May 11 2013

Joe’s American Bar & Grill–My Gluten Free Experience

Posted on May 11, 2013 by runcupcake

Let me preface this post by saying it is in no way, shape, or form sponsored by Joe’s American Bar & Grill.

Last night I went to dinner with Jess at Joe’s American Bar & Grill in Providence Place Mall. I’ve eaten there once before while being gluten free and had good service, but last night’s service was really above and beyond anything I’ve ever experienced at a chain restaurant.

After perusing the menu for a while I decided on the Angel Hair Primavera with chicken, knowing that Joe’s offers gluten free pasta. When I ordered the first question from the waitress was “Is this for an allergy or just a matter of personal preference.” to which I replied allergy. I had also ordered a side salad which typically comes with croutons, so she advised me that there would be no croutons on my salad.

Less than 2 minutes later the manager is at our table, introducing herself and talking to me about my order. She repeated my order to me, advised me that the gluten free pasta was penne, reiterated the fact that my salad would come sans croutons (and asked what dressing I had ordered, to be sure that was also GF), and then asked me if I’d like a gluten free roll to go with my meal. Of course I said yes, I never say no to bread!

The manager told me I was in good hands with the chef that was on duty, they have a specific procedure they use to prepare food for people with a gluten allergy.

All of the food was AMAZING. I am so impressed with Joe’s staff and their willingness to go above and beyond for their customers with food allergies. If you suffer from gluten intolerance or celiac – Joe’s is one chain restaurant you will NOT have a hard time dining at.

A huge thank you to the staff of Joe’s in Providence Place mall for giving me such an amazing dining experience – I am a very happy customer and I will be back!

Apr 10 2013

What I Ate Wednesday: Taco Rice

Posted on April 10, 2013 by runcupcake

Good morning! It’s Wednesday already! Where does the time go? This week’s What I Ate Wednesday is brought to you by a recipe I completely made up last night – and being oh so original, I called it Taco Rice. It’s so simple to make – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

TACO RICE

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

1 pound ground beef

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

Homemade taco seasoning:

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions. While it’s cooking add sea salt, black pepper, cumin, and cilantro to taste (I never measure my spices when I’m cooking!).

While rice is cooking sauté all vegetables (except tomatoes) in about a tablespoon of olive oil until crisp-tender. Pour hot vegetables into bowl on top of tomatoes, mix together, and set aside.

Cook ground beef until fully done, then add homemade taco seasoning and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium, and simmer until all water is absorbed.

Combine rice, vegetables, and beef in large bowl until fully integrated. Serve with fresh chopped tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and corn tortilla chips if desired.

What have you made recently that you really enjoyed?

Apr 1 2013

Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning on a Budget

Posted on April 1, 2013 by runcupcake

Happy Monday everyone! I often get asked how I afford to shop at Whole Foods. And I always reply with the same answer, “It’s easy, if you do it right.” I even tested my ability to shop there versus our local grocery stores, and I spent the same amount of money. So, how do I do it? It’s really quite easy. Here’s what I bought for a grand total of $54.86:

Step 1) Plan your meals. Here are my meals for this week:

Moroccan Chickpea Salad (6 one cup servings)
Chicken with Quick Chile Verde with a side of chili lime rice (4 servings)
Corn pasta with “meat” (textured vegetable protein) sauce (4 servings)

I have 14 total servings of food to be eaten between lunch and dinner over the next few days. I am eating dinner out with my mom on Friday night, and I’m not entirely sure what my plans are for the weekend; however, 14 servings and 2 meals each day should last me 7 days. Don’t be afraid of eating leftovers!

Step 2) Scope out your fridge/cabinets for ingredients you already have on hand. For this week’s recipes I already had:

Carrots
Goat cheese (I used that versus buying feta cheese for the Moroccan Chickpea Salad)
Fresh cilantro
Chicken
Brown Rice

I also have corn tortilla chips for snacking, so I bought hummus to go with those. The yogurt and bananas are for breakfast – I also have chia seeds and almond milk on hand for chia pudding.

Step 3) Buy sale items, bulk items, and store brand items. I like to eat apples with peanut butter for a snack, Fuji apples were on sale for $2.49 a pound this week, so I bought Fuji apples. (I, of course, always have peanut butter on hand.) I bought my textured vegetable protein in the bulk aisle – it was $1.15 for 1/3 of a pound and will give me at least two full meals (or 8 total servings). Store brand items I purchased include beans, coffee, and pasta sauce. Double check your produce too – sometimes it’s more worth it to buy organic. Today’s example: Non-organic bananas weren’t looking too good, there were no green ones and they were riper than I like. For $0.20 more per pound I got bananas that are almost ripe, and I know will last me the week; therefore, I will not waste any food.

