Category Archives: Health

bridal plan dinner idea

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Morning everyone!

Have you gotten a chance to see my bridal plan? The plan includes (a very vague) description of how I plan to eat and workout from now until my wedding.

From now on, I will provide examples of my meals and snacks, as well as workouts. So even if you aren’t heading down the aisle anytime soon, join me in my plan to tone up and get healthy!

DSC02082Last night’s dinner: pecan crusted chicken, quinoa, lightly roasted zucchini.

Looks fancy, but it came together in a flash. The chicken is already “crusted” and ready to bake in your oven (from Whole Foods), quinoa was cooked in vegetable broth for added flavor (needed sea salt too), and the zucchini is cut in half, drizzled in olive oil, topped with sea salt and cracked pepper and thrown into the oven for 10-15 mins at 375.

My favorite part of the meal was the quinoa. This superfood couldn’t be more satisfying.

Before dinner came one of my runs of the week. Ryan and I did a tempo run for 4 miles (1 mi warmup, 2 mi a decent pace, 1 mi recovery) and then walked 1 mile home. Total 5 miles.

Breakfast this morning is a green smoothie– handful spinach + kale mix, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, 1 scoop Juice Plus Complete, enough coconut water to get it all mixed up.

Workout ideas coming next!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Healthy Smoothie Breakfasts

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Hi guys,

Before I get to the smoothie, I want to say my heart is feeling heavy this morning. My heart goes out to anyone and everyone involved in the Boston bombings that happened yesterday afternoon. When you hear “Pray for Boston,” remember to actually take a moment and say a quick prayer for all who have been affected by this horrific event.

That being said, I want to move on to a healthy breakfast idea. A tropical green smoothie!

DSC01832You can really make several variations of green smoothies, but lately, this has been my favorite combination. Full of plant-based protein (Juice Plus Complete), potassium, iron and probiotics. And it’s a salad in a smoothie!

DSC01829Tropical Green Smoothie

2 handfuls baby spinach

3 Tb plain Greek yogurt

1.5-2 cups frozen mango (or fruit of your choice)

1 scoop Juice Plus Complete (protein powder)

Coconut Water (enough to get things moving)

DSC01830Blend it up! Be sure to put the spinach in first!

Next up is the bridal eating and exercising plan! I’m less than 8 weeks away, and I have a plan even non-brides will want to follow! Be on the lookout for it!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Training Day 2

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Good morning!

…and welcome back to work or school. This morning was really hard for me to wake up and feel like doing anything. But once I hit the gym, got my blood pumpin, I was ready to start being productive. I even typed out my grocery list on my phone while I was exercising. 2 birds 1 stone.

Training Day #2 is 30-40 mins of cross training. I did 25 mins on the elliptical, then I got bored and switched to incline interval speed walking. Just trying to up the endurance! Tonight I will be doing 1 hour of vinyasa yoga.

After the sweat session, it was time for protein. Although it didn’t sound that appealing because I had the same smoothie yesterday, I knew my body needed it. (1 scoop chocolate Complete + 1 TB almond butter + 1 banana + handful ice + almond milk).

Creamy and delicious. I am trying to use up the last 2 cans of chocolate protein powder before the month’s end (before expiration), so tonight I might try to make chocolate protein balls. We shall see if I have enough energy.

Another exciting part about training for a race? New gear! I headed into Luke’s Locker and left with lots of new stuff.

I’ve read a lot about compression socks, and I think it’s going to be a good idea especially for my Saturday long distance runs. They were $60 just for one pair. You read that right.

It’s quite a project to get them on, but once they’re up, they help keep the muscles warm and promote blood flow while preventing injuries. With 8 months til my wedding (eeeee!) I can’t afford an injury in my future. Not sure how cute these are going to look, but I promise I’ll get a photo of me in them up here sometime.

New Saucony running shoes!! I loved the service at Luke’s Locker and the close attention to detail. I tried on about 4 pairs starting with the least amount of support to greatest amount. I explained to the sales guy that I had surgery on my foot almost 9 months ago (can you believe that much time has passed?!) so I needed something with support. He had me running around the store (literally) and although I felt like an idiot, he was able to evaluate the way my foot strikes at each step, leading us to this shoe!

If you have a Luke’s Locker near you, I highly recommend it.

I also purchased a few pairs of running shorts–an especially cute cut by North Face. That’s it for now. More food photos in the next post!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Whole Foods shopping cart

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Before I show you what was in my little shopping cart at Whole Foods, you must watch this video.

Ok, now that you’ve been enlightened, you will never look at the WF parking lot the same way.

I am very interested in what people buy at the grocery store. Even the checkout lady will ask me what I’m going to make with certain ingredients. I think it’d be interesting to see what everyone buys. So here’s my latest shopping load full of summer staples.

