Snack Attack

If you're like me and get hungry around 4:00 p.m. every afternoon, here's an idea for a (somewhat) healthy yet satisfying snack:

Fat free plain Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage), honey and walnuts. I also like to sprinkle some cinnamon on top... but sadly I forgot it at home today.

Delicious.  I had something similar a few months back when dining with my mom at Taverna Tony in Malibu.  Hands down the best Greek restaurant ever!  Here's a description of the original dish:

YIAOURTI -- Home made yoghurt sprinkled with walnuts and laced with imported Hymetus honey. Dusted with fresh ground cinnamon.

Clearly mine is the poor man's version, but you get the point.  Oh, and it's also good frozen, and tastes a bit like ice cream. 

xoxo,
Olivia

Ready To Shoot

After months of online research, stalking photographer's blogs, and annoying every camera-savvy person I know about their experience, I finally bought my first DSLR camera!!!  I'm the proud new owner of a Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i.  Say that ten times in row...

(Source)

I'll be eating Ramen noodles for the next six months to pay it off... but it's all in the name of love.  Oh, and I've named him Dean... since James Dean starred in the 1950's hit "Rebel Without a Cause."  He is hot.  See, I do know a thing or two about American history :) 

(Source)

So back to the camera.  I was debating between getting a used but more professional camera (like a Canon 7D), or going with one of the newer, higher-end consumer models.  In the end, the Canon Rebel consumer model won out, just because I wasn't willing to throw down $1,500+ when I'm such an amateur and don't really know how far I'll want to take my photography hobby.  After all, my point and shoot Olympus still confuses the bejeebers out of me, so I'm taking baby steps here. 

I also visited one of the local camera stores and tried a few brands and models out before making a final decision.  I really liked the Nikon cameras, but for some reason the Canon models just felt better in my hands, so I just stuck with my gut.  The guy at the store informed me that I was "picking my team" and that DSLR people rarely switch their brand.  Thanks, dude.

One thing I learned throughout this process.... photography is expensive.  Muy expensive.  Some of the lenses are more expensive than the actual camera bodies, but an explanation of that madness will have to come at a later time.  For right now, I'm happy with my decision to get a (fairly) basic camera that will still give me room to grow, yet won't totally confuse a tech-granny like myself.  I haven't actually tried it out yet, but I'm sure I'll be posting all sorts of random wannabe-artistic pictures in the near future.  Oh and the camera also has HD video.  Hollaaaa!

I'm registered for a photography class later in the summer, and in case you can't tell, I'm super excited!  Thanks to everyone that has answered my questions, and let me test your cameras out!  Can't wait to give Dean a little spin :)

xoxo,
Olivia

What's The Story, Morning Glory

Last month I posted a recipe for breakfast protein bars.  They turned out pretty well, but just a bit heavier than I like in the morning.  Boo...

Since then, I've been searching for another breakfast option.  Enter Morning Glory Muffins.  I'm a carboholic, so I was pretty sure muffins would be a good option and something I'd actually want to eat in the morning. 

I changed the original recipe slightly -- added in flax seed for fiber (since I couldn't find wheat germ), and used applesauce instead of apple butter, to cut down on the calories.  I also changed some of the flour proportions, based on what reviewers said worked best, and used 1 teaspoon almond butter to thicken the batter.

Disclaimer:  this is an easy recipe, but there are a ton of ingredients.  Don't be intimidated, most of them are affordable and easy to find!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated carrots

1 apple - peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup raisins

1 egg

2 egg whites

1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1 teaspoon almond butter

Reason #4235 I shouldn't be a food blogger... I pretty much forgot to take pictures while making this recipe!

Directions:

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2 - In a medium bow, whist together eggs, egg whites, applesauce, oil and vanilla extract.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ground flax seed, and salt.  Stir in carrots, apples and raisins.  I also added the walnuts directly to the batter, versus using them just on the muffin tops, like the original recipe directed.  Stir in liquid contents from step 2  until moistened. 

