We moved Tofu Tuesday to Thursday this week and my, was it a great decision. Bill and I went to the gym when I got home from class, busted out an easy 2-mile tapering run on the treadmill, followed by this delectable treat.

I whipped this up using simple ingredients we had in the house. I sprinkled some salt, pepper and Bone Suckin’ Yaki on my tofu and baked for 20 minutes @ 425 degrees followed by 3 minutes under the broiler. It tasted so good.

I used some of the leftover veggies from last night and made up a box of couscous.

We may not be stocked in the refrigerator right now (in need of some serious fruits and veg!) but we sure have enough Near East rice and couscous in the cabinet. I didn’t realize Bill put this many in the cart last time!

Benefits of Tofu

Over the weekend, my mom asked me, “What exactly is tofu?” I had to be honest and say that I didn’t know for sure, but my guess was bean curd. Looks like I was partially right. Tofu is Soya Bean Curd. 

I thought it might be helpful to include a list of some of the benefits of eating tofu. Bill and I have become huge fans of tofu – not only because of the protein but also because of the taste. There are so many ways to cook it – grilled, baked, blended, you name it. I just like it – simple as that. And I think others should give it a try when they feel up to it. Many of you in blogland may know some of the benefits of tofu. But I thought this might be helpful to some people who are curious and thinking about cooking some up.

• Tofu is a great source of protein. Four ounces of protein has roughly 9.2 grams of protein.
• Tofu is also a great source of iron. Four ounces takes care of 33% of your daily value.
• Soy can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Tofu, like salmon or other fish, contains healthy fats.
• Soy has been known to help alleviate menopausal symptoms. 
• It’s low in calories and very filling.

Do you eat tofu? Why or why not? Do you have any benefits to add to the list?

Here it is! The long awaited recap of how everyone’s doing in the 15-MCC!

What We’re Doing

Danielle has been taking a lot of walks during lunch and has started walking to see her coworkers rather than calling or emailing.

brandi has been walking with coworkers, traveling to a farther-away bathroom and doing wall push-ups.

runeatrepeat has been busting out some stationary biking.

Marissa, Sharon and Heather Eats Almond Butter have been parking farther away.

Danielle  has been hauling, washing and folding dirty clothes at the laundry mat. She’s also taking the steps to the fourth floor since she doesn’t have an elevator.

Lynne has been walking outside in mid-morning and mid-afternoon and doing stationary lunges and squats in the bathroom. She’s also been parking farther away.

Alison has been walking through her office building and chatting with people she doesn’t normally see.

chandra has been walking to/from the bathroom, the water jug and parking lot.

Quinn has been walking to destinations farther away, like to the CVS to buy a card.

Katie has been taking three walks around her floor, five minutes each.

Mariposa went home at lunch time and cleaned. She also sat on the stability ball while eating lunch.

Talia kept standing up and doing chair dips and squats, along with walking up and down the hallway.

What We’ve Learned

• Many of us work in cubicles, so finding the perfect exercise is challenging. Walking outside or around the office seems to be the best way to combat the cube farm syndrome.
• Danielle noted that some days she made excuses to not get up and move by using technology instead – and I agree with her! I have made the same excuses. Be careful of email. If you can talk to someone in person, why not?
• Even the smallest of things can make a difference in our day in terms of movement. Like parking away or walking to a bathroom/CVS/wherever that’s a bit further away.

Recommended Sites

http://www.wholeliving.com – for a great office workout.

Tell me how Day 8 is going.

Is your interest in the challenge still as peaked as it was in the beginning? Be honest and truthful. How are you feeling?

Some days have been harder than others for me to get up and move. But one thing I’ve noticed is that I always discover something when I leave my office and walk across campus. Whether it’s work-related or personal, I always take my camera and have been capturing some random moments. So for me, this has been definitely worth it. My interest isn’t waning, though I wonder if I could keep this up for longer than a month?

Open discussion about movement happening here!

I was delighted to see two samples of Barney Butter come for me in the mail yesterday.

The only problem was that I think one of them was punctured during the traveling process because there was nut butter all over each one. I think I figured out the culprit, see packet 2 on the right below.

