Weekly Schedule

Happy Sunday! I am back at it for another week of meal planning and workouts.  Last week was pretty successful.  I managed to stick to my plans really well.  This was especially surprising because we had a snow day this week and I tend to fall off the wagon of healthy-living when I have too much free time. My willpower isn't exactly...strong. 

I did switch up my workouts a few times this week.  Mostly just substituting one thing for something equally challenging.  I was really into Jillian's 30 Day Shred this week so I did that more than I was planning. Overall, I felt really great about it.  It was also super nice to have my blog to guide my meal choices and workouts for the week.  I think I'll make this a regular Sunday tradition for the blog.  It's been so helpful this week that I'd like to see it continue! 

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday: Stoney's (out to eat)

Monday: Pizza Primavera

Tuesday: Breakfast

Wednesday: Alfredo with Steamed Broccoli

Thursday: Leftovers!

Friday: ??? School chili cook-off and a basketball game!

Saturday: Cheesy Quesadilla with Rice and Beans

Weekly Workouts 

Sunday: Hula Hoop Fitness

Monday: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

Tuesday: 3 mile walk

Wednesday: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

Thursday: Yoga Class

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Hike OR Hula Hoop Fitness (weather depending)

Your turn..Do you meal plan? Any tips or tricks? 

Currently listening to...Late July- Shakey Graves 

Weekly Schedule

I am trying to get myself back on a weekly schedule for meals and workouts.  Both of these things are especially important now that I am kicking it solo for a few months.  I do well with schedules and structure, it seems like the best way to pass the time and keep myself on track. My meals are all frugal options and made for only one person.  I'll try to post recipes for some of them, but keep in mind you'll have to double or triple to measurements to make enough for a 2+ people.

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday: Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta, Asparagus

Monday: Stoney's (out to eat)

Tuesday: Veggie Fried Rice and Tofu

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Cheese Quesadilla, Tomato Soup

Friday: Baked Potato, Asparagus, Salad

Saturday: Tofu and Veggie Soup

On the workout front I am keeping things pretty simple and fun. I am mixing it up with some at-home workout tapes, weekly yoga classes, hikes, and long doggy walks.  I walk Specks about 1-2 miles each day.  I consider a long doggy walk to be at least 3+ miles and often the two of us hike on the weekend.  Here's to hoping that I actually stick with it!

Weekly Workouts

Sunday: Walking 3 miles with Specks + Shoveling 

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

Wednesday: Hula Hoop Fitness

Thursday: Yoga Class

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Hula Hoop Fitness

Your turn...What are some of your favorite meals and workouts?

Currently listening to...TED Radio

Five Things Friday

There have been a lot of random thoughts floating around in my head lately! I've been struggling to compile them all into one (or more) blog posts.  So, today I stole "Five Things Friday" from many of my favorite bloggers and just wrote a blurb about each.  Some of the topics I intend to go into more detail about later on, but for now this will do.  Life has been crazy-busy the last few weeks.  But, I am glad to have a day to catch up on life.  So, here it goes...

1.) Does anybody else do this? I've been stuck in bed with a back injury the last two days and I've been living on these snack plates.  Fruit, cheese, pretzels, and yogurt.  Delicious!

2.) Also, I've become obsessed with Sons of Anarchy. This show has been my BFF while laid up in bed.  I'm obsessed with the Teller family and all of their life drama. It has all the makings of a great show: plot twists, gorgeous bikers (hah), and action.  I need a motorcycle and a leather jacket. Stat.

Photo courtesy of Google Images

3.) The weather has been just BEAUTIFUL lately.  We are back to having some pretty chilly days (between 10°-20°) but the sun has been blazing in the sky.  It looks like we may end up with some snow in the forecast sometime in the latter part of the weekend.  But, we've been without any snow for about 6weeks so I can't complain too much.

