In my tummy

Two More

Posted on January 26, 2012 by inmytummy| 20 Comments

I’m still working my way through the Eating Well 25 Quick Vegetarian recipes. Last weekend, I made the Egyptian Edamame Stew.

#Egyptian Edamame Stew Eating Well#

I didn’t make any changes to the recipe besides adding a little bit of feta cheese to the top. When I first read this recipe, I wondered how stew like it would be since there was no broth. However, the juices from the canned tomatoes did make it stew-like. This was decent, but not wonderful. I probably won’t make it again. It was sort of bland.

I got home a little earlier tonight (7:30 as opposed to 8; I ran four miles instead of running and weight lifting) so I didn’t feel as rushed/famished as I did last night and I was able to make another recipe: the Southwestern Tofu Scramble.

#Eating Well Tofu Scramble#

I changed the recipe a little bit according to what I had on hand. Instead of corn, I used frozen peppers and instead of scallions, I used a quarter of an onion. I wasn’t sure if Jason would like this or not since he’s just sort of meh on tofu dishes, but we were both big fans. I would definitely make this again.

I have been struggling to find a good place to take pictures. For some reason, the white balance gets all wonky when I shoot at my dining room table so I’m constantly trying to find a better place. I decided that the dining room floor might work. Murphy did not understand that food on the floor does not equal food for Murphy.

#alttext#

(He didn’t get any. But maybe I should reconsider my photography setup anyway.)

→ 20 Comments

Posted in Vegetarian

Where Did the Day Go?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by inmytummy| 15 Comments

Today felt busy. Tuesday’s are my double workout day meaning that I do weights and run. My legs are fresh from taking Monday as a rest day so usually it goes by pretty quickly. Today, however, I was tired. Starting a new job is exhausting. I’m sure some of it is because before yesterday, I hadn’t gone to work since November, but I think a bigger part of it is just trying to learn so much new stuff in such a short amount of time. I remember feeling tired for a while when I started my last job too.

Nevertheless, I went to the gym after work. Fortunately, there is an LA Fitness literally 5 minutes from my office and even more fortunately, it wasn’t that crowded at 6:15 pm. I did my weights and halfway into it, a man stopped me and corrected my form. I never know how I feel about this when it happens. On one hand, if I’m doing something wrong, I’m not doing it on purpose and would rather learn to do it correctly. But on the other hand, it’s not really anyone else’s business how I’m lifting weights. This was just a random dude, not a person that works for the gym. I don’t know how I feel about someone trying to help me. I guess I should just take advantage and remember that they really are trying to be helpful.

By the time I finished my weight routine and my three mile run, it was already 7:30 and I live about 20 minutes from the gym by my office. Making a home cooked dinner was obviously not happening! Fortunately, I went to Trader Joe’s over the weekend.

#pizza#

Entire dinner – Vegetarian Pizza, organic arugula and Goddess dressing – brought to you by Trader Joe’s. My long day wasn’t over after I ate though; I had a freelance writing assignment to work on. I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I write deals for a daily deal website (called Home Run) a few times a week.

By the time I got everything done, it was after ten. Where did the day go? I guess that’s what happens when you go to the gym for an hour and 15 minutes after work. I might need to reevaluate my double workouts.

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Posted in Strength Training, The Gym, Vegetarian Meal

First Day

Posted on January 24, 2012 by inmytummy| 24 Comments

I survived my first day at work. It went really well. I was basically in training all day and will be all week which I think is great. I’ve had a lot of jobs that just sort of throw you into the water and expect you to swim, which I always do, but it’s nice to actually get formal training.

The day was sort of a whirlwind of new information and new faces. Everyone seems really nice though and I really think that I am going to like working here. Plus, we can wear jeans. Bonus.