I decided to go ahead and use the unopened package – of course – and threw out the opened one. I am finicky about stuff like that.

Barney Butter truly has a completely different taste than most nut butters. I think it almost tastes healthier – not as sweet. If you want a complete review, your best bet is to visit Tina’s recent Barney Butter post.

Since the BB was the main star of my morning breakfast, I decided to keep my oatmeal nice and simple. That – and the fact that we also don’t have any fresh fruit right now

I know I’ve said before that I think blueberries are the prettiest thing, but I think I’m starting to change my mind. Flaxseed might be my #1 prettiest food right now. I just love the way it looks overtop anything.

Thumb-related Injury

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you may have seen that I have a thumb-related injury. Truth is, I don’t know what I did or why it’s like this – but my right thumb is killing me!

Owwwwwwwww!

It started hurting on Tuesday and feels like I “sprained it” somehow. Typing isn’t fun and opening a door is somewhat challenge. Every time I bend it, it cracks. It hurts the most when I flex it back and forth.

Anyone know anything about finger injuries? Right now it’s just an annoyance and not really impacting my life – though I will say it’s been really hard to write with a pen.

Any help would help me! 

Have you ever had a strange injury?

Tonight I learned a few how-to’s.

Lesson 1: How to enjoy dinner.

When you are stuck in traffic for an hour and a half after week, let your significant other cook for you.

The dish will be something fun and new.

Lesson 2: How to let your significant other cook for you.

Clean the oil stain from his jeans after he burns himself.

Lesson 3: How to enjoy waiting for dinner.

Read blogs.

Watch your cat sleep.

Lesson 4: How to enjoy your post dinner.

Take advantage of special deals. Like 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins, even if it’s raining.

Lesson 5: How to enjoy the rest of your night.

Watch Lost.

How did you enjoy your night?

Quick post today! Busy, busy!

I have one thing to say about my lunch: I’m not sure it was enough. I think I’m still hungry.

Last night I decided to whip up some tuna salad using a modified-Kath version. I chopped up some carrots and celery, added fat free mayo and various spices (including garlic salt – my new love) to the mix.

Muy delicious.

These beans have been in my fridge for a few days, so I figured I’d use them up. I am totally one of those people who could eat beans right out of the can. Gross, right? I know.

But not my sweet tooth is getting the better of me, and I’m wishing I had brought something chocolate-y for a dessert. I have an apple + grapes for afternoon snacks, so maybe natural sweetness will win? Here’s hoping.

Day 7: 15-MCC

So how are things going for everyone? I’ve been wondering! I’ve been meaning to post a recap of some things we’ve learned – and will get to that soon, I promise! An evening post sometime this week.

How are you moving today?

What have you learned about your work day style since starting the 15-MCC?

Ok, my turn. I have some built-in exercise coming up. For starters, a coworker asked for a ride home today. Since my car is a complete disaster  little on the dirty side, I am going to go out there in a few minutes and tidy up. The walk to and from the car = 10 minutes. I will squeeze in five minutes of left lifts, lunges and squats in the bathroom or my office.

What have I learned? Some days I really feel like being lazy at work. I don’t even feel like going to the water fountain. It’s just so easy to keep sitting because I get glued to the screen – reading, writing, editing, etc. But there are ways to build exercise into my day without noticing. For example – meeting a coworker at his/her office. For me, it’s great because I’m on a college campus. I generally have to walk outside the building to meet with someone. I can also park farther away (which ironically is closer to the highway for me). All the little things add up.

PS: Check the store locator and get your 31-cent scoop.

This morning, as I was watching my oatmeal almost bubble over in the microwave, I was reminded of a story my mother told me over the weekend. Apparently after 80+ years of eating Cheerios every morning for breakfast, my grandfather up and decided that he was going to switch (cold turkey) to oatmeal. My mom’s been eating it since she started reading my blog and has become a resident expert, so of course he called her when he was having trouble.

Gram: Cathy!

Mom: Yes, Mom?

Gram: Your father’s trying to cook that damn oatmeal, and it keeps bubbling over in the microwave and making a mess!

