Paleo Andouille Sausage & LSU Baseball

Going on the paleo way of eating hasn't been too bad on Jesse and I so far. We've found great recipes to help ease the change. Granted we finally had a kitchen fail last night with chili verde out of Everyday Paleo cookbook, way off the mark of delicious. But I found a great recipe to alter to help with lunches and dinner: Andouille Sausage.... the Stephen way ;-)

Most store-bought sausage has sugar in them, which as everyone knows, is not allowed on the paleo diet. This also is a great way for me to get Jesse to eat sausage. She claims that if she can see what goes into the sausage she is more likely to eat it, knowing there isn't a lot of extra fats or leftover random meats thrown in to make it. So I made my own twist, instead of using pork for this sausage, I used Buffalo and lean ground beef from Whole Foods. I will say that the sausage is delicious and has great flavor, but some might think its a little dry since the fats aren't there to make them juicy. But I'd rather kinda dry and delicious and being able to eat it on paleo. By the way, one major need for this, a meat grinder. So my twist is listed below:

Stephen's Homemade Buffalo & Beef Andouille Sausage

Makes 16 links

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

185g Calories, 4g Fat, 35mg Cholesterol, 911mg Sodium, 5g Potassium, 1g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 

0g Sugars, 32g Protein, 2% Vitamin A, 0.1% Vitamin C, 0.1% Calcium, 8% Iron

                                                                      Ingredients:

                                                                      2.5 lbs Buffalo Stew Meat

2 lbs 95/5 Lean Ground Beef

3 Tbsp Minced Garlic

2 Tbsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Chili Pepper

1/8 tsp Mace

1/8 tsp Allspice

1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

1 Tbsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Ground Bay Leaf (roughly 1.5)

1/4 tsp Sage

3 Tbsp Liquid Smoke

1 Sutter Home Merlot Individual Serve (roughly 6 oz)

2 hog casings

As you can see, we sautéed up some red & yellow bell peppers as well as some onions. It makes a great and quick lunch or dinner.

Since Jesse had to attend graduation at her college, per requirements for being faculty, I decided to head out to the LSU vs. UNO game with my buddy Ben. I got a little bored during the third inning when LSU was already leading 8-0. So I pulled out my handy, dandy iPhone with the Panorama app and got a great view of Alex Box Stadium. I'll probably take this again during Friday's game since there will be an addition above the press box and on the scoreboard with the additional naming of the field after legendary LSU baseball coach, Skip Bertman. Skip by far led the resurgence of LSU baseball and turned the program into the powerhouse it is today. They've won 6 NCAA National Championships since the 1991 season. Only 3 teams have 6 or more championships; LSU, USC, and Texas. Not only did Skip have a hand in the baseball program and the building of the new Alex Box Stadium, but he was also the athletic director when LSU won it's 2nd and 3rd National Championships in football, and the men's and women's basketball teams were making it to the the Final Four round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Anyways, good days are ahead in both sports and in life. Jesse and I will keep you up to date on any new adventures we might have. Until next time, take it easy and find a good pattern to enjoy life by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and traveling a little to relax.

Paleo Food Blog: Day 1

Stephen and I have decided to begin eating Paleo. I'm sure most of you know this, but Paleo basically eliminates food from our modern diets that cavemen wouldn't have eaten, namely dairy, grains, and soy. The diet focuses instead on eating meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

I've decided to complete food blogs for the first 30 days of the "diet": The 30-Day Reset.

Breakfast: 6:30 AM
Two hard-boiled eggs
Cara Cara orange

Lunch: 12:00 PM
Mashed tuna & avocado with lemon juice & lemon pepper served over chopped tomato
Hard-boiled egg
Trail Mix (made by Stephen: raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, and raisins)

Dinner: 9:30 PM (yes, way too late)
Paleo Shepherd's Pie

All in all, day one was a success! I was hungry before meals, but I was never ravenous or tempted to grab something between meals (though snacking on Paleo-approved foods certainly wouldn't have been a bad thing!). Meals were delicious--the Paleo Shepherd's Pie is definitely worth repeating!

I won't lie; Stephen and I are sitting on the couch watching Dance Moms (yeah, he's definitely a keeper for that one!), and I would like something a little sweet for "dessert." Maybe I'll go grab a few raisins :)

Paleo Shepherd's Pie
*Original recipe can be found here, but I've written my modified version below

Ingredients
1 pound ground meat (we used extra lean ground turkey)
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Button mushrooms, chopped (for me, not Stephen!)
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 egg
1/2 cup + splash chicken stock
Fresh Rosemary
Dried Herbs de Provence
Dried Italian Seasoning (I used these two dried herb blends because I didn't have fresh thyme and sage as the original recipe called for)
S&P

Directions
Saute carrots, onion, garlic, and mushroom in EVOO until veggies begin to soften. Add ground meat and cook thoroughly. Turn off heat and add 1/2 cup chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add salt, pepper, half of fresh rosemary and small amount of dried herb blends. Place into casserole dish, ramekins, etc.

