Grilled Chicken Panzanella

I still know a few people who think carbs are the devil, and that avoiding them is the key to weight loss. I don't subscribe to this school of thought. Your body needs carbs. Carbs are not the bad guy they were once made out to be. Sure, some carbs are better for you than others. Brown rice and whole wheat pasta are better carb choices than regular pasta, white rice, and white potatoes. I would never advocate eating a box of pasta. I would advocate eating a serving of pasta, though. While it really should be whole wheat pasta, if you want that white pasta, eat it!

I believe in eating what you want, just in moderation. I don't deny myself what I want when I want it. I just eat a little bit. If, come hell or high water, I want that pasta, I'm going to eat it. Just a serving size however, and then I fill the rest of my plate with vegetables. Vegetables are my secret for not going hungry. Instead of loading up on calorie-laden side dishes, fill your plate with veggies. You still get to eat a plate full of food which makes my tummy happy, but you're eating a lot less calories. This makes my brain happy :)

One very nutritionally-confused person told me they wouldn't like this salad because it's too carb heavy. They told me I shouldn't be eating it, because of all those carbs. Sad, I thought, to go through life completely avoiding carbs. I'll continue to eat my carbs, like this salad. Because, you can simply eat low-carb the rest of the day to make up for the bread carbs. Easy peasy. And much more delicious :)

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
4 ounces ciabatta bread, cut into cubes
1 tbsp olive oil (divided)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat gas grill to high heat. Brush 1/2 tbsp olive oil onto chicken breast. Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When grill is hot, turn burners to low and place chicken on the grill. Close and let cook 4 minutes. Flip chicken over. Cook for another 4 minutes. Flip twice more, cooking 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat, and let rest for 10 minutes before chopping it. Set aside.
2. Preheat broiler on oven. In a large bowl combine bread cubes with remaining olive oil, toss to coat. Season bread with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss well to evenly season bread. Spread bread in a single layer on a coated cookie sheet. Place under the broiler, and broil for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Bread is complete when lightly browned on all sides. Set aside.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, basil, grilled chicken, and toasted bread cubes. In a smaller bowl, thoroughly whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Consume immediately!

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light*

New Music: 5/23/13

Yep! It's time for some new music. Gotta keep on keepin' on.

I am obsessed with Robin Thicke's new song featuring T.I. and Pharrell "Blurred Lines". Obsessed. If you are going to download any song from this playlist, I highly recommend it. It's been on repeat on my iPod during my workouts. I thought I was cool when I found it about a month ago, however it's gone mainstream after being preformed on "The Voice" last week. Oh well, that's how the cookie crumbles. I love it.

I'm still forging ahead on bikini season. I'm a little disappointed that I haven't lost any weight since moving into the house, but I feel so much better. I've toned up a ton. I've completely changed the hubby and I's diet since we moved in. I've been trying to drink lots of water (my goal is 10 glasses a day), and eating very clean. Lots of vegetables. It's making a huge difference. My skin has completely cleared up since we started eating better, and my hair is softer. And like I said before, there has been lots of toning. Overall, I'm pretty happy. My vanity pounds will come off when they come off. I've come to accept this.

I'm off to groove on the elliptical to my new playlist :)

Happy Thursday everyone! One more day until the weekend!

More Motivation

Just in case anyone else is experiencing an end-of-winter slump, here's some more motivation and inspiration for/to getting healthy!

Source: Shrinking Jeans

Source: Back on Pointe

Source: Back on Pointe

Source: Back on Pointe

Source: CelebrityDB

Healthy recipes to try:

Source: Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Source: Biggest Loser Recipes

Source: The Garden Grazer

Source: Fashion Mommy in Training

There's always room for a healthier dessert!

Source: Biggest Loser Recipes

Source: Southern In-Law

Source: Heaven to 350

Orange Scented Muffins with Creamy Orange Glaze

I've had 3 lonely oranges in the fridge, practically since the day the hubby and I moved into the house. I had no idea what to do with them, but I knew I wanted them out of the fridge. I was also out of breakfast muffins, and needing another fix. I was set to make Cinnamon Roll Muffins, but since I've been doing so well watching what I'm eating... I decided to put those off to another day. They still sound delicious though...

Moving on.

