Breakfast, Lunch, Where is dinner?

It is pretty safe to say my Friday this week was tinged with some Monday highlights. WOW! I thought I'd get in some simple tasks, a few big meals, and some nice craftitng. What I ended up with was plenty of simple tasks, a few larger tasks, and some unexpected add on bonus events. Meals were small and I missed one somehow. Crafting? There was some of that cardio-knitting stuff and some evening catch up knitting on a pair of socks. The cardio-knitting progress was small. Not enough to see a big difference. Just a few rounds walking back and forth to the gym. The second sock however is quite obvious. I was 2 inches from the heel turn yesterday morning. I finished up the gusset, turned the heel and made it through an inch of the leg.

Breakfast was fast. I had errands to run before heading out to the gym. Grilled pattypan squash and chicken sausage. 

Morning snack was 1/8 of a fresh cantaloupe and 1/2 ounce of cheese. Lunch was late. Remember I had a few added tasks. I sauteed pattypan squash, roasted a chicken breast and had arugula salad with it. I decided to have some gluten free blue cheese dressing with it because the meal was lacking in healthy fats. 

And this is where the day fell apart. I needed to move forward and plan dinner. I needed to get on with meal prep instead of get caught up in miscellaneous stuff that didn't progress my day. There was an apple and a few nuts. Then at 9:30 I realized I was hungry. Not the kind of hungry that is really thirsty. No I realized I forgot about dinner. YIKES!! I really wanted a salad and a bit of protein. Yes. I am one of the weird people in the world that craves salad and can be happy with one for breakfast or for a late night snack. I didn't have salad. There is another story explaining why I had not purchased groceries. I'll save that one for tomorrow. What did I do? I had purchased shrimp from the coast. I steamed it up with Old Bay seasoning. We ate peel and eat shrimp at 10 pm. It tasted wonderful. It was lacking the cold beer that came with late night peel and eat shrimp in my early 30s. 

The moral here? Plan meals and eat meals. Be flexible in your day so you have food available when last minute or forgotten appointments change your meal plan. 

Beautiful Yarn!

Oh the day that was Wednesday. Breakfast was creative. I had that black bean and corn salad still. I wanted hot food. I hadn't put any dressing on it so I decided to saute it up and have turkey bacon with it. Protein and veggies or sort of veggies anyway.

Lunch was roasted zucchini and pulled turkey. The apple was more a desert thing since I ate it after the meal.

Dinner was almost gone by the time I remembered I needed a picture! I sauteed the rest of the corn and black bean salad with a yellow squash. and added sliced chicken breast to it. I had it over a bed of arugula and topped it with pumpkin seeds.

Thursday morning I had a Bengi workout. I ate an apple and had a coffee. I took a meal into the gym to eat after the workout. I remembered the picture an hour later! What did I eat? I diced a sweet potato and sliced up a chicken andouille sausage. I put these on a lightly oiled pan and put it under the broiler for 15 minutes to cook the sweet potato. It was quite tasty. 

Lunch? A skillet meal of course! First I sauteed half an onion and half a pound of ground turkey in olive oil. Then I added one small diced sweet potato, one ear of fresh corn cut from the cob, one can of black beans drained and rinsed well. I have a spicy Mexican meat rub that I've been using for flavor lately. It is some obscure thing I found. I will do my best to start using seasonings that are replaceable. The base however is chili powder and cumin. I believe it has coffee in it. It sure smells like it. 

Dinner was spectacular! Sauteed pattypan squash! YUM!! I also had fresh tuna brought from the coast. I sear that. I coat with sea salt and cracked pepper before searing on a hot griddle for a few minutes each side. The salad? I have a kale salad I like to make. It goes through many incarnations based on the availability of ingredients. This one was dinosaur kale chopped fine, 2 tbs finely chopped scallion, 1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, and an ounce of grated Romano cheese. The salad dressing was 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 tbs white balsamic vinegar. It really is one of my favorite foods! The sliced pear was intended as garnish but added fabulous flavor!

Crafting? Oh yes! There has been spinning progress! I have been walking and knitting. First the sock. I'm not walking very far. Only enough to do a couple of rounds. I have thought I should start walking the long way and adding in 1/2 a mile. I would also have to leave earlier for work and it is rather warm in the afternoon. Maybe I'll just start plopping myself down on the bike more often and getting in some serious cardio knitting. 