Meanwhile, boil cauliflower florets until soft. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg and splash of chicken stock. Add cauliflower, rest of rosemary, and small amount of dried italian seasoning. Mash to desired consistency--ideally like mashed potatoes. Spread over meat mixture in casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then broil for 10 minutes.

Monday Maniac's: Exercise & Cooking up a Storm

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Quesadillas were on the menu for our Monday night dinner date with my parents. Jesse and I typically pick one night of the week when we are out at the gym near my house to share a dinner together with my parents. They are just as adventurous as Jesse when it comes to food, so they are always up to try a new recipe with us. I ended up changing the recipe a little with the types of cheese and going on the healthier side of things.

So before I left to head to campus, I combined the ingredients into the slow cooker and set it on low. When we got back from the gym, it was time to shred the chicken and make the quesadillas. After standing over the stove for all of ten minutes, we all gathered around the table for a delicious dinner. 

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

430g Calories, 19g Fat, 68mg Cholesterol, 934mg Sodium, 0mg Potassium, 44g Carbs, 22g Fiber,

7g Sugars, 42g Protein, 8% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 40% Calcium, 0% Iron

Ingredients:
10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (Market Pantry)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp BBQ sauce (Jack Daniels No. 7 Original)
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar Cheese - Market Pantry)
8 flour tortillas (80 calorie - Market Pantry)

Steps:

1. Place chicken, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, and 1/4 cup chicken broth in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2. When the 5-6 hours is finished, take out the chicken and shred with two forks.

3. Mix shredded chicken with 2 Tbsp of BBQ sauce in a bowl.

4. Place 1 flour tortilla in a skillet with 1/4 cup of cheese on it. Let the cheese start to melt.

5. Add 2 1/2 oz of shredded chicken on top of the melted cheese, also add any other toppings, such as: pineapples, caramelized onions, peppers, etc.

6. Add 1/4 cup of cheese and a second flour tortilla and flip over. Let cook for about 2 minutes roughly.

7. Remove and repeat process for others eating with you.

8. Serve and enjoy.

I mentioned earlier that Jesse and I hit the gym as part of our being Monday Maniac's. Typically on Monday and Wednesday, Jesse and I head out to Snap Fitness for Jesse to go to Zumba while I do cardio and free weights.

Usually everything goes smooth and normal, we both get a great workout and feel refreshed when we leave. Of course that is typically, not this Monday though. I wanted to push myself on the treadmill since Jesse and I are running our first 5K on Saturday, The Color Run. So I knew that the 5K is 3.1 miles roughly. I started with a nice pace of 13:04 for my first mile, which I was excited about since I haven't pushed myself for time in about 2 weeks. My second mile was 13:19 which impressed myself. But for some odd reason I started feeling really horrible, like stomach in knots, overheated, wanted to throw up, etc. So I walked about 4 minutes until I reached the 30 minute mark. I got off the treadmill and grabbed some water, which I thought would help.

So I jumped on the elliptical since its easier on my knees, is less intense for me (odd I know!), and would still get a workout while trying to feel better. After spending 30 minutes on the elliptical, I was toast, done, stick a fork in me and roast me over a fire. I don't know how or by what means but in 65 minutes I burned just over 840 calories. I can honestly say that it was the first night that Jesse left the gym feeling better than me after getting her butt kicked in Zumba.

Hopefully I'll get over whatever had me feeling bad, so that I can keep getting in shape and ready for our 5K on Saturday morning.

Cinco De Mayo? Nope, Just Taco Meatloaf Night

Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf (50% Beef & 50% Turkey)

Makes 8 servings of meatloaf

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

311g Calories, 12g Fat, 129mg Cholesterol, 1042mg Sodium, 16mg Potassium, 17g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 10g Sugars, 31g Protein, 12.8% Vitamin A, 5.5% Vitamin C, 12.5% Calcium, 12.8% Iron

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef 93/7

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey Breast

1 cup Salsa

2 Eggs

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 envelope Taco Seasoning

1 cup Partially Crushed Tortilla Chips

1 cup Ketchup (Reduced Sugar)

3 Tsp. Hot Sauce

4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Steps to cook:

1. Mix together ground beef, ground turkey, salsa, eggs, shredded cheese, taco seasoning, partially crushed tortilla chips.

2. Form a loaf-type block of the mixture.

3. Place foil in the bottom of a slow cooker with foil folding over the edges of the pot. Place the meat mixture loaf in the middle of the foil.

4. Cover the pot and cook on high for 3 hours.

5. Mix together ketchup, hot sauce, and brown sugar.

6. Spread the mixture over the top of the meatloaf and cover.

7. Cook for 1 hour on high.

8. Let stand and serve.

Back in the Swing of Living and Eating Healthy!

