Road to the Superbowl Ends :(

Well as you already know the Bears road to the superbowl has ended. :( I'm disappointed that they didn't make it but as a Cubs fan I'm quite familiar with losing (some cubs humor for ya)! It was a good run but maybe next year! Other than the Bears winning the best part of Sunday was enjoying the day with some great friends and yummy food!

Andrea, Kristin and Molly

Papa, Ryan and Kris (I made Kris show the Bears some love later. He wore my pink Bears Hat!)

Courtney, Andrea, Molly, Penny and Kristin

Penny sporting her Bears jersey and cute pink Bear hat!

Kristin and Andrea

Yummy Taco Dip

Friday Night Pizza and Pajamas!

I'm getting really bad about posting so I'm going to try and rectify that situation next week. Last week, Kris and I decided it had been awhile since we made a homemade pizza so we went out and got all the necessary items. We decided since it was a Friday night at home we were going to be comfortable and we hopped into some pjs and got started!

First, we wanted to do a somewhat healthy pizza so went to Trader Joe's which is one of my favorite places. I wish it was a little closer so I could shop there more often because they have so many amazing products including Snapea Crisps, Pumpkin Butter, Veggie Chips, Butternut Squash Soup, and many more delicious items. At any rate, we picked up their Trader Giotto's Ready to Bake Whole Wheat Pizza (makes roughly a large pizza) and did I mention it's only $1!! Definitely worth the convenience of not having to make your own. We also picked up some Trader Giotto's Fat-Free Pizza Sauce which is only 40 calories per quarter cup and "Chef Kristoph" added his own spices! We also decided to add a bunch of yummy vegetables including green peppers, onions (on Kris' side), mushrooms (on my side), basil, turkey pepperoni (only 70 calories per 17 slices), and lastly low-fat mixed shredded cheese. Posted the recipe below.

It was really fun having our Friday night pizza extravaganza! Turns out even with Italian in my blood I'm not very good at tossing pizza. Kris on the other hand, Mr. Jack of All Trades, is very good at it.

Kris is a natural...

...me not so much

I think I was scared of dropping it

Ok show off!

Almost ready to bake!

Dretopher's Friday Night Homemade Pizza Recipe:

1 package of Trader Giotto's Ready to Bake Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, rolled out to size of large pizza
1/4-1/2 cup of Trader Giotto's Fat Free Pizza Sauce
1 cup - 1 1/2 cups low-fat shredded cheese
Pizza toppings as desired (these are the ones we used)...
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni (17 slices)
Green Peppers
Basil
Mushrooms
Onions
Black Olives

Directions:
Let dough sit at room temp for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then begin rolling out dough. Use flour liberally and roll out pizza dough to desired size. Note that the dough rises up really well. So you can roll it out pretty thin. Then place on pizza pan.

Top with pizza sauce, then cheese, then desired toppings. Bake 10-12 minutes and then as we say in my family, Manga!

Dretopher's Friday Night Homemade Pizza

Back to the Grind!

Bear down, Chicago Bears, make every play clear the way to victory;
Bear down, Chicago Bears, put up a fight with a might so fearlessly.
We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation with your T-formation.
Bear down, Chicago Bears, and let them know why you're wearing the crown.
You're the pride and joy of Illinois, Chicago Bears, bear down.

Yay! Yes, the Bears made it to the playoffs and are now in the NFC championship game against the Packers! I would love if the Bears had another shot at winning the superbowl!

The last time we made it to the superbowl vs. the Colts it didn't end so well but the first 10 seconds of the game were amazing! Ahhh it was a fun game and Molly made some fun t-shirts (see photo below) for us to wear! We may have to make it a tradition if the Bears make it to the superbowl again! Good luck Bears! Photos of Sunday's festivities soon to come...

 

So it's back to the grind after a fun and not very "fitness" productive holiday season! I've been reminded recently how much I can actually enjoy working out and how addicting it really can become. Whether it's the runners high or the burn you get when doing an intense exercise but persevere through or that next day soreness that oddly feels good. It's simple but I always forgot that the key is actually sticking to a regular workout routine. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. This got me thinking and I did some research because I thought about how easy it ease to lose everything with a short break from a regular workout/training routine. So apparently it takes about 2-3 weeks of complete inactivity to "decondition." This is obviously not black and white. Some people can become completely deconditioned or others will only partially decondition. It really depends on the level of fitness/endurance you were at previous to the break and how long the break was. The moral of the story is that it can take twice as much time to get back what you loss. 

