Good Friday Salad in a Jar

I made another salad in a jar on Good Friday for my day trip to Ostia Antica. I figured that it would be a great picnic lunch.
I'm not really a practicing Catholic although I usually do follow the traditions of Lent.  I usually give something up. One year it was the elevator in my building (which was great because I still don't use elevators unless I'm actually completely wiped out). Another year I gave up ice cream. That one didn't work out nearly as well.  I kept forgetting that I'd given up ice cream and wound up deciding to tack on days to my lent to make up for it.
This year, Lent seems to have flown by and I never actually got around to giving up anything. And since my awarness level wasn't particularly high, I'm sure that I also ate meat on Fridays as well. I've never been a stickler for these things, but I do try to follow along... This year I seem to have dropped the ball.
For Good Friday, however, I decided to follow tradition and have no meat all day.

So my salad was vegetarian.
My first layer was fresh olive oil, balsamic vinegar reduction and some oregano (grown and dried by one of my roomie's family).  Then I added white cannelloni beans with a little salt. Then came a layer of strawberries (I'm seriously starting to enjoy my roommates reaction when I put fruit into salads, it's utterly hilarious). Then a layer of delicious Asiago cheese because I really love its creaminess and how well it pairs with strawberries. Then I added a 1/4 of a small red onion diced coarsely because I adore the bite that the red onion adds to the salad. It adds a bit of kick and texture at the same time. Finally I filled the rest of the jar with mixed greens. I got an extra large package at the super market that has arugula, lettuce and some dark green and purple leaves that I don't know the name of. It's seriously one of my favorite mixes of salad.
Voila. My salad was amazing as I sat among the ruins of Ostia Antica. It was a truly memorable and delicious picnic lunch.

The Amphitheater and Temple

Recipe: Meatballs

So this recipe made about 20 small to medium sized meatballs.  This is not how many I actually intended to make. I meant to get a pound of ground meat so I'd have enough meatballs for the next 2 or 3 days, however, I was still jetlagged when I went to the grocery store... or at least that is the excuse I shall be using... And I accidently ordered a kilo which is more than twice the amount I wanted.
Luckily I adapt well and was able to adjust my recipe accordingly. But I did wind up with about 20 frozen meatballs which will take me some time to finish. Actually, it's quite nice because on nights when I get home from work late, I can just reheat some meatballs in a pan and make a little pasta and I'll be set to go, although it would be better if I made some sauce as well (oh, well, one step at a time).
I'm only one person, so this recipe is actually great if you're cooking for a family or friends.  They are great on their own or even in a tomato sauce and they're pretty healthy because they're baked. And if you want to make them even healthier use ground turkey or chicken as a substitute for the ground beef.

my meatballs served with some salad on the side

Ingredients:
1 kilo (2.5 lbs) fresh ground beef
between 1/2 and 1 cup of bread crumbs
2 eggs
basil
red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic crushed and minced finely
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°.
Place the ground meat into a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the eggs into the meat one at a time, alternating with about a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs at a time. Mix well and add in your spices, about a tsp each. If you don't like a lot of heat, you can absolutely omit the red pepper flakes.
If the mixture is looking a little dry, you can add a little bit of olive oil or another egg.  The mixture should be moist but not sticky, so if you see it is too wet, add more bread crumbs about a table spoon at a time.
Then roll the mixture into balls about the size of a small golf ball.  I made them on the smaller side so they would cook faster but you can also make them larger, just keep them in the over longer.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and then place the meatbals about an inch apart.
Bake turning the meatballs every 10 minutes or so, or as the sides begin to brown.
They should cook about 20-30 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn.
If you are also making sauce you can remove the meatballs as soon as they're browned on the outside and then you can finish cooking them in the sauce.

I have to say that these came out really well. They were packed with flavor and very moist. They were absolutely delicious and I'm quite glad I had so many leftovers.  I have my last 6 waiting to be eaten some time this week!!

Starting and Finishing the day right

Well, yesterday I started my morning right. I woke up early. I cleaned my room. I did laundry. Then I left for work early.

All on an empty stomach because I really can’t eat in the morning. Yes. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but when I try to eat first thing I get nauseous. I can’t eat breakfast for at least an hour after waking up.  Then I usually have a snack or something breakfast like to pick at so my energy levels don’t drop.

