I'm Tania Katherine. By day, I'm an eMedia professional (SEO, social, web analytics). By night, I'm a spiritual yoga, runner & just another 'gal trying to lose weight.
This blog is equal parts weight loss, novice running, vegan lifestyle, recipes, yoga, struggles, food, books & more. Enjoy!
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Look, I never promised to be an everyday kind of blogger. Sorry about that. Today’s confessions will shine a little bit of light as to why that is.
1. I hate spending time on technology outside of work
I work from home. Sometimes, that means I can spend 11+ hours at my desk working on various projects. For whatever reason, the last thing I want to do when I get “off” from work is even look at a computer. I don’t know when it happened, either. When I was in offices, I worked all day at a computer. But at some point after working from home…I just became so over it. For me, the happiest moment of the week was turning off my laptops on a Friday night and praying there was no need to turn them on again that weekend until Monday (of course, that only worked like 50% of the time but still!).
2. I’m hoping to get married by the end of this year
I’ve got a phenomenal fiance and we’re still hoping to make that official by the end of this year. I’m told wedding planning is hard?
3. I’ve been failing at tweeting recently
Bad marketing professional, I know. However, I’ve really been failing at this as of late as I feel like time is slipping through my hands.
What are your confessions?
I had a bad case of the lunchtime blues today. Starting work earlier than usual and being exhausted by noon just wasn’t that smart of an idea. I spent a good portion of the morning figuring out the most productive way to do something. Unfortunately, it was the “long” way.
Recently, we’ve become obsessed with sunflower milk. Like, I adore it. I even made a smoothie dedicated to using it today. So yum! Benefits of the sunflower seed according to Wikipedia (my source for everything! j/k!) include:
In addition to linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), sunflower seeds are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, some amino acids (especially tryptophan), Vitamin E, B Vitamins (especially vitamin B1 orthiamine, vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid and folate), and minerals such as copper, manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, calcium and zinc.[4] Additionally, they are rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.[5]
Lunchtime Smoothie:
- 1 pint of blueberries
- 1/2 cup of spinach
- 2 tbsp of agave nectar
- 1 plum
- 1.5 inch piece of a thick carrot
- 8 oz. of sunflower milk
Oh right, also today:
How was your lunch?
The other day, I needed to make dinner but couldn’t be bothered to do anything too fancy. And so, this one pot wonder-ish meal came along.
You’ll need:
- 10 fingerling potatoes
- 1/2 cup of quinoa or similar protein-filled seed grain
- 1/2 cup of lentils
- Healthy handful of parsley
- 1 cup of peas
- Rosemary to garnish
- 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance
- A bit of non-milk, nut milk
1. Chop potatoes into large cubes and begin to boil. Throw in the lentils and grain. Cook until potatoes and lentils are soft.
2. Combine peas, parsley, Earth Balance and enough milk to blend in a hand blender. Blend until smooth. If you don’t have a blender, just chop as finely as possible and mix.
3. Drain potato, lentil & grain mixture - dress with pea/parsley mixture. Yum up.
Serves 2 perfectly
So, I know what you’re saying - “Wait…it’s already the 7th of the month…why are you setting goals now?” Well, have you ever heard the phrase “It is never too late?” That’s why. I’ve finally gotten out of the mindset that I need to “maintain” my weight (60 pounds still off - only regained 5) and back to the mindset that I need to lose it. I’m also determined to “be a runner.” A real runner who runs all of a 5k. Not just part of it.
With that, February 2012 Goals:
1. Lose 10 pounds: I get that people are going to come back at that with “but what about healthy weight loss?” Yes, that’s important. But when you’ve already got a BMI in the land of the “obese” and have 50 pounds to lose….it’s okay to set your reach high at first. Especially since that’s how my body “works” best. I’ve got to blow the numbers quickly or my body freaks. Just how “I” work.
