Sunday, August 19, 2012

Back to Planning

My schedule frequently changes, and often things get quite hectic. Now is one of those times. And when things get busy, planning is what keeps things going smoothly. If you have read my blog for a while, you’ll know that I used to plan our meals and my exercise on a weekly basis. In the summer, when I had more time, I managed without it. But now is certainly time to get back to it. So here are our meals for this week and my exercise plans. I have found that I do best if I do not plan meals for a particular day.

We are still enjoying daily homegrown tomatoes, and most of our meals include tomatoes as an ingredient or on the side. Interestingly, one tomato plant hardly produces any tomatoes, but the other more than makes up for it.

Tomato love

Weekly meals:

Meal 1: Kimchi stew
Meal 2: Tomato soup, bread, & cheese
Meal 3: Salmon & a salad
Meal 4: Healthy ramen with lots of veggies & eggs
Meal 5: Homemade pizza – I’ll “cheat” a bit and use Trader Joe’s pizza dough

Weekly exercise: After quite a break from exercise, it’s been tough getting back into a regular routine. I had to remind myself several times that I can’t expect to just continue where I was before I got injured. It’s been frustrating that I can’t lift very much weight, have trouble with intense cardio sessions, and have lost some flexibility. But I know that it’ll all come back. I just have to be patient. So here is what I have planned for this week:

Monday: Barre class – this will be my first barre class in a loooong time – I am sure it’ll be “interesting”…
Tuesday: Cardio – I’ll do a modified HIIT workout
Wednesday: Weights
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Barre class

Questions: Are you a planner? Why or why not? If you are a planner, what meals and exercise do you have planned for this week? Any meal planning tips? 

Be well,
Andrea

Monday, August 13, 2012

Simple, Rustic Tomato Soup and Summer Update

Summer is coming to an end around here. Well, at least the lazy, no-school part of summer. The kid is starting kindergarten this week. It seems unbelievable to me that my “baby” is going to be five in two months!

We have spent the last few weeks traveling with him, soaking in every minute, as we know that he won’t want to spend every minute of the day with us forever… We were also fortunate to get to spend lots of quality time with family. 


My summer exercise routine has been sporadic at best. I was rear ended in June and had to refrain from exercising for a while. When I was better, I went on a hike with a friend and managed to fall and twist my left ankle, injure my right knee, and bruise my left thumb. The injuries took weeks to heal. In the meantime, we went on vacation and walked a lot, but that was pretty much it for exercise. I’m really looking forward to getting back into an exercise routine. 

Tomato Soup 01

Once we got back from vacation, we were greeted by lots and lots of tomatoes. Thanks brother-in-law for taking such great care of our flowers & veggies!!! I have been enjoying tomatoes every day. I love eating them like an apple, in a caprese salad, in tomato soup… 

Tomato Soup 10

Simple, Rustic Tomato Soup

Ingredients
  • 8-10 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 cups of basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a pot and add the onions. Sauté for a few minutes, and then add the tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and basil leaves, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Puree the soup (I used a handheld food processor).
  5. Add the Greek yogurt and puree until mixed in evenly.
  6. Enjoy!
Questions: What has been the highlight of your summer so far? What’s your favorite summer food? Have you been getting enough exercise? What’s your favorite form of exercise at the moment? 

Be well,
Andrea