how is everyone on this lovely wednesday evening?

yesterday, valentine's day....yeah....  husband and i agreed to stay home and i offered to cook something.  so, after an arse-kicking circuit training workout that left my legs feeling like jell-o, i ventured to the grocery, picked up some goods, went home and got to work!

while, sadly i don't have pictures of the entire dinner menu, i can safely say that these, thanks to pinterest, were a huge hit!!!

what are they, you ask?  caprese bites!!  so easy, and so delightful.  i'm really kind of sad that i didn't think of these on my own!

my husband i think was overwhelmed the last time i tried to serve caprese salad.  i think i used too much basil.  but with these, one leaf is all you need!

basic assembly, using a toothpick:

1 cherry tomato

1 small basil leaf

1 small mozzarella ball

depending on how many you make, arrange on a plate or serving platter and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

scrumptious!!!

(in case you were wondering, the rest of the meal consisted of prime sirloin steak (we split a 6 oz strip) and roasted garlic mashed potatoes (using only 4 potatoes, a head of roasted garlic, a quarter cup whole milk, rosemary, an eighth cup of grated parmesan/romano blend, 2 tablespoons earth balance buttery spread and salt/pepper to taste).  it was a fantastic meal!!!  

oh.  and i forgot the wine.  a 2007 malbec.  hey, it was valentine's day!!! 

-ruthie mc

blog number two today!  update!

the grammys are ridiculous.  that's all i have to say about that.

i also hate salmon.  i can't stand it.  my track record with it has been, well, quite sub-par.  while i realize, yes, it's fish, i don't feel that it should taste as such.  right?  

husband bought some salmon at the store the other day and so i took it upon myself to make sure he coated it with something so that it would "make me forget that it's salmon i'm eating"!  

behold: dinner tonight!  

soy-glazed salmon with roasted asparagus

looks delicious, right?  (btw, yes.  more veggie than salmon.  this asparagus was amazing!)

here's the recipe:

soy-glazed salmon

for the glaze:

1tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp olive oil

1tbsp honey 

whisk together all ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved; spoon over salmon filets; let sit for 15 minutes; broil 7 minutes.

salmon should come out just right and, if you're using fresh, wild caught salmon, it should not taste like fish!  (yay!)

roasted asparagus

1tbsp olive oil

1 tsp rubbed sage

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch asparagus, cut in half width wise

preheat oven to 425 degrees; toss asparagus in olive oil in a large bowl; add dry ingredients and continue to toss  until evenly coated; spread asparagus across a foil and cooking spray coated baking sheet or jellyroll pan; bake for 15 minutes, turning once to evenly bake.

oh, and did i mention dessert?

pumpkin puree cake with organic ice cream!

this turned out just amazingly, and i was oh, so excited!  now

now, yes.  the ice cream is optional.  totally optional.  feel free to sub with a healthier option.  i chose an all-natural, organic ice cream that was about 170 calories per serving.  

to be honest, the cake all by itself is so, so moist that the ice cream isn't incredibly necessary.  fat free cool whip might be a better option.  wow.  should have done that instead!!!

anyway - recipe for the cake is as follows

pumpkin puree spice cake

1 box spice cake mix (i believe i used the betty crocker super moist brand)

1 15oz can pumpkin puree

any variety of nuts (optional)

preheat oven to 325 degrees; using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the above ingredients until a smooth, thick batter is generated; grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (i used cooking spray); spoon batter into baking dish, spreading to the corners; top with pecans or walnuts if desired; bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean; let cool before serving.

there you have it!  (ok - still feeling a little self shame about the ice cream...blerg...)

