A healthier lunch

I don't go out for lunch. I'm not trying to sound like I'm healthier-than-thou, I just don't. Of course, a lot of it has to do with only having 20 minutes for lunch, my lunch time being at 10:40, and working in an area where my choices are McDonald's, Jack in the Box, or a taco truck (not one of the cool trendy ones, either). If I worked in an environment where I could go out for lunch then I probably would (although I'd be 20 lbs heavier and a lot broker).

I sometimes find myself bringing a frozen entree for lunch if I don't have leftovers. Since I only get Amy's or Cedar Lane, this usually costs about $5 per entree, which is a little much, especially since I'm always hungry afterwards. Not to mention they are still high in sodium.

Lately I have been making satisfying and healthy lunches that are cheaper than frozen entrees and more nutritious than going out. Plus it only takes 20 min to prepare for a whole week of lunches- thats less time than it takes to microwave a weeks worth of frozen meals!

Have you ever cooked quinoa? It is an ancient South American seed that tastes similar to couscous. It is also very high in protein and fiber, low in fat and calories. I find it in bulk at krogers, heb, or whole foods.

For every cup of quinoa you cook, boil in 2 cups of water or low sodium veggie stock. I like to make 2 cups for a weeks worth of meals..Once your quinoa has cooked, just add your favorite veggies and some Siracha or lemon/ lime.

My fav concoctions:
- mix with kale, feta, and sun dried tomatoes. You can even add some egg to make it stick and cook quinoa patties in the oven.
- make an Asian one with fried egg, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, green onions, ginger, low sodium soy sauce and Siracha.
- make a Greek one with feta, olives, tomato, spinach, red onion, cucumber, and lemons
-make a tex mex with jalapeños, lime, cilantro, bell peppers, and carrots.

I love the way I feel after eating this- full yet still flat-stomached ( you know those foods that make you feel 3 months pregnant when you're not? This def isn't one of them).

Any other great lunch meals that are healthy, high in veggies, yet satisfying?

Why has there been a smile on my face?

Mostly because of the amount of time I have spent with my husband, that's why! If you are reading this, I warn you that there are no pictures and this might get uber mushy-gushy. I am merely writing this because I do not have a diary and I want to remember these past weeks!

1. First and foremost, my hubs planned a SURPRISE trip to Napa Valley for us! We both love wine and cannot wait to go! This is where we are staying...

Daniel already booked a limo tour for us one day, another day we will rent bikes, and I think we will also go to San Fran for a couple of days. CANNOT wait! It is just so sweet that he planned a vacation (that is normally my job) to a place that is so "me".


2. About a week after Daniel told me about this, I saw a raffle for Brenner's Wine festival on facebook. I decided to put our names in the raffle because Brenner's was featuring wines from Napa and Sonoma. I found out I WON two $75 tickets ...I haven't won anything in my life, but I am very happy with this being the first thing that I have won. The food was gourmet (Port steak kabobs, duck flat bread sandwiches, French cheese, salmon, Cabernet truffles, and more) and the wine samples were unlimited :-) The fest was beautiful...perfect weather, luscious landscaping, my favorite company...I wish I took pictures.

3. My honey and I took a couple of days off to take a road trip to Austin. We got there around 1, made a pit stop at P Terrys (mmmmm best veggie burger and fries), had a picnic in our bathing suits with Modelo at our hotel, and got to see Band of Horses (they were better at ACL) and Kings of Leon (never really listened to them, but they had a great show). We also got to see my brother, who is a sophomore at UT. He showed us what is new at UT, walked on the drag with us, and we got to treat him to some food OTHER than cereal at El Sol y La Luna (I highly recommend the salmon enchiladas). Today, we had some delcisious pancakes at Kerbey Lane, made our way home, and now I have made a pallet in front of our TV to watch Oprah.

4. Oh yah, I got a new car a couple of months ago..brand new Toyota 4 runner...I love it!

5. Why else am I smiling? Oh, maybe because next week is Easter, the week after that is field trip week, and then it is 1 more month until summer and guess who is NOT teaching summer school this year :-)

I thank God for Him blessing us with each other..I understand that He gives and takes away, and I just feel so loved that He is choosing to overwhelm us with blessings when we have done nothing to deserve this! Thank you Lord for Daniel and for our marriage. Thank You for the blessings that might seem small, but make me so happy!

Twas the week before Half Marathon...

... So excited to DO THIS! I completed my last "long" run on Sunday and it felt great...now I just have to allow myself to rest this week so that I will have no muscle soreness come Sunday morning!
To celebrate, I got a new running jacket and I am in love! I am not in obsessed with it on the model because it looks a little loose fitting, but I love it on me- it has an empire waist, 4 pockets (2 on the outside with zippers, 2 on the inside), and thumb holes!
Kinda funny story. I never spend a ton of money on workout gear. Even though I use it on a daily basis, I don't feel the need to spend $100 on pants I am just going to sweat in. Well, I was wearing my favorite Target dryfit leggings while doing down dog at home...Daniel started cracking up and said he could see my undies STRAIGHT through my pants...could name the color and everything. Of course, I had just worn the pants to yoga class (and I pretty much wear them once a week)....really hope the lighting was dark enough that no one could tell I like leopard print. Needless to say, I went out and bought some nicer yoga pants!


I am SO taking of the Monday after the marathon...planning on sleeping in, getting a pedicure, and doing nothing more strenuous than a light walk. I love having small things to look forward to!

In honor of being the day after my last long run, I spent the day shopping (see above), and will now eat a Crave cupcake while watching The Bachelor (seriously I hate this show with a passion but I love reading the FUNNIEST blog the next day!

