Dinners Archives - Page 16 of 36 -

Birthday Bash at Comedy Sports

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 19, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Family / Friends / Misc. / Restaurants
Post comments:0 Comments

I don’t know about you guys but I had a pretty great Friday. Not only was it the best day of the week but I also got to celebrate my Betsy’s birthday. Last year we went to Betsy’s place and hung out, played games, and I made these insanely amazing Oreo Bars. This year we celebrated at Comedy Sports in Calhoun Square in Minneapolis.

Before I get into that, one brief back track. For dinner I made meatloaf burgers.

I mixed lean ground turkey with chopped olives, onion, a dash of garlic powder, and cracked black pepper. I formed them into patties and cooked them on the stove top. I topped mine with mozzarella cheese and served it with sautéed mushrooms. Delicious.

Okay, now back to the birthday celebration. We met the birthday group at Republic Bar in Calhoun Square. As someone who doesn’t visit that area very often I have to say I was blown away at how nice it was. Not only Calhoun Square, but Republic as well. I felt like I was in Chicago or New York. I loved the feeling of it.

The beautiful birthday girl and me, and NO we didn’t plan on matching. 🙂

Right across the hallway from the Republic was Comedy Sports. So after a little mingling and libations, we headed across the hall.

Comedy Sports is an improvisational comedy show played like a game. There are two teams of three comedians who compete for the most laughs. There is a referee who calls the shots, names the games, and interacts with the audience taking suggestions for objects in the skits. If you’ve ever seen ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I was fascinated by the quick wits of these comedians. There are given a topic and within seconds are asked to perform it. My brain does not work like that at all. It takes me a little while to conjure my thoughts. I guess that’s why I’m not an improv comedian or a politician or a lawyer, among others. 🙂

I thought the show was very funny. I thought they would pick on the birthday girl but they didn’t, and I think she was more than happy about that. Tickets were only $12, actually $11 because we got a group discount. I think that’s quite the deal when you consider that is pretty much the same as going to a movie. Right? I haven’t been to a movie in a good year or two but last I remember it was $10 or so. It is a great way to spend a Friday evening.

I can’t decide though if I enjoy improv comedy or stand-up comedy like we saw at the Joke Joint more. They both make me laugh which is a healthy wonderful thing.

After dinner we made a stop at one more bar before calling it a night.

I had so much fun celebrating last night with my little snarky. I love that lovely lady more than I could ever say.

Enjoy your Saturday my friends. I am off to get a workout in, take down Christmas decorations, and RELAX.

Question: Have you ever been to a comedy show? What did you think?

Peanut Chicken Salad

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 18, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Friends / Recipes
Post comments:6 Comments

Is anyone else doing their Friday happy dance?! HAPPY FRIDAY my friends!

So guess what? Yesterday, I did it again. No peanut butter for breakfast! That’s because I was saving myself for dinner but more on that in a sec. I should also mention I did have banana with pb for breakfast on Wednesday. I am trying to scale back just a little bit for real.

But yesterday I had another Greek yogurt bowl that I had put together and refrigerated the night before.

For lunch I had carrots, cucumber, a banana, and a nice big salad with tomatoes, black beans, olives, feta cheese, and hummus.

I made a quick stop at the gym on the way home from work and then had a sweet and juicy snack once I got home…

Then I got ready for dinner. We had our friends Adam and Stacy over for dinner last night and on the menu: Oriental Peanut Chicken; recipe courtesy of Dana’s mom.

We switched it up slightly and used quinoa instead of rice.

We sautéed two chicken breasts, broccoli, onion, carrots, and mushrooms…

Next we drizzled the sautéed chicken and veggies with homemade peanut sauce and gave it a good stir. This is why I saved my peanut butter consumption for dinner time. This sauce is gold it is so delicious. I may have to ask my mother-in-law if I can divulge the recipe to you all. 🙂

And lastly to put it together: one heaping layer of romaine lettuce chopped into shreds onto a large serving platter, next layer on the quinoa, then the sautéed veggies and chicken, and finally top with fresh chopped cucumbers.