2. Try Bikram Yoga: Okay, see here: I’m scared about this one. I don’t like heat and holding yoga poses forever doesn’t seem that appealing to me. That being said, I feel like I’ve got to try it. Who has some Bikram yoga tips or reviews? Let me know - please!
3. 5K Season: I’ve got to start running again and getting somewhere - not the same “Well, I make it to a certain interval and then I get hurt or life happens and I have to start all over again.” Nu-uh. Not this time. I’ve got my eye on the Roosevelt Island 5K, Run For the Wild at the Bronx Zoo and a few others already.
Wish me luck - with that we’re off!
So here I am…posting again. Do I know why? No. Do I know what that means? No. Thanks to moving and a slew of other life delays….this blog kind of dropped off. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that either. Do I want to keep going? Do I not?
I also feel a bit like a failure: my weight loss is stalled, I’ve fallen so behind on my running (can’t even run a straight mile anymore…) and everything tends to hurt. Should I even bother blogging? Not quite sure but…here we are anyway. We’ll see?
Picture this: you’re home from work. It’s been a rough day. You have no interest in cooking, let alone being awake. You want something yummy and nutritious but anything that requires effort is going to be a step too much. Hell, boiling water feels a bit difficult. Welcome to your new go-to meal on those days.
This meal is a full meal ready in under twenty minutes and provides comfort, color, flavor and a satisfied belly for little more effort than lifting a few fingers. It came about on a winter night - the first weeknight in two weeks where I wasn’t working 18 hour days. I just wanted food but I wanted yum. This was it.
Fennel-Cranberry-Alfredo
Serves 1
Needs:
Some pasta (macaroni whole wheat guys were used here)
Half of a carrot
A shallot
About a square inch of a fennel bulb
Garlic powder
Sea salt
Margarine (Earth Balance used here)
Soy milk
Make It Now:
1. Boil water. Put pasta in when ready.
2. In another pot, mix milk and margarine. Heavily adore with sea salt and garlic. You’re looking for a palette pleasing pseudo alfredo here. Don’t be fancy: you’re tired.
3. Chop up the half of a carrot, fennel bulb and shallot. Set aside.
4. When pasta is ready, strain and combine with sauce. Add shallot, fennel, and carrot. Add cranberries. Eat.
5. Do dishes. Take a nap.
Creamy Mushroom Orzo with “Sausage”-Raisin-Brussel Sprouts
Yesterday, the fiance had such a craving for orzo. This morning at the supermarket, we picked up a package for him. I stay far, far, far away from semolina pasta but made an exception for these little guys. Orzo is so comforting. It reminds me of soup when I was a little kid at the dinner next to my house.
Creamy Mushroom Orzo - 1 Serving
- 1/3 cup dry orzo (3/4 cup cooked)
- 1/4 cup almond (or your choice) milk
- 1 slice of onion (inner layers included)
- 1 garlic glove
- 5 - 6 mushrooms - chopped
- Cook the orzo as the instructions on the box dictate.
- Combine garlic, milk, onion, mushroom on high heat in pan. Cook until onion translucent and mushrooms soft - about 5 or so minutes.
- Combine and yum up!
Since I normally stay away from white pasta, I wanted something to head along and make something a bit healthier. I had some brussel sprouts in the fridge, a bit of faux sausage left over and some new raisins and started to get to it.
“Sausage” Raisin Brussel Sprouts
- 8 or so brussel sprouts, bases removed
- 1 tablespoon of raisins
- 1/4 of faux sausage (I love the apple-sage Field Roast variety)
- Combine raisins and sprouts in water on high heat. Cook 3 - 5 minutes (I like “al dente” brussel sprouts). Drain water.
- Add sausage crumbled. Cook one more minute. Enjoy!
I love to eat these two recipes together because they combine nicely. The raisin also go great in the pasta and I like to mix my bits.
What did you have for dinner tonight?
