Things that make me wanna de-google reader your ass:

2. You just c’a'n’t seem to differentiate between your and you’re.  Whenever I come across this mistake, I say “really???” in my head.  You’re turning me into a psycho, people, and I can’t be screaming out loud in my cubicle without a trip to HR.

3. You post 832 angles of your oats in a jar.  I mean they are so rare and all, but one pic does the job just fine.

4. Same goes for your vegetables.  These kids should probably read your blog though.

I loved that series, whatever happened to it?

5. You copy other recipes exactly, then re-post them as “adapted”.  I could care less if someone is inspired by or copies a recipe…just be honest about it!  At least change the salt measurement from 1/2 tsp to 3/4.

6. You make me click

through.

Oh wait, I already deleted you.

What makes you wanna de-google reader me?  I would suggest my sweaty workout pics, but I’ve had far too many hits from “butt sweat” searches to validate that one.  Gonna have to go with my knee rehab recaps…sporadic, repetitive…even I got sick of them ha!  The current update is that I am now allowed to GO TOTALLY CRAZYYYYYYYYYY at the gym and I am loving it.  Oh, and I can hop.  Saweeeeeeeet.

What blogs do I need to have on my reader?  I believe after a bit of winter cleaning I will need additional entertainment  :-)

Pasta with Tuna, Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups dry mini penne (or 2 servings any pasta)
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (enough to fully cover bottom of pan)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 1 can solid albacore tuna in olive oil (use oil)
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• Sprinkle of sea salt
• 2-3 cups fresh arugula

Directions

1. Boil a pot of salted water for the penne.
2. Add olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes to a (cold) sauté pan.  Heat on medium until oil begins to sizzle, but don’t brown the garlic!  This shouldn’t take long at all – 3-4 minutes tops.
3. Add tuna with oil and tomatoes, give it a sprinkle of sea salt, stir and cook, covered, approximately 5-10 minutes, or while your pasta boils.
4. When the pasta is done, drain and add to pan with fresh arugula.  Stir to wilt the greens and serve!  top with parmesan if you wish, but it’s lovely all by its lonesome.

Simplicity at its finest!

Except in Bahamas sand.  She loves it, but I don’t have a double coat of fur like my 4-legged love…which brings me to my point.

I never make ‘real’ new years resolutions, but I actually did make one this year, and that was to exercise Stella in the morning (aka before work during the week and an excursion or two on the weekends).  I walk her every afternoon after work, but the poor thing is stuck home alone (listening to 88.5) all day with not much to do.  I always slack on her exercise when it gets cold so I figured this was something I should work on.

Since it was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, I took Stella to the state park, jacked up some tunes and walked my favorite 4.5 mile loop while basking in the sunshine.  Does life get any better??  Lucky for us Philadelphians, we are having unseasonably warm {freekkkking awesome} temperatures and I am loving the fall-esque days.  I know global warming is bad and all, but maybe notsomuch?

I could be imagining it, but I swear I got an ever so slight tan on my face.

Lots of running firsts in the past couple of weeks, huh?  I did 5 miles on Thursday morning, too…16 weeks post op officially…I was premature with last week’s 4-miler!  I know you’re all sick of hearing about it but it just makes me smile and love life.  3 months ago I was sobbing my eyes out feeling like I would never run again.  Dramatic much?  But really, major sports injuries are a humbling experience and it’s certainly been a rollercoaster ride.  Never take advantage of your ability to move your body.

All my instagram/facebook friends already saw this picture but I am obsessed.  SHE IS THE BEST.  Stella joined me on my 3 miler this evening, and what a gorgeous one it was!  She was dragging by the end because now I’m faster than her hehe.

I took it pretty easy but still clocked in at a sub 9 minute mile pace, totally pain-free.  My knee was kind of throbbing for a bit earlier but it went away and I feel good…didn’t even ice it.  Time to drag myself away from my new Walking Dead obsession and be social since it IS, in fact, Saturday!  Have you guys seen this series yet??  Someone recommended it and I am 100% hooked. 

ZOMBIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

When sweet stuff is around me, I have THE hardest time avoiding it…I want to sample one of everything.  Bad!!  Holidays are one thing, but normal life, no way.  Sooo in an effort to get out of sweets mode, last week I did a wegman’s/trader joe’s overhaul and stocked up on plenty of fresh veggies and organic, grass-fed meats that should last me at least a couple of weeks with a fruit/veggie run in-between. 

The first dish I whipped up was paleo beef stew, tweaking this recipe slightly.

