Packing in the Protein

Lately I've been wondering if, as a vegetarian, I'm getting enough protein. I always assumed I did, but now I'm just not so sure. I haven't had a great deal of energy lately, and that could be attributed to a lot of things... the heat, learning a new job, or worst of all... my metabolism could be slowing down as I approach my 30s! So, I've been trying to be more cautious of how much protein I'm consuming each day. I've been adding protein powder to my smoothies, and it bumps me up to more than 50 grams along with the Greek yogurt and milk I add. 

Along with the protein powder, I've been drinking the Kellogg's protein breakfast shakes, eating lots of hummus and Greek yogurt (which I've always done), eating protein bars, like the Kind brand bars, and I recently discovered how great quinoa can be. 

I'm up for trying any other tasty and nutritious protein-packed products! Please feel free to offer suggestions if you've had great experiences with anything.

Jillian Michaels, I Don't Like You Very Much!

Despite the title of this post, I really do adore Jillian Michaels. I think she has a rockin' body and she's great at what she does! However, as I write this post,  she's definitely not my best friend.

I've been battling some strange sore throat/congestion/head cold thing for a week now, and I've felt so lazy because of it. Monday night I decided to get up and go for a nice, brisk walk. It was great to get out and do a little light cardio, and then Tuesday night I decided to step it up by trying out my Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD. Bad idea.

I've had this DVD for a while, but for the longest time I didn't have a DVD player. I got one about a month ago, so I was long overdue to try out this workout regimen. I just should've picked a time when I was feeling better to try it out. And it might've been easier if I hadn't just eaten a huge feast of avocado salad and quesadillas (recipes to come). Needless to say, I don't see myself getting past week 1 anytime soon! Hopefully I can shake this sickness and get back to my normal self soon.

Here's my two cents about workout DVDs. I think they're great, but I couldn't do a lot of them on a regular basis. They're super tough! I'm not a big group exercise person, either. I do best when I go for runs (outside is my favorite) and use the weight machines at the gym. I will say that my favorite workout DVD is Pilates for Wimps. Yes, I'm willing to admit that I'm a wimp, and maybe I love the workout because it's not over-the-top difficult, but I still feel sore the next day after doing it.

I truly believe each and every person has their limits. I'm not a natural athlete by any means, but I'm also nowhere near a couch potato! I like to be active. I'm just not hardcore! And Jillian, when I'm feeling better, I promise to give you another shot!

Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips

For all of you kale skeptics out there, please just hear me out. I was once on your team, but I've since switched over. And if these roasted salt & vinegar kale chips won't do it, then nothing will! You won't even know you're eating kale, and just think of all the health benefits you'll be getting! For this yummy snack, you'll need:

1 bunch of fresh kale

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste (I use sea salt)

fresh ground pepper to taste

Wash your kale well and tear the leaves away from the stem. Discard stems. (Just a tip: I don't care for the pre-washed and pre-cut variety. They don't remove the stems!!) Pat your kale dry. Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well. Next, spread the kale out on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. After about 10 minutes, I turned my oven down to 375 degrees. Just keep an eye on it and don't let it burn. You want it to be crispy, though, and because of the balsamic vinegar, it will take on a black color.

After you remove the kale from the oven, sprinkle with more salt if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge. The leftovers are just as good cold (or you can pop them in the microwave), although they won't be as crispy. I think these are a little more interesting that plain roasted kale chips since they have the flavor from the vinegar. However, if you're more of a plain snack person, feel free to leave it out. Plain kale chips are tasty with salsa or hummus.

For my next kale chips adventure, I plan to make a sesame oil and chili pepper variety! 

Update: My First Time Juicing

Over the weekend, I decided to test out my new juicer for the first time! I went to the grocery store and bought tons of fresh fruits and veggies so I could make a couple different combinations. On Sunday, I made my first juice. It consisted of a beet, an apple, 2 carrots, half a lemon and a piece of ginger. I found this recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, It's All Good.

Via

Surprisingly, it was really fun using the juicer! It was simple to assemble and other than the beet, it wasn't too messy. When the finished product was ready, I was anxious to taste it before I put it in the refrigerator. It definitely had a "different" taste to it, but I thought it was decent. Well, the more of it I drank, the more I didn't care for it. By the end of the day when I had finished all of it, I decided that I won't be making that particular combination again.

My next recipe I had planned to try involves lemon, kale, celery, cucumber and pineapple. At this point, I don't know if I'm feeling adventurous enough to try such a combination again. I wonder if it might be safer to do the pineapple by itself and eventually ease into some other combinations. I like the idea of adding kale and other veggies that I might not typically cook, but to be honest, I'm a little afraid of creating a disgusting concoction! 

My New Juicer

Monday evening I came home from work to my brand new juicer at my doorstep! I am so excited to try it, but I need to find some great recipes and go buy a bunch of produce!

I've never juiced before, and basically got a wild hair a few weeks ago, thinking it would be great to have a juicer so I could eat even more fruits and veggies, and maybe use some things that I otherwise would've thrown away.

I didn't want a huge apparatus sitting in my kitchen, so I bought the Breville compact juice fountain. This baby has great reviews and can be put away so it doesn't have to sit out on the counter top. 

Via

If anyone has juiced before, please share your recipes with me! If I come up with some great combinations, I'll be sure to share them as well. Can't wait to drink a bunch of yummy and healthy goodness!

Confessions From a Runner-Turned-Walker

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner Blog for some fitness talk. I'm definitely no expert when it comes to fitness. I hated P.E. when I was in school, so of course everyone was shocked when I joined the basketball team in the 8th grade. It turned out to be a disaster, and not because of my lack of athletic abilities. I finally convinced my parents to let me get my ears pierced for my 13th birthday. Of course those earrings had to stay in my ears for weeks so the piercings could heal. I had to be extra careful, too, because my mom developed keloids after getting her ears pierced, and I was trying my best not to have the same thing happen to me. Well, little did I know that no jewelry was allowed on the basketball court, not even my newly pierced ears with the small gold balls! Needless to say, I was a bench warmer the entire season.

