It’s hard to tell who’s winning between Murphy and the couch. At first look, it seems like the pug is dominating his competition.

Without much (if any) effort at all.

But, when you look closer, it doesn’t seem like Murphy is very comfortable, so maybe the couch is winning after all?

I dunno. It’s anyone’s call!

Lunch

Phenomenal lunch today! I had Creamy Broccoli Soup, but it didn’t come from a can for once. I actually made it from scratch!

The recipe was from Real Simple, so, not surprisingly, it was really easy to throw together. Basically, you just add all of the ingredients to a large sauce pan, let it simmer for 20 minutes, and then throw everything in a food processor/blender. And just like that, you have homemade soup! Who knew making soup was so simple?

On the side, I had a toasted whole wheat Sandwich Thin with melted cheddar, which I dipped into my soup. Mmm!

Workout

Remember that run I tried to do yesterday afternoon? Well, I did it today! Hooray! My first run of 2012! Only 731 more miles to go!

I ran a little over 4 miles in 35 minutes using the treadmill workout below. This one was really challenging. You start out with a quick 1-minute interval and then work your way up to longer and faster intervals. I was dying by the final 4-minute interval, but I was almost done with the workout, so I just pushed it. It was a great run!

For a slower paced running workout, just subtract 1.0 from all of the speeds. For a walking workout, subtract 3.0 from all of the speeds.

Snack

After the gym, I ran a bunch of errands and then came home for an afternoon snack. I made a whole wheat Sandwich Thin with peanut butter and banana slices on top and then added more peanut butter to the rest of the banana… and then I ate a spoonful of peanut butter right from the jar. Ok, it was technically three spoonfuls of peanut butter right from the jar, but who’s counting?

I’m off to rescue the pug from the couch (or the couch from the pug?) and take him for a walk. CrossFit and Pot Roast are on the agenda for this evening!

Enjoy the night, guys!

Good morning, friends!

Nothing says “happy holidays” like pug butt on your wrapping paper!

Murphy is always so helpful. Aren’t all pugs? They love to be as close as possible to the action.

Murphy honestly didn’t realize that he was in my way at all.

Or maybe he did and just gave me the most pathetic pug face possible?

Dinner

Last night’s dinner was all over the place. I ended up having a Crème Brulée Latte (<— wicked good) and an Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie at Starbucks while I studied for NASM, so I wasn’t hungry at the normal dinnertime.

It was a wine type of night, so I cracked opened a bottle and snacked on some Zesty Nacho Kale Chips that OpenSky sent me to test out– and they are SO good. I’ve already plowed through a bag of the BBQ flavor and half of a bag of Bombay Curry and now the Zesty Nacho. And, of course, kale is a nutritional powerhouse, so they have that going for them too. Great snack.

After kale chips and wine, came Cheez-Its.

And then a toasted whole wheat English muffin with Chia Charger nut butter on one side and sunflower butter on the other.

Not my best day of eating, but, hey, it happens.

Breakfast

I’m back on track with breakfast this morning: pumpkin oatmeal with almond milk, ground flaxseed meal, chia seeds, and a massive scoop of peanut butter. I have a busy day ahead (CPR certification + NuVal meeting + blog event), so I know that I needed a hearty breakfast to keep me going until lunch. Oatmeal with peanut butter is one of the only breakfasts that keep me full of hours and hours.

Speaking of getting back on track…

Feel Great Weight

Last week, I received an email from a reader asking for advice on how to get back on track after falling off the healthy-eating-and-exercise wagon. Even though I found my Feel Great Weight several years ago, I still go through periods of super-healthy habits and not-so-healthy habits. I maintain my weight for a few months and feel great, but then fall back into my old habits of overdoing it on desserts and skipping multiple workouts. Slipping up every once in a while isn’t a big deal, but the pounds would slowly creep on as soon as I started to veer off course with my eating and exercise.

Here’s how I get back on track when my healthy habits start to slip.