!!!! It was so good!!! Our company was pretty great too! 😉 We had such a fun time with them as always. I get an extra wrinkle line each time we hang out from laughing so much.

I hope you all had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend as much as I am. I am off to an appointment, then work, and tonight we are celebrating Betsy’s birthday! We don’t have too much planned for the weekend but one thing I know for sure is the rest of the Christmas stuff is coming down (our wreaths are still up–whoops) and the few Valentine’s Day decorations that I do have are going up! Woooo!

How long do you keep holiday decorations up before getting crazy tired of them and taking them down?

Morning Yoga and Food Art

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 16, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Workouts
Post comments:2 Comments

Morning Yoga

Tuesday morning at 5:50 am my alarm went off and I ~~can’t believe I~~ rolled out of bed with the intention of getting a morning workout in before work. I had plans to either run or get my yoga on. I chose the latter mostly due to a cranky neck from sleeping. I figured yoga may help.

I changed into my gear, rolled out the magic purple carpet, and kept the room slightly dark while completing a half hour yoga on demand.

It has been way too long since I’ve completed a yoga session and oh how I’ve missed it. I love the way it stretches my body, calms my mind, and tests my balance. It makes me feel good and really helped me yesterday morning with the slight neck soreness.

Speaking of soreness, I am incredibly sore from that leg workout on Monday! I surely worked it! I used my foam roller to get things loosened up a bit, but even two days later I’m feelin’ pretty tight.

Breakfast

I finally broke the streak—I had NO peanut butter for breakfast and I can still hardly believe it. On Monday night I put together a bowl of frozen strawberries, FAGE 0% Greek yogurt, honey, a sprinkle of chocolate protein powder, and chia seeds. I gave it a mix and popped it in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning I gave it all a final store and had myself a fruity creamy breakfast bowl.

It was a nice change of pace although I bet you can guess what I had for lunch?! It definitely involved peanut butter in the form of pb and banana. Ha ha it’s a lost cause. I love the stuff and the protein does such a good job of filling me up and keeping me satisfied.

I found myself on the treadmill once again in the afternoon reading a book. There is something incredibly peaceful about it and I get so caught up in what I’m reading that I don’t realize how much time has passed until I glance at the clock.

Dinner

I sautéed bell peppers and onion in coconut oil then added black beans until they were heated through. I cooked up one over-easy egg and topped it on the sautéed veggies along with a quarter of an avocado, tomato slices, and a little salsa.

I then managed to take a series of photos that some might call art. I’ll name the piece, “The Yolk Progression.” I was really just trying to capture a good photo and find the right angle but the way these photos lined up worked out perfectly.

First, the dish is plated…

Then, the yolk is broken…

The golden yolk makes its way over the veggies and blankets the dish…

Beautiful food art…

Total nerd alert I’m fully aware.

I had one of those days yesterday where I was just feeling “off.” I am hoping today feels more “on”. Have a great “ON” day my lovely friends.

Question: Are you a morning exerciser? Evening exerciser?

I know some people who wake up every morning so darn early to workout and I envy their motivation. It feels incredible to finish a workout before work and energizes me throughout the day, and being able to go directly home after a long day versus the gym puts the icing on the cake. We’ll see if I can continue this streak. 🙂

Shrimp Pineapple Ceviche

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 15, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Home Life / Lunch / Recipes / Vacations / Workouts
Post comments:1 Comment

Put it in the books—I did body weight-bearing leg exercises yesterday. I have quite the issue with committing myself to strength training but I cannot tell you how much I do want to get into it. I love the slightly sore feeling I get the day after a great workout.So don’t get me wrong because I know the importance of it and the great outcomes that comes from it, I just need to COMMIT. I am thinking about dipping my toes into the cross fit world…but we shall see.

After a 10 minute warm up run on the treadmill I completed this leg workout I found on Pinterest:

I then did 5 minutes on the rowing machine followed by ab strengthening. Today marks the beginning of the 3rd week of the 30 Day Abs Challenge which means a new workout has been posted. Here is week 3:

A reminder that on the off days they encourage you to do at least a 1 minute plank. I am still loving this challenge. Am I seeing results? I think so…slowly but surely? 🙂

For lunch: mixed greens with baby bell peppers, and shredded chicken from dinner the night before. I didn’t get too creative with this one now that I look back at it!

