pictures Archives - Page 7 of 37 - My Healthy, Happier Life

ashleyd / February 18, 2011

At Least the Weather Is Nice…

Savannah has given us absolutely gorgeous weather today!

We fueled ourselves with McCann’s Irish Steel Cut oats after 8 hours of sleep. I don’t think we budged one time during the night.

My oats decided that a pansy photo shoot was appropriate considering the 60 degree weather.

Smile for the camera! This is a little change from the halogen lights of my office, eh?

The rest of our day consisted of funeral related errands. Who knew there were so many different things to consider?

I feel like we’re planning a wedding all over again.

We reminisced as we drove through Savannah, taking in old familiar sites. This abandoned building was at one time Charlie Epp’s Car Wash. I spent many a day sipping grape soda through a straw and talking with all his employees while they washed my dad’s work trucks.

The moss is hanging low from the Live Oak trees and the pollen is just beginning to fill the air.

There is nothing like going over the bridge, looking towards the marsh and enjoying the fresh air through the windows! This site is what I cherish more than anything from Savannah- fresh salt air, blue sky, and sunshine.

Question: What do you miss most from your hometown?

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ashleyd / January 11, 2011

You Have to Wok Before You Can Run: A Lesson In Kitchen Humility

This evening, after a long Monday of work, I headed straight to the grocery store. This is a big accomplishment because most Monday nights all I want to do is head home and relax.

Luckily this grocery cart had space for my heavy bag AND groceries!

Within 30 minutes, I had all the ingredients for a delicious, healthy dinner sitting on my kitchen counter.

I still had plenty of time, an hour, to cook dinner before Bo walked through the door around 8pm! I was so excited to surprise my husband with one of his favorite meals, hibachi style chicken and vegetables.

Before leaving work, I found this healthy recipe on the Weight Watchers website. As soon as I walked home, I organized all my ingredients, ensuring I had everything I needed.

First up on this evening’s to do list, was lots of practice in the art of chopping!

After chopping, squeezing, and organizing all my ingredients I lined them up since the recipe said it was a “quick-fire” recipe and required lots of fast movements.

For the next 25 minutes, I carefully followed the recipe’s instructions to the tee.

This should have been a delicious meal, reminiscent of our favorite Savannah Japanese restaurant, Hirano’s.

Instead, I ate these leftovers for dinner.

Unfortunately, my Japanese attempt was horrible. The chicken was overcooked while the beautifully sliced vegetables were too crisp. The vinegar didn’t evaporate as it should have so the flavor tasted more of vinegar than soy sauce. Bo attributed some of the recipe failure to my new to me kitchen tool, the wok. Tonight was the first time I’ve used our wok and I didn’t realize that “pile high” doesn’t work well in a wok. Unfortunately, I overfilled it which caused the uneven cooking and lack of carmelization.

At first, I started crying. I felt defeated.

But, after a quick phone call with my mom and dad, I realized that this was actually a great learning opportunity. I enjoyed an hour chopping practice, relaxed in the kitchen, and learned something at the end of it. I also found a great Japanese Hibachi Chicken recipe to try again soon!

Have you ever learned a hard lesson in the kitchen? How do you handle kitchen failure?

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ashleyd / October 22, 2010

Is it Worth $35?

Before we get to today’s meals, I need to ask you all for your opinion:

Yesterday I received this exciting email:

6th ANNUAL LAST 10 MILE RUN

The body will feel what the mind has seen!
Run the last 10 miles of the NYC Marathon course, two weeks before the actual race.
Date: Saturday, October 23rd
Time: 8:00am (check-in from 7:00am to 7:45am)
Start Location: On East 60th Street at 1st Avenue
Finish Location: In Central Park at the NYC Marathon finish line at W67th Street in front of (the former) Tavern on the Green restaurant
Support: Pace Groups, Bag Transport (from start to finish), Maps, Water & Bagels (at the finish), plus Coaching to answer all of your marathon questions… WOW!

This seemed like the perfect end to my marathon training. This Saturday, I’m completing my last 2nd 20 miler before my taper begins. I was immediately excited for the prospect of running 10 miles on my own from 6:20-8am before meeting this group at the above start location to complete the last time miles. The opportunity to run the last 10 miles of the NYC Marathon 2 weeks before the marathon is so exciting! But, when I clicked register, I saw that the sponsor, The Running Center is charging $35 for the event. That $35 pays for the bagels, pacers, water, and bag transport. It doesn’t exactly seem like a good deal. Is it worth the $35 to run the last 10 miles of the race in advance?

Thanks for your input! Ready for today’s meals? ;) Let me know if you like seeing my meals? I’ve made it a goal lately to capture more food pictures for you guys but want to make sure you all like what you’re reading.

Today was a jam packed Wednesday. I have no words for the number of “fire drills” we had today. Lately, Wednesday has been the busiest day at work. What’s your busiest day?

Luckily, breakfast and lunch were no brainers. 🙂

Pumpkin Oatmeal and Chai Tea enjoyed desk side during conference call #1.

Pumpkin Oats with PB2

My mid day energy came from all the greens enjoyed during lunch. Today’s salad was 2x bigger than yesterday thanks to extra baby spinach and mixed greens! What is your favorite salad base? I love baby spinach as long as it’s paired with fruit and balsamic. Weird, I know!

By the time I walked through the door tonight, I knew our planned dinner wasn’t going to become a reality. We had a grand plan of making breakfast for dinner, including poached eggs, fruit salad, and turkey sausage. Instead, I still satiated my “breakfast for dinner” cravings with an easier, faster version!

Last month when we visited Zach and Brianne in Portland, she whipped up a delicious egg burrito. Ever since then I’ve had a craving to recreate it at home. Tonight was the perfect night. I had a fresh batch of Eggland’s Best eggs, Flatout wraps, Green Mountain Salsa, hummus and Garlic gold! It was exactly the wrap I’d dreamt of all this time!