I spent the early morning cooking up tonight’s dinner. The catch 22 about making dinner everyday is that I hate cooking when I’m tired and hungry late in the day, but cooking in the morning – right after breakfast – when not hungry isn’t terribly appealing. But once I get going on a meal in the morning, I actually really enjoy cooking so much more than I do later on.
Hence all the progress photos! Morning light is so much better, and I’m not in a rush to eat, so I don’t mind pausing for a photograph. It’s too bad all hot dinners can’t be made this way….
Recipe coming tonight : )
I walked to Body Pump and back after doing the dishes. I have given up on the bar and am exclusively using free weights these days. The bar is just a little too heavy and awkward to manage with the weight level I use (10 lbs on each side) so it’s just easier for me to get two 10 pounder free weights and do it that way. It’s a slightly different effect, but the same burn.
Back home, when I opened the fridge to get out some eggs to hard-boil, I realized we had a portion of leftover lasagna that needed demolishing. Along with some angel hair pasta. So I whipped …dinner for lunch!
I added some cottage cheese to the angel hair to amp up the protein. It kind of melted away in the microwave, but I actually enjoyed it that way!
Big salad on the side – dressed simply in olive oil, honey and salt. Fresh, fresh lettuce!
There’s something about having the AC on that reminds me of being in high school. Perhaps even better pinpointed to the summer before I went to college. Something about the air right now reminds me of dorm room shopping…
And with that, I’m out to run errands!
{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
am I the only person who sees a big salad and thinks about Elaine from “Seinfeld”???
“I just want the BIG salad”
I am not familiar with that quote : )
You are not the only one! I think of it every time I eat salad! And its hard not to chuckle at restaurants when I ask if I can order just a big salad.
The smell of AC in some stairwells of big buildings always reminds me of my college dorm room too. Brings back so many memories! Looks like a great lunch- yum
Ooh all the colours look so vibrant! I agree- morning cooking is better, for both light and for hunger purposes. When I get home from work, all I want is for dinner to be ready, but if I am able to prep it in the mid-morning after I’ve already got a meal in me (which only happens on weekends) it turns out so much better!
The mystery dinner looks yummy. Do I see chickpeas and lemon juice? Mmm!
Your dinner looks like what I just made myself for lunch. Beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, cheese, seasoning – but instead of couscous or whatever that is in the pot, I put mine on toasted tortilla wedges. Peach on the side.
I love when leftovers make an easy lunch. Looks delish!
I love that idea of cooking dinner early, I might try that when I’m off a full time schedule and back to a student schedule!
I find that is so true for me as well…summertime has a way of elicited so many distinct childhood/teenage year memories for me – from certain fragrances, scenes, experiences, temperatures, etc. I wonder if it’s b/c our senses are so much more heightened this time of year.
We’re enjoying perfect low – mid 80′s and sunshine which remains in forecast for the next several days, and I am just squealing with joy! Hope it’s as beautiful in your corner of the world!
I love being able to wrap up my work by about 4pm and spend my time between 5 and 7pm in the kitchen! It helps me to unwind from the day… I’m looking forward to seeing your dinner recipe later today–it looks yummy from the photos
One of the reasons I cabt photograph all my meals: Way too hungry!
I love having leftover type food….And this is making me want pasta! Good thing I have some pesto pasta in my fridge
I love the smell of the AC in my house
I know that is weird.
I totally know what you mean about “AC smell”
I wondered if you grew up with air conditioning or if your house was pure fresh air cooled in NC? I am already anticipating dinner with grilled chicken and the first local corn on the cob, green beans and tomatoes of the season. YUM. Then Blue Belle Homemade Vanilla ice cream with FRESH blackberries – can’t wait.
We did not have the AC on a lot of the time (and we complained to dad) upstairs, but downstairs we almost always had it on in the TV room. My dad used to turn it off at certain temps – on the warm side. (Dad, do you still have the same temp rules?) But I do think growing up without it a lot of the time conditioned (haha) me to prefer airflow
We don’t use the AC upstairs at all. Instead we use fans and blow out the hot air in the evening and have a fan in the window that blows over the bed for sleeping. Perfectly fine 98% of the time. On extra stifling nights, we might take a cool shower before going to bed.
Nominally, I expect to run the AC downstairs from Memorial to Labor Day. But it gets turned on any day when the temp gets to be ~80 inside, which is usually when it’s ~85 outside.
You didn’t even sleep with the AC on this week when the temps were near 100 during the day!?
Nope, it was pleasantly about 79 upstairs when we hit the sack.
I’m sure you’re aware that subbing 2 10 lb dumbbells is less weight than 2 10 lb plates on the bar, as of course the bar itself adds weight.
Love your lunch, I can’t wait for our lettuce to be ready! Meanwhile I’m still eating salads every day for lunch. My favorite this week is lettuce topped with any leftover veg, plus warmed up black beans which I immediately top with sour cream and salsa, sort of a mock taco salad! Without the meat and chips.
1 pound for the bar I think?