Nutritional Info:
Creamy Mushroom Orzo: 222 calories, 161 potassium, 43 carbs, 2.5 fiber, 3 sugar, 8.5 protein
Sausage-Raisin Brussel Sprouts: 156 calories, 3 fat., 190 sodium, 669 potassium, 24carbs, 7 fiber, 10 sugar, 12 protein
Please excuse the crappy photo but I wanted to get this recipe - hot of the presses - out there as soon as I could. I love millet and have been experimenting with it in numerous different ways. I found a recipe a few weeks ago for a macrobiotic croquette using millet. Unfortunately for me, I can’t make a croquette if my life depended on it. But patties/pancakes, that I can do and can do well.
Millet Patties/Cakes:
Serves 1
- 1/2 cup cooked millet
- Tablespoon of ume plum paste
- Soy sauce to taste (I used ~1/8 teaspoon)
- 1/2 bunch of scallions
- 1/2 carrot
- 1/4 cup daikon
- 2 - 3 shitake mushrooms
- Chop up all ingredients and combine while waiting for a well-oiled pan to heat up on high. Add wet ingredients and mash into a pancake shape on the pan. I was able to make two.
- Serve with whatever you feel (this is served with some stone ground mustard and a kale, nori salad toss).
- YUMMO!
So, Thanksgiving is normally a bad week for most people. The whole “turkey day feast” normally goes downhill after about the fourth role and things just end up…bloated. Well, I didn’t do that this year! We made a healthy, vegan feast for my fiance’s family that came out delightfully if I do say so myself.
The meal featured:
- A brown & black rice pilar with cranberries and vegan sausage
- Kale, cherry, cranberry, pumpkin seed salad (oh my yummo!)
- Sweet potato
- Mashed potato
- Brussel sprouts
- Millet (my future SIL dies for this)
- Lima beans & corn (see Millet for explanation)
- Green beans
- Whole wheat biscuits
No one went overboard and it was so yummy. So what’s the problem? I’m sick. Somewhere on the drive back from Columbus, I realized I was destined to die. I’ve been so unable to do anything the last few days. No, really - I can barely get up. Michael had to help me up all weekend and there have been lots of fun things escaping my body (sarcasm). Things look like they’re swinging up but…one can only hope that sticks around! I still can’t do much - not sure how I’ll make it through what is sure to be one long week. The worst part? I haven’t ran or had the chance or ability to do yoga since Tuesday. TUESDAY. I think that makes it all ten times worse!
How’d your Thanksgiving all go?
Hi, lovelies! Hope this week has held down the fort for you well. I’m excited for next week (hi, three day weekend!) but here are some of my favorites this week.
1. Tea
I shared the other day how I’m getting addicted to tea again but man…something about it just keeps making me happy over and over again!
I feel like such a dork saying it but I love daytime talk shows. Bring on the Rachel Ray show (though, she’s my ultimate favorite), The Chew and the Martha Stewart show. Love “looking back” at these after work! Yes, I know I’m a loser.
I am a ridiculous bookworm. Always have been, always will. When I was a kid, we’d sling 20 something books home from the library weekly. I still read whenever I can and the Nook Color makes that so much more possible and easier. Books tend to be cheap, there are so many for free online and getting library books on the Nook is a snap. Of course, I still spent some $200 shipping books to my parents (after 3 trips to Half Price Books to get rid of books….) but my Nook makes things so much simpler.
4. My fiance
I love that I have a man who will put on a second-hand NY Jets jersey just to make me happy. He makes me smile like woah.
5. Thanksgiving
The last few years, I’ve hated Thanksgiving. I’ve missed my parents, I’ve had no foods I’m used to (my fiance’s family aren’t exactly the veggie buffet type) and it’s just been such a bummer. My fiance’s mother, however, is letting us cook this year so not only do I have things to do (I hate having a day without nothing to do!) but we get to make yummies! Yay!
What are you favorites this Friday?
