1 New Product, 1 New Recipe, 3 Easy Miles, 29 Years Old

So I HAVE to start out this post with an awesome new recipe we made earlier this week...

Inside Out Egg Roll Stirfry
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Makes 4 Servings
Nutritional Information: 438 calories, 58 carbs, 8 fat grams and 29 protein grams.

This was unexpected! I'd never cooked with beef broth before, so to cook it into the rice and meat dish added a lot of flavor.It tastes just like an inside out egg roll. It had lots of sauce and if you'd replaced the rice with an egg roll wrapper, I swear it would have been an egg roll. The servings were large so it was super hearty. Check out the recipe at Healthified Kitchen!

And now for a quick Wednesday recap! It started out unexpectedly. As you may know, I have had to be VERY careful running due to my bursitis/fractured fibular sesamoid in my right foot. However, I want to so bad! So I've been mixing up my cardio (added in spin, stair climber, etc.) so i'm not just running when I do cardio. Well today I planned to do the longest run since i've been building. I had done 2.5 miles and I was going to go for 2.5 miles OR step it up and go for 2.75. Well the run just felt GREAT. I didn't want to stop. But I did. I stopped at 3 miles straight. I walked for .10 at 4 mph, then ran 3 miles at 6.3 mph, then walked (after taking this pic!) to get me to 3.25 miles in about 32 minutes - WOO. After that - the usual - shower time, work, work though lunch (again - boo), then home to the fam, and the kitchen to whip up some new recipes - I'm so obsessed! Outside of new recipes,  I've been munching on this bread.

Arnold/Oroweat sent me a loaf to sample and review - along with two recipes! 

We immediately made a simple sammy: hummus, lettuce, turkey, swiss and tomato.

Verdict? The bread is a winner. It's so much more filling than 'diet bread' - probably because it has 80 calories, 5 protein grams and 8 grams of whole grain per slice! As far as looks, the bread is like 'deli bread' - you know, rectangular, fancy bread instead of square. And it has a good texture (i.e. not too hard). We've since made it with PB&J (Austin says good!) and I made one with hummus, avocado, tomato and cucumber -  it was great! We waited a week later and made another sammy - bread still soft/fresh - winning! Please note: while I did get a free sample my review/opinion was mine - good or bad. Thankfully, I can report that it was good! Thanks, Arnold!

Last but not least, I turned 29 today. 7/7/82 was officially 29 years ago. OY. I'm looking forward to a celebration with family tonight, one with friends tomorrow,and then a week in California beginning Tuesday - WOO. I will NOT get maudlin this year. :)

Q: What's your favorite thing to do on your birthday?!

Q: What's your favorite brand when it comes to sliced bread? I usually go for Arnold sandwich thins or  nature's own bread - but i'm definitely converting. I checked and my Publix carries this - sweet.

Q: Have you ever cooked with cabbage? What is your favorite thing to make with it? This was my first time and I have half a head to use - any suggestions would be welcome (I HATE to waste food!). 

Monday Two-A-Days, New Product Reviews!

Hello! I hope you're having good Tuesdays! Mine was pretty slammed - got up early, walked 1/4 mile, ran 2 miles, then walked 1/4 mile, then went through an all-day training class. It was a good class, but I hated being cooped up in a room, all day, with no windows and only cookies and pizza. Seriously. I told Austin and he said, "you're kidding, right?" That sounds amazing. LOL It wasn't, but I did see his point, not the end of the world!

Quick backtrack, yesterday I did my double workouts:

• a.m.: 1/4 mile, 1-mile run, 11 minutes on the stairclimber; abs
• Lunchtime: 2 1/4 mile walk; back and chest

Not bad! 3.5 miles, stairclimber and some ST - good day. Other than that I just worked, and tried out a few new products...

Now I'm not a huge fan of frozen meals only because I prefer making meals myself! However, sometimes they're just absolutely handy and necessary. I tried this one and just loved it. Such great sauce (really saucy enchiladas are awesome), and I loved the beans and little tofu bites. It was very filling and a meal I definitely plan to have in the freezer just in case!