Yes this is for ONE girl. It’ll last me about a week if I cook every meal at home. From the left we have my produce. Summer produce is the best. Bananas (huge), nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes, Texas heirloom tomatoes, avocado and zucchini. I find that when I fill my fridge with the good stuff, I only eat fresh produce.

Continuing, we have chicken and turkey, and these whole grain sandwich thins that make things a whole lot easier.

I ended up making a sandwich right after I got home, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Moving across my WF loot, I also picked up some plain Voskos. My favorite Greek yogurt for delicious berry and oat bowls in the morning. A dozen eggs because eggs are great on just about everything, cranberry juice and coco water.

And my packaged items. I love this Near East couscous, so I decided to get the WF brand lemon & herb flavored as well. I love treating it like rice and adding grilled veggies and sometimes an egg too. And the Stubb’s BBQ sauce, honey pecan. I’ve never tried this kind, but I can’t wait to marinate and grill chicken with it.

Finally, my favorite almond butter. Mmmm.

After leaving WF hungrier than ever, I put together this little (big) lunch:

Fresh produce special of the day. Turkey, spinach, heirloom tomato, avocado. Side of fresh nectarine slices. It was heavenly.

There’s nothing quite like fresh avocado.

What would you make with all those groceries? Today’s lunch was a HUGE salad.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

What I Ate Wednesday: eat the rainbow edition

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Happy WIAW everyone! So happy to be participating again this week.

This week’s WIAW is actually what I ate today (Wednesday), not my eats from yesterday or last week. Today. See? I’m getting better about posting now that I have a routine.

Is there anything more glorious than a big bowl of fresh fruit, yogurt & raw oats first thing in the morning? How about with the sun coming in? Taking this photo made me happy. Eating this bowl made me satisfied.

This bowl of plain Greek yogurt + peaches + strawberries + blueberries + bananas + raw oats kept me full for 4 hours or more. It was so delicious, I can’t wait to go to bed tonight so I can wake up and do the same thing tomorrow. Am I weird?

When lunch rolled around, I wasn’t that hungry, but decided to take advantage of my fridge full of fresh produce. I find that when I fill my fridge with the rainbow, I eat all that produce, and love it more than a usual sandwich lunch. This bowl contains a bed of arugula + spinach, sautéed yellow tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, fresh sliced avocado and a fried egg. A little bit of everything, I guess. It was yummmm.

Have a great evening everyone!

Bon Appétit,
That Foodie Girl

roasted brussels sprouts, fried egg and chocolate cake

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Step 1: Slice brussels sprouts in half, place on baking sheet, drizzle coconut oil, salt & pepper. Roast for 10 mins on 400 degrees, flipping over half way through.

Step 2: Fry 1 egg, place over brussels, poke yolk to let the egg run.

There you have it! Roasted brussels sprouts with fried egg and the natural egg yolk sauce. For some of you, you may be repulsed. But for other egg lovers out there–you know this is the good stuff.

I had seen this particular dish on food blogs and fit blogs and I knew I had to try it. It was filling and nutritious. My other dish last night was a baked sweet potato topped with plain Greek yogurt and a dusting of cinnamon. I usually roast my sweet potatoes and dip them in ketchup, so I thought this would be a new fun way to enjoy sweet potatoes. For some reason, this way was much too sweet for me, I could only take a few bites, then threw the rest out. BUMMER.

So it was dessert time. I made a 3 min chocolate cake in a mug!

I found this recipe in an US magazine while getting my toes done. I would have cooked this in the microwave for only 2 minutes as this ended up being too dry.

Have you ever made a chocolate cake for 1?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Breakfast meets dinner

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Good morning foodies! How are you? It’s almost 9:30am and I’m finally getting into a working-from-home routine.

It’s nice to work from home for many reasons, but one of the downsides is being so close to the kitchen…I have found myself “hungry” more than the usual amount. But! I get to eat healthy meals that I make for myself and just eat when I’m hungry. I was reading an article in Women’s Health last night about how many people eat at their set meal times when they’re not even hungry. It’s much better to eat when your stomach is asking for it, and this includes snacks.

Last night at 9pm my stomach was finally ready for dinner…errr…breakfast. So breakfast for dinner it was! This was so easy to throw together and so filling and nutritious. This is the best looking omelet I’ve ever made so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph it. Sprinkled on top is Daiya vegan cheese, inside is bell pepper and zucchini, 2 eggs.

Sides were slightly toasted Seeduction bread (from Whole Foods) with a bit of Earth Balance spread, sautéed leftover zucchini and bell pepper that didn’t make it into the omelet and blueberries for my sweet tooth.

