Shakshuka and a very late Insanity post

So, I'm pretty much the laziest blogger, and even though I made lots of big promises about posting my fit test results, this did not happen at all.  This delay may have continued indefinitely if I hadn't eaten the BEST dinner and decided it absolutely needed to be shared on here.

But, first things first.  Lets talk about my fit test results:

I think I had a decent increase in my Fit Test 2 results, I'm pretty happy with them.  I still took a break in between the globe jumps and the suicide jumps but I didn't need one between the suicide jumps and push-up jacks this time.

My scores did also increase for Fit Test 3, but juuuust barely.  I really felt like I was struggling to get through the last few reps, and I'm pretty sure that I only improved because I looked at my Test 2 results for each move beforehand and was actively trying to beat them.  I didn't take any breaks during this test, but I do feel like my form on the low plank obliques was pretty bad.  Hopefully by the time I get to Fit Test 4 I'll be able to do a little better.

So far, I've completed the first 2 days of Month 2.  Even though my third fit test was a little lackluster (in my opinion) I do feel like I'm making good progress.  Based on what I remembered from the last time I did this workout I had been kind of dreading the first day of Month 2, but it actually wasn't as bad as I remembered it being -- hopefully this means I'm stronger this time around!  I definitely still have to take breaks, but I don't think I'm taking too many breaks or not working hard enough.  Also, my arms and butt are sore today, which lets me know that I'm actually doing something :).


Anyway!  On to the good stuff: shakshuka.

Shakshuka is a dish involving eggs cooked over a tomato-based sauce.  I've seen a couple of different variations around the blogosphere, but never actually made it until a found this potato and sausage version on Katie at the Kitchen Door.  Let me just tell you, it was the bomb (as well as being really fun to say).

Potato and Sausage Shakshuka
Adapted slightly from Katie at the Kitchen Door, via Greatist
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 T (about 6 large cloves) minced garlic (I didn't actually measure this, I just threw in a spoonful)
1/2 lb (3 or 4) small thin-skinned potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 lb (about 2 links) Italian chicken sausage (I use hot or mild based on what Whole Foods has that day)
1 T ras al hanout (I found this Middle-Eastern spice blend at Whole Foods, but if you're ambitious you can make it yourself)
Salt
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1//2 t chipotle chili powder (The original recipe suggests 1 T but I cut it waaaay down and still thought it was spicy.  Fee free to add more if you'd like)
4 eggs


Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until soft, then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, until fragrant.

Squeeze the sausage from the casings and add to the pan.  Chop it up with a spatula and let it brown for about 3 or 4 minutes.

Add sliced potatoes, ras al hanout, and a sprinkle of salt.  Stir to mix in the spices, and then let the potatoes cook for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping occasionally, until they start to soften.

Add crushed tomatoes and chili powder to the pan and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked and yield easily to a fork.

Make four wells in the tomato sauce, and crack an egg into each depression.

I just realized how terrible this picture is, sorry...

Cover the pan and let the eggs cook until set to your liking (The original recipe says to cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, but I stop paying attention and overcook them every time.  It's still delicious with fully set eggs, though.)

Eat!  Enjoy!  Talk loudly about how awesome you are at making dinner (I sure did)!  Freeze the leftovers if you think you won't eat them within the next two days....but you will.

What I Ate Wednesday: Insanity Edition

Hey there, blog pals!

So, yesterday at about 5 in the morning I decided on a whim that I would start another round of Insanity today.  As I'm sure is the case with many a 5am snap decision, this may or may not be a good idea.  But, I'm gonna do it, so I guess we'll just see how it works out.  My experience with JCore taught me that I shouldn't promise to blog my experiences every day, as this is extremely unlikely to happen.  But, at the very least I will post all my Fit Test results so I can track my progress on here.  Speaking of, here's how Fit Test 1 went:

The fit test is structured such that you are given 60 seconds for each exercise and the goal is to complete as many reps as you can.

Not too bad for the first day, although I did need to take a break in between the Globe Jumps and Suicide Jumps and then again between the Suicide Jumps and the Push-up Jacks.  I think part of the problem may have been that I ate my Meal 4 about an hour before doing the Fit Test, which was not enough time.  Also, I realize that I live in Hawaii and it's hot here, but I felt like I was extra sweaty when I was done.

But anyway it's Wednesday, and since today is Day 1 of Insanity I figured it would be a good day to do a What I Ate Wednesday post that features the meals I'm choosing from the Insanity Elite Nutrition Guide.  So, here we go:


Meal 1: Proatmeal (oatmeal with fruit and protein powder).