I also had an apple and a couple of dates.

In the afternoon I got absorbed in a book on the treadmill and couldn’t believe when I looked at the time and I had been walking for an hour. I had to force myself to stop so I could get a couple of productive things done around the house!

For the past couple of weeks I have been attempting to plan out meals ahead of time in the hope that it will help me to stay creative during the week when I might otherwise be feeling like just tossing a salad together (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). This week our evenings at home are scarce, so I decided not to plan a week’s worth of meals, but one thing I had decided on for last night was CEVICHE!

I was first introduced to ceviche in Bogotá, Colombia in November when I was visiting my brother Jeff. According to Wikipedia, ceviche is usually made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices, and spiced with chili peppers. Additional seasonings, such as chopped onions, salt, and cilantro, may also be added but there are also other versions of this dish.

The ceviche I chose in Bogotá had shrimp, plantains, onions, and a creamy sauce. It was amazing. Sweet and salty.

When we traveled to Atlanta later in November, I stumbled upon another gem of a ceviche full of shrimp, scallops, pineapple, cilantro and spices.

Shrimp Ceviche from Atlanta…

I have fallen in love with ceviche. It was time to recreate that dish from Atlanta.

I chopped red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, pineapple, and shrimp and tossed it together in a bowl with lime juice, salt and pepper, a dash of garlic powder, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a tiny bit of heat. I plated it up along with some romaine leaves and called it Shrimp Pineapple Ceviche!

It turned out SO well and it is so darn healthy too.

Shrimp Pineapple Ceviche

Ingredients

1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced finely
1 Tbsp. red onion, minced
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 cup pineapple, diced
1 1/2 cups cooked shrimp, chopped
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of garlic powder
a sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Serve cold by itself or with lettuce scoops or endive leaves.

This dinner comes together in about 10 minutes. Yes seriously 10 minutes. Give it a whirl and see if you like it!

I’m off to take on my day—-in the next 5 minutes I need to decide whether or not to get my yoga on or go for a run. I’m thinking since I slept wrong on my neck that a slower yoga session might be a good choice. Hmm…decisions decisions.

Have a great day my friends!

5 Slow Sweaty Miles With No Boredom!

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 14, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Family / Moose / Restaurants / Workouts
Post comments:0 Comments

Thank you all for the sweet and supportive comments yesterday! It’s definitely an exciting milestone!

It’s time to catch you up on the rest of the weekend.

Saturday

We were out of bananas so I couldn’t have my typical pb and b breakfast, but settled for a piece of almond bread with peanut butter instead.

Eventually I made my way downstairs to the treadmill where I got warped into Dance Moms and ran a slow pace for 5 miles. It felt great to get sweaty and was one of those runs where I felt like I could just keep going, going, going. I didn’t experience the treadmill boredom one bit that day. I can’t believe I just admitted I was watched Dance Moms.

Lunch was completely random—it started with a fail of a smoothie. I tried adding broccoli and I just couldn’t get past the flavor and texture it added, so I had to dump it. I hate wasting food so you know it had to be pretty bad. Next I made a simple protein drink with almond milk and Jay Robb’s chocolate egg white protein powder. I gave it a mix and drank it up. It was okay but nothing was tasting great.

So I made lunch a snacky deal. It involved an apple, some veggies, almonds, peanut butter, dates…you name it and I probably snacked on it. 😉

Moose got a belated Christmas gift from us (clearance right now at Petco) which he absolutely adores.

For dinner we had plans with Dana’s family. For Christmas we told them we wanted to buy them dinner from one of our favorite restaurants (and also the restaurant we had our groom’s dinner), Mediterranean Cruise Cafe, and bring it over to their house and watch our wedding video with them.

It was a feast and it was so incredibly delicious and veggie-packed. We had tabouli, hummus, baba ghanoush, kabobs, gyros, greek salad, falafel, and more!