I loved these little peanut butter sandwich crackers! You can have 12 for only 150 calories, and I thought that the serving was filling, too. I think my favorite part was that they were bitesize!!

Well these were just ridiculous. The serving size was 2 cookies and I swear they tasted like cookie dough. They melted in your hand and were incredibly soft. Be warned - addictive doesn't even begin to cover it, but so long as you're capable of holding yourself to no more than 2 in a serving (hehe!) you should try them!

Q: Have you tried any of the above? Did you like them?

Q: What's your favorite frozen meal? This is mine. Really - that good. I DO like Amy's stuffed shells too... but this one wins!

Stairmill, 2-Miler, Klondike Bar?

Austin sent me this the other day and I just died laughing! Tis the season for frozen treats, and lately we've been LOVING some Klondike 'slim-a-bears.' Not the 'ice cream sandwichy' ones, but the 100-calorie ones that actually bare a striking resemblance to the real thing, but they only have 100 calories, 6 fat grams, 11 carbs and 1 protein gram. Not awesome and whole or anything, but better than having a regular Klondike bar (250 calories, 14 fat grams, 29 carbs and 3 protein grams). The only bad thing about the 100-calorie bars is the name, 'Slim-a-bear.' It's so lame, and hard to sell a guy on a slim-a-bear you know? One more bad thing - the song. Total earworm. I mean really - "What would you do-oo-oo for a Klondike bar?!" K - moving on! (and apologizing in case I got this dreadful tagline in your head).

Tuesday I woke up WAY late for spin - but decided to hit the gym anyway! I got to the gym around 6:45 and walked a 1/2-mile, then ran 2 miles straight at 6.3 mph. Yessss. This is getting SO much easier. Yet again, I felt like I could go on for at least another 1/2 or mile but no, I'm being safe on these feet! So I hopped off and got straight on the machine of death and did 10 minutes straight on the stair climber. That thing is evil. For reals. I find it gross but strangely satisfying when my sweat is pouring onto the machine. Sorry, disgusting, but accurate! :) HRM said: 36 minutes, 305 calories; 4 fat-burning minutes and 32 fitness minutes; 157 HR and max HR of 182. Afterwards I just showered and headed into work, had a working lunch, then headed home to my family! I do have a fun picture Austin took to share - our first tomato!

Q: Do you have a home garden? What's your favorite thing to grow? Mine is basil - I swear it saves us SO much money!

Q: Stairmill: yay or nay? I used to use it a lot, but when I started counting miles I stopped. But now that i'm mixing it up I think i'm going to take advantage of this guy in the morning (when the gym is empty). I burned MAD calories this a.m. in just 10 minutes on it (like 80). Note, this was following a 2-mile run so my HR was already up but STILL pretty sweet if you ask me.

Q: Have you had the slim-a-bears? If so, are you a fan? I love them - again, great for the summertime. Nice treat without going overboard.

Let There Be Cheese! (yes, a cheese giveaway)

Thank you for your sweet, sweet comments on our weekend pictures, and for your thoughts on your favorite Sundays. :) Before my usual spiel I have to share the most EXCITING thing ever - seriously. As you may know I'm slightly obsessed with Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese. And by slightly I mean it's kind of out of control. I use it for everything - breakfast casseroles, pizzas, enchiladas, etc. I buy 2-3 blocks at a time, grate it and put it in tubs so it’s ready to go! I used to use fat-free cheese, but it doesn’t melt. My recipes just didn’t look pretty and that made me sad. When I tested this cheese it had great flavor and blended well, but it also had a nice low-calorie serving and it MELTED. Winner! The nutritional information isn’t significantly different, but the taste and appearance IS! Check it out:

1 oz. Cabot 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese vs. 1 oz. Fat-Free Cheddar Cheese
Calories: 60 grams vs. 45
Fat: 2.5 grams vs. 0
Carbs: less than 1 gram vs. 0

Protein: 9 grams vs. 9

So 15 more calories and 2.5 more fat grams to get pretty, melted recipes? Done and DONE! So how can you get this magical cheese for free? Leave a comment telling me your favorite thing to make with cheese by 11 p.m. EST Saturday, April 30. I'll use random number generator and give TWO readers THIS:

Yes, that's $25 worth the reduced fat cheese - EEEEEE! The lovely people at Cabot, Wendy and Kelly, generously offered this to you guys and I am so excited to be able to pass this on!!

