How I Learned to Food Shop

I knew living on my own was going to come with new responsibilities.  The thing I was dreading the most was food shopping.  Who has time to spend a few hours each week at the grocery store? Not me!
I had to devise a plan to streamline my food shopping, and to do it under a budget.

CJ and I both love to cook, and eating healthy is important to us.  I did some research to figure out how to buy and make healthy, affordable meals. 

Here's what I did:

1. Get organized.  I'm a huge nerd, so I created a "Meal Planning" Binder.  I found a meal planning template online (I just searched, "meal planners") and printed it out.  The one I found has a space for every meal of every weekday.  It also has a grocery list space at the bottom.  I plan to sit down each week with the binder and plan out all of our meals.  I showed this to a friend of mine and she said, "Wow, I don't know anyone who cares about what they eat as much as you do."  I was thinking to myself, "well, I certainly do, and I can show you their blogs"

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2.  Look up recipes: About a month before we moved out, I started printing out recipes for the meal planning binder.  To find them, I searched through some on my favorite food blogs, and I also checked Eating Well for healthy recipes.  Eating Well is great, they have lots of articles like "quick chicken dinners" or "dinners for less than $10."  It's really helpful for finding dinner recipes. 

Also, I brainstormed some basic meals and searched for healthy versions online.  For example, I knew we would want to make Fettuccine Alfredo, so I looked for a healthy recipe.

My Favorite food blogs for Dinner Inspiration:
Carrots n Cake
Joy the baker
Bev Cooks
How Sweet it Is

3.  Get a Cook Book:  I bought the cookbook "Poor Girl Gourmet"  by Amy McCoy.  It has tons of yummy and fancy recipes to try.  She also has a lot of advice like "buy meat with skin, and on the bone, it's cheaper" and "buy seasonal vegetables" and she even tells you how to make your own vegetable stock for soups from leftover veggie scraps.  All of her meals cost between $5 and $10 for 4 servings.

4.  Read Some Advice.  Many food blogs have a food shopping section.  I read every one I could find for ideas and tips.  Here are some that I found helpful:

Carrots 'n Cake: Grocery Shopping 101
Yes, I want Cake: Grocery Shopping 101
Peanut Butter Fingers:  Healthy Grocery Shopping on a Budget
Food Enthusiasm: Eating Healthy on a Budget
Trading Up Downtown: Saving at the Grocery Store


5.  Look at flyers and clip coupons.  Figure out what grocery store/s you want to shop at and get their flyer/s.  I look at the website for my grocery store to see the flyer before it even comes out.  This way I can start my meal planning in advance, and do my shopping on Sunday. 

5 mile run for HAWC

I signed up for this race because there was a deal for it online, so I ended up paying only $12 for the registration fee. How can you go wrong?

My 5 mile PR is 43:59 and I had NO PLANS to come anywhere near that time for this race.  I just wanted to have fun with Tracy and enjoy the sunshine. :)

I started my morning off right with a honey wheat bagel and whipped cream cheese, OJ, and some pretty awful coffee. I definitely need to invest in some nice coffee beans.

I picked Tracy up from the train and we headed to Salem around 10:30. We parked, got our bibs, tech-shirts, and ankle chips, and walked around the park.  There were ~200 people doing the race, and a few hundred more doing the walk.  There was music, clowns, and even a Zumba class for people to warm up.  We took some nerdy pictures to kill the time.

Before we knew it, it was time to line up.  Since the race was small, I didn't feel much pressure/nerves at the starting line. 

We just enjoyed the scenic, flat, beach-front course.  I really had a great time running this race.  It's amazing how taking the pressure off of yourself can make you enjoy the race that much more. 

This wasn't my fastest race, but it was one of my favorites.  I hope to do it again next year!

Check out my updated Fitness page
Official Results:
Overall Place: 63
Division Place: 18/30
Bib #: 57
Official Time: 45:34.2
Pace: 9:07

Cinco de Mayo Burritos

Let's make burritos for Cinco de Mayo!  These are quick, easy, and tasty!

This will not be a drinko de mayo for me since I have a 5 mile race tomorrow.  (FYI: doing races really curbs your drinking, remember St. Paddy's Day?)


I was originally going to make black bean burritos, but CJ whines if I feed him dinners without meat so we picked up some ground beef (86/14) and taco seasoning on the way home.

Ingredients:
Wheat Tortillas
Salsa
Sour cream
Ground Beef
Bell pepper
Cheddar
White onion
Black Beans
Brown rice
Taco Seasoning

We combined the beef, onion, seasoning, bell pepper, and black beans in a pan.  Then we heated up some leftover brown rice.  We put the tortillas in the oven to soften up for about 10 minutes.

 Then, we assembled!

