Sunday, December 28, 2008 at 02:48 PM
I love it when salads have a ton of variety and each bite is a flavor surprise. This afternoon’s lunch was one of those lovely salads! Every bite kept me guessing! 
In the mix:
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Carrots sticks
- Red onion
- Maple-roasted brussels sprouts
- Grape tomatoes
- Prunes
- Balsamic vinegar
On the side, clementine pieces…
Salad + clementine with a Lindt chocolate truffle… and (not pictured) a chocolate-covered biscotti, which was another Christmas stocking stuffer.
Workout
After lunch, I squeezed in a quickie workout: 3 mile run on the treadmill + 15 minutes of upper body free weights. It was a short and sweet workout.
Run stats:
- Distance: 3.0 miles
- Time: 25:57
- Pace: 8:39 min/mile
- Calories: 294
Snacks
I’m headed to Healthworks in just a few minutes, so I packed a couple of snacks for the road: a peanut butter and carrots cake jam sandwich and Yogi peppermint tea to make at work. I’ve really enjoyed working at HW over the past few months, but honestly, I am psyched to have some more free time again! Two shifts to go! 
Do you have a part-time job? What do you think of part-time jobs?
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: chocolate, jam, peanut butter, salad, tea
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 07:21 AM
Oh my gosh, this Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf came out so well! I’m so pleased! It’s super moist and chocolately, almost like chocolate cake, but with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. It would make the perfect dessert after Thanksgiving dinner, especially with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients:
- 1.25 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 can (7.5 ounces) pumpkin
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Grease loaf pan.
2. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; blend well.
3. Once mixed, pour batter into loaf pan.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is firm and a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow loaf to cool for 15 minutes; dust with powdered sugar (if desired).
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized, recipe
Tags: chocolate, cocoa, nutmeg, pumpkin
Monday, November 17, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Ahhhhh, I’m super busy at work today! (Woah, Monday! Where’d you come from!?!?!) I’ve had so much to do, plus the longest lunch meeting ever that sucked up over 2 hours of my day! Ugh. I know that some people don’t like meetings, but I actually like them for the most part– typically, a lot is accomplished in a short amount of time. However, at my lunch meeting today, I felt like people just wanted to hear themselves talk! The conversation went in circles for hours, and we left with nothing being finalized. Meh. How annoying. I did, however, get a fantastic meal out of the deal!
First up, broiled stuffed tomatoes with bread crumbs, onion, parsley, and other seasonings inside…
Up next: fish served with sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. I’m not 100% sure what type of fish was served with lunch. It was white, semi-flaky, and not too fishy tasting. Maybe haddock? Cod? I really have no clue, but it was tasty!
Lunch also included pasta mixed with broccoli, spinach, and artichoke hearts as well as a whole wheat roll on the side. Everything was so delicious and satisfying– it was totally my type of meal! My stomach is very, very pleased!
“Dessert” was a couple of mini Milky Ways, which are still hanging out in my office from Halloween… and tempting me to eat them every Monday – Friday. It’s madness!
Mid-Morning Snack
Around 10:30 this morning, my stomach started to seriously grumble. I can usually “make it” until lunch before I need to eat again, but this morning was a different. I was huuun-gry! Luckily, I had packed some cottage cheese for my lunch today. Since my lunch meeting didn’t start for another 1.5 hours, I finished off the container of cottage cheese– there wasn’t much left, maybe about 1/3 cup? I’m glad that I got something into my stomach– I was starting to feel a little cranky. Don’t mess with me when I’m hungry!
My afternoon snack is a honey-flavored Oikos, which I am excited to try. I love honey mixed into Greek yogurt, so I’m sure I will love it! I’ll let you guys know what I think. Has anyone else tried this flavor yet?
Ok, I’m back to the grind! Is anyone else already counting the days until the weekend? I seriously can’t wait for Friday afternoon and our trip to NYC. I need a vaca!
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: artichoke hearts, broccoli, chocolate, fish, roll, spinach