K - I'll stop talking about cheese now. Promise. :) Yesterday we woke up early, had breakfast with Mary & Jimmy, sat outside and recapped our evening (hilarious!). Then we drove to Austin's parents house to have lunch and visit with them. Such a great day, but we had to get back to Atlanta. Boo! We left around 2 p.m. and I drove the fam home - the weather was beautiful and we got home around 4:15 - not bad! Then it was just laundry, getting my gym bag/food/etc. ready for Monday, and resting and relaxing with the family - the usual. I was asleep by 9:45!

Q: What is your favorite thing to make with cheese? This is impossible for me - I think I use cheese in everything! If I HAD to pick i'd say Mexican dishes like enchiladas and casseroles.

Product Reviews - Hydracoach & HRM, Back On It, New Breakfast Recipe

Thanks you guys! We really did have a blast at the shower and I can't tell you how much your sweet comments pump me up! :) I hope you're all having wonderful Tuesdays so far! So remember how Kelsey at L2 Communications sent me two exciting products to try? It's TIME!

First, the Hydracoach.First, I must say I loved this little guy. I found it extremely helpful, easy to use, and beneficial in that I KNOW I was drinking so much more as it told me. It was right there. It was like a fun little game to try to get in all of my water in a day. Great bottle, great product and I don't think there's anything like it. If you're considering monitoring your water intake or are hoping to take in more water each day, try this product!

Pros: Easy to use, beneficial in monitoring your water intake, SMART!

Cons: I wish the bottle was bigger (less having to refill!) and I had a hard time getting it to screw (although I got the hang of it!).

Second, the Solo 925 HRM. I was torn with this one. Here's why. I'm used to a chest strap. Do I like a chest strap? No! But i'm used to not having one and found i'd have to stop to get a reading. However, this DID work with my chest strap which was from my polar HRM and by far the cheaper part of that HRM. Moving on, the price on this was reasonable, the readings were accurate (with and without chest strap - nice to be able to compare), it was cute and lightweight - comfortable on my wrist and all in all a great HRM with or without the chest strap. I will say that it took me a while to set up - could be user error. All in all, I would recommend this product and think it's a budget-friendly, accurate, solid product!

Pros: beneficial in monitoring your heartrate/calories burned/etc.; light weight; budget friendly; works with chest strap (if you want it to)

Cons: Challenging (for me) to set up

That's it, friends! Please let me know if you have any questions about either of these products! And, if you would be interested in a giveaway for either of these, please let me know!!

Back to normal programming. My Monday pretty much sucked as most do. I was overworked, traffic was horrible, weather was awful, etc. I had to work through lunch. Blah. I did make it to the grocery store and made it home by 7 - in time to get a dinner in the slowcooker, put up the groceries and play with the pups. Then I TOTALLY crashed - early - definitely the best thing about the day. Yes, NO WORKOUTS again. Oy. Who am I?

Today was MUCH better - and bonus: Stacy is as fed up with her lack of workouts the past few days as I am so we're ON IT! We walked 2 miles during lunch, did abs, and did 1/2 of our shoulders/tricep workout. After work we plan to walk more and finish our ST - yay!

Now it just wouldn't be my normal post as of late if I didn't share a recipe. Here goes!

Baked Mini Quiches
Makes 1 Serving
Make 4 of recipe for 4 Servings

Nutritional Information: 317 calories, 2 carbs, 15 fat grams and 39 protein grams.

Check out the recipe on Healthified Kitchen!

Q: Would you be interested in a giveaway on either of these products?

Q: Have you ever had mini quiches? If so, what is your favorite mix in?!

New Lasagna Recipe, New Fall Tunic, 3 Miles, Pulled Muscle?

