Finally over the flu :-)

hellolisahello — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:46:42 +0000

So I never get sick and/or injured, but last week sufferd from both…ugh! It started with a sharp pain in my back during my Insanity plyometrics workout.

Self-diagnosis: Sciatica

Then I got the flu.

For an entire week.

Not fun. But I’m all recovered now and even went out for a short jog this morning–just a quick 2-miler to make sure my legs and lungs still work. They do. Yay!I hate missing workouts. It feels like I’ve been inactive for a year!

Is it me or have there been TONS of weddings lately? Lots of wedding reportings going on in the blogosphere. Yesterday some good family friends were married and the weekend before, my uncle got married ON HIS SURFBOARD.

Evidence below.

I should add that my new aunt had NO idea about the wedding. She thought the two of them were just going out for their regular evening surf sesh. But when they got to the beach….SURPRISE! After the ceremony my dad hosted a reception. Someone brought over this cake…

Chocolate with raspberry filling, I think. My frosting surfboard was delicious.

Surf wedding and kale chips

hellolisahello — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:58:36 +0000

At 6:30AM I was promptly roused by my alarm clock…

…Ari insisted that we begin the day with frisbee in the backyard.

This is the view of the Pacific from our deck.

Tomorrow my uncle is getting married out there on the water. Literally. He and his fiancee are avid surfers and he’s planned a ceremony in the water for the two of them. She has no idea that when they go out for their daily evening surf sesh tomorrow they’ll be getting married.

A bunch of surfers are going to do a paddle out for them. I’m in charge of photography…still trying to figure out how I’m going to paddle out on a 10 foot long board with camera gear!

In other news, I made kale chips this morning while doing a cardio recovery workout.

Start with a bunch of kale that has been cleaned and torn into pieces. Spritz with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Next bake at 170 degrees for about an hour or until the chips are at your desired crispness. Ideally I’d dehydrate these at 100 degrees but my oven doesn’t go any lower than 170!

Kale chips are delish! But before eating tons of kale and other cruciferous vegetables, read up on their goitrogenic properties to make sure you won’t have an issue with them.

Pumpkin goodness

hellolisahello — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:35:26 +0000

Jessica inspired me to bake with pumpkins. So I came up with a healthy recipe for pumpkin muffins that does not include flour or sugar. Or any animal products. It’s completely vegan.

Speaking of which…I love using vegan baking substitutions. For example, instead of using an egg in a recipe, you can mix a spoonful of flax seeds with a little water. The consistency becomes very egg-like. You can also use 1/2 banana instead of an egg. The Post Punk Vegan Kitchen has a vegan substitution guide online that’s very helpful.

I created these muffins as a light pre-workout snack in the mornings. I like to cut mine in half and add a 1/2 tablespoon of raw almond butter. I LOVE raw almond butter, so I have to ration it out carefully, otherwise, I will totally overindulge! This sustained me through a 3-mile run followed by an Insanity workout.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

1 large can of pumpkin

2 cups of oats

1 cup of wheat bran

4 tbs flax seeds

2 tbs olive oil

1 banana

Vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, agave to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Line muffin tin and place the batter all the way up. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until lightly brown on top. For me this made exactly 17 muffins.

I used a nutritional calculator and each muffin is exactly 100 calories, 13g carbs, 4.5g fat, and 3g protein.

Simple lunch

hellolisahello — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:35:07 +0000

On the menu for lunch today we have…

I just sauteed zucchini, onion and garlic together with a tad of cooking spray. Then I added cumin, cayenne pepper and fresh cilantro. I also added some Yucatan Sunshine hot sauce on top.

And then I had…

POMEGRANATE! With a little wildflower honey drizzled on top.

I picked this pomegranate from my grandmother’s tree yesterday–first pomegranate of the season! I cannot WAIT for the rest of the fruit to ripen. It’s my favorite. Last pomegranate season I was living in New York, so I didn’t get to enjoy any. But the year before that I ate 1-2 pomegranates a day. I was totally addicted.

A lot of people are into Pom Wonderful juices, teas and coffee drinks. But nothing is better than the actual fruit.

The Hello Lisa Protein Shake!

hellolisahello — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:14:19 +0000

This morning I went out on a quick run. Just 2.5 miles. The air here is still very smokey from the fires a few cities over. After my run I jogged with my dog Ari around the neighborhood for a bit.

And then I whipped up a delish protein shake for breakfast! According to Fitday where I log my daily nutrition, I could use a little more protein in my diet. I’m not crazy about dairy or processed foods, but I prefer to use a simple whey protein shake because it has just what I need. 120 calories and 23 grams of protein. Nice!

Here’s the recipe….

The Hello Lisa Protein Shake

1 Scoop of whey protein

1/2 Banana

1/4 cup of wheat bran

Drizzle of agave

Handful of ice

About a cup of water

Just place everything into a blender and blend blend blend!

And then, of course, enjoy!

This shake has 219 calories, 26g of protein, 28g of carbs, and 8g of fiber.