4.) Cody and I are debating taking a honeymoon trip this summer.  We are thinking of taking 3weeks off of work and driving the Alcan Highway (Alaska-Canada). Our tentative plan involves driving from Haines, AK down through Canada and camping all along the way.  We've heard amazing things about the trip and had some friends drive it this summer.  Here's to hoping!

Photo courtesy of Budget Travel.

5.) I've finally gotten my cooking-groove back! I had been really against cooking for the last two months.  Normally I am an obsessive chef.  I love to cook at my house every day.  But, I somehow lost my mojo for cooking tasty meals this winter.  I think I am getting back in the groove of feeding myself healthy meals though.  Meal planning has really been my savior here!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend! I know that I will!

Questions:
1.) Have you ever seen SOA?  Did you enjoy it? 
2.) Have you ever taken a big road trip? Where did you go? 
3.) How has the weather been in your state lately? 

Superbowl Weekend

Superbowl weekend was a fun affair here in Juneau.  Alaska doesn't have a professional football team, but we tend to identify heavily with Seattle so there are LOTS of Seahawks fans in the state.  As a kid I never identified with my fellow Chicagoans and their love of the Bears (please, no hate mail) so I dabbled in rooting for the Packers.  Ever since moving to Alaska though I've transformed into a Seahawks fan.  I'm not a diehard supporter, but I enjoy watching a good game on occasion.  Anyways, this was a fun game to watch for Seahawks fans!  And I must say, I was pretty happy with the turnout myself!

Seattle

Seahawks

(16-3)

Denver

Broncos

(15-4)

43 - 8

Final

	1	2	3	4		Total
Seahawks	8	14	14	7		43
Broncos	0	0	8	0		8

All times are in Alaska Time

I was also pretty pleased with the food selection!  Admittedly, I am always a big fan of any holidays, sporting events, etc that involve copious amount of food.  I just can't help it.  This girl loves to eat.

We had friends over to watch them game and this was part of our feast.  We had roasted veggies, two kinds of dip (guacamole and buffalo), a cheese tray, a fruit tray, and adult beverages to drink.  Snack-y type foods are totally up my alley so I was in heaven.

This weekend was a fun and relaxing one in so many ways.  We also went out on a hike on Saturday and shot one of Cody's guns.  I don't have a ton of experience with handguns but it was a blast to try my hand (hah) at it.

We drove up into the mountains by our house and hiked about a mile off of the road (no trails, it was a bit of an uphill trek).  In Alaska you can shoot/hunt on any public land as long as it is 1/2mile from the roadway.  Thankfully, there's a ton of public land near our house.  We just found a secluded area and did a little target shooting.  It was a fun weekend all around :)

Questions
Who were you rooting for in the Super Bowl?
What is your favorite snack food?
What about your favorite game day snack? 

Veggie Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite foods of all time.  It has veggies, cheese, bread, and basically everything I could ever want in a meal.  Sometimes though, you gotta spice up your pizza a bit! This pizza recipe is one of my favorites to make for parties/cookouts/weekly lunches.  It is perfect for parties and cookouts because it is fingerfood-ish and quick to make.  I also like it for lunch because it keeps me feeling full for a long time!

So, for this pizza you just bake a pizza crust to the package directions (without anything on it) and let it cool for 10-15minutes.  Meanwhile, whip up a package of ranch dip (the powdered kind, and they DO make vegan/organic) and mix it with your favorite dairy or non-dairy sour cream, I prefer Tofutti.  Spread the mix on the cooled pizza crust and add the toppings of your choice! I usually add peppers, carrots, onions, and broccoli.  I haven't tried it with spinach (yet) but I really want to at some point! I also recommend loading it up with veggies.  This particular pizza was a little bit skimpy on the veggies because it was grocery day.  Still super tasty though!

There you have it, a quick and easy meal that everyone can enjoy :)

Questions:
How do you feel about pizza?
Would you ever do a cold-style pizza like this one? 
What is your favorite kind of pizza? 

