Sandwich Queen

How’s everybody faring this Tuesday?!

I’m feeling fantastic, and I think it’s due to residual endorphins from my awesome workout last night!

As I’ve expressed before, I am not a huge fan of long-distance and  extended periods of intense running for my body. So I’m thrilled whenever I come across  a treadmill workout that avoids those things but still leaves me schweaty and jazzed up!

Last night, I ran across this gem on Julie’s  Blog, Peanut Butter Fingers. The idea of walking at a 15 incline made me a little nervy beans, but I decided to give it a try:

Holy macaroni was this TOUGH. I dunno if Julie holds onto the machine for dear life during the really steep inclines, but I sure had to!

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this workout in the perverse way that is unique to strenuous exercise. This also gave my often-neglected glutes a much-needed run for their $!

Last night, I promised you a recipe in today’s post. Unfortunately, the lil’ somethin’ somethin’ in my oven turned out to be a disappointment, and I refuse to share a recipe that isn’t totally delicious. I plan to give it some tweaks over the next week or so, and I’ll give you the goods when I get it just right.

Great news though! I actually have another recipe on the books for tonight that you’re gonna LOVE.  I’m meeting my beautiful, amazing friend Audrey at Equinox for a circuit sesh after work, then we’re headed back to my apt to get our hands dirty!

Audrey is one of my closest friends in the world, and it’s been waaayyy too long since I saw her. NEED-MY-AUDS-FIX.

Today, Audrey emailed me asking me about freezable sandwiches–what can make it in and out of a freezer unscathed, to be thawed each morning and eaten throughout a work week.

I realized two things:

1. I didn’t know the answer
2. I should know the answer

If you’ve been following my blog for a few weeks, you might have noticed that I am a sandwich-fiend. Something about biting into two pieces of bread + a tasty filling just makes me weak in the hi-knees! I’d honestly eat them 3x/day if it weren’t for an even stronger fear that I might eventually get sick of them. Shudder.

Seen the Food Network show Sandwich King? Well, I’m claiming Sandwich Queen…

Turkish Delight

Hamburglar.

Egg-Cellent Combo

Rare-ing to Go

Sunshine Salad

Big Kahuna Tuna

No need for an intro here.

The above are only a few of the sandwiches I’ve consumed since beginning this blog, but they’re enough to make me sheepish that I didn’t really know how to answer Audrey’s question.

So I went digging!

Although opinions vary, most articles agree that the sandwich superstars–bread, meat and cheese–all freeze remarkably well! Score! Nut butters fare fantastically as well. The main elements you want to avoid including are fruits (grapes in a chicken salad), veggies (tomatoes, lettuce etc.) and heavy condiments (esp. mayo).

Basically, you wanna  steer clear of anything that might soggify your sammy. A related/my favorite tip? When freezing pb&j, spread pb on BOTH pieces of bread, and spread your jam in the middle! Bonus of extra pb!

When you’ve compiled your masterpieces, it’s a good idea to wrap them individually in aluminum foil or saran wrap before adding them to a freezer-safe bag.

For more details on the topic, here are some great articles I found:

• Freezing Sandwiches
• Yes, You can Freeze Sandwiches
• Frozen Sandwiches for Quick Make Ahead Lunches

Heading out to begin my night of fun with Auds, but before I go, I want to encourage you to check out my friend Sara’s fantasic new blog, Sarasmiles! Sara is a wonderful person with so much to add to the healthy living community, and I am elated that she has begun contributing her voice! I hope you enjoy her first two posts as much as I did :).

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Munchie Monday and a Timeless Battle

I thoroughly enjoyed my edible choices at work today, so let’s start things off on a light note with my Monday Munchies!

BFast: Buttered whole wheat English muffin; bowl of cottage cheese with strawberries, drippy peanut butter and a squirt of honey. I just picked up the idea for PB with cottage cheese from Tessa at Amazing Asset and it is a glorious combination!

Bring it in for the real thing.

