Mark bought me an iPad a few weeks ago. Unfortunately work has been so busy that not only have I neglected exploring how to use the iPad but I've also seriously neglected my diet. As in, I gained back almost 5 of the 11 pounds I dropped (!!). Ugh. Yesterday though, I threw out the rest of the cake my mother in law bought, hid the Cheetos and skittles she gave us (I love you Judy but you're killing me!), and filled my fridge with veggies and fruit. Today I realized that there was probably a handy-dandy app that would track my diet so I didn't have to track by hand, and get back on track. Again. For like the 4th time. Double ugh.
At this point the livestrong app entered my life. It's is amazing! You enter your food for the day and it calculates calories for you. It has a graph that shows your weight progress. It breaks down how many calories you eat at each meal and how many you burn while exercising. Day 1 is entered, and we'll see if I can stay disciplined this time. We're headed to Bett for the weekend and I tend to fall off track when around my in-laws (I think it's because they're so sweet), so we'll see!
Interested in Challenge Packs?
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Garden Update
Early this spring, admittedly before the snow stopped, I planted my garden. I love gardening and fresh veggies but sadly never have time to take care of it. This year my sister will be up here for the summer so I'm excited that it will stay alive! She's got a green thumb and the two weeks we were in Europe last summer she made my yard flourish! I barely keep it alive, limping along all summer. While the rain all spring has been tough on us mere mortals, my veggies are loving it. Check out how big my tomato plants are already! And I had to stake my peas this weekend because they were growing all over each other. This picture was taken before it was staked. I also planted green pepper plants, a watermelon plant, and cantaloupe plant this weekend. My cilantro and oregano are out.of.control, but my basil is struggling. Every year, it's a battle to keep that going. If anyone has tips on basil growing I'd love to hear them!
Please note the horrid creeping charlie that's attempting to take over my garden. My neighbor is growing it for a yard and it's taken over our yard too. If anyone would like to take care of my neighbor (and his yard) I can send you the address. At least we have one set of great neighbors!!
Please note the horrid creeping charlie that's attempting to take over my garden. My neighbor is growing it for a yard and it's taken over our yard too. If anyone would like to take care of my neighbor (and his yard) I can send you the address. At least we have one set of great neighbors!!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps
For a while I've been craving new recipes but haven't had time to do the research. Not only do I need recipes that are healthy, but I need something that Mark will eat and will satisfy both of our picky habits. On Monday I really wanted Asian food and decided to take 2 minutes to search AllRecipes.com rather than stop by LeeAnn Chin for dinner on the way home. I found a recipe that sounded interesting, and it turned out AMAZING!!! Below is my version, because I don't like rice and couldn't find the chili paste that was listed.
1lb ground turkey
1 pack green onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, finely diced (I used a garlic press)
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
2 carrots, shredded
3T hoisen sauce
2T soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil
Chili powder
1 head iceberg lettuce
In a large wok, brown the turkey, onions, and garlic. Stir frequently until cooked through.
Add carrots, red pepper, hoisen sauce, and soy sauce. Heat until warmed through.
Remove from heat. Add sesame oil and some chili powder and stir.
Spoon mixture onto individual lettuce leaves and wrap the leaves around the meat. Enjoy!
It's a little messy, but delicious!
Note: I took leftovers to work today. While they heated up fine, I was a disaster at the table so you may not want to eat this in public. Try if you dare, but don't say I didn't attempt to save you from public humiliation!
1lb ground turkey
1 pack green onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, finely diced (I used a garlic press)
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
2 carrots, shredded
3T hoisen sauce
2T soy sauce
1tsp sesame oil
Chili powder
1 head iceberg lettuce
In a large wok, brown the turkey, onions, and garlic. Stir frequently until cooked through.
Add carrots, red pepper, hoisen sauce, and soy sauce. Heat until warmed through.
Remove from heat. Add sesame oil and some chili powder and stir.
Spoon mixture onto individual lettuce leaves and wrap the leaves around the meat. Enjoy!
It's a little messy, but delicious!
Note: I took leftovers to work today. While they heated up fine, I was a disaster at the table so you may not want to eat this in public. Try if you dare, but don't say I didn't attempt to save you from public humiliation!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Gardening & Herbs
Every year since we moved into our house I've had a garden. Each year I alter what I plant slightly, whether because I realize that we don't like/eat a certain thing that I planted or whether something fails miserably. For instance, 2 years ago I planted carrots and green onions for the first time. They hadn't really developed by fall and I was lazy so I just left them. By spring planting time they were huge! I let them continue growing, but by the time I finally dug them up late summer they were woody and bad. Lesson here: I shouldn't plant things that grow under ground that I can't see.
