Kitchen Sink

               This is the first Saturday that I’ve been off work for no reason in longer than I can remember.  I spent the morning going to an exercise class….think Zumba meets Hip Hop meets strength training.  It was AWESOME!  After that I met with the manager of the restaurant where we’re having our rehearsal dinner to finalize a menu…more fun!  I came home and SMACK!  Reality sank in that the house needed cleaning, the dogs needed bathing, and I was going to be tired by the end of it. 

               

                Jake and Shelby are my babies.  They are the best dogs ever in the entire world!  That being said, they have a lot of hair.  Shelby is a German Sheppard mix, and she is starting to shed her winter coat.  Fortunately, my parents have a Furminator!  Armed with this tool, I brushed and brushed and brushed.  Finally, I felt like I’d made a dent in the layers of fur.  I decided to tackle bath time.  Jake and Shelby are the easiest dogs to bathe, in addition to being the best dogs ever.

               

                By the time I brushed and bathed the dogs, swept and vacuumed the hair, washed my sheets and clothes, and FINALLY got a chance to take my own shower, I was exhausted!  I did a little bit of school work, and scrounged for something to make for dinner.  I hit the jackpot!  My parents made pizzas last night, but had some leftover veggies.  I was like a kid in a candy store.

                

                First, I sautéed some baby portabella mushrooms.       

                

                Next, I heated up the already cooked eggplant and roasted yellow peppers.

                

               After that, I sautéed fresh spinach.  I remembered that there was some butternut squash soup in the freezer, so I quickly thawed that out.  I added it to the veggies as a sauce, not a soup.  I added everything together with some sliced olives, topped it with goat cheese and a few chopped walnuts.

                

              After a sprinkle of salt and pepper, pour a glass of Malbec, and dinner is served…

                

              This kind off meal is the best: filled with a variety of vegetables, unexpected, and easy!  It’s the kind of meal I like to call the “kitchen sink.”  It’s got lots and lots of stuff!  I prepared this meal while I was on the phone with my matron of honor, Millie.  Millie and I used to talk every single day.  That was before I went back to school.  Now, when we get to talk for more than 5 minutes it is as great as opening a Christmas present!

              This dinner was one of the best I’ve had in a while.  It was super easy, and I got a chance to relax and enjoy my meal.

P.S.  My parents adopted a black lab a few weeks ago.  Bodie is 5 years old, and precious!  I know it's not a good habit to let a dog jump up on you, but when you have a dog who gently jumps up, wraps his enormous paws around your waist, and lays his head on your shoulder, you really can't resist!  Thank you, Bodie, for making our family even more complete!

Namaste

Yoga has become my solace.  Running is my passion, but an injured knee has left me with yoga as an outlet.  Interesting that relaxation, silence and peaceful music have replaced my 5 a.m. run with friends, talking and lots of laughing—2 extremes.

                Though my running derailment has been frustrating, I know there is a plan.  I’m a firm believer in planning and also know that everything happens for a reason.  My friend Carrie says that not being able to run is God’s way of making sure I have the pretty feet I’ve talked about wanting for my wedding in May.  (I tend to lose toenails when training for marathons…gross, I know.  William loves me anyway.)

                The weather this winter, like my 2 favorite forms of exercise has been 2 extremes.  1 week it is in the teens, and the next it is in the 60s.  I prefer the latter.  Last week, I got home from school one day, and the weather was nothing less than glorious.  I decided it was time for a little yoga. 

              
               My parents built a house that they moved into in August, and I moved in with them.  I found someone to rent my house, and decided to spend a little extra time with them before my wedding.   Selfishly, though, I wanted to taste mountain paradise for myself…even if it is just for a moment.

                This was my yoga setting for the afternoon…

                Sometimes the best position in yoga is the end of the practice.  It is called shavasana.  This is what I saw when I laid in such a relaxing pose.

          Even though I know that we’re going to eventually get hit with another cold snap, I can smell spring in the air.  This spring is different from the 25 I have experienced before.  This spring I will earn a bachelor’s degree.  This spring I will move to Birmingham, AL.  But most importantly, this spring I will marry my best friend and become a wife. 

               
         Thanks to my wonderful friend Martha-Cate Spencer, MCatePhotography, I have a photo that perfectly depicts the way I feel about William and about spring…

What a great night...

In August I finally found someone to rent my house, and I moved back in with my parents so I could save a little money before my wedding in May.  I knew it would be…err…different to be back home.  It’s tested my patience, and I know I’ve tested my parents’ as well.  However, nights like tonight remind me of how lucky I am to have parents like mine.  I’m so excited to be getting married and move to Birmingham, but I’m sad to leave my family. 

