I've only got time (and brainpower) for a quick update today. First thing's first. I'm sure many people are wondering what happened to all 10 pounds of weight I picked back up during my cheat week. Well, I weighed myself this past Saturday morning, and saw 178, which meant that I'd actually dropped it all back off, plus an extra two pounds! I know most of this was water, and I could tell a huge difference in the way I'd felt this past week versus the week before in that I didn't feel bloated or miserable. l also went back to my spin class for the first time in about 3 weeks. There was no mistaking that I'd been absent, because it was much tougher than normal; or maybe Tyler, our instructor, just REALLY wanted us to feel it for the rest of the day. Regardless, I won't be missing class anytime soon if I can help it.
Finding time for workouts or even chores like laundry, housecleaning, or grocery shopping has become somewhat difficult lately. Since rehearsals for Les Misérables are in full swing, my schedule most weekdays goes something like:
Wake up
Shower and get ready for work
Work 8:00a-5:00p
Drive an hour to rehearsal
Rehearsal 6:30-10:00ish
Drive an hour home
Go to bed
Repeat the next day
"Meals" are interspersed where possible. That being said, I did have this past Saturday free and clear, so I Tweeted to my friend Sarah (cause that's how we roll) to ask if she'd want to meet up for a walk/lunch outing like we had been doing previously. We walked a couple of miles, then went to EarthFare in Johnson City for one of my favorite lunches on the planet which I've written about plenty of times in the past, their salad bar.
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| EarthFare salad bar goodness with avocado vinaigrette |
That term can have a very negative connotation in the nutrition communities, specifically when it is associated with mindless inhalation of fatty or highly sugared, artificially flavored, empty calories which are devoid of any trace of nutrients. However, for those of us that have tightly packed schedules, healthy snacks on the go can be the saving grace that ensure we are receiving the energy we need to keep moving and so that our bodies don't shut down on us. Obviously fresh fruits and vegetables are the ideal snacks, but if you just read labels, you can find some great packaged snacks that are easy to take with you and require zero preparation. Here's what I picked up:
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| "Snacking" doesn't have to be a bad word! |
From Manitoba Harvest: Hemp Hearts raw shelled hemp seeds. I love the flavored roasted hemp seeds made by Ziggy Marley's Hemp Rules, but I wanted something that could be a bit more versatile in the kitchen (read as "more neutrally flavored"). I saw this brand at EarthFare, and when I noticed that a 6oz package of Marley's was around $8 and I could get a whole pound of Hemp Hearts for under $15, I figured I'd give them a try. They are, like I'd hoped, very mildly flavored with only a slight hint of nuttiness, and since they're shelled and raw, then are very soft and almost have the consistency of a very fine cooked rice (more on this later). The best part: from a 3 tablespoon serving you get 10g of protein at 13g of fat (11.5 of which is poly and monounsaturated) and 3g of carbs, practically all of which is fiber. If you're not eating hemp, you need to start. Yesterday.
From Justin's: Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. Their website says it best - "Do you eat cake frosting for breakfast? I didn't think so. Neither do I. Yet some chocolate hazelnut butters have more sugar than cake frosting. Really. You can check. I'll wait...see." It's the truth. One of the most popular chocolate hazelnut spreads on the planet, Nutella, has 3 times the sugar of Justin's! A 2 tablespoon serving of Justin's contains 180 calories, 7g of sugar, and 4g of protein. Compare that to an equal serving size of Nutella which contains 200 calories, 21g of sugar, and only 2g of protein. Not to mention, Nutella is neither paleo nor vegan as it contains dairy (skim milk and whey), soy lecithin, and artificial vanilla flavor. Justin's is kosher, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and GMO free. I think the choice is clear the next time you're in that aisle of the store. However, if this is not convincing enough, from my personal perspective, Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter tastes exactly like the icing on a chocolate glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut. Boom. (And no, I am not a compensated endorser for Justin's; it just tastes that freakin amazing)
Lastly, from The Fresh Market I grabbed a couple containers of roasted, salted pumpkin seeds as well as a snack mix that contained only sunflower seeds, almonds, raisins, and cashews. Both items contain great sources of protein, and can be easily tossed in my bag to take with me to the theatre for a snack during rehearsal, or to grab a handful of in the brief time I spend at my apartment.
Since cooking an actual meal for myself each night would mean that I'd have to cut into my sleep time, and since food from most restaurants is expensive and monotonous when/if I can find anything on the menu that I can have, I knew I needed to once again make something that I could cook once, but enjoy for several days. So on Sunday night, I dug into the cabinets, got out the crock pot, and embarked on another soup adventure. This week's feature: tomato.
A while back I'd purchased several cans of whole tomatoes and a can of herbed diced tomatoes with the intentions of possibly making either pasta sauce or soup. I put 4 cans of whole tomatoes (with liquid) plus one can of the herbed diced tomatoes (I think it was basil and oregano or something like that. Just see what your store has) into the crock pot.
After that, I added one roasted red pepper (from a jar) and a heaping fork-full of jarred pickled jalapeños.
Then came the herbs and spices. I used kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, curry powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried basil, and dried oregano. I also tossed in some minced garlic, about 1/4 cup of white wine, about 3/4 cup of vegetable stock, a few dashes of coconut aminos, about 1 1/2 tsp of Sriracha (remember, I like things hot), and about 1 tsp of dijon mustard.
I set my crock pot on high, poured a glass of wine, then relaxed on my couch for a bit until everything started to get nice and bubbly. Then I got out my immersion blender and pureed everything until it was nice and smooth. Even the whole tomatoes blended up perfectly.
I poured some out into a mug and topped it with a teaspoon each of my raw shelled hemp seeds and my roasted pumpkin seeds to add a crunchy element and to round out the dish with some protein.
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| This is what rainy night comfort looks like |
That's all I can think of to post today, but I look forward to seeing everyone back here next week!
Much love to you all,
Jon
The craze-induced Spin class was probably the result of something bad I ate the night before, and took it out on yall...but aren't those the best??? :)
ReplyDeleteA) I love Justins Hazelnut spread! So delicious! It still cracks me up at the people who think a HUGE helping of Nutella is "healthy" when they literally might as well be eating straight up lard icing.
B) I love the sunflower seed idea on the soup! Yum Yum!
C) Are you running Crazy 8's??
I hadn't planned on doing Crazy 8s since I didn't know what my rehearsal schedule was going to be like, but I actually have that night off, so I'm considering it...though I've not really had time to train. Could be fun though!
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