After we ate, CJ asked, "Did you plan burritos for dinner since it's Cinco de Mayo?" (He's a clever one)
You better believe I did!

How I Chose a Race

Since last September, I've run 5 road races ranging from 5k's to 5miles and even a 10 mile race.  I'm currently registered for 4 more races, including a 5k, 5 mile, 10k, and a half marathon.  Check out my fitness page for details.  While I'm definitely not an expert, I can share some advice on how to choose the right race.  There are tons of races out there, which is great, but many factors go in to picking the right one for you.
Here are some things that I consider when choosing a race:

 
1. Decide on Distance.  Do I want to do a 5k?  10k? More?  If I want to do a longer race (10 miles or Half)  I make sure I chose one that's far enough away so that I can have adequate time to train.  When I did the Black Cat 10 Mile, I gave myself a little over 2 months to train.  I knew I wanted to do a half marathon, so I chose one in September so that I would have all summer to train.





2. Find Friends!  My first thought is usually: who can I convince to run this race with me?  I've only ran one race by myself, and even though I did OK, my nerves were out of control! It's nice to have a friend to run with you, or just to go with you and cheer you on.  Before I register for a race, I see if anyone else wants to do it with me.  It makes a huge difference in how much I enjoy the race.

3. Research the Race.  What does the race benefit?  Does the registration money go to a foundation or charity?  I'm more likely to sign up for a race if the money is going towards a charity I care about, like the Scott Procopio Gold Star run.  This race honors Scott Procopio who was from my home town of Saugus. Scott was on his second deployment as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, having previously served in Fallujah in 2005. He was killed in action as a result of a roadside bomb on the morning of April 2, 2006 in Ramadi Iraq.  There is now a memorial scholarship fund in his name.

 



 4. Pick one with Perks.  What do I get out of this race (besides endorphins)? I look to see if you get a t-shirt (or tech shirt), a medal, a beer, food, anything.  These are all silly little things, but I want to get the most out of my money, and they serve as great mementos to remember the race.

 5. Location, Location, Location.  Do I know the area?  I look for a race that's close by, easy to get to, and familiar.  I'm more likely to sign up for a race that's close to home.  I feel more comfortable, and I have that "home court" advantage if I'm familiar with the course.  Also, it's helpful if the race website provides an elevation chart.  If I'm not familiar with the area, an elevation chart can help you decide if the course is too hilly for you, or if you'll just have to train on more hills.  I also like to find out how I'm going to get there, whether or not there's parking nearby, or it's its accessible by public transportation.

6. Cost.  How much am I willing to pay?  I try to keep cost in mind when signing up for a race.  The B.A.A races are expensive, but they are very organized, you get a tech shirt, medal, and a little goodie bag with snacks, so for me, it's worth it.  I also try to think about what goes into the cost,  if they shut down roads, supply food, gels, Gatorade and water, all of that stuff costs money, especially if it's a big race.

7. Date and Time.  When does the race take place, and what time does it start?  I'll definitely think twice about signing up for any winter races in the future.  Also, the start time of the race is very important.  If it starts at 7 am, I have to give myself enough time to wake up, eat, and get there.

Again, I'm not saying I'm an expert at races/running/anything, I just want to share what goes in to my personal race selection.

Happy Racing!

Pretzel Bites and Homemade Honey Mustard

Look what I made!

like my sea foam green nail polish? me too.

Since our dollar store pizza pan is a little on the small side, we had some leftover dough from the pizza we made a few days ago.
I wasn't sure what to do with it, so we just stuck it in the fridge for the meantime.

Should I make dinner rolls? Nah
Microscopic Calzones? Nope
Extra Small Pizzas? Eh, No thanks.

And then it came to me (via google search):  Pretzel Bites!

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (leftover wheat)
1 Egg White
Salt
Baking soda



Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Roll out dough and slice it into 1 inch wide strips
Boil water, I used a large deep skillet.  Sprinkle in some baking soda
Roll the strips into ropes and cut into bite size pieces

 Once the water is boiling, drop in the dough pieces for about 30 seconds

Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them on a paper towel
Brush them with egg whites

Salt the heck out of them
Bake for 15-18 minutes

I also whipped up some honey mustard by mixing some honey into some mustard.  Genius, I know.

Perfection

Roasted Chickpeas

I just realized my last three recipes on here have been covered in cheese, so here's a quick little cheese-free recipe to keep things balanced.

If you haven't tried roasted chickpeas, you are really missing out!

Maybe it's just me, but I love chickpeas.  I love them in salads, I love them in hummus, and I even ate a bowl of chickpeas and cottage cheese one time and called it dinner.  I have a seriously addiction to these things.

When roasted, these little buggers might be the best side dish ever.