• I browned 1lb of wegman’s organic, grass-fed stew beef in pastured butter and threw it into my rice cooker, making sure not to cook it through.
• In the same pan, added more butter and quickly cooked a big handful of trader joe’s tiny potatoes (they are literally super MINI), carrots, celery, onion, plus a few cloves of minced garlic in the same pan with salt, pepper, and herbs.  Instead of fresh as called for, I used dried rosemary and thyme…about 1/2 – 1 tsp each, I never measure anything exactly. 
• This cooked for about 5 minutes then I added the veggie mix to the beef along with stock and a can of diced tomatoes. 
• Cooked with rice cooker on simmer, closed for 2 hours, open for about 30 minutes.

The stew turned out great and best of all, made a hefty 4-5 servings, the last of which I ate for lunch today.  RIP yummy stew…I am totally making it again soon.  Highly recommend!

The past few mornings, I’ve had eggs fried in pastured butter or bacon fat with bacon, veggies and/or fruit.  Plus a cup of coffee with either half & half or heavy cream.  This and various types of cheese are the only dairy products I’ve had for quite a few weeks other than a full-fat plain latte yesterday afternoon.  Coffee dates with my girlfriends are exceptions! 

For lunches, I’ve been eating leftovers, and dinners have been a mash up of meat/veggies/salads.  Tonight, I had leftover pot roast from my parents’ classic new years day feast (LOVE), along with sauerkraut, unsweetened applesauce, massaged kale salad with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, yellow bell pepper, mango, pomegranate arils, and sunflower seeds, plus a small side of sweet potato fries.

Dark chocolate chips and popcorn for dessert…I still have a case of the snackies!!

Well happy new year and keep my ass accountable…my face will be clearer for it

2012 weeeeeeeeeee.  Let’s do this.

I am enjoying this ^^^ way too much. 

Sorry to wake you, Stella. 

It’s been pretty relaxing around here and I like it to the umpteenth power.  I was in hilton head, SC visiting family for a few days over christmas and got back late tuesday night.  It was nice to spend some time in warmer weather and now I  have a couple of days to unwind and just be.  And stop my marathon of christmas cookie eating.

Yesterday, Heather drove into the city and we attempted to brunch at my favorite spot.  Apparently everyone else in Philly decided that was their plan, too and the wait at Honey’s was 40 minutes.  We ended up at Sabrina’s (callowhill location) instead.  Unfortunately, we were not impressed…strike 2, Sabrina’s, I won’t be back.  But conversation was lovely and who cares about the food when you have your best friend in town?  Certainly not me!  BTW, her professional wedding photos came back and they turned out gorgeous, don’t ya think?!  I can’t wait to see the rest!

After I bid Heather farewell, I hit the gym for a semi-hardcore, total body workout.  I’ve done a ton of upper body work but minimal weights involving my lower body.  I don’t really count physical therapy as working out anymore, and I haven’t gone in a few weeks.  I won’t be going to PT again until I am actually cleared to start doing jumping and cutting exercises where I will need supervision.  Especially not when they’re charging me $60 for…ice. 

I did get fitted for a custom brace at the advice of my mom’s friend who is a physical therapist.  I ran on it twice, low mileage, and ended up being in way more pain WITH the brace than running without it.  I had to take a full week off from the gym after using it, I was in that much pain.  My knee doc doesn’t normally fit his patients for braces unless requested, and now I see exactly why.  So I am rolling without the brace for everything.  I ran 3 miles with Stella for 3 consecutive days while in Hilton Head and did a TON of stretching afterwards.  I felt (and feel) great and I am finally noticing less stiffness at the back joint of my knee…psyched for that!  I feel like I turned yet another corner in recovery. 

My 4 miles today was the farthest I have run since late July and even though I max out at about 8 mph when I’m ‘sprinting’, I have no complaints.  Though I am far off from low 8 minute miles, I’m slowly but surely getting back to my old self and there’s definitely a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  To ring in the new year, I’ll be working on the booty…it’s been neglected for far too long. 

That sounds bad but youknowwhatImean.

with love,

me & the fur-covered houligan formerly known as stella

Venison Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground venison (or ground beef/poultry)
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• butter
• olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• salt & pepper
• 3-4 bell peppers, halved
• 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1, 16-24 oz jar marinara sauce (I used wegman’s brand)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put a pot or deep sauté pan with about 1” of water on boil.  Rinse peppers, trim tops and innards, then slice them in half lengthwise.  Blanch for about 3 minutes in boiling water, just to take the bite out of them but be careful because you don’t want soggy peppers!  You could also do this step in the microwave.  Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce into a baking dish and top with the drained peppers, cavity side up.
3. In a separate pan, heat about a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil on medium high.  Add onions and garlic, cook for about 1 minute, then add venison, spices, salt and pepper and brown until fully cooked.
4. Mix rice, about a cup of marinara, and meat mixture until combined.  Make sure you have enough sauce so that your mixture is moist, but not drippy.  Stuff peppers, top with a healthy spoonful of sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  Bake for about 25 minutes, uncovered.  Serve and top with excess sauce scrounged from the bottom of the baking dish!

