Beat Yourself Up at the Gym and then Beet Yourself Up for Dinner

Last Friday I had dinner at the Mustard Seed with my friend Margaret and her (my new) friend Marie. While the purpose of dinner was originally to bash boys, the topic of conversation turned into something of actual interest: healthy eating! As Margaret and I consumed two baskets of bread and a bottle of wine, Marie daintily dined on her salad and sipped a glass of wine. It was obvious that Margaret and I were having some issues and Marie was our stability ball. Marie also loves cooking and incorporating local produce into her diet whenever possible. We discussed my blog a bit, and she was even inspired to start her own. The next day, she already had her first post up. A couple days later, I went back and found a really interesting recipe for a Beet and Arugula Salad.

I used Marie's recipe as inspiration, but made some minor changes. Beets are fugly little vegetables, but once peeled, they are quite the beauties. This is why we shouldn't judge things at face value! Right Margaret? ;)

I sliced and quartered the beets, splashed them with a ton of balsamic vinegar, and roasted them for about 50 minutes at 400*.

While they were roasting, I made goat cheese medallions. I measured out 1 ounce of goat cheese and squashed them into rounds. I really measured them you guys. I felt like a scientist.

I then covered them in honey and crusted them with crushed walnuts.

I then made a dressing that consisted of:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

I placed the medallions and dressing in the fridge to chill and skidaddled to the gym. Today was cardio + arms...ok I think everyday is arms. I love doing arms! Once I finished up at the sweat shop, I raced home to make my salad: mixed baby greens, roasted beets, and one goat cheese medallion:

Great News: Beets taste like candy!! I read that they have a high sugar content and they sure taste like it! The combination of the sweet + salty was definitely present in this dish. I officially love beets and they were awesome with the walnuts and goat cheese. Believe it or not, this was one of those dishes I got emotional over. Not only do I suggest you make this recipe, but you should start following Marie's blog. :)

Worthy of Discussion:

Occasionally at the gym I like to take these things called "breaks." Breaks at the gym = talking to my bff Julius, glaring at the new machines/torture devices before I jump on, or staring at hotties. I had already played on the vagina-breaking machine (the adductor) and pranced around in front of boys, so it was time to chat it up with my much-missed trainer/bff. 

 

That lovely, awkward family photo is actually on a boat, not the gym. Imagine if you could dress like that at the gym? Rarrrrrrrrr. Ok, totally lost my train of thought -- while I was discussing muscles with Julius, my a.d.d. got the best of me (again), and I noticed the July/August issue of Women's Health.

That, my friends is Twilight's Ashley Greene. Ashley may be my new inspiration to be more productive at the gym: stare less, run more. In order to fit the role of vampire Alice Cullen, Ashley had to make some changes to her body. Her workouts included cardio, squats, planks, working with kettlebells, and pushing a big box filled with weights across a room. 

I agree 100% with her outlooks too. On body shape: "A lot of people like to be super tiny, but I don't want a child's body -- I want a woman's body that is extremely fit. It's so much sexier." Woo. 

And on dieting: "I don't do the diet thing anymore. I'm a big believer in feeding your body what it needs. Deny yourself something and you're going to end up shoving your face full of it." So true!

Who is your celebrity role model? Have you ever looked up their workouts? Ever achieve any goals this way?

What's your favorite ugly veggie?