Hola! Happy Wednesday! Hope you had great Tuesdays! Mine was okay, just work, 3 miles during lunch, work, and then home to the family for chill night, bad/girl TV night with the pups and TV with Austin. Awesome! I'm loving the cooler weather and am definitely getting energy from it - woop woo! Backing up, Sunday, in addition to the Mediterranean Wrap (which tasted 100% better after sitting overnight!), I made a new recipe inspired by a recipe from Allrecipes.com. I made it with a new product:

I had my eye out for Classico's new light alfredo sauce but no luck! Anywho, here is the Chicken Alfredo Lasagna recipe I made for 6 Servings:

12 barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
24 oz. chicken, cooked in a bit of salt and pepper
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach
1 15-oz. jar Light Ragu alfredo sauce
496 grams fat-free ricotta cheese
100 grams Trader Joe’s Fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cook spinach according to package directions; drain. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and half the jar of alfredo sauce, stir together. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta and drained, cooked spinach, and stir. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, place one layer of lasagna noodles, edges overlapping. Pour chicken/alfredo mixture over noodle layer and spread evenly. Top with another layer of noodles. Spread spinach mixture evenly over noodles. Pour remaining alfredo sauce over spinach mixture, spread evenly. Lay on the final noodle layer and top with mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until top is brown and bubbly.

Nutritional Information: 431 calories, 34 carbs, 11 fat grams and 45 protein grams.

Review: Yum!! I really liked this! Next time I'll add a bit of nutmeg but other than that it's a keeper! I'm glad I was able to find lower-calorie sauce - I had missed my alfredo. :) I'll definitely try some more recipes with this light sauce! And can I tell you how much i'm loving no-bake lasagna noodles? Talk about easy peasy!

close up of whole pan

whole pan!

Other news? I found this tunic/top at H&M! I plan to wear it just like this - with black skinny pants. I love it - super cozy but still fun/frilly - I will say that mine seems much lighter than this one - more tan than brown. I would NOT recommend with leggings - it's kind of see through on bottom (those layers are like silky tissue!). Only $25 - not bad!

Other things, in a nutshell:

• Still on the hunt for brown shoes.
• I bought a new flat iron - it should be arriving shortly.
• I'm still whipping up new recipes - YAY. Loving the cooking for SURE.

Q: White sauce - yay or nay? I've always liked it but tend to go for red because it tastes and just SEEMS so much healthier. I don't get that i'm-too-full feeling as often after having red sauce.

Q: Have you ever pulled a muscle in your bum? Yes, random and not related to the post above... but my bum is hurting and i'm nervous - did I pull something? Eek!!

Puppers in Costume, Product Review, Book Review

Hi Friends! Thank you so much for your comments on my video - I REALLY enjoyed making this one - such a good time. I heart pictures so much but video really takes me back even more so than pictures. Good times, indeed. Happy Hump Day! My Tuesday was pretty standard (again) - just worked, walked 4 miles during lunch, worked more and then headed home, hung out with the fam and had a lowkey night in - glorious! I will say that there were some "incidents" in that I was crabby and Remy peed on the bed. Grrr I had JUST washed the linens from the last time. In her defense, she can't get down to go pee in her room on her mat and her crap mother I fell asleep and didn't see her when she was likely pacing the perimeter of the bed to get down and then ultimately peeing. Sigh.

So on Sunday I finished Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. The book is about Camille Preaker, a reporter in Chicago who is sent back to her hometown to report on a potential serial killer who is targetting teenage girls. Very quickly you learn that something is off about Camille, her family, her half-sister whom she barely knows and her past. What follows is a well-written, well-edited mystery with surprises up until the last page. My only compliant? I wish it had been longer- I could have kept reading about this interesting girl, her messed up family and her weird hometown. I give it a 5 out of 5 and highly suggest it!

Other than reading, I also tried a new Trader Joe's product - a soba noodle kit. I thought the mix and the noodles were REALLY good, but almost wish i'd held off a bit on the "seaweed pack" - it made it taste a bit too strongly of fake sushi or something and turned me off some. I like flavor, but it was STRONG.

Final verdict? I probably won't try this again. It was good, but it wasn't AMAZING and since I had to wanted to add chicken to it to make it more of a filling meal, it really wasn't the timesaver I had hoped for.