Fast forward to high school. I decided that I wanted to join the cross country team during my sophomore year. Actually, I didn't really want to join. I only did so because a guy I had a major crush on was on the team! (By the way, that never worked out!) I found that I was a decent runner. It didn't require a lot of skill... you just run until you feel like you're doing to drop! 

After high school, I didn't run much anymore. In fact, I didn't really have any sort of exercise regimen. A couple years ago, I decided to get back into running. I whipped myself into shape and completed a 5K run, which made me feel like a million bucks! I kept doing 5Ks and running 3-4 times per week. But then I had an injury last summer. It wasn't caused from running, though. I fell on some wet tile at my parents' house, and although I didn't know it at the time, I later found out that I had a torn ligament in my foot and a bruised bone. The doctor told me I couldn't run or really be on my foot much at all for the next few months!

This was right after I completed my first 5K since high school  (November 2011). I was especially excited that I was randomly assigned the number 84, which is my birth year!

It was difficult to get used to not exercising or running anymore after I'd become so accustomed to it again. Just recently, I started walking. My foot still isn't completely healed, so I have to take it easy. I do go for long walks (several miles) and walk as quickly as possible to get my heart rate up. I have sneaked in a couple short jogs, but then I pay for it later and have to ice my foot! I hope to eventually be able to run again, but for now, walking is the next best thing.

I will say that it's super hard to get back into a routine after you've gotten out of it. I've found that the best solution is to just put on your workout clothes! If I come home from work and change into them, I'll always go work out. But if I'm not already in my clothes, it's so easy to relax and settle in for the night without exercising. 

For those days when I don't have time to dedicate to a long walk or other activity, I simply do some housework! You can get a pretty good workout mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing your shower, or whatever else you might need to do! And I look at it this way: any physical activity is better than none!

My Favorite Stir-Fry

I love me some Asian food. It's usually packed with veggies and lots of great flavor, so of course it's one of my favorites. But sometimes getting Asian food from a restaurant or take-out place is just not great. It's a lot greasier and a lot less healthy. By making it at home, I'm able to control the ingredients, and it's actually just as cheap as take-out!

I love vegetable lo mein, but every time I tried a recipe for it, it called for corn starch and ended up taking on the texture of glue. Not very appetizing. I finally gave up on that idea and decided to just make a yummy veggie stir-fry and add noodles. You can use whatever kind of noodles you like. You could even sub the noodles for rice. I always use packaged egg noodles because they're inexpensive and yummy! Just be sure to boil them first, but don't overcook them since they'll be added to the stir-fry and cook a little longer. Also, feel free to use whatever veggies you like best. I typically use scallions, carrots, and broccoli, but I'm sure just about anything would be delicious!

Ingredients
1 package egg noodles (I like Mueller's Medium noodles)
fresh veggies, chopped (I use a head of broccoli, one bunch of scallions, and a couple big handfuls of shredded carrots)
1 small piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5-6 Tbs. canola oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
5-6 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Boil noodles, but don't let them get too soft. Drain.
Heat a large skillet or wok with 3-4 Tbs. canola oil. When very hot, add veggies (except scallions or other very tender veggies) and stir fry 2-3 minutes.
Push veggies to the side of the pan. Add a little more oil. Stir fry the scallions, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes for 1-2 minutes.
Add last drops of oil to pan, along with cooked noodles. Don't stop stirring!
About about 1 minutes, sprinkle with soy sauce and lemon juice. Stir and serve!


On a side-note, Gooseberry Patch has some of the best recipes around. They're hosting a blog hop, so I thought it would be fun to participate in my first one! Check out the yummy recipes everyone is sharing!

An Unplanned Hiatus

I've been on an unplanned hiatus for a week! I kept thinking about the blog and things to write about, but I was battling the flu all week, and was just too sick to post. But now that I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to stock up on your vitamins! I highly recommend the Vitamin C gummies. I bought mine at Trader Joe's, but you can find them anywhere. After swallowing Tylenol, cough syrup and whatever else I felt like would help me, the last thing I wanted to swallow was another vitamin. The Vitamin C gummies really come in handy! I don't take the gummy multi-vitamins because they don't contain iron, but if you're ok with that... go right ahead! 

Via

I also highly recommend taking Emergen-C. It never hurts to boost your immune system. I bought the blueberry-acai kind at Target, and plan to take some every day when I'm around a lot of people, sick or not. Here's to a healthier year, and hopefully more fun blog posts in the future!

Veg-Head

Most people who know me know that I'm a vegetarian. I have been since I was about 3 years old. I just never liked meat. And no, no one else in my family is a vegetarian. Just me. But I'm not one of those weird-food-eating vegetarians. In fact, I'm not even a fan of tofu. I basically eat the same foods as most other people, just without the meat. And of course, I have to get extra protein through dairy, nuts, beans, etc. So the recipes I share will be meatless, but I promise they'll all be super yummy, and of course, real simple!

For the longest time, I would never eat anything like a veggie burger because I couldn't get past the texture. I was afraid it would seem too much like meat. But I eventually discovered some great veggie burger recipes, (and let's face it... Morningstar Farms makes a pretty mean black bean veggie burger), so now I love them! I came across a recipe for a Thai veggie burger, and let me tell you... it's really delicious and different! I served mine with a broccoli slaw straight from a kit I purchased in my grocery store's produce section. Real simple, huh? For the recipe, just go here! Enjoy!