It should look something like this:

Step 4 - Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4  of the way full.  I only had a 12 muffin cup pan, so I baked the remaining muffins in a second round. 

Step 5 - Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes (15 minutes was plenty for mine), or until the tops are golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes before removing from muffin pan. 

Taaa-daaa!  The roomie and I both tried one of the muffins, and liked them a lot!  They taste a bit like a cinnamon apple muffin, without much of a hint of the flax and carrot (yay).  I'm planning to take a few to work for breakfast this week, and freeze the rest for a later.  If you like something bready for breaky, I think you'll be satisfied :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend, despite the less than ideal weather here in DC.  I was looking through the Cooper pictures on my computer, and realized I have so many good ones to share... here's another flashback from when he was around 12 weeks old (courtesy of DawgDad):

Aww <3

xoxo,
Olivia

You Are Beautiful

I've read about Operation Beautiful on a few different blogs, and think it's an amazing movement.  Let's face it, everyone has moments when they feel insecure about the way they look...and sometimes a little bit of positive energy can go a long way.  Check out the site to read more about the mission and how to participate!

I came across a great quote from Mother Theresa earlier today, and thought it was perfect for my first Operation Beautiful note.  I posted it inside one of the lockers at my firm's gym:

I have some of my best and worst times at the gym, so maybe this will brighten someone's day. 

xoxo,
Olivia

Down To Earth

Happy Earth Day! I'm not a tree-hugger by any means, but it's great that there's a day devoted to improving the way we treat Mother Earth. After all... if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! 

Confession: I'm pretty much useless when it comes to being green. I really don't recycle, except at work where we have a different recepticle for every item (which confuses me on a daily basis). I also buy a ton of bottled water, and drive to work almost every day eventhough I could take the metro and help save the planet. I get a big fat green F.

Buuut, I looked over the "take action" items that the Earth Day Campaign lists to see how annoying they'd be to try, and they aren't that bad. For example, I already have reusable grocery bags, so I just have to remember to take them with me, and I can also be better about turning off lights and buying environmentally friendly cleaning products. Shopping? Yes, please! I think I'll start with one of those dishwasher safe sponges. Stinky sponges make me gag.

Ohhh and here's a hilarious video that was sent to me today.  This dude is taking up recycling in hopes of earning enough money to buy a Ferrari. Maybe I'll scale back and just go for a pair of Louboutin shoes :)



LOL!  I think I'll stick to my day job.

xoxo,
Olivia

Busy Bee

I'm baaack! I've been slacking on the blogging front... this past week was bananas.

Last week was a short week at work -- I took Thursday and Friday off to head to North Carolina to visit Jill and her family. Cooper joined me for the trip, and had a blast. Jill has two young boys, Max and Ben, who are adorable and kept me on my toes playing soccer and other fun games. We did some shopping while I was down there, and I found a super cute (and affordable) Michael Kors dress that will be perfect for summer events.  It looks black in this picture, but it's actually navy blue and white:

I'm not normally a pattern type of gal, but I'm trying to branch out in the wardrobe department. I also picked up a couple pairs of shoes for work, and some summer tops. I love outlet shopping! I left North Carolina around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night, and got back to Arlington around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday. I know driving at night isn't very safe, but I beat the Sunday traffic and it ended up being a breeze.

Sunday morning the roomie and I had breakfast at IHOP (I'm going to miss that tradition!) and then I headed to IKEA with Jenn to look at some furniture for her apartment. IKEA is like crack to OCD design freaks like myself. There is a ton of awesome stuff and great organizational ideas. I was good and refrained from buying more stuff that I don't need, but Jenn found a cute desk and a small coffee table. Success!

