Friday Fluff

It's Friday night and allllllll I can think about is how tomorrow I'm getting my hair highlighted.

It's been exactly one year.

I get to sit in a chair...by myself...for 90 minutes...and just zone out.

I AM SO EXCITED.

I decorated for spring. I'm proud of the li'l floral arrangement thingies in the sconces- Dollar Tree, baby! And yes, I'm like every other girl out there with the blush pink accents.

When the babies wear their tracksuits, I refer to them as Marilyn and Gladys, as in, "Gladys, pull yourself together! We haven't lost the shuffleboard match yet."

One thing I've started doing again is my daily protein shake. With increased exercise comes increased appetite, so I make a shake and split it between mid morning and late afternoon. My former coworker turned me on to Premier Protein caramel flavor. ITISSOGOOD. The only thing is that I find it to be way too sweet. The solution? I add half the container to my bottle, fill the rest with either coffee or unsweetened almond milk, plus half a scoop of my unflavored BiPro. Winner winner, I don't overeat at dinner.

They come in packs of four and can be found at Target or Wal Mart for about $7. Highly recommended!

Off to bed now- Marilyn and Gladys tend to be early birds. Fitting, huh?

Taco Tuesday

It's been ever so slightly warming up around here. The boys have been enjoying being able to play outside for more than 20 minutes at a time (sidenote- I'm enjoying them playing outside for more than 20 minutes at a time as well).

Mac is busy gathering ice. For what? I don't know. Do I question his logic? Nnnnnope.

On Monday night I ran to the mall for a quick shopping trip. J. Crew had a ton of winter clearance under $9.99. Score!

Selfie skillz. Or not.

Cute story- our boys' daycare provider always fed them tacos on Tuesday, so whenever I make tacos now, Fred doesn't get that the word is just "taco"- it's always "tacotuesday!"

Tacos are my husband's favorite meal, but I wanted to mix it up a bit. Enter baked potatoes! To decarb it a bit and make room for the meat and toppings, I scooped out most of the flesh. It's a pretty easy meal that can be made in advance and popped in the oven or microwave to reheat. Let's check it out.

Taco Stuffed Baked Potatoes
-4 Russet baking potatoes, washed and patted dry
-1 lb extra lean (93% or higher) ground beef
-1 packet low sodium taco seasoning
-1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a "Fiesta blend")
-Optional toppings: store made pico de gallo, diced avocados, chopped green onions, chopped sweet onions, salsa, Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), jalapenos, etc.

1. If baking the potatoes, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the skin of the potato with a fork in two places. Bake for 90 minutes. Alternatively you could microwave the potatoes according to your microwave's instructions. It's usually a variation of cook five minutes, flip over, cook for about five more minutes.
2. While potatoes cook, saute ground beef over medium high heat. Add taco seasoning + 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until mixture has thickened up. Remove from heat.
3. To assemble potatoes, cut in half length-wise and scoop out the majority of the flesh. Discard. Fill with meat, top with cheese, and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Top with any of the above! Remember- pico, onions, salsa, and jalapenos are all vegetables so load up!

Recipe makes four servings (two halves per serving). Nutrition information given for potatoes as pictured (half a diced avocado, 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and pico de gallo): 335 calories, 25 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams fat, 29 grams protein.

Enjoy this version of tacotuesday!

First Friday Fitness

If March truly comes in like a lion, out like a lamb, I'll be a happy girl.

(Sheesh, she's still griping about snow...in Minnesota?!)

Another 3-6 inches coming today. On the upside, my husband will be able to finish his igloo he's making for the boys.

In fitness-related content, I diiiiiiid sign up for a May half marathon and I haaaaaave been training for it for two weeks now.

Cuuuuuute thrifted leopard Nike Free Runs.

I did my first half marathon when I was 23. I can't remember why I ever signed up for it. I'd never before done any race longer than a 5k (3.1 miles). I was single and in grad school and had the time and energy for it I guess.

I do enjoy training and doing halfs (or halves?). It's manageable, unlike a full marathon, where you need to devote up to 4 hours on a weekend day for your long run.

Plus this mama don't have too much to prove anymore. As far as marathons go, been there, done those (4), no need to do any more.

My go to recommendation for training plans is Hal Higdon. Why do you need a training plan? I find that even though I'm really type-A, I need someone telling me exactly what I should be doing on a given day. If not, I know I'd slack off and do too many short runs without building up the proper distance. Hal's website has training plans for every race and every level- novice, walker, advanced, etc. I always pick the novice programs and sometimes if I'm feeling particularly good on a run, I'll extend the distance or up the speed myself.

Have you ever done any sort of race? If not, this is your year! A race can sound intimidating, and feel intimidating at that start line, but it's SO NOT. Walkers and runners are the nicest people around- truly! You'll be encouraged and cheered on by hundreds of friendly faces, both in the race and on the sidelines.

Plus you know what? I always remind my patients- everyone gets the same t shirt no matter first place or last place.

I'll keep that in mind on my snowy long run tomorrow.

Are you keen on keenwa?

Er, quinoa.

Seriously who came up with the pronunciation of that?

Quinoa is something I don't really do a whole lot of. Usually if I'm doing a grain it'll be instant brown rice. Why do dietitians like quinoa though? Ch-check out that fiber and protein content- definitely more than your other grains.

The other week I made a basic Minnesota hotdish with noodles. Two days ago we had yet another snowy day, and I was craving more hotdish type comforting foods.

I decided to try my hand at a quinoa hotdish and maaaaaaaan it was good!