I wound up having a yogurt drink at that point yesterday. It was delicious and good for me too, full of protein and all sorts of good bacteria.  And since it was in drink form I could have it on the run on the way to work.

Then at work, I was pretty bad. Since I had a lot of lesson planning to do, I went downstairs and got myself a small macchiato coffee (similar to a cappuccino but espresso sized) and a bombolona which is the equivalent of an Italian donut. And it’s cream filled. Cream filled and rolled in sugar and therefore utterly delicious. I was so excited about it.

I was not wrong to be excited about it.  I ate it while fiddling with my creative projects for the children. The sugar and the caffeine helped me through exam making too. It was great. Definitely not good for me, but well worth it as far as I’m concerned.

I figure, I walk at least 45 minutes a day and I’m on my feet, up and down, running around after children so a cream filled fried pastry is absolutely allowed once or twice a week as a treat. 

Then I forgot to eat lunch, so I accidently made up for it.  I got so side tracked with work and was so full from the donut like creation that I neglected to eat lunch until my work day was pretty much over.  DO NOT DO THIS. Goodness knows I’m going to try not to do it (in fairness, it will probably happen again simply because I get scattered during the day sometimes when I have a lot to do).  If you haven’t eaten much in the morning, you should absolutely eat a hearty lunch. I was supposed to eat a fresh salad with lettuce, tomato, chick peas and three meatballs on the side. 

I would have made it through my baby class a lot saner if I had eaten it.

As it is, I’ll eat it tomorrow for lunch.  By the time I was done, it was after 6pm, so I snacked on a meatball (only 2 for lunch tomorrow) and went home.  I stopped in the grocery store which I probably shouldn’t have done while I was so hungry. Hunger shopping means you always come out of the grocery store with far more food than you absolutely needed.

Last night was no exception. But that’s okay because I got the makings for sandwiches, fried polenta and tortellini. 

I won’t have to go to the grocery store for a while which works out well since I won’t have time to go until Sunday (maybe). 

Sandwich with ham, tomatoes, cheese, spinach and cranberries

 I built myself the most beautiful sandwich. I’m not kidding. It was GORGEOUS. I’m going to have to post up exactly what’s in it, because it was quite delicious and not just because I was hungry. 

After finishing up every last morsel of my sandwich, I had a clementine while chatting with my roommates.

So I started and finished my day strong in terms of food.  The middle was a little wonky, but I was really efficient at work which is good.  

A Quick and Healthy Lunch

Ok, so I'm on a blogging roll. We shall see how long I can keep this up!
Honestly, let's face it, I'm avoiding packing. The mess in my room, ok, the explosion that was formerly my room is making me nervous, so I need a break. And goodness knows I needed to eat, so why not blog about it??

I had a really quick and healthy lunch and am quite proud of myself. I could have had leftover chinese, or the frozen burritos, or the mac and cheese in the cupboard... Instead I made myself a healthy sandwich.

It wasn't just any sandwich, but actually healthy. So no mayo or heavy sauces, nothing fried and a light wheat bread.

Hummus, Pepperjack, La Bomba and Lettuce

My sandwich was delicious with hummus, pepperjack cheese, la bomba (a spicy Italian vegetable spread), and lots and lots of lettuce.  I would have loved to add some turkey to the mix, but sadly we finished it all so I just doubled the amount of hummus I used for some additional protein. Twice the hummus also means that the sandwich stayed moist so I didn't need to add mayo. La bomba made a nice addition for some heat and since it's made of vegetables is still relatively good for you. I also added a lot of lettuce to the mix for the crunch. It doesn't have a lot of flavor but added a lot of crispness and substance to my sandwich. It hurts nothing that I burned more calories chewing the lettuce than the calories that actually exist in lettuce.
So good.  So healthy.

So much lettuce!

And now back to packing... and maybe some baking. There are apple cupcakes to be made! I'll be updating again soon.

Things to Eat While Training...

