Weekend Fun

 I had a busy little weekend which did not include a lot of work out time, so I am welcoming the new week with lots of sweaty workouts ahead of me! :)

With a birthday party on Friday night instead of the cheese pizza I opted for the vegetable tray and hummus. Saturday was a busy day with lots of shopping and running around, another birthday party and then out for the night with one of my besties :)

My drink of choice? Absolut & tonic with lime.

I was craving some major carbs on Sunday evening so decided to make some vegan spaghetti with 7 grain pasta noodles. I just couldn't do the "zucchini noodles" my body was craving the sugar.. must have been those vodka tonics I consumed the night before.



I ordered a fantastic product a couple days ago which I am enjoying in my smoothies and it's great for a vegetarian.

Amazing Grass truly is amazing. They sent me a bunch of samples of different products as well. Can't wait to try them all! They even have Kidz Superfood which is fantastic to get a child to drink a smoothie with all these amazing ingredients. I really felt great after throwing this into a smoothie and I am really impressed with the chocolatey taste. Besides it being totally organic, raw and vegan - it makes you feel great! I am just hoping I can buy it in bulk, which I haven't seen the option yet. This container pictured has about 15 servings.

I took this right before a cardio/strength workout at the gym yesterday. I did 45 minutes on the eliptical machine and a 5 minute cool down, did some ab work, arm and leg training machines and then hit the ski machine for a 20 minute cardio session. Total 1 hour and 10 minutes of cardio - not bad hey?

Here are some of my favorite things lately....

lightly steamed brussel sprouts

raw cukes - so delish! :)

I am loving my vegetables and trying to keep lots of them in the house for snacking and for my meals. Trying to eat as much RAW food as possible so even though there are not any interesting recipes - filling up on the raw stuff can be just as good!

Nichole

Ash Wednesday

Yesterday was FAT Tuesday, I tried to make it an excuse to go out drinking but I decided I am better off at home getting some much needed sleep because I have been battling a head cold for the past 2 days. I have been on organic spinach overload to try to get rid of the bug with little success yet :(
I did hit the gym up last night for a sweat session and I did about 40 minutes of cardio but the rest of my  workout was short lived because I was feeling very weak. My legs felt like jello so I decided it was time to go home and eat some FAT! I accomplished this by eating an entire avacado by myself.

So with today being ASH Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, I am thinking about giving up multiple things. I have been strictly cutting out all dairy as much as I can lately and I am thinking I can do without eggs and my "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Spray for 40 days... right? Well I BARELY eat eggs at all, just if we go out to breakfast I normally have a Veggie Scramble or if I eat pancakes eggs are normally in there as well. I can do without cheese because I have an awesome vegan cheese substitute. I could care less about cow milk because I am absultely in love with Blue Diamond's Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, I use it in my smoothies, cereal, recipes etc... with only 40 calories per serving you can not beat this stuff!!! I was also going to give up sweets. I rarely eat them so I am thinking these are not good things to give up! What if instead of giving up something, I promise to do something. Like go to church during lent. I am going to go to church tonight and start of lent right and then be able to celebrate at Easter! I guess I have all day to figure out what I am going to do... I will keep you informed on that situation.

I went to Good Harvest Market for lunch today because I had a gift card, I figured a nice hot lunch would be a good change today. The organic HOT BAR is delicious! Here are my eats from today...

                                     
Raw veggie salad with organic balsamic dressing and roasted veggies with chick peas.. I already had eaten half when I remembered to take the picture... I promise I will get better at that.

I wish you all a very healthy and happy HUMP DAY and a great LENT :)

Nichole

Cooking with Kale

Hello it's been awhile.... even though I have some interesting eats that I have been experimenting with lately, I haven't had the time to capture the moment :(

I purchased some Kale 2 weeks ago and decided it was time to make some Kale Chips! I have heard so much about them in the past and how delicious they are and how they satisfy that salty craving you maybe having. Well these "chips" turned out great. I even got a 10 year child to try them and then continue to eat them until they were gone and we were eating the crumbs off the pan!

Kale Chips

1. wash and dry kale very well

2. preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. remove leafy greens from stem but pulling them upwards

4. tear into bite size pieces and place into bowl

5. drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pinch of salt onto kale

6. massage olive oil into kale so each piece is covered by the oil

7. spread out on baking sheet so none of the leaves are touching, if they touch they will steam not bake and get crispy.

ENJOY!

Another delicious creation that has been floating around the blogosphere is vegan pizzas!

I used Ezekial brand sprouted grain tortillas, and spread plain hummus on the bottom. Then a layer of tomato sauce/paste, fresh tomatos, zuccinni, spinach, vegan cheese, and sprinkled basil and italian seasoning.