Smoked Salmon Pizza

Today I thought that I would post a very "Alaska-ish" recipe that will appease my meat-eating friends and family.  While I do not eat meat, Cody does (only organic and mostly local).  I came home from work on Wednesday night to find him cooking this tasty-looking pizza.  It isn't necessarily the most healthy (unless you count the fish) because of the gobs of cheese but it was apparently VERY tasty.  So, here is the recipe for Smoked Salmon Pizza.

Ingredients
1 smoked salmon fillet
1 pizza crust (pre-made, homemade, any kind works)
Marinara or Tomato Sauce
Alfredo Sauce
Mozzarella Medallions (natural, old-school mozzarella chunks)
Any additional cheese (Cody used a mix of cheddar and parmesan)
Spices (of your choosing)

Directions: Pre-heat oven per crust directions.  Shred the salmon fillet.  Mix the two sauces together and spread on the crust.  Top with shredded salmon, spices, and cheeses.  Cook per crust directions (ours took about 15minutes). Enjoy!

Cody gave the pizza great reviews! He used locally caught Sockeye Salmon for the pizza but I am sure that any kind would work well.  Let me know if anybody tries it out with other fish/salmon types!


Next up in my "Recipe's to Post Queue" are…

Potato Soup Bread Bowls

Homemade (Healthy) Mozzarella Sticks

Questions:
Do you LOVE pizza? If not, why????? 
Would you ever try Smoked Salmon Pizza?
What is a recipe that you are loving right now? 

Fiesta!

I LOVE Mexican food.  I don't know if very many people know that about me, but it's true.  I am not a fan of greasy, nasty fast-food-type tacos, but authentic Mexican cuisine is just magical to my taste buds. Here in Juneau we are seriously lacking in this area (and in the restaurant area period).  There is no authentic Mexican food that (in my opinion) lives up to the divine cuisine of the Lower 48.  Sad =(

To cure this craving my girlfriends and I had a Mexican Fiesta! And, to make matters more amazing they were all totally on board with a vegetarian fiesta.  Pardon our classy (and not-so-classy) beverage choices ;)

Above is a shot of our overall spread.  We had both crispy and soft corn tortillas with your choice of  beans, lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, corn, peppers, onions, guacamole, and rice.  It was seriously amazing.  My taste buds were lovin' it.

One of my favorite parts of this meal was the corn.  This is a recipe that Cody invented (I am sure other people make it) a few months ago.  It is just butter (EB Vegan Spread), fresh corn (best if cooked on the cob and then cut off), and chopped cilantro.  Heat all ingredients on low, in a medium dish and cook until warm and melty.  Add it to a taco or eat it as a side dish…heaven!

So, here is my meal suggestions for the weekend.  Try having a Mexican Fiesta!

Questions: 
Do you love Mexican cuisine? 
If so, what is your favorite dish? 
If not, are you crazy???? (Just Kidding!) 

Meatless Monday #2: Weekly Eats

This week I decided that I was going to do a collection of meatless eats to celebrate this wondrous weekly holiday.  Since I always eat vegetarian, I figured there was no better way to honor the meatless holiday than a collection of super simple veggie eats.  Enjoy :)

Three Cheese & Tomato Tarts: Basically pizza but cooked to be much crispier (thinner crust) and made without tomato sauce (substitute ricotta or greek yogurt for the sauce).

Stir-Fry Noodles: It's all in the name.  Use some noodles, crisp them up with some tasty veggies and some Bragg's or soy/stir-fry sauce of your choice.

Crock-Pot Roasted Veggies: Vegetables chopped and cooked for 5-7 hours on low.  Just add 1/4cup of water and season.

Breaded & Baked Tofu: Bread some tofu with nutritional yeast and seasonings of your choice.  Preheat oven to 400 and bake for 30 minutes (or until crispy).

Hope you all will help my out and celebrate this weekly tradition.  If you haven't before, try out one of these easy treats that I posted today.  All of these recipes take under and hour and require minimal prep work.  Happy eating!

