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Posts Tagged Tokyo Joe’s

Eau du Broccoli

Nov 21

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 7 Comments

Happy Saturday!  My favorite day of every week!  I hope you had a fantastic Friday.  Mine was bueno:  it was so nice to get back to my regular eating schedule.  I seems like my eating has been a little erratic this week.  I would miss an afternoon or mid-morning snack and then after dinner I would feel like I hadn’t had enough to eat and was experiencing crazy cravings.

The day started with a trusty old friend:  1/3 cup old fashioned oats (measured dry for those of you wondering), sprinkled with some raisins, unsweetened coconut flakes and cinnamon.  Mmmm.  Coconut was meant for oatmeal.  It seems like such an odd combo, but it is fantastic!

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For lunch I had the leftover veggie enchilada from Thursday’s visit to Three Margaritas, with a side of stinky broccoli.  More on the broccoli later…

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After lunch I needed a “dessert” so I grabbed a medjool date.  Perfect little snack to squelch that sweet tooth!

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And later a beloved Lemon Larabar…  Larabar, it’s been a few days.  I’ve missed you!

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MSP wanted his favorite for dinner (Chipotle) before heading off to poker night with the fellas and my tastebuds just weren’t in the mood for the spice and onion overload.  So while I was out picking up his dinner, I swung through Whole Foods to wander around uninterrupted grab something from the salad bar.  I left with a $26 grocery bill (not bad considering that it’s usually over $40 there, AND $5 went to a donation to the Women’s Crisis Shelter.  But then again, I had just come from Vitamin Cottage, where I spent $21 so see… I’m right back at $40+ for a “quick trip to the store”.)  But if it meant I got to eat these beautiful treats for dinner, then it was well worth it:

 

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Sesame emerald kale, gigande beans, and quinoa pilaf with roasted red peppers.  I should take a picture of these beans next to something to give you a reference of their size next time.  They truly are GIGANDE!  Every once in a while you see one with vericose veins!  I’m not joking!

And because I was feeling a definite lack of greens in my day, I couldn’t resist trying a new BUBBLY flavor, aptly called multi-GREEN.  ;)

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Doesn’t it look tasty?  ;)

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And still I was craving more veggies, so for “dessert” I had a spinach salad with leftover roasted mushrooms and my homegrown crunchy sprouts. 

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Ah, that did that trick.  Full now. 

So back to that stinky broccoli…  the other day I had this idea to bake broccoli, much the same way that I do with kale.  I had about 3/4 bag of florets left in the fridge…

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…so I tossed them with some macadamia nut oil and some nutritional yeast and put them next to the mushrooms I was getting ready to roast.  Cooked ‘em good at 350 degrees until they started to get brown tinges on the edges.

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While I definitely loved the flavor of the baked broccoli (tasted an awful lot like baked kale, who knew?) I most definitely did NOT like the stench that was left hanging around.  It was so BAD!  If we left the house and came back, it smacked us good and hard in the face each and every time we walked back in the door.  Putting the leftovers in the fridge made it exponentially worse.  I wasn’t even really in the mood for broccoli with my leftover enchilada, but I couldn’t take the stanky stink any longer. 

I have never experienced that with broccoli before.  I will have to pay closer attention to how I prepare it.  I want to make a broccoli salad for Thanksgiving, but now I’m thinking I may have to run down to Tokyo Joe’s and just place an order just for steamed broccoli to use in the recipe so that I can keep the house smelling nice that day! 

Another lesson learned: (one that I think I’d read one time about cruciferous veggies and methane, and made the mistake of not committing to memory):  there is a limit to how much broccoli should be consumed in one sitting.  Scarfing down half a bag of baked florets was not a smart idea.  I want to save you poor souls (and the poor souls standing within smelling distance) from this horrible misstep. 

There, I’ve done my good deed for the day.  :)  

Have a SNAZZY Saturday friends!   See you back here on Monday!

– Shari B. =)

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Bitten by the Hungry Bug

Oct 2

Posted by in FitFeature | 2 Comments

Wahooo TGIF!  I love Fridays and Saturdays!  Got any big plans for the weekend? 

My Thursday started off with a little Rascal looking at me through my coffee mug.  I sure love that little guy!  It doesn’t matter what kind of day I’m having – Rascal can alwas put a smile on my face. 

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Speaking of smiles, here’s another on on my morning toast!  (Ezekial with almond butter and raw honey.)

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After a client session this morning, I ate half of a HUGE cantaloupe. 

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I blasted through my to-do list, then did my ADC (attention-deficit-cardio).  I can tell I’m not ready to be running indoors just yet:  I was on the treadmill for about a mile then had to start mixing other things in because the monotony of the TM was killing me.  I did intervals of step-ups, mountain climbers, bench hops, jumping jacks.  Anything to keep my heart rate high and not bore me to death. 

Mid-morning, I finished off my Gingerberry Kombucha, in a wine glass ;)   Makes it feel more festive!

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So one of the new (to me) veggies that I picked up at Whole Foods on my quest to try new foods was Red Chard.  Very Christmasy looking!  It almost makes a good centerpiece!

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I wilted it over medium heat in some macadamia nut oil, seasoned it with a little onion powder and fresh ginger, then topped it with a tiny drizzle of agave nectar.  Thought it might go well with the leftover Spicyaki Boulder Bowl from Tokyo Joe’s.  The chard wasn’t bad, but not one of my favorites (at least prepared in this manner.)  I’ll try some in a green smoothie and see how that goes.

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I was still hungry after I finished the plate above, so I  made a quick open-faced sandwich of Ezekial, herbed goat cheese, sliced cucumber, slice of tomato, and a sprinkle of pepper.

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And a few squares of dark chocolate make the lunch complete:

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My standard afternoon snack:  Larabar!  This time I had Ginger Snap, with a side of green tea.

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For dinner I made MSP a swiss & spinach chicken roll with a side of rice pilaf.

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And for me, I made a MONSTER of a salad with a side of Amy’s Organics Split Pea soup.  This is my new salad bowl (I think it is literally 12″ or more in diameter…  I’ll have to measure.  It is HUGE!)  My salad was bursting with ingredients:  spinach, kale, red chard, cucumber, tomato, dulse, nutritional yeast, sprouts, zucchini ribbons.  I made a vinaigrette of hemp oil, olive oil, basalmic vinegar, a pinch of lime juice and a pinch of agave.  Turned out pretty tasty!

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While MSP was at softball late in the evening, I had almond milk flavored with some chocolate syrup, and an unpictured banana with almond butter and honey. 

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I have been seriously bitten by the hungry bug this week!  (I even have a pic to prove it!!)

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The little bugger got me good, no wonder I’m famished!!  ;)   I’m having a tough time feeling full for some reason this week.  I wonder if it’s this streak of cold weather we’re having and my body thinking it needs some extra insulation for the winter!  I better dress warm today to trick it!  Since it is currently 28 degrees!  (Dear Summer, please, I beg you… do not leave me yet!  I’m not ready!)

When the hungry bug bites, I don’t want to ignore it completely if I’m truly feeling hungry (and not bored, stressed, tired or thirsty.)  In this situation I aim to fill up on nutrient-dense, high volume food, which is why I had such a HUGE salad for dinner.   It would be really easy to go grab something that I can stick my whole face into like a bag of baked chips, crackers, cookies, etc.  But I know that would just be adding insult to injury, and not doing any good for my body or my mood.  So I eat quality foods until I feel full.  If that doesn’t do the trick or if I have a feeling I’m just craving things for emotional reasons, usually a hot cup of herbal tea or a decaf coffee will work wonders.

Today’s questions:  Do you have your own strategy to fight off food cravings if you know they aren’t true hunger signals?  Do you have a “go-to” food or beverage that will squelch any cravings and keep you feeling fit?  Drop me a comment!  I’d love to hear from you! 

(Speaking of comments, where’s my sister-from-anotha-mister, Alexandra??  Hope you are doing well!)

Have a fit & fabulous FRIDAY! 

– Shari B. =)

 

 

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Green Smoothie Foundation

Oct 1

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 5 Comments

I’d been asked in the comments section a while back how I go about making my green smoothie base.  I highly recommend making a green smoothie your first meal of the day – it’s the TRUE Breakfast of Champions!

Because I like this one so much, I don’t deviate from that often.  The only real change I make is selecting the fruit choice for the day, or whether I’ll add in some sort of protein powder or essential fat.  But the green part usually starts the same.  Here’s how I build mine…

  • I start by putting 8 oz water in my blender jar.
  • Then I add peeled cucumber (half if it’s a large cucumber, or whole if it’s a small one.)
  • Next up is one or two stalks of celery (which I do cut into smaller pieces before adding to the blender.)
  • I then grab a handful of alfalfa sprouts and a large fisful of spinach.

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  • After my “green foundation veggies” are in, I select my add-ins.   Sometimes it’s half of a pear, some cantaloupe, or a mango.  Sometimes it’s a couple of clementines or a half-serving of a frozen açai smoothie pack.  On this particular day, I chose a small banana and a kiwi.  And since it was a postworkout shake, I included a scoop of vanilla rice protein powder.

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  • Once all the ingredients are in my Blendtec I press the “whole juice” button and plug my ears!  (My blender is CRAZY loud!)
  • This one has a preset blend time (when I was using my mom’s Osterizer, I would blend for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes)
  • Pour into a glass of your choice, admire all those nutrients in your concoction and enjoy!  My version ususally makes one full drinking glass plus another half.

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So there you have it – a base recipe to begin building your own green smoothies!