I didn't exactly follow the recipe for this one, only because I had already made a big batch of oatmeal last weekend that I want to finish up before making more.  The main difference was that this had brown sugar in it when it shouldn't have.


Meal 2: Greek yogurt with a diced apple and sliced almonds.

Meal 3: Salad with grilled chicken, cucumber, carrots, farro, pecans, (thawed) frozen peaches, and lemon juice.

This was extra delicious.  I'm not a huge fan of cold salads, so I warmed the chicken, farro, and peaches up in the microwave.  The juice released by the peaches mixed with the lemon juice made a great dressing.


Meal 4: Bean and cheese flatbread with broccoli.

Those of you who are familiar with the nutrition guide may notice that this meal isn't included as one of the Meal 4 choices.  But, for some reason I didn't find ANY of those choices appealing, so I made some substitutions.  To make this meal, I started with the Protein Pizza, then swapped the English muffin for a flatbread and used black beans instead of chicken.  And also left out the marinara sauce, but that's fine.


Meal 5: Scrambled eggs with spinach and feta, whole wheat toast, and strawberries.

This was supposed to be the Dinner Omelette, but I can't make an omelette to save my life.  The scrambled eggs were fine, though, I like having breakfast for dinner :).  I've been blogging instead of eating so now it's cold, but I'm too lazy to re-heat it.  So, cold non-omelette is what I'm having for dinner.


That's it for today!  I'll be back (at the very latest) on Day 14 with my Fit Test 2 results.

Happy birthday, darling :-)

Yesterday at 6:21pm my sweet niece Elizabeth Beatrice was born.  I won't be able to see her until I move from Hawaii in a month and a half, but I'm so happy to welcome her into the world.

Hello, sweet girl :).   We're all so happy that you're here!

Maui No Ka Oi!

I can't believe it's been over a week since I got back from our 3-day weekend on Maui, and I still haven't given you any highlights!  Our trip was so, so much fun, and we loved every minute of it.  It's almost too bad we'll be moving to Missouri so soon, I wish we had time for another visit!  Here's what I learned on my Maui vacation:


1) Maui (weirdly) looks like Ireland/upstate New York....

2) ....except for when it looks like Mars.

3) With appropriate signage, even Porta-Potties can sound fancy:

They are no better on the inside, though, let me tell you.


4) Goats are fun times.

5) If I didn't have to go do this whole PhD thing, I would seriously consider moving to Lahaina.

6) Lavender-flavored baked goods are delicious.

7) You are never too old for these kinds of shenanigans:

8) Cinnamon roll french toast exists, and it is the bomb.

Maui was seriously great, and the pictures really don't do it justice.  My parents will be spending a few days there when the come to visit in July, I hope I can convince them to bring me back some goat cheese!

The ABCs of Sarah

Hello, friends!  I first saw this survey over at Pain Free Kitchen, and I thought it would be fun to do.  Here we go!

 
Addictions:  Right now it's Dark Chocolate Truffle coffee from Target, watching Lost on Netflix (I've never seen it before, so I don't even know what's going to happen!  It's so crazy!), giving my pal Maureen complete play-by-play recounts of every episode of Lost I see, Green & Black's 85% dark chocolate, and 'Madness' by Muse.

Source

Bed size:  Full, maybe?  I don't really know, the bed was here when we moved in.

Chore you hate:  Cleaning the shower.  I don't really like vacuuming, either.

Dogs or cats:  Well, I really like cats, but I'm allergic so I can't have any.  So dogs, I guess.

Essential start of your day:  Breakfast!  Recently I've been making breakfast sandwiches and burritos over the weekend (using these recipes) and freezing them so I can just grab them on my way out the door, and this has been working pretty well.

Favorite color:  Hmm...I'll say orange.  But I pretty much like every color.  Except for mustard yellow, and the combination of black and white.

Gold or silver:  Gold, 100%.  It just looks way better on me.

Height:  5'6".  A guy once mentioned that this was pretty tall for a girl.  But then when I said thank you, he said, "That wasn't a complement."  So, who knows. 

Instrument you play (or have played):  Piano and flute.  I wanted to play the drums in high school, but my mom said no :-/.

Job titles you've had:  Baby sitter, Sales Associate (at FYE), Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, regular Teaching Assistant, Teacher's Aide, Front Desk/Breakfast Attendant (at Harding House Bed and Breakfast), Product Tester (at Dymo-Mimio Interactive Teaching Technologies), and ORISE Graduate Fellow.

Kids:  None yet.  Gimme a couple of years.

