Showdown to the Shutdown

A little over two days to go until the federal government will shutdown. Technically, because the house passed a 72-hour rule any budget that was to be voted on should have been presented by midnight last night (Tuesday). As of now, we, meaning the fed employees, haven’t heard that much from our higher ups about what’s going on. As we continue to pour through news articles, blogs, and posts, we have received one email from the Administrator today followed by a request from our immediate supervisors for our at home non work contact information. Even if there is a government shutdown, we’ll still have to come in Monday morning to get the official paperwork. So we’re basically waiting it out to see what happens.

In other news we finally finished level 1 of the 30 day shred… definitely can tell a difference since we started it, but now we’ll have to go from ground zero all over again because of moving to level 2. We were supposed to start this morning but we slept in- just feel really worn down today for some reason. I think we may just take today off from exercising- bad I know, especially because it appears to be sunny out, but sometimes you just need a break. We can start back into it tomorrow. I’d really like to continue with the working out in the morning (doing shred) and then going for a run in the evening– I have yet to be that awake/with it to do both of those things, but I would like to! Perhaps tomorrow I can try it out.

Tonight we’re doing burgers and roasted wedges- we had plain whole wheat pasta with artichokes and spicy tomato-basil sauce last night. Because I may be furloughed and we’re not sure for how long, we’ve planned out a budget in the event that I am not working for two weeks. I highly doubt we’ll go that long (fingers crossed) but we are prepared anyway. Setting up the budget together has been the best idea we’ve had so far– we have a joint emergency fund that makes me at least feel a lot  more comfortable about things. In addition, I have a separate savings account just to pay off my loan in June- I’ve been putting money into it (including my tax returns and what not). I should be ok paying it off– it’s $3500… eeks! But once it’s gone, I will have less than $3000 in student loans left. AWESOME! Of course if I go back to school I’ll probably need a loan- I wish I wouldn’t, but probably will. blah- loans are overrated! I’m hoping that I can get my work to pay for a class or two in the upcoming year but we’ll have to see how it goes.

Ok, short post today :0)  I’ll catch you later!

Broccoli, Artichoke, and Tomato Pasta Sauce

My phone is gone, so until I get a new one (this weekend) no pictures, sorry!

Ingredients:
1 Head of Broccoli (about 2 cups), cut into bite-size pieces
1 Can of Artichokes in Water, drained
2C of Cherry Tomatoes, rinsed
2t Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning

Steps
1. Dice the garlic cloves us and add to a medium-sized frying pan with the olive oil. Put the pan over medium heat.
2. When the garlic becomes very fragrant and just begins to brown, add the broccoli
3. Allow the broccoli to cook until soft, about 10 minutes. If the pan dries out, add about 1/4C of water and cover to promote cooking without additional olive oil.
4. Once broccoli has softened, add the cherry tomatoes and cook until soft and breaking down (about 10 minutes). Stir every so often to help fuel the breakdown.
5. While tomatoes are cooking, dice up the artichoke hearts. When tomatoes are done, add the artichokes in along with the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and any other desired spices.
6. Cook until warmed all the way through. Spread on top of pasta.

Enjoy!

PP: 1     Serving Size: 1/2 the recipe

Homemade Basil Pesto Sans Pine Nuts

Homemade Basil Pesto Sans Pine Nuts
We really enjoy pesto and decided to try to make some of our own since the types in the store are completely oil and very high calorie/fat/etc wise. This version of pesto sauce does not use any pine or other nut. We used the amount of sauce this recipe made with about 1lb. of pasta. It gave the pasta a light flavor which, when coupled with artichokes was simply delicious. You could easily increase the pesto-pasta ratio if you are aiming for a stronger taste.

Fresh Basil in a Food Processor

Ingredients:
2C Fresh Basil, stems removed
1/2 Lemon
2T Olive Oil
1-2 Cloves Garlic (garlic powder will work if you’re in a bind)
Salt and Pepper

Steps:
1.Place the basil in a food processor along with the juice of the lemon. Process until basil is well chopped up. This may require stopping to scrape down the edges of the processor bowl a few times (does not have to be perfect).
2. When basil is chopped to specified size, add in garlic, salt and pepper. Process until well mixed.
3. 1/2 Tablespoon by 1/2 Tablespoon, add olive oil to the basil mix, pausing to blend between each 1/2T.
4. Once all olive oil has been added, blend for about 10 more seconds. Scrape down the sides of the processor and mix pesto.
5. Add pesto to whatever dish you are eating. Enjoy!