After dinner we cozied up by the fire and watched our wedding video. It is SO fun to relive the wedding.

Sunday

Sunday was pretty lazy but we did manage to get to the grocery shopping and totally stock up on produce. It’s hard to see in the photo but we now have: baby cucumbers, carrots, celery, broccoli, mini bell peppers, lettuce, blackberries, apples, avocados, oranges, lemons, limes…

…mushrooms, black beans, onions, bananas, and that’s not to mention what’s in the freezer! I think we are set for a while.

Dinner was BBQ crock pot chicken. I placed two large chicken breasts into the small crock pot, slathered in BBQ sauce, a sprinkle of garlic powder and ground mustard, set it on low and covered for about 4 hours and voila. Dinner was ready!

This is one of my favorite homemade salads and I am always reminded of Famous Dave’s pulled pork salad when I try to make this: mixed greens, corn, avocado, pickles, cheddar cheese, and pulled BBQ chicken. Seriously num.

I’m making this post nice and short and sweet for ya’ll today. I have a few things to do this morning and I gotta get ready. Have a great Monday friends!

Surround Yourself with Positive People

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 12, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Family / Friends / Lunch / Restaurants / Sweet Treats / Workouts
Post comments:3 Comments

Can I get a “whoop whoop” for Saturday?! It was so nice not waking up to an alarm clock this morning (sigh). I am feelin’ completely rested and ready to go.

I had a fantastic day yesterday. In the morning I had an appointment and then made my way to the gym for a quick sweat sesh. Then off I went to meet up with my friend Courtney at Whole Foods.

Courtney and I were both completed our Dietetic Internships at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. When we were first accepted into the program, we were sent a list of information of all the other interns. Ironically, Courtney lived about 15 minutes from my parent’s place. We met up one time before we moved out to Wisconsin so that we could both have the comfort of knowing at least one person out there. We had the immediate bond of being “Twin City Girls.”

Throughout the 11 month internship, our friendship continued to grow. We shared many emotions together and many memories both good and bad. Courtney was my saving grace when I was running a 105°F fever. She picked me up in no time and rushed me to the Urgent Care without hesitation.

We related on so many levels; both having such love for our families and being home. We struggled through the emotions of being away from home and the stress of the internship. We both traveled home quite a bit on the weekends. We shared our dreams, studied vocab terms, and sang at the top of our lungs as we carpooled home.

I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t been there. We got through it together and grew as individuals on so many levels throughout the process.

I am so lucky to have her in my life. She is one of the most positive, genuine, selfless people I know. One of my unofficial new year resolutions is to surround myself with more people like her. People who look for the good in others, who imagine positive outcomes, and pour their hearts out for those they love. These are the people that make the world a better place.

We will continue to follow our hearts and reach for our dreams.

I don’t know how to transition into food smoothly after that, so I’m just going to go for it. Lunch was from the Whole Foods salad bar which is a glimpse of heaven for me. The veggie packed salad bars basically having me drooling just thinking about them.

I tempted myself by walking through the frozen treats aisle. I mean seriously they have everything I could ever want: Coconut Bliss, Frozen Kefir, Soy Ice Cream…I wanted to try them all! Can you believe I walked out of there without purchasing one? That’s because I forgot.

In the afternoon I completed another session of the 30 Day Abs Challenge. Here is what week 2 workout looks like:

For dinner I headed over to my brother Kevin’s place for spaghetti with mom and dad.

I had a gluten-free version with spaghetti squash. The sauce was amazing; full of italian sausage, ground turkey, veggies….YUM. Mom also made her Italian salad which tops Olive Garden salad if you ask me.

SO stinkin’ good and so nice to be with my beautiful fam bam, who are also such positive, genuine, beautiful people.

Being that I forgot to buy a frozen treat for Dana and myself at Whole Foods, I thought it would be a good idea to stop by Cherry Berry on the way home to fulfill my frozen yogurt wishes.

I went easy on the toppings (for once). I chose the non-fat vanilla yogurt with marshmallow sauce, sprinkles, and one mini Reese’s peanut butter cup.

