monday

e: 1 hr in gym (most of it cardio)
b: brown rice, egg white scramble, one fish ball, 1 tofu ball,
s: biscotti with pumpkin butter, 1 bite of dark choc
l: not sure, maybe more turnip cake and fish ball, with spinach
d: yogurt smoothie, fruit

cleaned up the laundry room, did loads of laundry, returned merchandise , etc etc.
we don't need an extra day off. we need to work only 4 days a week. this is too much to stuff to catch up on--just waiting for another holiday to come around to get the time to do more housework.

e: 1 hr at gym, most of it cardio
b: brown ricce, seaweed, chik breast, kim chi
s: biscotti cracker with pumpkin butter
l: don't know yet
d: maybe a yogurt smoothie

e: 1 hour run, plus 20 minutes of weights
b: brown rice sushi, seaweed
s: turnip cake
l: tcby frozen yogurt plus cake cone
d: soy corn dog, spinach, smal bowl of lentil soup

e: 1 hour of gym time (mostly cardio)
b: spinach wrap, chik breast
s: ff yogurt
l: chick soup with lots of veggies, i piece of dark choc
d: turnip cake, 1 sf choc pudding with almonds

e: 70 minutes of cardio
b: kofta curry balls, some tofu
s: ff yogurt
l: pureed chicken soup with tofu balls
d: turnip cake or iso soup with tofu and seaweed, sf choc pudding

e: more than 1 hour at gym (draggin my butt)
b: kofta curry balls, spinach and some tofu
s: ff yogurt
l: roasted red pepper soup with spinach
s: tuna
d: yogurt smoothie, or miso soup. something sweet like biscotti or ice cream sandwich

swimmer bill, your tofu sounds amazing! please send some immediately--HA!

my tuesday is similar to monday except i extended my cardio today. i felt pretty hungry towards the end of my workout, so i re-fueled with some meatless buffalo nuggets, and coffee with soy milk.

i do feel ...eating clean has made a difference already in how my clothes feel.

Been thinking of KD lately because my New Year's Resolution was to get back to really "clean" meals with lots of flavor, tons of nutritional value, and reduced fat and calories. Over the last few years, particularly during a big kitchen remodel in the summer of '08, I reverted back to some of my old unhealthy eating habits, but now that I've got a gorgeous new kitchen, I'm back in business!

On Saturday, I made KD's spicy sausage with broccoli rabe - an old favorite - inspired when I spotted broccoli rabe in the market for the first time in a while. The recipe calls for orecchiette pasta, but I had rigatoni, so that's what I used.

Despite improving the quality and variety (and portions) of foods I've been eating lately, I'd been feeling sluggish over the last few days. So tonight I decided to make something a lot healthier and made spicy ginger baked tofu with whole roasted green beans for dinner.

It was easy. I took one block of firm tofu, sliced it in half lengthwise and cut each piece in half to make four pieces, each about 2" x 3" x 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Recipe instructions said to press dry, and I need to refine that a little to get more of the moisture out next time (or bake it longer on a lower heat). Marinated in soy sauce, a clove of finely grated garlic, about an inch of ginger root finely grated, just a drop of sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Marinated for 30 min, baked in preheated 425 degree oven for 40 min. When there was 15 min remaining, I tossed the green beans in the marinade, threw them on a roasting pan and stuck them in the oven. It was all ready at the same time. Plated in a soup plate with stack of beans and tofu propped on top. Spooned a little of the marinade over top, and garnished with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallion.

The thing KD taught me is food can be delicious and guilt free at the same time. One of her best tips is to use highly flavorful ingredients that have few calories: herbs, spices, citrus juice, etc. The spicy baked tofu reminded me of what I learned from her, and I'm planning to more routinely refer to her cookbooks this year.

e: 30 minutes of weights. 10 min of cardio
b: spinach tofu wrap, coffee with soy milk
s: ff yogurt
l: soup with turnip greens, chik breast, tofu balls
s: some stir fry tofu
d: yogurt smoothie or chili, one fudgsicle with a few almonds

e: 1 hour at gym, maybe a few minutes after work if i have energy
b: spinach tofu wrap, steam broccoli, 2 dark chocolates
s: ff yogurt
l: grill chik salad, 1 dark chocolate
s: a bite of grilled chik if i am still hungry
d: miso with tofu and seaweed, almond biscotti with apple butter

exercise: 70 minutes at gym (50 min cardio)
b: spinach tofu WW wrap, coffee with soy milk, green tea
s: more tofu with turnip greens
l: kofta curry balls, spinach
d: egg white omelette, japanese style, soy ice cream sandwich, maybe some almonds and dried fruit

i have not missed a day of the gym. i think i am due for a rest day soon. these old bones...

