More Recipes with Tomato & Basil

So, after my delicious tomato-basil grilled cheese on wheat, I had some tomato and basil left over, which I didn't want to go to waste. (I unfortunately have a bad habit of 'forgetting' about the veggies and things that are only good for a few days-week, which wastes a lot of $$) For breakfast, I made myself a tomato-basil omelette. Yum yum. No pictures, but here's the recipe:

Tomato-Basil Omelette

*1/2 cup chopped tomato (the actual recipe calls for tomato sauce, but I used leftover tomato)

*chopped fresh basil (you can also use dried basil)

*egg whites (or 2 eggs)--I use the kind that comes pre-packaged in little containers because they're perfect for omelette making (I'll put the brand name down later, I forget what it is at the moment)

*a pinch of salt and pepper if you want

* 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella 

Heat a tsp of butter on a skillet over medium heat (or spray with pam, a healthier option); Wait until a drop of water sizzles on the skillet and then slowly pour the egg whites into the skillet. Wait  a few minutes for the bottom to settle; Gently lift the edges all the way around the skillet using one of those spatulas (but not the soft kind you use to scrape brownie mix out of the bowl, use the harder kind) *disclaimer: just starting to cook-i have no idea what you call a lot of things--like, I had no idea what a saucepan was for a very, very long time. sad i know, it's ok-you can laugh*  Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella; Add your tomatoes and basil to one side; Carefully fold over the side that doesn't have the stuff on it and push down a little; let the omelette sit for a few seconds, then flip over the other side; Let it side there for a few more minutes and then you're done! YAY! YUMMY :)

Balsamic Tomatoes

*leftover tomatoes (I used a total of two for the grilled cheese, omelette, and this)

*1/2 of small onion

*rest of fresh basil (if you don't have any, you can use dried or dried oregano, or anything you think would taste good on tomatoes)

* balsamic vinaigrette (i like the spray kind; 20 sprays is only 20 calories and it saturates nicely)

*optional: cut up low-fat, part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks, or if you want to by fresh mozzarella balls or cut up regular mozzarella, that'd work too

Chop up the leftover tomato into bite-size pieces; chop onion, basil, and cheese ( and any other ingredients you might want) into small pieces; Put everything into a container (I use the smaller Gladware containers); Spray (or drizzle) balsamic vinaigrette, cover, and shake; Let marinade for at least 5 minutes and then eat.

Both of these were absolutely delicious and I'll definitely be making them a lot! The Balsamic Tomatoes were so easy to make, took me about 5 minutes, and would be perfect to make the night before and take to school for lunch or something. Word of advice: use less onions if you don't like the onion taste/smell...a 1/2 of a small onion is a lot, believe it or not.

For dinner, I broke out the food processor and made something that sounds not so appetizing, but actually tastes really good: Broccoli-Zucchini Soup.

Broccoli-Zucchini Soup

* 1 bag microwaveable steam broccoli (I forget the brand, but they have a ton of commercials about dinners you can throw in the microwave for 5 minutes, they steam, and they're done)

* 2 medium zucchinis 

* 1/2 tsp minced garlic

* 2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes

*pepper to taste

*food processor or blender

Steam the zucchinis in 1-1/3 cup of water until soft; Simultaneously make the broccoli-in-a-bag in your microwave; Once the zucchini and broccoli are done steaming, put both in a food processor, leaving ALL the water in the saucepan/pot that you used to steam the zucchini. Once all of the zucchini is out of the saucepan, drop in the 2 bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved. Add the bouillon water to the food processor, add pepper to taste, put on the lid, and then start pureeing the mixture until it is smooth. aaannnd, you're done!

There's only 23 calories per serving! And the recipe makes a little over 4 servings and is very filling :) 

I haven't been able to workout a lot this week, which is annoying. As my little Nike+ wiki says, I've turned into a couch potato! (well not really, grad school tends to get in the way) I can honestly say I feel completely different when I work out a lot versus not working out as much. I have a harder time falling asleep and a much harder time waking up in the morning. I guess the experts are right--Exercise really does make a world of difference! Hopefully I'll be able to get cracking this weekend on the physical part so that I can accelerate my weight-loss. Plus, there's only 2 weeks until I'll be lounging in Florida by the pool, in a bathing suit. Yikes!

Stats: The Numbers Don't Lie

So it's been awhile, I know. Once I got back to CMU, things went downhill. I haven't worked out hard since being back in Pittsburgh, although I have taken little Ryder for long walks on the warmer days. Today I renewed the promise to myself to put "ME" first and get back on track, especially with my first goal rapidly approaching, which brings me to probably what will be the most embarrassing thing I do on this blog--my 'before' pictures. YIKES!

disclaimer: below are the most unflattering pictures of me that I could possibly EVER put on the internet. the only reason i am putting them on here is to see how far i've come at the end of all of this. if you'd rather not be grossed out, skip ahead :)

Close up of my triple chin...goo

Side view...my boobs and stomach are 1

and there's the muffin top...so gross

And of course, pictures wouldn't be complete without the stats. What can I say? Numbers don't lie and mine...are awful. I've been obsessed with Bulging Brides on the Fine Living Network, so I'm going to do the measurements they use, instead of detailing my arms, thighs, etc. Again, prepare to be disgusted:

height: 5'3"

weight: 204

bust: 49"

waist: 47"

hips: 44"

BMI: 36.1

According to America's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a BMI above 30.0 is obese. yuck. They also say another way of guessing is if your waist (for non-pregnant women) is above 35". double yuck. I should have a BMI ranging from 18.5-25, and should weigh between 105lbs-140lbs, meaning I'm 64lbs overweight.  Needless to say, it is time to change. NOW. 

