Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sweet leaning tower

I wanted to start this post by thanking everyone for their really nice comments. I am really out of the funk I went through the last few days. Dinner was super delicious, which makes the end of the day (well it's no over, but it's getting there) that much better! Yay for awesome healthy food!

I was so full last night before going to bed that I just could not stomach the idea of making food for today. Nothing seemed appealing at all. This morning as a result was kind of rushed. I wanted to keep chocolate, nuts and peanut butter (my offenders last night) out of the menu for the day. This made for a pretty bland breakfast :(



This combo was a cup of TJ's nonfat yogurt, a bunch of strawberries, some kashi golean cereal, flax and a bit of strawberry sauce. It was "eh."

A few hours later I had my first cup of coffee with half and half and some agave nectar, and this guy:



How cute is the picture? I like zbars a lot, but aside from the picture, this flavor didn't excite me much. Here is a shot of the bar inside (I guess they all kind of look the same though):



Then I went to the gym and made up my 4 mile run. I started at 6.5 mph and worked up to 7.2 mph. Not bad. I also did about 0.15 mile walk at 4.3 mph before I started running and the same distance and speed to cool down. I wanted to take a stability ball class after that, but there was a substitute instructor there so I pretended like I just walked in to grab the jump rope and left. Sorry, I don't want to waste my time. This woman (substitute) is no good, and I just could not deal with a boring workout. So I took a quick shower and went back to work. I decided I'd come back for a sports yoga class offered later in the day. This class is soooo good. This is the only yoga class I think I ever truly enjoy. The 45 minute class just seriously flies by.

Anyways, since I knew my yoga class wasn't that far off, I kept the lunch on the small side. I just ate the leftover bulgar and butternut squash medley I made on Sunday.



It was still very good, but I think different from when it was fresh. I brought a HUGE apple to have with it but held off on eating it until after yoga. I had it with a lite string cheese as you can see here:



Hmm, that apple doesn't look as big in the picture, but trust me it was!

Sorry up until that point my food was kind of boring, but let me tell you dinner was the bomb! I usually have an ingredient in mind when I look for a recipe (unless I just randomly come across something I just have to make). Tonight's dinner came from a search for a meal with fresh mozzarella. We bought a bit hunk of it a few weeks ago when we made a roasted tomato and fresh mozzarella pizza for my husband's parents and I noticed a few days ago that a bunch of the mozzarella was still in the fridge. We can't let it go to waste! So yesterday for lunch, I used an ounce of it in my sandwich and today I made Risotto with Fresh Mozzarellla, Grape Tomatoes and Basil from Cooking Light. I made just 4 servings worth, substituted some spinach for leeks, and used almost 1/3 more chicken broth than the recipe called for (I wanted it to be super creamy, not at all crunchy so it just took more liquid to get it there). Oh, I also "made" my own half and half by combining cream with skim milk, and I only used 1 tsp of oil instead of 2 tablespoons. There is just no need to use that much oil sometimes. It was super creamy and dense as is.

Man, this stuff was good! Here are a few shots of the ongoing process for you. It's hard to take pictures when I cook, because either my hands are dirty or it just doesn't look appetizing. But here we go:



A lot of stirring involved here. This was super easy to make but I basically was stirring the broth into the rice for maybe 40 minutes (adding a little bit at a time until it absorbed). It was surprisingly relaxing, although maybe if I were in a different mood it could be frustrating. Today it was no problem because I wasn't that hungry and was in a yogi mood after that yoga class :)

Here are some of the mix-ins waiting for the rice to be ready (basil, grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and s&p):



And my first bite of the final product:



Yum!!! Again the picture completely does not do this justice. It had melty cheese, fresh tomatoes, creamy rice and quality balsamic vinegar. Seriously decadent. My husband said it was one of the best meals I've ever made and also the best risotto he's ever had in his life. Not a bad review, heh? :D

Here is a close-up of the risotto before it was drizzled with the balsamic vinegar:



I may just have to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow...

And then because I felt really good about myself (no more being moody!) I had dessert. I can't go a day without eating some real chocolate! (that zbar didn't count)



A dark chocolate "lollipop." How can you resist this? I couldn't :)

And that's it for today's eats.

Oh, I'm going to a Halloween cocktail party on Friday. The hostess said to bring some food since she bought too much candy already. Any suggestions? I want to make/bring something savory and healthy.

7 comments:

Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point said...

homemade hummus and veggies!!!

HangryPants said...

The risotto looks amazing!

I thought the S'mores was under-whelming too. Too much like the plain chocolate chip, which is good, but not worth the hype.

What about bruscetta on wheat baguettes?

Anonymous said...

you should make these popcorn marshmallow treats. basically the same as rice crispies but with popcorn.. and you can add crunched up stuff on top (like chocolate and or nuts and candy)
i saw it on the food network over the weekend and can't stop thinking about it... maybe if you make it you can save me a piece ;P

Elina said...

Thanks Caitlin and Heather! Those both sound really good.

Inna,
Who made it on the Food Network? Is there a recipe online?

I'm also thinking of some kind of baked pasta dish for a "real meal." Or maybe I'll just make all of this stuff :)

Anonymous said...

or HAHAHA
you can make these puppies.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/10/peanut-butter-crispy-bars/

i'm salivating

... it was giada at home ... or everyday italian. speaking of which HOW MANY shows can each 'chef' HAVE?

Elina said...

Oh man, I think I just gained a few pounds just by drooling over the pics... or maybe it's because I'm about to go and buy all the ingredients. NO! Bad Inna! :D

RunToTheFinish said...

Just found your blog and I'm very excited about the food postings, it gives me great new ideas!