January Cure Updates -- Happy February!

Happy February! It is raining here today. Although that has put a damper on our plans to go for a hike, it is desperately needed and welcomed.

I suppose when I decided to do this project again, I underestimated how full my calendar already was last month. There were many days where I made others things a priority...like a 15-mile hike through San Francisco. (Blog post coming soon!).

Below is a list of the January Cure Assignments as well as my updated project list (with all of the completed items crossed off) . I know that I will have the opportunity to cross a lot more off during the remainder of 2014!

January Cure Project. DONE. Got these photos printed for less than $20.

Apartment Therapy's January Cure 2014 Assignments: 

• Jan 2: Make a Project List 
• Jan 3-5: Flowers, Floors, Green Cleaners
• Jan 6: Get a Fresh Perspective
• Jan 7: Set Up Outbox
• Jan 8: Select One Project from List
• Jan 9: Choose a Piece of Art to Frame
• Jan 10-12: Flowers, Kitchen Organization/Cleaning, Make Yourself a Meal
• Jan 13: Get Your Get-Together Together
• Jan 14: Create a Landing Strip
• Jan 15: Try a Media Fast
• Jan 16: Work on Your Goal Project
• Jan 17-19: Flowers, Bedroom Organization/Cleaning
• Jan 20: Get Papers & Files in Order
• Jan 21: Exercise a Little Cord Control
• Jan 22: Bathroom & Medicine Cabinets Cleanout
• Jan 23: Declutter Books/Media
• Jan 24-26: Flowers, Living Room, Lighting Refresh, Empty Outbox
• Jan 27: Catch Up Day
• Jan 28: Hang Artwork

Art hung in our entryway. DONE.

• Jan 29: Spruce Up & Surface Clean
• Jan 30: Show for Get Together
• Jan 31-Feb 2: Relax & Celebrate!

Our January Cure Get Together was a small dinner party at our house last night. We had three friends over, stuffed our faces with homemade Indian food and played a few rounds Cards Against Humanity. As for the Indian food, we made:

• Chickpea and Okra Coconut Curry (Vegan) -- I used this recipe as the base but subbed light coconut milk for the yogurt and added a bag of frozen okra slices.  
• Grilled Chicken Tikka -- We just made the chicken, not the tomato chutney, from this recipe. I chopped the chicken into bite-size pieces and marinated it in the yogurt mixture for a couple hours before my honey grilled it up. We served a mango chutney from Trader Joe's on the side. 
• Saag Paneer (Spinach with Indian Cheese; Vegetarian) -- I have made this recipe a couple times before. It is yummy and, although she provides instructions on making your own paneer and garam masala, I always pick those up at our local Indian market.
• Brown Rice and Naan -- I sliced big pieces of naan from our local Indian market in half and my honey warmed them up on the grill with the chicken.

Project List: 
Completed in 2013
Not Completed
Completed in 2014

Entry
Outbox
Clean out/reorganize hall closet
Paint front door
New door mat
Deep clean floors
Clean out/reorganize hall closet
Outbox

Living Room/Dining Room
Print Cuba photos for large frames in dining room
Order, frame and hang art print
Print, frame and hang photos in living room
New coffee table (glass top)
Fireplace insert
Entry table/cabinet/hooks/something?
Screen door
Deep clean floors (these are the same ones as the entry)
Deep clean living room
Put away holiday decorations
Reorganize china/booze cabinets
Hang mirror

Kitchen
Organize pantry cabinets -- containers for dry ingredients
Deep clean floors (see above)
Deep clean kitchen
Hang NOLA signs above stove
Hang paper towel holder
Purchase/hang light(s) above sink -- Hang second light.
Hang photo canvases

Family Room
Screen door
Clean out/re-organize DVDs/Blu-rays
Paint shelves -- Get second shelves for other side of couch or new side tables?

Office
Clean out/reorganize closet
Hang diplomas
Hang guitars
Fix closet doors
Declutter and reorganize books/shelves
Declutter and reorganize paperwork

Guest Room
Guest bed and side table
Move elliptical
Small TV -- hang in front of elliptical
New light fixture
Hang Bosnia photos
Clean out/reorganize closet
Hang mirror

Bedroom
Hang Croatia photo
Jewelry organization
New light fixture
Wedding photo - printed and framed
Deep clean bedroom
Reorganize dresser
Print, frame, and hang photo(s)
Clothes and shoe repairs

Bathroom
Paint
Deep clean bathroom
Declutter and reorganize under sink cabinet
Purchase/hang new towel rack(s)
Purchase/hang wall cabinet -- shelf/counter?

