If someone were to ask me what my all-time favorite meal is, I'd probably say a dish of capellini pomodoro, along with ample amounts of wine and just baked bread (hello delicious carbs!). When fresh and well-flavored, I just love a dish centered around a simple tomato sauce. Out of all of the good food that my mom makes, her homemade sauce is one of my favorite things. She'll make a ridiculously huge pot, and I seriously can eat (and have eaten) a bowl of it on its own. Though I already was a fan, my love for tomato sauce (and tomatoes in general) only grew when I studied abroad in Italy. I frequently would eat a pomodoro pasta dish for dinner there, and I never got sick of it. I looked back at my Italy photos to find picture proof of my mild obsession, and though I couldn't find ... [Read More]
Archives for March 2012
No Bake Homemade Granola Bars
As I've mentioned before, I am a huge fan of bars - protein bars, granola bars, cereal bars, I love em all! I always keep one in my purse in case hunger strikes while I'm out, and love to eat them pre-workout as a snack. When I saw the other day that the phrase 'granola bars with Kashi' was searched for a bunch of times on my blog, I thought, What a brilliant idea! Kashi GOLEAN Crunch! is one of my favorite cereals. I love how 1 cup has 9 grams of protein. I frequently eat it with blueberries + almond milk or top my yogurt with it, but why not incorporate it into a granola bar recipe? I peered into my pantry to find what I thought were granola bar worthy ingredients. I wanted them to be wholesome, sweet, and under 200 calories a serving. The recipe I threw together is easy, and ... [Read More]
A Few of This Week’s Workouts
Now that my LivingSocial boxing membership is over (NOOOO!!) and I can't justify spending the full monthly fee when I have multiple gyms I can use for free, it's up to me to kick my own butt during workouts. It's been awhile since I posted workout ideas, so I thought I'd share 2 routines I've done this week: Workout #1: Circuit Training that focuses on biceps and shoulder muscles, but also works just about everything else! Including stretching time before & after, it took me about 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete. How it Works: Warm up with 5 minutes of cardio. I usually bike but jumping rope, doing jumping jacks, boxing, the elliptical, running, dancing like a maniac, or anything else that gets your heart pumping works! Do 3 sets of each strength training move, with ab exercises ... [Read More]
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
According to a Yahoo! News article I read the other day, 40% of food in the U.S. is wasted. This equated to $43 billion of wasted food in 2011. That's a whole lot of grub getting thrown out! I have to admit, sometimes food goes bad in my kitchen. I think it has to do with a few things: A.) The majority of the eats I buy are perishable (yeah, I'm produce obsessed) and only stay good for a short period of time. B.) When you cook a lot as I do, you tend to use a little bit of this and a slice of that, leaving you with open jars and half-eaten foods to remember to eat later. C.) I'm mostly living by myself right now. This makes it harder to buy the right proportions of food, especially because I measure out a lot of what I eat and don't consume all that much (despite the fact that I'm ... [Read More]
Homemade Minestrone Soup Makes Life Better
The past few days I've had a cold - the kind that makes your head feel like it's 100 pounds, where all you want to do is lay on the couch and watch movies so your brain doesn't explode. I've been eating a ton of fruits and veggies and doing all the normal cold remedies to try to kick it ASAP. But there's one thing in particular that I want when I'm under the weather, and that's homemade minestrone soup. Packed with tons of veggies and vitamins, this soup is delicious and nutritious - and luckily I have tons of leftovers! I typically make this soup in a slow cooker, but this was no longer an option when my crock pot crapped out on me earlier. Plan B: throw the ingredients in a large pot over a burner instead. I found out today that this method works just fine too. Homemade Minestrone ... [Read More]
Words of Wisdom + Frozen Berry Bowl
As I just finished a yoga workout a little while ago and am in a yoga-inspired sort of mood, I wanted to share the following phrases that I jotted down awhile ago and find myself constantly looking at. I can't actually remember where I got it from, but I find these words to be calming and inspiring: 7 Zuda Yoga Axioms/Universal Truths: 1.) You are exactly where you are supposed to be. 2.) Fear and pain are life's greatest teachers. 3.) Laughter and play are the keys to the fountain of youth. 4.) Exercise and rest are the keys to vibrant health. 5.) Touch and intimacy are basic human needs. 6.) Everything is impermanent. 7.) Everything is connected. I especially love the phrase everything is impermanent as a reminder to just breathe and keep on pushing through tough times, ... [Read More]