Tuesday night was rare.  I actually got to spend some time with my dad.  You would think that since I live with my parents, I would see them all the time, but I never see them!   It seems that the nights I work they are home, and the nights I’m home they are off doing something else.  My mother was not at home tonight, but my dad was, and we had a delicious dinner if I do say so myself!

My dad called me on his way home from work, and we decided to have some homemade pizza for dinner.  I enjoy doing this, because pizza is one of my favorite foods.  By making it myself, I can insure that I am putting healthy things in my body, and I can make it whatever flavor I want!

As soon as we decided to make pizza, I went to work on the sauce.  I started with half a red onion sautéed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.  I deglazed the pan with some red wine and added a can of plain tomato sauce and a can of whole stewed plum tomatoes.  To this, I added salt, pepper and some dried herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, a dash of cinnamon, garlic powder, cracked red pepper and celery seed).  I let this simmer for about 30 minutes, and added a bit more red wine.  Wow, it was delicious.

For pizza number one, I spread the sauce on a whole wheat crust (I cheated and used store bought crust), laid some fresh spinach on the sauce, sprinkled with some mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, olives, sliced tomatoes and a little more cheese.

For pizza number two, I spread with the same sauce and spinach.  I added a bit of cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, and sliced red onions….pizza lox, anyone???  YUM! 

My dad is training for his first 5K.  As a marathon runner and self-proclaimed health nut, I am ecstatic about this!  He is on a health kick too, so while the pizzas baked I made us lunch.  I used mixed greens and fresh spinach as my canvas.  I decided to make enough salads to last the 3 of us a few days.  To the greens, I added sliced carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, dried cranberries, sliced avocado and crumbled blue cheese.  It’s similar to what I usually make, but it’s nice to know that if I had something else that sounded good, I could have easily added it. 

Once the salads were done, my dad and I enjoyed our pizza with a glass of Zinfandel, yum!  Nights like these make me remember how lucky I am to have a family like mine.  They care about me, I care about them, and we have fun cooking and laughing.  My soon-to-be-husband fits in perfectly, and some of our most fun memories are cooking together…that’s part of how I know he’s meant to be a part of the Tedford clan.

Where has all the time gone?!?!?!

For those of you who have followed in the past...this blog, formerly known as "The Health Nut", is now called "Erica's Eats.

I cannot believe that it has been almost a year since I posted on this blog the last time.  I had every intention of starting a food blog based on healthy eating principles, and I wanted to share a few tips along the way…

Unfortunately, life happens, and I was unable to keep up.  However, in the New Year, I am taking a new approach to this blog.  I want it to be fun and creative.  Not that it was boring before, but I have to admit to myself it was a little “ho-hum”.  Instead of just babbling on about what I eat, I am going to write about things I’ve seen in the media, new recipes I have tried (or would like to try), and I anticipate adding new tabs with links to other food blogs and healthy eating websites, as well as exercise tips, etc.  I may go ahead and mention running too-seeing as how I just registered for my 12th marathon!

Ambitious? Yes. Maybe gonna take a while to get into the swing of things and teach myself how to do all of this?  Of course, but anything worth having requires work and patience right? 

I am not going to lie to myself or anyone who may be reading this, I am BUSY!  I am in my last semester of school, applying for internships, trying to get my house ready to put on the market, planning my move to Birmingham, and of course planning my wedding that will take place just 10 days after I graduate!  Please be patient with me as I work through this process, and try to create a blog that will entice and excite.

Bon Appétit! 

It was so good...

Just wanted to update you all on the linguine and pesto. I said that it would be better today than it was yesterday, and I was not wrong! I had to eat kind of quickly because I was at work...I'm a server at a local brasserie...but it was still so yummy!

This reminded me of another tip that may be helpful for those who are busy like me:

If I do have time to cook something like my pasta dinner, I always make a large batch. I portion the large batch into individual sizes. Then, I either freeze it or put it in plastic containers to have for lunch or dinner the next few days. It's a great way to be able to eat healthy in a hurry.

I love carb-loading!

Ok ok ok....I know what you all must be thinking....I'm a health nut, and I write to inspire others to be health nuts too, but carbohydrates are your friend!

I'm running my 9th marathon this weekend. It is the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon, and it will be the 5th time I've run this race. It's a beautiful course, lots of hills, wonderful spectators, an a finish on the 50-yard line of Neyland Stadium on UT's Campus....can't beat that!