2014 Goal Updates! My 4th 5K & a Recipe Roundup!

*My full list of 2014 goals can be found below. 

2014 5K #1: Sunday, January 12 -- Hot Chocolate 5K. This was a fun one, although very crowded. So crowded that I couldn't run at the pace I wanted until at least the Mile 1 marker. There were a few spots in the beginning where I was trying to run but realized that I could walk faster than the people "running" in front of us. (Really, they were just bouncing slowly along with the crowd...) What is it with people walking four- or five-wide across a narrow path, sidewalk, etc? (This annoyance obviously extends beyond this event.) Shouldn't this be like driving? Slower people to the right, faster people to the left...right?? Sorry for the mini-rant but I needed to get that off my chest. I feel better now. Now on to the good stuff!

Waiting to start.

This run was in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco (like the Awesome 80s 5K) and although it was really cold at 7:30 am...it was a gorgeous day and Golden Gate Park is an incredibly beautiful place to be, running or otherwise.

I ran this 5K with my honey (it was his first!), my friend from my first 5K in July and my friend from the Awesome 80s 5K in November. We were a good team and all finished within a couple minutes of each other. My final time was 38:19. Not my fastest (that was the Temecula 5K) but over two minutes faster than my last 5K in November. Not too shabby, seeing as I didn't run much prior to this one.

The especially cool thing about the Hot Chocolate 5K is that they give you hot chocolate (hence the name) AND fondue at the end. The chocolate was surprisingly good and I thoroughly enjoyed it with the dippers they provided -- a banana, marshmallow, rice crispy treat and a wafer cookie. It was all served up in this cute finisher's mug.

Mmm...chocolate.

In addition to running a 5K, we walked 3-miles roundtrip to and from the event from our friend's home and another few miles to and from brunch. We have established a nice 5K + Brunch tradition and I am loving it. Here's a photo of what I stuffed in my face that day -- fresh crab, avocado and a perfectly poached egg on an english muffin with salad on the side. 

*drool*

New Recipe Roundup! January 10-15, 2013:

• Spaghetti Squash Primavera from Skinny Taste -- I may have used a little extra cheese. Healthy and delicious. I highly recommend this one and you can make the spaghetti squash the day before for an even faster dinner.
• Mom's* Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole from Cooking Light -- Our milk had gone bad (whoops) so I subbed low sodium chicken stock. I also added a bit more liquid and stirred in 2 cups of cooked brown rice and heated it all together before pouring it into a baking dish, topping with cheese and broiling. I just had the last of the leftovers for lunch today. I really liked this one but my honey didn't really care for it. I don't think he likes the "just chicken" from Trader Joe's. He thinks it tastes too processed. I think I will try this recipe again, but with rotisserie chicken. 
• Balsamic & Bacon Brussels Sprouts. Recipe from a friend. -- The combination of ingredients in this dish is incredible. We ate it as a side dish with bun-less burgers topped with a little gruyere cheese. I will be making it again soon to fine tune a few things and then I will post the recipe here. Stay tuned!

I am already at seven new recipes so far this month and I am making a new mushroom and barley soup recipe tonight and we have a new pork tenderloin recipe scheduled for later this week. Overall, I feel like I have been doing really well with my 2014 goals and posting updates here has helped keep me accountable. Lots more work and fun ahead...

*Not MY mom.

2014 Goals
Home: 

• Complete January Cure. 
• Blog January Cure and goal progress minimum 1x/week.

Fitness/Health - Reach Goal Weight & Maintain:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (January); Fight for Air Climb (March); Great Strides 5K (April); Stars & Stripes 5K (July); Fall 5 or 10K TBD.
• Hikes 1x/month minimum. 
• Schedule and track all fitness. 
• Complete five personal training sessions.
• Group gym classes 2x/month minimum.

Cooking/Health:

• Track all food and pay attention to portion sizes.
• New recipes 8x/month.
• Meatless lunches/dinners 4x/week minimum.

Fun: 

• Read 12+ books. 
• Dates with friends 2x/month minimum. (May be combined with fitness fun.)
• Daily Challenge by me you health. (Overall well being.)

2014 Goals Update -- January Cure, Hiking, Recipe Roundup and Books!

*My full list of 2014 goals can be found below. 

January Cure: Got to admit, I'm not taking this year's cure quite as seriously. As in, if I already "sort of" did the daily assignment, I'm counting it as done. Not completely failing but definitely not my usual overachieving self. I'm still committed to getting this done, don't get me wrong, I may just be cramming here and there, as opposed to doing it on the daily. More updates on this goal, coming soon!