I declared today a rest day and Jason and I went out to dinner. As we’ve been doing recently to save money, we consulted Scoutmob to see if there were any interesting restaurant deals and came up with Istanblue Turkish restaurant. It was kind of on the expensive side but when you factored in the Scoutmob discount and the fact that we weren’t drinking, it really wasn’t bad at all. I underestimated the amount of snacks that I should bring to work, so I was starving by the time we got to the restaurant and practically inhaled this large dish of hummus with lots of bread.

#hummus#

And I wonder why I have problems losing weight.

For my meal, I got the tilapia. I was a little disappointed when it came out and it was covered with a cream sauce. Nowhere does this description mention a cream sauce, does it?

Tilapia baked in homemade sauce of mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, onion, parsley and dill

#tilapia#

Maybe I’m too anal, but if there’s a sauce, I want to know about it. The description made it seem like the vegetables were the sauce.

Aside from that, and the fact that the restaurant was oddly empty (when we got there around 7:15, we were the only ones there), it was a nice Monday night date night. I’m exhausted. I think it might take a while to get back into this working thing.

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Posted in Atlanta Restaurants, Fish

Nervous Energy

Posted on January 22, 2012 by inmytummy| 22 Comments

Today is the last day of my 80-day weekend. Wow, I bet you feel sorry for me, don’t you?! It’s weird when you type it out like that. I was unemployed for just shy of three months but when you say 80 days, it seems like so much longer!

As excited as I am about my new job and getting back into the work force in general, I have to say that I am a bit nervous. Not really about my actual job, but more just starting something new. I’ve kind of been edgy all weekend. I know that the second I set foot in the building tomorrow morning, I’ll feel fine but the anticipation drives me crazy.

I was going to do my 7-mile run yesterday but it rained all day so I had to postpone it until today. I really prefer getting my long run over with and doing it on Saturday but not so much that I wanted to either run in the rain or do 7 miles on the treadmill.

#alttext#

So I ran this morning. I was hoping that the run get rid of some of this nervous energy. It didn’t. It was an okay run, but the whole time I felt so slow. Here are my splits:

Mile 1 – 12:37 (walked the first .25 miles)
Mile 2 – 10:41
Mile 3 – 9:28 (this has a big downhill)
Mile 4 – 11:37 (walked some)
Mile 5 – 10:51
Mile 6 – 11:11
Mile 7 – 10:26

I know that it’s great that I can run seven miles and all, but I sometimes get so frustrated at my speed, or lack there of. I know that if I want to get faster, I need to run faster and I try to, but sometimes it’s just so hard. It’s just kind of disheartening to run as much as I do and be the speed that I am. I know that plenty of other people run at the same speed that I do or slower and while I think that is fine for them, it’s not fine for me because I don’t feel fine about it. I’ve been running half-marathons for seven years. My time has not improved and that’s annoying. It’s kind of the same way I feel about weight loss. I eat well, I run a lot, and the scale doesn’t budge. Annoying and frustrating.

What this has to do with being nervous about work, I don’t know. Jason told me to do something nice for myself, so I got a manicure and took a bizarro picture of it. I promise I don’t have mutant hands that are bigger than my head.

#alttext#

I’ll stop with the whining now. I’m annoying myself. I promise I’ll feel better tomorrow. Wish me luck!

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Posted in Running

Rollin’ with my Homies

Posted on January 21, 2012 by inmytummy| 15 Comments

Last night, we had a sushi-making party with our friends Emily and Brian. We’d done this once with them before, about a year ago, and decided it was time for round two.

Emily and Brian provided the ingredients – sushi rice, salmon, tuna, crab stick, avocado, carrots, green onions, cucumbers and a few other things.

#sushi tuna salmon#

We took turns making our rolls.

#alttext#

I helped too even thought there is no photographic evidence of that. I think we did a pretty good job.

#alttext#

Jason got fancy and made some nigiri.

#nigiri#

My camera was not cooperating and most of the pictures that I took weren’t that great, but trust me, we made a lot of sushi. It’s really not that hard and it’s a fun activity to do with friends.

I was going to do my long run today but it’s been storming outside and the weather forecast says it’s going to be like this all day. I don’t mind a nice thunderstorm, but someone else does not have the same feelings.

#golden retriever#

Excuse me while I go soothe a worried dog. I honestly am thinking of buying him a Thundershirt and seeing if it works.

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Posted in Friends, Seafood

Bribed With Cookies

Posted on January 19, 2012 by inmytummy| 16 Comments

I finally made it to the gym last night for my four mile run. I got there around 8:30 and the after-work crowds were starting to die down. Don’t get me wrong; I still had to wait for a couple minutes to get a treadmill, but after I hopped on, several others opened up making me feel like I didn’t have to adhere to the time limit since no one was waiting.

Just to note: my gym is always very crowded. Yes, there are lots of new year’s resolutioners making it extra crowded, but this particular gym is never not full at peak times.

I ran 3 miles on Tuesday and had a really good run. It felt easy and I actually ran much faster than I normally do. I don’t know if I wore myself out or what, but yesterday’s run was awful. I just could not get into it at all. I told myself that I could stop at two miles. Two miles came and I told myself to try switching treadmills. I often will switch treadmills to make a run seem shorter.

I let myself take a five minute walking break. I ran another mile. I really wanted to stop. I told myself that three miles was the same as four really and that I could just run three. But then I bribed myself with cookies. Jason had asked that I pick up some bread and Diet Coke on my way home. The idea of also buying some chocolate chips so I could make Katie’s Chocolate Chip Almond Meringues would not leave my mind. So I told myself that if I ran one more, for a total of four, I could make the cookies. And you know what I did? I got off the treadmill at .7 miles. I went to wipe it off and then I thought that I was being ridiculous and ran the final .3.

I swear this was the longest four miles that I’ve ever run. Obviously, a bag of chocolate chips was purchased. This was my first time making meringues and my first time whisking egg whites until stiff peaks formed. I was a little nervous that they wouldn’t form. But after about 5 minutes, look – stiff peaks! I was probably a little too excited about it to tell you the truth. (Side note: I don’t know how you’d do this with a hand whisk. It seems like it would take forever).

#kitchenaid mixer stiff peaks#

I had a little bit of trouble spooning the dough (is it still considered dough?) onto the cooking sheet. It was too thin. Maybe my peaks weren’t stiff enough.

#alttext#

Nevertheless, I stuck them in the oven anyway and hoped for the best. 23 minutes later and here’s what I had:

#chocolate chip meringue#

Looks like a monster chocolate chip cookie, tastes like a meringue. Works for me. Now if I only I could stop eating them.

#alttext#

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Posted in Baking, Running, The Gym

The Day that Got Away

Posted on January 18, 2012 by inmytummy| 19 Comments

Today got away from me. It’s somewhat embarrassing how the entire day can pass and I find that I haven’t done a thing. Well, that’s not entirely true; I got a much needed haircut (although I don’t think it’s short enough), took Murphy for a walk and made something from Eating Well for a late lunch: Black Bean Quesadillas.

I used pinto beans instead of black because I had some left over from the Toasted Pita and Bean Salad that I made the other day. This was really a basic quesadilla that I could have, and probably have, thrown together without a recipe. It was good, but nothing special.

#alttext#

I laid down on the couch after lunch and somehow found myself being awakened by the phone over an hour later. Whatever, it’s my last week of unemployment, I’m going to take advantage! However, I did miss my window of opportunity to go to the gym before it gets crowded.

I do not like the gym by my house. It’s always very, very crowded, it’s hot and people put the weights in the wrong spots when they put them back if they bother to put them back at all. However, it’s 3 miles away so I go. (This is a chain gym, I’m hoping the one near my office is better.) It used to get crowded around 5 but ever since the New Year, it’s been getting crowded around 4. And I hate it. I know I’m supposed to be all PC and say that it’s so great for all these new people to join the gym and try to get healthy but I want to be on the damn treadmill for more than 20 minutes (after waiting in line for an additional 10.). I have a training plan to follow! Grrr.