I ran my first marathon 4 years ago, and I have learned so much since then. One of the most important things to remember about running is to maintain proper nutrition. This includes staying hydrated and yup, you guessed it, eating plenty of carbohydrates! That does not mean that you should cut out fats and protein, but in preparation for a marathon you should "carb load" the week before the race.

My week of carb loading began today. My favorite part was dinner...

Whole wheat linguine pesto sauce. In addition to carb loading, I make sure to get lots of vitamins and minerals throughout the week. They have many antioxidant properties that are necessary to maintain stamina during a race. To do this, I doctored up the pesto sauce with oven roasted carrots and brocolli, spinach, some grilled chicken (for those of you who know me as a non-meat eater, I've added a little bit back to my diet), and topped it with some parmesan cheese. It was DELICIOUS! I made enough to have for dinner for the next couple of days. I can't wait to eat it! I bet that by tomorrow all of the flavors will be melded together, and it will be even better than tonight.

Each day I will eat a few more carbs than the last. By Friday, my breakfast will be a bagel, lunch a sandwich, and dinner will either be pasta, sweet potatoes, or pizza. I can't decide! Saturday night will definitely be pizza-it is a "marathon eve" tradition that seems to always work well for me!

I'll let you know how the race goes! In the meantime, stay active and keep striving to be a health nut!

Think you can't eat healthy in a hurry?

Now that I am in the second semester of my Junior year at UT, I am super busy! Not only is this one of the most challenging semesters, but I am also working many hours, trying to keep up with my running and training, and trying to think of marketing techniques to get my house sold! It is mind-boggling sometimes, but I am trying to keep everything in perspective....I'm in the home stretch!

Sometimes it seems like it would be easier to just go buy a sandwish somewhere on campus. However, being on a tight budget does not allow that. Instead, I make lunch everyday. This has its benefits; I don't spend money frivolously, and I always have a healthy balanced lunch.

The way that I think about my eating throughout the day is to think about how I started my day. When I make breakfast I decide if I am in a carb mood or a protein mood. If it's a carb mood then I usually make oatmeal. My method of making oatmeal is a little different from ripping open a packet of instant oatmeal. Instead, I buy Fiber One cereal and a canister of plain quick cooking oats. I pour approximately 1/2 of a serving of each in a bowl, 1/2 banana sliced, 1/2 serving of raw walnut pieces, and a small handful of frozen blueberries. I sprinkle about 1 TBSP of flax seeds and a little bit of cinnamon on top, pour about 1/2 a serving of skim milk (I use organic...tastes so much better!) on top, and place in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. After a minute and a half I stir the ingredients, then put it in the microwave for another 2 minutes. I like my oatmeal not too dry, but not too runny....somewhere right in the middle. This keeps me full for a few hours, until I'm ready for my usual mid-morning snack...which I've already told you about in a previous blog entry.

If I am in a protein mood I scramble 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, with frozen spinach, some dicded tomato, and just a bit of cheddar cheese. I usually eat this with a banana and just a small bit of natural peanut butter.

Both breakfast options are super fast and easy!

If I decide to have a carb meal, I usually eat a salad for lunch. I load my salad with a lot of veggies to add some excitement to the meal. I usually use green or red leaf lettuce, about 1/2 of a tomato, 1/2 stick of celery, 1/2 of an avocado, a little bit of crumbled blue cheese, and just a bit of light balsamic vinaigrette.

If I decide on a protein based breakfast, then I will eat a few more carbs for lunch. I spread about 1 TBSP of natural peanut butter or black bean hummus on 1 piece of sprouted grain bread. Ezekial bread is a great brand. If I use hummus, then I usually also add some lettuce and maybe tomato. I only use 1 piece of bread, but I do not fold the bread in half. I find that by keeping the bread flat, and not folded, I don't feel like I am eating only 1/2 a sandwich, and I've saved 80-100 calories. I usually eat an apple or some red grapes with this sandwich.

For my afternoon snack, I usually eat an apple, or some carrot and celery sticks with hummus.

As you can see, I'm a creature of habit. I do love to try new things, and encourage everyone to try new and exciting food. I definitely mix up my foods, but salads and sandwiches are a blank canvas. You can make them according to what you feel like eating or what you prefer.

I hope this encourages everyone to try ways of eating healthy on a budget and on the run! It is possible! Just remember to mix it up, eat what your body is saying you need...as long as it's good for you!