Dinner With 7 Ingredients*

Well, it's been quite a week around these parts -- the house went on the market last Friday, we had 17 showings and by Monday had 3 offers... one of which we accepted.

We danced, we celebrated, we started looking at apartments (the plan is to rent a townhome for a while and then start looking to buy again in the spring)...

And then the sale fell through.

And then I cried.  Just a little bit.  And took a nap.  And went for a drive with The Hubs where I am pretty sure I saw a homeless person living in his car in a parking lot  And then I remembered that the world is full of people who have it a lot worse than I do, and if having to live in a perfectly fine house is the worst of my problems right now, I should probably suck it up and quick complaining.

So, I quit complaining and I started cooking.

Last week, with all the showings and meetings and such, I did a TERRIBLE job of food prep - I'd had a friend in town the weekend before, so I didn't do my usual "Sunday shop," and the weather (just so fricking hot), meant that NOTHING sounded good.  Which meant a lot of evening conversations that went something like this:

The Hubs: What do you want for dinner?
Me: I dunno.  What do you want?
The Hubs:  I dunno.
Me: Let's just go pick up (chipotle, Noodles, frozen pizza, Subway)
The Hubs: Ok.  Let's get Dairy Queen, too.
Me: Okay!

Yeah, that's not a good plan.

So this week, I got up super early on Sunday, and by noon, not only was my list-making and shopping done, but I had dinners planned and prepped for the whole week**.  We still have a busy week, so convenience and planning are super important -- tonight we're having a new recipe (crock pot lasagna), tomorrow we'll have crock pot ribs (are you sensing a theme here?), and we'll probably grill on Wednesday and Thursday, because the temperature, once again, is in the God-forsaken-90s.

But yesterday -- when I woke up to rain and drizzle and cool air -- I cooked.

*I called this a "7 ingredient recipe" because really, all the recipe called for was chicken, beans, potatoes, lemons, salt, pepper, and olive oil -- however, I did add onions, basil, and garlic, which really made it a 10 ingredient recipe.  Wait, and parsley.  11 ingredients.  Details, details.  Without further ado, I present:

One Pan Productions, Roast Chicken, Green Beans, and Red Potatoes:



Bone-in chicken breasts, green beans, red potatoes, 2-3 lemons, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil.

First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and trim some beautiful green beans....

Slice up some lemons, reserving the juice of one lemon.

Slice the red potatoes lengthwise and sprinkle with salt and pepper and parsley.

Layer the lemon slices in the bottom of a baking dish; around them, arrange crushed garlic cloves, basil, and a sweet yellow onion, sliced.

Pour the lemon juice, about a tsp of salt and a tsp of pepper into a zip lock baggie with a TBSP of EVOO.... shake....

Arrange the beans over the lemon slices.

Using the same bag, shake the potatoes in the remaining mixture...

Arrange the potatoes around the edge of the baking dish.

Arrange chicken breasts in the middle, and toss a few more onions and lemon slices on top.


Roast for 50 minutes.  After 50 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and set on a separate plate and return the vegetables to the oven for another 5 or so minutes.

Because I was FAMISHED by this point, I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish -- but here is a picture of my plate, which I cleaned in short order!

Totally delicious.

Notes:

• By the time I went to cook this, it had heated up to 80 degrees outside and full sun -- and the house was hotter than Haiti by the time I finished cooking.  So this is definitely a FALL recipe.
• WAY too much lemon -- in the future, I'd skip the part where you reserve the lemon juice to coat the vegetables, and just stick to layering the lemon slices in the bottom of the pan.  It was overkill.
• Probably should have lined the baking dish with foil to make cleanup easier, but oh well!
• **other food prep included quinoa chicken salad for my lunches, apple turnovers out of some semi-softening apples that I didn't want to waste, buffalo blue cheese chicken bites, ground chicken marinara sauce for lasagna.