Do you like to eat breakfast for dinner? Waffles? Pancakes? Eggs? I think eggs are great for any meal…

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

WIAW: I’m finally back!

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I haven’t been a part of What I Ate Wednesday in several MONTHS, and now I’m finally here, but going along with the “Sensible Snacking” theme, I just have random snacks over the past week to share with you.

First off, thanks Jen for hosting this, as it’s so much fun to make new foodie friends!

First off, I cut up a “personal watermelon” that yielded this giant container FULL of watermelon. It’s a great snack during the summertime–I’m so bad about drinking enough water in a day, so sometimes I’ll catch myself eating watermelon instead of drinking water. Priorities.

The other night I made this baby kale salad marinated in Cindy’s balsamic dressing topped with farmer’s market fresh yellow tomatoes and cracked pepper. I can finally say I like kale salad–because I soaked it for 30 mins in the fridge, it really made all the difference. This salad was so refreshing and there’s nothing better than fresh (and brightly colored) produce.

I got this kombucha at a little flea market near my house in Austin. I can’t remember the name of the company, but they have several flavors of kombucha on tap. That’s right, kombucha on tap. It was new to me, and I loved sampling a bunch. I ended up getting the pineapple super greens mix. You fill yours up in a jar and bring it back for a refill at a lower price. That’s what I call eco friendly!

Going along with the drinks, because it’s so hot here in Texas, sometimes snacks are best when cold and in liquid form. These smoothies are from Whole Foods. Don’t you love the rainbow of smoothies? I had the green smoothie–pineapple & spinach. (are you sensing a trend?)

What are YOU snacking on these days? If you would like to join this foodie party or maybe just check out what everyone is snacking on, head over to http://www.peasandcrayons.com

Bon Appétit,
That Foodie Girl

Austin rocks. pub crawler, above salon, farmers market and more

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Good evening foodie people!

This is Lake Austin. AKA my backyard when I’m home in Austin. This is why we need to catch up now. Being by the lake for a week made it difficult to get much of anything done. It was a nice relaxing week.

I enjoyed lots of awesome food, good workouts, walking around 2nd street and much more. Here’s a snapshot of me next to a store on 2nd enjoying an iced almond milk latte from Jo’s.

I couldn’t resist the swing. After that, my mom enjoyed lunch at one of my favorite healthy lunch places of all-time: Leaf. The world’s greatest salad bar.

2nd Street is always bustling now that it’s been built up quite a bit in the past few years (including the new W Hotel). I had an encounter with the “Pub Crawler” which I definitely need to try out sometime soon. You actually help pedal as you enjoy a beverage around the streets of Austin. Could it get any better than that?

I also got a haircut at the new Above Salon with the lovely Jessica. She brought mimosa materials to celebrate my engagement. It was so sweet. And I never say no to a mimosa.

And finally, last Sunday, my mom and I went to a mini flea market/ farmers market near my house in Lakeway. I was surprised to find a really cute completely organic farmers market where we purchased some purple potatoes.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Whether your plans are no plans at all or you’re packing your weekend full of activities, enjoy it.

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

Vegan Week Welcome

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Now that both my parents are vegan and so is my brother and his girlfriend, I began to question, what’s the big deal? What’s so great about being vegan? So before heading out to Mexico, I went on a weeklong diet of being what I consider “good” and “healthy.” Basically, I avoided refined sugars, ate as many fruits and veggies as possible and steered away from simple carbs. After coming back from Mexico and having a few nights of clearing my head, I decided it was time to go all out and try to be vegan for at least a week.

I headed straight for Whole Foods, and went straight for the fresh veggies, fruit and meat replacement section. Practically skipping away with my seitan, soy-free Italian “sausages” and more, I did shed a few tears when I walked by the cheese section with my hand over my eyes. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but this girl loves her cheese.

Although I only plan on being vegan for a week, I’m sure I might change my mind in the future. You haven’t lost me completely, but I am on to this whole vegan thing.

Here are some highlights of my Day 2.5 of being vegan:

My breakfast: this bar + a tangelo + a banana
The bar claims to be peanut butter chocolate chip, but I didn’t find a single chocolate chip.

My lunch: my rainbow salad
Organic Girl super greens + honey crisp apple + carrots + bell pepper + cucumber
-hummus & pita chips

My dessert:

Sprinkle’s Cupcakes vegan red velvet cupcake. I had to try it. It was so delicious, I’d go as far as to say it’s better than the real deal. They used coconut as a replacement, and I’m not sure what else. All I know is it was awesome.

I’m feeling lighter, healthier and fuller after smaller portioned meals. So far so good.

Stay tuned for more vegan updates, follow me on Twitter @thatfoodiegrl (without the i) and become a fan of That Foodie Girl on Facebook.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl