The Chef Artist

Don't you just love waking up and starting the week off on a Tuesday?  I know I do! 

I hopped out of bed and right into the gym to attempt a run.  I sat "attempt" because I really wasn't sure how things would go.  You see, yesterday when I ran, I noticed the muscle right underneath my right bottom side started to really bother me about 1/2 way through my run.  All of a sudden it got really tight and started spasming.  I had to stop and walk a few times and stretch it out and I managed to get through the run but all day, I was limping and sore. When I got home last night, I rolled the thing until I almost cried (but from good pain) and had Toly massage it out for about 20 min.  This morning, I was good as gold!  5 miles, check! 

Breakfast bowl of goodness…..

1/4 Cup Cinnamon Puffins, 1/4 Cup Kashi Cinnamon H2H, handful (probably another 1/4 cup) of cheerios because I'm trying to use up the box, 1/2 banana, blackberries, Vanilla Oikos, Cinnamon PB, Flax

Grapefruit that tasted like candy.  Not quite as good as the Grapefruit Brulee that I ordered yesterday at Miss Shirleys, but then again, this wasn't broiled in a brown sugar candy coating and dusted with powdered sugar.  Still good though. 

I spent the morning in the office and came home for a quick bite to eat before heading out for the remainder of the afternoon. 

A Salad of Leftovers 

(Fajita Shrimp, Veggies, Guacamole Salad, Salsa, Greek Yogurt, Baked Zucchini) 

And this pineapple tasted like candy as well.  Gosh, fruit is just so darn amazing right now. 

I gobbled this up and ran off to teach for the rest of the afternoon. 

When I got home, I hit the gym for some upper body strength.  

Kind of went like this…

1 mile warm up - 7.5 mph at 1% incline (Treadmill) 

3 x 12 overhead press (40 lbs)

3 x 12 bench press (40 lbs) 

3 x 12 pull downs (40 lbs) 

3 x 12 seated row (40 lbs) 

1 mile cool down- 5.5 mph at 10% incline (speed walking) 

When Toly got home, we took sammy for a walk before what looked like a storm.  Never did storm, but we did have a lovely walk. 

Dinner was BFD a day early.  I really thought it was going to rain and I wanted to save the grilling meals for tomorrow and thursday when its supposed to be nice all day.  As soon as I started to make dinner, the clouds went away and the sun came out.  So we could have grilled, but oh well.  I'll never debate a BFD meal. 

I'm not sure how I came up with this one, but it goes along the lines of a Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict.

 

So this was an over easy egg on top of a bed of spinach, sweet potato cake, smoked salmon, goat cheese, cranberry chutney and topped with avocado.  I layered some fresh baby beets on the side. 

Here's a money shot so you can see all of the gooey layers coming together in one fabulous bite! 

On the side, roasted Brussels sprouts. 

Loved this meal.  I really just thought that all of these things would taste good together in my head and went with it.  Do you ever do that?  I seem to do this all the time with cooking.  I guess that's what makes me a unique cook though.  I see food outside of the box and so much more than what is really is.  I really think that true chefs are more like artists.  It takes heart, creativity, and the ability to appreciate the abnormal. 

Okay, a little random rant there.  And I'm done. 

Hope you all had a fantastic day!