It was a delicious, warm-hearted, lovely day. I can’t wait to make today just the same. Embrace the day. Spread the love. Surround yourself with positive people. Xoxo.

Sleep, Exercise, and Nutrition

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 11, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Health / Home Life / Snacks
Post comments:0 Comments

The relationship between sleep, exercise and nutrition

Sleep

Exercise Nutrition

These three words are very much connected to one another speaking in terms of how the body functions. When one of the three components is lacking, the other two often times follow. For example: You were out all night with friends and got little to no sleep. The next day being sleep deprived, chances are good you are going to be more likely to call for pizza delivery and plant yourself on your favorite spot on the couch, versus cooking up a grilled salmon with veggies and hitting the gym with the newest products from Joy ON.

On the contrary, when one is well-rested, chances are better that they will make healthier decisions (if that is their lifestyle) and they will be more inclined to get active.

The reason I bring this up is because this past week I have not been sleeping well. I can hardly go even one day with little sleep much less almost a whole week of very little and poor sleep. I’ve mentioned before I am one of those people who need a good 8 plus hours of sleep to function at my best. Yesterday the lack of sleep finally caught up with me. I felt nauseous and completely exhausted. My body is fighting so hard to stay healthy with all of the flu and illness going around, and it wasn’t responding well to the whole lack of sleep bit. Take a look at the top CBD lotions online that can help you get that good night sleep you are missing.

I spent the day resting.

What did I want to eat yesterday? Well, I wanted everything. First of all I had a crazy appetite, but second I craved low-nutrient dense foods like ice cream, chocolate, and candy. My sleep pattern was off, therefore the two other components of my health were off as well. However badly I wanted those foods, I KNEW my body needed good nutrient packed foods if I were going to stay healthy. I did what I know best, I packed in the fruits and veggies.

Breakfast: banana with peanut butter.

Mid-morning snack: apple

Lunch was a bunch of small snacks: Broccoli salad

Snacks: Quinoa, dates with peanut butter, mukimame (edamame)

Dinner: Hawaiian chicken with pineapple and pan-seared brussels sprouts with parmesan

Dessert: I resisted my urge to go buy ice cream and saved mucho calories and fat by making my own banana soft serve with one banana a dash of almond milk and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

I even “forced” myself to take a very slow walk on the treadmill to increase circulation and to help ward off any illness making its way into my system.

I fought through the cravings throughout the day and did my best to level out each corner of the health triangle, and the good news is I slept SO much better last night. I feel like a new woman today. I’m not saying that the reason I slept better was solely because of eating well, because there are other underlying factors going on, but I do know that keeping a balance of the three components: sleep, nutrition, and exercise, can greatly improve our overall being and health and they have such a huge influence on eachother. (Credit: https://sites.google.com/site/nutrisystemormedifast/)

Do your best to keep these three components at their peak. We will get through this flu season once and for all.

Stay healthy my friends and take good care of your body. It’s the only one you have!

Question: What are your thoughts on this “health triangle?”

A Reminiscent Run

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 8, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Friends / Lunch / Moose / Restaurants / Workouts
Post comments:0 Comments

Yesterday was an all-around great day. The day began with a relaxing cup of coffee and banana with peanut butter for breakfast. I suppose I could say I am officially in a “rut” with the pb banana. I haven’t changed up breakfast for a good 1-2 weeks now, but I do still love my pb and b!

Mid-morning I swung by Trader Joe’s to pick up a couple of goodies as well as Macy’s in search of a swimsuit for Turks and Caicos. It’s not that I necessarily need another swimsuit it’s just that I would really enjoy another one. I wanted to look at Macy’s because I still have birthday money there and that would have worked out perfectly, but they didn’t have too many options yet. I did find one on Victoria’s Secret website that I like, but I haven’t been able to commit yet. We shall see.

For lunch I met up with my dear friend Kalley at People’s Organic Cafe per Kalley’s recommendation.

Just as I had suspected, the menu was stellar, stacked with healthy and veggieful dishes. I was in my element. She knows me well!

