Posts tagged ‘wine’

« Older Entries
January 14th, 2013

Tuscan Dinner

by Tiff

The weekend… is… over?  Where did it go?  Why so fast?  It was another winner, despite my lingering ick.  I healed from my cold, but then I got a sinus infection.  Ugh.  Soooooo the workouts are still at weights, yoga, and walking, nothing crazy for me.

Even though my body wasn’t cooperating, good things happened.  I received two boxes of goodies in the mail on Friday.

tropical   protein

This month’s Fruit of the Month box and a treat from Premier Protein.  I look forward to trying the shakes, but the bars are too high-cal for me.  I gave them to Kevin, and he says they taste great.

The goodness didn’t stop there.  I cooked a yummy Tuscan inspired dinner of bruschetta, steak, white bean ragu, and montepulciano wine.

We started with a very small bruschetta appetizer.

wine

Then I cooked the beans and broiled our steaks while enjoying some wine.  It was like being in Florence all over again, or at least I can pretend it was.

steak

White Bean Ragu

  • 1-2 TBS olive oil
  • 1 medium russet potato (cubed)
  • 1 red bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
  • 1 green bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2-3 tsp dried oregano
  • 2-3 tsp dried basil
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (salt-free)
  • 1 can white beans (rinsed, drained)
  • 1/3 cup red wine (probably optional)
  1. Heat the oil in a large pan with lid over medium.  (I used a non-stick braising pan.)  Add the potato and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  You can chop your peppers during this time.
  2. Add peppers to the pan and continue cooking and stirring.  Stir a little more frequently while prepping the garlic.  Add the garlic, oregano, basil, and a little black pepper.
  3. Once the peppers have had a chance to sweat a bit and have started to soften, add the tomatoes.  If brown bits collected on your pan, scrape those up as soon as you add the tomatoes.  Stir.
  4. Add the beans and wine.  Stir and cover.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir occasionally.  Serve once liquids have thickened and potatoes are tender.

There was enough to make a full lunch for Kevin and I the next day.  Yum!

ragu

Another win for Eat In Month!

  • Did you have any memorable meals this weekend?

Posted in Food, Uncategorized | 20 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,
January 7th, 2013

A Cheesy Weekend

by Tiff

Good morning!  I hope your weekend was as fabulous as mine.  Fabulous though it was, it was also quite cheesy.  Nope – no pun here.  It was literally filled with lots of cheese.

Friday – I squeezed in a workout before heading to work (Halloween socks and all), and later that evening, Kev & I enjoyed a date night at home.  Good wine, salad, cheese fondue, and a blazing fire make my “Eat In Month” challenge seem very manageable.

weights   date

Saturday – I wanted to run, but my foot didn’t.  Kevin kindly walked with me instead, but I was pretty bummed about the run… or lack thereof.  (More on that tomorrow)  We also had a couple of my colleagues over for dinner.  Lasagna and more wine were definite crowd pleasers!

run   lasagna

I think these little babies were crowd pleasers too.  I attempted to copy something I saw in a Godiva store window, and they came out really well.

berries

Sunday – Sunday was typical but pleasant in that reliable and predictable kind of way.  Church, grocery store, another walk with the hubs, and lots of cooking… the norm.  By the way, that pic is of the cauliflower curry bowl I made for lunch this week; I can’t wait to dig into it!

grocery   lunch

I guess that sums it up, cheeeeese n’ all. ***If you haven’t entered my Sportline giveaway yet, there’s still time!***

  • Are your Sundays as boring as mine?
  • Did you squeeze in any exercise this weekend?

 

Posted in Out & About | 17 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,
December 11th, 2012

Healthy on a Budget: What to avoid

by Tiff

This might be the last Healthy on a Budget series post. I hope not since this focuses on what not to do, and I like to sandwich a negative between two positives. Actually, I like to sandwich just about anything, but that’s beside the point.

budgetIn case you missed the other posts…

1. Don’t dine out. Why is something so simple also so hard? It’s true though. I can order an unhealthy lasagna dish at a restaurant for $17 before tax and tip, or I can cook my healthier veggie lasagna recipe for $2.16 per serving. That’s based on 6 servings, so if we hold serving size constant, it’s $3.24 for 4 servings. That’s seems huge, but try multiplying it by 2 for date night with a couple drinks. Yowzah!

lasagna

2. Don’t be fooled by fancy packaging. There are lots of healthy foods out there with very pretty packaging, but that doesn’t mean they’re any better than Plain-Jane goods. For instance, fancy potato chips can be pricey, especially on a per-oz basis. It’s not hard to roast your own potato slices or cubes though. Sweet potato “fries” anyone? If you’re a sucker for overpriced 100-calorie packs of treats, I bet you can create better tasting ones yourself. If you like portion control, make things that can be frozen and reheated for PMS week desperate times.