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As far as FEATS for the day… it was time for some strength training! It felt so good to use my real weights and be in my home gym again.  Here’s the workout I did:

Weight Training (chest/bis/shoulders):

  • TM warmup for 5 minutes plus arm circles
  • Smith Bench Press 4 working sets of 12, 10, 9, 7 reps
  • PecDeck 4 working sets of 15, 12, 12, 10 reps
  • Standing DB Bicep Curls 4 working sets of 15, 10, 10, 7 reps
  • Side Lateral Raises 4 working sets of 15, 12, 10, 10 reps

Ahh, home sweet home.  :)

– Shari B. =)

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Don't Finish What You Start (dessert, that is!)

Sep 7

Posted by in FitFeature | 2 Comments

Hi fit peeps!  Hopefully you have the day off for the Labor Day holiday!  Mondays are great when you don’t have to head in to the office, right?  ;)

So my Sunday was delightful.  It was a planned rest day from exercise so I was pretty much a ‘lump on a log’ most of the day.  I did a little painting project and then finished a book I’d been reading on the Kindle.  (Hey speaking of Kindle, if you happen to own one:  Amazon seems to regularly offer a few books for free to drum up some buzz for authors.  The one I just finished was called “Raising Jake” which I originally got for free and is now out there for $9.60.   They also have a lot of classics for free download as well, like “Pride & Prejudice”.  Thought I’d share, since we all love to save some money!)

Sunday started much like every other day, with my favorite liquid, this time presented for your viewing pleasure in my DENVER mug (from Starbucks, of course!):

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And then (drum roll please……) my chocolate chip MUFFIN!

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(with a cup of almond milk in my “thumb mug”)  Oh wow has it been a long time since I’ve had one of these.  It was DEEE-LISH!  I ate about 2/3 and then realized I’d had my fill.  At that point, I noticed that I was eating it just because it tasted so good and no longer because I was hungry, so I stopped and the rest went to MSP, who gladly finished it off for me!

Throughout the morning I had a few leftover chickpeanuts, but the muffin was so filling I didn’t need anything substantial again until lunch.   When I finally did get hungry I had some of my leftover tofu chili with a side of veggies and hummus (there’s one of those wonky carrots again!):

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Shortly after I felt mostly full but could use a bite of something ‘desserty’ to change the taste some, so I broke off a piece of a Chocolate Coconut Larabar (about a third of the bar):

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Later we had a few errands to run and MSP treated me to one of my favorite ‘fast food’ places ever, Tokyo Joe’s! I use fast food lightly because it’s really a great place to get a quick healthy meal.  I chose the Hookipa Salad which has grilled salmon, ginger, greens, edamame, dried cranberries, pecans and a side of soy ginger dressing.   It comes stuffed to the brim in a huge bowl:

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So I cut the salmon in half and dished out half the salad onto a plate so that I have some for another time:

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Oh this salad is SOOOO good.  I just love it.  Tokyo Joe’s rocks.  If you have one nearby, you should go there today :)

MSP was craving rice krispy treats while we’d been out and about so we picked him up the goods to get it made in the evening.  He also wanted them to have chocolate topping, so he also bought a bag of chocolate chips to melt down and smear on top of his creation.  After they cooled he enjoyed his evening snack, while I munched on a few of the leftover chocolate chips.  Here’s something I was was surprised to learn:   Can you believe that Rice Krispies have high fructose corn syrup in them??? I mean really – it’s puffed rice for crying out loud!  What’s the point of ruining it with HFCS?  I don’t know why it surprised me so, but it did in this particular cereal.

Right at bedtime at 9:30 (yes, 9:30 on a weekend night – and that’s LATE for me!  I tell ya, my sleep is important to me!) I got really hungry, so I stirred a quick scoop of Amazing Grass “Amazing Meal” since I hadn’t had my green smoothie for the day.  This would have to suffice. :)   This is one of the few powdered green drinks I actually like.  It’s meant to be a meal replacement shake, as it’s balanced with protein, carbs and fat.  I like it because it’s easily portable – it doesn’t require a blender and it mixes really well with water.

AM_Original_Large140x257 Image from amazinggrass.com

So the FitFeature that I’d like to touch on today, especially as many of you may be heading to Labor Day BBQs and parties:  as I mentioned above, while I was enjoying my ‘planned cheat treat’ chocolate chip muffin, once I’d had my fill it was time to stop eating it.  If you are trying to lose weight or be fitter/healthier, this is a healthy habit to learn!  One of my personal training clients who then became one of my closest friends was great at this and I always admired her resolve.  When we’d meet for drinks or dinner, she would always order dessert.  She would have a few bites and then she was DONE.  She tasted it and had enough to enjoy it,  which kept her from feeling deprived of great foods and kept her from feeling like she was dieting.  So many foods taste GREAT in the first few bites, but then the ‘magic’ disappears.  Bethenny Frankel calls it “The Point of Diminishing Return”.

Don’t just continue to eat something because it tastes good – when  you are full, STOP EATING IT. :)   With high calorie decadent food, don’t finish what you start!

Alrighty friends, I’m off to start my day!  Have a sunny and safe Labor Day!  See ya next time!

– Shari B. =)

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