Lastly, and without further ado... Reuben and Remy in costume. Yes, they went as little Auburn Tigers. (and I use went loosely as they didn't actually go anywhere this year. poor babes!) Here is a glimpse at our photo shoot - never really got the money shot...

Close little tigers, but not looking at the camera!

No pups - not even close...

Pretty close, but must you look so miserable?

Oh dear - no perfect shot this year and poor Remy looks mortified.

I love the little tigers regardless!

Q: Favorite Halloween costume ever? I still laugh at the guy in college who was a 1 night stand (i.e. lamp shade on head, '1' t-shirt on, cardboard circle around waist with table cloth, alarm clock, change and porns taped to it. Classy? No. Memorable? Yes.

Q: Tried any new products lately?

Breakfast Braid Fail, Cabot Tasting, 4 Miles

hehe Thanks you guys - I'm glad you agree that just sucking it up and being nice was the best move for me there. I'm sure it would have been fine otherwise, but i'm on this "pick your battles" mode lately and it just wasn't worth my energy. Aside from letting things go, i'm all for trying new breakfasts. ALL for it. It's a meal that I've never been a big fan of but force myself to eat because I buy into the whole breakfast-is-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day thing. I found lots of recipes for breakfast braids and even a great video for how to do it. Only, I changed the recipe SO much that it wouldn't fit into the dang braid. Shiz. I still LOVED the recipe, super tasty, but am going to mess with it before posting so you won't end up with such an ugly braid like mine!

Yummy slice of fabulousness

Not bad! Right? Looks pretty fancy!

FAIL!! Too much stuffing and not enough crescent!! That's okay - I have a total plan for how to make this right next time!!

Aside from the recipe fail, something else noteworthy went down recently... I got cheese in the mail! I love my life.

Hello Cheese! (and thanks for sending, Cabot!)

Yes, Cabot sent me two new products! It's fabulous pre-portioned mini cheese slices for serious snackers like myself. I chose 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar and 75% reduced fat habanero

Hi Habenero - my new best friend

I cut it up into pieces and put it on 5 carr's crackers. WOW - had such great flavor and a nice kick. I can't WAIT to use this cheese in my mexican-inspired recipes, and I think it would be great to spice up an egg/sausage wrap with some flare!

I'll let you know how it melts, but I've always been THRILLED at how Cabot cheese melts. I'm so happy and can't wait for these products to be offered on the regular!

Aside from recipe fails and exciting new products, yesterday was rather dull. Just work, walked 4 miles during lunch while reading Undone, more work, a trip to the library, and then straight home to get in bed and drink fluids and take medicine. LAME. I did muster up the strength to do some exercise. I did this bicep and back routine and the ab work below it!

That's about it, friends! Today i'm hoping I can keep up the walking and maybe go for a run - I dunno though - still not 100%. K - question time!

Q: Ever had a breakfast braid or braided one yourself?

Q: Any recipe fails lately?

Q: Have you ever tried Cabot cheese? Like or dislike? I'm a fan of any cheese that isn't a high in fat and that melts like "normal cheese." So I pretty much use Cabot in all of my recipes!!

New Product, 3 Miles, Weekend Plans

Hola Friends - happy Saturday afternoon!! THANK YOU for all of your sweet comments about my mom! I love her and her fun, spunky blog. She's a hoot. She started blogging long before me, like 3 years prior, and has had many blogger meet ups of her own! Very cool, and thanks again!

One thing I failed to mention on Thursday is that I tried a new product. A while back, I had won a giveaway at Slim Shoppin. It was a for a new Buitoni frozen meal for 2! Me and Austin picked out Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli. The thought behind the choice? We'll never make that at home. I know, never say never, but really - it sounded amazing but like a lot of trouble to make.

