Committed

Today was full of adventure in my kitchen.

The day started off with housecleaning, followed immediately by giving my 2 cats a bath.

Although its not physically strenuous, its exhausting.  I get a major adrenaline rush out of fear of (1) being mauled; (2) having the cat run off, covered in soapy water, to hide under the bed.  My husband and I put a lot of planning into it to get it done fast and unhurt.  We fashion together all sorts of personal protective equipment (eg, wearing our old winter coats and rubber gloves to help protect us from claw-gashes).

Since I lived through it unscathed, I was super happy.  So, I tried the tuna-bean dip again.  Here’s how it went:

1. sauteed a few tablespoons of chopped onions in 1/2 tsp olive oil
2. used my mini food processor to blend up 1/2 cup beans with another 1/2 tsp olive oil and the onions.  The result was a more “choppy” looking bean & onion mixture, instead of a puree.
3. stirred in the tuna chunks (used a smaller 3 oz. can of tuna), a pinch of salt, and a stalk of celery (diced)
4. ate it on whole wheat crackers

The result was WAY tastier than last time.

I also made a skillet flatbread, which I thought was really easy and will become a staple in my healthy eating repetoir.  I can use it in place of bread, flat bread, foccaccia, pizza crust, tortillas, pita bread, crackers…..

All you need is whole wheat flour (and other flours like amaranth or soy or even cornmeal), oil, water and an oven proof skillet.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Oil the pan (maybe 1-2 tsp)
3. Put the pan in the oven.  Let it get hot for a few minutes.
4. Mix up 1 cup each water and flour.  Use more water for a thicker, doughier flatbread.  Add pinch salt.
5. Pour mixture into the hot skillet.
6. Put the skillet back in the oven.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on desired crispiness.

I also learned how to microwave-steam spinach.  I noticed that Oh She Glows says that she sometimes lightly steams her spinach before putting it into the green monster.

For the record, I know that microwaving probably leeches some nutrients and that microwaving in plastic probably adds some carcinogens.  I’m doing the best I can ~ the mere fact that I’m adding spinach to my diet is progress.

Basic instructions…

1. take a handful of raw spinach leaves.
2. rinse them.
3. put them in a microwave safe container with a cover that will vent (i use the microwave steamer from pampered chef)
4. the water left on the leaves from rinsing should be enough moisture, so don’t add any additional water
5. microwave for 15 seconds for a “light steam” (slightly wilted) or 1 minute for major steaming.
6. drain the water, quickly remove from the steamer, and eat it up.

Before & After are below….  You can see microwaving wilts the leaves rather than boiling them down.

Today’s Food:

• Breakfast:  2 cappuccinos, a DanActive, toasted sandwich thins with earth balance butter substitute
• Lunch:  Tuna & Bean spread on crackers plus a sampling of flatbread
• Snacks:  applesauce, string cheese, cherries
• Dinner:  salad (lettuce, tomatoes, dressing, olives, avocado, egg whites and 1/2 egg yolk

Thanks for reading alllllll the way through my super long mega-post today. 

FitDay summary below…

Grams Calories %-Cals Calories 1,470 Fat 57.7 509 34 % Saturated 11.8 104 7 % Polyunsaturated 7.0 62 4 % Monounsaturated 21.5 188 13 % Carbohydrate 180.8 705 48 % Dietary Fiber 33.3 Protein 66.9 264 18 % Alcohol 0.0 0 0 %

Fat ( 34 %) Carbs ( 48 %) Protein ( 18 %) Alcohol ( 0 %)