I went with the “Really Greek” salad: organic romaine, roasted tomatoes, quinoa tabouli, marinated chickpeas, cucumber, olives, feta and lemon basil dressing.

It was a really good decision (ha-ha). I loved every bit of it.

My lunch with Kal flew by all too quickly. I had so much fun catching up on life, reminiscing a bit about the past, and realizing how far I have come with this beautiful lady; about 13 years! I can’t wait to see her again.

I would highly recommend People’s Organic to anybody who enjoys fresh organic, healthy food. It is slightly pricey but that is only because everything is organic. I promise you it is totally worth it. Besides salads they also have sandwiches, wraps, soup, and amazing looking desserts.

I dressed in my running gear at lunch for a reason…after lunch I had plans to run the streets of the neighborhood where I grew up. I was in dire need of a change of scenery and the last time I ran this neighborhood was last late winter perhaps (?), so I thought it would be a welcomed route.

It wasn’t my easiest run but it sure was a fun one. I reminisced the entire time. Every new street I ran by literally brought back so many memories.

I passed by my old house, Betsy’s family’s old house which was just a block away (which explains my closeness to the family as I was there all.the.time.), and about 5 houses of families I babysat for.

I ran on the sidewalk where I would always tell my mom I was thirsty towards the end of our walks. She would tell me to think of biting into a lemon because it makes your mouth salivate and that would be enough to get me home. I remembered our many walks together; reciting state capitals, showing her my new dance steps, singing songs, we have so many wonderful memories.

I passed by “the elephant tree” named because it clearly looks like an elephant. 😉

I passed by the “picnic tree” where Steph, Betsy, our friend Katie, and I would pack lunches and bike to eat lunch under our favorite tree.

I passed the ice rink where I spent many winters learning to ice skate…

Every single step of this run was literally a run down memory lane. Aside from the fact that it wasn’t my “best” run physically, it was sure a great mental run!

Once I got home, we took Moose to the dog park to let him socialize with some buddies. He was in quite the “loving” mood. We had to keep a close eye on him. If you ever are in need of a good chuckle, go to a dog park. Watching the dogs interact is one of the funniest things.

After the dog park I completed my third session of the Abs Challenge. We are now on to week 2!

Dinner was a favorite of ours: veggie hash with a runny egg on top. I pulled whatever we had in the fridge/freezer which included broccoli, mushrooms, onion, leftover Santa Fe roll filler, bell peppers, and then topped the sautéed veggies with shredded cheese, tomato, cilantro, and an over-easy egg. Perfection.

We brought out the snorkel gear last night to make sure everything still fit and was ready to go for our vacation. I feel like it is a lot sooner than the end of February based on my excitement level but considering how time flies, it will be here before we know it.

I am in the process of working on a meal plan for the week since we will be doing our own cooking in our kitchen. Once I get that set up I will share with you all!

I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday!

Question of the day: Any go-to vacation meal ideas for me that are easy yet healthy and satisfying?

Baked Santa Fe Spring Rolls

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 7, 2013
Post category:Breakfast / Dinners / Family / Fav Products / Recipes / Snacks / Workouts
Post comments:4 Comments

Hi there my loves! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I have some catching up to do so here we go….

Saturday

I cracked open the Parkers Farm Crunchy Honey peanut butter and let me tell you, I was in heaven. The slight sweetness of the honey mixed with the crunchy and smoothness of the peanuts paired with a good ol’ banana made me one happy little girl.

After breakfast I hopped on the treadmill and did one sweaty and very nonboring routine:

10 minute walk to warm up
1 mile run at 6.0 mph
2 minute walk at 4.0
1 mile run at 6.5
2 minute walk at 4.0
1 mile run at 7.0
10 minute recovery walk

I was really sweating after this one and the best part was it went by very fast.

After the run I completed my second session of the Ab Challenge circuit . I’ll be completing my third session today so that I reach the weekly goal of 3-4x a week. Tomorrow begins the second week with a new ab workout. I’m loving it.

I wasn’t very hungry for lunch but knew I needed to eat, so I whipped together a smoothie with Jay Robb’s chocolate egg white protein, almond milk, kale, strawberries, half a banana, and blueberries. Very satisfying.

