Book Review, 2 New Recipes, and 2 Deliveries!

So yesterday I did walk that other 3.5 miles – taking me to a total of 7 miles taking me to goal – WOO! 84 miles in September – yessss. I left and went straight over to my sister’s house for book club!

We had a good group: me, Dev, Shana, Mon and Stacy. We had some wine, had some yummy snacks my sister put together and got to book chat (The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson)! Review: We all really liked the book – I think the lowest rating out of 5 was a 4! It sparked A LOT of conversation about relationships, poverty, family and more. It really was a wonderful book. Upon first glance, you think it may be a quick read – but because of the way the author tells the story and the detail she provides, you can’t “skim” if you know what I mean. It ALL means something and it all tied together and told a very interesting story of love, mystery, etc. I was VERY surprised at the end, and enjoyed solving the mystery along with them, but also in learning about their pasts and how they shaped their current relationships. It was a WINNER for me – I don’t want to give too much away but definitely think it’s worth reading!! After book club I headed home and passed out! I ended up at 1,815 calories, 194 carbs, 44 fat grams and 94 protein grams. Here's what I ate. Not bad! Especially with my 7 miles factored in – woo!

I also had the new recipe – Chicken Pesto Salad Sandwich. I ended up having it for lunch because I couldn’t WAIT to see how yummy it was… and it didn’t fail me. SO good. Here’s the recipe (this one was from Monica’s Food Network magazine – this is my variation for ONE serving):

Sorry... work pic!

4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
19 grams sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)
1 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
½ tbsp pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
1 six-inch pita pocket cut at top
Red lettuce leaves

Place chicken and tomatoes in a large saucepan and pour enough water to cover by 2”. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook 8 minutes until chicken is tender. Drain and cut chicken into 1” cubes and tomato into ½” strips. Transfer to bowl, add mayo and pesto and season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pita pocket lined with lettuce leaves. Nutritional Information: 360 calories, 33 carbs, 10 fat grams and 31 protein grams.

Today was a great day! I worked from home so I got lots done as usual. I also had two deliveries – my HRM (yessss) and some Forever 21 stuff! (3 dresses, 2 skirts, 1 shirt and 2 pairs of leggings – for right at $100 – nice!). I will say, instead of gyming it during lunch I watched TV with Austin. My legs were SO sore – they wanted a break. I still plan to do upper body tonight… but we’ll see. :) I will say I was able to catch up with most of my blog reading (sadly, not all), AND I made another new recipe: BLT pasta salad. Here’s the recipe (again from Monica’s Food Network!). Here’s my variation for FOUR servings.

Mix before adding lettuce

Lettuce added!


One serving - yum!

8 oz. pasta
¼ cup milk
½ tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese.
12 slices low-fat turkey bacon
2 medium ripe tomatoes cut into chunks
1 tsp garlic, minced
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ cup fat-free mayonnaise
¼ cup fat-free sour cream
3 tbsp scallions
3 cups chopped romaine hearts
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain and toss with milk and parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Set aside. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan, and add tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Cut bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside ¼ cup for garnish. Toss remaining bacon and tomato mixture with pasta. Mix mayo, sour cream and 2 tbsp chives with pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with reserved bacon and remaining tbsp chives. Serve at room temperature. Nutritional Information: 325 calories, 50 carbs, 7 fat grams and 15 protein grams.

We REALLY liked it! I personally would have liked it better if it had cooled and like congealed together more, so I think the two servings we cooled for later this week will be better. But that’s okay – STILL very good. It’s almost getting too cold to eat cold salad though! I can’t believe the weather. We were out there enjoying it and a mosquito bit me on the face. WTF?! After dinner we headed upstairs and I watched more TV (Vampire Diaries, ANTM, Cougartown, etc.).

K – off to shower and think about doing upper body… hmm. I’ll post my stats for Thursday tomorrow AND do my monthly review!! I can’t believe it’s October people – where did September go?! I hope you all have lovely evenings – “see you” soon!

P.S. A couple of you asked about how I meal plan and suggested I do a post on it. I will!! I started working on writing my process down today. :) Stay tuned!