Happy One Year Blogiversary - LATE!

How could I miss such a milestone?!?!?!  I had today mark exactly one year since I started Everything in Moderation, but apparently – it was YESTERDAY!  WOW what a year it has been!  What began as a journey toward my wedding day swiftly became a chronicle of my overall health and well-being.  There have been ups and there have been downs, but this blog has given me more than I could ever imagine – and I have YOU to thank for that!

Some of the highlights from this year include:

• I got MARRIED!
• I went to Argentina
• I went to Belize
• I went back to college
• My eyes were opened to the truth about food
• I started training for a half marathon (something I NEVER thought I would do)
• I met and became friends with some fabulous and unique women that I might never have met otherwise
• I discovered the glory that is the Green Monster
• I got a promotion!
• I got to try some kick ass products
• I fostered a dog and found him a forever home
• I moved
• I lost my marbles
• I packed up my dad’s old house
• I tried a lot of new recipes
• I have challenged myself!

Thanks for joining me on this journey.  I look forward to my Second Blogiversary!

Last night’s dinner was a DELICIOUS pizza.

Boboli Whole Wheat Crust with Olive Oil, Salt, Italian Seasoning and Ricotta

Added a stoplight of veggies

And pine nuts

My slice

This was such a light dinner!  Cooked to perfection and I forgot how much I LOVED ricotta on pizza – it totally makes it!

This morning after my dog walk I set out on a 4.25 mile run – which I completed in about 41 minutes.  It always feels so great to have my workouts done for the day! Especially when you’ve got evening plans, and I do!

Happy Hour at the Australian Embassy!

Bargain Tip of the Day: If you love to travel, subscribe to TravelZoo.com.  It searches airlines, hotels, entertainment and travel agencies and sends you a Top 20 Best Deals list once a week – you don’t have to do the work!  TravelZoo just found Geoff and I a STEAL of a vacation for January.  I won’t tell you where it is yet – but I will say that it is international and it’s a deal of a lifetime!

I’m Starting to Have an Unhealthy Relationship with Jillian

Well, is there really such a thing?  Probably not, but I am starting to engross myself in all things Jillian.  My name is Quinn, and I’m a Jillian-aholic.  I said it!

Here are some recent examples of my obsession:

• Over the past three days I have been listening to Jillian’s podcasts while working.
• I bought the new SELF last week because she was on the cover.
• I performed one of her workouts on ExerciseTV the other night (come to think of it, I ONLY do her workouts on ExerciseTV)
• And then I went out over lunch today and bought this:

After reading about Bobbi’s workouts, I figured, why not give it a whirl.  I’m going to the Outer Banks in two weeks and then a week at the beach in Rhode Island next month, so what could it hurt to tone up a little for the old bikini – which has not been debuted since Belize!

As you can tell from the photo above I also picked up a Stonyfield Farms Blueberry Yogurt.

Prior to my Border’s purchase I had a Peanut Butter ‘n Shredded Carrot Wrap.

Seriously, this is delicious.  You’ve got to try it!

Lunch & Learn: Hippocrates recommended women eat carrot seeds to prevent pregnancy. Some modern studies indicate there may be some validity to this and that eating carrot seeds after intercourse may in fact prevent the egg implantation process and block progesterone synthesis.

***NOTE: I am NOT encouraging you to eat carrots as a form of birth control.  It’s JUST a randar fact that I thought you’d find interesting :) ***

***SECOND NOTE: I took the carrot picture at a farmer’s market in Santa Fe two years ago.  That’s a crap ton of carrots, huh?***

A Bargain Tip that Will Help Your Wallet AND Your Waistline

Was anyone else SUPER TIRED last night???  I fell asleep reading at around 9:15 and did not want to get up when the alarm went off this morning.  It may have also had something to do with my 5am wake up yesterday too :)

My commute was so much easier last night!  It’s amazing how it’s like a domino effect.  If one thing goes wrong, everything gets delayed!

Despite the fact that I was home early last night, I just wasn’t in the mood for cooking.  So I had Leftover Refried Beans with a Morningstar Chicken Patty on an English Muffin with Light Laughing Cow, Strawberry Preserves and Tomato

It sounds nasty – but it was SO GOOD!

 Kath was onto something with the jam and the laughing cow.  Sweet and salty!  It gets me every time!