Some random thoughts

1. I've read that one of the top indicators of a happy marriage is the split-up of household chores...the closer the couple is to splitting the chores 50/50, the happier they seem to be. I love our new "chores routine"...I go around the house and clean all of the counters, plus our 2 bathrooms, then I go grocery shopping. While I'm shopping, Daniel goes and cleans ALL of our floors (our whole house is hardwood, so it isn't an easy feat!) I do not mind cleaning counters, but I HATE cleaning our floors because I feel like I can never get them clean enough. Daniel has been sweeping and mopping since he was practically in diapers, so it works out well!

2. Made the YUMMIEST dinner tonight! I have never cooked fish before tonight because I worried that it wouldn't turn out well. Made this recipe and it was amazing and healthy! Daniel loved it, too!

3. I am obsessed with forearm stands...I have been doing it in our house on every empty wall I can find. It was a pose that I figured I would never be able to do (it is pretty tough on the core, upper back, and triceps/ shoulders) but I randomly kicked into it in class last week...and then did it 4 more times in a row! It is crazy how much stronger our bodies are than we realize. It's similar to a head stand, but your head is lifted up off the ground.

4. I kinda like these boots. I got some Toms for Christmas and I wear them all of the time. I definitely want to try them on before buying them....I am hoping Whole Earth provides them to save me a trip to Nordstroms. Do you or someone you know have these boots and like them?

5. An instructor I go to is opening a new yoga/ piltes gym on Studemont called Happy Belly Yoga and is charging only $20 bucks for UNLIMITED yoga for a month. Cannot wait!

OK, I think that about covers it! Have a great 3 day weekend, everyone!

It's OK that I...

... have a sparse Christmas tree, with ornaments that say " Christina's first Xmas". I refuse to buy ornaments that mean nothing.

... have no time line for life.

... buy something for myself every time I make an online purchase for a Christmas gift.

...fear becoming a 100% vegetarian because I.Love.Steak.

...think a hot bubble bath solves all of life's problems.

...cannot wait until The Bachelor, even though I am not a fan of Brad.

...consider bed at 10:30 to be late.

...Feel a little pain when I come home from work and my husband's car isn't in the driveway.

...Only dust my blinds when I am expecting company.





...think Houston ain't that bad.

...

list of wants

Yesterday, a student told me her birthday was coming up. When I asked her when it was, she replied "November 28"....which is my birthday, too! After she guessed how old I will be (seven years old), she told me everything that she wants for her birthday...which got me thinking about what I would like.
I really do not care about birthdays or gifts. Of course I appreciate them, but I am fine if I receive nothing. I am usually a frugal person and I just do not like having a bunch of things that clutter up my house. Unfortunately, my list this year is rather extensive ...much thanks to my knack of losing and breaking expensive things. So, without further ado, I present you with my birthday/ Christmas wish list for 2010!

I really love this gym bag! It is cute how it has a holder for a yoga mat. I usually go to the gym right after work and just stuff my clothes in my purse....I think this is much more practical!



Best Christmas movie ever!

Cute, matches my dishes. Something I would never buy myself but would like receiving. Would be useful to use during a party!
I dropped my macbook and now the screen is all messed up...I can still use it, but there are areas on my screen that are cracked, making it hard to see the images. No wonder Daniel's computer is password protected and he won't let me in on what it is!

Ok. I am not normally a leather jacket wearin' gal, but I would like one in lieu of a motorcycle jacket. I could spend a lot of $$$ on a motorcycle jacket that wouldn't be too cute and that I would only wear while I am riding with Daniel...or I could spend a smidgen more and get a jacket that I can wear everyday. Daniel had a little motorcycle crash yesterday (not a big deal, but he got skinned up on his way to work) and now I really do not want to ride with him unless I have proper protection. I might not be able to wait until November 28 for this purchase!
Remember my whole knack of breaking and losing all things expensive? Yes, I spilled a 32 oz water bottle in my purse, and in turn ruining my second iphone in 3 months. I feel really bad asking for a new one, but I promise to be more careful!
I have had my car since I turned 17. It has been fun, but now that I am older, I would like to have something larger. It sucks grocery shopping or traveling with the dogs in my little 2 door VW convertible. Not to mention it currently has a hole in the door from a bow and arrow and a hole in the bumper thanks to Daniel backing into a fire hydrant.


I am embarrassed by how much money this list totals to....I know I will not receive the majority of these, it's called a wish list for a reason!

Happy Monday!

Brie and apple quesadillas- made this for dinner tonight! Click the picture if you want the recipe (I didn't use arugula). Daniel said it was more of a snack, but we both really liked it.



Perfect for after dinner dessert- Blue Moon's pumpkin ale, Harvest Moon. I love everything pumpkin, including pumpkin beer!

Today has been pretty productive. My friend Kathryn and I started training for the Houston 1/2 marathon last week, and I have been finding myself running everyday. Before, I would run 2 or 3 miles about 4x a week, but now that I am making more of an effort, we are running 3-4 miles about everyday (either together or alone). It feels great, and there is something about running RIGHT after work that just makes the rest of your day productive. After our run I took the dogs to the park, helped Daniel with the lawn, and even cooked dinner. Feels good not being a lazy vegetable after work!

I love fall. Love it so much that I have a nasty sun burn to prove it. We spent all day outside yesterday, between Daniel's soccer game, running, and taking the dogs to the park. We have had our windows open 24/7 and it feels refreshing waking up at night a little chilly! I cannot wait to go to Cedar Creek and sit outside with some fried pickles and a Blue Moon- perfect weather for it!

Ok, that was a bit of a hodge podge, but at least I updated!