Spinning though. I have completed 17 ounces of wool! I had an issue last night. My flyer (this is one of the vital parts of the spinning wheel) malfunctioned. That is to say it separated and spins where it should be still. I recently watched the Lego Movie. I know that Everything is Awesome in the world. This was not awesome. I thought that if Kragle worked so well on the Legos it might work on my flyer. Here it is being held down by two of my cast iron pans. It stayed this way overnight in hopes that setting the glue would work.

It did work. It worked long enough to finish the last ounce of spinning and the plying of the final yarn. Then it started spinning where it should be still again. The wheel is 44 years old. I'm feeling like it might be indicating this is its last yarn. I'll share the yarn a day early. You deserve it after that horror story. I now have 540 yards of yarn. I'm not sure what pattern I'll be using but I know I'll be knitting up a vest for Kam. It is her request. I like it when she requests my hand knit items!

Sunday Runday!

Sunday is normally a long run day in my world. The last few Sundays however have not included a long run. Yesterday Kam and I went out for 6.5 miles through the neighborhoods. Our intention was to be running before 9 so we caught the last of the chilly morning air. Unfortunately we missed that mark by an hour. It was 10 when we headed out. By 11 the sun was really warm and I was not enjoying myself any longer. At the end of our run we stopped by the house and picked up the dogs for a nice walk around the block...another 3/4 of a mile around the block. They were happy and we were so hungry it was no longer funny.

What to eat before a 6 mile run? I usually have coffee and nuts if I am running in the morning. Eating and running are not a good combination for me. I had an ounce of walnuts, half a cup of fresh blueberries, and a cup of coffee. During the run I had a serving of Gu Chomps, Peach Tea is my favorite flavor. I had plenty of water. Hydration is important during a run. After the run though real food was priority. Breakfast was perfect! Eggs and bacon over top fresh spinach greens with a bit of pepper Gouda on top.

I spent a bit of time out in the front yard spinning yarn. It was so refreshing. I had my audio book going and a lovely iced coffee to sip. Before I knew it I had spent 2 hours out there. The yarn I spun was 110 yards long. It is starting to look promising!

Then I relocated to a friend's pool. Well, not her own pool but one that is on the property where her house is. I took knitting for the poolside entertainment. I even managed to get through most of the gusset on this sock! It was quite an afternoon of crafting in public.

After the pool we went to her deck for a snack. Guacamole and carrots. I would much prefer to have chips and guac but I'm not eating chips right now. Carrots are just as good a vehicle as chips for moving guac to the belly. They also have more fiber, more nutrients, and less processed carbs. So carrots win over chips right now. 

Dinner? Oh yeah. We had some of that too. Funny thing about running days, we are always at least one meal down. We burn extra calories and rarely find the time to replace them. Dinner was a version of Mexican salad. Spinach and arugula in the bowl first, then seasoned black beans, then seasoned browned ground turkey. I topped this with a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds. Then topped it all off with a tablespoon of fresh salsa, two table spoons of fresh guacamole, some green olives, and a slice of fresh mozzarella. It was quite satisfying! 

How to Survive a National Holiday

Friday was Independence Day here in the United States. Traditionally this is not the healthiest food holiday. Hot dogs and hamburgers, chips and cupcakes are popular menu items. I think we can safely say I might now eat a hamburger on a green salad but the remainder are not on my list of consumable foods. With a large country family potluck in the plans for Friday Night Dinner I had to make some fast plans!

Breakfast was interesting. Turkey bacon for protein, roasted sweet potatoes for the veggie carb, fresh apple for the raw enzymes, and peanut butter for healthy fat. Covered all the bases but was a bit odd with the mixed tastes.

Lunch before we hit the road was fresh salad (baby kale), rotisserie chicken breast, grilled squash, and green olives. 

Then we hit the road for our close to 2 hour drive. I snapped a picture of the sock progress just before we left the driveway. 

We landed alongside a beautiful river. I sat and knit for hours. Here is a shot of the next sock. I finished the toe and started to surf left while riding. 

'

My total progress on the new sock? Huge!

My afternoon snack was simple. Just an apple with a bit of goat cheese.

Dinner was classic picnic. If by classic picnic you mean chicken salad on baby kale, chickpea and roasted eggplant salad, dilled yellow and zucchini squash, cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. 

