Staying Healthy: Eating & Exercise (2/28 – 3/6)

Pancakes made with a little leftover pumpkin puree I found in the freezer, and topped with the last of the cranberry-orange sauce from Monkeypod Jam

Breakfasts here at Chez Aloha are simple, healthy, and satisfying. Brett and I typically don’t eat breakfast at the same time – he usually wakes up ahead of me and eats about an hour earlier than I do, almost always having a bowl of oatmeal with with a banana, no added sugar and only occasionally some dairy. My go-to breakfast is a cup of fruit, either blueberries or papaya, with a half cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt and topped with two tablespoons of Kaua’i-made Anahola granola. I break things up a couple of times a week, usually with a slice of whole grain toast and a poached egg, Every other week I make pancakes for the two of us. We’ve both talking about waffles lately, but we no longer have a waffle maker and don’t intend to buy one. Instead, I have put a cute little waffle maker on my birthday/Mother’s Day wish list this year. I’d love to make a big batch of mini waffles and freeze them so we can pop one in the toaster whenever the desire hits.

The Dash mini waffle maker is only $10.

We had some great dinners this past week, with leftovers consumed for lunch throughout the week. We had gingerbread with lemon curd for our dessert every day, but later this week I’ll be making a Bacardi rum cake again:

We picked up this stir-fry kit (vegetables, sauce, and coconut chips – we added our own chicken) at Costco and will happily buy it again!

Sunday: Thai coconut curry vegetable and chicken stir fry; steamed rice.

The pasta and sauce were a complete meal for us.

Monday: Spaghetti with meat sauce

I add sliced Chinese snow peas and mung bean noodles to kick things up a bit.

Tuesday: Egg Roll In a Bowl

I’m not sure where or when we learned about adding coleslaw to a pulled pork sandwich, but we love it this way.

Wednesday: Barbecue pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw; cucumber spears

Bacon was a great addition to this recipe.

Thursday: Tom Colleccio’s one-pot pasta with bacon

These pizzas would have been even better with a little bit of fresh cilantro, but sadly we didn’t have any on hand this week.

Friday: Leftover barbecue pulled pork mini pizzas

Lessons learned: start with good, vine-ripened tomatoes (which are very had to come by here), and check the broiler frequently. These tomatoes ended up being just OK. The frittata was delicious though.

Saturday: Zucchini frittata; Ruth’s Chris broiled tomatoes

And here’s the menu plan for this week:

  • Beef tacos
  • Polish sausages in a bun
  • Pork chops with sauerkraut & apples
  • Breakfast for dinner (omelets, bacon, and fruit)
  • Mabo dofu with steamed rice
  • Roasted kabocha squash risotto
  • Mini pizzas with roasted squash, onion, and pesto

My new walking shoes will get their first tryout today. I am very ready for something new and more comfortable on my feet, but as Marie Kondo advises I will say a deep thank you to my old shoes before I toss them, for taking me through so many wonderful miles and getting me this far along my path to wellness and good health. I will keeping them around for a few more days until I’m sure the new shoes are going to be OK.

I took my last walk in my old shoes on Saturday. They were a great purchase but it’s time for something new. The whole inside back of the shoe is worn through.

We had two no-walk days last week, one our regular day off and another cancelled because of the weather. We were also rained out of another walk on Thursday. And, when I say rained out I mean soaked to the skin. There was a dark cloud we had been watching but thought it was moving in a different direction. Instead, the heavens opened, we were stuck out in the open, and ended up having get back to the car and going home. And the wind! A nice breeze makes walking a pleasure; strong winds can make it a challenge and some days were a challenge. Still, we persevered and got in good walks on most days. We have given ourselves a goal of getting our distance at the park up to six miles a day at least a few days a week by the end of the month – this next week we will be adding the longer distance on one day, then two the following week, and so on.

After reading an article about the importance taking regular breaks when doing strength training I have cut back to doing my sessions to a recommended three days a week. The daily sessions were honestly not getting any easier, and now I know they may have been doing more damage than good because my muscles weren’t getting enough rest in between.

11 thoughts on “Staying Healthy: Eating & Exercise (2/28 – 3/6)

  1. Your menu for the past week sounds delicious and healthy! I love the idea of adding snow peas and mung bean noodles to the egg roll in a bowl. I want to try the broiled tomatoes. I’ll have to wait a few more months to get something local and vine ripened but it will be a good way to use them when they are plentiful. I hope you enjoy your new shoes!

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    1. The snow peas add a nice crunch, and the noodles just give the egg roll in a bowl a nice little something extra. The tomatoes were a disappointment. I had them several years ago at a Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, and they were my favorite part of the meal! So, I was excited to find the recipe, but the tomatoes lacked flavor and I went by time in the broiler versus checking with my eyes and they got a little more browned that they should have. Good, ripe, flavorful tomatoes are very difficult to get here. Even the so-called vine-ripened ones are meh. Brett and I are going to try and grow our own tomatoes this summer and see how that goes.

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  2. The egg roll in a bowl looks delicious!

    I’ve had both my knees replaced and good quality sneakers/walking shoes are a must for me. I’ve been wearing Brooks running shoes now for five years. Not only do they give my joints good cushioning, but they also help to correct a pronating ankle. One thing I’ve learned from PT and surgeon is that running/walking/exercise shoes only hold their correct support for 400 miles.

    Happy Trails! 🙂

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    1. I got the egg roll in a bowl recipe from The Hawaii Plan, and it instantly became a favorite. It’s easy to fix and a good mix of protein and vegetables.

      I think my old shoes had nearly 2,000 miles on them! I’m going to try to get this pair through a year if I can. I’ll have way more than 400 miles on them, but they’re expensive (good shoes always are). If they do wear out before the year I’ll of course replace them. Next pair will be the Gore-Tex ones, for hiking.

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  3. Mmmm, feel like a waffle. May have to dust out my waffle maker. Haven’t used it for years!

    I love when you replace your sneakers and you realise how much spring and padding they have – they walking on air but with support – and how worn out the old ones were. Happy walking!

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    1. I hadn’t thought about waffles in ages either – we sold our waffle maker before we set out in 2018 – but when I saw this little waffle maker I suddenly wanted a waffle again and thought this would be the perfect way to make them! Just the right size for us now.

      The new shoes fit great but feel so different from my old shoes – it’s taking a few days to adjust and for them to mold to my feet.

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  4. Looks like new shoes were definitely in order. You have put a lot of miles on those. How do you like the Hokas? I’m wearing New Balance but have definitely thought of trying that brand.
    We love eggroll in a bowl. I think it’s one of the most requested meals in our house. And I love that it makes two meals, so I never have to cook dinner the next day. And I love the idea of small waffles. Our waffle maker makes big waffles. One is enough, but it seems DH always has extra batter and tries to talk me into two, which is always too much. I could say no, I guess. 😉

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  5. Love the eggroll in a bowl recipe, and we’ve picked up that veggie/curry mix from Costco before & also loved it. We add protein, and you have a quick & easy meal.

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    1. Eggroll in a Bowl is definitely a big hit here, and I thank you for posting the link to the recipe. I added the mung bean noodles because I had one package I needed to up the first time I made it, and we liked it so much we’ve made them a permanent addition. Likewise the Chinese snow peas – bought some at the store and they gave it a really nice bit of crunch. We weren’t sure how it would go with the stir-fry, but we’ll be picking it up again. Brett used the leftover coconut chips in his morning bowl of oatmeal!

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