HUSBAND HELPER

Tuesday Evening: 5/1/12


I keep wanting to type a 4 instead of a 5 for the month! Can't get used to the fact it's May!! (Of course the very, very dark rainy weather we are having today doesn't feel very May-like) It's seriously pitch black out and it is not even 7pm!

Lara Bar

Okay. We've got to talk Lara Bars! I am not a huge "bar" person, for the most part I prefer things to be whole foods. I do think sometimes though that it is necessary to just have a boost of something for fuel before a workout (not always mind you, just listen to your body). The great thing about Lara Bars is that they ARE whole foods. Like any bar they are very calorie dense, but this is okay by me because I really only eat them one bite at a time. One bar lasts me several gym trips!

Today I wanted just a little something to help give me energy on my run...also I may have been dying to try one of the new bar flavors that we picked up from Whole Foods last weekend... So today I chose a bite of Ginger Snap.

(Backgrounded by our atrocious "welcome to May" weather. At least I've got sunshine on my nails!)

Bar Stats:

Ingredients- Dates, Almonds, Pecans, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cloves (really?! Can it GET any more simple or natural?)

Nutrition- 240 cal. (told you it packs a calorie punch, my one bite was approx. 48 cal!), no cholesterol, no sodium, 20% of your daily fiber, several good minerals, 24g of sugar (high in sugar- but natural sugar! none of that processed chemical stuff that causes cancer)

Verdict of Ginger Snap? GREAT!! This tastes like fall! Like Thanksgiving! I didn't want to stop eating it :) This choice is definitely one of my top picks.

Gym

Tonight at the gym I did 40 minutes on the treadmill doing a sprint for 1-walk for 2 pattern.

Weight: 120.4 Urgh. Seriously? I have to admit it is getting me down a little having had only 120's the past several times. Realllly hoping for teens tomorrow...

Dinner

Our simple, healthy dinner came from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook: Easy Dinners, Healthy Recipes. Honey-Ginger Crusted Chicken!

I cannot take much credit for tonight's dinner because it was husband-prepared!! :) So nice to come home from the gym to a dinner ready to eat!

The ingredients:
-boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (organic, certified humanely treated)
-honey
-OJ
-ginger
-black pepper
-red pepper
-cornflakes
-parsley
(Click link for measurements!)

The chicken went in a dish, the next 5 ingredients went into a bowl, and the cornflakes and parsley got pummeled in a bag. Chicken was basted with honey-ginger mixture and then the cornflake crumbs were poured over the top and all was baked to deliciousness.

I got home just in time to cook up our veggies- asparagus and a broccoli/cauliflower mix from the freezer.

The chicken was SO good! It was cooked perfectly and the glaze was sweet and tangy and spicy and with the bit of crunch from the cornflakes it was just all around a fun thing to eat!! (Did I mention 4 oz. is only 138 cal?!)

Since it was so low-cal and my first portion was only 3 oz., not even a whole serving size...I just had to have a sliver more :D

I had a really suspicious piece of broccoli that was a darker green than any broccoli should be...
It got left behind.

We had a great evening on our triple date playing cards with friends! We taught the other two couples how to play hand and foot and our teams were good old-fashioned boys vs. girls. While us girls were soundly trouncing the boys through the first couple of rounds they came back at the end and beat us by only 140 points!!! (Which in hand and foot is uber close)

When Zach and I got home we found our adorable fur babies waiting for us!

Cotton, Spooky and Dixie. All kitties that we have rescued from the outdoors to come live with us.

Time for bed, this girl's eyes are drooping!