Tag: healthy eats

Five on Friday {6.10.16}

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Good morning and TGIF! What a week it has been- traveling to the west coast for just a few days takes a toll on you for sure. But, it’s FRIDAY and that’s a good thing, so let’s get to it!

  • Healthy Eats While Traveling– If you’ve been following B2B for a while, then you know that while I prefer to eat healthy foods as my main source of fuel, I am also all about indulgences. I love pizza, I love ice cream, I love french fries. But I choose the right times/places to indulge on those things. Pizza at the airport? No, thanks. Pizza at Max & Leo’s? You bet! With that said, before my flight to LA on Monday I stopped at Cosi and tried their new bowls and was so pleased with the chicken, veggie & avocado rice bowl that I got! It also set really well in my stomach for the long flight 🙂

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  • #BuffBride Workout Update- I’ve just about completed my second week of the #BuffBride workout that Athena created for me and it’s amazing that I’m already noticing a difference in my strength and in how my arms look and feel. I was lucky that the hotel we stayed at in Burbank had an awesome, fully equipped gym because I was able to get up and bang out a great workout before heading out for a big meeting. I love to workout when I travel and was happy that it fit in so well with my schedule!

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  • Manhattan Beach- Umm, so beautiful!!! We had a late lunch there after our meetings on Tuesday and I was just soaking in all the amazingness. I had wanted to do some walking around on the beach and into the shops, but the others I was with wanted to head back so if I ever make it back there, I definitely plan on hanging out for a longer time.

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  • The Life-Changing Power of Small Things– RM sent this article to me earlier this week and it was a really good read. I’ve talked about this before, but I’ll say it again- too often we are so concerned with the big things: changes, money, career, etc. rather than taking a step back and focusing on the smaller every day things. This article has some great tips on how to shift your focus to what really matters- it’s a long read, but I promise it’s worth it!
  • JP Morgan Corporate Challenge- Last night’s race was so fun! While it was chilly waiting for the race to start, the weather was perfect for running. I ended up running pretty fast for me so that was just icing on the cake! No, wait… the icing on the cake was a celebratory glass of vino and food at Pier 6 after the race 😉

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That does it for me this week! I am so excited for the weekend- we have lots of wedding related tasks to work on, but they’re fun things so I’m looking forward to doing them! I hope you all have a great weekend with whatever you have planned- chat with you next week!

Questions for you: Do you try to eat healthy while on the road? Do you like to workout while on the road? Have you ever been to Manhattan Beach? Do you have any races on your calendar?

Extended Time In Maine: Spending lots of time with family and friends!

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I can’t remember the last time I spent more than a few nights home in Maine. Actually, that’s a lie. Last year for Christmas, my sister and I were able to spend a lot of time in Maine, mostly due to the fact that I came down with pneuomonia and we couldn’t leave when originally planned. Thankfully, I survived the holiday sick-free this year.

Since I’ve already caught you up on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I’ll pick up after that! Thursday morning, my mom, sister and I all went to the gym, which is my favorite way to start the day 🙂

After we got home, my dad and I got busy putting together my new mini-kitchen island. I thought I could do it on my own, but I am so happy my dad suggested doing it together because he has all the tools and knowledge to make sure it’s done right.

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Charlie thought he was going to be a good helper… he wasn’t.

It took much longer than expected to put it together, but I am so happy with how it turned out! It’s not great quality, but until I buy a place and know I won’t be moving every couple of years, I don’t want to have super nice stuff that could get damaged. This is absolutely perfect for my little kitchen because not only does it give me extra counter space, but it’s on wheels so I can move it around as I need/want. Love it- thanks mom and dad!!

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We went to the movies in the afternoon (nothing like $6.50 matinees in Maine!) to see Anchorman 2, which, sadly, was a big disappointment. Has anyone else seen it? I just thought it was slow and not that funny. At least the beers were $2, which kept me entertained 😉

We made the most delicious chicken parmesan meal when we got home from the movies. Holy moly. My mom really does make the best chicken parm (Danielle and I served ours over spaghetti squash… the best way to save on carbs and calories!)!

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After dinner, we spent a lot of time listening to my parents talk about their parents and their childhood. My dad’s parents passed away when he was in his young 20’s and my mom’s mother passed away when she was in her mid-late 20’s, so we haven’t really gotten to hear much about them over the years. It was so fun to look through old photo albums and listen to their stories.