So, as you can see, with the right approach anyone can shop at Whole Foods and walk out without feeling like their wallet was violated. Plus, by shopping at Whole Foods you know you’re getting better quality items, locally sourced items, and you’re avoiding GMO’s. What more could you ask for?

Do you shop at Whole Foods? If not, will these tips convince you to at least give it a try?

P.S. Don’t forget that today is Day 1 of the #30for60 Challenge! We’re up to 80 participants – who else is going to join us?

Mar 7 2013

Going Gluten Free

Posted on March 7, 2013 by runcupcake

Disclaimer: This post may be too TMI for some – if you’d rather not read about bodily functions, don’t read any further.

I do not have a gluten allergy, nor do I suffer from celiac (at least that I know of…). My life, for as long as I can remember, has been plagued with stomach troubles. Ask my mom – there are many times that I could “vomit at the drop of a hat,” as she puts it. And she’s right. Cramps, bowel problems, gas, bloating, vomiting, you name it.

The first food group I gave up was dairy. Other than Greek yogurt, I avoid dairy. I’ve never been diagnosed as lactose intolerant, but the symptoms are all there, and I’d rather not deal with it. But giving up dairy didn’t put an end to my symptoms. The symptoms I have aren’t near as bad as when I did eat dairy, but they’re still there.

Now, I’m giving up gluten. I will admit – I haven’t done any research prior to making this decision. My best friend Jen gave up gluten a month ago and has had phenomenal results – no more tummy troubles, weight loss, inches lost. She says she’s never felt better. That intrigued me…

I started yesterday. I bought the book Wheat Belly (the same book that convinced Jen to go gluten free) and I’m already amazed at the statistics, the science, and the success behind going gluten free.

My other problem – acne. I’ve read in multiple places that wheat consumption can be linked to acne problems. I’m hoping that going gluten free will also aid in clearing up my skin – I’m not going to make any changes to my skin care routine for at least a month, to see if this helps with that also.

I can’t wait to continue with this journey/experiment and see where I end up. I would love to finally be free of stomach problems, and if this just so happens to help me reach my weight goal, even better!

Are you gluten free? Do you know anyone that is? What are your thoughts on this?

Dec 6 2012

Losing Weight: How I’m Doing It

Posted on December 6, 2012 by runcupcake

Back in late October I wrote about how I was joining an 8-week weight loss challenge hosted by a fellow Rhody Blogger. Since then the challenge has been extended until the New Year to keep everyone accountable through both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But even more exciting than that is that since November 1st I had lost 7 pounds!

I started at 141 pounds, with a goal weight of 130 pounds. Only 4 pounds to go! Woohoo!

Today I am going to share with you just how I am doing it.

1) Eating LOTS of fruits and veggies. I’ve been including fruits and veggies in EVERY meal and every snack. It makes a difference in satiation. I’m trying to get everyone I know involved too – I shared a big bowl of veggies and hummus with my friend Claudia the other night and I made this beautiful veggie tray for my birthday party, and the entire thing went!

2) Massive amounts of H2O and tea. I have a 32 oz water bottle that I fill a couple of times per day while I’m at work. At home I drink lots of tea (decaf) and also use a 22 oz mason jar for my water.

3) More plant and grain based proteins. I already rarely eat red meat and pork, but I’ve cut back on the amount of meat I’m eating in general. Last week I made quinoa with grape tomatoes sautéed in garlic and served it with a wrap spread with hummus stuffed with spring mix. I also made homemade rice and beans, which lasted me almost the entire week.

I’ve even found myself being more careful when I eat out – I ordered eggplant parmigiana (not the best I know, but could be worse), a turkey/portabella burger, sweet potato instead of regular fries (hey, no judging!). I ate almost entirely vegetarian last week!

4) Switching up the workouts. I haven’t done much of the same stuff in my workouts at all lately. I’ve been lifting, I’ve been running, I’ve been spinning, I’ve been doing yoga. But none of these workouts have been the same “flavor” at all! I ran a ladder workout on the treadmill, I ran a 5k, I did a leg workout with a coworker unlike any I’ve done before, my yoga instructor changes stuff up every week, and RPM was taught by a different instructor this past week so it was a release I had never taken! Plus I’ve been rearranging furniture, moving boxes, walking the dog, you name it! And I live on the second floor so I have no choice but to use the stairs – a lot. Especially on laundry day.

Here’s a bit more of a look into what I’ve been eating lately:

So there you have it! My way to successfully shed weight during the holiday season!

What secrets do you have to losing weight?

Nov 27 2012

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap, #Elf4Health, & More

Posted on November 27, 2012 by runcupcake

Hey everyone! I hope you all survived the weekend. It was sure tough getting back into the swing of my crazy schedule, but I managed and even got a butt kicker workout in too! I’m going to start with a photographic recap of Thanksgiving weekend and we’ll go from there!

