Great Success!

Last night Erik and I did the P90x “Plyometrics” workout, which as you might know is the very same routine that broke Erik’s jaw. It was actually a really great workout, and this time we were very cautious. After our P90x sweat-fest, we started making dinner!

Erik started cooking the chicken while I was de-sweatifying, which was awesome ( I love it when we cook together!). Here is the recipe:.

Coconut Chicken Chili
Ingredients
12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 14-oz. can coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 15- to 19-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 medium green onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• Hot cooked rice
• Fresh basil and sliced jalapeños (optional)

Directions
1. In large saucepan cook chicken, onion, chili powder, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the cayenne pepper in hot oil over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more. Stir in coconut milk, peanut butter, and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in beans, carrots, celery, green onion, garlic, and chopped basil. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with rice. Top with basil leaves and sliced jalapeños.

Makes 4 (1-3/4-cup) servings.

Nutrition Facts (not including rice)
• Calories 401.2,
• Total Fat (g)25,
• Saturated Fat (g)17.1,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g)1.8,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1,
• Cholesterol (mg)48.8,
• Sodium (mg)269.7,
• Carbohydrate (g)23.9,
• Total Sugar (g)2.3,
• Fiber (g)6.6,
• Protein (g)25.1,

I was reading some reviews of this recipe and they said that if you want to reduce the fat, carbs, and calories, you can use coconut water instead of coconut milk.

The recipe, which I found in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, required the chicken to be coated with the spices and cooked prior to adding the sauce, and this is what the chicken looked like:

I think we will use these spices as a rub in the future when we grill our chicken. We put the rice in the rice cooker and let it do its thing while we finished making the rest of the chili. WW points w/ 1/2 cup of rice = appox. 11. I think the actual amount of points were really less than that, because I don’t think we used 12 oz of chicken. Here is the final product:

Delish!

Breakfast this morning consisted of some honey nut cheerios, 2% milk, half a banana and come coffee. WW points = 5

I packed leftover coconut chicken chili for Erik with some yummy snacks and for myself I packed, a buffalo chicken sandwich, carrots, wheat thins, an apple, and of course Chobani (Strawberry) Greek Yogurt.

Buffalo chicken sandwich w/ Fat free cheese, lettuce, tomato, small amount of avocado, small amount of mayo, on Pepperidge Farm Light 7-grain bread WW points = approx. 5, most of the time I like to round up the points, just to be sure, especially when I calculate the points myself. Wheat thins WW points = 3 for a serving.

Tonight’s workout for me is P90x’s “Cardio” and for Erik its the “Back & Biceps” workout. I bought Erik a weighted vest, to increase his resistance when he does the muscle building routines, I will let you know tomorrow how that worked out, along with a picture :).

As for dinner tonight it’s another Better Homes and Garden’s recipe, Humus Crusted Chicken. I can’t wait!

Have a great day everyone!

Spicing up our blog-life

Hey guys! So I’ve decided to change our blog up a bit. I want to add a little spice to the blog, I’m not really sure if anyone will care, or read, but its fun for me so I will try it out and see how it goes. A lot of my friends are doing weight watchers, (I use their point system as a guideline too), so I figure I would put my calculated WW points along with the recipes/foods. I am not by any means a nutritionist, I just simply want to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle. So here goes:

I think I am a bit slow on the delish greek yogurt train but thanks to my friend Kirstie, I am now in love with Chobani Greek Yogurt. It is so good for you too, so much better for you than a sugar filled yogurt :) WW points: 3. Today I had the peach flavor:

Last night for dinner I made some yummy Greek-Spinach Veggie Burgers! The recipe made 4 patties so Erik and I took the other two for lunch today.

I put the patty on a whole Wheat hamburger bun, topped it with a tomato, feta cheese crumbles, and some plain non-fat yogurt. Next time I make these I will use a fat-free feta, to reduce the calories, but as is they are super yummy. Here is the recipe:

Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

· 1/4 cup olive oil

· 1 clove garlic, minced

· 1 tsp. dried italian seasoning

· 1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix

· 2 eggs, lightly beaten

· 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

· 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (2 oz.)

· 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split and toasted

· Toppers such as crumbled feta cheese, plain yogurt, sliced roasted red peppers, and/or sliced red onion (optional)

Directions

1. In medium bowl combine oil, garlic, oregano, dillweed, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Stir in stuffing mix to coat thoroughly. Stir in egg, spinach, and 1/2 cup crumbled feta; mix well. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

2. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned and heated through.

3. Serve in buns with assorted toppers. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Calories367, ;Total Fat (g)18, ;Saturated Fat (g)4, ;Monounsaturated Fat (g)11, ;Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2, Cholesterol (mg)13, ; Sodium (mg)732, ; Carbohydrate (g)36, ; Total Sugar (g)6, ;Fiber (g)4, ;Protein (g)13,

Vitamin C (DV%)2, ;Calcium (DV%)27, ;Iron (DV%)18, ;Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Tonight for dinner I will be making Coconut chicken chili. I will let you know how that goes tomorrow.

Snowboarding Adventure!

This past Saturday, Erik, Sunny, Diana, James, Mari, Gilbert and I went to Whitetail to go snowboarding. This was my first attempt at any snow related activity (other than shoveling and sledding), and I loved it! I want to thank everyone who went for helping me learn, and being very patient with me. It really helped make this experience amazing. We drove up to whitetail around 8am, and by 10am we were on the slopes. I was very nervous, but like I said before everyone was so helpful, it was very easy to calm down. Sunny is putting together a movie of our snowboarding adventures, and when he has finished it, I will attempt to put it up on here. In the meantime, above is a picture of everyone (except me) Saturday before their last run. I was not in this picture, because after 7 hours, I was toast. They went up for one last run on a blue slope, while I sat and drank some yummy hot chocolate.

Jaw Update 4.0

This just in!

Erik went to the doctor today and got his wires AND screws taken out!

Now he may eat as he pleases :) YESSSS!

I have a feeling this is going to be a big fatty weekend :)

Jaw Update 3.0

Erik had another appointment today.... He has to have his jaw wired for 2 more weeks.... at least.... the doctor said that his jaw wasn't completely healed.

So 2 more weeks (at least) with the wires on... then another at least 2 more weeks with the rubber bands until his muscles gain strength.

We will update on Feb. 10, after his appointment.

Stay tuned

13 Books in 2011

So in 2010, I read 12 books, and this year I have made my goal to read at least 13 books. I know that sounds a bit ambitious, btu I think I can do it. Here is the list of books I read in 2010
2010
1. The Time Traveler’s Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
2. Dear John- Nicolas Sparks (276 Pages)
3. House Rules-Jodi Picoult (532 Pages)
4. Bed of Roses- Nora Roberts (368 pages)
5. The Lucky One- Nicolas Sparks (352 pages)
6. Savor the Moment- Nora Roberts (352 pages)
7. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia – Elizabeth Gilbert (352 Pages)
8. Something Borrowed- Emily Griffin (352 Pages)
9. Something Blue- Emily Griffin (368 Pages)
10. Baby Proof- Emily Griffin (368 Pages)
11. Love the one you’re with- Emily Griffin (368 Pages)
12. The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold (368 pages)

Here is the list of books I have yet to read. Of these 70 books I plan on reading 13 of them. I made a list on amazon of the books I want for my kindle, which I got for christmas this year from Erik :)

So here is my 2011 list:

2011
1. Commited- Elizabeth Gilbert (279 Pages)
2. Safe Haven- Nicolas Sparks
3. The Inner Circle- Bret Meltzer (449 Pages)
4. Water for Elephants- Sara Gruen
5. Heart of the Matter- Emily Griffin (384 Pages)
6. Wicked- Gregory Maguire (538 pages)
7. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson (608 pages)
8. The Sun Also Rises- Earnest Hemingway (251 pages)
9. Friday Night Knitting Club- Kate Jacobs (384 pages)
10. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet- Jamie Ford (320 pages)
11. Learning to Think- Peter White (328 pages)
12. The Road- Cormac McCarthy
13. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams (224 pages)
14. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe- Douglas Adams (256 pages)
15. Life, the Universe and Everything- Douglas Adams (240 pages)
16. So long, and Thanks for all the Fish- Douglas Adams (224 pages)
17. Mostly Harmless- Douglas Adams (240 pages)
18. Happy Ever After- Nora Roberts (320 pages) (November 2010 Release)
19. Sing you Home-Jodi Picoult (Released March 2011)
20. Cross Fire- James Patterson
21. Heroes for my Son- Brad Meltzer
22. The Zero Game- Brad Meltzer
23. Dead Even- Brad Meltzer
24. The Tenth Justice- Brad Meltzer
25. The Book of Fate- Brad Meltzer
26. The Book of Lies- Brad Meltzer
27. The First Counsel- Brad Meltzer
28. The Millionaires- Brad Meltzer
29. Knit Two- Kate Jacobs (336 pages)
30. Vanishing Acts- Jodi Picoult (448 pages)
31. Knit the Season: A Friday night knitting club Novel- Kate Jacobs (272 pages)
32. Second Glance- Jodi Picoult (448 pages)
33. Perfect Match- Jodi Picoult (368 pages)
34. Salem Falls- Jodi Picoult (464 pages)
35. Message in a Bottle- Nicolas Sparks (352 pages)
36. Keeping Faith- Jodi Picoult (448 pages)
37. The Rescue- Nicolas Sparks (339 pages)
38. The Girl who played with Fire- Stieg Larsson (630 pages)
39. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest- Stieg Larsson (576 pages)
40. Son of a Witch- Gregory Maguire (352 Pages)
41. The Pact- Jodi Picoult (416 pages)
42. A Bend in the Road- Nicolas Sparks (352 pages)
43. Mercy- Jodi Picoult (416 pages)
44. Nights in Rodanthe- Nicolas Sparks (240 pages)
45. Picture Perfect- Jodi Picoult (384 pages)
46. The Alchemist- Paulo Coehlo (208 pages)
47. A Lion among Men- Gregory Maguire (336 pages)
48. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies- Jane Austen/ Seth Grahame-Smith (320 pages)
49. The Wedding- Nicolas Sparks (304 pages)
50. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister- Gregory Maguire (384 pages)
51. Harvesting the Heart- Jodi Picoult (464 pages)
52. Three Weeks with my Brother- Nicolas Sparks (368 pages)
53. Songs of the Humpback Whale- Jodi Picoult (352 pages)
54. Lost- Gregory Maguire (352 pages)
55. The Guardian- Nicolas Sparks (384 pages)
56. The Blind Side- Michael Lewis (352 pages)
57. True Believer- Nicolas Sparks (480 pages)
58. At First Sight- Nicolas Sparks (352 pages)
59. Mirror, Mirror- Gregory Maguire (320 pages)
60. The Choice- Nicolas Sparks (336 pages)
61. Three Cups of Tea- Greg Mortenson (349 pages)
62. Just take my heart- Mary Higgins (416 pages)
63. The last child- John Hart (432 pages)
64. Look Again- Lisa Scottoline (416 pages)
65. Olive Kitteridge- Elizabeth Strout (304 pages)
66. The Shack- William P. Young (272 pages)
67. And Another Thing- Eoin Colfer (288 pages)
68. The Art of Racing in the Rain- (336 pages)
69. MENNONITE IN A LITTLE BLACK DRESS, by Rhoda Janzen (272 pages)

70. Di Vinci Code- Dan Brown

Jaw Update 2.0

Erik went into the oral surgeon today, because the wires were hurting him, and the surgeon said that his jaw needs 2 more weeks to heal :( So he cancelled his appointment next Thursday, and made a new one for Jan. 27.

We hope that his jaw will have healed by then, please pray!

Jaw Update!

Erik had his appointment this morning, and I just got off the phone with him. The surgeon likes to see his patients a week after surgery to make sure they are comfortable, and eating. The surgeon told him to come back in two weeks (Jan. 20) and they would take another scan and if all looks good, they will take the wires off, and replace them with rubber bands. This means that he will be able to start eating soft foods! He will probably have to have the rubber bands on for another two weeks or so, but we won’t know until the appointment at the end of January.

Update on the guy who decided not to get his jaw wired shut when he first broke it: He now has a raging infection and has to have three teeth pulled. They have to also go in and completely clean out the infection and start over with the wiring and what not.

Lets just say, thank goodness we decided to go ahead with the jaw wiring when we did.

P90X is Dangerous!

Well for those of you who don’t know, last week, Erik and I were working out in our basement, and Erik slipped on a towel and fell on his jaw. We went to the ER, and they took a CT scan, and we found how he fractured his jaw *sad*. He also had a “second mouth” as I like to call it, on his chin. He got 15 stitches, on that, and we went to the oral surgeon the following morning to figure out what we were going to do about his jaw. They told us he had to get his jaw wired shut for 2-4 weeks.