My mom then calmly explained that while microwaving, it’s important to take the oats out after one minute, stir and then microwave again. She knew exactly what to say past on her own past experiences. Then I told her about Tina’s Microwave Oatmeal Trick, and she said, “No wonder your bowls are always so clean!”

The moral of the story is this:

• my oatmeal almost bubbled over this morning because I tried a new method
• my new microwaved method + savory oats was a new and interesting idea
• my grandfather has also tried out a new and interesting idea – eating oatmeal daily
• I’m waiting for him to give me a call some morning

Has your eating influenced anyone in your life?

I swear you all are the greatest. You can really lift a girl’s spirits. I was so down-in-the-dumps at lunch time. Just feeling blah and sorry for myself. And all your wonderful comments really lifted me up. Thanks for making the rest of my day positive and enjoyable.

I went for a quick 2-mile tapering run after work, washed up and then immediately changed back into my fancy Tuesday outfit. I am in love with this dress, and for all the negative thoughts I had today – I certainly felt good in terms of how I looked. Sometimes it’s the simplest of things that can lift your spirits.

Forgive the glamour shot, but I wanted you to see the cuteness of this new dress They are on sale now at Ann Taylor Loft!

Bill was sound asleep when I got home for my run and instead of either one of us cooking we decided to move our usual Panera date up to Tuesday instead of Thursday. I got my usual.

Too much cheese! But it was tasty.

I wanted to reflect for a moment on positive and negative thinking. I tend to keep things very positive on the blog but sometimes I have a bad day, and I want to remain myself on the blog. That means not faking anything – and giving you the real me. No one is perfect. We all have our good days and bad days. That’s what I love so much about the blog world. We are real people. We have real issues. Not everything will go our way in life.  But we can certainly change the way you look at things.

Andrea had a really great comment on my last post that I wanted to share with the group. I truly think these are some words to live by.

“When my mind goes to crap, I take a moment to analyze the situation. Sometimes I just need to let it be crap for a few days and then I know I will be better. Other times, there’s no excuse so I actively try to bring myself out of it. I don’t know how, but I always know the difference. Don’t know if this answer helps you at all, but I hope you start feeling more like Rose soon!”

Here’s what Andrea taught me:

• It’s ok to have a crappy day. It’s ok to stay in a crappy mood if it’s really that bad.
• If it’s not that bad, I have the power to change the situation and ACTIVELY bring myself out of it.
• I need to analyze why I’m feeling the way I do – and if it’s worth it. Chances are it would be better just to change it around into a good situation.

Tell me your thoughts on positive and negative thinking!

Dear Blog,

I have been neglecting you a tad. I hope you understand. I was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday but today I’m feeling better. Oh, except for the lack of hunger that resulted in me eating this for breakfast:

What happened to oatmeal? Quite frankly, I just wasn’t hungry for it. I woke up not feeling like putting much effort into anything, including eating. I can tell I’m still not feeling like myself because this is very unlike me. Though I will say that this Kashi waffle was outstanding, and I like eating PB and jelly in the morning.

Lunch was sort of another effortless project. I tossed a can of Amy’s soup into my bag along with the remaining turkey deli meat + a 100 calorie sandwich thin.

If you read this blog regularly than you know I love Amy’s soups. But I treat canned soup like cereal. If I buy too much, I can’t get enough.

You know what I think is interesting about food – the way that trends justify the price of food. I don’t know how much sandwich thins cost (I am really bad at shopping and don’t pay attention to 1/2 of what I throw in the cart), but I assume it’s more than bread. What would happen if they really caught on? And we no longer used buns or bread – but only 100-calorie sandwich thins?

It will probably never catch on to that extent. But it’s nice to wonder.

I like this shot of the sandwich because it looks like everyone’s too afraid to sit up front and be in the picture.

Gosh. I am a blubbering idiot on here today. Not quite sure if I have anything meaningful to say. My mind is a wash. Hope you understand, blog and blog friends.

15-MCC  

So what’s everyone up to today? And what did you do yesterday? Sorry I was MIA and didn’t put up the post yesterday.

So far today I have been doing some light yoga stretching in my office but only for a minute or so at a time. I think I’m probably up to 6-7 minutes for the day. I am taking it easy for my 15-MCC because my body is still hating on me a little bit today. It’s hard to move quickly.

Question of the Afternoon

What do you do when your mind is a wash? When everything just feels blah? How do you get yourself back in the groove?

Morning/Afternoon all! I am home from work today – not feeling great at all. I think that 10-mile run after traveling really put me over the edge. I woke up very very weak and decided it was best to take a sick day. My body just doesn’t feel right. I’m hoping to feel better by tomorrow…..especially since the race is only one week away!!!

Without further ado, the winner of the $25 Shop Rite Gift Card is….

#19 – Danielle from A Year of Healthy Eating!

Danielle – please email me at onalobsterplacemat AT gmail DOT com with your address so I can mail this off to you!

PS: I am going to take the day off blogging as I’m spending a lot of time laying down and don’t feel up to sitting up at the computer.

Sorry I went MIA this weekend. Bill was supposed to post in my absence but (ahem) he failed to do so. I guess it’s all those papers he’s working on or something. His brain is all over the place. Nevertheless, it was another busy and fun weekend, and I am completely exhausted. Especially after my not-so-great heatwave of a long run today (more details on that to follow).

We went out Friday night with an old friend who was in DC for a conference. La Frontera Cantina was the only place we could get in due to the busyness of Friday night. I normally don’t like Tex-Mex – but it was pretty good.

Mucho vino was drank by all. Or maybe just me.

We had a few chips.

I got a stuffed chicken breast, rice, carrots and beans. Good but super rich! Couldn’t eat it all.

Saturday morning I left bright and early to drive to the shower in PA. Bill made me a smoothie for the road in the big Vortex cup.

Three hours later, and I’m surrounded with some of my oldest and bestest friends. This is Kristen (the bride-to-be) and Becky. We have known each other since we were toddlers!

This is Bek’s mom – my former childhood babysitter. We sat together at the shower and caught up on life – she’s doing quite well!

Kristen and her bridesmaids. Can you guess which one’s her sister? I’ll give you a prize if you do

She had pretty flowers on the table.

Krit’s fiance Jon showed up and was hanging outside. They’re such a sweet couple and really love each other. I love their love!

After the shower, I went down to my mom’s house for a visit. We are doing Mother’s Day early this year because I’m not able to drive in. She really wanted to take me out to a restaurant down the street I haven’t been to – the Boulevard Grill. I was excited to go out to eat with her! It’s been a while since the two of us dined solo.

We are both slow eaters and slow menu readers. I think we checked it out for at least 15-20 minutes before ordering.

Mom was smart enough to make a reservation that night. Two for 6:45 She’s also showing off her new glasses. I think they are very becoming.

We were both in the mood for salads. I got the grilled salmon salad in a tortilla bowl. It was super filling! A bit too much cheese for my liking – but that’s easy enough to pick off. The tortilla shell was good (I had a few bites) but REALLY deep fried. Mom ended up dumping her salad onto her plate and eating it that way instead – which I should have done too!

After dinner, we basically talked the night away! We all went to bed around 11:30 p.m. and woke up early for church the next day. Mom surprised me by making banana oats on the stovetop!

Mom eating her oats

I realized that many of you may not know that I have a 16-year-old brother. Well here he is. In all his “I don’t want to be on the blog” glory.

ME: Justin, you want to be on the blog?

JUSTIN: No. Not really.

ME: Ok (turns off flash, takes picture). I like your pink shirt.

After church we posed for pictures. Can you believe I’m EIGHT YEARS OLDER than Justin? I look so young. We seem like we’re the same age.

And now you can see where I got my 5’0” stature. My mom’s a shorty too!

It was so great seeing everyone over the weekend. It started off with old friends and ended with a wonderful visit with my mom, stepdad and little bro. So glad to have seen them all!

I got home around 4ish today and knew I needed to get my long run in. I went around 5:30 p.m. It was so so HOT. The run did not go as well as expected! I did 10 miles, but it was just to hot to breath. I really hope the race isn’t like this!!! My Camelbak was empty by mile 5! Made for a very tiring and dehydrated run. Right now I feel very week and exhausted. I’m hoping to be better by tomorrow.

How was your weekend?