January Hike: Saturday, January 4 -- 11.16 miles with my honey and our good friend. 1,524 feet of elevation although my guess was a BILLION. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, mid-60s with a nice breeze once we got climbing.

Power Poses. Approximately halfway through our hike.

Beautifulness.

Personal Training Sessions: Step 1: Purchase personal training sessions. DONE! My plan is to schedule my first session in late February, when the new year's gym rush has hopefully died down, and schedule sessions every other Friday. (My regular day off.)

Other Activity: It has been a good week so far! Sunday was a much needed post-hike rest day but I did hop on the elliptical (love having one at home) for a bit to get in some extra steps. On Monday I did back-to-back Couch-to-5K trainings and an additional walk to get over 12,000 steps. My goal has always been 10,000 steps/day but I upped it this week for a FitBit challenge. Yesterday I got up early and did an hour walk before work and today I did a run/walk after work. Tomorrow is a long walk before a delicious sushi dinner.  (Notice the run/walk trend?) 

New Recipe Roundup! January 3-8, 2013:

• Lighter Fettuccini Alfredo (Cook's Illustrated) and a Rainbow Chard and Radicchio Sauté recipe from Bon Appetit. The pasta is five stars, for sure. (Not surprising from Cook's Illustrated, right??) I think I enjoyed it more than the full fat version. As for the chard&radicchio, I think I used too little chard and/or too much radicchio, which is on the more bitter side. I think the ratio should be 2/3 to 1/3 or even 3/4 to 1/4.
• Zucchini and Basil Lasagna (Cooking Light) -- I made a half batch for lunch and we enjoyed leftovers for lunch on Monday. 
• Chicken and Bok Choy in Miso Ginger Broth -- The premise of this recipe is an old favorite, one that I have always made based on a Martha Stewart recipe. This time I decided to try a short cut with Trader Joe's miso ginger broth...and it is definitely a keeper! How I know that it is a keeper, aside from my own palate, is that my honey went back for thirds. THIRDS. Oh, and it is super simple to throw together on a weeknight and perfect for chilly weather. Recipe post coming soon!
  
  

Ingredients for Chicken & Bok Choy in Ginger Miso Broth. YUM.

Books! I am currently reading A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole) and thoroughly enjoying it. It is set in New Orleans and we also just started watching Season 1 of Treme...so I feel like I've got a good theme going. I have also been working my way through We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver). 

Months ago, a friend started a private Facebook group for some of our lady friends called the Ladies' Book Referral Service. The sole purpose of the group is to find out what everyone is reading and provide a communal focus for recommendations. I have gotten so many great ideas from the group and one member had the brilliant idea (and follow through) to plan an in-person get together. This Saturday, we are gathering to drink wine, talk about books and start a rotation of excellent reads. I plan to bring Little Bee (Chris Cleave) to share. 

2014 Goals
Home: 

• Complete January Cure. 
• Blog January Cure and goal progress minimum 1x/week.

Fitness/Health - Reach Goal Weight & Maintain:

• Hot Chocolate 5K (January); Fight for Air Climb (March); Great Strides 5K (April); Stars & Stripes 5K (July); Fall 5 or 10K TBD.
• Hikes 1x/month minimum. 
• Schedule and track all fitness. 
• Complete five personal training sessions.
• Group gym classes 2x/month minimum.

Cooking/Health:

• Track all food and pay attention to portion sizes.
• New recipes 8x/month.
• Meatless lunches/dinners 4x/week minimum.

Fun: 

• Read 12+ books. 
• Dates with friends 2x/month minimum. (May be combined with fitness fun.)
• Daily Challenge by me you health. (Overall well being.)

Project 365: 97 | SkinnyTaste | 09.24.12

Project 365: 97 | SkinnyTaste | 09.24.12

On Monday, we cooked two new dishes from one of my favorite food blogs, SkinnyTaste, and they were a success. My honey cooked the grilled Asian chicken and I made the edamame fried rice. We threw in some steamed broccoli and we had delicious and healthy rice bowls. I had done a little prep work the day before, including marinating the chicken and cooking the brown rice. So far, all of the recipes we have cooked from SkinnyTaste have been keepers!

Camera: iPhone

Project 365: 17 | Tilapia | 07.06.12

Project 365: 17 | Tilapia | 07.06.12

Yesterday, I made a homemade blackened seasoning for fish/chicken. I then used it on tilapia fillets that I served on top of quinoa and topped with a radish and cucumber salsa. It was spicy, healthy and delicious and we are having the leftovers for dinner tonight. My honey is picky about fish -- he loves it raw but cooked is questionable. He enjoyed this as much as I did so I consider that a kitchen success! (Regardless of if he liked it, I would still make this again because it is so yummy.)

