Thursday, July 28, 2011

TheMeghaMix 100

It's like the Pilates 100...only different!



100 posts on Eating Well, Sweating Hard, Dressing Cute, and Thinking Sharp since 3/7/11. 

Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy sharing.

Favorites so far:
Eat Well - Protein Packed Summer Salad
Sweat Hard - Get Toned Arms Fast
Dress Cute - African Queen
Think Sharp - Make Like a Penguin - and CHILL OUT

Let me know what you want to see more of in the next 100 posts!!!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Daily Dilemma: I Hated Broccoli


Throughout my childhood, I hated most vegetables.  (By childhood, I mean from birth up until about last summer.)  Broccoli, particularly served raw, was at the top of my unwanted list.

These days, I'm liking more and more veggies as my palette is slowly adjusting to healthier food...and I'm really enjoying the fresh produce we get each week through our CSA.

But they included some sort of fancy broccoli one week.  What on earth were they thinking??? 

Jared saved the day and made crepes.  Gotta love that man.  Talked me into trying veggies again when we were dating and now that we're married he makes it fun to eat healthy.






Broccoli Disguised as Delicious Crepes

What you need:
  • Broccolini or similarly disliked vegetable
  • Eggs, milk, etc...sorry I can't provide a good crepe recipe - I was only watching closely enough to see when something would be ready for me to consume
  • Ham
  • Sliced cheese - mozzarella is a good one
  • Savory spices
What you do:
  • Steam broccolini while making the individual crepes
  • Chop up broccolini
  • Take a crepe and fill with cheese, ham, and some broccolini pieces
  • Roll up and eat

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Black Bean Pasta


The Issaquah Farmer's Market has this amazing pasta booth with all kinds of variety in pasta types and ingredients/flavors.  Pasta is awesome because it's a great simple start to dinner (all you have to know is how to boil water) and then you can add whatever protein and veggies you want!  Here's what we did with the black bean version:




Black Bean Carbonara Pasta

What you need:
  • Black bean pasta
  • Bacon
  • Eggs
  • Orange bell pepper
  • Parmigiano reggiano
  • Olive or canola oil
What you do:
  • Cook pasta for no more than 8-10 minutes...al dente is more Italian and also makes for better leftovers.
  • Fry bacon and eggs with canola oil in a pan.
  • When eggs and bacon are half-cooked, add chopped bell pepper.
  • Put pasta in bowls.  Add bacon, eggs, and bell pepper.
  • Grate fresh parmigiano on top and serve.  Add ground black pepper if desired.
Note: don't overcook the egg yolks.  Serve one egg in each bowl of pasta and allow the yolk to be the sauce.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Nothin' but blue skies from now on...


Sweater - swapped, top - Express,
belt - off WHBM dress, jeans - JCP,
 post title - Mr. Irving Berlin
Need a good outfit for walking to work (on of my new favorite pastimes)? Dress up a pair of jeans, but stick with layers in case your walk starts chilly and then warms right up.  Twist your hair back to keep things easy and out of your face.

Happy Monday!!!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fitness Face-off Friday - Mission Accomplished!

Not much time for a long post...but I did all three runs this week.  Yessiree.

Old Navy, here I come!

I might stop by Great Harvest this weekend as well...I LOVE their breakfasts.  Add some fresh fruit like raspberries or cherries, and eggs or turkey sausage for protein.  Homemade chai latte tops it off for an amazing, relaxed, non-smoothie meal.





Thursday, July 21, 2011

Cazooni, anyone?


I have a friend who used to tell his mother, "Mom, when I grow up, I wanna be a cazooni farmer."  Poor fellow obviously meant zucchini...maybe that's why he never made it into agriculture?

My brothers and I used to call caterpillars "callapitters" and binoculars "binahcleeurs."  Whatever you call this dinner and wine pairing, it tastes pretty darn awesome.









Grilled Gruyere-and-Zucchini Sandwiches with Smoky Pesto

What you need/what you do: from Food and Wine magazine


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Best Shoes of the Summer


I bought these killer sandals at Target a few months ago.  I wish they had them in about 1000 colors.  I am seriously this close to buying the black ones, and maybe a second pair of the blue ones for next summer...in case one of my readers gets jealous and swipes this pair when I'm not looking.

The blue sandals are amazing because:
  • They look like old rusted copper
  • They go with pretty much any color
  • They can be dressed up or down
  • They have an ankle strap
  • They remind me of my summer in Italia
I'm also really into braids this summer...anyone else?


Tee - Express, necklace - Brass Plum,
belt - Target, skirt - Express

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tone Trouble Zones - No Equipment Required!!!

That's right, folks...

Tonight at the park, we'll be doing this workout from the latest edition of Fitness magazine:



The best part about this is that you can do it anywhere...and it only takes about 20 minutes.  I found the Spider-Man Press Up especially challenging.

Let me know what you think of it!

Daily Dilemma - I Want an Easy Dinner...That's Still Healthy


Had a long day and want to chill out with a glass of wine and a redbox movie?  Stop by Great Harvest (or a similarly amazing bakery) on your way home from work and you'll be all set.