After IKEA I headed into DC to pick up Benji, Ashley and Drew's schnoodle puppy.  Ashley and Drew are in Mexico this week (seriously jealous right now), so I'm taking care of the little one. Cooper and Benji get along pretty well, and spend most of their time play fighting.  Here are the two little trouble makers, taking a brief reprieve:

Yesterday was a Monday of epic proportions. (Rewind... while in North Carolina, I chipped one of my molars. Well... really it just crumbled when I was chewing gum. Gross.) My dentist squeezed me in for a last minute appointment, so between a ton of meetings and catching up on everything I missed while I was out, I also had to leave in the middle of the day to get the tooth squared away.  I thought he would look at it and then make me schedule a time to come back to have it fixed, but before I knew it, I was being given local anesthesia and they were filling in the tooth.  He managed to fix everything up (with some minor antics from me over the needle) and give me a cleaning in an hour and half.  My dentist rocks!  After that, I rallied and went to class at Georgetown, despite having  a numb mouth and lip. I got home around 10:00 p.m. and literally took the dogs out then passed out stone cold. Longest.Monday.Ever. Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but it was just one of  those days!!

Tonight was really the first time I had a chance to slow down. I took advantage of having some time on my hands and made delicious Makhani Chicken (Indian Butter Chicken) for dinner. A year ago I wouldn't have touched Indian food, but now I can't get enough of it.  Taste buds change! 

On the fitness front, I haven't been to the gym in over week. It's going to be interesting getting back into the swing of things. Another few days and I should be clear to start running again. I'm sure there will be some upcoming "I stuck at running" posts.  Oy vey.

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that it's almost May? 

xoxo,
Olivia

Chicken Parmigiano

I was flipping through a People magazine and came across a healthy Chicken Parmesan recipe from Rocco DiSpirito's new book Now Eat This! I usually ignore these recipes, but I love Rocco and this one looked easy and delicious. I gave it a try a few weeks ago using the original recipe, and it turned out great.  Maybe not quite as great as The Pioneer Woman's version, but close, and much more waist-line friendly :)

Since I'm such a hot-shot in the kitchen, I decided to try the recipe again, but change around how the breadcrumbs are used.  Not sure where I get off changing a Master Chef's recipe...but it worked. The steps are below, with pictures to show-off my newly acquired cooking skills. I'm totally ready to go pro!!!

Ingredients:

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thinly sliced or pouded thin)

Nonstick olive oil spray

Extra virgin olive oil

2 cups marinara sauce (I use the Colavita brand, since it's already fairly low-fat)

1 cup drained canned whole plum tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chopped basil

1 cup reduced fat mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (but any parmesan will work)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Salt & pepper

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with olive oil spray. 

Step 2 - Originally, the breadcrumbs were supposed to be sprinkled on top of the dish after everything is cooked, but that weirded me out.  Lightly spray the chicken breasts with olive oil, and dredge them through the breadcrumbs (along with a few dashes of salt and pepper) prior to cooking.  I used a smaller Pyrex dish to do this, but a Ziploc bag would work too.  Don't throw out the leftover breadcrumbs! I used them towards the end to thicken the sauce.

Step 3 - Once the chicken breasts are breaded, heat a grill pan on high, along with a tablespoon of olive oil.  When the grill is hot, cook chicken for about 1.5 minutes per side, until cooked through. 

Step 4 - Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.  Lay breaded and cooked chicken on top of sauce, and spoon the remaining marinara over the chicken.  Top with 1 cup of chopped tomatoes, all of the cheese, and 1/2 cup of basil:

Step 5 - Bake chicken for 10-12 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the dish (it will give the sauce a thicker consistency), and top with fresh basil. 

Wa-la, done!  How easy is that?  I may try to add some onions and garlic in the next batch, but this is already delicious. The original version has approximately 9.5 grams of fat and 350 calories per serving -- not too bad considering that it tastes good and is filling. 

Of course I had to go buy the Now Eat This! book.  I've only flipped through it once, but I'm sure I'll have lots re recipes to share. 

xoxo,

Olivia

Heart Smarts

I tried out the Polar F6 heart rate monitor during last night's gym session.  I'm still trying to figure out all of the settings, but I was able to get the basic functions to work.  Quite a feat since I can't even figure out the stopwatch function on my Timex!