Live:  Kailua, Hawaii.  Only for like 2.5 more months, though!  I'm making a list of all the stuff I want to do before we leave, and I'll try to fit at least one thing in for every weekend we have left.  This weekend might involve mini-golfing here.


Mom's name:  Catherine

Nickname:  My nickname in middle/high school was kind of Sunny, but no one really called me that on any sort of regular basis. 

Overnight hospital stays:  Just one, when I was only a few days old.  I had an infection or something.

Pet peeves:  Oh my goodness, I hate it when people walk behind my car while I'm trying to back out of a parking space!  Also when people leave crumbs in the butter, peanut butter in the jelly jar, etc.

Quote from a movie:  "You're a handsome devil; what's your name?"

Source

Right or left handed:  Rightie.

Siblings:  Just my big bro, Jordan :).

Time you wake up:  Currently I've been waking up at 5am Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to work out, 5:45am on Tuesdays and Thursdays (although generally I snooze until 6), and whenever I feel like it on the weekends, although it's usually no later than about 8:30am.

Underwear:  The more brightly colored, the better.

Vegetables you dislike:  Hmm...it's kind of a cliche, but I'm not a huge fan of lima beans.  Or water chestnuts.  Or seaweed, if that counts as a vegetable.

What makes you run late:  Hitting the snooze and generally moving slowly in the morning.  Also the fact that Kevin now gets up around the same time that as I do and immediately turns on the Daily Show (which totally comes on at 6am because we live in Hawaii!).  Every day I tell myself I can't stop and watch, but I always do.

X-rays you've had done:  I had an x-ray of my knee once.  I don't think it showed anything unusual, though.

Yummy food you make:  I think it's pretty apparent that I make all of the yummy food.  ;-)

Zoo animals:  Peacocks!  And Golden Lion Tamarins.

Okay, that's it!  Now you know all about me.  Have a good weekend!

Mini Souffle Pancakes with Cinnamon-Vanilla Maple Syrup

Last Sunday was awesome for two reasons.  First, it was Cinco De Mayo (and who doesn't love Cinco De Mayo?  No one, that's who.).  Second, it was my sweet boyfriend's 25th birthday!  Last year for his birthday I made him some Mexican Lasagna, but since we don't have an oven this year my options were a little more limited.  I eventually decided to just skip the Mexican theme, and started his day off with some of these delicious pancakes:

I found the recipe in Shape magazine.  The original recipe included a blood orange maple syrup, but blood oranges were the one ingredient I didn't have and I didn't feel like trying to locate one (is it even blood orange season right now?), so I decided to just wing it in the syrup department (read: I made something up).


Mini Souffle Pancakes
From Shape magazine
Makes 12 mini pancakes.  The original recipe says it serves 4, but Kevin and I had no problem eating half a batch each.

Ingredients
3/4 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 tbsp soy or almond milk (I used regular milk)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white


In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a larger bowl, whisk egg, then add in Greek yogurt, milk, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Fold flour mixture into yogurt mixture until just combined and set aside.

In a deep bowl, whisk the egg white until it holds soft peaks (the original recipe says to use a balloon whisk, but I used an electric hand mixer).  Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter, making sure not to overmix.

Lightly oil a non-stick pan.  You can use a spray to do this, but I like to pour a little vegetable oil on a paper towel and use it to lightly rub the surface of the pan.  Then, spoon about 2 tbsp of batter per pancake into the pan and spread into 3-inch rounds.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until a few bubbles form on the pancake tops.  Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.  Repeat with remaining batter to make 12 pancakes.

Kevin's pancakes got chocolate chips!  Also there are too many bubbles on top of those pancakes on the left, and I should have flipped them sooner.

The cinnamon-vanilla maple syrup sounds fancier than it actually is.  I poured an unspecified amount of maple syrup into a microwave-safe cup (maybe like a cup), added an unspecified amount of cinnamon and an equally unspecified amount of vanilla (if I had to guesstimate I'd say probably like a teaspoon of each), and stuck in in the microwave for about 45 seconds.  Then it went on my pancakes!

These pancakes were pretty good.  The one thing I will say is that they didn't have a ton of flavor by themselves, probably because they were designed to go with the blood orange syrup.  If I were to make them again I might add some cinnamon to the batter, and maybe a little more maple syrup as well.  Kevin's pancakes actually turned out a little better, partially because the chocolate chips gave extra flavor, and partially because they came out fluffier than mine did (probably because I waited too long to flip mine).  That was fine, though, it was his birthday so I was happy he had the extra-yummy pancakes!  :-)