Questions: 
What is your favorite way to prepare tofu? 
How often do you go meatless? 

Meatless Monday #1

Everyday is meatless in my world.  However, I know many of you are interested in the Meatless Monday craze.  I hope that both my fellow vegetarians/vegans and my meat-loving friends and family can try out this weekly holiday.  It can have such an awesome impact, not only environmentally, but on the lives of animals as well.  Check out the awesome links that tell you more about Meatless Monday here and here.

This weeks recipe is aimed at my non-vegan friends, family, and readers.  Typically, I go vegan on Meatless Monday (support of the true veggie community).  But, I figured I would start all of you out easy with something that still appealed to that meat-y loving side of you ;)  This weeks recipe comes to me from the Hungry Hungry Hippie blog.  I saw the recipe posted this weekend, attempted it (with modified ingredients), and fell deeply in love.  So, I thought some of you might enjoy it as well (and check out the blog because it is one of my favorites).  

Egg & Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale leaves (salad amount)
2 large eggs
1tbs of olive oil
Optional: garlic, onions, other veggies

Directions: Add olive oil to a medium-sized skillet.  Turn burner on med-high.  Put onions, garlic, or any other desired veggies into the warmed skillet and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.  Then, place the chopped kale leaves into the skillet.  Crack two eggs on top of the kale (do not break the yolks).  Place a lid on the skillet and allow it to cook (no stirring) until the eggs have turned white (over-easy).  Place the contents of the entire skillet on your plate.  Voila!

Note: I served mine with a side of rice for added yummy-ness.  I ended up eating it for dinner but I really think it could be eaten at any time of the day!  Also, this ended up being ALOT of food for me.  I probably could have eaten half of this and been perfectly content.  If you have a smaller appetite/portion intake, I suggest sharing half of it with a friend :)

Questions:
Do you observe Meatless Monday? 
If so, what started you on the craze?
If not, would you consider trying it out?  Why or why not? 

Baked Veggie Ziti

Italian food is by far my favorite of the foods genres.  This week I was loving some superb pasta dishes.  I should have been born in Italy.  But, since I wasn't I just try to cook Italian food as much as possible. Here is my awesome (and healthy-ish) baked ziti recipe.

Ingredients

12oz uncooked ziti pasta (or other pasta-i.e. I used rotini because it is what I had on hand) 

Amount of tomato and zucchini needed. 

3/4cup low fat ricotta 

3/4cup of cheese (preferably mozzarella) 

2tbs nutritional yeast (adjust if not using cheese) 

1/2 large zucchini

1/2 large tomato

1cup unsalted tomato sauce 

2 gloves of garlic (chopped finely) 

How the mixture should appear. 

Salt- to taste

Pepper- to taste

Onion Powder- to taste

Oregano- to taste 

Olive Oil- enough to sauté veggies 

Viola! The finished product. 

Directions: Preheat oven to 400F.  In a medium pan, boil pasta until it is almost al dente(do NOT overcook).  Then, drain pasta and rinse with cold water, set aside.  Fill the bottom of a small skillet with some olive oil.  Sauté veggies and garlic until lightly browned.  While doing this stir ricotta, mozzarella, tomato sauce, spices, and nutritional yeast together in a bowl.  Pour cheese mixture into a the original pasta pan and warm on low for 3-4 minutes.  Add small amount of unsweetened non-dairy milk to sauce mixture if it is not the desired creaminess.  Put pasta and cheese mixture into a baking dish and top with a little fresh parmesan (optional).  Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve warm!

**Awesome lunch leftovers!!

What is your favorite food genre?    

Kale & Tomato Strata

This week I needed something delicious, healthy, and simple to eat after work (and to take in my lunch as leftovers!).  This dish was purrrfect.  I was full, happy, and healthy.  It makes your entire house smell amazing.  I ended up sharing it with our neighbors because I couldn't eat the entire pan.  It was super filling and kept me going for hours.  Definitely suggest trying it out-especially if you are an egg lover.