Question of the Day

How do you get back on track when you’ve fallen off the healthy-eating-and-exercise wagon?

Hooray for Sandwich Week!

This is my favorite sandwich yet! Holy awesomeness!

Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4 dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 slices raisin-walnut bread

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Spread mixture over two slices of the bread and cover with the remaining slices.

Toast in toaster oven until peanut butter is gooey and melted.

De-lic-ious!

A nice Pinto Gris complimented this sandwich very well!

Love, love, love this sandwich! I’m sure you’ll see it on CNC again soon!

It’s probably not a surprise that I love peanut butter. But, I am starting to think that I might have a bit of peanut butter “problem.” Well, it’s actually more of a nut butter problem, but peanut butter is my favorite… closely followed by Barney Butter, of course.

There’s just something so satisfying about peanut butter. I literally crave it when I wake up in the morning. It’s obviously delicious and it keeps me full for hours, so it’s not a bad option, right? Plus, there are way worse “problems” to have! Peanut butter is just an amazing food to me.

Ok, enough gushing about peanut butter and onto breakfast! (I’m so weird sometimes!)

Breakfast

After Body Pump, I was starving for breakfast. Even though I ate a snack before class, I still wanted to eat a big breakfast.

Banana oats with peanut butter (my favorite breakfast) was an easy decision.

In the mix:

• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 1 banana
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 1 cup water
• 2 big spoonfuls of Teddie peanut butter

I also had an iced coffee + chocolate protein powder + vanilla soy milk beverage with breakfast.

Snack

Before Body Pump, I snacked on a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter. I was actually reading in Health magazine (March 2010) the other day that this combo of ingredients is great for hunger control.

“… [P]eanuts contain an amino acid called methionine, and wheat bread has one called lysine– as a combo these compounds make a complete protein that’s especially filling.”

Interesting, right? No wonder this is one of my go-to snacks!

After a little work, I’m heading to a beer tasting with Mal, Dave, and Marie. A couple of bloggers will be there too!

See ya!

Peanut butter and banana (PB & B) is one of my favorite food combinations ever!!! I love it in my oats, on bread, English muffins, in whole wheat wraps, or just straight-up (peanut butter on a “naked” banana)! Obviously, it’s a delicious mix of flavors and smooth textures, but it’s also nutritious and filling. I love it! Ok, honestly, I’m kind of obsessed!!

One of my all-time favorite PB & B recipes is Elvis Presley’s Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich. The grilled version is especially amazing because it softens the banana and the peanut butter melts all over the place! I also like adding honey and/or raisins to my PB & B sandwiches.

In the office, I toasted 2 pieces of whole wheat bread and topped them with a thick layer of peanut butter and then banana slices. Like yesterday’s lunch, I cut my open-face sandwich into quarters, making a lovely display of 8 mini PB &B pieces. It was much more fun to eat it this way!

A little while after finishing my PB & B, I made myself a mug of Earl Grey tea.

With my mug-o-tea, I munched on a cocoa cookie that my boss brought in to share with the office. I have so much trouble turning down office goodies!

My planned afternoon snack is an apple and a JamFrankas bar, which I am still on the fence about. I haven’t tried this particular flavor yet (Chocolate Chip Cosmocrisp flavor), but the texture/consistency of the bars is kind of weird to me (sort of stiff and dry). I dunno… I guess I just prefer the regular Larabars much more. I do love chocolate chips, so maybe this JamFranka will surprise me!

Weighing the Value of Organic Foods

Another interesting article…

Food produced without most conventional pesticides or fertilizers are perceived to be more healthful, but scientists have yet to offer proof.

Full article from the LA Times

P.S. My “boyfriend,” Walt Willett, is mentioned in the article! Love him! (FYI: He is a faculty member at HSPH as well as the author of a number of health/nutrition books. My favorite is Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy.)

See you guys later! I’m making a fun recipe tonight!