So, I haven’t gone to the gym yet. I guess I’ll go around 8:30 when the crowds die down. Because I didn’t go, I haven’t gone to the grocery store either and that means that dinner was not from the Eating Well Vegetarian Project, but rather some random stuff that I threw together like a yogurt, an arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, TJ’s Goddess Dressing and Nutritional yeast…

#alttext#

…and some Kabocha squash. Remember when Kabocha was all the blogger rage a couple years ago? Weird how foods get trendy like that. Anyway, I picked up this squash at the farmer’s market last weekend because it was cute. Little foods = cute foods.

#alttext#

If you’ve ever had a Kabocha squash before, you know that they are extremely hard to cut, even with a really sharp knife. I’m constantly making Jason cut things for me because I’m scared of injuring myself (I really want to take a knife skills class) but he was asleep (due to his weird schedule) so I just threw it in the oven whole and hoped it would get soft enough to cut when it was cooked.

#alttext#

People always say that Kabocha is so sweet, but it doesn’t taste that way to me. I don’t even think I really like it that much. It’s been a while since I had one, but yep, I definitely prefer butternut. Cubed and dipped in ketchup.

Here’s to hoping I don’t fall asleep on the couch again and miss gym window of opportunity number two.

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Posted in The Gym, Vegetarian

Eating Well Vegetarian Project

Posted on January 18, 2012 by inmytummy| 15 Comments

I have a lot of cookbooks. I read a lot of food blogs. I look at a lot of recipe websites. (I make myself sound like I have no life.) With so many recipes to choose from, I always get really overwhelmed and end up not making any of the recipes and eating refried beans for dinner instead. Recently, I was looking at one of my favorite recipe websites, eatingwell.com and found a slideshow of 25 quick vegetarian recipes.

And so the idea was born to make them all. They’re all vegetarian (or mostly vegetarian, some do contain meat products like chicken broth but can be easily modified), they’re all from Eating Well, so they’re healthy and they’re all quick. Not only will I have a small number of recipes to choose from, but I will learn to make different things and get out of my Mexican food/Stir-Fry/Grain salad rut, although those types of meals are in there too.

Since I don’t cook every day, I think it’s safe to say that my project will take about two months. I started yesterday with the Toasted Pita and Bean salad which I made for lunch.

#alttext#

For the most part, I followed the recipe and only made a few slight changes. I used canned pinto beans, 1 tbsp of ground cumin instead of 2 tbsp of cumin seeds, 2 tbsp of mint instead of 3 and 2 tbsp of oil instead of 3. I really liked this. It’s sort of typical of something that I’d usually make (although I’d probably add couscous or quinoa) which is probably why I liked it. However, if you have leftovers, as I did, the bread gets soggy and not in a good way.

Tonight was recipe number two - Vietnamese Tofu Lettuce Wraps. I used soba noodles instead of rice noodles but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. This recipe actually isn’t vegetarian because it uses fish sauce. They do suggest soy as an alternative though.

#alttext#

This wasn’t so great. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it wasn’t really good either. Like several of the reviews on the website said, the sauce was way too watery. I wouldn’t make it again. Even so, it was fun to have something different for dinner, although I was hungry afterward and ate a muffin.

So that’s my cooking project. I’m looking forward to making the additional 23 recipes.

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Posted in Vegetarian

Twenty Questions Survey

Posted on January 16, 2012 by inmytummy| 20 Comments

I stole this little survey from Janetha, who in turn stole it from Errign. Here we go!

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?

• going for a run after I complain about it for a while
• take a nap

#alttext#

• going out to eat or to a festival. Atlanta’s big on festivals.

#alttext#

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.

▪ My favorite show of all time is Six Feet Under. If you haven’t seen it, you need to.

#alttext#

▪ Parenthood (apparently I just like shows that star Peter Krause)

▪ Modern Family

I really don’t watch a ton of tv. Parenthood and Modern Family are really the only network shows that I watch regularly.

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?

▪ Definitely take them. I don’t mind being in them, but for as long as I can remember, I was always the person who brought the camera.

4) Why do you blog?

▪ I like to talk about myself, plain and simple! I have tons of handwritten journals from when I was a teenager and in my 20s. They are painful to read now. I was a dork.

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google Reader
• Yahoo News
• In My Tummy

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be?

• Barack Obama

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.

• Apple with peanut butter
• Banana with peanut butter
• I guess anything that I can use as a vessel to get peanut butter into my mouth. I didn’t even realize that I liked peanut butter so much. I also eat a fair amount of yogurt.

#alttext#

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?

• Murphy! He’s a golden retriever and we like to take iphone pictures of ourselves when we’re bored. I should add that to my favorite things to do on a Saturday.

#alttext#

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?

▪ iphone
▪ laptop
▪ car

I stole these answers from Janetha. They’re true for me too.

10) What’s your favorite drink?

If we’re talking alcoholic drinks, I like white wine, preferably Savignon Blanc.

11) Do you enjoy cooking?

I do even though I’m not that good at it. Practice makes perfect, right? Fortunately, I’m good at eating.

12) Do you have children?

No. Maybe one day.

13) What are your favorite hobbies?

• running
• photography
• blogging
• eating
• napping

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?

I’m definitely on the shy side. I’ve heard it doesn’t come off that way in my blog, but it’s true especially when I don’t know anyone.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

I wish I could be more outgoing actually. Also, I’ve always wished I was shorter.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?

I’m really not into celebrity stuff. I mean, I have actors and actresses that I like, but there is no one that I feel like I’d have to see their newest movie because they’re in it.

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

I got a job offer! Definitely cool.

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?

Far. My parents live the DC metro area. My brother is in grad school at the University of Maryland and my sister is a senior at North Carolina State. Jason’s parents live in South Carolina.

19) List three of your talents.

• I am very good with driving directions
• If I’m looking at a picture of something, I can draw it. (as opposed to just drawing something from my mind, like a dog, I can’t do that.)
• I’m really good at boggle (and scramble with friends. if you want to play, i’m djtippietoes)

20) What is your greatest attribute?

I think I’m a really loyal friend. If I’m friends with you, I’ll make sure to keep in touch and keep the friendship strong.

#alttext#

With the exception of the guy in the vest, I have known and stayed good friends with all the people in this picture since I was in high school if not longer. I graduated high school in 1996 so that’s a long time!

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Posted in Uncategorized

Soup’s On!

Posted on January 15, 2012 by inmytummy| 24 Comments

I thought I had a half bottle of wine left. Apparently I drank more than I thought I did. Whoops.

#alttext#

Some of you suggested risotto and while that’s a good idea, I have to confess: I’ve never made risotto and am somewhat intimidated by it. That and homemade bread are the two things that I’m scared to try to make. Instead, I did an ingredient search for white wine on Allrecipes and came up with French Onion Soup. This recipe was great for a few reasons:

1. It used exactly the amount of wine that I had left when I halved the recipe.
2. It was vegetarian. Typically French Onion Soup is made with beef broth. I know you could always substitute vegetable broth but I’ve tried it before and found that it doesn’t taste quite right.
3. It called for mozzarella cheese instead of swiss. I hate swiss.

Obviously, this is what I made for dinner. First step in all onion-related meals: don your onion goggles. No, I’m not kidding and I don’t care that I look ridiculous. These things work!

#alttext#

Then slice your onions.

#alttext#

Stick them in the pot to caramelize. The recipe said this would take 20 minutes but after that time was up, my onions were not deep brown and I only used half the amount.

#alttext#