So the product was $10, so $5 a serving. That's a little high for me (vs. a home-cooked meal, not a restaurant meal). However, I will say this was CRAZY easy. I filled a pot of water to boil, put the sauce pack in and put the pot lid on. Once boiling, you just add the ravioli for like 7 minutes. Then take it all out, drain it, split up the raviolis and carefully open the sauce packet. Easy peasy - 10 minutes from start to finish and it was VERY good and filling. Didn't taste like it had been frozen - tasted fresh and the sauce was strong and flavorful. If you don't like garlic, stay away, I loved it though so it was good. I will say that each serving had 500 calories, 16 fat grams, 68 carbs and 21 protein grams. So a bit high on calories, fat and carbs for me, but, for a special meal, that I personally would never cook, this was a nice, quick option that looked and tasted fancy! Forgive my lack of garnish, but you can tell this was swimming in sauce - easily could have double or triple the calories at a restaurant. Final rating? A on taste, B on price, A on convenience, C on nutrition - so a solid B - i'd get it again for a sinful once-a-month meal!

So yesterday was a pretty good Friday! I worked... alot, then took lunch to walk 3 miles. After my walk with Stacy it was back to work, and then straight home to hang out with Austin, do some laundry and pack for our trip to Alabama! Around 8 we headed over to Katie and Chris's for dinner - they made yummy burgers, beans and potato salad - fabulous! Great to see them and catch up - we always have so much to talk about. Before I knew it was time to go home and get some rest for our trip!

Now it's noon...ish. I need to pack. I may hit the gym. I need to move. But i'm blogging instead. hehe

Q: What are you doing today? We're off to Alabama to celebrate two of my bestie's October birthdays - Mary & Teresa!

Q: Do you think you would ever try the Buitoni meal we tried ? Why or why not?

New Bar, New Product, Another Auburn Win

Thanks you guys! I agree - some runs are just harder than others and turkey is the BOMB! Also, thanks to those who mentioned they're testing out some of me and Austin's favorite recipes - so exciting! Definitely report back and if you change anything let me know, I'm all for mixing mine up!!
So Yesterday was a really great day! I got up early and me and Reuben settled in for a movie - When in Rome. I love Kristin. I love Josh. The movie? Didn't love. It was cheesy and silly and just a pretty bad romcom.... BUT I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was light and fun and I was able to blog whilst watching! After the movie it was shower time and time to go see Shana and Lincoln! We went by there place and saw all of the new renovations- AWESOME! And we got to see little Sebastian and give him his belated birthday gift - SO fun to shop for a 4-year-old boy! I want one! hehe Great to catch up with the Marr's for sure. After we left there place we headed over to Andrew and Laura Anne's for the rest of the Auburn game - which was a TOTAL blowout with us winning by 49 points. War Eagle! They had people over so a bit of light day drinking ensued whilst playing cornhole. Around 7 we headed home, cleaned up, then left to go The Ivy, a new bar in buckhead, to watch the FL/AL game at 8. Good times!

Ze new bar (for Atlanta peeps - it's just down the road from Tin Lizzy's!

part of the gazebo bar!

hehe

ze boys

tequila

seemed like a good idea at the time

So good to hang out with LA!

Austin, Andrew, LA and Brandon

Twinkie plaid shirts

Enjoyed hanging out with Andrew and LA and the boys, fun to watch football, and great to get to know a new bar! It was really nice, valet only, clean, good decor, loved the outdoor gazebo/bar - very cool. We left the car there and cabbed it home - FUN night!

Today we slept in and Austin woke up feeling sick. Uh-oh - looks like it's time for his (AKA our) annual cold. We hung out, did some laundry, cleaned a bit and then headed out in the beautiful weather for some of my favorites: fro yo at Yoforia and Trader Joe's! I got lots of new products to try - can't wait! I went ahead and tried this one: Shrimp Fried Rice.

LOVED - very flavorful - only added a 1 tbsp of canola for cooking and it cooked up great. It's 4 servings, but I made it a meal so I did it for 2 servings. Not bad for only $3.50 a bag and it was ready in 5 minutes! Here's what mine looked like:

Q: Have you seen When in Rome? Do you like Kristen Bell? I love her! Such a huge Veronica Mars fan!

Q: Have you tried this fried rice? I'm a fan - want to try the veggie and chicken ones too!

Q: Did you work out this weekend? I didn't. I had every intention and it just didn't happen. Sigh. Oh well - i'm ready to get going tomorrow - SO hope I don't get sick. :(