Recipes, Cravings and Books...... OH MY!

This post is about no particular subject, just things I have learned in the past week or so. Sorry for the delay in posts, but i'm back on track!

Me and my sister have started making our dinners and protein sources (chicken, quinoa, etc.) for the week all on sunday so there is no temptation to get take out or skip dinner and snack around on unhealthy things. Dinner is usually the hardest meal because we both make our lunches the night before and by the time work is over, the last thing that's on your mind is coming home and spending an hour in the kitchen cooking! We have been choosing 2 recipes and making 3 servings of each (leaving one dinner for a 'cheat meal'). Here are just a couple of the recipes we have been using.

Romaine Lettuce Wraps (1 serving)

1/4 cup (Chopped) of: tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms

1 cup chopped chicken (cooked)

1 tbs chopped mint 

1 tbs chopped cilantro

1 tbs sesame seed oil

1/2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs feta cheese

2 leaves romaine

sautee the tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, chicken, mint and cilantro in a pan with the tbs of olive oil. once sauteed, add sesame seed oil and let simmer for a couple minutes. Split on two leaves of romaine and enjoy!

With this recipe, I trippled the recipe and put it in 3 zip lock baggies so I can just grab them and throw them in the pan!

Chicken Orzo Salad (3 servings)

• 6 oz uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 3 cup chicken
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved 
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper 
• 1/2 cup prechopped red onion 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil  
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. 2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. 3. Combine vinegar, oil, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

This recipe is better when you make more than one serving because there is less waste as far as the veggies. This recipe is good either hot or cold! I made 3 servings worth and put it in a tupperware and a serving (cooked) is a cup so I just scooped a cup for dinner each time and there ya go!

There is a recipe i'm going to try tomorrow that involves using chickpeas and other ingredients to make a desert that tastes like cookie dough.... i'll report on that tomorrow because if I could have that to curb my sweet tooth that would be fabulous! It sucks to do so well in the gym and ruin it with sweets!

Speaking of cravings..... I found this (via pinterest.....DUH!) and this is a good tool to use for cravings. This evening I was craving a Diet Coke and so I found it on this chart... luckily, it says sesame was something that could curb it and it just happened to be an ingredient in my dinner. By the time I ate and drank some water.... no more craving for Diet coke!

I'm going to print this out and stick it on my fridge for future reference! 

On to another subject......

Chocolate Milk after workouts??

This subject was brought to me by my friend Katie. She has started a running program and heard that chocolate milk is the best thing to have post workout/run. I actually got forwarded an email from the NSCAA about the benefits of chocolate milk after a workout or run. This is copied from WedMd:

 Drinking low-fat chocolate milk after a workout helps endurance, builds muscle, reduces fat, and seems to improve performance, according to new research.

The drink seems to have the right combination of carbohydrates and protein says researcher John L. Ivy, PhD, department chair of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin.

"When recovering from exercise, two things you want to do is replenish sugar stores in the muscle and turn on protein synthesis and stop protein breakdown," Ivy tells WebMD.

"The combination of carbohydrate and protein [found in chocolate milk] work synergistically to do those two things," 

There is actually an entire WEBSITE about the benefits of chocolate milk! It is a great resource and if you have a couple minutes you should check it out! Chocolate milk is far less in price AND its good for adults and children!  here is the website: http://www.refuelwithchocolatemilk.com/

And for a final subject......

I'm reading 'Born to Run'

I haven't gotten very far, but from what i've read so far and heard from others, it is a must read for any runner of ANY distance. It has been a long time since i've read a book for pleasure. My boyfriend John read this and has gotten back into running just for the LOVE of running, not for time or distance. It has made an impact on him because he is much more relaxed when he goes out for a run and concentrates on how much he enjoys it and how blessed he is to be able to run..... instead of focusing on time and distance. I have gotten back into running but I thought this would be a good extra motivator! I will keep updates on how i'm liking the book.... so far so good!

Eat healthy, live happy :)

Lindsay