So obviously there are going to be days where things come up and you don't have a lot of time to work well I have two really great short workout routines that are very effective! My first suggestion would be to buy "Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training". She has a quick and very effective 15 minute Total Body Circuit. I do this on occasion when I don't have a lot of time to workout. My second suggestion would be to do this 8 Minute Workout. I came across this workout via Experience Magazine. I have come to really enjoy this magazine. We get this magazine with our membership to Life Time Fitness. As a side note, I came across this great article called Easier by the Day: 9 Ways Exercise Gets Less Difficult (and More Rewarding) As You Go.

A new favorite recipe!

One of my favorite Christmas presents was getting another Hungry Girl Cookbook! I'm obsessed with these cookbooks! There are so many good recipes! I currently have "Hungry Girl 200 under 200" and the newest addition to our cookbook collection is  "Hungry Girl Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World". One of the recipes from this new cookbook is a meatloaf that we have made twice now and it is sooooooo good! It is called "crazy-good turkey taco meatloaf." It has definitely been added to our favorites list! So I just had to share this wonderful recipe because well for one, it's delicious and two, I'm not sure if you feel this way but it brings me back to my childhood where my mom would make meatloaf. Something about meatloaf reminds me of our whole family sitting around the table and having a nice family dinner! At any rate, here is this delicious recipe....

Hungry Girl's Crazy-Good Turkey Taco Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 lb. extra-lean ground turkey

1.5-2 slices of fat-free cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/2 canned sweet corn kernels (which we opted to take out)

1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 packet of a taco seasoning mix

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Cook peppers and onions for 3 minutes over medium heat in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. 
• In a large bowl, combine onions and peppers with turkey, corn, and seasoning mix. Spread half of the mixture evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan (about 9"x5") or if you don't have a loaf pan like us we used a larger cake pan and formed the meatloaf in the middle of it. 
• Layer the two slices of fat-free cheese on top of the mixture (try to keep slices away from the pan's edges). Evenly top with the remaining meat mixture. Make sure the cheese is securely enclosed in the meatloaf. 
• Pour the salsa over the top of the loaf. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Top loaf with shredded cheese. Return loaf to the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings (1/6 of loaf) and each serving is approx. 130 calories. This recipe can easily feed 2 people (unless you are super hungry) with possible leftovers depending on how hungry you are. Enjoy!

 Picture soon to come!

Au revoir 2010!! Plus the miracle noodle???

I can't believe it's 2011! Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday I was in high school! You never really realize how short life is. It's funny when I was younger all I wanted to do was grow up and now all I want to do is slow it down. Don't get me wrong I look forward to what life has in store for me but sometimes I wish I could extend my twenties. It's such a fun time. I loved college. I love seeing all my friends get married. I love this road trying to figure out what I want to do. Even though its not always easy and it's taken me a little bit longer I know it will be worth it in the end. Those closest to Kris and I know how difficult 2010 has been for us. Believe me, I know many other people have had it worse so I'm not completely complaining and it really hasn't been all that bad. It's just been a trying year. Lots of changes!!! I am thankful for the extra time that I have been able to spend with Kris and I'm so glad everyday that I have met such a wonderful man. He truly is one of a kind and I can't imagine a life without him! Love you babe!

So New Year's 2010 was a very fun and relaxing evening! This year we were invited to my very close friend, Courtney's house. I have known Courtney since I was born and I'm so grateful that her and her family are still a part of my life. She just celebrated her one year anniversary not too long ago to her husband Mike. I was very honored to be a party of their beautiful wedding in November of 2009. So Kris and I spent the evening bringing in the New Year with lil bro Alex, Courtney and Mike, my good friend Kristin aka Kitty as I will always refer to her, her hilarious fiance Ryan (my boy blue), Chelsea, Janes, and some other friends of Courtney and Mike. There was lots of delicious food and of course bottles of Andre! I have to thank Steve and Liz for introducing us to this yummy, delicious libation. Best $5 I've ever spent! There was of course beer pong and some Kitty hilariousness! We introduced everyone to Pit and it was a huge hit! Warning, Pit cannot be played drunk! It just does not work out well! All in all, 2010 was an ok year but I'm looking forward to many new changes this year and many good things to come in 2011! 

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Ringing in the new year with Andre!

The Miracle Noodle????

So one of many favorite discoveries in 2010 was finding Shirataki Noodles! They are by far the best find for an Italian girl like myself. I LOVE PASTA! Except it's so loaded with carbs and calories that I always end up feeling so guilty after having a huge plate of them. So Shirataki Noodles are my guilt free pasta. They come wet in a small bag. Each bag is about 40 calories. They are extremely low carb and really take on the taste of whatever sauce you add to them. I think they also come in a fettucine noodle which I haven't tried yet. 

So basically how we cook them is we take two bags of the noodles. We rinse them. Don't be alarmed if you notice a fishy smell as this is common when you open the bag. After rinsing them we boil them for a little bit. You can basically use them however you use regular pasta. The other night we made Shirataki Noodle Marinara with Turkey Meatballs. We usually make a homemade sauce and add our own spices. There is a slight texture difference from regular pasta but it smells pasta and tastes like pasta to me!!! Plus, we always have left overs when we make the two bags. The bags aren't that big when you buy them but believe me they really fill you up and the best part is they're GUILT FREE!!

Shirataki Spaghetti Noodle Marinara with Turkey Meatballs! Yum!

Here is a little info on Shirataki Noodles if you are curious about them. You can find them at an Asian grocery store or if your grocery store does not sell them they are usually in the tofu section. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!!

Holiday Season Part 2

I love those J-I-N-G-L-E bells! I love those J-I-N-G-L-E Bells! Those holiday J-I-N-G-L-E bells! Those happy J-I-N-G-L-E-B-E-double L-S. I love those J-I-N-G-L-E Bells! Ok, so yes the holiday season is now over but I'm still singing Christmas songs (this is one of my favs). Love me some Frank Sinatra! At any rate, Thanksgiving and Christmas were lots of fun. Here's a short synopsis of my wonderful 2010 holiday season...

Thanksgiving involved a 5K Turkey Trot run in the morning and wonderful filled time at The Cornett's. I made my delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes. Quite a better turnout than my 2009 Thanksgiving dessert which was Eating Well's Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie. I think I will try my hand it again but I think having to travel with it doesn't workout so well. At any rate, we drank a LOT of wonderful wine and had a euchre tournament. I didn't win :( but came close! We also had the annual men vs. women charades game. I'm pretty sure the women won. As we usually do! Better luck next year for the men ;). 

Christmas was also an exceptionally good time. We spent Christmas Day at my grandparents house in Kankakee. My grandmother made her homemade ravioli's. So so so good! We played Pit which is one of my favorite games! If you've never played, you must it's too much fun! I also made my grandmother's pistachio dessert recipe. It is my favorite dessert that she makes. It's not very low calorie but there are ways to make a lower calorie version if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, after a very successful dessert execution I forgot to bring to Christmas dinner! Whoops! :( Here is the recipe if you'd like to make it...

Noni's Pistachio Dessert

1 cup margarine
45 ritz crackers, crushed
1 qt. vanilla ice cream/Vanilla Edy's Yogurt Blends (or you can buy a half gallon and use only half)
2 reg box of pistachio pudding mix (i think each box is around 3.4 oz)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
12-16oz. container of cool whip/non fat cool whip
1 chocolate bar (for chocolate shaving)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust you will want to crush the ritz crackers in a bowl then mix in softened butter (i basically melted the butter in the microwave). Then spread mixture on the bottom of a 13x9 pan to make a thin crust layer. Then bake for 10 minutes. Let completely cool before adding the rest.

First, let the quart of ice cream get soft (not liquid but soft). Then in a bowl stir together (by hand) the 2 boxes of pistachio pudding mix and 1 1/2 cups milk. Then stir in the softened quart of ice cream. Then pour the mixture over the cooled crust and smooth over evenly. Place in freezer and let it get hard. It will be easier to spread the cool whip on when it is hard.

Let the cool whip soften just a little bit and after your pistachio dessert has hardened spread the cool whip (as much cool whip as desired) over the top of the dessert. Shave some chocolate from the chocolate bar on top of the dessert. You can also crumble some ritz crackers on the top if you want but you don't have to. Then refreeze until you are ready to serve. I would suggest taking it out and letting it soften just a bit before serving. 

Buon appetito!

Speaking of Noni (my grandmother)....side note Nonni in italian actually refers to grandparents but in my family we have always called my grandmother Noni. At any rate, I received this Christmas one of the best gifts one can receive. I received a few family heirlooms that I will treasure for the rest of my life and hopefully will pass on to my children. First, there is the sewn handkerchief that my great grandmother, or "Big Gram" as we called her, made. I was lucky to have had her there for a large duration of my life. She lived a long and healthy life. She died at the age of 97. The locket on the far left was also my great grandmother's. Apparently it was worn by ladies in the late 1800's, early 1900's. They would place a piece of cotton doused with their favorite perfume and placed inside. The locket in the middle which allows for pictures on the inside was also my great grandmother's. She used to wear it all the time before she passed. Lastly, on the far right was my great, great grandfather's. My grandmother told me it is a watch fob. I'm not sure if it is more of a men's locket as it does not have a watch in it or if it was something that was attached to a watch fob. At any rate, I feel quite honored that they were given to me and will treasure them for years to come.

Eckhardt Family Heirlooms

Holiday Season Part 1

I've been quite the bad girl not having made a post in quite some time! This holiday season was much busier than I anticipated. It was a great holiday season and I'm a little sad that it's over. It's always so much fun to be around family and friends.

So where to start...well I suppose this post will have to actually be in two parts because there is so much to report. First, I finally ran my first 5K! Yay! I was happy that I had two wonderful people to run it with me. There was my very supporting and loving boyfriend, Kris, who can run much faster than me but stayed within a yard distance of me throughout the entire race. My younger brother, Alex, also decided to make the run with us who by the way is also much faster and more in shape than most everyone I know! At any rate, I finished the race within 30 minutes and some odd seconds. I didn't realize however that doing a race does add some extra time onto your running time when you have to dodge around so many people during the duration of the race. So I was very happy to know that I really can do a 5K at about an 8-9 min mile after I clocked myself again a few days after. I can't wait to run another one! I was also really happy to have my loving and supporting parents who came to watch the race and take photos! Not to mention the weather seemed to shape up in time for the race. It was a little misty but it was in the high 30's which I was very grateful for!

Next on my race list is running the 5 mile run in St. Louis for the St. Patrick's Day Parade Run http://www.irishparade.org/site/run/index.html with my buddy Cathy Morgan. After some thought I think the extent of my running would be possibly running a half marathon someday. I really don't think I'd ever want to run a marathon. I'm not opposed to other people running it but personally I really don't want to put that kind of stress on my body. I think it's a great accomplishment to say that you've ran one but it's not for me. With that being said I'm pretty excited about getting back into my regular workout routine. It's been hard getting back in the saddle within the past month and half being so busy. So I've decided to make a workout page and everyday I will post what I've done. I think it will help keep myself accountable to make sure I get back into a regular workout routine!

After my first 5K! I did it!

The Hulk (as we sometimes refer to him) and his big sis!

Team Dretopher!

The Gruesome Threesome!

My awesome parents!

One last item for this post will be one of my favorite recipes! Kris usually makes it for me since he's a doll but after spending some time at home for the holiday season I introduced my family to some of my favorite healthy recipes. One of the recipes that I made for them is Butternut Squash Tacos! I love tacos and making them healthier has taken the guilt out of eating them as they can get pretty loaded up with calories! So here is the recipe! Enjoy!

P.S. My family really loved these and actually all the yummy recipes I made while home! They especially loved the Pumpkin Enchiladas! They make great leftovers!


Butternut Squash Tacos

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)
1 Sweet Onion (diced)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
garlic powder (as desired)
ancho chile powder (as desired)
Corn or flour tortillas (corn tortillas lower calorie option)

Taco Ingredients As Desired:
Cilantro
Avocado
Non fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
Low fat shredded cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix butternut squash and sweet onion with garlic powder, ancho chile powder, salt and pepper as desired. Mix evenly with the butternut squash and then drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 min till tender. 

In a medium sized pot cook the black beans and tomatoes. Strain or serve with a straining spoon before adding to a taco.

Then fill tacos with butternut squash/onion mix, black bean/tomatoes and all other ingredients as desired.

Enjoy!