Mid-morning snack: 1/2 Homemade Coconut Cherry Pie ‘Larabar’

Lunch: I’m a sucker for good tuna salad! Tuna salad sandwich on toasted rye bread; giant bowl of veggies tossed in balsamic. They weren’t kidding around with the toasting; this kinda tore up the roof of my mouth! Didn’t stop me from crunching my way through though :).

Dessert: Last of my Newman’s Organic Dark Chocolate Caramel cups. New favorite bite-sized chocolate.

Aft snack 1: Bowl of ruby red

Aft Snack 2: Protein PB&J bar with a cup of Vanilla Soy Milk–dash of cinnamon on top!

Enjoy Life Coco Loco Chewy Bar that my friend Elissia gave me the night we had dinner!

Elissia is allergic to dairy, and All of the Enjoy Life products are free of the 8 most common allergens, as well as gluten-free and free of artificial ingredients. I can’t say this makes my top five snack bars, but it definitely grew on me as I ate it, and it’s a fantastic option for people with a variety of dietary needs.

Dinner tonight was a hodgepodge of yumminess, part of which will be revealed to you tomorrow :). I had DELICIOUS leftover pizza that my roommate Carina brought home, and I made a Green Monster with a single-serving packet of Amazing Grass Amazing Meal Vanilla Chai powder

Into the accompanying mix: 3/4 c almond milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbs peanut butter, 1/2 frozen banana, 4 ice cubes

I picked up several flavors of Amazing Meal over Easter break in Nashville to quell my curiosity after hearing rave reviews. I tried the chocolate first, and the verdict was less than amazing. However, the Vanilla Chai was MUCH more palatable! I still prefer the taste of Spirutein, but Amazing Grass offers all those green goodies along with protein, so they sort of serve separate purposes. If you’re looking for a total-supplement powder, I’d suggest giving this flavor a try!

Ok, can you guys handle a little heavy lifting? I thought so.

This morning, I ran across the following quote on Lauren’s amazing blog, A Full Measure of Happiness, and it stopped me in my [mental] tracks.

“OUR THOUGHTS ARE REAL. THEY ARE JUST NOT ALWAYS THE TRUTH.“

I am a very practical person. More than the average bear, I can make a decision based on what seems logical, as opposed to what my emotions are telling me. Roommates are purely business; it’s not about friendship. That trip sounds wonderful, but it’s too expensive. The relationship? The love was there, but the timing just didn’t make sense.

More often than not, my head rules my heart, and I used to take great pride in that fact. I used to think my thick skin was a genetic bonus, like strong nails or bunion-free feet nice hair.

Not so sure any more.

In the last few years, I’ve realized that although I can make the practical decision, that doesn’t always mean it’s the ‘right’ one–the one that’s really best for me. I can go through the motions, but I can’t always silence my heart. And I’ve gotten myself in a whole messa trouble before by trying.

Problem is, most of the time, there are no ‘right’ decisions. There are pros and cons, glasses half full and empty and shattered on the floor and lined with a ring of salt for when it gets really grim. Between black and white there is everything else, and it’s foolish of me to think otherwise.

Just because something ‘makes sense’–can be argued, fits neatly on a list, seems more real than my emotions–does NOT mean it’s ‘right’.  Making sense doesn’t make it the truth.

The quote above struck a chord in me, because I am almost certain that in the next year I will be making decisions that pit my head and my heart against one another. 

This blog has given me so many precious things. Among them, the ability to reflect on my decisions in an objective way, and ask myself if I would advise others to do the same. It has also given me an enormous amount of courage to listen to my gut in a way that always felt too risky.

I am hopeful that the strength and perspective that I have gained as a result of my participation in this incredible blogging community will aid me in my decision making process, and lead me to whatever ‘truth’ is my reality.

Alright guys, I’m off to check on a special oven surprise! Have a lovely Monday night.

I’m dying to hear your thoughts! Does your head or your heart usually guide you?

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