Ballard Crunch Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

What you need:
  • A loaf of Great Harvest Ballard Crunch bread
  • Prewashed baby spinach
  • Swiss cheese
  • Sliced turkey
What you do:
  • Slice the bread into an even number of slices
  • Place a slice of cheese on every other piece of bread
  • Place 2 slices of turkey on the remaining slices
  • Broil on a baking sheet in the oven for about 5-10 minutes
  • Add a handful of spinach to each sandwich
  • Kick back and enjoy your movie

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Sometimes, Life Stinks


Happy Monday!  I have a really fun story to share.

My friend bought me some beautiful flowers when she was in town recently...they were a source of fragrance and loveliness in our apartment, until, like all cut flowers, they wilted and finally died.  I meant to take them out to the trash and wash out the vase.  Really, I did.  But I kept putting it off and putting it off until one day, my sweet husband and I returned from work to a horrendous, overpowering odor.  It smelled like a small, elderly rodent had doused itself in perfume and then crawled into our apartment and died.

Seriously.

We've had smelly trash and mildew and all kinds of things before.  Nothing compared to this.

So, I opened the windows and got the fan running:



Jared lit just about every candle we own:


(And then he went and barricaded himself in the bedroom.  I stuffed toilet paper up my nose and did dishes...including the reeking vase.)

Finally, after an hour or two, we could breathe freely.

What is my point, you ask?

SO MANY diseases and injuries can be prevented or lessened in duration and severity by proper fitness and eating habits. 

I spent a good deal of my life knowing I should workout smarter and more frequently, and stop avoiding vegetables like a 4 year old.  It wasn't until last September that I really started to make lasting changes, and already I've seen tremendous results. 

I don't want to be hindered from running because I have knee problems that I could've combated with yoga.  I don't want to end up with cancer because I refuse to eat healthier food.  I don't want to have zero energy because I never get my heart rate up.  I don't want to live with debilitating stress because I have no regular physical outlet for the resulting hormonal buildup.

I want to work hard, play hard, sleep like a baby, and be around to ride scooters with my grandkids.

Don't put off dealing with bad health habits until the odor is enough to kick you out of your own home.  Do something today.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

When We Run, It Pours/My Mom, The Greatest

My mom is pretty darn cool.  We used to be Jazzercise buddies for years (until I got married and moved too far away), we braved barre3 together, and she's now the biggest supporter of my Get Out + Get Fit workouts at the park.

Recently we got an opportunity to run a 5k together...it poured, but we still made our goal time, and avoided squashing slugs!

Me and my amazing mom
 
When it rains...it pours

 Don't know them...but awesome team name!

Jared already coming back...neon yellow on the left

Yes, folks, there were cows along the race course
Do you get to workout with your awesome family, too?  Do tell!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Rest Day/Fitness Face-Off Friday

Sometimes, you just need to give it a rest.

I worked out for 2.5 hours on Wednesday, and almost as long yesterday.  Today was gonna be my upper body workout day...but as my sleep tank is low and my heels are killing me, I've thought better of it and intend to do nothing today except perhaps a little yoga before bed.  And watch the final HP installment for date night.

Tada!

Seriously, there is no reason to get injured or become ill because you are wearing yourself too thin.  Some of us seem to need a lot of motivation to get going on our workouts...others of us need something really serious (like a trip to the hospital) to convince us to slow down and take it easy. 

If you are the type that shudders at the "pansy" idea of doing some easy cross training or bumping your routine down a notch, imagine yourself unable to do anything for weeks due to an overuse injury...and then take your darn rest day.


Tired feet in Italy.  Ah...

In other news...it's Fitness Face-Off Friday!  Basically, this is the day when I use you to motivate me to do something I otherwise know I won't.

This week's challenge?  Running.

I used to run 3-5 days a week when I was training for my half marathon.  Now I'm lucky if I run twice in a week...and my "long" runs on the weekend with Jared are feeling much longer and harder.  Plus, my thighs and I have never exactly gotten along...but we were starting to be friends when I finished the half.  Now we're back to that awkward polite acquaintance stage

Obviously I prefer racquetball, strength-training, the stair machine, and yoga to running, since I do some combo of the above like every day.  But this madness has to stop.

Between now and midnight on Thursday, I will run 3 times.  For at least 20 minutes each.

Reward: I will buy myself something cute at Old Navy.
Punishment: I will not blog for 3 weekdays straight.  Gulp.

Want to join me on FFOF?  Leave a comment below telling me how many times and for how long you plan to run this week.  It can be more or less than mine...as long as you are moving, you are making progress towards a healthier life! 

Good luck and Happy Friday.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Hippity Do Dah


Ever have one of those days where you pretend to be something you're not?  This is me with a headscarf.  It means I'm pretending to be a chill hippie Jesus freak instead of the excel-nut type A control freak I usually am.  Not sure if it worked...but the light made the photos really cool.


Scarf - Target, necklace - gifted,
sweater - F21, tank - Express,
skirt - Express, leggings - Romy, sandals - Target


More on my PLEASE DON'T GET SKIN CANCER kick...best lip gloss ever, from Victoria's Secret.  Apparently gloss tends to work as a magnifying glass, making your lips more susceptible to evil cancer plots of the sun, but you can fight back with some good old SPF.

Kiwiberry lip gloss...yum!