Off and running,
~Jessica

Weighing In

So, the first two weeks back OP, I went to meetings on Tuesdays -- then last week on Wednesday, because it worked better with my schedule.  This week, Tuesday made more sense again, so I visited the drop-in hours at the center.  I knew it was going to be a good WI, because when I stepped on the scale at home this morning, the number was unbelievably low -- despite the heat and humidity and a crockpot taco dinner last night.







I lost 3.2 pounds (and a point!)

So that means I"m half way to my first mini goal of losing 12.5 pounds this summer.

Not bad, if I do say so myself. :-)

The Hubs is going on a little guy's weekend starting on thursday -- and I have one of my best girlfriends coming into town to hang with me. I couldn't be more excited about it, especially given how hard The Hubs and I have been working on the house - Sunday consisted of 6 carloads to storage, 2 trips to the goodwill, 2 trips to Home Depot, hours of cleaning and decluttering, 2 giant dumpsters in the driveway... yesterday was the city housing inspection and haul-away of the dumpsters; last night Hubs was up late working in the garage... tonight I'll probably make another couple of storage runs, and at some point, we need to hang a towel bar and the baseboards in the bathroom. 

Did I mention it has been 100 degrees and humid all friggin' week?
So, by the time he leaves on Thursday, all of this will be wrapped up.

And I'll be getting a 90 minute massage.

I'm working from home on Friday - the cleaners are coming, I'm having lunch with a former colleague, the realtor is arriving at 1 to take pictures and measurements and get the house LISTED!

And then my friend arrives for the weekend -- which I assume will consist of doing very little, other than sitting in the A/C, talking, watching movies, and maybe some early morning walks, before the heat sets in.

Off and running,
~Jessica

Weighing In

Normally my WI day is on Tuesday, but yesterday's schedule did not allow (I was off-site for vendor meetings all day), so I delayed until today.  In doing so, I discovered that the center near my office has open hours all day on Wednesday, starting at 7 AM.  Since I'm not always one interested in staying for the whole meeting, this was a wonderful discovery.  I stopped in around 11 AM today, and braved the scale:





I was up .8 lbs -- which sucks, but given some questionable choices over the weekend, a trip to the cabin, a night of margaritas on the patio with my love, and a scale-hop yesterday at home that was fully up 5 lbs (thanks, monosodium glutomate lunch), I'll take it.

Net - down 3 lbs since recommiting.

And now... moving forward with my head back in the game.

Workouts haven't been great this week -- I've been up to my eyeballs in getting reacclimated at work, and also on the final house projects.  Tonight we are having The Hubs cousin over for dinnner, so it might be another inadvertent "rest day," but tomorrow I'm determined to either get on the treadmill or in the pool.

Off and running,
~Jesisca

Peter Piper

It is my first day back at work after a week off -- needless to say, I'm having a bit of re-entry shock.  My week at home (which considered of carpet stretchers, carpet cleaners, window washers, house-pressure-washing, laundry, working out, cooking, relaxing, cleaning, painting the bathroom, and then a quick 24 hours at the cabin), was fantastic, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super bummed to NOT have another week at home this week -- this time to actually relax.

We've had a pretty intense heat wave here over the past week and a half, and the forecast this week called for temps in the 80s... apparently Mother Nature decided to revise that forecast, and yesterday was another 90 degree day in which The Hubs and I found ourselves working in the yard, replacing gutters, watering, weeding, etc.  WE are "this close" to having the house ready for market, but every time I think we're done, I turn around and realize that there are 20 more friggin' things to do.  Sigh.

Anyway, in the midst of all the crazy, I was thrilled that we were able to escape to the cabin for a fun family night / day.  I could have stayed on the boat all afternoon on Sunday, and it was nice to just BE -- not be overly scheduled, programmed, etc.  A sense of peace and calm washes over me every time I walk through the doors of that place -- it had been WAY too long since I had been there last, and I was happy to find it as cozy and home-like as always.

But in the midst of the busy, last night, I found time to make a beautiful meal.  And afterwards, The Hubs and I spontaneously went to see a movie (TED - hilarious), which made for two nice date nights in a row, and helped ease me back into today's work schedule. 
Without further ado - they certainly weren't pickled, but check out the gorgeous mini baby bell peppers that I roasted for dinner last night...