Phew! These pics range from Thursday morning’s Turkey Trot 5k (Not a PR, but pretty damn good considering how little I’ve been running…) to food and treats (and a worn out pup) at my grandparents house, then of course my fave score from Black Friday shopping with mom, to food prep for a big birthday party I had at my apartment on Saturday night. What a weekend! Needless to say I was in bed playing Words With Friends by 8:30 on Sunday!

Moving on…

Yesterday was the official kick off of the Elf 4 Health Challenge. Elf 4 Health is an amazing 6 week challenge designed to keep people healthy and motivated throughout the holiday season. Each person is assigned a random partner to keep in contact with every 2 weeks – plus there are daily challenges! Yesterday’s challenge was to go meatless, which I did all day long, and so did my partner Helen from Hevil’s Special Delights.

Breakfast was oatmeal with Peanut Butter & Co Cinnamon Raisin PB, dried cranberries, and banana; lunch was quinoa with garlic sautéed tomatoes and a wrap spread with hummus and filled with spring greens; dinner was homemade Spanish rice and beans. And I am going to share that recipe with you now! I also had an apple and some almonds for my morning and afternoon snacks.

Spanish Rice & Beans

Ingredients:

1 cup rice (your choice – I used organic jasmati)

2 cups water

1/2 yellow pepper & 1/2 red pepper, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium shallot, diced

25 grape tomatoes, halved

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic, minced

Cumin, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, cumin – all to taste

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions. Season with the listed seasonings to your taste (I didn’t measure anything…).

While the rice is cooking, sauté the peppers, celery, shallot, and garlic in about a tablespoon of olive oil. When the veggies are almost to your desired doneness, season more (if desired) and add in tomatoes.

Once the rice is done, add to the pan with the veggies and also add in the beans. Heat until all ingredients are hot.

Makes about 6 servings.

There you have it – a simple, protein and veggie filled, #Meatlessmonday dinner for you!

Today’s challenge is to send a card or handwritten note to a friend. This was easy for me because one of my roommates truly deserved this the most. He’s been here for me all week long while I’ve been recovering from the breakup – making sure I’m eating and taking care of myself, through to guarding my phone for me so I didn’t text drunk during the birthday party (yes, I admit, I had a few too many), to helping me walk Lexi at 2 a.m., then hanging with me to chat and have brunch Sunday morning while recovering from the aforementioned party. I knew from the moment I saw today’s challenge that he’d be the recipient of my note – so I slipped a card under his door before leaving for work this morning. I love having friends that care so much surround me on a daily basis!

Phew, that was a lot of stuff for one post… How was your Thanksgiving/weekend?!

Nov 13 2012

Rainy Day Intervals & Chili

Posted on November 13, 2012 by runcupcake

Ick. It is a hella ugly day out there. But I won’t let that get me down! Kevin’s back so I’m super happy that I have tonight off and he gets out of work at 6:30. Date night in with dinner and a movie? Yes, please! Especially since we both work late the rest of the week and won’t be able to spend much time together until the weekend.

Yesterday I had already decided to make white chicken chili, and now it seems even more appropriate given the rainy cold weather we’re having (I’m sorry Mother Nature – did I over-celebrate yesterday?). I posted this pic on Instagram and have already gotten a few recipe requests, so I’ll share that with you at the end of the post.

If you think that looks good, you should really be in the house with me right now – the smell is KILLING me.

Now onto these intervals I mentioned. First of all, I would greatly appreciate a big round of applause because I dragged my butt to the gym on MY DAY OFF (IN THE RAIN!) just to run. And do some ab work too… crazy, right? Anyway, enough of me talking about how proud I am of myself (wait, isn’t that what blogging is all about…) – here’s what I did:

I said above that I can’t remember the last time I ran intervals – so I went back through my Daily Mile account and checked. It was August. YIKES! Well I’m proud to say that I survived this run very well – I almost quit after 4, but decided that I am NOT A QUITTER! And finished the 6. Phew. My shin actually seems okay too – and just to ward off any not-okay-ness my legs are resting peacefully in their favorite pink compression socks!

Now I know you’ve heard enough about the run and you’re wondering “When the hell is she going to just get to the recipe already?”

Here it is, White Chicken Chili. Adapted from this Food Network recipe . This is enough food to fill a 7 quart crock pot, so probably at least 8-10 servings (we don’t cook small around here…).

I just tasted this, made a few tweaks, and I do believe that it will be delicious!!!!

How do you motivate yourself to workout on days like today?

Have you ever made white chicken chili?

