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mylife

Health

Hula Hooping, My New Best Friend?

It’s a little hard to admit, but I’ve started something that only children and circus performers do for fun. Or at least I thought until one of my friends told me she watches TV while doing it for hours on end. (I’m still a bit skeptical about that, though.)

It’s hula hooping.

There, I said it. Now the whole world knows it. I have purchased a hula hoop and spent hours figuring out how to keep it up on my hips while I watch episodes of Sex and the City. (I like to think I’m a Carrie, but that’s a blog post for another day.) It started by watching many, many, many Youtube videos. See exhibit A:

I have to say, it’s not as easy as it seems at first, but once I got the hang of it, I couldn’t stop. It’s silly, but after about 15 minutes, my abs start to feel it and so do my hips. I’m not saying I’m burning a crazy amount of calories, but it’s better than sitting on my floor munching on cookies while watching TV.

If I wasn’t embarrassed to be seen on video, I’d show off my skills.

July 1, 2013 by Roni

Food, Savory

Chicken Broccoli Rice

I need to get back into my workouts. I spent some time just slacking off. I forgot to go to the gym, let myself be distracted by my friends, and started eyeing the cookies at the grocery store with much less restraint than before.

What I’ve determined is that I wasn’t putting more time into making satisfying meals that would hold me over from lunch until dinner time. If a tummy is full, then there is no need to try to satisfy it with sugary snacks. So I aimed to make a rice dish that I could take to work if I pre-made it.

It all starts with a short cut – mushroom rice. Why not take a shortcut?

As the rice cooked, in a separate pan I sauteed a little more than a cup of chopped broccoli (including the stems chopped), a quarter cup of diced mushrooms, one link of pre-cooked spinach chicken sausage, and olive oil. I cooked that for about 8 minutes, or until the sausage was getting a golden color and the broccoli was still hard, but heated through. That entire mixture was folded into the (by now) finished rice.

It stays well for another day, so if made the night before, it’s perfect for a take to work lunch. If you portion it out, it’t fairly low calorie, too!

April 30, 2013 by Roni

Food, Savory

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Jalapeños

The way to a man’s heart, is through bacon. That, I am sure of. Particularly bacon wrapped cheddar jalapeños. Nothing more attractive than that, right?

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Jalapeños

Gather:
1 8 oz container of low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

6 jalapenos, cut in half and deseeded
6 pieces of bacon

Set oven to low broil. Cook back strips for five to seven minutes, until bacon is heated and has lost some fat. Cut bacon strips in half and set aside.

In a bowl mix cream cheese, cheddar, and spices. Spoon mixture into the halved jalapenos. Wrap each jalapeno with a strip of bacon. Spear with a toothpick so that the bacon stays on. Place on a cookie sheet and bake on the lowest rack for 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy and jalapenos have been roasted.

Let cool and enjoy.

April 21, 2013 by Roni

Food, Savory

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Our oven doesn’t work and I want to eat some baked sweet potato fries.

Yes, you read that correctly. Our oven doesn’t work. Every time we preheat it, the temperature drops 200 degrees the moment you open the oven and then can’t climb back to the optimum temperature for another 30 minutes (if we’re lucky). It’s been driving me crazy. I can’t bake any cookies or cakes.

So when I decided to follow the sweet potato trend, I pulled a Tim Gunn and made it work.

Luckily our broiler works. So I put the broiler on low and let that warm up. I peeled the sweet potatoes and the cut them into half inch pieces. Tossed them in a dash of olive oil, black pepper, sea salt, and garlic powder. I baked them for 12 minute, turned them over, and then baked another 12 minutes until they got a light char on them.

They actually came out crispy, and I’m so glad I made them!

March 17, 2013 by Roni

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