Then I got to work on what I love doing oh so much…experimenting in the kitchen. Later in the afternoon I had plans to go to my mom and dad’s for dinner. They were going to be making chicken and I told them I would bring a salad.

My wonderful aunt introduced me to a deli-bought salad couple of weeks ago that I absolutely adored, and I had decided I needed to try to recreate it. The salad she had was made with chickpeas, but I wanted to use black beans instead. You could definitely substitute with chickpeas if you would like.

Here is what I came up with!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup bell peppers, diced
⅓ cup red onion, diced
1 green onion, diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
Sauce:
juice of ½ of a lime
juice from ½ of an orange
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

In medium bowl combine beans, peppers, onions and cilantro.
In a separate small bowl mix the sauce.
Pour the sauce over the bean mixture and stir gently to combine.
Serve cold as a salad or with corn tortilla chips.

I snacked on a small handful of Driscoll’s blackberries in the afternoon. I realize now how much fruit I ate that day!

Then off to mom and dad’s for the evening for church, dinner and the Viking vs. Packer football game.

Abbie chose the right move by sleeping instead of watching the Vikes lose so terribly.

Sunday

I was a cleaning machine in the morning not to mention we hit the coupon jackpot. I swear the coupon books (all four of them) were made specifically for me. There were coupons for so many things I actually use. I was psyched.

I headed to the treadmill again on Sunday this time for a long walk (4.0 pace). I walked for about 50 minutes while watching who knows what t.v. shows. Okay, I watched the Kardashians. Guilty pleasure. I also completed my 1-minute plank from the challenge.

Dinner:

I used the leftover bean salad to make Santa Fe Spring Rolls! I added about 3/4 cup of corn and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese into the black bean salad recipe.

The spring rolls I used are made from rice flour, water, and salt. They come in a round package and are very hard. To soften them you simply take one and turn it in a bowl of warm water. It softens right up and is pliable to work with.

Santa Fe Spring Rolls:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°F and prepare a baking pan with parchment paper. Once rice paper is pliable, place on flat surface and spoon in bean mixture just off-center.

Step 2: Fold up bottom end of paper to cover mixture.

Step 3: Fold in both right and left sides of paper.

Step 4: Gently roll up the paper into a roll and place on prepared baking pan and spray the tops with olive oil.

Here’s the kicker…since this was my first time ever working with rice paper, I had no idea how long to bake these. We baked the rolls for about 20 minutes and then switched the oven to low broil where they sat for another 10 minutes. Since the inside did not need to be cooked for any reason, our biggest intention was to crisp up the rice paper.

If I were to do it again I would still probably bake it for 20 minutes, and broil for 10, but I would flip the rolls half way through the broiling process to crisp up both sides.

But anyway, the result was a very tasty sinless meal. I served the rolls with a side of Parkers Farm mild salsa.

They were definitely very crunchy too! This was a fun change of pace meal for us. BTW before I prepared these rolls I devoured a load of broccoli and hummus, so that was part of my dinner too.

The rest of the evening was spent being pretty lazy on the couch. I made myself a bowl of FAGE 0% fat Greek Yogurt with fresh Driscoll’s strawberries and blackberries.

It was a nummy day!

I have some fun plans on the agenda today including a hot date with a girlfriend of mine! I am super duper excited. I hope you all have a fabulous day and I will check back in with you very soon.

30-Day Abs Challenge & Vacation Plans

Post author:Melanie
Post published:January 5, 2013
Post category:Dinners / Home Life / Vacations / Workouts
Post comments:5 Comments

Howdy! Happy weekend to you all. Did everyone have an enjoyable Friday?

Like many of you, my Fridays at work at “casual.” I wish that meant I could wear sweats to work but it’s not that casual. Jeans will do though!

Lunch was not captured in photo but I had a bowl of leftover veggie soup, carrots, an apple, and a piece of dark chocolate from a lovely co-worker. We call dark chocolate our “vitamin” so if one of us was looking for a piece of chocolate we will ask the other for a vitamin. We love our daily dose (moderation, moderation moderation!).