Alright, I'm writing this as a pep talk to myself... Not because I'm even remotely close to being an expert on the subject.
Yesterday I skipped breakfast. For lunch I had half a yogurt with granola, lemon cookies and a cadbury egg.  For dinner I had a monster burger (from vinburger) and truffle fries and sweet potato fries. Then a few hours later I had a gigantic crumbs cookie dough cupcake with a tall glass of milk.
This is NOT workout food.
I'm trying to get in shape. I want to run a 5k for starters and then work my way up to a 10k and then a half marathon and eventually a marathon. I figure with training and eating right, given my capabilities (walk/run a mile in 13 minutes and then collapse on the couch wheezing for 10 minutes) that it will probably take at least 2 years to be marathon ready. Quite possibly longer since I don't love running.
I love cooking and eating. Now those are great stress relievers.
But running, it's a close third and certainly healthier than stress eating. Stress cooking is tranquil, it's cool logic and reason. It breeds patience.
Running is different. It helps get rid of the aggression, whatever anger I've been holding on to. Running is one foot in front of the other, watching the pavement disappear as you move forward, leaving everything else behind. As the air swirls around me, it feels like nothing can touch me. Nothing can catch me. As my legs pump and muscles work, burning, it's really like I can do anything.
When I don't feel like I can go anymore, the music pulls me forward.  Just a little bit more. Just another few steps, to the next stop sign. And I go. I push. And the more I go, the more nothing else matters.

Now, the problem with this is that I put all of this effort into running and training and then I eat horribly. Which in the end makes training a lot harder.  Like it or not, what you put into your body really does affect how you go through your day.
For instance... I had cookies for breakfast. NOT a good way to start. But lunch was better I had chicken on white bread with avocado, mayo and a coconut mango sauce.... It could have been healthier if I had cut the mayo out entirely and if I'd used wheat bread.  But that's okay. At least it was mostly healthy with protein and good fat from the avocado.

Ok, so what should I be eating while I train?  I'm sure we've all heard it before, but I'm going to write it down anyway.

• whole grains (great for long term stores of energy)
• lean protein (turkey, chicken, fish) (protein is very filling)
• calcium (greek yogurt, 2% milk, soy or almond milk)
• vegetables (think colorful)
• fruits (very colorful)

Honestly, I do really love all of these foods. I'm just really bad at forcing myself to eat right when I'm supposed to. There are so many other temptations, that aren't remotely healthy. Although I am really good at convincing myself that there are certain bad foods that are actually good for me. Except not really. Not if you eat them in mass quantities. Not if you eat them constantly. For example:

• Chocolate: I love dark chocolate.  And it's actually good for you... in small doses. It's scientifically proven to be good for you... Unless you eat it all the time or excessively.  Then it's not so good for you... 
• Ice Cream: I am a FIEND for ice cream.  Rich, Creamy, full of calcium!  Except it's more full of bad fats and empty calories and doesn't have as much calcium as a glass of milk (almond or regular).  I put strawberries on it, that makes it healthy right? yeahhh I'm thinking not so much... 
• Sugar: O sugar. I love sugar. Cookies, cakes... 'nuff said. Temporary energy, I don't know if it serves any other purpose health-wise but it sweetens my life (cheesy... yet true).  
• Coffee: On it's own, coffee probably isn't all that bad for you. Caffeine gives you energy, right? But drinking it with 3 packets of sugar and cream to the brim, probably not the healthiest thing to drink. That's of course how I take my coffee.  I'm not a fan of bitter black. 
• Wine: A glass of red wine a day is good for your heart... somthing about the tannins...  However, in excess, lots and lots of empty calories...

Why does food that's bad for you taste so good?
I don't think the bad foods, the ones I know a lot of us love so much, actually need to be cut from our diets. They just need to be moderated. For example, I probably shouldn't have had 2 cookies for breakfast.
I should probably eat yogurt for breakfast with some granola for energy or eggs with canadian bacon and wheat toast. Lunch could be a sandwich on 7 grain (hold the mayo) and/or a salad with avocado, cranberries, pears and arugula. Dinner, lots of veggies with chicken breast or turkey or even a lean cut of pork.

And as a reminder to myself since I am such a horrible snacker.

I WILL NOT EAT CRAP... 

At least not a lot of it...

So onwards and avanti! In a little while I'm going to go for a bike ride and a run.  Then HEALTHY DINNER!