I must admit that returning to a healthy lifestyle is a good thing, but it definitely takes more effort to get me in the mood to workout right now. I guess that's a downfall of Jesse and I having our birthdays exactly two weeks apart as well as having Easter the following week this year.

Fortunately for Jesse and I, I'm tired of looking in the mirror in disgust and want to do something about it. Granted I have lost a nice chunk of weight, but I know I won't be satisfied until I'm near my goal weight from my earlier years. So with that in mind, I think Jesse is about ready to strangle me at night when I want to work out at 10 pm, if we hadn't worked out earlier. We both agree that it's a good habit to have and we both feel better after we get the workout over.

I can happily say that since Easter Sunday, we've run on the Mississippi River levee, Jesse has gone to Zumba while I was working out at Snap Fitness, and we've been to the gym together with plans for a workout for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning before getting ready to go to an evening wedding.

On Monday night, Jesse and I cooked up some salmon burgers we bought on our trip to Trader Joe's in Houston. Sadly, at the age of 28, it was the first time I had tasted salmon. I actually enjoyed the salmon and didn't find it too fishy. I tend to like fish either thinly sliced and/or fried to cover the fishy taste that some can have. I'm one of those picky eaters that finds thick cuts of fish ruin the flavor. I also cooked up some turkey sausage and hot dogs for an easy grab-on-the-go breakfast.

We recently tried a recipe I found for Taco Meatloaf. Growing up, I loved tacos and liked meatloaf, but when I saw this recipe, I loved the concept. However I was unsure of how the flavors would mix together. Boy, let me tell you, this was delicious!! The flavors from the beef, taco seasoning, salsa, and ketchup all coming together just blended perfectly. It might seem like a stretch when you read those ingredients, but I'll just say to try it and you'll be adding it to your favorites when you finish.

Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf (100% Beef)
Makes 8 servings of meatloaf

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

348g Calories, 16g Fat, 126mg Cholesterol, 861mg Sodium, 16mg Potassium, 23g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 16g Sugars, 29g Protein, 6.2% Vitamin A, 1.5% Vitamin C, 10.5% Calcium, 11% Iron

Ingredients:

2 lb. Lean Ground Beef 93/7

1 cup Salsa

2 Eggs

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 envelope Taco Seasoning

1 cup Partially Crushed Tortilla Chips

1 cup Ketchup

3 Tsp. Hot Sauce

4 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Steps to cook:

1. Mix together ground beef, salsa, eggs, shredded cheese, taco seasoning, partially crushed tortilla chips.

2. Form a loaf-type block of the mixture.

3. Place foil in the bottom of a slow cooker with foil folding over the edges of the pot. Place the meat mixture loaf in the middle of the foil.

4. Cover the pot and cook on high for 3 hours.

5. Mix together ketchup, hot sauce, and brown sugar.

6. Spread the mixture over the top of the meatloaf and cover.

7. Cook for 1 hour on high.

8. Let stand and serve.

Chef Creations: Sweet Potato Boats, never heard of them but they were delicious!

We decided to try recreating a recipe Stephen saw on Instagram from someone he follows. We saw a great looking dish which combined meat, sweet potato, and salsa. We made them in two different formats to see how they would work out.

Since Stephen had just made some boudin balls and remoulade sauce, he decided to scoop out some of the sweet potato, break apart a boudin ball, and top it with remoulade sauce. I decided to try ground buffalo spread over a sweet potato, and covered with salsa. Both were delicious, I just think Stephen added too much remoulade sauce and might need to back down the amount next time not to overpower it.

Sweet Potato Boat with Buffalo & Salsa

Makes 2 servings

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

155 Calories, 2g Fat, 35mg Cholesterol, 433mg Sodium, 601mg Potassium, 23g Carbs, 5g Fiber, 

8g Sugars, 14g Protein, 325% Vitamin A, 28% Vitamin C, 4% Calcium, 12% Iron

Ingredients:
1 large Sweet Potato
3 oz. Ground Buffalo
2 Tbsp. Salsa

Steps:

1. Cut a large sweet potato in half.

2. Bake the two halves in the oven to soften the potato.

3. Remove from oven and scoop out some of the middle.

4. Heat up 6 oz. of ground buffalo. Cover each half with 3 oz. of ground buffalo.

5. Top each half of boudin with one tablespoon of salsa.

Sweet Potato Boat with Boudin & Remoulade Sauce

Makes 2 servings

Nutritional Facts (per 1 serving):

214 Calories, 15g Fat, 14mg Cholesterol, 145mg Sodium, 318mg Potassium, 15g Carbs, 3g Fiber,

5g Sugars, 7g Protein, 245% Vitamin A, 32% Vitamin C, 4% Calcium, 4% Iron

Ingredients:
1 large Sweet Potato
2 2 oz. Boudin Ball
1 Tbsp. Remoulade Sauce

Steps:

1. Cut a large sweet potato in half.

2. Bake the two halves in the oven to soften the potato.

3. Remove from oven and scoop out some of the middle.

4. Heat up two boudin balls. Break apart two boudin balls and spread across each half.

5. Top each half of boudin with one tablespoon of remoulade sauce.

Chef Masterpiece: Remoulade Sauce made from scratch

A few weeks ago I promised to share my recipe for making my special Remoulade Sauce and today I have the step by step process to help you create this great sauce. This sauce is not only great for boudin balls, but also for alligator, some fried fish, and it also serves as a great salad dressing.

Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce

Nutritional Facts per serving (Serving size 1 Tablespoon):
43.6 calories, 3.2g Fat, 3.2g Cholesterol, 250.2g Sodium, 1.8g Potassium, 2.4g Carbs, 0g Fiber, 
0.1g Sugars, 0g Protein, 1.1% Vitamin A, 0.6% Vitamin C, 0% Calcium, 0.1% Iron

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp of finely minced bell pepper

1/4 cup of finely diced onion

1/2 cup Ketchup

2 Tsp  Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Capers, strained and diced
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Horseradish

1/2 Tsp Cajun Seasoning
2 Tsp Hot Sauce
                  

Healthy Chef creations: Under 100 calorie Buffalo/Turkey Burgers!!

So the other day was a food prep day for me. I made a simple dish, yet very delicious and healthy. Try it out if you'd love something easy to make, low cal, and high protein. It's also great to grab on the way out the door.

Stephen's Buffalo/Turkey Burgers with Jalapeños and Bacon

Nutritional Facts per 1 Burger:

Calories: 95, Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 48g, Sodium: 63.4g, Carbs: 1g, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugars: 0.7g, Protein: 15g, Vitamin A: 0.2%, Vitamin C: 1.2%, Calcium: 2.2%, Iron: 8.8%

Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground Buffalo
1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey Breast
1 Jalapeño, diced
1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
1.5 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
2 links Jennie-O Turkey Bacon

Steps:
1) Diced the onion, turkey bacon, and jalapeño.

2) Place the buffalo, turkey, and diced ingredients into a mixing bowl.

3) Add the Cajun seasoning into the mixture and mix together the ingredients fully.

4) Using a food scale, roll 3 oz. balls of the mixture.

5) Use either a George Forman grill or a BBQ pit. Place the amount of balls into the grill. Space about 2 inches apart. Smash the ball down while on the grill into a patty about 2 inches thick.

6) Flip when necessary, let them flip twice and should turn a light grey color, not fully brown like a traditional beef burger. Cook time on the grill is roughly 5-9 minutes depending on temperature of the grill.

8) Serve and enjoy.

Chef Masterpiece: Boudin Balls like no other, just try them and say differently!

Ok, now I'm not talking about those lame Boudin Balls you get at a restaurant or from the frozen section at a specialty meat store, but the real stuff....... the homemade ones, from scratch.

I love being in the kitchen and Jesse could tell you all about that. And one of my favor dishes to make, and most time intensive, is Stephen's Homemade Boudin Balls. When all the flavors hit your taste palette, it is like nothing you've enjoyed as much. The great thing about Boudin Balls is being a Cajun dish with all the added flavor of spices.

Stephen's Homemade Boudin Balls

Nutritional Facts Below are Per 1 Boudin Ball

Calories: 82, Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 19g, Sodium: 111g, Potassium: 16g, Carbs: 5g, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugars: 0.3g, Protein: 5g, Vitamin A: 2.9%, Vitamin C: 7%, Calcium: 0.9%, Iron: 2.9%

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb.  Pork Shoulder

1 Large Yellow Onion

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

1 Jalapeño

1 Red Hot Chili Pepper

3 Green Onions (Tops only)

4 Cloves Garlic

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

4 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning

2 cups White Long Grain Rice

1 1/2 cup Fish Fry

3 tsp Tabasco

Instructions:

1) Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes. Also, dice the onion, bell pepper, red hot chili pepper, and jalapeño.

2) Put the above ingredients into a pot and fill with enough water to cover ingredients completely. Add 3 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning and 3 tsp Tabasco into pot and mix into water. Bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling for 5 minutes, turn down the heat to a simmer and let it cook uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

3) After cooking, drain the liquid from the pot, but keep about 8 oz of the liquid for use when breading.

4) Place cooked ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined into a soft consistent state.

5) Place mixture in a bowl. Add the Green onion tops, dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning. Mix together using some of the liquid to keep the mixture moist and consistent.

6) Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on aluminum foil.

7) After rolling all the balls, heat up the oil in a fryer or oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Roll each boudin ball in the fish fry and then place into the heated oil.

8) Let the boudin ball brown in the oil for roughly 5-6 minutes and then remove. Repeat until all the boudin balls have been cooked.

Best if served with Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce, but just as tasty served plain.

If you have some free time to have a little fun in the kitchen and enjoy a great Cajun dish loved by basically all South Louisianan's, then try out this recipe. I promise the time it takes to make this recipe is worth it with the end results.

Check back and I'll walk you through and place some pictures of Stephen's Homemade Remoulade Sauce to serve with either Boudin Balls or Blackened/Fried Alligator. Yes, I have a ton of healthy Cajun recipes to share with y'all.

Stephen's Weekly Recap: A Slice of Heaven

Little did I know that an ordinary Wednesday could help turn this week into an outstanding week, might I even say "A Slice of Heaven?"

Everyone always thinks that it's the major events in a young couple's relationship that helps shape the direction they end up going. I agree to some degree, but my thoughts are that Jesse and I seem to be able to stray away from the major events and let the everyday events shape our relationship.

Valentine's Day was a nice occasion to celebrate, but it shouldn't be just once a year that you give of yourself to your significant other, but often throughout the year.

Sunday
"A Slice of Heaven" comes to mind when I recall the life I've been fortunate to lead ever since Jesse stepped into it. There is a time when people consider their lives to be too fast or just plain ole busy; I felt that way this Sunday after my shift at work. Even though I just wanted to come home from work and relax, Jesse and I chose to go to church almost immediately after I got off. It's nice to know that, despite my coming home from work completely worn out, we both believe in something so heartily that we choose to spend an hour of together in silence for something we value so deeply.

Monday
Jesse had work while I was in class, and then I went to work after class. Luckily for me, Jesse wasn't too far away, volunteering with a local non-profit (Project Purr) at kiosk nearby. Granted it was not the best time at work having customer issues, but Jesse said something to me that made me realize just how happy I am with her: "Even when you are having the worst night at work and are so frustrated that you are angry, you treat me no differently than you have before. You gave me the gentlest hug and sweetest kiss as if nothing were wrong in the world." That made me realize that I treat and act with Jesse like I did when I played sports. When I cross the chalked line and onto the playing field, I block out all the exterior events and noises and only focus on whats going on inside the chalk. 

I surprised Jesse by stopping by after work to see her, even though I had said I needed to relax so I wouldn't take my bad day out on her. My stress relief is typically to cook, so Jesse was shocked when I decided that at 10 P.M., we were going to have a crab boil, minus the crab, but with red potatoes, sausage, garlic, and mushrooms.

Crab Boil Potatoes, Sausage, Mushrooms, and Garlic

Yum!! Sorry the picture is minus the mushrooms.

Yes, I did have a little too much water in the pot,
so we had a mess to clean up. (Jesse, you were correct.)

Recipe:
65.5 oz  Red Potatoes 
(roughly 25 potatoes)
28 oz   Jennie-O Turkey Kielbasa (14 servings)
8 oz (or more) whole button mushrooms
1 head of garlic
5.5 oz  Louisiana Fish Fry Crab & Shrimp Boil

The serving sizes for the following nutrition:
2 oz of Sausage
1 Red Potatoes

Nutrition Per Serving:
Sausage:
Calories: 90, Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 897mg, Carbs: 1g, Fiber: 0g, Sugars: 1g, Protein: 8g

Red Potatoes:
Calories: 10, Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 194.4mg, Carbs: 2.3g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 0.5g, Protein: 1.4g


Tuesday
Just an ordinary day with school and work for both Jesse and I. After we both got home, I had the brilliant idea of going to Walmart at 9:30 P.M. to buy groceries. I say brilliant considering I hadn't eaten dinner yet, and Jesse ate dinner four hours earlier. Needless to say, we might have been buying groceries with our stomachs rather than our initial "shopping list" plan. Granted we did buy healthy items or ingredients to make healthy dishes, but we also learned to eat dinner before making a grocery run.

I think there are some things people dread doing, and grocery shopping is typically one of those things. As I said earlier, it's the little things that shape a relationship....even going grocery shopping is enjoyable for Jesse and I to do together.

Wednesday
Not only did I get a nice stretch in at the gym before class, but after class when I got back to Baton Rouge, Jesse and I enjoyed a nice jog around the LSU lakes at sunset. We both built up a nice sweat in the cold, but if the frigid (Yes, I said frigid.... we are from Louisiana and frigid is anything below 60 degrees) wind can help you lose weight, we should have lost an additional 10 lbs each.

Taken at the 2 mile mark of our 4 mile run!
Having a great jog in the winter night.

After our run we met up with my parents for dinner since they hadn't seen Jesse in a little while, nor myself all that much. Unfortunately, we all have such busy schedules that even though we live in the same city, we only get together for dinner once every week or two, if we are lucky.