We were heavily debating this for various reasons, until he told us a story about a guy who came in with a fractured jaw, and decided not to get his jaw wired shut. Long story short, he ended up coming back a few days later in excruciating pain, and when they looked at the new scan, he had completely broken his jaw, and was now misaligned. After hearing that story we decided to go ahead with the surgery and get his jaw wired shut.

He was in pain for a few days, but other than the fact that he can’t eat solid foods, he is doing really well. I have been making some yummy soups, so if anyone has any soup recipes they like to share please send them my way. He has an appointment this Wednesday, so I will update after the appointment.

Long overdue- London August 2010

Horrible blogging family! I am sure by now you have all seen our pictures on facebook from our trip to London and Ireland this past August. I warn you this will be a long bloggy, but I will break it up into sections of our trip to make it a bit easier to follow. This entry is just London, I will post the Ireland part soon.

London

Well we flew into Hethrow and were greeted by my 2 aunts and 2 uncles. This was the first time Erik got to meet my aunt and uncle from Iran, I hadn’t seen either of them in 7 years, so I obviously cried when I hugged my aunt :) After a long nap at my aunt’s house we headed out to see the city. It was quite the long day, we walked around London and got to see Big Ben, House of Parliament, and the London Eye.

My cousin Farnaz, was doing some sweet karate moves with this weirdo on side of the road. We tried to take a video of it but we were too late.

There were a lot of street entertainers along our 3-4 hour walk to find a place called Nando’s. My cousins Parsa and Kian said that we just HAD to try Nando’s. So we walked... and walked... and walked... a few hours later we found the Nando’s and finally sat down to eat! It was definitely worth the wait.

After Nando’s we walked across the bridge that is featured in Harry Potter to the train station where we headed back to my Aunt’s house to rest up for the next day.

The next day my cousin Farnaz had the day off so she took us shopping on Oxford street. That place was INSANE. We need a lot of walking all day, going from shop to shop. We were mainly window shopping because everything is so much more expensive in Europe but we did go to a place called Primark. This is where we did most of our shopping, because the prices here were amazing. That night we went on a walking tour of all the places “Jack the Ripper” committed his murders. It was a really cool experience, and a bit creepy, ok it was really creepy, but I am really glad we got to do it.

The next day we headed out again to the British Museum. They had some really cool Iranian artifacts and we got to learn a bit about ancient Iran. After we walked through the Iranian exhibit we went to the ancient Egyptian exhibit. They had ACTUAL mummies there, like with real people inside them, I mean they were dead, but regardless there was actually a dead human inside the displays. Ew

Then we walked to Covent Garden Market, which is most similar to eastern market here in DC. We saw a guy playing the “Du Xian Qin” a Chinese musical instrument. It consisted of just ONE string, and he was playing some of the most beautiful music.

We then stopped and sat to watch a street show. It was performed by 2 brothers, it was a very entertaining performance. They had some crazy funny British humor, and they did really cool tricks. The one guy ( who was really tall) even did some crazy limbo.

The next day we went to Oxford, England to pick up my other cousin Farzam. We had to stop at the outlet mall on our way to Oxford, but when we got to Oxford we walked around and saw a bit of the University. The dork that I am thought this next picture was really awesome!

The following morning we set off for the weekend to a place called Center parcs which was a place full of small cabins in the middle of nowhere. But before we went we had to stop at the Costco to go food shopping. The lady at the cash register was amazed that we had 13 people there.

It was a very long drive but when we got there, we realized it was well worth it. They had a central building where they had a bunch of water slides and pools, and different sports activities. When we got there we went straight to the pool area, and rode the “rapids” water slide about 200 times, seriously. haha. The boys played paintball one morning while us ladies went to the Spa! Oh boy was the spa wonderful. It consisted of a series of different steam rooms and saunas. It was so relaxing, and it was really great to spend time with the ladies. We ate a lot and rode our bikes (which we rented) all around the park. It was a wonderful weekend.

Monday morning we left early with my cousin Farzam, and headed back to London, while the family spent the day at Center Parcs. When we got back to London, Erik and I went back into the city. We went to the London Bridge, which was really cool and HUGE.

Then took the train to Buckingham Palace, which was completely closed in by really tall walls, so we didn’t actually get to see the Palace. Then we took a nice walk over to Hyde Park. The park was really beautiful, but we were so exhausted we didn’t walk around the park. We then headed back to my aunt’s house and spent the rest of the day with my family. We left the next morning (verrrry early) for IRELAND! Ireland blog to be posted soon.. Stay Tuned :)