 

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1/4C

Notes: We mixed this pesto (1 recipe’s worth) into 1lb. pasta and served 2 cups of pasta (we were really hungry) per serving. We also tossed in some quartered artichoke hearts. The final product was an amazing healthy pasta dish. You could easily use less oil than this recipe but it wouldn’t make as much. We used all the basil we had, otherwise we probably would have put more in there! You could also add in some Parmesan cheese to mix things up!

Pasta with Artichokes and Carrots

Last night was Day 4 of “environmentally responsible” eating… aka no meat that isn’t local and grass-fed, what have you.  I’m amazed that I was able to make it this long without meat. I miss it a lot but the meals we’ve been making have been fantastic. Last night’s menu was pasta and salad. The salad I made was similar to one I made before (post further down). The salad had romaine lettuce, pieces of baguette, tomato, fresh mozzarella and then a dressing of olive oil mixed with garlic and Italian seasoning. The pasta was made with the following ingredients: olive oil, pasta, lemon juice, artichokes, carrots, red chili pepper flakes, garlic, fresh thyme, Italian seasoning, and salt.

To make:

1. Make pasta according to box directions (just water and pasta- we made about 1 lb.)

2. Peel and dice as many carrots as you’d like to add (we used four large). Place carrots in a skillet with about 1/2 C of water. Cover and cook until slightly softened. Drain any excess water and return skillet to stove.

3. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add along with 2t of olive oil to the skillet with the carrots. Mix and allow to cook on low for 5 mins.

4. While garlic/carrots are cooking, slice artichokes into slivers. Add to the skillet along with the rest and stir well.

5. Clean pieces of thyme off (we used about 3T fresh thyme) and add to the skillet along with 2T of lemon juice.

6. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and a few shakes of red chili pepper flakes.

7. When veggies are to desired taste, toss with pasta. When ready to serve, spoon pasta into bowls and sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves: This made about 12 Cups of Pasta, so- 12- 1 Cup Servings

Check In: Thursday

So, now that I have covered some background and set-up in my previous posts, let’s get to today. Andrew and I have been trying to eat more “Environmentally responsibly” so we cut out meat this week and decided that when we cook meals, we will try to eat only local or sustainably raised foods (aka we will be getting meat at the farmer’s market). It’s been interesting. Today marks Day 4 of no meat. This is the longest I have ever gone without eating meat…it’s crazy, but it’s not as bad as I thought (don’t tell Andrew that). This week’s menu can be found here.

Dinner Tonight: Pasta with Artichokes and Carrots and a Side Salad (Maybe Garlic Bread)

Yesterday we attempted to run 2.5 miles. We ended up doing about 2.65 miles according to my Garmin watch. We got slightly lost and it was dark out and we turned the wrong way. That would have been all fine and dandy except the hills. OH MY GOD, the hills. Awful. This hill was horrendous and terrible and huge and I had to walk up it and it made me so sad to have to do that! Oh well, what can I ask for? I’ve only been re-running for 1.5 weeks! I completed the 2.65 regardless and burned over 360 calories, so I’m satisfied.

Today’s Exercise: Today, I’m planning on running just a mile or so. Andrew and I are going to try to do a long run on Saturday and we ran hard last night, so we’ll do a short run tonight and a walk tomorrow and then a long run Saturday. I think we’ll aim at 2.5 miles again. Next week and we can push up the mileage!

I’m following a couple challenges on the WW boards; they deal with APs by Thanksgiving, 21 continuous days on plan and goal weight lost by Christmas. So far, so good…

OP2OVERCOME: 3/21 days in C1 (cycle 1).

4WEEKS2THANKS: 26/50 Activity Points

90DAYS”MYWAY”: 5.9/15 pounds lost