We all enjoyed Zippy's in Baton Rouge, LA. The easiest way to describe Zippy's is a mom-and-pop Subway for Mexican food. How healthy was it you might ask? Probably not that great, but we tried to make good choices. Jesse had a veggie burrito, minus the flour tortilla. So basically she had a bowl of veggies (grilled onions, bell peppers, mushroom, black beans, corn, salsa, and a little rice. No cheese or sour cream; she's going dairy-free for Lent). I can honestly say she eats less meat than I do vegetables, haha. I, on the other hand, had ground beef soft tacos (ground beef, cheese, and salsa). Soft tacos homemade tend to be healthier, so I am content with the decision versus getting a quesadilla or a chimichanga.

What better way to end the night?? No other way except to stop in at Whole Foods for some fresh fruit and coconut yogurt (for Jesse's dairy free life) to prep for our first try at protein pancakes. Yes, we are taking part in National Pancake Week. (I think IHOP invented it for a promotion, haha)

AND... my parents texted me on the way to Whole Foods just to say how much they enjoy having Jesse as a part of my life. I mean, how nice is it to have family that enjoys spending time with their children's significant others?? I always hear horror stories about in-laws from all my married friends.

Thursday
We had a pretty standard day as usual with both of us at school during the day. The great thing about it was that I was off from work for the second night in a row, so I could spend some time with my sweetheart.

When I first got to Jesse's, we left out and stopped at Whole Foods for some Almond Milk. Jesse ran in while I was on the phone with my mother. My mom had been up at the hospital earlier in the day for a relative's injury, which spurred her to think of me and Jesse. A relative had been in the gym and apparently brushed up against a machine and had a cut which got infected over 2-3 weeks time. While my mother was at the hospital, the doctor was telling the relatives that it is actually a common thing for people who typically go to the gym to get an infection such as this. The doctor stated that if the infection gets down into the bone, then the leg or arm has to be cut open to clean all the infection out, with the worst case scenario being amputation. So after my mom heard this, Jesse and I received a phone call warning us about wiping down all the equipment before and after use and to wear pants and clothing that covered bare skin to help prevent cuts that could be infected.

While I finished the conversation with my mom, we drove over to the local animal vet office to pick up Marco (the foster cat) from being neutered. Fortunately for us there were no issues, unlike the young girl behind us in line. As we are waiting for Marco to be brought from the back of the office, the lady behind the counter asks the young girl if she needed help. The young girl steps forward and responds, "I'm not sure if I spoke to you on the phone, but I called about this earlier. I brought my dog in here back in April 2012 to be neutered, well..... he's still got his testicles. I know he has one for sure, I've seen it hanging." The look on most of people around the counter was priceless, and almost immediately and involuntarily I say, "Well this just turned rather awkward for him." Needless to say, we grabbed Marco and ran for the car, hoping they took care of him correctly.

After we got home from picking up Marco, we moved some furniture around in the living room so that we could do a core body circuit.

Core Body Circuit:

• Wall Sit
• Lunges
• Squats
• Planks
• Sit-Ups
• Push-Ups
• Leg Raises
• Bicep Curls
• Chest Expander
• Superman's

Each exercise was 1 minute, with a 15 second rest in between each rotation. We ended up completing 2 rounds of the circuit before we were worn out and starving.

Next up on the agenda was our first try at protein pancakes, which were delicious might I add. We finished up eating dinner and watching The Biggest Loser episode from Monday on the DVR.

Question: You've seen the type of week we've had, what kind of week would be your "Slice of Heaven?" 

Celebrating National Food Holidays

I was reading this post at Life's a Bowl when I learned that it's National Pancake Week! I mentioned this in yesterday's post, but today Stephen and I finally made the protein pancakes we've been planning to make for weeks.

PB2 Banana Protein Pancakes:

Ingredients:
1/2 c oats
1/2 c egg whites
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (we used Jillian Michael's Vanilla Creme Shake)
1 mashed banana
2 tbsp PB2 powder
splash unsweetened almond milk

These were amazing! Nice and fluffy (I read that sometimes protein pancakes are anything but), topped with 100% pure organic maple syrup and and fresh fruit (blackberries and strawberries for me, blackberries and blueberries for Stephen. We are slightly obsessed with berries at the moment).

In case you're curious, I also firmly believe that National Pancake Week calls for these Salted Caramel Pancakes (also from Life's a Bowl). If only I had the sugar-free salted caramel Torani syrup...

Today is also National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. Stephen and I are obsessed with roasted chipotle powder sweet potatoes, so cooking a sweet potato was not. a. problem!

Prepping sweet potatoes and having an appetizer.
We were hungry post-workout!

Well, not a problem until I burned them! My mom called, so I got distracted :/ 

Good thing it's National Cook a Sweet Potato Day,
not National Eat a Sweet Potato Day!

