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Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Fun containers make life...funner

We are four weeks into the school year, and I'm pleased to announce that school lunch making hasn't broken me yet!

It's probably not a hard guess that I don't let my kids buy school lunch, even though my foray into lunch duty a couple years ago showed me that sometimes school lunches might not be so bad. I don't get crazy with my kids' lunches; I just make sure that their PB&J is made of natural peanut butter and non-high fructose corn syrup jelly on their whole wheat bread, is all. Most of the time it's pretty tame.

Last year, I utilized a wide assortment of plastic ware to fill their lunchboxes with tasty vittles. And at the end of the day, here is what my counter looked like:



Ay yay yay...By the end of the year I just wanted to burn those stupid containers. They wore me out with the washing and the drying and the putting away, over and over and OVER again. ("Why don't you just send plastic bags?" many of you are wondering. My inner hippie won't let me, that's why.)

So this summer I hunted for a new storage solution for lunches, and here is what I found. At Garden Ridge. For five bucks.

So cute! So colorful!
These dumb containers make my day every time I make school lunches. Why? Why does it please me so to fit the little muffin in the side container? With the old containers, I felt stuck in a rut. I made the same lunch over and over.

But these containers make me feel like creating lunch masterpieces! Earlier this week I sent Drew with a turkey breast sandwich (nitrate free, from Zaycon Foods...shameless plug alert: use this link to register at Zaycon to find a meat event in your area. This meat is the bomb-diggety, and I get credits when you register and order some fantastic meat for yourself!) https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf11780

Anyway...The turkey sandwich was on whole wheat rounds, spread with low-fat cream cheese and topped with some homemade cranberry sauce. Holla! It was so awesome I had to make my own for lunch that day.

Up there in the picture you've got turkey wraps on wheat tortillas with grapes, dried apples, pretzels, and a homemade banana pumpkin muffin.

That little lid snaps over the tortilla/sandwich section, then the whole thing folds again and snaps into a box.

When the kids get home they unload their lunch sack and I've got TWO things to wash. That's it.

The other day I was glad to see I'm not the only one who takes delight in random containers and uses it for motivation to eat healthy. My friend Lauren (check out her fabulous blog Salt & Sequins) posted this photo to her Instagram the other day saying that these cute little containers make her more likely to reach for fresh fruit and veggies:
"When I first started my weight loss journey, I was reading a book called 'PUSH' by Chalene Johnson, she had a really great tip, make healthy stuff front and center in your refrigerator. Display it ready to eat, cleaned, in cute bowls. I did have bowls, but they were too high and hid my fruit, so last night, I found these little beauties on sale. And if you know me, my Interior Designer side flipping loves the way this looks in my refrigerator. And yes, my refrigerator is chalk board. It got pretty beat up on the way to Cali, so Tim painted it for me. Best husband award right there."


Lauren, did you know that we also have a chalkboard paint fridge? How come you live in California? You could live in Texas and we could make special trips to IKEA to buy containers and chalk for our refrigerators, then swing by Central Market to ogle and buy overpriced organic produce. It would be fun!

Another mind trick I use for myself and the kids is cute water bottles to promote more water drinking. Spend a few bucks on a water bottle that you think is so cool and you'll probably use it more often.

Try it and see if it works! And send me pictures in case I need to get the same container as you.

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Workout of the Day
Les Mills Combat 30 Minute Kick Start. Oh y'all, this workout is so fun. I almost forgot what it's like to be a super cool fighter chick, but it only took a second of punching with those gloves for me to remember. I pumped up the music and punched and kicked my way to an awesome workout. You should try it. Seriously. www.SmellsLikeFitness.com




Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Burritos, Chickens...But not chicken burritos

I want to tell you about a very good butternut squash and black bean burrito that I fixed for dinner the other night, but first: a chicken update.

In a bitter twist of chicken irony, Polly, the lone survivor of the massacre and former picker who was rehabilitated when I chucked a tennis ball at her, is being picked.

Ugh.
See that bald spot on the right bottom part of her backside?
Also, see that chicken on the right? I love how it looks like she's
about to take flight. In actuality it's the butt of another chicken.
Dear Readers, I ask you: when is enough enough? Should I give up my chicken dreams and sell the whole outfit coop, stock, and barrel? Because I just don't know what to do. NO ONE is earning their keep by laying any eggs around here. I CANNOT figure out who is doing the picking because I've never seen any of the four new chickens (who I call Natalie, Blair, Jo, and Tootie) be anything but scared of Polly because she is the queen bee and is rude to them (pecking at their heads and chasing them from the corn I throw on the ground, for example).

And even if I did see somebody pick at her I'm not sure I could pick the perp out of a lineup because:

Can YOU tell these birds apart?
I know it's all very entertaining but I just don't know if I can do it anymore. These girls better start laying some eggs STAT so I can remember why in the world I put up with this nonsense. 

And just so ya know? I did have to rub Vicks Vapor Rub on a chicken butt AGAIN the other night, and it didn't seem to do a dang bit of good. 

Let's move on to a happier topic: Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burritos.

We had an absolute bumper crop of butternut squash in our garden this year. It was fantastic! I planted seeds from a squash I bought at the store, and the plants went absolutely nutso. Do you know how expensive butternut squash is? You see it at the store and you're all, "Oh, 99 cents a pound! That's not so bad!" and then you roll over to the register and the sucker weighs 4.75 pounds and you pay almost five bucks for your squash! They are HEAVY. 

When someone in this house asks what veg we're having with dinner, it's a pretty safe bet it's going to be butternut squash in some form: roasted, mashed, soup, and now in a burrito. 

And this is after we've been eating the crop down for a few weeks!
Good thing that these squash last a good long time.
I saw this recipe on Pinterest and, (drum roll, please): I actually made it! This doesn't happen often. If you don't already follow me on Pinterest I suggest you do so: I pin fabulous, gorgeous-looking meals that I'm sure would be delicious if only I'd remember to make them. (Here is my Pinterest page, if you are so inclined: http://pinterest.com/sshobbs/boards/)

This recipe is courtesy of the vegan recipe blog Oh She Glows, which I was already aware of through Angela's Green Monster Movement site of delicious spinach smoothies. (That's right, I said spinach smoothies. Look into it!)

Since I have SO MUCH squash on hand, I was eager to try these babies out, and they did not disappoint. Drew liked them, and I'm sure Kate would have too if she hadn't been "in a mood." I even packed them in Drew's lunch the day after!

So, here's the recipe. Check out Angela's blog for many more great vegan recipes and pretty food. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

Yield: 4 burritos or 3.5 cups of filling

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed, & roasted
1/2 cup uncooked short grain brown rice (yields: 1.5 cups cooked)
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
One 15-oz can black beans (about 1.5-2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Daiya cheese
4 tortilla wraps (large or x-large)
Toppings of choice: (avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, spinach/lettuce, cilantro, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a large glass dish with tinfoil. Drizzle olive oil on squash and give a shake of salt and pepper. Coat with hands. Roast chopped butternut squash for 45 mins. or until tender.

2. Cook brown rice (for directions, see here)

3. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, onion, and minced garlic. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Now add in salt and seasonings and stir well.

4. Add chopped red pepper, black beans, and cooked rice and sauté for another 10 mins. on low.

5. When b’nut squash is tender remove from oven and cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked butternut squash to the skillet and stir well. You can mash the squash with a fork if some pieces are too large. Add Daiya cheese and heat another couple minutes.

6. Add bean filling to tortilla along with desired toppings. Wrap and serve. Leftover filling can be reheated the next day for lunch in a wrap or as a salad topper.


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Workout of the Day
Focus T25 Rip't Circuit

Why does a 25-minute program wear me out so bad? I suspect it's because Shaun T is some sort of evil genius.



Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Three Oxymorons of Fitness

Oxymoron: something that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements.



Oxymoron of Fitness #1: To get energy, you need to expend energy.
Otherwise known as: an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. (Thanks, Isaac!)



I'm betting you experience this phenomenon on lazy Saturday mornings. You get up, get breakfast, and park it on the couch. Next thing you know it's lunchtime. You're stuck. You're not in motion. But if you were to get out of bed, go for a short jog, then eat breakfast, your day looks a lot different. You have energy to take care of things. That activity in the morning carries through your entire day. An object in motion stays in motion.

When Zach and I started exercising at 5am five years ago, this phenomenon blew me away. You mean I was "giving up" two hours of sleep, but I felt more energized, more alert throughout the day? You bet. It's oxymoron #1.

Oxymoron #2: If you want to lose weight, you must EAT.
C'mon, I know you've had this thought before: "Shoot. I need to lose a few pounds. I'm going to skip breakfast and lunch and just eat dinner today."

That's called the starvation diet, and it works. For about a day. Then one of two things happens:
A) You are SO HUNGRY and SO CRANKY that you eat a day's worth of calories at the dinner table, or
B) You are successful in starving yourself for a few days, and your metabolism rewards you accordingly by slowing down a notch or six, causing you to hold on to every ounce of fat because clearly there is a famine going on.

If you want to be healthy and lose weight, you must feed your body regularly. Preferably stuff it recognizes like veggies, fruit, lean protein, whole grains. (If you want some recipe ideas, click on the "Recipes" label on the right side of this blog. I'm not posting these recipes for my health...I'm posting them for yours!)

There are many methods to the madness of eating, but here's how Zach and I do it:
6:30am: Breakfast (usually Shakeology, oatmeal or eggs)
9:30am: Morning snack
Noon: Lunch
3:30pm: Afternoon snack
6pm: Dinner

We eat like infants on a strict schedule. And why wouldn't you eat that way? You're not hungry and your metabolism is revving like a fine-tuned engine. I've messed with cutting out snacks and I end up gaining weight. I feel like this is the world's best kept oxymoron secret: EAT to lose weight!

Oxymoron #3: If you are retaining water, drink more water.
I don't have solid evidence on this belief, but I think that most people in America walk around in a dehydrated state most of the time. We drink plenty of "stuff," but not near enough water. Here's what happens when you don't drink enough water:
From APEC Water, www.freedrinkingwater.com
Water helps your liver convert fat into usable energy. If you don't drink enough, your kidneys are overwhelmed with concentrated fluids, and they will make your liver do extra work. Your liver works hard to turn your body fat into the energy that you use but if it has to do the kidney's work, then it simply hold onto the extra fat that would have been burned off if you simply had enough water. 
And what's worse is that instead of excreting water and waste products, you body retains existing water to reuse. This is what causes water retention and bloating. When you don't get enough water, your body panics and holds on to it selfishly, as though you're in a famine. Dehydration thus can make you look bloated and fat instead of thin and taut. The best way to get rid of this water retention is to drink enough of it to return your body and its processes back to a normal equilibrium. 
Water regulates body temperature, filters out impurities, and keeps the brain working properly while transporting nutrients to and from cells. While the human body can store energy as glycogen, fat, and tissue, it cannot "store" water - the body uses its own water but expects us to provide a continuous supply of fresh new water regularly to function. Water is critical in moving nutrients into and out of a cell, an action known as the "ion pump". When you take in the improper balance of sodium and potassium or do not drink adequate water, your body will increase a hormone and try to "retain" water by keeping your kidneys from filtering it. Ironically, one of the best ways to stop retaining water is to drink more water!
If you have trouble with water retention, turn to oxymoron #3, which says to drink more water to get rid of water!

The great news is that all these oxymorons boil down to the following facts:
- If you exercise, you're going to have tons of energy to expend on the other things you've got to do in life.
- If you want to lose weight, you get to eat* on a regular basis.
- If you drink water, you get to lose that extra water weight you're carrying around.

What's not to like about oxymorons?

* By eat, I mean real stuff like the things in my recipe section. Not Cheetos.