Playing catch up

Another perfect weekend is winding down. Justin and I have spent nearly every second of it together and I'm loving it so much because during the week he's been working in the garage on his race car and I hardly see him. So we've made dinner together, slept in late(noon!!), took a walk, watched a movie, and just enjoyed each others company. I loooove my husband!! God gave me such an incredible man!
Here are some pictures that cover the week/weekend:

I was watering my plants when I caught sight of 3 deer about 100 yards away. I only saw this one by the time I got down there to take her picture.

This is what became of my patty pan squash along with other squash and carrots.

so summery and light

Thanks for leaving your pillow daddy!

Now last night we ate Spanish style and by this I mean super late. Justin found a couple recipes from Guy Fieri. We were making hamburgers with their very own ketchup and Szechuan green beans. We set out to 3 different grocery stores to buy what we needed. We didn't intend to stop at 3 it just turned out that way. By the time we started making everything it was 8ish I believe. We started on the homemade ketchup.

Roma tomatoes with several kinds of spices. Smelled so yummy!

The tomatoes had to be boiled and then peeled before cooking! After they simmered for 20 min I pureed them till smooth. Justin started on the meat stuff.

chorizo and bacon

eeek!

the bacon and chorizo

DON'T miss this at all :)

I forgot to take pictures of the beans in action but they were fried for 45 seconds before being tossed in with their very own spicy sauce. I did eat those and they were amazing!

We felt that after everything was done it was too much work. I personally would make the green beans again and in fact loved the spicy sauce so much I would try it on other veggies. I didn't taste the ketchup but I think Justin was happy with his burger. He ended up eating close to 10, LOL.

Vitamin B12

I'm still trying to figure this one out by looking at the foods I eat and what is fortified with it. It's looking like I'm going to be buying a supplement because only my Rice milk is fortified with it.
B12 is the only vitamin that comes from animal products unless you take a supplement or buy foods that are fortified with it.
Without enough B12 you can become anemic and have nervous system failure. I remember in high school I became anemic after being a vegetarian for a few years but I doubt it was from a B12 deficiency since I was still consuming dairy. And another scary thing is that symptoms don't show up for a while, like years later.

The US recommended intake is 2.4 mcgs a day for ordinary adults rising to 2.8 mcgs for nursing mothers. Taking a B12 supplement containing 10 mcgs or more daily provides a similar absorbed amount to consuming 1 mcg on three occasions through the day. This may be the most economical method as a single high potency tablet can be consumed bit by bit. 2000 mcgs of B12 consumed once a week would also provide an adequate intake. Any B12 supplement tablet should be chewed or allowed to dissolve in the mouth to enhance absorption. Tablets should be kept in an opaque container. As with any supplement it is prudent not to take more than is required for maximum benefit, so intakes above 5000 mcg per week should be avoided despite lack of evidence for toxicity from higher amounts.

Source

I'm going to be looking for a tablet of 10mcg or more to take per day or a 2000 mcg tablet to take per week. I could've sworn I had some B vitamin supplement around here but I can't seem to find it. Oh well, off to the store I go :)

Tia Maria's 3 bean (or more!) delicious salad!

But first on Saturday we went to the farmer's market just to check out what they had and compare prices. I came away only buying one thing: a Patty Pan squash for a whopping $1.75!! I've only bought this once before and I don't remember how much I paid for it. But anyway it's so yummy and great cooked with some pasta.

Here's what it's loaded with:

Manganese
Vitamin C
Very good source of magnesium
Vitamin A (notably through its concentration of carotenoids, including beta-carotene)
Fiber
Potassium
Folate
Copper
Riboflavin
Phosphorus
Many of these nutrients have been shown in studies to be helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Summer squash's magnesium has been shown to be helpful for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Together with the potassium in summer squash, magnesium is also helpful for reducing high blood pressure. The vitamin C and beta-carotene found in summer squash can help to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Since oxidized cholesterol is the type that builds up in blood vessel walls, these nutrients may help to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis. The vitamin folate found in summer squash are needed by the body to break down a dangerous metabolic byproduct called homocysteine, which can contribute to heart attack and stroke risk if levels get too high. Finally, summer squash's fiber has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels, which can help to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Source

The farmer's market is great to buy some items maybe but I realized it can be expensive. It doesn't seem the best way to save money right now.

Ok so the bean salad was first enjoyed years ago at my Tia Maria's house and I'd never had one before. Her salad has a kick of spice and I believe it's from the red onion.

First I start with 3 different kinds of beans and here's what I used

I'm sure you can use any beans you fancy. I rinsed out all the beans and placed them in my tupperware container. I added oregano, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, red onion, salt and pepper. I don't have measurements because well, I never got any so I taste as I go. I believe however that you don't want to add too much vinegar because the flavors will be stronger the next day.

Soooo good and I had it on top of a salad. I got my veggies and some protein!!

Today's after work-out meal

I was starving after today's gym time so here's what I came up with:

First a virgin green monster with a scoop of Chocolate Amazing Grass
And a sandwich of Grilled Basil and Vegan Mozzarella with some extra goodies

Trader Joe's whole wheat sourdough bread and basil from my garden (yay!)

Tiny bit of leftover hummus

So delicious and filling

Pump it!

Running is such a sweet release of stress! Today's run got me thinking of many things but especially how my playlist can really effect my stamina/energy. Here is what I listen to on a daily basis:

1. Rihanna- Don't Stop the Music (new!)
2. Pitbull- Hotel Room Service ( makes me laugh, don't ask )
3. The Black Eyed Peas- Pump It (new!)
4. The Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling (yup hasn't gotten old yet)
5. Rihanna- Disturbia
6. Pink- Just Like a Pill
7. Pink- So What
8. Chris Tomlin- Sing, Sing, Sing (something about this Christian song that gets me pumped!)
9 Britney Spears- Piece of Me, Radar, Womanizer (she's a must!)

Now for my cool down or when I'm doing weights/abs

1. Kari Jobe- My Beloved (played @ our wedding)
2. DMB & Kenny Chesney- I'm Alive
3. Zac Brown Band- Free
4. Kerli- Walking on Air

I'm definitely always wanting new songs to add because it's been a while since I changed my list.

Cooking for an omnivore

Cooking for my husband has been difficult/an experience. Right now we have very different palates: he eats meat but not many fruits/veggies and I detest meat but love fruits and veggies. So how do I plan meals for the two of us? I'm still learning to say the least. I mean for so many years I lived on my own and I could just graze throughout the day. I wasn't much for big meals 3x's a day. He's used to that. Which kinda boggles my mind because he did live on his own for many years too, LOL. I'm not complaining though because this is part of the fun of being a newlywed. You learn each others likes and dislikes about everything, especially food. As of late, I've become a real foodie again so learning to make yummy and healthy meals is top on my list.

We've crossed, no I shouldn't say crossed, we've reached a pretty hefty dilemma recently. Our food expenses are through the roof! The $$ is mind numbing, to us at least. We've been trying to find ways to cut it down, but here's another thing, I'm really big on eating foods with low pesticide/hormones. Buying organic is not cheap. I'm using the dirty dozen/clean 15 as a general rule, but somehow it's not enough. I cut coupons, I type up each grocery store's weekly sale prices, we don't buy sodas or junk food, now and then we buy beer or wine. So what gives? Coupons aren't exactly working though because the majority of the time they're for crap food that we don't buy. Now I'm keeping all my grocery receipts to see what exactly our money is being spent on. I couldn't imagine if I bought other meat besides chicken.
I'll have to come back with an update after we hopefully, figure things out.

Back to my topic...here is a dish I used to cook a lot when I ate chicken.

Red peppers and chicken sausage

A mix of shells and penne (have to use leftovers)

Add some Parmesan cheese and we're ready to roll!

So yummy and at least he gets some veggies in. I should also say he had a salad of romaine, spinach, carrots, green peppers, and cucumbers prior to dinner :-)

The Hub's new toy

The happiest man on Earth!

Check out how happy he is!! LOL Isn't so small? Probably not the right word to describe it but I think it's cute. Justin's been wanting to race since birth so his time has come! There will be lots of racing in our future and I'll be his personal photographer :)

My baby got spayed

Poor Luna :( She was finally spayed this past Thursday and it hurt so much to drop her off. I left her at 8:30 and cried afterward. I didn't get to pick her up until 5 and it broke my heart to see how sad and out of it she was. It's been 3 days now and she's still resting on our couch. Today she has been more herself in that she was so happy this morning to be out of her crate. She rolled around on the floor and her tail kept wagging. I never bought her a cone because for one it was expensive and two I doubt she would've liked it. Instead I bought her an outfit that covered up her belly. I feel like she blames me for being uncomfortable. She gives me these sad eyes and it kills me! Ugh I can't wait till the stitches are gone and she's back to her hyper self.

The first night

Better than an ugly cone

Just not a fan of the hoodie

Double stir-fry night!

On a whim I decided to try two new recipes one for myself and one for the meat-eating hubs. Stir-fry= fast, easy, and delicioso.

Here's my grocery raid


For him I got the recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.



I forgot to take the after picture but I heard it was yummy :-)

And for me I did a variation from a couple recipes I found on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 pound firm tofu, cubed
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
ground cayenne pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir-fry
vegetables
Some baby bok choy
1/4 c onion

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Fry ginger, garlic and tofu for a few minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Add veggies to pan and cook until tender.
3. In a small bowl combine peanut butter, hot water, vinegar, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper. Pour over vegetables and add the tofu back to the pan. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender crisp.




I give this recipe a thumbs up :)

My 1st Green Monster

Ingredients:

* 2 cups organic spinach
* 1-1.25 cups milk (your choice of cow’s milk, soy, hemp, almond, rice, etc)
* 1 tablespoon flax (optional)
* 1 banana
* ice

Directions:

Hi there, Are you a Green Monster first-timer? Have no fear! This recipe is fool proof. Even the biggest skeptic will love this one. Place the ingredients into the blender in the following order: 1) Flax, 2) spinach, 3) banana, 4) milk. The reason for this order is so the heavier ingredients weigh down the flax and spinach and keep it from flying up around the blender and sticking to the side. Blend everything on the highest setting for 1 minute or so. Finally, add ice and blend on the ice setting. Pour into a large, fancy glass. Sit back, gulp it down, and be prepared to have endless energy!

Recipe taken from:
The Green Monster Movement
It was definitely drinkable and even tasted good. I may have added too much ice/rice milk because I like my smoothies slightly thicker. I can't wait to taste the other recipes!