Brekkie this morning was some Coffee, Whole Wheat English Muffin with Crunchy PB and Flax, and Diced Mango on the Side

Protein:

 

Energy:

Sweetness!

Bargain Tip of the Day: Order off the Kids’ Menu!  Or, the appetizer menu – but the trick is to think like a kid.  Portion sizes have gotten WAY out of control in restaurants, as we all know, and by ordering a dish from the kids’ menu (just don’t go for the tender/fry platter) or as an appetizer you’re getting the portion of what a meal SHOULD be, but for a lot less.

We’ve Got a Lot to Cover

Good Morning!  How is everyone’s Wednesday thus far?  Mine is GREAT!  Can you believe I’ve been up for nearly four hours already?!?!!?  I was up at 5:00 to do the dog’s walk and then I embarked on a 4.5 mile run because it was soooo unseasonably cool out.  It should be my lunchtime soon!

Speaking of lunchtime, well, more like snacktime – there were some leftovers in the office kitchen yesterday from a lunch meeting, so I helped myself to a little salad.  I got lots of apples and nuts since it really was a snack – not a meal.

Around 4:00 I knew I needed another pick-me-up so I got another Kombucha.  Note to self: do not shake this thing ever again.  It EXPLODED all over my desk and smelled like vinegar. 

I had INTENDED to go on my 4 mile run last night, but had a HELLISH commute home that took nearly TWO HOURS!  So, I decided to shift my days around and just got started making dinner.

Last night was Asian inspired.  I sautéed the following:

• Frozen shrimp
• Frozen Peas
• Half a Diced Mango
• 1/3 Diced Cucumber
• Few Drops of Sricacha
• Sprinkle of Coconut
• Soy Sauce (to taste)
• 3 Tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter

I then served atop some whole wheat linguini.

I love the texture and sweetness the mango gave to this dish – it offset the saltiness of the soy sauce and the spiciness of the sricacha.

And then there was dessert – Edy’s 1/2 Fat Mint Cookie.  No, this was not the most holistic food option to put in my body.

Instead of showing you my breakfast (I’m sure you can guess what it was!), I’ll cut to the chase because it’s WORKOUT PLAYLIST WEDNESDAY! Start syncing your iPods because you’ve got some new tunes to download!

• Damned If I Do Ya, All Time Low, 3:11
• One Step at a Time, Jordin Sparks, 3:25
• Now That We’re Done, Metro Station, 3:28
• Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Wang Chung, 4:47
• I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Whitney Houston, 4:51
• Escape, Enrique Iglesias, 3:28
• Forget You, LAX Gurlz, 3:43
• Dancing on the Ceiling, Lionel Richie, 4:32
• Call on Me, Eric Prydz, 2:49
• Why, DJ Sammy, 4:02

You’ve got new tunes and NO EXCUSE for not exercising :)

Bargain Tip of the Day: Start digging under the couch cushions for some loose change!  Collect change from around the house and head to your local bank to turn that change into dollar billz!  However, don’t be fooled by the Coinstar machines you see in your local groceries – they charge a fee to convert your change.  In DC, area banks like Chevy Chase and PNC allow non-account holders the privilege of converting your coins at NO CHARGE.  Put that cash into a small savings account and watch it grow for a future fun purchase!

I’d Like to Start with the GAP Followed By a Salad

Who goes shopping for lunch?  Apparently I do.  I needed a plain white t-shirt (can you believe I didn’t have one?), and ended up getting this:

And a light yellow belt – not shown on GAP’s website.

At least it will be nice to add a few more items into the wardrobe rotation :)

Midmorning I snacked on some Puffins.

And right before I departed I had a PB LARABAR.  Hey, I needed to fuel!  You know how exerting those dressing rooms can be!

When I got back to my desk I had some leftover salad.

And some cantaloupe.

I love colorful lunches, don’t you?

Lunch & Learn: Ever wonder how to pick out the PERFECT cantaloupe at the grocery or farmer’s market.  ProduceOasis.com has a few tricks to make sure you’re getting the best ripeness for your dollar.

Good-quality Cantaloupe will have large webbing or netting on the skin, will have yellow/orange coloring and be slightly soft on the stem end (firm elsewhere). They will also have a good cantaloupe smell on the stem end (if it is not too cold), and the scar at the stem end should be a smooth and well-rounded cavity. Finally, you can hear the seeds rattle inside a juicy melon when shaken. Often, melons will have a decidedly bleached side that rested on the soil - this does not affect the quality of the melon.