I love cottage cheese in pasta. I do that alot. Sautee up a bunch of veggies and just before they’re finished, I add the cottage cheese. It gets all gooey and melty and cheesey. Then mix it with the pasta. Good cheesiness and protein for not a lot of Points for Weight Watchers. Yummy!
Hi Kath! I just started reading through your blog this week and am really enjoying it. The photos and recipes are fantastic, and I look forward to using some of them as I start making healthier food choices =) I just wanted to leave a quick note for you about “giving up on the bar.” Really, it’s a good thing for your body and will benefit your workouts, since each arm has to do its own work and it engages all your stabilizer muscles, as well as your core. I played volleyball in college and always opted for free weight dumbbells when I could; I found I nearly always had better results.
Have a great day!
Welcome Stacie!
Yay for cottage cheese! It’s my one of my favorite “blank slate” protiens!
I’m just curious, how much weight (total) does your Body Pump bar hold when you weren’t pregnant?
I really don’t even know because it’s all in kg and because I changed the weight for every track, but I had the bar plus two larges and two mediums for a while on the bigger muscles and two larges and two babies for smaller muscles…and just two larges for biceps.
Being creative in the kitchen seems to heighten in the summer for me…the heat brings on the need for cool salads of some sort! I usually make them during the day for supper that night and a few to follow! Switching up the veggies, vinaigrettes, herbs, spices etc can make for such a variety of options! Looking forward to discovering what you just created in your kitchen! Looks mighty tasty!!
I wish dinner was served about 10am because if I could just cook it right after breakfast, like you, it would make life so much easier. I love cooking in the middle of the day. I don’t love starting it at 6pm after a long day and then dishes and cleanup and bathtime and yeah…I hear you!
I rarely go out for breakfast, sometimes go out to lunch and go out to dinner frequently – that should tell us something about our attitudes at the day progresses
I used to always eat noodles (cold) and cottage cheese growing up. Sounds gross but it was such a delicious dinner!
There’s nothing better than leftovers. Easy and delicious! Also, I am all about meal planning and impressed that you and Matt still find the time to make as many homemade meals that you do!
Monster salad takes over plate
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
BodyPump question for you… when you weren’t pregnant, how often did you up your weight for the different tracks? I started ‘pumping’ in Feb. and have gone up in weight on the bar since I first started but at this point it still feels pretty heavy and haven’t upped the weight in awhile….(I do every single rep and try to do as perfect form as possible) For example…bicep track I am still at 20lbs (plus the bar)…back 30lbs, chest 25lbs etc. I feel like I should be adding more weight but keep waiting for it to get easier and it isn’t. (I am doing BodyPump 3 days a week consistently)I feel like if I don’t start adding more weight, I won’t continue to progress. Thanks in advance for any input!
Not that often!! I would say in the beginning I increased pretty frequently, but then like you, I had added a good amount and it was hard every.single.time. Even the thought of adding two babies on the ends was impossible. I was probably at my current weight for about 6 months – although depending on the different releases and tracks, I added more (or sometimes less) if it was a particularly easy or hard track. I still felt like i was getting a good burn though, and I don’t really think it always means you are not getting stronger if you’re not always adding more.
Thanks for your response:)
I’m excited for a new dinner recipe tonight! I would have never though to put cottage cheese on angel hair!
That looks like a nice spot to enjoy a meal. Like your outside but without the bugs and humidity (At least here. I live in South Florida)
I completely agree. I really wish I had time to (leisurely) make dinner every morning, rather than rushing to make it when I’m hot, tired, and hungry at the end of the day!!!
When you say you dress a salad with oil and honey, do you mix it together and pro it over or just drizzle them over? My lettuces are ready now and I want to try
Just drizzle ‘em on! I’m a lazy cook
I have a slow cooker and I use it all the time. I allows me to cook in the morning and have dinner hot and ready by dinner time. So easy and convenient… Maybe you should look into getting one?
I have one, but it’s such a pain to clean and I’m not that confident with recipes that I rarely use it!
Making dinner earlier in the day is such a good idea! I should do that more often since mornings ate usually more calm around here. Cant wait for the recipe!
Can’t wait to see what’s for dinner! Looks good!
Can’t wait for the recipe! The pictures look great!
I am beyond envious of anyone in summer right now. We are freezing our wee butts off over here in NZ. We even had snow (which is not all that usual). As for cooking every day… even though my grandma has done it for at least 60 years now (no retirement for the housewife!), I don’t have the gene. I always make more than I need when I make dinners and freeze large portions of whatever is freezable. That way, on those ‘reeeeeally don’t wanna cook tonight’ (imagine whiny voice please), there is something I can just defrost. Relying on hubby on those days is a bad idea – he has no qualms about pizza or other delivery food. It’s some miracle that he’s still a lean machine..
We are jealous of you in our winter
Hahahaha dorm room shopping indeed! This August will mark my one year anniversary with that
I love smell flashbacks- and the seconds right before you realize what the smell reminds you of- its so satisfying when you do! I was in Ikea the other day and kept getting whiffs of my grandmothers garage- I probably purchased more because of the nostalgia!