-ruthie mc

back in the saddle?

so...minor setback.  ok, but in my eyes, it's been a major setback.  you know how it is (probably) - doing so well with diet and exercise, seeing results, and then the wheels suddenly fall off and you're not exactly sure how the downward spiral began in the first place.

well, mine began around thanksgiving.  holidays are always a killer for me.  even though i swear again and again that i'm going to play it straight and not overindulge, it just  never happens that way.  mashed potatoes, christmas cookies and deities, and, of course, christmas beers!  oh, the christmas beers.  they get me every year.  i can't help it.  holidays just don't make me scream "let's diet!"

well, this particular holiday season i was in the midst of a women's health scare, and other distractions really didn't help.  yes, i'm making excuses.  and they're stupid.  really stupid.  i of course continued running.  however, counting calories dropped off and i could feel my "size smaller" jeans start getting tighter.  so not pretty. 

well, here we are - almost mid-february, and i'm still not back on the wagon.  it's incredibly frustrating.  a week ago, i was killing my 10th half marathon with a 2:03:15 time (beating my original personal record by 9:30), and within three days was at home in bed, sidelined with a nasty cold.  they say that your immune system is suceptible to infection hours after a grueling workout - perhaps i caught something in those post-race hours?  whatever it was, it was killer.  i mean, killer. 

having not worked out since then, i finally started to feel better yesterday, so i schlepped to the gym today to give it a go, but still to take it easy.  4 miles at a 5.9mph pace, despite an iPod battery malfunction.  (running without music, in my mind, just incredibly blows!).  not so bad, but of course afterwards was craving something fulfilling but also delicious!

so, using my trusty blendtec blender, i mixed the following:

4 oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk (silk brand)

1 very ripe banana

1 tbsp all natural, no salt peanut butter (from Giant Eagle Market District)

6 or 7 ice cubes

(calorie count - approximately 230 calories)

what i ended up with was exactly what i was looking for - delightful!  looked a little something like this (sans the cutsey polka dot straw):

i mean, yum, right?  

i'm really trying to get back on track.  i really miss my flat stomach.  my husband thinks it's all in my head, but he's not wearing my jeans!  

so, give this a try - great post-workout snack!!!!

-ruthie mc

whaddup?

greetings, y'all!  (proof i need out of columbus...i just said y'all...kill me now!)

yes, i live in ohio.  yes, it sucks. 

so, a little about me.  i grew up in northeast ohio, a child of a meat and potatoes kind of family.  vegetables?  ha!  not really as popular in the household as, say, foods laced with preservatives? seriously.  not the healthiest lifestyle.  and my body and energy level proved it.

yes, i was involved in sports.  figure skating, volleyball, softball.  i tried track once.  once.  not my bag.  (we'll see about that!)

junior high/high school pettiness and drama brought me to a breaking point.  i started exercising, even continuing through college.  after an overcritical boyfriend and some self-loathing anorexia, i lost the battle.  overweight, unhealthy, i couldn't get the equation right.  college ended, and weight continued to stick to me like tar.  i entered the professional world, was living on my own, but confidence continued to waver.  

then i finally started to get it (somewhat) right.  i joined a gym and made it a point to go consistently.  my diet, however, was still inconsistent.  i was losing weight, but still needed to complete the healthfulness puzzle.  i met the love of my life, who was also into fitness, but he also knew more about nutrition.  finally, i was feeling healthier, more alive.  

i also started running.  i found a program in a shape magazine and, after years and years of using shin splints as an excuse, i conquered the program and became a consistent runner!  

now, a 32-year-old adult, i'm married, happy, and healthy.  i recently signed up (there's no going back now) for the chicago marathon this october, so i've officially upped the ante on becoming a lean, mean, running machine.  however, i still struggle with the eating equation.  what can i say, i love food! 

so, here it is.  here's the place where i share with you my journey to chicago, and along the way i even hope to share with you my path to an even healthier lifestyle.  my ultimate goal is to share with you some healthy (and sometimes not so healthy..shh!) goodness as i test out recipes and variations to recipes.  i have to admit, i may even vent sometimes too, but i promise more recipes and less whining.  ha!  

so, until next time - here's to our health and happiness!

 -ruthie mc