Lunches this week just got way more exciting.

Have a great week…4 days until freedom for me!  I am 100% in the christmas spirit already…as shown by our stolen santa hats at the bar on saturday night and the copious amounts of christmas cookies I’ve made.  And no, I do not know these boys hahaha. 

Vegan (plus or minus the m&m’s) Blondies

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. firm (or extra firm – what I used) tofu (1/4 package)
• 1/4 cup soy or other nondairy milk
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate m&m’s (or other add-ins)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper – make sure you don’t skip this step because they are sticky suckers.
2. In a blender, puree tofu, soy milk and oil until smooth, or about a minute. 
3. Transfer tofu mixture to a large mixing bowl.  Mix in sugars and vanilla.
4. Sift in dry ingredients until just combined.  Fold in m&m’s and/or other add-ins and pour into baking pan.  Smooth out the batter from the center – if it doesn’t hit the sides completely, that’s ok because it will spread a tiny bit.
5. Bake for about 30-32 minutes, or until edges are ever so slightly browned.  Let cool about an hour before slicing and serving (or freezing).
6. To freeze these, cook, cool, slice and store in a large ziplock baggie with parchment and all…seems to be the best method I’ve found for my other cookies as well!

Are you cooking delicious Christmas confections this week??  Time to drop me some tasty recipes…

Dog shenanigans!

Anyway, thankfully I woke up Tuesday with a way better attitude.  I also got back into a good cooking/lunch prepping routine this week, too.  The week after chili cookoff 2011 went down, I attempted to make a batch of soup in my trusty slowcooker.  But apparently all trust was gone because I went to stir it an hour later, I realized the electric face was working fine but the soup was not even luke warm, d’oh.  That’s what I get for buying the cheapest [crockpot brand cough] slow cooker out there.  My guess is chili fest killed the heating element but who knows.

Since I use the thing at least once a week, I decided to invest in another, slightly better option.  I went with a rice cooker that has simmer, etc. functions.  For its first test run, I added 2 cups of dry jasmine rice + appropriate water and into the water/rice went two raw chicken breasts seasoned with sea salt and heavily with trader joe’s 21 seasoning salute.  Literally pressed a button for ‘white rice cook’ and let it do its thang.

About 45 minutes later, I had delicious chicken + fluffy rice.  All I had to do was add some veggies!  So good.  I highly suggest you try cooking chicken or another protein if you have a rice cooker.  It’s not the BEST MEAL EVER but it absolutely gets the job done.  I am the laziest person on the planet and this is quite the lazygal’s dream dinner.  I made chicken and veggie fried rice with my leftovers last night and it was equally yummy, as always.  Toasted sesame oil never fails me.

Ran my first 5k straight through last night!  BOOM.  11 weeks out of surgery biatttttch.  I don’t gloat, do I?

I have learned to celebrate even the smallest of successes.  For me, that was a sub 10 minute 5k pace.  I went all the way up to 7.0 mph by the end but decided not to push it TOO much yet…this is only my 3rd 5k since beginning to jog again.  Sore today but nothing a little ice and stretching can’t fix.  I’m planning to hit up spin later tonight and that definitely helps the knee mobility.  I went at 6am on monday morning and have a new favorite instructor.  He sooo doesn’t look like a house/techno/upbeat spin music kinda dude but to my surprise, he is!  Word. up.  A welcome change from the saturday fill-in who was playing angry goth screaming punko music (and I almost walked out).

I actually canceled my physical therapy appointment this week because I got bombed with an insurance bill last week listing a bunch of excess charges from october/november sessions.  I am pretty pissed about it because this is in addition to paying my high copay for each session already.  There are worse things in life though, and the good news is that I am doing pretty spiffy rehabbing all by myself.

I haven’t decided how I’m going to proceed, but since I’m not allowed to progress with plyometric type exercises for another couple of months, I’m gonna hang tight and keep working out on my own.  Come January, I will have slightly different insurance that is more geared toward high up-front cost and low/no copay for therapy.  Obviously I had no clue I would ever need PT this past year…but yeesh, I am thankful for having health insurance in the first place, despite the BS.

One day til the weekend!  We are definitely chest-deep in christmas party season and I love this time of year :)  If anyone has a costume idea (holiday themed) for me for saturday night, shoot it out there!