On the drive home we were a bit snackish. We had to stop for gas. Silly car was a bit hungry too. It is hard to find snacks on the road when you are eating a clean diet. Fortunately we live in the southeast. Roasted and salted peanuts are always available. I was sure to portion out a serving size and stick with it. How much is a serving size? About 3/4 of a cup.

Saturday was a bright new day! I woke with a great idea! I have some de-cluttering to get done. There is too much stuff in the house. It has been bothering me for quite some time. I woke with the idea that I could "shop" through the stuff and "buy" only what I wanted. Everything else needed to leave the house and go to one of three locations, a local thrift shop, a friend's home, or the garbage bin. What a fabulous idea! I started the day with a good breakfast (brunch really because I was super tired and slept late). Remember I'm not a huge fan of the classic eggs for breakfast. We had grilled steak, kale green salad, sauteed squash, and the healthy fat was a nice clean dressing for the salad. I was all fueled up and ready to tackle the day.

I spent three hours shopping in my crafting area. I packed up two boxes to mail out. I collected items for a third box. Kam and I sorted through the miscellaneous kitchen stuff that has been collecting on the back porch. We eliminated 2 boxes of kitchen items and two more boxes of clothing. We dropped it all off at one of the thrift stores and headed to the grocery store. When we returned we made ourselves lunch. Turkey burgers with melted pepper Gouda on top of baby spinach with fresh guacamole and slices of jicama. It was perfect! We had fresh blueberries with walnuts and cream for desert. 

Kam fixed dinner. It made me smile! She reheated the remaining steak and made a fresh caprese salad. She was very sweet and thought I would like sliced cabbage with gluten free blue cheese dressing on it. I think it is better with Italian dressing. I ate it anyway though. When you are making this many meals for yourself you will eat what someone makes for you and be happy with it. 

While I was shopping I came up with a plan. I found this amazing amount of fiber. The white is a fleece I washed and started carding myself. The dark blue is a braid I was given but was partially felted during the dyeing process and couldn't spin as it was so I had already carded it once. The light green is alpaca I purchased at the fiber festival a few years ago. It is not long staple but very pretty. The turquoise blue is coltswold I found that same year at the fiber festival. The green and yellow braid is one I purchased from a friend who no longer has an online store. That one is not wool but faux cashmere, nylon! My idea? To card up batts out of this for spinning.

The batts are beautiful. I have over a pound of fiber to spin up. I was fascinated by it as I spun!

The resulting yarn has a nice art quality to it. This is only the first skein. It is 100 yards. I am hoping for 4-500 yards for the total basket. 

Midweek Crazies!

Thursday was busy. Many clients, my own workout, and the random business that is life. With all that I neglected to post my Wednesday meals. Sorry. Wednesday was just as busy as Thursday. I woke super hungry and by the time I remembered I needed a picture of my breakfast it was already in my stomach. Not to worry. It wasn't fancy or full of extensive complicated recipes. Just a basic turkey burger with a green salad. A rather large turkey burger because I was super hungry and needing the protein for recovery from my Tuesday workout.

I made a one pot lunch that covered lunch and an afternoon snack. I like one pot meals for the ease of clean up. This one was similar to chili. Kam wanted to know what I called it. It really isn't chili but close so I told her it was Whitish Chili. It stuck. How did I make it? Sliced scallion, jalapeno pepper and garlic sauteed in coconut oil. When they were almost cooked through I added 3/4 of a pound of ground turkey to it (remember I had that burger in the morning so there wasn't a full pound). After that was browned I added diced zucchini squash, fresh corn cut off the cob and cannellini beans. I used 2 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of oregano and 1 tsp of thyme. To give moisture I added in a cup of water then covered and cooked until the squash was done.

After work I sliced up squash, cabbage and Italian sausage. I drizzled it with olive oil and put it on jelly roll pan in a single layer. I roasted it at 430 for 20 minutes. Simple all one dish cooking and satisfied all my veggie and protein needs. I had a bit of a sweet tooth so after I had an apple with peanut butter. 

Thursday morning was my second kettle bell workout with Bengi. I started my day with an Awake shot and an ounce of walnuts. I'm doing my workout first thing in the morning but really need to eat before I workout. A full breakfast would make me sick so I'm opting for a simple snack like meal. 

