LiftFit

In an effort to get caught up (again!) this is going to be a long one folks.  Stay with me here!!  There's a recipe in it for you!

Yesterday morning coffee...

Yesterday morning breakfast...

Organic vanilla yogurt, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/2 banana, fresh local blueberries.  Nom.

I was actually totally exhausted yesterday and didn't have the energy to put any effort into lunch so I decided to just rip open some soup.

 

A few years ago this Corn Chowder was one of my favourite lunches.  Now I found it bland and salty.  Just reiterates that I have indeed become a soup snob.

 

Multigrain Tostitos with salsa & light sour cream made the meal much more enjoyable. 

Afternoon snack was red grapes.  Making an effort to get more fresh produce into ma belly.

Yesterday also marked Day One of our new Group Training!!  For the next five weeks...every Monday and Thursday night...I will be doing training classes with four of my girlfriends.  Weeeeeeeee!!

Nicole, Rose, Tiff, me and Charmaine.

Our trainer, Tia Scott from Liftfit Training and Nutrition, put together a group program for us which will focus on resistance training and cardio fitness.  Our Mondays will be all about upper body and Thursdays will be dedicated to lower body.

Last night we all had a great workout and good laughs while we worked out in Tia's super pretty back yard.  I'm not too stiff just yet but I suspect I will be by tomorrow.  In the meantime our homework is to get in some extra cardio...which for me will have to be the elliptical because I'm not allowed to do any impact cardio just yet.  Stupid piriformis.

Before heading out for our workout I got dinner together.  I've been meaning to make this Veggie Pasta Salad for a week now and decided now was the time.

This is my take on a salad we used to serve at the restaurant I worked at when I was younger.  That salad actually included fruit, pickles and cheese but I've fiddled with it tons over the years. 

You could make your own dressing (or really your favourite Ranch or creamy herb dressing would do).  I've always used Uncle Dan's Southern Style Ranch.  The packet makes A LOT so I quartered it for this use.

• 1 1/2 tsp dressing mix
• 1/4 cup olive oil mayo
• 1/4 light sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

I like to mix it ahead of time and let the flavours mingle for a while.  If you refrigerate before use, let it stand for bit before making the salad.

I use tri-colour rotini or fusilli because that is what the restaurant used but any spirally pasta will do.  Penne works in a pinch too.

1 1/2 cups dry pasta.  Cook to al dente.

The veggie options are really up to you.  Most anything works.

My choices this time were:  peas, broccoli, carrots, celery, yellow pepper and green onions.

When using a heartier veggie like broccoli I like to blanche it first.  You can either add it to the pasta for the last 3 minutes of cooking, or just boil separately.  I boiled separately and included the frozen peas too.  Just make sure you immediately drop these into an ice bath or run ice cold water over them to stop the cooking process when you are done boiling.

While the pasta and green veggies are still slightly damp and warm, toss with about 1/2 cup of the prepared dressing.  (You can do it when the pasta and veggies are cold too...I just find the dressed absorbs better when things are at least room temperature.)  Let stand unfrigerated for about 30 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to eat.

 

Makes two meal sized portions or four side dishes.  Would be extra perfect with a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan. 

Dessert was a couple of dates.

Later in the evening this was followed up with a taste-test from the pan of Oatmeal Raisin Bars I baked up.  My first baking in my new pad.  :)  My favourite easy, healthy homemade treat. 

Wow.  Action packed day eh?  Considering it was a provincial holiday (and I was working) I think I did quite good! :)