Here's what I think of it, in case anyone is considering getting one for themselves:

Originally, I was concerned about the comfort of the coded transmitter chest strap. They look painful and I was convinced that it would be too small and I would suffocate and die. As it turns out, the strap is super adjustable and elastic, so my sizing paranoia went away. Plus, you can't even feel the transmitter once you put it on (it fits comfortable under a sports bra). The watch itself is only slightly larger than a regular one, so that didn't bother me at all.

Since I was in a partial Thai food coma from dinner, I decided to only do an hour of cardio so that I could test this little do-da out. I hopped on my favorite elliptical (located right under the A/C vent, score) and set it to manual since I wasn't going to use the machine to track my heart rate. After a few minutes, I realized that the elliptical machine was somehow reading my heart rate without me using the heart rate grasps. It must have been able to pickup on what the Polar transmitter was reading. Kinda creepy. Any who, I did a bit over an hour of cardio, and here's how I did (apologies for the shoddy pics):

I'm really happy that I managed to burn 50% from fat, and I purposely slowed down when the watch beeped to tell me I was moving up to a higher zone. So in this respect, I think the watch/hrm should help improve my fitness smarts. One thing that is a bit annoying -- the elliptical machine, which as I mentioned was also tracking my heart rate, said that I burned closer to 940 calories. I'm not all that concerned about the numbers, but still, that's more than a slight discrepancy! Makes me wonder which one is more accurate. 

In other news, look who gave me the stink eye this morning when it was time to get up:

Notice how he's stretched out smack in middle of bed? I usually wake up practically falling off the side because I've been scooted over all night. Divo. 

Other than that, I'm super excited that today is Friday, and that we have nice weekend ahead :) Tomorrow I'm off to Great Falls for a hike, and on Sunday I'm hosting my very first brunch!  I'm already planning a couple of fun recipes to try. Can't wait!

Have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,
Olivia

Beautimus

As crazy as it may sound, it's 90 degrees in DC today. Seriously, I'm in love with this weather. In typical DC fashion, it's going to drop about 30 degrees by Friday, but we'll take what we can get. Sunshine makes me happy :)

Saturday would have be the perfect day to run the J. Brian's 1.5k that I posted about awhile back.  Unfortunately, after a visit to the podiatrist last Friday, I'm on a forced hiatus for a few weeks. I've been having awful shin/ankle pains in my left leg, and after a couple rounds of x-rays, the doc said that it looks like I have a tibia stress fracture.  The good news is that I'm already a couple of weeks into the healing process, so I just have to take another 3-5 weeks off running to let things completely heal.

The podiatrist I visited is a runner, and had lots of good advice for an amateur like myself. I talked about how I've been regularly running and working out, but haven't really seen the results/progress that I would like. He gave me a shpeal about understanding different types of running, and how your body reacts according to intensity levels. For instance, fast and high intensity running won't necessarily mean weight loss (from fat), but can instead burn muscle mass and not do much for endurance (or something along those lines). He recommended that I get a heart rate monitor that will gauge which zone I'm in, and that can help me focus on burning calories from fat vs. training for endurance or speed. Since I'm a sucker for gadgets, I did some research and decided to get a women's Polar HRM watch.  Below is a chart Polar publishes that illustrates the benefits associated with each hearth rate zone (click image to enlarge):

Good to know!  I'm super excited to give my new little gadget a spin once I've got it setup.  While it wasn't cheap, if it helps me workout smarter, it's worth the investment.  Stay tuned....

Other than that, I've been keeping busy at the gym by switching things up between spinning, swimming, and the elliptical, all of which are low impact and thus tibia friendly. Happy tibia = happy O-livia. This Saturday I'll be going for a hike with JB instead of the race, so that will be fun and great exercise.  Plus, more fun in the sun!  Love.

xoxo,
Olivia

Dog Days

I took Cooper to the Shirlington Dog Park this morning to see the rest of the DMV French Bulldog Meetup Group.