May 21 2012

Manic Monday

Posted on May 21, 2012 by runcupcake

I know I know, totally cliché – but totally true. I feel like I’ve been in a whirlwind all day! But we’re not going to let that get us down now are we?

Let’s talk about what I am currently loving on this Monday, shall we?

1) My new training plan. I took a training plan from Runner’s World, and I’m going to follow the basic concept. I’m going to look at some of the Hal Higdon plans – and probably do a combination of the two. Either way, this will be the plan I follow that gets me through the Jamestown Half, the Rock N Roll Providence Half, and Chicago. I start tomorrow with an easy 4 miler (10ish pace).

2) Beach weather. I took Lexi to the beach on Saturday. Turns out she’s not a fan of the ocean. I don’t think she’s my dog Winking smile I can’t blame her though, the water temps right now are around 59 degrees. Brr. It felt so nice to walk barefoot down the beach though, oh how I love summer!

3) Simple homemade recipes. Homemade rice pilaf – recipe to follow later in the week/weekend.

4) Passing the NASM Certified Personal Trainer practice exam on the first try. This is a giant confidence booster. Post-practice exam I went through and read up on the stuff I didn’t know well, and even made some flash cards. I have so many flash cards now:

5) My last week of reception duties at my job. I move into the new position next Tuesday. I’m embracing it for now, while I continue to search elsewhere (hello Saucony, I’m looking at you!).

What are YOU loving this Monday? Have anything exciting going on like trainer exams and job transfers? Tell me all about it!

May 19 2012

Just Call Me Grace

Posted on May 19, 2012 by runcupcake

Today has started out MUCH better than yesterday did! Let me back up a bit though…

Thursday night I went out for my friend Jen’s birthday. What originally started as dinner turned into dinner and drinks at the pub down the street from her house.

Isn’t she adorable?

The pub we go to is so cool, they have a beer club, and for every tier in the club you reach (they track which beers you drink, and give you a list of what’s left to try) you get prizes! I think it’s going to take me a while to get a prize – especially because they serve pumpkin beer year round and I just can’t resist:

Needless to say I didn’t make it very far into my list because I had to drive, and it was a work night. That didn’t stop us from staying at the bar until 1 a.m. – whoopsy!

So yesterday morning when I got up at 6:30 a.m. I was DEAD. So dead in fact that I slipped and fell down the stairs. That’ll wake you up.

I managed to get up and stumble my way into the kitchen – that was a hard fall, I felt so sick suddenly I had to sit down. It was then I noticed my pinky and was immediately convinced I had broken my finger:

It’s hard to tell from the pic, but the bottom half of my pinky is twice it’s normal size. That, a stiff neck, and a bruised/scraped up elbow seem to be the worst of my injuries. Thanks to my parents for taking care of me by giving me juice for my stomach and ice for my finger!

4 1/2 hours of sleep will do that to ya. Luckily I didn’t hurt any running muscles. I’m a bit stiff this morning, but I’m sure that’ll loosen up once I start moving around.

*********************************************************************

In other news, you guys know how much I love Saucony, right? I certainly blab on and on about my Kinvara’s enough (not to mention all of their clothing that I own)! Well, I ~~stalk~~ browse their career sight on a weekly basis, hoping and praying they’ll have an opening that I am qualified for.

GUESS WHAT? Yesterday, I found one. Everyone send good vibes, cross your fingers, do a little “new job” dance, or whatever else you may want to do for me. I would do just about anything to work for Saucony. Getting my foot in the door with a position that I am well qualified for would be a fantastic start to a dream come true!

(And, being the complete geek that I am, I tweeted that I had found/applied for this position and the peeps behind Saucony’s twitter account FAVORITED it. Perhaps that is a good sign?)

*********************************************************************

I realize this is a totally random all over the place post but I have to tell you guys about one more thing:

I’ve also tried the apple turnover one and it is equally amazing.

I gave my mom the Cherry Cobbler one to try and she said it’s deeeeeeeeeliscious!

If you can get your hands on these, do it. They’re fruity, they’re nutty, they’re a perfect snack! Thanks Larabar for sending these my way!

************************************************************************

Okay, that’s enough random rambling for a Saturday morning. I’m taking Lexi to the beach today – she’s never been, and it’s going to be a beautiful day!

Have a great Saturday my friends!

Running and Cupcakes

One Girl's Journey Through Life: One Step and One (Mostly) Healthy Meal at a Time

Category Archives: Food

Joe’s American Bar & Grill–My Gluten Free Experience

What I Ate Wednesday: Taco Rice

Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning on a Budget

Going Gluten Free

Losing Weight: How I’m Doing It

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap, #Elf4Health, & More

Rainy Day Intervals & Chili

Manic Monday

Just Call Me Grace

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: