lunch Archives - Page 7 of 35 - My Healthy, Happier Life

I have lots of things to share with you all today including last night’s Cajun holiday party, today’s food, and finally a great program that Jack Rabbit Sports is hosting in January!

Last night, we went to our first party north of Central Park! Theodora, Bo, and I easily made our way up to Washington Heights via the A train, which runs express from Columbus Circle to 125th street!

Don’t worry, Theodora wasn’t drunk in this picture, I promise. In fact, we’d already run a breezy 3.25 miles together along the East River, showered, and were ready for an adventure.

Our friend Camille, last night’s hostess, epitomizes a Southern lady. She welcomed us into her home with a warm “hey y’all”, had a delicious spread set out for her guests, a signature drink ready to serve, and lots of friendly faces with whom to celebrate! In fact, people can’t help but flock to her smiling face!

Her apartment is adorable and each room is painted in a different color, but it’s no surprise that her entry way is a bold LSU purple. In true New Orleans fashion, she served all the drinks in Styrofoam “go cups” last night as they don’t “sweat” like solo cups when holding Milk Punch, her signature drink! How adorable are these cups, straight from the bayou?

The main course, gumbo and rice, were brewing on the stove when we arrived but smelled amazing!

The trick to delicious gumbo is a good roux as Camille taught us last night, requiring hours of patience and stirring.

It was a wonderful Washington Heights evening, complete with new and old friends and delicious food!

Today, after too little sleep, Bo and I made our way to the gym for a much needed rise and shine workout. On days when I’m dragging, nothing wakes me up like a workout. Due to some heel pain on my left foot, I clipped into the bike for a 40 minute workout, complete with a computerized plan that synched to my music! I really liked it and did 12.6 miles during the 40 minutes while also conquering some hills and sprints.

I focused on including healthy fats in each meal again today and making sure that I had healthy snacks around me at all times.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, banana, chia seeds, and 1 tsp peanut butter.

Lunch: Large chopped spinach salad from Pax with beets, red onions, grilled chicken, walnuts, mushrooms, tomato, balsamic, and a splash of olive oil. I also enjoyed a small vegetable soup on the side.

Afternoon snack: Strawberry 0% Chobani with Fiber One flakes sprinkled on top and a Clementine on the side.

Dinner: An easy dinner thanks to Pret takeout! We split two soups (Goulash and Butternut Squash) and each enjoyed one of their Cobb salads. I only ate half the avocado and half the walnuts but really loved the flavors in this salad.

Last but not least, I want to let you all know about a great program Jack Rabbit Sports is hosting in January called Resolve 2012. I signed up earlier today and it appears that it’s free and that more information such as the schedule of events will be emailed soon. Based on my research, it appears that Mizzfit, who is well known around the blogging and health world, is partnering with Jack Rabbit to bring locals this great program and series of events. Everyone who participates, receives a free Jack Rabbit technical tee and has the chance to win a personal shopping experience for a Winter running outfit!

Let me know if you join, so we can hopefully setup some blogger and reader meetups around the Jack Rabbit events!

Have a wonderful rest of your evening!

Follow:

Maybe it’s just me, but even though I’m busting it during every workout, some of the lean and mean in me is feeling a little soft these days. My clothes still fit and the scale still reads the same number so I’m not that concerned. But today during my personal training session with Lauren I asked her for her number one tip she shares with clients who are interested in improving not only their physique but also their nutrition.

Her number one tip was, “fight fat with fat.”

I had to take a double take as this didn’t make sense until I realized that she wasn’t talking about the delicious butter laden Christmas cookies or fudge. Instead, she meant that in order to fat long term and “lean out” one must satiate their hunger with healthy fats, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.

There are many benefits of healthy fats:

Good fats help lower cholesterol.
Good fats help protect internal organs.
Good fats help transport and retain nutrients.
Good fats are a source of energy.

I took her advice and did my best to amp up today’s meals with healthy fats. I realized that my breakfast often excludes fat as does my afternoon snack, hence the reason that I’m normally craving another meal just an hour or so later.

Today’s updated meals:

This morning’s bowl of cereal featured 2% milk because the office was out of skim. A little bit of fat helped this bowl of Fiber One stick to my bones.

This morning’s snack was an unpictured Clementine along with a pack of delicious lightly salted almonds. I ordered a box of these from Amazon for a steal and am loving them as a office desk staple.

My normal spinach and beet salad was updated with walnuts in place of the normal blue cheese. Walnuts provide a healthier form of fat than cheese and also left me more satiated. I added Craisins as well which added a sweet punch, per Lauren’s suggestion.

Tonight’s sushi deliver dinner was upgraded with avocado. I tend to steer away from avocado due to it’s high fat content but it is very satiating. I enjoyed a brown rice tuna avocado roll along with a salmon brown rice roll. Paired with a side of Felicity it was the perfect easy Thursday night dinner!

Question: Do you have a fear of fat or have you learned to embrace healthy fats? What is your favorite “healthy fat?”

Follow:

Last week, I did a post about moderation during the holidays. I shared wonderful tips including keeping up with your regular workouts, drinking lots of water, and shared tips from other readers and Twitter friends.

Then, I enjoyed an amazing weekend and forgot about that whole moderation thing. In fact, by the end of our 2nd Annual Diamond Holiday Party everything looked kind of hazy and blurry.

I had a wonderful time with our amazing friends on Saturday night and even acted as bartender for the first time! I have now learned that a bartender is supposed to serve, not serve themselves! As I look back on the evening I remember toasting one too many times during the night. You know what, it’s okay, I had a great time!

Our food spread, ranging from spicy crab dip to stuffed peppadew peppers, was also easy to enjoy too much!

These meatballs, a recipe found in the new Meatball Shop cookbook, was the clear winner! Much to our delight however, there was no one dish that wasn’t enjoyed. Last year we had a few dishes that were only a quarter to half eaten. This year, the only thing left was some ham, rolls, and a few cupcakes!

The pictures from the night truly highlight our friends’ amazing taste in tacky holiday attire and the festive mood! Here’s a glimpse into the evening:

036

It was such a fun evening but I definitely did not move off the couch yesterday. I slept until 1pm when I finally crawled out of bed for a glass of water and the couch. Bo and I spent the rest of the afternoon napping, reading, watching TV, and cleaning the apartment. I fell asleep on the couch around 8:30, finally moving into the bedroom at 10pm. This morning I quickly turned off my alarm at 5:30, knowing that my body needed more sleep.

This isn’t exactly the best way to stick with my moderation plan or keep off the holiday weight. Hopefully, you all have done as I said and not as I did this weekend. But, if you enjoyed one too many holiday drinks this weekend, I can now provide a few tips for getting back on track after one day, which is far easier than after a week of treats and imbibing.

Start your day with warm lemon water, a delicious and warm beverage that will help flush unwanted toxins and aid digestion.
Eat a healthy breakfast rich in fiber and nutrients but calorie rich enough to not leave you starving.
Pack plenty of healthy snacks to enjoy throughout the day in case you get hungry or have a craving. This will keep you from giving into the cookie jar or the holiday dessert plate.
Take your vitamins!
Try writing down your food for a few days. During the craziest time of the year, this can help you stay on track by helping you realize what you’re eating.

Also, if you’re going to host your second party in 48 hours, make sure that you provide at least a few healthy options for your guests to enjoy to balance out the baked goods and wine.