This year I narrowed by assortment to three things: tomato plants, green beans, and peas. I love fresh green beans, and both bean and peas are super easy to grow. In fact, these are the only two plants that I have successfully grown to harvest each year. This year I bought pre-grown tomato plants for the first time. Usually I try to start them from seed, in the ground, late spring, in Minnesota. If you are a gardener, I'm sure you're howling with laughter on the ground right now. Yep, I've learned my lesson and am doing it the (hopefully) smart way this year. We'll see how it all turns out!
I also am trying herbs again. It's much more cost effective to grow your own herbs rather than purchasing them at the store, and it also means they're super fresh! I've successfully maintained chives and oregano in my planter by the side of my door. The oregano is a little out of control, so if anyone ever needs any please stop by and help yourselves! I generally struggle with basil but am attempting that again. I also purchased a cilantro plant because we've been using a lot of that in recipes. Both the cilantro and basil are in pots, because my side planters are too full of bulbs and I'm tired of digging those up and ruining them. Last year I started putting my summer plants in pots ala my neighbor Lindy, and it works a lot better!
I'm excited to keep expanding my gardening skills and adding to our "tool box" of healthy living habits. If you have any other suggestions of good herbs to use in recipes let me know - I think I'd like to add 2-3 more herb plants for the summer!
This year I narrowed by assortment to three things: tomato plants, green beans, and peas. I love fresh green beans, and both bean and peas are super easy to grow. In fact, these are the only two plants that I have successfully grown to harvest each year. This year I bought pre-grown tomato plants for the first time. Usually I try to start them from seed, in the ground, late spring, in Minnesota. If you are a gardener, I'm sure you're howling with laughter on the ground right now. Yep, I've learned my lesson and am doing it the (hopefully) smart way this year. We'll see how it all turns out!
I also am trying herbs again. It's much more cost effective to grow your own herbs rather than purchasing them at the store, and it also means they're super fresh! I've successfully maintained chives and oregano in my planter by the side of my door. The oregano is a little out of control, so if anyone ever needs any please stop by and help yourselves! I generally struggle with basil but am attempting that again. I also purchased a cilantro plant because we've been using a lot of that in recipes. Both the cilantro and basil are in pots, because my side planters are too full of bulbs and I'm tired of digging those up and ruining them. Last year I started putting my summer plants in pots ala my neighbor Lindy, and it works a lot better!
I'm excited to keep expanding my gardening skills and adding to our "tool box" of healthy living habits. If you have any other suggestions of good herbs to use in recipes let me know - I think I'd like to add 2-3 more herb plants for the summer!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Grilled Tacos
I really love grilling season. It's easy to marinate meat while at work then toss it on the grill for a quick and healthy dinner. The Lowry's marinates are cheap (about $2) and in a pinch (for instance, if you were really busy one morning and had to marinade it after work - a regular occurrence in this household) the marinate can be done in 30 quick minutes!
Lowry's season salt marinate
1/2 package of turkey cutlets
wheat tortillas
Marinate the turkey for at least 30 minutes. Cut into small pieces (ok, the word is "dice" if you watch the Food Network) and cook on a grill pan on the grill. We bought our grill pan for veggies but decided we liked steamed veggies instead of grilled veggies, but we've found it works GREAT for meat! Note: use a pot holder when grilling on a grill pan. The handle gets hot! Mark totally burned his hand :) When cooked through, add to a wheat tortilla. You can add all kinds of toppings, from lettuce to mango to tomatoes. Add a few tortilla chips, some fresh salsa, and enjoy!
Lowry's season salt marinate
1/2 package of turkey cutlets
wheat tortillas
Marinate the turkey for at least 30 minutes. Cut into small pieces (ok, the word is "dice" if you watch the Food Network) and cook on a grill pan on the grill. We bought our grill pan for veggies but decided we liked steamed veggies instead of grilled veggies, but we've found it works GREAT for meat! Note: use a pot holder when grilling on a grill pan. The handle gets hot! Mark totally burned his hand :) When cooked through, add to a wheat tortilla. You can add all kinds of toppings, from lettuce to mango to tomatoes. Add a few tortilla chips, some fresh salsa, and enjoy!
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