Since we're on the topic of national food holidays, Stephen's birthday is National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day. He's stoked! Me? I'm kinda meh. Definitely feeling National Pancake Week and National Cook a Sweet Potato Day instead.

I don't have a national food day on my birthday, March 10. Should we make one? How about National Mushroom Day? National Biscoff Spread Day? What does it say about me that these are the two days I  choose for my birthday-meets-national-food-holiday day? 

I had way to much fun reading Allison's post. Clearly.

Question: What's your favorite food holiday? Is there one on your birthday?

Valentine's Day

Stephen and I had a great first Valentine's Day together. He didn't have (aka, skipped) school and came over before I left to go to work, so we were able to have a nice lunch pulled together from our food prep/grocery trip on Monday. I had mashed tuna and avocado spread on honey whole wheat bread topped with alfalfa sprouts, a tomato, and some canteloupe. Stephen had a ham and cheese sandwich on the same honey whole wheat bread. We both had water to drink.

I'll get veggies into this boy eventually.

Jesse's Lunch

Stephen's Lunch

After lunch, I had to go to work; I teach from 12:30-3:15 on Thursdays. Stephen went and ran the levee on LSU's campus.

Isn't it pretty? I, unfortunately, had to skip the run didn't have time to get a workout in after school.

Stephen sent me two dozen red roses to work. Aren't they gorgeous? I mean, if a girl has to go to work instead of go for a run on a gorgeous day, she should at least get flowers, right? 

So pretty! I'm pretty traditional, so I
love red roses!

When I got home, we exchanged the rest of the gifts. I got him a cast iron skillet (he wanted it, I swear! My mom got mad at me because it isn't a "romantic" gift). 

Um, what's not romantic about a gift that lasts a lifetime?

Stephen bought me dangling pearl earrings and a pearl necklace and he printed some pictures of us from Mardi Gras to put in my empty picture frames.

I'm wearing the jewelry that he bought me
in this pic

That picture frame had seriously been empty
since April 2012

After exchanging gifts, Stephen told me to go ahead and get ready because he was going to take me to New Orleans for dinner instead of going to the place he had in mind in Baton Rouge. Once we were on the interstate, I asked if I could guess where we were going (I knew we were going for Italian in a suburb of New Orleans). Stephen said yes, and I immediately shouted "Semolina's!" He was surprised I guessed so quickly and delighted when I followed that guess with "I LOVE Semolina's!" (We've never eaten there together).

Stephen had Lasagna (so good! I moused a
few bites)

I had Chicken Enchilada Pasta (even better
than Stephen's dish)

We also shared a bread pudding for dessert. The rum sauce was to. die. for. I may or may not have eaten more sauce than actual bread pudding... on a spoon. by itself.

We ended the night back at my apartment just cuddling on the couch before Stephen had to go home. A perfect day.

Playing footsie :)

Food Prep Monday

Today, Stephen and I had a cooking marathon. We decided to prep food for the week. This is something I've done quite often before, but today was the first time we've prepped together.

So, what was on the agenda? Chicken breasts seasoned with a local spice blend and cooked on the George Foreman.

Sweet potatoes roasted in the oven with salt and chipotle chile powder. Our latest obsession, but that's another post.

And a few other miscellaneous items: roasted asparagus, brown rice, brown lentils, hard boiled eggs, black beans, steamed broccoli (to eat with dinner tonight).

Brown lentils, hard-boiled eggs, roasted asparagus.
Yes, that lid is too big for the pot...
We make do around here

We also had a kitchen failure, but that's another post.

What do we intend to do with all of this food? Well, we are Catholic kids, so that means no meat on Wednesday or Friday. For my part, I fully intend to have rice bowls with some combination of brown rice, lentils, sweet potatoes, and black beans... quite possibly topped with some Greek yogurt. Also, mashed avocado and alfalfa sprouts on whole-wheat toast, maybe with some tuna.

I can't speak for carnivore Stephen.

Of course, we couldn't have done all of this without quite a large grocery trip. We spend about $150 (which is ridiculous for two people, we know), but we were literally out of everything. Seriously... bare fridge and pantry. We forgot to take pics of our grocery haul (again, we'll get better at this whole "we are bloggers" thing), but a few highlights are chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, asparagus, avocados, hummus, tomatoes, broccoli, local whole wheat bread, cage free eggs, turkey sausage, alfalfa sprouts, cantaloupe... yeah, that list could go on forever.

Now, we have a beautifully stocked fridge.

Prepped fruit, veggies, and meals;
almond milk, nut butters, Greek yogurt...

What was for dinner tonight? Well, you'll see...

His and hers, anyone?

Guess which plate is mine? You're right; the top left: brown rice with sriracha, grilled chicken, broccoli with lemon--all with a delicious Passion Tea Lemonade. Stephen had grilled chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, pretzels(?!), barbeque sauce, and broccoli with cheese (which, by the way, he didn't eat... I'm really trying with the whole "you have to eat your vegetables" thing). With a Coke Zero.