After work I snacked on a handful of blackberries and 2 dates with peanut butter. Then I got movin’. On Sunday, I accepted a physical challenge (this brings me back to the show Double Dare–anyone else?) through Challenge Loop. The challenge is being put on by Jen Morgan and is called….

30 Day Abs Challenge

Each week for the month of January Jen posts a new workout and you must complete the workout 3-4x a week. Here is the first week’s challenge:

On the “off” days she encourages everyone to do a 1-minute plank. Besides the fitness aspect of the challenge, she also promotes the importance of clean eating in reaching your health and fitness goals.

In my entire life I have never had “abs.” When it comes to ab work I tend to get extremely lazy. I’ll do “core” work after some cardio exercises, bust out a few sets of the same move and then be done. I’ve never been consistent enough and have never given it a fair chance to see results. This is why I signed up for the challenge.

It was totally free. The stipulations are you comment on the Challenge Loop site each time you complete one of their workouts and you must post 8 times in order to be entered into a contest to win a copy of Women’s Health Big Book of Abs. The book isn’t my motivation, building confidence in my appearance is.

After 1 month, I shall see my progress. I finished my first set yesterday and I was really struggling through it. I hope I will continue to feel my core strengthening as I progress through the month’s exercises.

What’s REALLY motivating me to get moving and get my body in tip-top shape is knowing that I will be in a bikini in less than two months. Dana and I booked a vacation to Turks and Caicos for the end of February!!!

Turks and Caicos is a little exotic island just north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti and east of Cuba.

Turks and Caicos Quick Facts (source):

Turks and Caicos Islands consist of 40 islands and cays, eight of which are inhabited
Turks and Caicos are located in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea
Language – English
Currency – The US dollar is the official currency
Climate (while we are there) – From November to May the average temperature is 80 to 84 degrees. Water temperature in the winter is about 74 to 78 degrees. A constant trade wind keeps the climate at a very comfortable level. PERFECT!
Government – The Turks & Caicos Islands are a British Crown Colony. A Governor is appointed by the Queen and presides over an Executive Council formed by an elected local self-government.

I am literally getting more and more excited by the second as I write this post! We decided on the end of February because that is usually the time that I start to get a mild form of the winter blues. Minnesota winters are very looooonnnnggg so having a wonderful trip like this to look forward to really helps to get you through!

Instead of a hotel we are staying in a villa—-so basically our own little home. We decided to go that route because 1. It was about the same cost as staying in a hotel and 2. It is complete with a full kitchen so we can make all of our meals, therefore hopefully keep my tummy feeling semi-normal.

It’s the same story each time we got to an all-inclusive resort, I end up eating way too much food namely desserts. Not that we won’t stay in an all-inclusive again, because we will, but this will be a nice change of pace. We will bring some of our own groceries which are non-perishable, and then purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood while we are there.

The resort supplies us with 2 stand up paddle boards which I have been so anxious to try!

The villa is right on the water…:smile:

Anyway, I could really go on all day about how thrilled I am about this, but I will stop. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to go on this trip with Dana. It will be a very relaxing getaway for us. I am planning to pack lots of books, games, and peanut butter!

Back to reality again…dinner’s this past week were all pre-planned. I wrote them all out before we went grocery shopping and stocked up on all necessary ingredients. This made evening meals SO easy. I really need to start planning more often.

Monday: Lobster and crab feast!

Tuesday: Bean burritos—this one was actually spontaneous

Wednesday: Vegetable Soup

Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Salad

Friday: Turkey burgers with grilled onions, brussels sprouts, and broccoli

After dinner we took down our Christmas tree and rearranged our living room back to normal. As much as I LOVE Christmas, it feels good to be moving on now and starting the fresh new year.

I also munched on highly addicting Chex mix that Dana made…

Nom nom nom…

Okey dokey, it’s time for me to get on with my day. Happy Saturday my friends!

Question of the day: If you could go on vacation ANYWHERE right now, where would you go?

Newer Posts

Older Posts