Ingredients

1/3 loaf of bread (I used honey wheat, but sourdough is ideal) 

1/2 tomato (large)

2-3 large kale leaves 

2 eggs

2cups of greek yogurt (plain) 

1/2cup of water 

Onions (optional-to taste) 

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt

Pepper 

Basil and/or rosemary 

Parmesan Cheese 

Nutritional Yeast 

Directions:  In a baking pan place bread, cubed.  Sprinkle with olive oil and broil (low) for five minutes.  Remove pan from the oven and change the temperature to 350F.  Spread tomatoes (cubed), kale (shredded), and onion slices evenly throughout the baking pan.  In a mixing bowl combine all other ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour mixture evenly throughout pan (soaking bread and veggies).  Top with nutritional yeast and cheese. Place in oven for 30minutes.  Serve hot! 

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits

I woke up waaay before Cody did this morning so I decided to whip up a tasty treat for us to eat for  breakfast.  I made my vegetarian version of the Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit.  Enjoy the recipe :)

Ingredients
Egg Whites (or egg substitute)
Soy Milk or Organic 2% Milk
Biscuits, English Muffins, or Bread
Onions
Green Peppers
Cheese or Cheese Substitute
Salt
Pepper
Hot Sauce (Optional)


Eggs
1 1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 cup soy milk
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper

Whisk all "egg" ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.  Then, choose one of two ways to prepare.  Prep 1: Pour egg mixture into an already warmed skillet.  Cook into a basic omelet.  Prep 2:  Pour egg mixture into a muffin tin.  Fill each individual hole about 3/4 of the way to the top.  Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

**Prep2 makes perfectly round eggs while Prep1 requires you to cut them into pieces to fit on to the biscuits.

Then,  place the eggs on the biscuits. Add some chopped veggies, some tasty cheese, and spicy hot sauce. Finish off this meal by topping it with some Fakin' Bacon and TA-DA!! You now have a delicious and extremely quick morning meal.  This meal can be adjusted to be even healthier VERY easily (leave off the cheese, serve without the biscuits or on english muffins, and etc).

When served with some Holiday Cheer (Coconut, Tropical Fruit, & Dark Rum Flavored) Kona Coffee your morning will be assuredly more wonderful.  Check out Kona Coffee here, It can be a little tricky to get your hands on.  Luckily, I get it shipped to me from my lovely sister in Hawaii :)

Delicious breakfast treats (pardon the crummy picture quality!)

Leave me a comment and let me know what you enjoyed for breakfast this weekend…. or what you think about my new layout :)

Dandelion Jelly

Christmas is nearly here and I couldn't be more excited.  For the first time in years I know without a doubt that we will be enjoying a white Christmas.  The best part about the holidays this year is that Cody and I have two days off together.  We never get time off together so I am extremely excited for our time.  We are planning a trip to Eaglecrest Ski Area and a trip to a local shelter to help distribute meals on Christmas Day.

In the meantime, I am enjoying my kiddos at work and all of their wonderful projects and plans that they have been doing to honor the holidays.  They have been thoroughly covering the school in glitter, beads, ribbons, and tissue paper.  We are celebrating with a Holiday Pajama Party tomorrow.  Everyone will come in the pajamas and we will eat sweet treats and enjoy watching The Polar Express (a personal favorite!)  

Dandelion Jelly (homemade).  Courtesy of a lovely kiddo at my center. 

In housing news, our oven is broken.  The broiler and stovetop work great! But, the oven won't heat.  So, while we wait patiently for the repair man to fix up our source of cooking-goodness.  We are stuck improvising and making some very random dishes.  Here is a picture of our stovetop veggie wraps and rice with peas.  It was a pretty tasty improvisation.  

Veggie wrap (sauteed vegetables and beans) with rice and peas.