Do you meal prep? What are some of your go-to staples?

Meet the Parents

Jesse's side of the story:

So Stephen and I had a pretty important moment in our new relationship yesterday: he met my parents.

We were both nervous. I was worried he wouldn't like my parents. He was more nervous than I was, though. Let me explain. My dad is 6'8 and drives a Harley (he also teaches second grade, so you can get the badass biker image out of your head now ;). I'm an only child. Understandable nerves? I think so.

Stephen and I are both incredibly fortunate that we are both so close to our parents, so the stakes are pretty high when meeting them. I've met his parents a few time (they live in the same town we are currently in), but my parents live about two and a half hours north of us, so it's obviously not as convenient to spend time with my parents as it is to spend time with his. Because we all have a four-day weekend (Happy Mardi Gras!), my parents decided to drive down for the day (because they missed me, obviously).

My parents came to my apartment where they met Stephen for the first time. Then we all went to Jason's Deli for lunch. In case you're curious, I had the salad bar and chili; Stephen had some kind of sandwich he didn't like. Obviously, we finished lunch with ice cream (if you don't know, you get free ice cream at Jason's Deli!).

We'll get better at this whole "we are bloggers and need to take pictures of things" thing.

All in all, things went really well. My parents like Stephen. In fact, they say he seems to be the best guy I've dated so far (they actually said that I improve with every boyfriend), so that's always nice to hear. I guess I can keep him, right?

Stephen's side of the story:

So yesterday was the most nerve wracking day in a while for me.... D-Day, the day I met Jesse's parents for the first time. As the time passed and it got closer to meeting them, I started feeling like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I decided to try and psych myself out by playing it as cool as an Eskimo selling Popsicles on a cool winter night. That thought lasted about all of 0.25 seconds when I saw Jesse's parents step out the pickup truck.

The first thought that ran through my head, no lie, was that this would be David vs. Goliath. So the typical David in the story is tiny; well, at 6'1, 250 lb., I'm no small David, but Goliath had me topped at 6'8 easy, and I had a crick in my neck after looking up at him all day. But instead of slaying Goliath, I just needed to befriend him as a formidable opponent. This challenge was due to the fact he is a key piece in Jesse's life.

Good thing for me that Goliath was a jolly fellow who did not care to slay the young David, but rather get to know one another. I knew things would be ok when discussing where to eat lunch and his first words were, "Anything but sushi."

*Alleluia*

Things were looking up: the discussion was flowing back and forth with Jesse's parents and lunch at Jason's Deli was good. As Jesse said above, my food wasn't the absolute best, but it was still good. Unlike Jesse, I passed up the salad bar and decided to go with a create your own sandwich. I decided to roll with a ham sandwich on herb foccacia bun with provolone cheese. Since the bread wasn't toasted, the ham was cold. (*enter disappointment*)

After enjoying laughs over lunch with Jesse's parents, we came back to her apartment to visit a little longer before I had to rush off to work. I enjoyed getting to know two individuals who raised such a beautiful and wonderful daughter, inside and out. They reaffirmed in me what I want in life, and that's to have happiness like theirs and my parents, but with Jesse by my side.

As I left, I had a good feeling about the day; the bear hug I received from momma bear helped reaffirm in my mind that I must have passed the first test. One hurdle jumped, but its a marathon of hurdles to jump get to our final destination together.

Meet & Greet: Jesse and Stephen... And Lizzie!

Who are we? We are a young couple who fell for each other and the values instilled in each of us...

We decided to make healthful eating and regular exercise a part of our relationship from day one. Jesse takes the reins in the kitchen (though Stephen can certainly hold his own! Just ask about his Turkey/Buffalo burgers... delish!). Stephen is the brains behind the fitness side of things (though Jesse... well, she's pretty clueless. But she tries!). We keep things fresh not only in the kitchen but also with our workouts by changing it up and not sticking to the typical gym day-in-and-day-out routine. And how could we forget our cuddly cat, Lizzie, who one minute is snuggling next to us and the next minute swatting Stephen's hand away... typical cat.

Travel is important to both of us, but Stephen has the schemes to get us where we're going. He came up with an incentive-based workout program which helps pay for our travel, either partially or completely (depending on the trip). The days we both workout, either together or separately, we pay the other person's mileage walked/jogged/biked. The days we don't workout, or one of the two of us doesn't, nothing gets paid towards our travel. Simple incentives, but great rewards: $1 per mile, if 2.51 miles, we pay $3. If 2.41 miles, we pay $2.

Neither of us is particularly happy with our current weights, though the pounds are being shed! This blog is a chance for us to share our weight-loss journeys, our kitchen successes and disasters (trust us, not everything is delish! Stephen is still recovering from Jesse's Spaghetti Squash au Gratin.), as well as our dating adventures.