KD!!! Are you out there?? I think we need the Cooking Thin Show back.

e: 75 min gym workout
b: coffe with soy milk, spinach tofu WW wrap, 2 dark chocolates
s: ff yogurt
l: shiratake noodles pad thai with loads of veggies
s: if i am hungry: tofu with turnip greens
d: boca patty with spinach, ice cream sandwich (almonds if i am hungry)

Here's my food plan for tomorrow:
E: nice long gym day : )
B: oats, skim milk, lite cran juice
L: veggie chili
S: orange
D: pasta and veggies

exercise: one hour in the gym (about 40 min of cardio)
b: amy's indian spinach wrap, coffee with soy milk
l: chinese soup with tofu balls and chik breast, bean sprouts and turnip greens and ushrooms
s: tofu and tomatoe stir fry
d: miso soup with tofu and seaweed, 1 ice cream sandwich, almonds and dates if i am still hungry.
(I have to say, i woke up so hungry this morning. i can definitely feel the calorie reduction. oh MAN!)(Also, do you know how hard it is to get to the gym when it is 12 degrees outside and i rather stay in bed?)

starting 2010 with my food plan:

b: Amy's indian spinach tofu wrap, coffee with soy milk, 2 pieces of dark chocolate
l: veggie soup (maybe some extra tofu with turnip greens if i am hungry)
d: miso soup, soy ice cream sandwich (if i am hungry, almonds and dates)
one hour of exercise this morning despite the extreme cold weather (18 degrees--7 with the wind chill!)

mmmmm...that looks divine Bill! Thanks for sharing!

Peg

Hi everyone!! I haven't posted in a long time, but I had to share this dish:

Ratatouille Confit Byaldi

I blogged about it today. This cozy, luxurious dish is 100% vegetarian, outrageously delicious, and completely guilt free. I served it with a fresh rosemary balsamic vinaigrette, and it was even better as leftovers the following night. Yumm!!

Been really indulgent the last couple of days and I'm tired and I just want to get back on track here with a plan for tomorrow instead of rehashing the weekend.

Tuesday plan:
B: Kashi cereal, milk, raspberries, chai
S: None
L: Cold cut 'hoagie', veggie soup, canteloupe
S: 1/2 c yogurt, pistachios
D: Frittata w/zucchini, red bell pepper, onion and whatever else it takes to get to 2 veggie servings, slice of ww toast w/fruit spread
Exercise: Commute day which normally is not a great energy thing but no intentional exercise the last 2 days and a crazy week ahead makes me hope for at least 30 min walking

Planning ahead: Tons of socializing around food this week. Tomorrow I can cook. Wednesday I have visitors in town for work so I will surely be eating out both lunch and dinner. I really need to have a salad at one of those two meals and stick with at least a better choice the other. Thursday I will still have one of the visitors in town for lunch and quite possibly dinner since I'm driving him back to Denver in the evening although maybe if I don't suggest it, he won't either. I guess the same strategy as Wednesday. No idea when I'm going to exercise either of those days. Friday will be working at home so lunch is no problem and I have a friend coming for dinner but I think I'll make mahi since she likes that. Need to not give in and go out because I'm tired and I'm sure I will be. Saturday is soccer at 10:30am which will put me out and about with my dad at lunch time. Maybe I'll think about packing a lunch for everyone although when I'm going to find time to do that I have NO idea. Nice thought though...will try to work that out. Will shoot to be home for dinner. I am hiking Sunday so need leftovers or crockpot option for that day.

The next two weeks should be better in terms of dining out but then the next 3 weeks after that I am traveling at least some portion of the week, hosting a dinner party, a family dinner and book club when I am home. AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! What have I done to myself??!?

I did make a huge pot of veggie soup today in the crock while I was out and about so I'm going to steal a WW trick and try to eat that as much as possible for snacks and whenever I'm starving. I had tons of CSA veggies so that's what I did since I knew cooking wasn't really happening much this week.

Peg

Friday actuals:
B: Bagel bar w/almond butter, cranraspberry juice, tea
S: None
L: Turkey sandwich on ww, lettuce, tomato, potato chips
S: Blueberries and yogurt
D: Mahi Fish Tacos, black beans
Exercise: 35 min walk/stretching

Saturday plan:
B: Autumn harvest, blueberries, cranraspberry juice, milk, chai
S: Kashi bar on trail
L: Almond butter and jelly sandwich, chips, baby carrots, tea
S: Yogurt
D: Going to a memorial service and they are serving food. Doubt it'll be a food bender given the circumstances.
Exercise: 5 miles hiking

Peg