Orange muffins, I thought, trying to get the idea of ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls out of my mind. The first recipe I came across for Orange Muffins, while sounding ferociously yummy, also called for a stick of butter. Better not, I finally concluded. So I came across this recipe which was much, much healthier.

Sigh.

It's hard being good. That being said, these muffins are a great healthy alternative. Do they taste like cake? No, but there is only half a cup of sugar in them. I put an orange glaze on them to give them even more of an orange-y taste. The outside turned out nice and crispy (I almost thought I over-baked them!), but the inside is soft and fluffy. So good! So if you are looking for a healthy breakfast muffin, I recommend giving these muffins a whirl.

Ingredients:
Muffins-
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla

Glaze-
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp fat-free vanilla creamer
1 tbsp orange zest

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine flour through salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, combine orange juice through vanilla. Whisk to combine.
4. Add juice mixture to flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool completely.
6. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar through orange zest. Add more liquid a little at a time until you reach a desired texture for drizzling. Divide the glaze among the muffins, and let set for 5-10 minutes, or until glaze has hardened.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Getting In Shape- Week 2

It's Week 2 of getting fit again!

I'm still on track with my New Year's resolutions. My goal last week was to work out 4 days, for 30 minutes, and I did just that. I took Sunday off from working out, and probably drank too much wine in the process, but what are you going to do? Monday I got back on track. The goal this week is to work out for at least 4 days, maybe 5, doing 30 minutes of cardio, along with ab work. I pushed it really hard on Monday and Tuesday, and I'm feeling really, really sore today. I decided to make today a recovery day, and am therefore trying to keep my calories low.

Another goal I want to accomplish this year is drinking more water. As a person who prefers wine to water very much, it's hard for me to make myself drink water. I whipped up a nice little detox drink, Lemon Lime Green Tea, to help me drink more of that H2O:

It's super yummy, and very low cal. Green tea and lemon are proven to be beneficial to speeding up the metabolism. Just what I need right now :) It was easy to make, and I made a big batch to store in the fridge. All you need is water, green tea bags, a couple of fresh lemons and limes, a sweetener of choice, and ice. Having it already made is key for me, because I always have the excuse that I don't feel like making it. To make it, I brought 32 oz of water to boil on the stove. I then removed it from the heat, and put 4 green tea bags in the pot. While I was letting the tea steep, I added the juice from 2 lemons and 2 limes to the pan, as well as 4 packets of Sweet-N-Low. I let the tea cool on the stove, and then poured into an ice-filled pitcher with sliced lemons and limes. Voila! A ready-made water and green tea vehicle, right in my fridge.

I was getting a little bored with my playlists, which is never good for my motivation. Can you see where this is going? Yep, new playlist.

Oh yes, new music always put pep in my step!

I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy week :)

21 Days

Photo courtesy of http://photo.esolar.com

I must confess, I'm one of those people who loves making New Year's resolutions. I love the idea of making a fresh start and having a clean slate. January 1st is one of those days when I feel like I can do anything, while December 31st feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I know many people hate making New Year's resolutions because they never keep them. I'm pretty good at keeping up my resolutions for a while. But you know what? "A while" is worth it. They say it only takes 21 days to make a habit. Well, bring on 21 days! Here's what I'm looking to accomplish in 2013:

1. Get Back In Shape- 

2012 was a tough year. The hubby and I didn't have our own home for 6 months. Whilst this is no excuse to have fallen off the wagon as bad as I did, it happened. I was doing fabulously until October, working out 4-5 days a week. Then I left to go to Oregon for a month, and I went into vacation mode. When I returned from Oregon, I was still in vacation mode, plus I was eating pretty bad food. At the beginning of December, the hubby and I moved into our house and pretty much all my free time was spent unpacking and organizing. No more excuses. Time to whip this flabby, 30-year old butt into shape :) My goal for Week 1 is 30 minutes of cardio, 4 times this week. 

2. Keep A Food Diary-

I kept a food diary for a couple of months last year, and it was an excellent way to hold myself accountable for what I was eating. Needless to say, I've gained a couple lb's from my lifestyle at the end of 2012, so I'm going to need to keep track of calories to get back where I was.

3. Finally Learn How-To Roast a Chicken-

Those damn birds. I'll get a victory in 2013, watch me!

4. Improve My Photography-

After reading the Pioneer Woman's series on photography, I'm bound and determined to learn how to use my digital camera and in turn, create better pictures for my blog. I'm also going to be spending some time with Photoshop, and figure out how to improve the food images that I use.

5. Save More Money-

Last year, I had $3300 in my couponing account before the hubby and I used that money as a down payment on our new appliances. What a difference having that down payment made! We'll have our appliances payed off in 10 months, rather than doubling that amount of time. My goal for the year is $3500, which I think is a do-able goal.

There's 2013 in a nutshell for year. All my goals make sense for my lifestyle and the way I live, so I don't think I will have a problem accomplishing any of them this year. Well, the chicken is the only thing that keeps besting me...

But I'll get it :)

Have Cheech's, Will Fly

Our vacation that starts in 16 days? Turns out we are flying. I'm super excited about the vacation, and a little nervous about flying with the dogs. We were going to rent a car and drive, but after we worked on the budget we discovered driving would cost twice as much. Thus, we bought plane tickets yesterday and reserved 2 doggy spots. I'm more worried about Gizmo than Haloti. Gizzie gets scared very easily, and I think could whine and/or bark more. I think Haloti will behave. Besides scaring them, I'm also worried that cabin pressure and altitude changes will hurt their ears or something. I've been doing a considerable amount of Internet research since I found out we are flying yesterday, and everything I've read so far says that air travel is fine for dogs. I'm feeling very fortunate the little guys are little, so that they can fly in the cabin under our feet. If they were big dogs, this would all be out of the question. I would never fly my dog in the cargo hold. So here I am, trying not to get too worked up about this. I'm guessing the whole thing will turn out just fine. Plus, all the travel for the trip will be done in 2 days, instead of 6. Can't beat that.

In house news, plumbing was put in over the weekend and HVAC people are there working this week. We are anxiously awaiting the electrician, because as soon the electricity is done, we can pour the basement floor and drywall/sheetrock can get started. That guy better turn up soon :) I didn't find the plumbing pictures scintillating enough to post a bunch of pictures of. Drywall/sheetrock? Definitely some exciting stuff. Also, I believe the county is coming out to inspect the plumbing today, so fingers crossed that that goes well! I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

I'm still on "Operation Lose 11 lbs", so I'm off to get a long workout in. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Food Diary Of A Food Fanatic

http://caloriecount.about.com

I must admit, my eating and alcohol habits have not been the healthiest lately. The hubby and I are obviously under some stress, what with the house construction and living in someone else's house, but it's definitely caused us to overindulge. Both in food and cocktails. The straw that broke the camels back was I got on the scale on Tuesday, and realized I'd gained 6 lbs from Friday to Monday! I know some of the weight was probably water weight, but the more I thought about it (especially about the crap that ate and drank on Sunday), the more I realized that I have been eating too much.

After stepping on the scale that morning, I just felt... gross. I decided it was time for a change. I've kept food journals in the past, and they help me stay accountable for what I'm eating. I think about what I eat, because I know I'm going to have to add it to my journal. So, I signed up at caloriecount.about.com. I've been keeping track of my calories for 3 days now, and the plan is working.

Working out hasn't been my problem, I've been getting 4 workouts a week in. Good, long ones too. It's just the amount I eat and/or drink after my workouts that is the problem. I never think about how many calories are in those vodka cocktails I make (lots!). With watching my calories and working out, I stepped on the scale this morning, and discovered I lost my 6 weekend lbs. A good start, but I'm still 11 lbs over my normal weight. Time to keep going!

I do feel like I'm "restricting" my calories, even though I'm eating between 1500-1700 calories. It's always hard to train your body back to what's normal when you've been having a free-for-all. But a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do. I've also swapped out my 2nd cup of coffee in the morning for a cup of green tea with lemon juice. 3 servings of green tea a day is supposed to aide weight loss, and can also boost your metabolism up to 80 calories. I know 80 calories doesn't sound like a lot, but to burn that just from drinking tea? Sign me up.

So you can find me on caloriecount.about.com, under the username JessicaJarr13. I know, a totally creative name. As for now, it's time to go hit up that elliptical :)

Wednesday- By The Numbers

50- minutes of cardio I've done today
100- amount of crunches done today
25- reps of lunges, squats, and jumping jacks done 3 times today
60- seconds of planks done today
6- lbs I've lost since I started detox
94- the high temperature for the day
82- % the humidity is supposed to be today
21- days since we signed our construction loan with no construction having started on our home (argh!!!)
40- days we have been staying with the hubby's aunt and uncle with no construction having started on the home (double argh!!!)
3- business days after signing our construction loan that construction was supposed to start
2- cups of coffee I've had today
11- new beauty products I've tried this month
7- number of those products I would buy again
5- amount of times the dogs have gone to sit by the door to go outside
45- amount of minutes I will spend vacuuming up dog hair today
7- hours spent slow cooking a pork shoulder yesterday
20- minutes it will take to bake a pizza with yesterday's leftover pork shoulder
1- amount of days until I get my hair done!
0- amount of patience I have left with the home construction situation

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday! Once again, hoping today is that special day that construction starts. Sheesh, I'm breaking out not 1, but 2 bottles of champagne the day that someone actually shows up!

Greek Quinoa Salad

This is the perfect summer salad. It's made with quinoa, which is a dream food for someone trying to watch their weight. It's loaded with veggies, tangy feta cheese, and salty kalamata olives. I'm loving all the fresh summer produce. The dressing is olive oil and lemon juice whisked together, and provides fragrant citrus notes to the dish. Best of all, there's only 185 calories in a one cup serving!

Chopped tomatoes, yellow pepper, and cucumber. As I've said before, you can take the skin off the cucumbers, but I like to leave the skin on.

Add in the halved kalamata olives and the feta.

It's a pretty easy salad once all the chopping is done, and the quinoa is cooked. Quinoa cooks like rice, so it's not too hard to master. I made a big batch of this on Monday to eat for healthy lunches this week, and now that it's Thursday, I'm happy to report that the salad is standing the test of time. It's been fabulous having something healthy already made for lunch this week.

I've been sticking to healthy eating this week, and an exhausting exercise regiment. I haven't lost any more weight since the initial 5, but hey, I feel 100 times better. I am looking forward to rewarding myself tomorrow, though! :)

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup tomato, chopped
1/2 cup yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3 tbsp kalamata olives, halved

Directions:
1. Place quinoa in a large bowl, cover with water, and let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan, stir in quinoa. Cover and lower heat. Simmer 15 minutes, or until liquid has dissipated. Fluff with a fork, and set aside. Let cool to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil through sea salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine tomato through kalamata olives. Add cooled quinoa to the bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad, and toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Detox, Continued

I'm still trying to shed the recent weight I gained. I've been working out every day, watching what I eat, and avoiding alcohol. I've been making sure to get my cardio in, and I've been concentrating on different areas every day for strength training. I've been rotating between ab, arm, and leg/butt workouts. I weighed yesterday, and discovered I had lost 5 lbs! A great start, as this lady won't be telling you how much I gained :)

I was having major chocolate cravings all day, and I knew I had to give in. I had to give in before the cravings became an all out free-for-all. This was a reasonable treat that felt like a major indulgence. I put together a sugar-free dark chocolate pudding cup at 60 calories, 20 calories of sugar-free cool-whip, and a banana at  a 105 calories. OMG. Life changer!

I made a batch of quinoa salad to eat for lunch this week, and so far it's been clean eating since the 4th. I think my detox is going to last at least one more week. My running shoes get a little more broken in every day :)

I may have to reward myself with a cocktail when I've accomplished my mission. But just one!

Good Ol' Fashioned Motivation

Oh peeps. I've strayed so far from the fitness path, it's not even funny. Since we've been staying with the hubby's aunt and uncle, I've been acting like we are on vacation. Not eating what I should, drinking way too often and too much, and putting my workouts on the back burner. Well, I fished my scale out from under the bed yesterday to see where I was at. I was so shocked by what I saw that detox started at that moment. On 4th of July. On a holiday. On a holiday with family where everyone is eating and drinking.

I've turned to Pinterest for some motivation. There is a wealth of diet and fitness information on there. I've decided that before I reach for a snack or a drink, I will turn to Pinterest for 15 minutes and reassess my need for said junk food and or/booze. I think I've got a shot. For a few weeks, I need to make sure I work out 5-6 times a week and I'm cutting back on sugar and alcohol.

I find so many inspiring tips on Pinterest, I can't believe I resisted the movement for so long. It's typical Jessica behavior, I did tell my husband for 3-4 years that I would absolutely not get an iPhone. Not ever. I caved :)

http://allwomenstalk.com/12-best-ways-to-lose-stomach-fat/

I will add that these are more than just images. They lead to websites with fitness tips, such as the 12 best ways to lose stomach fat and 30 day fitness challenges.

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2012/01/02/day-1-of-our-30-day-challenge-fit-test/

Since I'm working on my diet for the time being as well, I'm going to try and eat clean. More fruit, more veggies, lean meats, whole grains, and protein. And water. Lots and lots of water.

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/fresh-food-friday-100-healthy-snack.html

Good start to clean eats!

http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-eat-clean-meals.html#

Taco Turkey Casserole

http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-eat-clean-meals.html#

Thai Chicken Salad

I found these 2 recipes on a cool new fitness blog I will now be following. I started good tonight, making a pork and veggie stir fry. The stir fry had onions, diced red pepper, sliced mushrooms, edamame, and chunks of pork tenderloin. The sauce was flavored with fat free chicken broth, a splash of soy sauce, and honey. So yummy for such a light dish, which I served over rice. I really need to get back to blogging about cooking. It's been really tough to blog about cooking with 3 hungry people staring at me as I try to hurry and get dinner done :) Not a lot of time to document my process.

Anyhoo, I'm embarking on a detox. Hopefully for the next month, or until some of the weight starts to come off. Happy Friday Fitday! :)

Battle of the Bulge

My 2011 New Year's resolution was to get in shape. This resolution was different than my normal go-to resolution which was to lose weight. While resolving to lose weight is a valiant notion, year after year this goal got me nowhere. This year I decided it was time for a change. Instead of judging my progress on the scale, I would judge my progress by how my clothes fit. Instead of going on a "diet", I needed to change how I ate for life. As a fairly successful home cook I was used to healthy and fresh cooking. My problem was I had gotten to a place where my healthy choices were fewer and far between than my unhealthy "splurges" (more about cooking later, this post is about exercise, not cooking!) I just needed to get back on track. And instead of just expecting to lose weight by diet alone I would judge my progress with - surprise, surprise- exercise!

It is now June 1st and I feel I am well on my way to my New Year's resolution! When I started down this road in January, I was a size 10/12 and about 137 lbs. My physical activity level was... well, to be honest, zero. I started small, 20 minutes on the elliptical 4-5 days a week. After a couple of weeks, I was able to increase my cardio time to 30 minutes on the elliptical. Gradually, I added in 30 minutes of weight lifting 3-4 times a week and 45 minutes of Pilates 2-3 times a week. For a while, I did circuit training with 15 minutes of cardio followed by sets of crunches, squats, and lunges and then repeating the whole routine 3 times. My current routine is 30 minutes of intervals on the elliptical, followed by about 30 minutes of strength training. My strength training consists of crunches, planks, lunges, squats, and some free weight lifting. I am following all this up with 30 more minutes of fat-burning cardio. My hard work is definitely paying off though!  I am down to 130 lbs and just bought a pair of shorts in a size 6!

This may seem like an extreme workout. Let me say that most (ok, 90%) people do not have the time for this! I will just say that I do have the time for it right now and I haven't felt this healthy since I was 18! I can successfully report fewer headaches and stomach aches as well. My healthiness is spreading to Jerame as well. Jerame and I have started a new Saturday morning tradition of running a mile across the street at the high school. As part of my quest to judge my fitness, I decided I wanted to see how fast I can run a mile in. A couple of Saturday's ago, Jerame and I woke up at 7 am and headed across the street. My first mile time was not what I hoped and also helped me realize that I still have a long way to go! Oddly enough, I found this to be an exciting challenge which I will conquer! My PR running the mile was my sophomore year  of high school. I finished in 7 minutes 26 seconds. I wanted my time to be comparable to this. It wasn't! My first mile time was 9 minutes 23 seconds. Ugh! My second mile time was 9 minutes 21 seconds. I have since come to terms with this, consoling myself with the thought that there are many more Saturday's to prove myself.

I must say that I am extremely proud of myself for sticking to my resolution. While I by no means consider myself a flaky person, I can probably count on one hand the number of resolutions I have stuck to. I am just glad that this is one of them. Here are my progress pictures!