I'm Baaaaaaack!

My dearest readers, hello again! It's been a while hasn't it? I'm just now starting to feel back to normal after a fantastic trip to New York City. I had every intention of blogging while I was there. But I swear to you, I never saw my laptop. Between working from the BBC offices, seeing Ryan's family some of the time, visiting with friends, and getting around NYC and New Jersey, I never sat down until 10:30PM each night. At that point, I was spent. I seriously admire folks who can do it all and blog about their meals and exercise everyday, especially when living out of a suitcase. You guys are my heroes!

I wasn't home 24 hours until I had to jump on another plane to head back to Michigan for a speaking engagement at my alma mater, Michigan State University. I was honored to be a part of the Neal Shine Ethics Lecture last Friday, speaking about my experience as the bobsled, luge, and skeleton producer at NBCOlympics.com during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. I also attended MSU's homecoming game and hung out with my family. Loads of fun was had in the last 12 days, but I'm glad to be back in the Windy City, computing from my green-walled nook. How the heck are YOU?

Monday morning started off with some Fage fat-free yogurt! Oh how I've missed this stuff. I ate a yogurt parfait from Starbucks for breakfast everyday when I was in the Big Apple, but I missed making my own food. This dish is easy and I included golden raspberries for the very first time. Ryan looked at me like I was crazy when I purchased them, but they are fab! The strawberries, almonds, and chia seeds (plus a tablespoon of honey) aren't too bad either ;)

For lunch, we resorted to one of our usual go-to meals when we're lacking groceries: Rising Moon Ravioli. The Butternut Squash version is probably our favorite. Ryan likes to dress it up with chunky veggie pasta sauce from Rinaldi that's mixed with garlic, balsamic vinegar and red wine. I also had a mixed green salad on the side with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, tomatoes, carrots, and freshly grated parmesan. For dessert, I snuck into Ryan's homemade cookies from my Mom. Couldn't resist.

 

Upon returning home from our weekend in Michigan, Ryan and I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up a few things. While it wasn't our usual grocery trip, we hope our selection will hopefully last us throughout the week. They had a fabulous sale on freshly grilled tilapia tacos, so that's exactly what we planned for Monday's dinner. We served ours with Rudi's spelt flour tortillas and some cherry tomatoes. Ryan also created a fun black bean and avocado salad on the side.

Yay for home cooking! I almost forgot ... I got back together with my elliptical trainer, too. Even though it was only for 35 minutes, it was good to be back. Walking nearly five miles every day in New York was fine, but I missed shedding some sweat, y'know? HAHA!

It's time to play catch up with all of my bookmarked food blogs. Thanks for your patience and for always supporting Fighting the Pudge.

My Day Is Made ... with Crab Cakes

It was another crazy busy day in the world of UK entertainment. But again, I'm grateful for the work and love being productive, so bring it on. I'm adjusting to the AM starts, too. Each day is getting easier with reconfiguring my daily routine.

I resorted to my fat-free Fage and fruit dish for breakfast today. It's quick and easy to prepare and totally satisfying. I also had an iced coffee. Just one cup is my early morning savior.

Balancing blogging with laundry left me with only a few minutes to grab lunch, where I had the last of my Sweet Potato Chili. I also had a pickle on the side with some baby carrots and jalapeno hummos from Athenos.

Tuesday is my day to volunteer with Open Books. I always look forward to this time away and the chance to converse with some really amazing students. The two girls that I meet with each week are so kind and always enthusiastic about reading. It's been a fun experience so far.

Ryan kindly prepared dinner this evening since I was away and man, was it fabulous! He prepared Ellie Krieger's Crab Cakes with Smart Tartar sauce. We also had green beans with walnuts on the side. We've done Krieger's Salmon Cakes countless times, but this was our first attempt at the crab cakes. YUM!