Avoid product with a rough stem end with portions of the stem remaining - this means the melon was harvested too early. Product with green coloring, soft or sunken spots or dark and dirty spots that look moldy are all signs of poor quality.

Happy Bastille Day!

It’s July 14th – not too significant for us Americans, but a HUGE celebration for our French amis!

I’d love to say I ate breakfast in honor of the French.  Maybe a croissant, perhaps a crepe, but no, just a Green Monster and Half an English Muffin.  How uninspired is that?

 

Today is also my good friend Eve’s birthday!  She has a blog too – a music blog – www.whydonthipstersdance.com.  You should check it out!

Bargain Tip of the Day: Head to your local library and sign up for a library card.  You can save hundreds of dollars a year checking out books as opposed to buying them (even with a discount) from the bookstore.

Kombucha Junkie Says “Jillian is Not My Homegirl”

Good Evening!  I skipped my typical afternoon post and did my review on Food, Inc.  Your comments were all very interesting, and again, each person can take what they want away from the whole film, but it just raises some much needed awareness.

The English Muffin did NOT do it for me this morning, and by 10:30 I dove into my packed snack:

By noon I was ready and raring for lunch.  I opted to dine out this afternoon as it was such a lovely afternoon and needed the walk (well, the place was around the corner from my office so I can’t really call that a walk).  I decided on Java Green, a favorite among local and visiting vegans alike!

Normally this place is PACKED come lunchtime, but as luck would have it, there was a minimal line today.

I instantly spotted the drinks in the fridge.  I am not one to order a drink with my lunch (usually I just have some water back at the office) BUT after seeing Elise practically sing “Hallelujah” to this little bev, I KNEW I had to get one.

 

This drink just changed my life.  In an AMAZING way!  It also changed my bank account – I think this bottle was $3.50!  For $3.50 what does it do?  Give me wings?  I actually think it might.

My lunch was ordered up right away.

The Tempetation Sandwich with a Pickle

Grilled on whole wheat, grilled tempeh, spinach, avocado, tomato, soy cheese, Avo spread, Smooth Java

It was missing the spinach, but still perfectly warmed and delicious.  This would be great on a fall afternoon!

The bread was delicious, but I think there was butter involved in the grilling of this sandwich.  I mean, my wrapper wasn’t overly greasy though, so I’m not too worried about it.

After work I came home to do Jillian Michaels’ Boost Your Metabolism on ExerciseTV.  Doing some of these exercises are just not conducive to apartment living.  I’m sure the people downstairs thought there were a herd of jumping elephants up here!

I also heard myself calling Jillian a number of expletives throughout the workout – so you KNOW it was a good one!

I’m always amazed that television workouts can produce a sweat!

After the workout I set to make dinner.  One of my projects this weekend was to sort through old magazines, tear out any recipes or workouts from the 30-40 we’ve accumulated over the past year, and organize them in clear sleeves in corresponding binders.  Note: it’s a GREAT way to rid yourself of clutter!

Anyway, one of the recipes I came across was for a Crab & Avocado Quesadilla.

I didn’t have all the ingredients, but you know me – I improvised :)

In a bowl I tossed together a diced tomato and diced avocado (one of each) with some salt & pepper and dash of cumin.

In a cooking sprayed skillet, I laid out a Mission Eat Right Tortilla, added the tomato/avocado mixture, a heaping spoonful of crabmeat (canned is fine), a spoonful of green chiles, and cheese. 

I covered with another tortilla and cooked for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

I sliced it into triangles and added a dollop of refried beans, salsa and a little sprinkle of cheese for presentation purposes.

I ended up eating four of the triangles and giving the rest to Geoff.  I was FULL!  This was a lighter spin on a Mexican favorite that can sometimes be oozing with calories and unnecessary grease.  And it packed some punch from the chiles, cumin and salsa.

Geoff said it was a HIT!

Delayed Lunch & Learn: Jillian Michaels may be the bad ass and renowned Biggest Loser trainer now, but before we knew her as the trainer in black, she started her career in Los Angeles as a motion picture literary agent at ICM.