(1 bag of mini bell peppers, trimmed; 1 can of sweet corn, drained; 1 diced sweet onion; 1 chopped bunch of cilantro... toss it all in a bag with some olive oil, salt, cumin, chili powder, juice from half a lime, and 2 chopped garlic cloves... roast on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at 350 for about 40 minutes)

Alongside Guy Fieri's Margarita Chicken...

(I forgot how much more tender, flavorful, and juice bone-in chicken breasts are, as opposed to boneless / skinless).

Served alongside a simple box of Mexican rice.

Because I'm only a mediocre food blogger, I forgot to take "after" pics of how it all looked coming out of the oven - you'll have to take my word for it... delicious!

I'm excited for my leftovers today. :-)

Off and running,

~Jessica

It's A Deal

The "said no one, ever" schtick on Pinterest is getting a little old - I laughed out loud when it was about the beauty (or lack thereof) of crocks, but since then it has been pretty lame, until I stumbled on this one yesterday.

A truer story has never been told -- with the exception of the day I broke my elbow, walking, I've probably never regretted a single workout that I've completed -- only the ones I didn't.  I always make a little deal with myself that if I start a workout and it is totally miserable, I can quit after 10 minutes.

I've never quit.

As with most things in life, taking the first step the hardest.  Once you get past that initial inertia, the momentum (and endorphins!), keep you moving forward, propelled by your success.

An object in motion stays in motion, after all.

Being at home this week, I've remembered what it feels like to have the luxury of time.  I have remembered how easy it is for me to "find time" to exercise when I'm home all day -- because frankly, a good workout is what I normally WANT to be doing, it is just really hard after a long day at work.  I haven't had to talk myself into a single workout this past week -- and that is in spite of the hottest weather I remember in my life (heat index of over 100 almost every single day this week), which usually shuts me down in a moment flat.

In addition to burning a million calories (4 treadmill sessions, 2 swims, hours of yard work), I've also been incredibly productive - the house is clean, the dishes and laundry are done... the carpets have been stretched and professionally cleaned, and the windows all washed (insides, outsides, screens, and sills).  I've had a nice dinner ready almost every night, and all my lunches, with the exception of yesterday's Subway, have been eaten from my own kitchen.

I love my job and I'm very passionate about what I do, but what I love more is my LIFE -- this week was a good reminder to stop and smell the roses, and in doing so, things seem to magically prioritize themselves in the order of your interests and goals.

The Hubs and I are heading off to the family lake home after he's off work today -- just for one night, as Sunday we need to spend some time putting final touches on the house before we meet with the realtor Monday night.  It will cap off an already-perfect week for me -- I haven't been there in well over a year and haven't seen my niece and nephew enough lately.

And then, ugh, Monday.  I anticipate some re-entry shock. 

Today:
Painting the bathroom
Oil change
Pack for cabin
Exercise (either pool or treadmill, TBD)

Off and running,
~Jessica

Things My Father Has Taught Me

1. Kent Hrbek is a no good, dirty rotten jerk.
2. I should have been on the swim team.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When I was a kid, the MN Twins made it to the World Series.  It was kind of a big deal.  And one day, while at the athletic club, who should stroll in, but Ken Hrbek, fresh off his world series win.  My dad sidled up to him at the salad bar, and sweetly asked him for an autograph -- for his son -- my brother, Marc, who couldn't have been more than 8 years old at the time.  Kent's response?

Sarcastically, "Could you wait until I finish my dinner?"

I'm sure that Kent is a very nice man, and in retrospect was just irritated about being bugged, post-workout, pre-meal, but COME ON!  You're a HERO.  An athlete.  In the public eye.  People worship you.  He asked for an autograph FOR HIS KID.  Get over yourself, you big jerk!

So the family joke, for years, became what a big huge jerk Hrbek was.

But today, I might be willing to forgive Mr. Hrbek because yesterday, The Hubs and I discovered the Bloomington Family Aquatic Center in Kent Hrbek park -- I guess he was a Bloomington resident, and donated a bunch of money to the city to build this whole outdoor park area.

Well I have to hand it to Mr. Hrbek because he knows how to build a pool.  I couldn't care less about the batting cages and baseball fields, but the pool is new and beautiful -- large waterslides, a zero-gravity entrance, and in the morning... lap lanes.  Outdoors. The Hubs and I went yesterday afternoon - I wasn't too enthused about the idea of being surrounded by splashing, screaming brats, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pool was mostly empty.  It was a really beautiful facility.

So this morning, I scampered off to buy a family pass for us to use for the rest of the summer -- it is $9 for a day pass at the pool, and $50 for the whole season - so basically we have to use it a total of 5 times each for it to pay for itself.  They reimbursed us yesterday's admission when we bought the pass, so as of today The Hubs needs to go four more times and I need to go three.

And the reason I only need to go three more times is because this morning, I hit it up for lap swim!  Outdoors!  And it was BLISS!  It was crowded, and only one of the lanes was open for public lap swim (the other lanes were being used by the swim team), but I did a solid 30 minutes without stopping in that beautiful 50 meter pool -- for a total of 1000 meters -- and then relaxed in the sun for about 20 minutes before picking up Subway and heading home for lunch and a shower.

It was a pretty great way to spend one of my last mornings off, and I'm wishing I'd discovered it on Monday.

It is amazing how quickly it comes back, the athleticism. Just like the muscle memory associated with my flute and piano, the body just knows what motions to go through. 

When it comes to running, biking, and swimming, I am not fast.  I don't pretend to be, or even strive to be.  I go in with the goal of endurance and with feeling better when I'm done than when I started.  And today was a great reminder that I do have a bit of natural athleticism in my bones.  As per usual, I started out of the gate too fast; got my heart rate too high too quickly, but as soon as I slowed down and relaxed into a comfortable pace, I felt like I could have swam laps all day.

I'm just about to hit the shower, and my body is pleasantly sore, tired, and even a little tan.  The sun on my back felt amazing, and I can't wait to go and do it again tomorrow.  It made me think again about a mini-triathlon someday in my future -- after all, I swam 3/4 of a mile without prepping for it at all, and most tri's are only 1/2 mile swims.  I might not be running right now, but I'm sure I can bang out a 5K -- worst case scenario, I can walk one in under an hour, so I can probably interval one in 45 minutes.  And then the biking, which I haven't done since last summer, but I'm sure I can knock out 5 miles. 

Things to think about for sure...

Off and running,
~Jessica

Weighing In

It has been a crazy day at Chez Seidlitz - the carpet stretchers and window washers have come and gone; my laundry and workout are done, the house has been pressure washed, and errands have been run.

Including a trip to Weight Watchers --


What's that you ask?
Who?
Who lost 3. 8 lbs this week?

THIS GUY!




Here are the deets:

• I went over my points on two days - which ended up resulting in an overage of about 16 points for the week.  I made up a lot of those points in exercise (I earned 28 APs this past week - both on the treadmill and in the yard), and then ate under points on two days to make up the difference.  I know you aren't "supposed" to do that on Weight Watchers, but whatever - it works for me -- life is not always going to be consistent enough to eat the same number of calories on every day.  Plus, it's been too friggin' hot to cook, so it worked out well
• I drank 2 glasses of wine last week, and a couple of lite beers on Friday night with friends.  Other than that, and one diet coke, it's been all water and a few cups of coffee.
• I earned 28 APs.  'Nuff said there.  HOWEVER, it isn't like I was running up hills or tearing up the elliptical - I was just walking on my treadmill.  
• I journaled every single point.  EVERY.
• I got good sleep all week.
• I made really healthy food choices - ate breakfast at home and brought my lunch every day.  I cooked healthy dinners, and made sure to really "heavy up" on fruits and vegetables.
• And the exception?  I also ate pizza on Friday night and McDonald's (gasp, gross) on Saturday -- balanced out with plenty of healthy foods for the rest of the week.

I tell you the above to emphasis the fact that on this journey it is all about progress and persistence, not perfection.

Years ago, when I was interviewed for an article in Health Magazine, I talked about being "20% pizza and 80% broccoli" and that has always been my attitude. 

Life is supposed to be fun.  You can't eat soybeans all the time.

Off and running,
~Jessica

Ch Ch Ch Chia!

I have subscribed to Fitness, Shape, and Self magazine's various email newsletters for years, but a lot of time I just delete them to avoid the mailbox clutter -- today, staycationing, I actually took the time to read through Fitness Magazine's "FitList" email blast - in particular, a list of 10 weight loss foods you should have on hand.

1. Hummus
2. Salsa
3. Eggs
4. Raw Almonds / Almond Butter
5. Chia Seeds
6. Quinoa
7. Parmesan Cheese
8. Sprouted Grain Bread
9. Yogurt
10. Healthy Snacks to Go!

I'm proud to say that the majority of these are staples in my cupboard - and the others (sprouted grain bread, raw almonds), are things I OFTEN have -- with one exception -- Chia Seeds. 

I keep hearing ALL about these little magical seeds, but the only thing I know of them is their ability to grow Home Simpson and gnome faces on a terracotta ceramic head. 

Do you guys eat Chia Seeds?  What do you do with them?  What do they taste like?

And speaking of hummus -- I recently discovered this variety, and I'm in love -- not only is it totally delicious, but a quick inspection of the ingredients list tells me that it is made with non-GMO soybeans.  Do you know how hard that is to find!?  For those unfamiliar with the term -- GMO means "genetically modified" and thanks to a darling company called Monsanto that is basically trying to take over our kitchens and turn all our food into processed junk, non-GMO seeds are nearly impossible to find, especially mass produced in grocery store foods.

Anyway, this edamame hummus is totally delicious, and I can't wait to try their other varieties:

 

(Clearly I still didn't get that manicure I promised you I was getting!)

As I mentioned, I'm not working this week -- or rather, I'm not working for my employer this week.  I took the week off to focus on the final touches to get the house ready to put on the market.  However, given the weather -- record-breaking highs, heat advisory, intense humidity, etc -- we didn't get as much done over the weekend as I'd hoped, and I'm not sure that I'll get EVERYTHING done this week / weekend either.  This morning I was out in the yard promptly at 7:15 AM, and stayed there working until 10:30, at which point I came in and practically had to wring out my bra, it was so drenched with sweat.  I think that will be my plan for most of the week -- early mornings in the yard, followed by afternoons in the air conditioning.

Next on my to-do list for the day is to organize my closet and drawers, which should go a long way in dejunking the guest bedroom, and THEN I'm off for that manicure... and probably a pedicure too. :-)

Off and running,
Jessica

What I'm Loving: July 1 Edition

Hello all and happy FIRST of July!  I hope that you all have fun holiday plans -- here in MN, my big plans consist of a week off, filled with many house projects, lots of exercise, lots of sleep, and staying cool -- I should have assumed, when we were blessed with such a mild winter, that a HOT summer was coming.

We had an absolutely beautiful few weeks in May and June, and this past week things have been heating up to this:

It is 7:25 on Sunday morning as I write this, and the temp is already 75 degrees. 

I know some people love this weather, but it isn't for me -- when it is this hot, I tend to get pretty lazy, not wanting to leave the A/C... I get headaches from humidity, and I just feel an overall lack of energy.  BUT - I am determined to beat the heat this week - to keep the house cold, and hit the treadmill despite my lack of energy.  I'm up and at 'em early this morning, already clad in workout clothes, and I'll be heading downstairs shortly.

In honor of the heat and the start of a new month, I thought I'd share with you a few cool things -- products / things / ideas I'm currently in love with.

