey Lasagna, and I did in some ways still, but change it up based on what I had on hand. I was highly inspired when I went to sprouts and saw both sweet and hot Italian Spicy Sausage on sale.I bought a couple packs and some noodles/ricotta/Parmesan/to-go containers and dashed home to make my lasagnas.

Here's my recipe and some pics:

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 jars tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles- (I buy the no-boil kind)
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the 2 types of sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. Add the tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish (or in my case two smaller to-go baking dishes), spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

I froze my lasagnas after this so I could deliver nicely to my friends.

I directed them to:
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden.

Browning my two types of sausage

Mixing my ricotta and prepping my cheeses (you can see my salad I'm prepping for lunch the next day too)

My finished lasagna's ready to pop in the freezer than be delivered to my friends

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Happy LASAGNA making!

Workout Week April 24-30th 2013

My personal goals: 
 - Get through the week

Overall personal goal analysis: My goals were at the very very back of my head this week. I was dealing with a lot professionally and personally that made eating an exercising a distant thought.  

Here’s how my workouts went:

Wednesday: I woke up early and went to bootcamp. One of the few physical successes I had this week. That evening I went out with friends. First I met up with Dave then with Bec, Brock, Ash, Amanda, and Eric to watch Jenny's Karaoke competition. As always we had a blast.

Thursday: I had an event at work this night so I was in Irvine till 8 then I went to a friends house to hangout for a while with her and her family. Her dad made homemade pho.. it was spectacular!

Friday: Went out with Alex, Bec, Brock, Ash and Eric again- this time bowling. We had such a great time!

Saturday: I dragged myself to workout this morning  I ran for 20 min then went to Spartacus. Felt so much better afterwards.  Then I was off to my dad's bonsai display at South Coast Plaza followed by the Ducks game.

Sunday: Did spin class then went back to South Coast Plaza. I had lunch at Ruby's with my aunts grandmothers and mom . I got a veggie burger and fries. It was delish.

We then browsed the show and visited with friends, while continually revisiting my dad's display.  Some of my friends came out to see him too- which was awesome.  My dad was so cute with his little bonsai. It was quite the attraction- many ppl were posing and taking pics with it.

Monday:  I actually took the day off work and went to Pilates this morning. It didn't feel like a major workout but it was something. That afternoon my mom and I reupholstered my chairs.  

Here's the before and after.

Pretty dang proud of our work.

That evening I had my close friends from work over.  The point was to tell them before it was announced that I would be leaving work for my new position with CFF. It was very emotional.   I made a small feast and we gossiped and talked all night. It was perfect.

Tuesday: I went back to the gym this day and did 40 min on the elliptical. 

Overall workout analysis:

How I feel: I feel elated and sick all rolled into one. I have been on such an emotional roller coaster my body is playing tricks on me. I sometimes feel highly energized and other times just plain lethargic.   

For next week: Exciting times right now. I am just taking it all day by day. I am celebrating my successes and trying to build off of my failures. I am trying to eat better and even though I can't exercise a lot, I'm trying to go hard when I am actually exercising and amp up my intensity.