Hi guys! How’s your day going??
This morning, I made a Chocolate Cherry Bomb smoothie to take to the doc’s.
Even if they gave me bad news, at least I had chocolate beforehand. Chocolate makes everything better 
The verdict??
I CAN WORKOUT AGAIN!!!!! yahooooooooo!
Of course, I can’t go balls to the wall in full Fitnessista splendor just yet, but the doc gave me the go-ahead to start getting back into my routine. She gave me a referral to an ortho, just to be 100% sure that my knee is good, but the fact that it didn’t hurt while she moved my leg around and pressed on my knee was a good sign.
My sanity is rejoicing—hiatus is ovahhhhhhhhh 
To celebrate –and since I was already on base- I went into the gym and was reunited with an old friend.
This wasn’t the rinky dink slow pedaling on Sunday. I gave myself a moderate solo spin class, pumped up the iPizzle and read Chelsea Handler. No sprints, but I did some climbing, jumps, tempo work and crunches on the bike and it was an AWESOME workout. Sweating feels soooooooo good!! 
After my mini-spin sesh, I met Jeni at the Main Squeeze for a snack.
Carrot Apple Beet Ginger
Amazing
After that, I went to Publizzle to get groceries for tonight’s dinner. Today, the pilot had a really important flight and I have no idea if he passed or not. So I’m assuming he passed and decided to make a special dinner to celebrate- he’s been working so hard.
He’s having Engagement Chicken, named after the chicken in Glamour magazine that is supposed to make your boyfriend propose to you if you cook it for them (single ladies, take note!).
I decided to roll with Ina Garten’s version (because she does no wrong) and made it in the slow cooker, since I have to go to work in a little while.
The chicken’s bed:
Carrots, onion, fennel, thyme, sea salt, pepper and olive oil.
Ya’ll know I haven’t had chicken in about 2 years, but I will say it smells glorious in here.
Maybe he’ll propose to me again?
I also made some saffron rice:
(Shallor, garlic, veggie broth, short-grain brown rice, saffron, sea salt)
All I have to do when I get home from work is bake the asparagus (20 min), make a salad or soup for my face, and get dessert in the oven
Well it’s time to walk these puppers, practice some yoga upstairs, then head to work.
See ya tonight <3
xoxo,
Gina
Something to read:
Quite a few bloggies have drawn my attention to these articles:
-Agave Worse Than HFCS? (My thoughts: I don’t usually consume much agave anyway, unless it’s in an occasional raw dessert. Everything in moderation, my friends. if you’re not drowning everything in agave, you’re probably ok Of course, a preferable way to eat is unprocessed, whole, organic foods when possible, without adding sweetener- food tastes pretty amazing without it. For a great post on sweeteners, check out this one by Kristen)
-Claim Jumper Releases Nutrition Info (This one didn’t surprise me one bit- their portions are enough to feed a family of four. I will say that their chocolate motherload cake rocks my face off…)
holy you spoil that boy!
Maybe i should cook that up, i wouldn’t mind a proposal haha and my family wouldn’t mind either
hahaha, I hear you sistah
WAHOO for good news!!!
Let me know how that chicken turns out (or what the pilot says) because I haven’t had good luck with crockpot roast chicken! Ina is a genius though…
CONGRATS on the good news!!!
I’ve had my share of running injuries so I know how AMAZING it feels to work out again!! Gotta love spinning too! I have ITBS and the foam roller plus spinning for x-training really helps with my marathon training (rather than running 5 days per week).
Hope you have a great rest of your day!!
xx,
Lauren
Woo-hoo lady! I’m so so so glad you were given the go ahead to work out. If you’re anything like me, you probably get cranky when you don’t get a good sweat session in! Solo spin sounds like the perfect cure.
hahah cranky doesn’t even begin to explain it. i turn into a different person. a person who’s angry at the WORLD haha
Hooray for you Gina!!! Glad to hear it
What an awesome solo spin session!
I agree, Ina Garten does NO wrong!
Glad your knee is better and you can do some cardio! It’s always nice when you can appreciate everything your body can do again.
Enjoy your dinner tonight! It looks amazing!
That chicken looks awesome! I love fennel and I’d love to make that for my hubby. Yay for working out again!
i looooooove fennel, too. i should have saved from for me before adding it to the chicken. hmm :/
So awesome that you can use the knee again….you must be psyched!!
I AM!!
Can’t wait to hear how the chicken turns out. And I love when you post printable cardio workouts – if you ever get the time, could you post another (perhaps a “solo spin” one)?!?!?!?!
sure- next time i go in there, i’ll write it down
Woohoo!!! SO happy for you, Gina. Foam rolling does wonders! I’ve been wearing my ITB strap since my race 1.5 weeks ago and still haven’t really worked out… but I can’t wait!