3. Don’t overdo the booze. I’m a total Negative Nelly today, aren’t I? Booze adds up though, especially if you’re not drinking at home. Restaurants commonly mark up alcohol prices by about 200%. Wine Enthusiast Magazine explains the reason behind the markups, but no matter where you drink, you’ll save money if you drink less – end of story.

da vinci

4. Don’t stick to the recipe. Sometimes I have a recipe in-mind, but I later find the grocery store to have one ingredient priced waaaay too high. I just substitute frozen goods or a vegan alternative, or I try a new veggie. Scallops not on sale? Buy shrimp. Organic beef a little pricey? Try Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles. Leftover wine that might not still taste good in your glass can still add unexpected umph to an entree.

5. Don’t go ga-ga for organic. Organic goods benefit more than your body, so if I had the willpower and the means to buy everything organic, I would. However, that’s just not in the cards for me, and I bet a lot of you are in the same boat. If you’re going to make a few organic splurges, don’t spend a bunch of money on organic junk foods. I think Kate Geagan, MS, RD says it best:

Just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s healthy! Organic soda, ice cream and potato chips, for instance, are still high calorie splurges that can pack on the pounds and pad your grocery bill.

6. Don’t be a meathead. I’m not vegetarian, but I don’t eat a lot of meat. Sometimes Kevin and I will split a chicken breast in a stir fry or other one-pot meal. We still get all the protein we need from the veggies, grains, and/or any added beans or cheese. This is much better for the grocery bill!

salami

Of course, “growing” boys still deserve extra meat if they really want it…

  • Are you a sucker for any of these, or do you have more to add to the list?

Posted in Food | 15 Comments »

Tags: , , , ,
October 19th, 2012

Good Stuff

by Tiff

Happy Friday!  I’m so excited that it’s Friday.  I’ve got hockey plans tonight and football plans tomorrow.  I’m in a pretty good mood, so here’s a  happy post filled with a bunch of good stuff.   There’s no theme; it’s just good stuff I’ve discovered lately.

1. Cotes du Rhone from Trader Joe’s - It may not be a fine wine, but it’s cheap and delicious.  Go buy it!

wine

2. I have the most amazing readers.  I was a little scared to publish yesterday’s post, but not one of you lovelies called me crazy.  Thanks for being so supportive/understanding!

3. This phone case – I got it from the Libbie & Winston Etsy store.  Isn’t it cute!  I got to select my own font and colors, and there are a few other patterns from which to choose.  I got a little carried away and also ordered a mouse pad.  It’s a good thing I didn’t see the koozies…

phone

4. Race – I’m slow right now,but the race bug bit me again.  I want to do another half marathon in the spring.  I’m thinking this one in Columbia and this one in Greenville look pretty good.  (Side note: Though I’d run further in years past, I could only run 2.25 miles on the treadmill without stopping when I first started training for my first half. You won’t believe what you can do when you put your mind to it!)

5. This lunch salad and this roast veggie dinner – Veg pledge is going strong!

lunch  veg

 

What good things are making you happy right now?

Posted in Fitness, Food | 12 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,
October 1st, 2012

Just Do It

by Tiff

Despite the deceiving title, this post is in no way workout or Nike related.  In fact, I haven’t gotten my sweat on much lately.  I strained my hip carrying furniture up the stairs on Tuesday night, which allowed me to do a little upper-body lifting and light yoga but not much else. 

After not being able to run again until Saturday (a short test run), I can tell you this – if you’re considering carrying heavy furniture upstairs by yourself… just don’t do it. Now that the negatives are out of the way, let’s get to what you should do instead.

If you’re not working out in the morning and have time to cook a hot breakfast, just do it.  (Bonus points for freshly brewed coffee.)

weekend 001

If you’re picking up your mom from the airport kind of late, and you want to get a couple beers despite the time, just do it.  (We definitely stayed up until 3 a.m. chatting, but it was worth it.)

weekend 021

If you have time to give one of your best friends a massage, just do it.  (On Saturday, my house guests and I got massages of our own during our day at the spa.  That’s girl time at its best!)

weekend 016

If you see a Groupon or other deal for a BYOB painting class, just do it.  We had a blast at Wine & Design!

painting

If one of your house guests feels sickly Sunday morning, and you want to make her breakfast in bed, just do it.  These are Katie’s apple pancakes, and they were a-friggin-mazing.

weekend 033

If you want to turn on beast mode after feeling slack about your recent workouts, just do it.  Today I’m hitting the gym with a whole new routine, so check back throughout the week if you want more info on that.

 

  • Do you love massages as much as I do?
  • Did you have a fun weekend too?

Posted in Out & About | 14 Comments »

Tags: , , , , ,
« Older Entries