Walnut Pesto with Fried Eggplant and Linguini

Tonight was one of those nights were we just threw together some ingredients for dinner and hoped for the best.
I got a bundle of basil from my CSA last week and I knew I wanted to make pesto with it.  I didn't have pine nuts, so I made the pesto with walnuts instead, it was inspired from this recipe.
It was a little tricky to blend the pesto in a blender instead of a food processor but it we got it to work.  :)

I was really excited we finally had a reason to use the mortar and pestle!  Usually it just sits on our counter looking sad and neglected.

Once the pesto was ready, we put it in the fridge while we prepared the rest of the dinner.  We chopped up an eggplant, and then breaded it.  I boiled some water for the Linguini, while CJ prepared the eggplant by frying it in olive oil.

One the eggplant was ready, and the pasta was al dente, we mixed in the pesto, topped it with mozzarella, and baked it for about 10 minutes.

 While it baked, CJ whipped up a little appetizer using the pesto, and some cheese and crackers.

And the dinner turned out great!  This impromptu dinner was a hit.

 Delicious!

July Date: Rockport Day trip

Hi Pals!

Yesterday was July date!  For those of you who don't know, each month CJ and I take turns planning a date for each other.  This month it was CJ's turn to plan it, so we went to Rockport for a day of biking, beaching, and eating.  I loved every minute of it.

Rockport is basically the quintessential New England fishing town.  It's very picturesque with all the little shops, beaches, and fishing boats. 

This building is actually one of the most photographed and painted buildings in the world!  It's called motif #1. 

After biking around, we found a cute little beach(^) and hung out there for a while.  CJ doesn't like the beach, but he was a good sport and didn't complain too much about being there :).  I only made him suffer for about an hour before heading to lunch.

We ate at Blue Lobster Grille( I thought about texting my friend Meaghan because she has a blue lobster for a pet!  Yes, I keep an interesting group of friends.)  I didn't take any pictures of the lunch but I got a spinach salad, and CJ got the seafood Linguini.  Our restaurant had big windows facing the ocean so we could look out into the harbor.

For dessert we headed to a gelato shop.  After I sampled three different flavors, I picked the mocha chip, and CJ picked a mix of strawberry and blueberry.

  Yummm!  Not as good as the gelato in Italy, but I guess it comes close.

I highly recommend visiting Rockport if you are looking for somewhere to take a day trip.  There's lots to do:

Kayaking
Taking a tour in a Pirate ship
Fishing
Hiking Halibut point
Visiting Shops
Visiting Art Galleries
 Dining







Just for a recap, here are past month's dates:
April- Science Museum + Dinner at the Paramount (no post)
May- Sunday Brunch and a 6 mile Hike
June- Golf + lunch at Polcari's


Next month is my turn to plan the date.....if you have any ideas, please leave a comment!

If the Shoe Fits....

I recently did something that was long over-do:
I got fitted for running shoes and a sports bra!

For a while now, I've been experiencing pain in my right knee any time I run over 5 miles, and I've been getting blisters in the same spot on my right foot.  Also, I've been wearing three sports bras every time I go out for a run or do any other type of high impact exercise for as long as I can remember.  Wearing less than three sports bras does not provide enough support for me to run in, and it causes some discomfort/bouncing.  Not good.

I finally realized that I needed to go in for a professional fitting for both shoes and bras, and I knew exactly where to go:

Marathon Sports!

I was lucky enough to have a very knowledgeable sales associate help me out.  We  briefly talked about my level of running experience before jumping into my recent running issues.  I told her about the pain in my right knee after long runs, and the reoccurring blisters.  I also mentioned that I may be running on the outside of my feet, and striking with my heel. 

She asked me to stand with my feet together, and to walk to the front of the store and back.
She came to the conclusion that I am slightly bow-legged, and have internally rotated knees and hips.

At first she thought I would need a neutral shoe, because the combination of bow-leggedness and internally rotated hips would balance each other out when running.

She had me try on a pair of neutral Nikes, and head outside to take them for a spin.   I ran down to the end of the block and back as she watched my feet.  After the first run she realized that I am actually over pronating (meaning that my ankles drop in) instead of turning my feet out, which was what we originally thought was the issue.  After reaching this conclusion, she said I needed a stability shoe to provide some more support. 

I tried on another pair of Nike's.  They were called the Nike Zoom Structure.
Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 15 Wide Women's Running Shoes - Pure Platinum, 10

After lacing these up and doing the "thumb test" (seeing how much room is at the end of the shoe)  we headed outside for me to try a little run in these.  I liked the feel of these, they supported me in the right places, and seemed to fit the shape of my foot pretty well.  Even though I liked these ones a lot, she still had me try on a few more shoes just to make sure they were the right ones.  I liked the color combinations of some of the other shoes, but I didn't like the fit or feel as much at the Nike Zoom Structures.