Presenting: What I'm Loving; July Edition

1. C9 by Target Premium 1/4 zip jacket. 

Ya'll know that I work for Target, and until recently in the apparel department, but my love for C9 long predates my professional relationship with Tarzhay Boutique.  C9 is Target's "owned brand" of Champion product, and frankly, I think it is some of the best workout wear on the planet.  I probably own 6 pair of the yoga pants (hey, I used to work at home!), and the Premium line rivals that of Lululemon and Lucy and other upscale athletic brands.  I present my newest obsession:

Definitely click on the link for more pictures - I tried to add them but technical difficulties prevented me from doing so.  The back has a little iPod zip pocket, and it has those fun thumb holes on the cuffs.  The black inner arm material is a mesh, and that same mesh is on the upper back.  It is fitted, but if you size up, it isn't too clingy, and the fabric is light and breathable.

2. Marie's Reduced Fat Yogurt Feta Dressing

(Please ignore the lack of manicure - that's next on my list today!)

8 Grams of fat, 80 calories, and 0 carbs per 2 tablespoons -- it isn't exactly LOW fat, but better than a full fat creamy dressing, because it is made with yogurt!  I think it makes a fantastic vegetable dip, and last night I used it as a condiment on the beef and vegetable kebabs that we grilled.  I am a big fan of feta cheese and greek food in general, and this gave it a very Greek flavor.


3. Vlasic Reduced Sodium Stackers

The website isn't very helpful so I'm not sure why I bothered linking it - but basically, these stackers have just a slight zing of spice to them, so I have really been enjoying them on sandwiches this past week.  The shape makes them great to layer onto a pile of ham and cheese, and the crunch is very satisfying. I've long been a fan of pickles (just ask my mother), and in adulthood I've found them to be a great cure for a salt / crunch craving, but of course, in adulthood we also have to worry about pesky things like sodium.  While these are by no means LOW in sodium, they are LOWER -- 150 mg per slice as compared to 200 -- and every little bit helps.

4.  The dutch braided headband.

I'm hardly what you'd call a flower child, in fact, I usually run in horror from anything 70s inspired, but lately I've been really into braids.  French braids, fishtail braids, dutch braids... in fact, I started wearing this little bracelet last week, which is doubly weird, because the only thing I hate more than hippies is the color orange:

Sidenote: a co-worker actually asked me if my niece had made this "friendship bracelet" for me -- it is hard to tell from the picture but it is fairly intricately beaded,and has a slipknot closure. I was sad to have to tell her, uh, I bought it at the Gap.  So, an almost-4 year old may have made it, but not one that was related to me.

But I digress. 

The other braids I've been really into lately are those in my hair -- although, I'm not QUITE coordinated yet to be able to do this to myself, I had a lovely tutorial yesterday from my stylist, Tayler, who cut the dead ends off my super long hair and freshened up my color a bit. 

(Tayler, FYI, is what we call "a magician," as I always leave her care feeling polished and pretty and put together, and as though she's solved all my problems.  She is the artist behind my wedding hair, a project that took over 2 hours to complete, and almost as long to take down at the end of the night.) 

Without further ado, I give you the braided headband.  It might look really simple, but it is deceptively hard, because not only is this a french braid of sorts, but it is a backwards / upside down french braid, meaning that you are layering the plaits of hair UNDER each other instead of OVER -- holy muscle memory, batman, that is something hard to unlearn / relearn.

     

Anyway, I love this look because it keeps the hair out of my face, and looks cute and styled without appearing overly fussy or "done."  You can wear your hair down with it, but if you also pull your hair into a low pony, it still looks more polished.  I'm sure that by 2015 I'll have figured out how to do this to myself, until then, I'm contemplating asking Tay to come over every morning and style me.

(Aside - who do I think I am in those sunglasses, J-Lo?)
 
On that note - I hope you have a happy first day of the month.  I always love the first day of a new month, especially one in which I have a whole renewed commitment to my goals.  My plan for today consists of a workout, a trip to the grocery, a manicure / pedicure (my reward for a week of sticking to my exercise / food intentions), laundry, yard work, and a trip to buy some paint for the bathroom walls.

Off and running,
~Jessica