S-S-Spinach

I'm on a roll this week. Plugging along with my typical list of things to do and looking forward to the weekend. Ryan and I are finally going to the beach on Saturday and my college friend Tom will also be here.

Thursday breakfast featured one of my regular picks, two Nutri-Grain Eggos with apricot preserves. I also paired that with a cup of fresh strawberries and a fourth-cup fresh blueberries. I like this particular menu because it pushes me through lunchtime and never leaves me thinking about having a snack. I'm such a snacker, too.



I tried something new for lunch, Spinach & Tortellini Soup. I grabbed this recipe via my trusty SparkPeople database and I think we're going to keep it in rotation. I've been into spinach this week, with this week's Shrimp Panzanella dinner, and this.

Spinach & Tortellini Soup:

Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 32 oz. box fat free vegetable broth
- 1 package Fresh cheese tortellini
- 2 cans stewed tomoatoes
- 1 bag fresh spinach
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt, pinch of pepper
- Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
- Saute garlic in olive oil
- Stir in the broth and tortellini
- Lower heat, add salt & pepper
- Simmer 5 minutes
- Add tomatoes, spinach, & basil
- Simmer until spinach is cooked (about 15 minutes)

When prepping this, I used what I had in my pantry. I had low-sodium chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I also offset the sodium intake with three cups of water. I included fresh basil from my herb garden, too. My tomatoes were diced, not stewed and I feel like one can was more than plenty. For extra spinach, I used spinach and cheese tortellini from Buitoni. YUM!


I was also pretty hungry after my kick-ass 45-minute run on the elliptical trainer, so I decided to add a turkey sandwich (with mustard and field greens) on multi-grain flatbread.


I should have taken a photo, but my husband also made me a cold iced coffee with nutmeg and cinnamon. He works from home and always makes a coffee after lunch. I am not the world's biggest coffee drinker, but once in a while I do like a cold ice coffee. This week I've developed somewhat of a routine. I'll share tomorrow.

Dinner saw a repeat of Shrimp Panzanella and we traded up some spinach for herb lettuce. We also topped it with a half-tablespoon of BelGioioso parmesan cheese. Absolutely fabulous.


Tonight I had some quiet time to wrap up some blogging and other odds and ends while Ryan hit the Lake Shore Path for some rollerblading. And, of course, Siggi's was there to end the evening. I chat so much about Siggi's, I should really blog about it. Hmmm....

Calorie goal 1,210-1,560: 1,399
Fat goal 32-57: 32
Carbohydrates goal 164-237: 194
Protein goal 60-128: 92

Until tomorrow xx

Seafood Smorgasboard

It's almost the weekend, hooray! It's hitting the low 90s in the Windy City and it's supposed to be just as hot this weekend. Gotta love summer, right?

Thursday started off with two slices of Fabulous Flats flatbread toasted with two tablespoons of Ghee with one egg. I am not the world's greatest egg cooker by any means. I'd love to master the sunny side up or over-easy versions. Anyhow, my egg sandwich was mighty tasty, but my white nectarine wasn't as good as your normal fresh nectarine. I think I'll stick to those from now on.


I've been staying in pretty much all week, taking care of various household duties and freelance jobs. After a fantastic 45-minute routine on the elliptical trainer plus my usual 10 sets of 10 dumbbell routines, I decided a needed a break from being inside. I decided to head up to Whole Foods for both lunch and a few groceries. Lunch consisted of my usual Whole Foods drink, 365's Club Soda, a cup of minestrone soup, field greens with veggies and balsamic vinegar, plus a third cup of grilled pineapple and some cucumber and feta salad.

In the late afternoon, I was definitely in the cooking mood. I prepped shrimp gazpacho for dinner. You guys, shrimp gazpacho is INCREDIBLE! It's one of my favorites from Ellie Krieger's So Easy cookbook and it's loaded with protein. Lots of tomatoes, too!


On the side, I had two pieces of whole-wheat baguette and something I like to call "one of my Mom's coolest dishes," both literally and figuratively. Crab dill salad is just store-bought crab-style legs, chopped up into small pieces and mixed with dill, olive oil, and white distilled vinegar. Serve a third cup over a piece of napa cabbage and you have a lovely addition to any cookout or lunch. Tonight, this was my seafood smorgasboard!



I also prepped some kale chips for the weekend. If you've not had kale chips, you haven't had the best potato chip of your entire life. These babies are so much healthier too. All you need is some kale, some cooking spray and some sea salt, pop 'em in the over for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, and voila!



I discovered this beauty of a recipe via Carrots 'N' Cake, one of my favorite health blogs. I am still unsure how these should be stored, for storing them in a plastic ziploc bag for a period of time steals all of the crunch away. Right now, I have them sitting in a bowl on my kitchen counter.

Earlier this week I discovered a recipe for Blackberry Rhubarb Buttermilk Cake via Two Peas and Their Pod and I couldn't ignore it. Lucky for me I had all the ingredients in my pantry already. I opted to try it without the rhubarb this once just to see how it stands. Here's a snapshot of what it looks like prior to cooking.


We'll see how it tastes when Ryan comes back from New York City on Friday evening!

Siggi's Vanilla Yogurt and I ended the evening with this week's Time Out Chicago issue. My totals for Thursday are:

Calorie goal 1,210-1,560: 1,494
Fat goal 32-57: 44
Carbohydrates goal 164-237: 211
Protein goal 60-128: 74

Go Green!

This morning I had a job interview, so I decided to load up at breakfast. Can anyone tell me if it's appropriate to have 608 calories at breakfast. Anyhow, it was tasty and well worth. I didn't want to be starving after my 11am interview, forcing me to scrounge for something at a nearby fast food place. So I had my usual Cheerios with fresh blueberries, but indulged in a multi-grain flatbread with Ghee and bananas. I felt really full afterward and ready to take on the day.


Working out would have to wait, since I left at 9:45am this morning to make sure I made it to my location well in advance. It's funny, it always took at least an hour to go anywhere in New York City. It's a bit different in Chicago, traffic post-rush hour is much more easy breezy and I almost always find myself with an extra 30 minutes on my hands. Once the interview was over, I headed over to Starbucks for an iced tall skinny vanilla latte, my favorite. Since I had my meals plan ready for the day, I figured 70 calories wouldn't hurt me.

Lunchtime featured a repeat of yesterday's (July 12) with cool cucumber soup with avocado, but this time I added a herb-lettuce salad, cherry tomatoes, carrots and two tablespoons of roasted red pepper hummus. Totally yummy and satisfying. Green must be the color of the day ... just check out my meal with my placemat. Gotta give a shout out to my beloved alma mater, Michigan State University, too.


Today's workout arrived before dinner, as I headed downtown for *FREE* yoga courtesy of Whole Foods. The hour-long class was first-come first-serve and it filled up pretty quickly. The view, WOW! AMAZING! Doing yoga outside, let alone on a roof of a high-rise with the blue sky completely wide open, it was really lovely. While I didn't burn as many calories as I would with the elliptical trainer, this yoga session was a good break. I will definitely be going back next week!


Dinner also included a repeat of yesterday's dish: turkey chili with corn and black beans. Since Ryan is away in NYC all week for week, I prepared meals that would last me all week. Turkey chili is really tasty and filling. Add in some summer fruit salad and voila, a yummmmy dinner.



And Siggi's Icelandic Yogurt will be joining me again as a late night snack ... last's night vanilla was absolutely perfect. Tonight it's just me and grapefruit.

.. and I don't have to feel too guilty. I did go over three points in my carbs, but met all of my calorie, protein and fat goals for today. WOO!