After workout I tossed veggies and chicken into the oven while I showered. I had less than an hour between the end of my workout and my next client. I had to make every minute count. 

Lunch was 4 oz of steak under the broiler and 2 cups of fresh kale. 

My snack was a fresh pear and an ounce of Brazil nuts.

After work Kam and I enjoyed a late night meal. I made bison turkey bacon burgers. I chopped up the bacon, some scallions and parsley. I mixed this all in with the ground bison and fried them in a pan in coconut oil. I think they were the best tasting burgers I've had in forever.  

Knitting progress? Wednesday I went to the laundromat...long story there...and knit on the Stitch Surfer socks. Thursday I managed lots of cardio knitting. I walked to and from the gym quite a few times. I had a client do a no-show on me so I spent half an hour on the bike knitting. Then I spent a bit of time in the evening knitting. It all totaled up to almost a complete sock. Here is the sock "knit in the wild" while cardio knitting.

And here it is just before I picked it up again yesterday.

Visitors!

Yesterday was one crazy day in the gym! Bengi (my son who is one of our trainers here at The Fire) arrived at 6:10 am to train his 6:30 group class. He was surprised by two raccoons! They had dropped into the gym through one of the office ceiling tiles. He tried to get them out. They were spooked of course. One hid in the bathroom and the other tried to climb the wall at the other end of the gym. They were finally trapped into the bathroom while someone was called to come catch them. Those clever things climbed out of the bathroom! They stood on the hot water heater and popped out through the ceiling tiles! There is a live trap set up where they entered. One was caught this morning and we hope the other will be trapped by tomorrow. It did make for a crazy stressful day though. That is my excuse for not posting my Sunday meals. I think it is good enough.

Sunday morning breakfast? I started with apple, yogurt and chopped nuts. Then I had steamed spinach (two cups but wow does it "melt" when it is steamed) and turkey bacon. Lots of protein here!

Lunch was roasted purple potatoes, wedge salad, raw sugar snap peas, and a bit of grass fed steak. I love potatoes. I rarely buy them. I know exactly why I don't bring them into the house! I had them 3 times in 48 hours! Talk about no self control!

Dinner was different. My younger son and his wife joined us for dinner. We chose to do take out from a local noodle shop. Not the best choice for me. Mari likes it though and I wanted to go with one of her favorites. I needed to make a better choice from the menu. I chose Thai Basil Noodles. They are rice noodles with chicken, veggies, and basil. It is spicy and yummy. It is not glycemically balanced. I was hungry soon after and very sleepy.

For a late night extra meal I had flash grilled salmon on a bed of spinach. Then half an apple with a spoon of yogurt and walnuts. This helped curb the incredible hunger.

Monday's meals were a bit more on track! Except of course for the excessive use of potatoes. sigh  Breakfast was chicken breast, roasted potatoes, spinach and fresh sliced tomato. It held me for a couple of hours in the gym then I needed a snack. 

Snack time? Apple and peanut butter fix! The dogs really wanted me to share. I didn't. I was hungry.

Lunch was a bit late since my snack was late. It is funny how those late meals keep getting later as the day goes by. Kam and I shared the last of her iceberg kick, a beautiful avocado, roasted broccoli, and a bison burger. 

We were at the gym until late. Dinner was very late. In a perfect world I'm done eating by 7:30. Yesterday I was sitting down to a meal at 8:30. Oh well. It was tasty. I roasted up the last of the potatoes. Thank goodness those potatoes are gone. They kept taunting me. I split a chicken breast butterfly style and coated it with basil and thyme then broiled it. I had fresh sliced tomatoes and organic radish slices as a salad. Then followed it up with an pear topped with yogurt and nutmeg.

And what about the knitting? On Sunday I reached the 75% mark on a big project. I started in April knitting 8 pair of socks. Sunday evening I completed the 12th sock! Now looking at the picture you will notice that the green striped socks are not in it. They are not part of this project. They are a bonus pair. All totaled I have actually knit 16 socks since April first. Only 12 of them count though. 

Monday I debated. I thought maybe I might just spin some yarn instead of knitting more socks. I finally went for the sock knitting adventure yet again. I cast on in the afternoon and had half the foot finished by bed time. It is the mate to one in the photo above.