Weekly round up: Polar vortex, Burpees, and garlic gloves?!

For the week of January 19-25, 2014

This has been an interesting week. This weekend was a holiday weekend (observance of Dr. King’s birthday), so it meant a nice 3 days. By nice, I literally mean nice because it was very mild outside. Little did we know, a weather monster called the polar vortex would strike again.

So I’m trying to get more prepared with my healthy lifestyle transition because, as we know, a failure to plan often equals a plan for failure. I will not fail. So I dug out some old magazines with recipes, visited the supermarche (I just love French words!) for lots of produce, and set up my fitness plan. Sounds good right? Right...except

image from dreamstime.com

The polar vortex had other plans! Tuesday, I was all amped to go to work and then hit up my new favorite lunch crunch class (30 minutes of high intensity) but there was snow in the forecast and everything was closed. Plus the temperatures were to rapidly drop to some crazy numbers like 15 with wind chills of -4. Yeah, that can’t be real life in the DMV. Could it?! I digress. Fortunately, the instructor/trainer/health extraordinaire where I’ve recently been training is awesome and supplied me with a home workout. The workout included lunge jumps, planks, and burpees among other torture workouts. Oh how far I’m coming along. If someone had told me to do burpees previously, I would’ve 1) blank stared followed by 2) glared and then 3) groaned. But alas, I’m getting stronger and can feel summertime approaching (or maybe that’s just the heat in my place blasting). So burpees it was. Rather than my usual Top 40s/reggaeton/island mix, I decided this called for some Ultimate Dance Divas. Yeah! Take it away, Deb!

 

Fast forward to Thursday and dinner time. I mean when we're dealing with subzero temperatures and snow, what else is there to do but cook? After already powering through a superfood vegetable soup masterpiece on Tuesday (I wish I thought to take a photo, next time!)  and a great greens smoothie (yums but again no photo!), it was now time for some Turkey Bolognese, the quick version recipe. Just to preface, I have made this dish before but this was a new recipe and the speedy, healthy version. Anyway, so among other veggies, the dish calls for 2 garlic cloves, so I put what I think to be 2 with my other ingredients and keep it moving. Before long, all ingredients are combined and it’s cooking. But something just doesn’t smell right.  Even if you don't cook often, the nose knows.  Trust me.  I smell garlic but I also knew that the batch of yellow onions I had was strong. I’m wondering “what is the deal?” but proceed on. I even added lots more tomato paste, trying to even out the flavor. But to no avail. The taste was just not there. I even added traditional (plain) spaghetti sauce. What in the world is wrong with this dish?! At this point, I’m thoroughly frustrated and disgusted and about to throw the whole thing away. This dish was a FAIL of epic proportions. My sister comes in from work and tries some (after also adding ingredients) and is like “meh” and “when you’re hungry, anything tastes good.” Gee thanks! LOL So as I recount the ingredients, she says “you used 2 cloves, the small pieces, right?” and it hits me. I thought a clove was the whole white bud. I mean I peeled it but I thought all the tiny pieces counted as one clove!!! Oh MY. As we laughed hysterically at my fail moment, it all clicks. Here I was swearing to never use fresh spices again when the problem was I misunderstood the terminology. The dish failed but as with any mistake, a lesson was learned. Moral of the story, don’t give up because of one bump in the road or in this case...because of too many cloves in the Bolognese! It’s OK, you can laugh. I still am!

 

 

 <-----NOT a garlic clove!  

 <----------these individual pieces are a garlic cloves

 

 

P.S.  I didn't let that stop me because today (Saturday), I prepared a lovely dish of grilled chicken, coucous and vegetable medley and leafy greens.  Yum!  Moral of the story?  Life is all about trial, error, triumps and a little bit of laughter.  Oh and yes, I will NEVER forget what a garlic clove is ever!

Until next time, my friends!