Recipes:
Blackened Seasoning for Fish/Chicken (I used half the salt.)
Blackened Tilapia with Radish and Cucumber Salsa (I used extra radish and a whole red pepper.)

Camera: Canon Rebel T1i

Menu: Fast, Fancy Dinner

Happy Valentine's Day!

If you happen to need a quick, easy, and impressive dinner menu, today or any other day, I put together a mix-and-match menu for you. The ones with asterisks are or can be made vegetarian/vegan.

You're welcome.

Appetizer: Artichoke and Green Olive Spread* or Cream Cheese and Salsa Spread*
Salad: White Bean and Spinach Salad* or Spicy Salad
Dinner: Chicken in Thyme Marsala Cream Sauce over rice or Cherry Tomato Spaghetti all'Amatriciana* w/ garlic bread or Avocado Pasta*
Dessert: One-Minute Mug Brownies* or Fresh Fruit with Fruit Dip*

How: Weekly Meal Planning

Weekly Menu Planner

When people find out that I plan our meals every week, they sometimes don't believe me.  I get a look of disbelief and/or a delayed question such as, "wait, you really plan out your meals each week and then you actually cook them?"  Yes, I do.  I'm a planner and I enjoy cooking and eating.  It works.

There are a number of factors that influence my decision regarding our meals for the week.

How to pick your meals:

• Schedule: What is your schedule for the week?  Which nights do you need to plan a meal?  Most Sundays we have dinner at my parents' house so that night is one we never have to worry about.
• Time: How long do prospective meals take to prep and cook?  Something time intensive, like this Beer Braised Irish Stew, is a good option for a day when you know that you will be home -- not so good for the day when you aren't home until after 6:00 p.m. and want to eat before 8:00 p.m.  Slow cooker recipes are great for during the week IF they don't require a lot of prep time. I don't know about you but I'm already not that quick at 6:30 in the morning.  I don't need any added level of difficulty.
• Leftovers: Bringing lunches to work during the week is both less expensive and healthier.  For meals that we cook on a weeknight, my honey and I look for dishes that serve 4 - 6 -- usually the perfect amount for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day.  In addition to the amount, I also lean towards dishes that I know will taste good leftover.  For example, the Slow Cooker Chicken Chili is just as good, if not better, leftover.
• Weather: Yes, weather.  Certain dishes are great when it is cold out -- stew/soup type dishes, for example, warm up your kitchen just as much as they warm up your belly.  On the flip side, when it is warm out, opt for no or low-cook dishes.
• Variety: Try to keep things interesting -- a mix of different types of foods, such as pasta, vegetarian, Mexican, etc.  I also try to find a balance between our favorites, like this Taco Salad, and new recipes I have been wanting to try, like this Avocado Pasta. 

Planning/time saving tips: 

• Read these articles: Eat Like a Foodie at Home Without Breaking Your Budget and Getting Out of Eating Out: A Game Plan
• Pick a day each week for meal planning and grocery shopping.  Depending on our schedules we do the planning and shopping on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.   
• Make a list.  I make our list based on where things are in the store.  It makes the shopping trip go much faster.  
• Shop early morning or late night.  Go grocery shopping either first thing in the morning or after dinner.  It will be much more likely to have the store (and staff) to yourself.
• Post your menu.  One of the other things that helps us, especially when we are having a particularly busy week, is to have our meals for the week posted in our kitchen.  You may remember that I made this weekly dry erase menu planner.  We have it hanging over our kitchen sink.  The thing is, you don't need a fancy shmancy menu planner.  A piece of paper hung on your fridge will do just fine.  Or print out a template from online.

My love of planning is not to say that we are inflexible.  For example, this week I postponed our Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas from Wednesday to today because we ended up with more leftovers than we anticipated from a delicious Asian Slaw with Ginger-Peanut dressing that we made for dinner on Tuesday.  Recipes for both of these to come! 

To Do: Find Ideas and Inspiration

These are three of my current favorite websites and are filled to the brim with ideas and inspiration.

Daily Challenge sends e-mails every morning with a to-do item that in some way improves your mental, physical and/or emotional health.  Today's challenge is to identify a local place that serves healthy food and to save the information on paper or in your phone.  Easy peasy. 

Foodgawker is exactly what it sounds like -- a place to gawk at (and often drool over) delicious looking dishes and find the associated recipes. I submitted by first photo yesterday so fingers crossed by zucchini & goat cheese rolls make the cut. 

Pinterest is a visual pin board where you can store and share all sorts of fabulous ideas and images from all over the interwebs.  This site warms my organization and list-loving heart.