August 2010

Thanks to yesterday’s comments, I know I have some really clean readers! Score! Three cheers for healthy hand-washing!

I have another fun recipe to share with you guys!

Here’s a preview…details soon.

I <3 COFFEE!

I had a granola bar for a quick breakfast this morning.

Funny how my eats revolve around homemade granola bars when I have them. They’re so irresistible!

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Now…on to the kitchen experiment!

Take some Italian spices…

add balsamic vinegar

EVOO

salt + (cayenne) pepper

and VOILA!

Balsamic Roasted Chick Peas!

These are great to snack on in general…

…to replace popcorn…

…to replace croutons on salads (or just to add to salads in general)….

…to bring to potlucks…

or any other yummy way!

Balsamic Roast Chick Peas

Ingredients:

• 1 18-ounce chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• dash garlic powder
• dash cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Combine all ingredients except chick peas and whisk till emulsified.
3. Add chick peas and stir to chick peas are well coated.
4. Spread chick peas evenly in the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway
6. Enjoy!

Lunch = a GIANT salad with baby spinach, baby lettuce, farmers market bell pepper, organic celery, hemp seeds and Italian dresing.

Plus leftover black beans and rice from dinner last night.

I couldn’t resist some doughnut holes hubby picked up for me today. I knew I shouldn’t eat it before my workout (even though it was a few hours away), but I couldn’t resist.

I know some people I work out with even eat fast food for lunch before an evening workout, but I get pretty particular about what I eat any time during the day when I have a big workout ahead. I try to avoid fast food and sodas (neither of which I eat much anyways) and sweets (sad face) before a workout. Especially 2-3 hours before, I try to eat light food that is easy to digest. Well, actually, it used to be I tried to avoid bad foods, but thanks to Thrive and Brendan Brazier, I’m starting to focus on easy-to-digest eats before workouts.

THanks to my twitter friends, I decided to wear pink pants tonight.

Bailey had other plans for my pants as he stretched…

…and then got comfy on them.

Too bad I had to kick him off so I could teach class tonight!

Don’t worry, he found another comfy spot on the couch.

Half a homemade granola bar made a great pre-workout snack – esp with all those dates!

I packed up 3 to freeze for later.

Hubby and I have been enjoying the bars so much, though, they’re not going to last long.

Anywho, got my pink zumba pants on and it was time for class.

I think I’m slowly starting to get the hang of putting together a good playlist. What I need to work on next is upping my stamina so I can make the playlist hard without passing out on my class!

Fave songs from tonight’s playlist:

• I’m in Miami Trick (I did this one at HLS!)
• Church
• What Is It

Guess I was in a hi hop mood tonight!

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The Return of Project Hydrate

If you missed the last Project Hydrate, I’ve teamed up with No Fizz Clt to have another Project Hydrate Challenge – 60 at 60!

If you want to get better about your hydration, then join the challenge. It’s fun and free and will go on for 60 days – from September 1st (tomorrow!) to October 31st!

Click here for details

The challenge starts tomorrow!

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Are you strict on what you eat before a workout? What “rules” or guidelines do you typically follow the day, afternoon or even hour before a workout?

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