Bake for 5-10 minutes at 400 degress - but you have to watch it closely so it doesn't burn and regular tortillas can take longer.

Proud of my delicious personal pizza - this baby was sooo good the vegan cheese melted and the tortilla was crispy. If I am ever craving pizza this is what I am making, all vegan all delicious.

My love for spaghetti... never ends. Below is a picture of some leftover veggie spaghetti that I poured over some raw zucchini for a quick dinner.

This is quick, easy and delicious and always satisfies my cravings for spaghetti.

That is all my interesting eats for now!

Nichole

Delicious Veggie Eatin'

It is freezing cold in the winter of Wisconsin, this is the time I usually hibernate at my house and never leave. Now that I have a Snuggie I figured a lot of my time would be spent playing Nintendo Wii and the New Super Mario Bros since I absolutely loved playing these types of games when I was a kid! However....
I have been doing phenomenal with my daily work out routines. I really enjoy staying in the house and getting my routine done right in my own living room. Not to mention working out with Jillian Michaels can be great fun!

I had been loading up on the green veggies lately, lots of green beans, broccli, brussel sprouts and my favorite... asparagus. I am also throwing spinach into my soy protein smoothies either pre- or -post workout.
I usually throw 1 banana, handful spinach, handful blueberries, strawberries, 1/2 cup almond milk and 1 scoop of chocolate soy protein powder. I was using up some of  my leftover whey protein that I found in a box (my entire kitchen pantry has been boxed for over a month while my kitchen is being remodeled). I did seem to get stomach aches after drinking the smoothies with the whey protein and I am thinking it's what I am combining into the smoothies or just the WHEY because I have cut all other dairy products out of my diet lately (milk, cheese, butter) so maybe my stomach is telling me something... time to pawn the WHEY onto someone else! :)
I have not been very creative with my eats lately, just throwing some random veggies into the steamer and enjoying them!

Steamed brussel sprouts & broccli w/ baked acorn squash

(packaged mixed greens with walnuts and rasberry vinigrette dressing)

I really enjoy a resturaunt that has a few vegetarian options on their menu and they are right down the block from my work...Sprizzo Gallery Caffe

(hummus veggie sandwich with tommato, green pepper and cucumber on 7 grain bread, with fresh fruit)

The homemade hummus is great and a nice alternative to my traditional SUBWAY lunch!!!

I hope you all are sticking to your 2010 resolutions and getting results! It's hard to keep it going but what better time than now to get into shape, there isn't much going on during the week so that is MY time for myself to work on getting what I want. I like to visualize what my body will look like once I get where I need to be. I want to be shredded & ripped :)

6 pack abs - yes please! Not sure if that is going to happen but hey, a girl can wish... right??

Nichole

Resolutions & Holiday Recap

Hello! Hoping everyone had a fabulous holiday. It was great to enjoy some time off from work while getting some work done around the home.

Christmas is my favorite holiday! I always go to my Grandparents house on Christmas Eve....

Lots of cooking during the 1 week I was off of work. My favorite was vegetarian "Chicken" Parmesean.
I made 2 pans of this... 1 with real chicken and 1 with "veggie chicken".......... looks like the real thing...

and tastes like the real thing too!

4 cutlets of Quorn "Chicken"

1/4 cup almond milk & 1 egg

Your favorite marinara/spaghetti sauce

Mozzerella cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs, or season yourself

Tablespoon olive oil

Parmesean Cheese

I defrosted the chikn cutlets in some warm water, dipped them in the egg and milk mixture, and covered in bread crumbs. Warm olive oil in skillet add chikn for about 3-4 minutes on each side until brown. Place in baking dish, cover with mozzerella, marinara, and parmesean cheese and more mozzerella if you choose.

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees, bake for 20-25 minutes.

To make vegan, skip the egg and just use the almond/soy etc milk product you choose, and avoid the cheese!

Once of my favorite salads to eat comes from The Rochester Deli in downtown Waukesha.

This salad comes on a bed of greens, with sliced strawberries, candied walnuts, seedless grapes and gorgonzola cheese with a poppyseed vinaigrette dressing. I have always been impressed with the soups and salads coming from this deli.

2010 Resolutions, the same working out, staying in shape, eating healthy still applies. I am still trying to go vegan so I am going to take it meal by meal, day by day and hope for the best!

On Monday, January 4th I did very well with my eating habits, I had this delicious sandwich for lunch...

My Veggie sub from Subway!

6 inch on honey oat, toasted with no cheese

lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper, spinach with honey mustard

I never get sick of this baby!!!

I snacked on some blue chips and salsa before dinner. Dinner was BLT's. I had Morning Star Bacon with lettuce, tomato and veganaise on Ezekial toast w/ a side of spinach. I guess the "bacon" is not vegan since the first ingredient is egg whites....

I couldn't wait to take a bite!

It has now been a full 12 months since I started being a vegetarian :) In 2010 I am going to strive to cut the fish out of my diet and cheese! I am taking things day by day and see how the changes effect my body. I started working out with the personal trainers on my cable tv on demand, which I am really enjoying right now because of the nasty weather we have been having in Wisconsin. Wish me luck!

Nichole

Blizzards & Fish Markets.

Life in Wisconsin.... lots to do in summer including one of my favorites,
Summerfest

& can't forget what Milwaukee is known for....

Plus Milwaukee motorcyles rally's, Harley's 105th that was just here.... all in all great fun!!!! I am lucky enough to be able to ride on the back of one. Thrill seeker? Bad ass? Neither. Just fun fun fun :)
Well in winter - we always get lots of snow.. I don't understand why people are so suprised by all the snow.. I guess it takes some to re-adjusting to it after summer! I like snow at first but in March I start to grow tired of it. Thank goodness for this gorgeous machine that I call my own (4 wheel drive, baby).

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited

Pretty isn't she? :) After having a 4 wheel drive truck in the winter of Wisconsin, I don't think I can go back to anything less.

I did get my Christmas tree up yesterday and for that I am proud! I thought about how hectic the house is lately and was not sure if I wanted to put one up this year, but then I thought how could I not????

Here is the masterpiece that Joslin & I finished last night :)

Sorry about the picture quality, took it on my blackberry since my camera was dead!

Not much exciting this week as far as eats go, I got some smart bacon (meatless) and made BLT's on whole grain bread, with a side of green beans and brown rice while watching the Packers victory over the Ravens.

I did have a fabulous lunch at Mitchell's Fish Market in Brookfield with some co-workers. They have a menu printed twice daily with fresh fish flown in daily from all over the world. They also offer a Gluten-Free Menu which I thought was nice. I ordered the "House Specialty" Cedar Plank Salmon which came with Balsamic eggplant, roasted vegetables, asparagus, portabella relish & small bits of goat cheese. Sorry no pictures here. This dish was fantastic, the roasted veggies complimented the fish and relish so nicely. All the flavors came together really nicely. Great lunch size portion as well.
I have not had any fish in the last few weeks so today was sort of a test day to see how I am feeling afterwards. I want to see if the fish "feels heavy" in my stomach like it is supposed to after eating mostly a plant based diet. So far, so good.
I plan on heading back to Mitchell's sometime soon & it's great to know that they offer non-fishy options as well, so my wonderful boyfriend can have options when I make him bring me here (he does not touch anything that resembles seafood or anything that lives in water for that matter).

We are supposed to get 5-8 inches over the evening and into Wednesday and another 3-5 on Wednesday! Once again thank goodness for 4-wheel drive... but it doesn't help on icy roads!!!

Here I am braving the roads in my Jeep in my new Victoria's Secret Pink jacket - which I love. I just don't understand why they don't have all their items in the store online....???

Everyone be safe on the roads if you live in a winter wonderland :)

xoxo

Nichole

Synergy & Winter Farmer's Market

I am so happy that I found out Milwaukee county has a Winter Farmers' Market! I just had to share it & it's going on now....

Saturday mornings from 8am - Noon at:

Tommy Thompson Youth Center

                                                                      State Fair Park

Ag Village, Gate 5

640 South 84th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53214

This is so close to my home and I am very eager to try it out!

Whenever I head to the organic grocery store I always try pick up one of these babies...

G.T.'s Kombucha

While this is interesting to taste at first, all I am drinking lately is water so this actually brings some flavor into my life.

Kombucha  (pronounced kom-BOO-cha) is a handmade chinese tea that is delicately cultured for 30 days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active Enzymes, Viable Probiotics, Amino Acids, antioxidants, & Polyphenols.

Apparently the product's creater GT Dave began bottling Kombucha in 1995 after his mother's success from drinking it during her battle with breast cancer.

Kombucha supports:

Digestion

Metabolism

Immune System

Appetite Control

Weight Control

Liver Function

Anti-Aging

Cell Integrity

Healthy Skin & Hair

If this isn't enough information for you to try this product I am not sure what will be ;)

I had half a bottle for breakfast and was not hungry until 3pm! I don't think it is safe to just drink that for breakfast and lunch but I was busy at work and the time just slipped by me...

I had another bowl of my veggie chili for dinner (love chili leftovers).


Breakfast today was my Green Lemonade in which I am starting to think I enjoy more in the summer. I juiced a batch on Sunday and realizing I am not enjoying as much as I do normally... however I am trying to beat a cold so I might keep drinking it for the benefits.

Happy HUMP day!!!! Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week :)

Nichole