I think I'm going to call it a night with some pistachio gelato and some TV. Gonna relax a bit before a freelance deadlines come up. Anyone out there a fan of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I am going to try to start this book tonight, once and for all, if I can keep my eyes open. Would love to hear your thoughts or any book recommendations for that matter :)

Back on the elliptical tomorrow, too. Thanks again for reading! Have a fabulous evening!

T-Minus One Day

Well, here I am one day away from getting my first proper weigh-in since starting this blog in June. It was then that I started to seriously think about my weight and health. I talked to my doctor about my concerns and we came up with a plan. It was a simple plan, really, and it involved me making the effort to work out five days a week on top of eating healthy.

What started out as biking and some Wii Fit turned into Yoga, walking, free weights, more biking, and the elliptical trainer. It's been a total work in progress all summer. Thinking back to mid-June, I'd never heard of Zumba. I knew what Bikram Yoga was, or so I thought so. Three months later, I do Yoga once a week and I'm signed up for Bikram. I am also signed up for two 5k walks for October and November and I'm looking for a Zumba class.

My journey so far has been mind-boggling in the most positive ways. Sure, I've had my defeated moments, but I've brushed myself off and continued on. I've fallen in love with this blog and the food community. Three months ago, I had no idea that such a place existed. In the last six or seven weeks, especially, my journey has become less about the weight and more about enjoying the entire adventure. I've learned about so many different meals and ways to cook and I'm still learning soooo much and know there's plenty left to discover.

Anyways, tomorrow will be like any other day, but a bit exciting. I do know that I've lost some weight because I'm fitting into pants I couldn't fit into a year ago and really, that is more than enough to know that my hard work is paying off. But through all of that, I know I'm becoming a healthier person ... than ever before.

Getting back to Tuesday! Can I just tell you that today was absolutely bonkers? I started blogging for BBC America's Anglophenia blog, which is a fun spot for your latest UK entertainment news with an American accent, of course. I am really excited about it and thrilled to have the opportunity to work from home. Thank you for baring with my whiny moments of not having a full-time job.

Breakfast included my usual iced coffee and I indulged in a cup of fat-free Fage greek yogurt with strawberries, bananas, walnuts, and chia seeds. It's exactly what I needed as I plowed through some David Beckham and Gordon Ramsay news. HA!

In between posts, I got in 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I needed it badly, as I didn't exercise on Monday and felt the need to really sweat my brains out.

For lunch, I had a chipotle wild salmon burger on a Cybros seven-sprouted bun with mixed greens and mustard. Ryan also whipped up some cucumber salad with feta for a side. A quick and satisfying lunch!

The rest of the afternoon was a bit of a blur with consuming publishing guidelines and directions. Once dinner rolled around, it was about 7:30pm. This time, we tried SparkPeople's Italian Vegetable Bake. This particular dish is really low in fat and sodium, but also loaded in nutrients and minerals with the plethora of colorful veggies. I'd never had okra before, so this is one of the reasons I wanted to try this dish. What an awesome mix of fresh tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, and green beans, too. Top it with some parmesan cheese and you have yourself one of the healthiest dinners around.

Once the dishes were done and everything was put away, I crashed out on the couch. We were pretty excited for the new TV drama, Detroit 1-8-7 since we're both from Michigan. Not bad. This week is gonna be great, though, with all the new TV coming up. Woo hoo for The Office, Criminal Minds, and Grey's Anatomy! I also snacked on some hemp granola trail mix with cranberries, sunflower seeds, and chocolate chips. I'm becoming obsessed with this stuff.

What are some of your favorite television shows? Which ones will you be watching this week? Tell me! :)

I Heart Fage Yogurt

Wow, I think Fage is becoming my new best friend. I've used it countless times in various recipes, but I've never had it simply as yogurt. Admittedly, I'm not the world's biggest yogurt fan. I've never cared for the texture or the various flavors from brands like Dannon, Yoplait, and the like. Tell me, am I missing out?