I started my Friday just like most “off” days from work: at the gym! I took a great cardio and core class, which was perfect after a weights class on Thursday. After the class, I headed to the AT&T store to get a new iPhone. I was using an old iPhone 4 and was long overdue for an upgrade, so I finally headed in and made the upgrade! So far, I am LOVING my iPhone 5S and can’t wait to see the difference in picture quality.

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My family headed to the mall in the afternoon and I scored a number of deals- have you guys been shopping since Christmas? The sales are unreal! I got 2 shirts a dress and lotion for $30! After the mall, we headed to the Back Street Grill for some happy hour wines with my mom’s friend, Jean. When the $3 happy hour wine ends at 6pm and you get there at 5:30, you order 2 😉

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We made a nice, healthy chicken and veggie teriyaki stir fry for dinner- all of us agreed we needed more veggies!

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Saturday, Danielle and I made the trek back to Boston, with a quick stop in Kittery to exchange some things (I just ended up buying more. whoops). With the looks of the back of her SUV, though, you’d think the last thing we’d be doing was shopping!

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Once I got back, I unpacked everything, went for a 5K run and then had a quiet night in. I had wanted to do something, but it ended up being nice staying in. I needed to get my iTunes updated so I could put music on my new phone, catch up on blogging and have some alone time, all which I accomplished on Saturday night!

Sunday morning I woke up pretty early, which was expected since I’ve slept a lot the past handful of nights, so I went to a 9:30 spin class, followed by upper body strength and core work. The gym was dead, which is my favorite way for it to be unless I’m teaching 😉

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The rest of my Sunday was pretty quiet… I’m ready for some serious social interaction! I went grocery shopping, prepped lunches/meals and did some other random stuff around my apartment. I hung out with my sister in the afternoon for a few hours before coming home and making a delicious chicken, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts and quinoa dish.

Although it was a quiet weekend, it was good. I started Monday feeling refreshed and ready to get back on a schedule!

Questions for you: Have you seen Anchorman 2? Do you have the new iPhone? What was the best part of your weekend? Any fun plans for NYE tonight?

Broccoli, Tomato & Cheese Quiche and Sweet Potato Hash

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A few weeks ago, I decided I was in the mood for breakfast for dinner. My sister is an avid quiche maker and I’ve realized that quiche is not only easy to make and delicious to eat, but it is also a dish that reheats really well (and we all know how much I love leftovers!). I did a little research and came across this delicious looking crustless quiche from Cooking Light. Going crustless with quiche is a great way to cut down on calories, and I promise, you won’t miss the crust if you make your quiche tasty enough 😉

To accompany my quiche, I made a sweet potato “hash” recipe that I got from this blog. Super easy, but super tasty!

This meal absolutely hit the spot and was a great, balanced meal to have around for the week!

Broccoli & Tomato Crustless Quiche (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp EVOO
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped,
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 5 cups broccoli florets
  • cooking spray
  • 1 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1 cup shredded reduced- fat Swiss cheese (I used a blended cheese because that’s what I had)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I skipped this because I didn’t have any)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 6 (1-ounce) slices whole wheat bread, toasted (I skipped this all together. Wasn’t necessary!)

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Chop onion, broccoli and tomato. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the broccoli in and cook until the broccoli is mostly cooked. Remove from heat, add in the tomatos and place the veggie mixture to the bottom of a pie pan.

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3. Combine the milk through eggs in a large bowl. Once it’s combined, pour the mixture over the veggies. Bake for 40 minutes or until the eggs have fully cooked.

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Sweet Potato Hash (from fit sugar)

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato, wash and dice into small cubes (1/4” square)
  • 2 tbsp. canola or coconut oil
  • 2 cups sweet onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 whole fresh jalapeno pepper, minced (I didn’t add this)
  • 2 cloves of roasted garlic (I just minced my garlic)
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning.

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Chop the sweet potato and add to the boiling water. Cook until the sweet potato is soft. Remove from the water and let cool.

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2. While the sweet potato is cooking, chop your onion and pepper and sauté them until fully cooked.

3. Add the sweet potato to the veggies and let everything simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes on low heat.

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All together now:

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Mmmm. The quiche was absolutely delicious! Cheesy and veggie-filled and the sweet potato hash was a great substitution for the crust on the quiche. I think I caught myself “mmm”ing while I ate. Good thing I was alone because that would have been weird 😉

Questions for you: Do you like quiche? Have you ever made sweet potato hash? What’s your favorite “breakfast for dinner” meal?