When we first got there, there were only a few pugs and one other Frenchie, a cream boy named Sampson.  A bunch more Frenchies eventually showed up, but as usual, Cooper found his Boston Terrier friend, Cleveland, and they just had their own private playdate without including any others. 

It's hard to catch Cooper in action because he's so all over the place, but I did my best:

Greetings!

Distracted.

Action!

All smiles.  No wonder people call them clown dogs!

The pack.

Boston connection.

This pretty much sums things up.

Cooper was pooped afterwards and used the rest of the afternoon to catch up on some Zzzzz. Here's a picture of him napping from when he was 10 weeks old. Totally melts my heart :) 

Happy Easter!

xoxo,
Olivia

Dirt Off My Shoulders

Remember a few weeks back when I posted about my 30-day challenge? Well, it's officially April and here's a recap of how it went:

Goal 1 - Workout 4+ times a week (mix between cardio and weight training/BodyPump)

Hhhm, I'll give myself a flat B on this one -- better than in previous months, but still plenty of room to improve.

As you all have heard (probably more than you want!).... at the beginning of the month I was attempting to train for my first 8K race, which had me at the gym 5-6 days a week. I got into a bit of rut, but with some assurance from friends and family, I pushed through it. The Friday before the 8k, I pulled a muscle in my leg. Efff. I was still determined to run the race, so I did. Looking back on it, probably not the best idea, but I needed to run it for my own sanity.

I took a week off from exercising after the race (my body was creaky, and I'm still having some shin/ankle issues), and now I'm back on my routine of going to the gym around 4-5 days a week. No running until I go to the doctor to have my left leg looked at, but I've been mixing things up between lower-impact activities like swimming, spinning and the elliptical. Unfortunately, I get an F on weight training. I only did two BodyPump classes during March and barely touched any free weights. Oops.

I've (maybe) toned down a little bit, but I'm mostly happy about feeling stronger and more energetic. The focus for the rest of the spring will be to heal and start running again, and to build more strength training into my workouts.

Goal 2 - Eat a healthy breakfast everyday
Goal 3 - Pack breakfast and/or lunch 3+ days a week

B+!! This is probably where I've improved the most, which is awesome since I pretty much hate breakfast and I usually like going out for lunch to avoid being stuck inside the office all day. But, packing food for the day really helps with sticking to a routine. I now bring my breakfast and lunch into work around 3-4 days a week -- usually a Greek yogurt mess or some Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal for breakfast, and a sandwich and fruit for lunch. If you haven't tried Kashi Honey Sunshine, do! It's like a healthy but delicious version of Waffle Crisp. YUM.

Goal 4 - Get 7+ hours of sleep a night

Probably a B-. I'm doing a little better, but some nights I'm still up way too late and miserable the next day because of it (thank you, grad school). I've also had this weird pattern of waking up around 4:00 a.m. and not being able to fall back to sleep. That's just once and awhile, but it still throws me off. On days when I do get a full night's rest -- I'm so much happier! I'm going to keep working on this goal and hope that I eventually get into a good pattern.

******************

Well that's the jist of it.  Not too bad for a first time challenge!

OOH, I have something fun to report. Since I've promised to try and be less vanilla and more adventurous, I took the plunge and cut my hair a few days ago. 6+ inches, gone! I now have a A-line bob, which people tell me is cute, but I'm still getting used to it.  It looks kinda like Ashley Green's style below, but a tad bit shorter:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What do you think?  My hair has been my security blanket over the past couple of years, and I just wanted something more fun and less high maintenance. I think once I get used to it, I'll love it.  The first time working out with it was not cute. Too short to pull up, but too long to not bother me.  I think I need to buy some of those elastic headbands?
 
BTW, I'm planning to post some healthy but really good recipes I've experimented with over the past few weeks.  I'll get to that ASAP since I know a couple of people have already asked me to post them and I've been slacking.
 
Happy April! 
 
xoxo,
Olivia