It's only since beginning this blog that I've taken a serious interest in yogurt, especially Siggi's. Now, I've done the same with Fage (0% seems to work best for me). I think it's the thick and creamy consistency of these kinds of yogurts that ultimately stays with me. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that, as a kid, I absolutely LOVED Cool-Whip and Reddi Whip. I don't know why, but I just loved that thick and creamy texture. It's kind of the same with these Greek and Icelandic yogurts. With that, I've been able to add much more protein to my diet, which brings me to today's breakfast: more Fage, with fruit, almonds, chia seeds, and honey.

I'm trying to squeeze in what is most likely my last helpings of summer fruit. Oh I am sooooooo going to miss having berries whenever I want to. This particular mix of fruit and yogurt is a hearty enough portion (1 cup Fage plus fruit) that keeps me completely full and satisfied up through lunchtime.

Speaking of lunchtime, Ryan and I cooked up some Cashew Chicken Salad, featured in the September/October 2010 issue of Cooking Light. We used regular raisins, as we didn't have any golden raisins on hand. I served mine on a multi-grain sandwich thin from Arnold and had a McClure's garlic pickle on the side. More protein for me, too!

My workout came a little before dinner with 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I'm developing a bad habit as of late in allowing various online duties to take over a lot of my day. Ugh, the life of a web editor and writer, er web junkie. Freelancing is kickin' about, so I can't complain.

Come dinnertime, I consulted Cooking Light's expertise once more for their Grilled Salmon with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce (more Fage!) and Red-Pepper Coconut Rice.

Fabulous, fabulous meal! I can't believe I've never had jasmine rice before! Upon opening the bag, the nutty aroma caught me by surprise. The mix of light coconut milk with a half-cup of diced red bell pepper made for a great side dish with grilled salmon. We made enough for leftovers tomorrow!

Thanks again for reading! I hope your Monday was a marvelous one!

With all this talk about yogurt, do you have a favorite yogurt brand, flavor or recipe?

Trail Mix Smiles

Happy Thursday everyone! How's everyone's week shaping up? I have to say that today was much brighter and much more productive. I kept my snacking at bay as well and am gearing up to make some healthy eats for this weekend's football games.

Today for breakfast I tried something new. Although not terribly inventive, my Fage fat-free yogurt hit the spot. I combined a cup with some fruit and almonds and topped my yogurt with a tablespoon of honey. Once mixing it all together, it was a pretty hearty breakfast. I had my new favorite chocolate shake from Vega Shake and Go Smoothie and an iced coffee. This carried me through lunch and then some. Love it!

Prior to enjoying some leftovers at lunch, I pushed through 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer. It was a great workout today and definitely kept my mind at ease and fully focused on various odds and ends that had to accomplished this afternoon. Come lunchtime, I did reach for the Lean and Beefy Taco Salad, turkey-style. Today, I added a tablespoon of fat-free sour cream from Lucerne. Another keeper!

Dinner also witnessed some leftovers action with Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta. You can't go wrong with this dish, for it's high in protein and mighty tasty. I am also obsessed with fresh dill. Once more, I paired it up with some mixed greens, chopped cucumber, and kalamata olives. I love this little version.

After dinner, Ryan and I took a field trip to the biggest Whole Foods ever. Well, it's definitely the largest one we've ever been to. I could spend several hours with its never-ending isles of sooooooo many good foods, plus there's a bar and a handful of mini eateries. Ample parking with 400 spots. This is *huge* after years of living in NYC without a car and little space. We also made our own trail mix at the DIY-trail mix bar (next time I'm there, I'm so taking photos!). I made mine with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and hemp granola. Totally completed my awesome day!

The job angels must have been listening because I'm in the final stages of completing a freelance deal with one of my very favorite news outlets. Details TBA soon. Thanks sooooooooo much for all of your comments and for all of your support. It's so wonderful to meet so many of you in this forum. Y'all rock!

What kind of recipes are you preparing to make this weekend?