Last minute, I ran to Trader Joe’s for an emergency grocery haul – we’ve gotten stuck in a cycle of missing our normal grocery day and then ended up scraaaaaping the bottom of the fridge barrel for meals. Anyway, when I was there, I headed to the back for some free food samples and discovered THIS super easy and very delicious dish.
Actually, my version is a gluten-free modification so I’ll share both ways to make it.
All you need is chilled lentils, the Healthy 8 chopped veggie mix, and a bottle of salad dressing. Sounds like an HTP meal made in heaven, huh?
The version at the Trader Joe’s store used their Goddess Dressing, which I imagine would give the dish a tangy, creamy zing. However, this dressing has soy sauce in it, so it’s not gluten-free.
I used some balsamic that I already had in my cart. It was really, really good – and ready in under two minutes! The hardest part of the recipe was opening containers. Hah! A crunchy and cold and delicious. You could pair it with some crusty bread or even mix in some quinoa or rice. Yummmm.
I’ll be back later today with a fun little personal challenge that I’m taking on. I think you guys will like this one!
We spontaneously went to the zoo this morning. It was fun! Here were the highlights:
“Awww, look, the turtles are hugging!â€
This weekend, I found out that my gym is going to start offering PiYo classes! I am so pumped. I am DYING to try PiYo.
Does it feel like PiYo is everywhere right now? I sure feel that way… I think it’s going to be ‘the next big thing.’
PiYo is a combination of Pilates and yoga. You don’t hold poses for a long time; instead it’s a non-stop, fluid workout. Some gyms offer classes, but it’s my understanding that PiYo is mostly known as a Beachbody workout DVD (you know, like P90X or Insanity). And classes are normally set to Top 40s or club music, which I think is pretty awesome. Oh, and there’s NO JUMPING. Jumping always kill my knees and scare me away from soooo many similar workout.
I cannot waaaait to try this. I think I’ll like it, but I need to peek into a class first. I’m not sure if I could do this while pregnant… Any thoughts? But I’m really waiting for post-baby. I could use a toning program when this process is said and done; plus – I can do PiYo at home! I’m going to need some new workout DVDs once I combine newborn life + winter.
Other fitness ‘crazes’ that I’ve been into:
Running (if that counts as a ‘craze!’)
Triathlons (still am into this, at least in my heart – I dreamt about doing one the other night!)
The Husband made me this delicious breakfast. When I sat down at the table, I said, “Ohhh! This is totally blog-worthy!†and ran to get a camera. Hah.
THREE CHEERS for peach season! Can you believe it’s upon us?
I was planning to make this awesome Vegan Peach Baked Oatmeal from the Fitnessista, but then we ate all the peaches…
Henry is obsessed with the fact that the peaches have a ‘rock’ in the middle and will bite through them like a vicious toddler animal until he hits gold. Hah. So we go through peaches REALLY fast.
Snapshots from this weekend:
The bump and I went for a run. We did 2.2 miles. There was walking involved, but significantly more running, so… WINNING! I felt really good before and immediately after, but then I felt totally wiped out Saturday as a result. Not sure if it’s run-related or the fact that I pulled some late all-nighters. I hope to go on another run after I get some work done this afternoon. That should be a good test! If this next run wipes me out, I may have to hang up my pregnant running shoes… It’s not worth feeling like poop for days.
I did manage to make it to yoga this morning and go on a walk with Henry, which really loosened up the last kinks in my legs.
About those all-nighters – We’ve been making serious headway on Henry’s big kid room. I’m getting really excited about it.
Can I sing the praises of BFF Nicole? <3 <3 <3 She has been a HUGE help with this room. She loves to decorate and do DIY projects. But she’s currently at a standstill with projects on her house, so she’s really been helping me make decisions about Henry’s toddler room. (Truly – we exchange a frightening number of text messages to begin with, but I’d say that hundreds have been dedicated to our plans.) She came over Friday and Saturday night to help Husband paint the space.
She also stained the dresser and frames. And she’s been instrumental in telling me what to order and where to place it… I think if it wasn’t for her, the room would still be Builder Beige and totally empty!
I was originally thinking that I’d keep the space a total surprise for Henry, but a few readers said that I should involve him in the decorating. So I changed my plans and that’s what I’ve been doing. Good call, guys! So far – he really likes the jungle animal theme! And he asks to go sit in his new bed a lot, although I haven’t heard any requests to SLEEP there yet…
Clearly, I’m in serious nesting mode. But I’m not the only one. Can men get sympathy nesting urges? Because the Husband has been all about the home improvement lately. His latest project is replacing all the gold door handles in our house with silver ones… We have a frightening number of doors in our home (24!!).
So – that was my weekend! Many peaches, some exercise, a lot of decorating. I hope you had a good weekend, too!
I bribed the dogs for direct eye contact with carrots. Hah.
How’s your Friday going? We are having an easy, breezy day so far – but now I’m sitting at the computer, preparing to bang out some work.
We spent the morning at the mall. Not to buy anything, but just to walk around with our friend Julie. Henry was very excited to see her! The first thing he said was, “Where’s your doggie?†Julie + Sadie usually come as a pair. <3
Afterwards, we stopped by Whole Foods (I desperately need coffee creamer!), and I picked up this yummy cookie for Henry to munch on… I had a bite. It’s good.
And here’s lunch…
I’ve gotten back into doing lentils in the crockpot. It’s so easy and low fuss. I just dump in a bunch, cover the lentils with water (no measuring), sprinkle some curry powder and garlic powder in, and set it for 3 hours on low. That’s it. So simple and really good.
Question of the Day…
If you could have a personal trainer, a personal chef, a maid, OR a personal assistant, which would you choose and why?
I read this quote this morning and really loved it…
You cannot see what I see because you see what you see. You cannot know what I know because you know what you know. What I see and what I know cannot be added to what you see and what you know because they are not the same kind. Neither can replace what you see and what you know, because that would be to replace you yourself. – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
I had a rough yoga class this morning, which is always so disappointing. But the poses just weren’t working for my body this morning. Some felt great and some felt icky. I got into child’s pose a lot. I felt like I had a lot of junk in my shoulders and lower back.
… Which got me thinking about:
Yoga Poses I LOVE and HATE
I really, really love Pigeon Pose. It makes my hips feel sooo good. Bonus points – pregnancy hormones mean I can fold forward completely in this pose with my folded leg parallel to the top of the mat. Hah.
I really love the Warrior Series, especially Warrior II. It makes my legs feel awesome. And I feel like a badass when I do it.
I like Triangle Pose and Side Angle Pose. These moves give you such a nice stretch in the side body. And I really like doing arm binds during these poses, especially when I can hop up into Bird of Paradise <—just because it’s fun!
I really DO NOT like deep twists right now. Normally, I like twisting poses but with my pregnant belly, they are getting impossible and are pretty uncomfortable.  I actually not even sure if it’s wise to do twists from the belly at this point, anyway, so I’m skipping most twists.  But Twisting Chair Pose is the wooooorst.
I hate Half Moon. Make it a Revolved Half Moon and I really hate it. I also hate similar poses where one hand is down and a leg is up. It makes my hip pinch. This probably means I’m doing it wrong, but I haven’t figured out exactly what.
(Click any of the photos above to see their image sources.)
I feel bad for hating certain yoga poses – because it doesn’t feel very zen to hate something in yoga! But I always inwardly groan when these poses come up.