Chicken Quinoa Bake
-2 cups dry quinoa, any type, cooked to package instructions (pssst- I like to cook it in broth rather than plain water)
-2-3 nice big boneless skinless chicken breasts OR 2-3 cups already cooked chicken/canned/rotisserie/frozen/etc
-1 large yellow onion, diced
-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
-1 package Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss wedges (totals 8 wedges)
-1 bag fresh spinach or kale or a blend of the two
-1/2 cup milk (cow's, almond, etc)
-1 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons pepper
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1 tablespoon dried parsley
-8 oz gouda or Gruyere cheese, grated

1. Arrange chicken breasts in a baking pan. My pan is about 8x12 but it's deep. A regular 9x13 would also work. Drizzle olive oil over them, sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for an hour. Let cool for 10 minutes or so, then dice it up into 1/2"-ish chunks
2. While that's cooking, let's caramelize the onions. Heat up the butter or olive oil in a skillet and cook onions over medium-low, stirring about every five minutes, until they're nicely browned. My burner runs hot and I ended up cooking over low- you want these baaaaarely sizzling, otherwise they'll scorch without actually caramelizing.
3. When everything is ready, combine quinoa, chicken, cooked onion, Laughing Cow, spinach/kale, and seasonings in a huge bowl. Add milk to get a creamy consistency- you may need less or more than what's listed. Use your judgment and you won't be wrong.
4. Spray the same pan you just cooked your chicken in with nonstick cooking spray. Spread quinoa mix, cover with grated cheese and bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
5. Crank up the oven to a low broil, remove the foil, and cook for an additional ~5 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown in places. Remove from oven and serve!

My new baking dish- Home Goods DOES ME NO WRONG.

This proved to be just as good as any noodle hotdish, but with an increased nutrition factor (hello protein and fiber). My kids were hesitant at first because the quinoa looked so different. I assured them it tasted just like rice and with a bit of coaxing, they took their first bites. Then second, then third, and so on.

Recipe makes eight servings and freezes well. Per serving: 416 calories, 33 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 19 grams fat, 28 grams protein. If you wanted to trim fat/calories, you could omit or halve the cheese on top.

Happy comfort food eating!

Oh, just the usual gripe about winter

"Knock, knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Snowball!"

"Snowball who?"

"Snowball in your face! TEE HEE HEE HEE!"

The alternative answer, per my four year old, is poopy in your face.

*Sigh*

We keep getting snow. Beautiful, peaceful, I've-almost-had-enough-of-it-snow.

Although this weekend we actually went out and did something fun. The Camping/RV show at the convention center! WoooHOOOO!

The boys went ape over all the campers, tiny and huge.

I'm feeling the looooove this week and dressed up for church accordingly.

Last night I hosted a few girlfriends for dinner. Fred was not a fan of my new festive Amazon shirt. "Take it offfffff!"

I made Caprese-style Hasselback chicken breasts. Hasselback chicken is one of my favorites- you can stuff it with just about anything and because you're cutting all the slits, I find they cook faster than if you normally had such fat chicken breasts.

On my mind this week is debating whether or not I should attempt to train for a springtime half marathon. It's a race that my husband and I have done every other year (alternating with pregnancies). I'm motivated to get back into a solid running routine, but, how in the world did I ever used to wake up at 5 am on a workday to get in my five mile run?! It's all I can do to get out of bed these days at 7 am. Do I:
a. sign up for the race with plans of popping a Unisom at 7:30 pm
b. skip it. What do I need to prove?
c. sign up for the race but gripe about training for the next three months

If you know me at all, you'll know I'm leaning toward C. I've already printed off Hal Higdon's training plan and written in the dates for each run.

Anyone feel like cheering me on come May 11?

...or giving me a ride to the finish line?

Can you treat cabin fever with ibuprofen?

You guys, it's like, winter now. All of December and most of January were pretty mild, and now BOOM, in the past two weeks it's alllllll the cold and allllll the snow.

(Well what do you think's gonna happen when you live in Minnesota?)

We've made lemon lime yogurt.

We've wasted 14.2 gallons of water playing in the sink.

We've...taken our shirts partially off and walked around like this for an hour.

The babies have both sprouted humongous top teeth and now they both love to grind their teeth together. I am pretty much going nuts having to listen to that. I DO NOT LIKE MOUTH NOISES.

One thing I dooooo like? Cooking with chickpeas!

Why? 

1. They are super cheap.

2. They are legumes, so they're a good source of protein and fiber.

3. They get eaten up by all four kids.

Smashed Chickpeas with Cucumber Yogurt

-2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

-1 medium sweet onion, diced

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-2 eggs

-1/3 cup olive oil mayonnaise

-1/3 cup cornmeal

-1 tablespoon dried parsley

-1/2 teaspoon onion powder

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

-1/2 teaspoon smoked (or regular) paprika

-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

-1/4 teaspoon salt

Cucumber Yogurt

-1 cucumber, washed and shredded, then patted with paper towel to absorb excess water

-2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt

-2 teaspoons lemon juice

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or omit if you're not a fan)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready. Can be made a day or two in advance. 

For chickpeas-

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. 

2.. In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until nice and browned. 

3. While that's cooking, use a fork or potato masher to smash the chickpeas into a mush. It's plenty ok to leave it a little chunky. 

4. Add remaining ingredients, including the now-cooked onions, and smash a little bit more. You should have some whole chickpeas left in the mixture, but the majority should be smushy. 

5. Form into 8-9 flat patties. 

6. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve warm with something like Joseph's pita bread and of course the cucumber yogurt. I added some matchstick carrots as well to give a little crunch. 

Nutrition information for 1 chickpea patty + 1/3 cup cucumber yogurt + 1 pita = 290 calories, 38 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber (yowza!), 10 grams fat, 14 grams protein

All the kids ate this up. Better to hear chomping chewing noises I guess than teeth grinding noises!