It’s Easy Being Green

March 7th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (1 Comments)

I am smack dab in the middle of a string of crazy days here.

Not hard days, just very full days.  This morning started out with a 4 mile run, then it was a few hours at home to get some work done around here before taking the girls to an afternoon class while Kaz and I ran a bunch of errands.  Then it was off to pick up Zak at work and head to dinner with family for some birthday celebrations.   I think it’s the hauling around of kids that ups the intensity of a full day by about 300%.  Now we’re home again and I’m about to post a picture of lunch before then diving head first into bed.

Almost-But-Not-Quite Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie

March 6th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (Comments Off on Almost-But-Not-Quite Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie)

I am on a green smoothie kick. This Greener March Challenge has gone straight to my head.  And straight to my blender.  And then straight to my stomach.  I haven’t made green smoothies in ages, and now I can’t seem to stop.

None of my the avocados from my most recent haul are ripe yet, otherwise I would have made an avocado smoothie again.  I still wanted a smoothie for breakfast today though, so I tried to come up with something different this morning – hopefully just as good as that avocado smoothie.

These are a Few of My Favorite Greens

February 16th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (1 Comments)

At this very moment, my house is quiet.

Zak is at drum practice, the girls are off on a mini-adventure with a beloved aunt, the boy is napping.

I can hear crickets.

Yes, crickets in the winter. Hard to believe, eh?

Well believe this – I just finished this kick-ass salad for lunch.

Bleu Cheese and Salmon with Arugula

The ass-kicking was thanks in part to the pile of arugula I added to the greens mix.

Arugula

Arugula, spinach and red leaf lettuce, tossed in a little olive oil and balsamic.

Spinach Red Leaf Lettuce and Arugula with balsamic and olive oil

Simple Saucy Kale

January 25th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (10 Comments)

I had a bunch of kale in my fridge that was about to be past its prime, so I decided this was the perfect excuse to try out a new dinner side and (bonus!) make myself a snack at the same time.

With a small baby man on the prowl, I do most of my cooking during the morning and afternoon hours right now – i.e., nap time. I aim to stock the fridge with prepared food so that when dinner time rolls around, all we need to do is heat and eat.

Rockin’ Salad Concoctions

January 17th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in - (1 Comments)

How to Make an Awesome Salad

salad Salad with Hemp

Bacon, Avocado and Egg Tossed Salad

The Brendan Brazier Salad (it started here!)

Cashews, Apple, Tofu with Miso Dressing

Simple Caesar Salad

Swiss Chard massaged with Avocado

Lentil Taco Salad

Hummus on Salad

Salad Habits (hummus, beets, hemp seeds, grape tomatoes, egg)

Fat is Your Friend (load your salads up with healthy fats!)

salad_big Have Salad Will Travel

Always Bet on BLAC

January 16th, 2013 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (6 Comments)

A lunch time quickie today!

When I was a vegetarian, I truly didn’t miss meat.  Truly.

But now that I’ve been eating some meat again, I must admit.  It’s good.

Especially bacon.

When I get good quality bacon from the local markets – or in this case, from Zak’s mom and step dad who raised their own pigs last year – I dig it.

I’ve been cooking 10 – 12 strips at once to make homemade bacon bits for salads.  Fry it up, trim most (but not all) of the fat, move to a few paper towels to soak up the grease, chop and store in the fridge to use on salads over the course of a few days.

Project Weight Loss: Week 2

October 5th, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Weight Loss - (18 Comments)

Well, it’s the end of Week 2 of my little Project Weight Loss here.  Last week at the end of Week 1 I weighed in at 146.0.

Today?

144.8

(Did you hear me shouting HOORAY at 6:30 AM, EDT today!?)

I was VERY happy to see 144 on the scale this morning, especially considering I haven’t seen those numbers in that order since I was three months pregnant. I didn’t even care that it had a “.8” behind it. In fact, I wouldn’t have cared if it said 144.99999!

A New Green Machine

April 8th, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (15 Comments)

Guess what?!

Brand New Vitamix

OK, to be fair, unless you are a food nerd who reads a lot of foodie blogs, you might not be able to guess and/or be squealing the same way I did when the UPS man dropped this guy off last week.

On the right? Our old blender. The lean mean muscle machine on the left? My Our new VITAMIX!

Thanks to the fact that my birthday was last week (33! WOOT!) AND that Zak was finally bitten by the Vitamix bug AND a 20% Off coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond that saved us a bundle, we bit the bullet and welcomed this majestic marvel into our appliance family a few short days ago.

Sweet Salad Memories

March 1st, 2012 | Posted by Alison Spath in Lunch - (9 Comments)

As a self-proclaimed Salad Lover, I’ve come to see that the pregnant version of myself is not at all a Salad Lover.

No, these days I’m more of a Salad Avoider.  I’m able to stuff leafy greens into sandwiches or the occasional glass of green juice or green smoothie, but my regular salad days are currently on hiatus – much like my days of wearing pants with a button and zipper.

Chlorella (is not an STD)

December 7th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Vegetable Lovin' - (14 Comments)

Nope, Chlorella is a super food.  And lately, it’s been on my radar.

Chlorella is a green algae. It’s high in protein, essential fatty acids, amino acids and a slew of vitamins and minerals. It’s an immune enhancer and when dried and processed, it looks like it would make great fake grass in your kid’s next diorama project.

The first time I paid attention to Chlorella was when I read about it in Thrive by Brendan Brazier. I paid close attention to his few pages on this food item when I was brushing up on nutrition for athletes during last minute marathon training at the end of the summer. My eyebrows perked up when I saw that Chlorella can help speed muscle repair and recovery, as well as slow the signs of aging when consumed regularly.