We made them to go with our roast chicken last night, and we couldn't stop sneaking little bites of them before the chicken was ready!

Directions:
Empty can of chickpeas into colander to rinse
Dry the chickpeas on a paper towel  Remove and discard any of the skins that come lose.
Transfer to roasting pan and coat with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and any other seasonings that you like.  We added some garlic salt as well.
Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cheesy & Easy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

On Sunday night, we wanted something quick, tasty, and cheesy for dinner.  I found the perfect recipe on Eating Well and we whipped it up.

I've never made a casserole before because honestly I didn't think people still made casseroles.  I put casseroles in the same category as fruitcakes and jello molds; something people make, and no one really likes, but someone always brings it to the party anyway.  But that's just me...

The Kitchen Table. Complete with Gurgle Pot!

For my first casserole, I think it came out pretty good, but I must say the directions are pretty fool-proof.

Cheesy & Easy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (adapted from Eating Well Stovetop Chicken & Broccoli Casserole)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/3 head Broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 cup low fat Miracle Whip
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded low fat Cheddar cheese

Step one: put uncooked egg noodles in skillet, pour chicken broth over them, put raw chicken over that, and then top with broccoli.
Step two:  Whisk together flour, mayo, milk, mustard, and pepper.  Pour mixture over ingredients in skillet.
Step three:  Simmer in pan. 
Step four:  Sprinkle top of casserole with shredded cheddar and bake for 3 more minutes. How easy!

CJ and I were pretty skeptical of the directions,  I've never thrown a bunch of raw ingredients in a pan like that before and just let it simmer.  I guess that's just how casseroles roll.

 I think I just might have a new found respect for casseroles.

What a Crazy Week It's Been...

The moving has begun!
I got a call on Tuesday from our landlord saying that we could pick up the keys, and move in as early as Wednesday night, and that's exactly what we did.

I wasn't expecting to move in until this weekend so I didn't have everything ready.  My dad has been super helpful, and he brought a lot of the furniture over on Thursday (while CJ and I were at work) with the help of my brother.  We brought over the rest of the stuff gradually, a few boxes each night, so it wasn't as overwhelming as doing it all in one day.

I can't believe how fast this is all happening! Here's a sneak peak at the place:

I love this bedding! I got it at Marshalls for $40.  I haven't taken many pictures yet because it's not all set up.  More pics to come!

I've only had time to squeeze in a few workouts this week, :(,  but I've definitely been active with all the moving.

Monday: I went for a nice 5 mile run around my (old) neighborhood.
Time: 47:07
Pace: 9:25

On Tuesday I went to a free weights class at my gym.  I've been a cardio junkie for so long, it's nice to try something different to add to my workout routine.

On Wednesday I moved some heavy furniture and went up and down stairs a lot so I'm counting that as my exercise.

On Thursday, I was too exhausted to do any type of exercise.  Moving, packing, unpacking, setting up, and getting used to a new environment is sensory overload!

On Friday I went for a 2.5 mile run around my new neighborhood! Can't wait to find new running routes.  I finished the run in about 23 minutes.

On Saturday I went to my hour long pump class, which I love! I really look forward to it now.

Saturday night was pizza night.  We picked up some pizza dough, sauce, cheese, and broccoli.  I bought a pizza pan at the dollar store (my new favorite place!).  We also had some leftover meatballs so we threw those on the pizza, too.

I haven't been able to blog to much because a.  I've been super busy, and b. we don't have internet at the new place yet, (I'm blogging now from my parents house). 

The internet is being hooked up on Monday, so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things soon!

BIG news!

I have some big news to share!

Hint: It has to do with my 2012 goals...

and no I haven't mastered the crane pose in yoga...

I'm moving out!
Yup, that's right, I'm leaving the nest!  Baby bird is going out on her own!  But not all alone...CJ is coming too!

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We have just a week left before we move in!

Luckily, I already have most of the furniture we need.  We have a couch, bed, table, dresser, etc. and we also have very generous family members and friends to donate kitchen essentials and other odds and ends. 

I know this is a big step for me, personally, and a very big step for us as a couple.  We have been together for a little over 3 years, and at this point, we both really want to have our own place.

So, we found a cute and spacious one bedroom, and signed a lease!

A few months ago, I was planning on staying at home for another year, but circumstances changed, and we are taking a leap of faith.  The timing has been great so far, CJ just got a promotion at work, and I just got a raise.

Hopefully I'll be able to make our space look and feel like home.  I plan on sharing all my DIY home improvement projects on this blog.  Remember the table I refinished?  You can expect to see more of that sort of thing.

I'm really excited/nervous, and I wanted to wait until I told most of my close friends and family before sharing it on the blog.