Dreary Day Dinner: Asian Beef Cucumber Bowl

Check out the scene as I drove home from work this evening.

 

The pouring rain meant no walk for this little girl:

It also meant no trip to to PetSmart to get her nails clipped, which I think made her quite happy.

Sadie didn’t seem too thrilled about the idea when I tweeted about it earlier…

 

 

Her rebuttal via her own twitter account:

 

Seriously though, what kind of a dog has a twitter account? 😉

Dreary Day Dinner

Since Sadie’s walk and nail clipping appointment were no longer on the agenda, the rainy weather meant slipping into comfy pajamas right when I walked in the door.

I busted out my comfy flannel pj pants for the first time in months. Who cares if it’s in the 80s outside? Dreary weather demands cozy clothes!

After changing, it was time to get a lil’ dirty in the kitchen.

(Thanks, Rachel for my new super-soft tank top!)

We had some lean ground beef waiting to be cooked into something delicious in the fridge, so I made us beef and cucumber bowls using Asian flavors and spices.

To make the beef, I first sautéed 3/4 of a large onion in a pan before adding the beef.

I then added soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and chili sauce to the mix and let it simmer for a bit while I chopped up a cucumber.

After topping the cucumber slices with the Asian beef, dinner was ready for eatin’.

The cold, crispness of the cucumber slices were the perfect compliment to the heat from the beef.

Gotta love flavorful, healthy dinners that take less than 20 minutes to prepare!

I’m off to relax on the couch with a book for the rest of the night.

G’night!

Asian Beef Cucumber Bowl (adapted from Real Simple’s Asian Beef and Mango Salad)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 3/4 large onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. chili sauce with garlic
• 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 extra large cucumber

Directions

• Sautee onion in a pan sprayed with cooking spray until tender
• Add beef and brown
• Add hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce and soy sauce and let simmer for approximately 5 minutes
• Slice cucumber
• Top cucumber slices with beef mixture and enjoy!

Sandwiches Don’t Need Meat. Who Knew?

Growing up I used to think that a sandwich had to include meat. (Unless, of course, it met one of two exceptions: It was a peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese sandwich.)

Today I often make meat-free sandwiches, letting nut butter, cheese or hummus do the talking.

If cheese and meat got into a flavor fight in my mouth, cheese would win every time. I love the strong, creamy taste of a good slice of cheese.

My lunch today featured a smoked Provolone cheese and tomato sandwich, made on a toasted Toufayan everything flavored Smart Bagel.

'Maters

Tomato + Provolone Bagelwich

Cheese, you are delicious.

On the side of my tomato and cheese bagelwich, I enjoyed cucumber slices and a crisp apple for some sweetness.

Cukes

Do Apples Even Have a Nickname? Apps?

Aaand, a little slice of birthday cake may have made it into my mouth as well.

CAKE!

This cake was leftover from a coworker’s birthday yesterday (I pretended it was for my blog’s birthday).

I enjoyed it so much the first time around that I just had to experience its deliciousness again today.

Growing up, marble cake was always my birthday cake of choice! 😀

Winner, Winner, Cookies for Dinner

Thank you to everyone who commented on my one-year of blogging anniversary post. You guys sure know how to make a girl blush!

The winner of the homemade batch of cookies giveaway is…

Number 64, Come on Doooown!

Andrea: Congrats!! I love your blog and can’t wait to see what the next year has in store!

Hooray, Andrea! Please email me at pbfingers@gmail.com with what kind of cookies you would like and your mailing address.

Of Possible Interest

• Your Healthy Fall Food Plan (FitSugar.com)
• Dos and Don’ts of Dining Out (FitBottomedGirls.com)
• How to Create Positive Goals (lululemon.com)
• Chocolate Coconut Biscotti Recipe I’m Dying to Try (HeathersDish.com)

Question of the Afternoon

Pick one: Meat, cheese, veggie, or nut butter sandwiches?

Workout Playlist: Disney Style

This post will do one of two things to you:

• Make you roll your eyes at me and think I’m 5-years-old
• Make you feel so happy inside that you want to sing Disney songs aloud for the rest of the day

Let’s hope most of you fall into the second category. 😉

Last night I was updating my iPod with new music (hello, Dynamite!), and inevitably found myself searching iTunes for upbeat songs that always make me happy and make my workouts feel like a positive experience.

Enter Walt Disney. 😀

Disney

Disney music always makes me happy. I think it’s the nostalgia I feel when I hear one of my favorite songs from my childhood. I instantly feel care-free and all warm inside.

Plus, Sadie loves singing to Disney songs.

La, La, La

Last night I created this Disney-inspired playlist to enjoy during my next cardio workout. I think it might be a little too heavy on the Disney music (I typically like to throw in a song or two among my normal music), but, then again, how bad can a Disney music overload really be?

• I Just Can’t Wait to Be King – The Lion King
• I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Mulan
• Friend Like Me – Aladdin
• Circle of Life – The Lion King
• I Wanna Be Like You – The Jungle Book
• Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – Mary Poppins
• Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah – Song of the South
• Be Our Guest- Beauty and the Beast
• Under the Sea – The Little Mermaid
• Just Around the Riverbend – Pocahontas
• One Jump Ahead – Aladdin
• True to Your Heart- Mulan
• Why Should I Worry – Oliver & Company
• Be Prepared – The Lion King

Breakfast

Breakfast this morning was rather exotic.

Kool Kiwi

Okay, not really, but the addition of kiwi to my yogurt bowl sure did feel a little tropical.

Along with a cup of Greek yogurt and two sliced kiwis, my breakfast bowl included half of a sliced apple and pearled barley for some whole grain goodness.

Look Haaaaarder (Rafiki, anyone?)

Yum!

Workout

Today was my first day back at BodyPump after a week away from the class.

It’s amazing what only seven days away from something can do to your body. This class felt HARD, but in a good way. BodyPump, you’re the best! 😀

Question of the Morning

Do you like Disney songs? What is your favorite Disney song? Any songs I just have to add to my playlist?