Dinner

So, in honor of renewing my promise to take care of myself, I am going to actively eat healthy, which means no more eating on campus. Although convenient, the food is anything but healthy and it gets pricey too! A large vanilla latte, bottled water, and sushi is $9, which adds up if you do something similar to that twice in one day. SO, feast your eyes on my healthy dinner: Tomato-Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

What You'll Need: tomato, whole wheat bread, basil (fresh or dried), low-fat cheddar cheese, skillet or George Foreman grill.

First, slice 1 piece from a tomato. Put the rest in a Ziploc and save for tomorrow's recipes.

Next, lay 1 slice of low-fat cheddar cheese on the one of the whole wheat bread slices. Top with the tomato slice and basil. If you are using dried basil, add enough for your own personal taste. I used fresh basil, so I chopped about 3 leaves, or about the size of the tomato slice.

If you're using a skillet, melt 1 teaspoon (or 5ml) of butter over medium-high heat. Cook the sandwich for about 2 minutes per side, or until cheese is melted/bread is golden brown. If you have a George Foreman, put your sandwich on the grill for 2 minutes since it does both sides at once!

Mmmmmm :) That's what it looks like when it's all done! I give it a 5 outta 5...points? (I'll come up with some creative rating scale soon). This was delicious! And a quick dinner if you're short on time.

This recipe clearly makes 1 serving. Here's the nutritional facts for this scrumptious din-din:

Calories: 320

Fat: 12g

Protein: 16g

Carbs: 40g

Cholesterol: 30mg

Sodium: 621mg

Time to read for tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be done in an hour so I can get a quick workout in between 8:30-9:00pm. Clearly, as my little widget in one of the posts below says, I've turned into a couch potato and am in need for a workout!

Day 1: Uphill Climb

I was shopping the other day, trying to have some successful retail therapy. Unfortunately, everything I tried on looked horrible. For some reason, I had the idea to start looking for a swim suit because summer will be here before I know it and because I'll be in Florida in less than a month. BAD.DECISION. I am horrified at how awful I looked. Now, I've never been a skinny-mini, but for a bit of time I was in shape and down to a size 10. Not so much anymore. So basically, I am returning to the blogosphere to write about any and everything about getting myself into a health routine, etc. For many reasons, I hope to be successful, but here are my top reasons:

(1) I can't stand the way I look; Come on, we all know that feeling where nothing in our closet fits right, nothing makes you feel pretty, etc. I'm sick of feeling that way.

(2) More importantly, I need to take care of my body. You only get one and I want to live a long and healthy life, have children of my own some day, etc...all of which is hard to do when you're out of shape and not taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, etc

(3) I just want to be hot. Don't care how superficial that sou

nds...at some point, I want to look at myself and know that my hard work at the gym has paid off and I'm causing people to do double takes and go "daaaamn girl" :)

(4) Aside from anything physical, I want to feel 'alive' again. School caused me to put aside any passions and interests I had, so I hope to rediscover them and inject some excitement back into my life.

Oprah did an entire series about living your best life; the one on exercise and physical health suggested setting reasonable goals for yourself so you are working towards something and to also reward yourself with non-food rewards. Here's my list:

Goals:

#1: April 8th--this is the day I leave for Florida for my family's annual Easter vacation to the Keys. My body is NOWHERE near bathing suit ready. 

#2: May 8th--This is the last day of the Spring semester and also marks 8 weeks from today, which is when I will have finished my first leg of "training" so to speak. 

#3: June 27th--This is Aubrey's wedding. Quite simply, I refuse to be the fat cow at a wedding full of beautiful californians. end of story. plus who doesn't want to look good in wedding photos--She'll have them for life!

#4: August 24th--Start of the fall semester. By this time, I will be interviewing for employment and as much as I don't want to admit it, appearance and presentation counts

#5: November 13th--Ryan's birthday...who doesn't want to look sexy for their man?

#6: December 24-December 31st: The span between Christmas and New Year's is one long goal to not gain a ton of weight from the holidays. Also, it will be the end of 2009. 

Overall, I hope to lose 70 lbs by December 31, 2009. It averages out to about 1.5-2lbs per week which is totally healthy, I checked. And I plan on rewarding myself with massages, mani/pedis, maybe a designer splurge, and ultimately, I want a pair of Christian Louboutin's..but only if I'm fit enough that walking in them doesn't (a) destroy my body and (b) destroy the shoes.

In order to give myself some motivation, I bought a new pair of kicks. Check'em out: 

My Nike+ Livestrong Sneaks. Then, I bought this cool little device that goes inside the shoe:

Then there's a receptor that plugs into your iPod and it tracks your run for you and you can load it onto Nikeplus.com and see your progress. Pretty nifty, if I do say so myself :) You all will be able to see my progress with the little "mini me" in my post below. It updates every time I run and update my information online. My first training is the Walk/Run Method. It's an 8-week ordeal that basically as you build your stamina and endurance to run for 30 minutes straight. I'm starting with zero ability to run, so hopefully by the end of the 8 weeks, I'll be running strong and ready to start the next training program. 

So for week one of the walk/run method, you warm up for 5-10 minutes walking and then you start briskly walking for 6 minutes, jog at an easy pace for 1 minute and repeat 3 times. I successfully completed day one of week one :) We'll see what happens tomorrow...

Starting Fresh

This is my little Nike+ running widget "mini" me. I'll be updating this site soon, so check back for full life updates :)