After running in the Nike Zoom Structure's, I found that most other shoes weren't supportive enough.  I realized that I liked the support, and felt more comfortable in a stability shoe. 

Next on the agenda was picking out some synthetic socks.

 Synthetic socks are important because they prevent blisters by wicking away sweat.  I chose a 3-pack of the most colorful ones in the store, obviously.

The final thing on the agenda was picking out a supportive sports bra.  She asked me what my bra size I was, and then found a high impact sports bra with an underwire, and a super supportive bra with adjustable velcro straps for me to try on.

 As soon as I put on the one with underwire, I knew it was the one for me.  I tried to hop around in the dressing room to make sure it was supportive enough for me, and it was!

 

It looks a little different from the basic sports bras that I'm used to, but it does the trick.  The first time I wore it, I was so impressed.  I held me up, prevented bouncing, and I could breathe! Wahoo!

I strongly encourage every runner to go and get fitted for shoes.  I learned so much about my bone structure and my gait.  I'm hoping that this new gear will really help improve my running!  

Fingers crossed for no more knee pain or blisters!

WILD HARVEST: Black Bean and Mango Salsa Omlette

Hi friends!

Even though the Healthy Living Summit isn't until next month, I'm already reaping the benefits!

When signing up for the Healthy Living Summit, we were given an option of partaking in a healthy breakfast recipe challenge from WILD HARVEST.  Since I had recently joined Recipe Redux (a monthly themed healthy recipe challenge program) I knew I was up for the challenge.

A few weeks after signing up, a giant box from WILD HARVEST showed up at my door step.  I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.  The box was filled with all sorts of goodies (disclosure: SUPERVALU INC. sent everyone participating in the WILD HARVEST challenge free products for the purpose of this blog entry and recipe challenge) like granola, applesauce, raisins, salsa, black beans, and so much more.

What's awesome about WILD HARVEST is that they "celebrate all that is organic and natural, "and that's funny because so do I!  They never use artificial ingredients, and strive to use free-range hens for their eggs, no growth hormones will be found in their dairy products, their coffee is free trade and made with 100% arabica beans, and their meats have never given antibiotics or hormones. 

As soon as I got these products, my brain started thinking up some tasty combos.  I knew almost immediately that I wanted to use the black beans, cayenne pepper, and the mango salsa.  I came up with the idea of a black bean and mango salsa omelet.

WILD HARVEST Black bean and Mango Salsa Omelet
Ingredients:

1/2 cup WILD HARVEST Black beans
1/4 cup WILD HARVEST Mango peach salsa
1/4 tsp WILD HARVEST Cayenne Pepper
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 eggs

Directions:

Crack two eggs in bowl, and whisk until blended.

Add in the 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, and whisk until completely mixed together
Sprinkle in 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.

Heat up a skillet with cooking spray to medium heat
Pour the egg mixture in the skillet

 Once you see bubbles in the top of the egg mixture, add the black beans, evenly distributing them.

On top of the beans, add the salsa.

Carefully fold over half of the omelet

Flip once, and you are done!

 Even though this is not the prettiest recipe (mine completely feel apart between skillet and plate), it is quite tasty and filling.

The addition of Greek yogurt pumps up an already high protein breakfast, and the WILD HARVEST black beans give you some fiber to start your day.  The WILD HARVEST mango peach salsa was just sweet enough, and when mixed with WILD HARVEST Cayenne pepper, it packed a flavorful punch.


Thank you, WILD HARVEST for this awesome challenge.

WIAW: Staycation Eats

Happy 4th of July!!

This is my second WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday) so if you're reading for the first time, check here for an explanation.  Thanks to Jen over at Peas&Crayons for hosting this:




All food consumed here was from Tuesday, July 3rd 2012

I started my Staycation of right with a big breakfast sandwich prepared by Chef CJ, and a cup of New England Cinnamon Hazelnut Coffee.  I forgot to snap a pic of the breakfast sandwich! Woops.

Lunch was an amazing salad filled with CSA lettuce, spinach and cukes, I also added grated carrots, walmuts, tofu, and chedar, I topped it off with some balsamic vinegar.  Yum!

For dessert, I had a clementine.  I love these little guys.

Snacktime was a plate of crackers and roasted red pepper hummus.  It was the right amount of fuel for a trip to the gym.  At the gym, I two quick miles on the treadmill, and did a short arm and ab workout.

My run was slow and short, but it's better than no run! My ab workout consisted of a one minute plank, some reverse crunches, and leg lifts.  My arm workout included bicep curls, shoulder presses, upright rows, and deadlifts.

Dinner was a tasty one.  I chopped some zucchini into long and thin strips, boiled some linguini, and tossed the zucchini in for the last 3 minutes.  I served the linguini &zucchini with tomato sauce, and sauteed mushrooms.   I topped the dish with Parmesan cheese and  fresh basil leaves.

After dinner, I satisfied my sweet tooth with half a brownie from the Busy Bee bakery.  YUM!

Have a good holiday everyone!!