YAH! I’m so happy for you! Are you going to ease back into running? Running is the only activity that totally clears my mind and refreshes my energy. Your dinner plans sound delish too! Good luck to the pilot!
YES. 2 miles, tomorrow. i’m stoked
I made engagement chicken once. It took my husband another 4 years to propose.
Great news!!!!! Glad to hear it. And I’m dying to try a Chocolate Cherry Bomb!
i always expected that claim jumper would have insane nutrition information, but checking out those numbers you linked to was really crazy. an entree without side orders with over 4,000 calories! that is 3 days of calories for me, and that is if i ordered the beef ribs with nothing else!
i have been to claim jumper a few times, and it is pretty good, but that info makes it just plain not worth it. i wonder what disclosing this info is going to do to their business.
that is such great news! and you’re right, chocolate covers just about anything bad in creamy, chocolate-y goodness. so happy for yoU!
Stopped by really quick to say Woohoo! So glad to hear the good news my dear!
Yay! Enjoy the workouts:)
Yay for your knee! I’m glad you got a good workout. I took my first spin class yesterday and now I’m addicted.
Yay, I’m so happy for you!!! I remember when I first got the “all clear” it was like a beeline to the gym immediately…of course, my hiatus was a bit longer. You are such a great wifey! The Pilot is blessed (in more ways than one, wink wink).
Hmmm maybe I should make that for my boyfriend…
felicidadesssss, guapa. i’ve been on the injured list many times–and the go-ahead to get back into your routine always seems to be accompanied by harps, no? glad you got yo shweat on
Yay!!!!!!!!! Congrats Gina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sara
Congrats on the getting the work out go-ahead!
So glad to hear your knee is well enough to work out! That’s great. Did the doc say what was wrong with it?
no but she said the ortho will be able to
Must feel so good to get some cardio back into your life. Crunches on a bike? I have never heard of this before… You should post a solo spin routine, I would love to try.
k i’ve been getting a lot of requests- i’ll have to do it
LOVE saffron rice, but I don’t know if chicken would make me propose to anyone, even before I decided to live a vegan lifestyle…good luck and I hope it does the trick
Congrats on the good news!!! Yay!!! I saw that agave/hfcs article too…kinda makes you feel like you just can’t win!!!
very happy for you and the dinner sounds amazing-i am not a chicken fan but i would eat that
Congrats on the knee!!
I made Ina’s engagement chicken a few weeks ago. After eating it my husband actually called his mom to tell her that this chicken was the best he has ever had in his life. Victory for the chef, and the daughter-in-law in me
Yay for being able to run again! And engagement chicken?? My boyf would love that!!
Interesting articles, thanks for the tip- I’ll be reading them soon!
xo
K
yay for AWESOME news!! and good luck to the pilot, hopefully you guys will be celebrating all happily tonight
Awesome news on the knee!!! So the engagement chicken will be made this weekend…I’ll report back!
YES! let me know if it works
Great news!! your solo spin sounds amazing. I haven’t taken a spin class since I belonged to a gym… 2 years ago I think??
Yay, congrats on being able to exercise
I completely agree with you on agave. ANYTHING in excess is bad for you. Broccoli, chia seeds, water…
How long and at what temperature do you make that chicken in the slow cooker? I have never tried roast chicken, but we just got a slow cooker and I know my Fiance would love it!
Love your blog, and all the healthy recipes. You really inspire me!
i just did it 3 hours on high, 3 hours on low
Would you be able to share the recipe for the saffron rice? That sounds heavenly! I need to make that chicken soon, maybe this weekend!
sure:
sauteed 1 shallot in olive oil over medium heat
add 2 cloves garlic
1 cup short grain brown rice
and 2 cups veggie broth and bring up to a boil
cover and simmer 30 minutes
after 30 minutes, add 2 pinches of saffron, a little sea salt and pepper
cover and simmer 10-15 minutes more
remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes before transferring to a serving bowl
I’m so happy you got a good report from the Dr.
Glad you got the ok to workout again!! And I agree with you about Ina….excited to hear/see how the chicken turns out. The rice looks fab too!
How much saffron do you add to say, one cup of rice? I tried to make saffron rice the other day, and I must have added waaaaay too much because I was literally on the floor in pain with heart burn, which almost NEVER happens to me. I had to throw it all out
i’m sorry! i usually just add two small pinches
CONGRATS!!!!!! I know how happy you must be! I think when I hear my doctor say those words, I just may run to the gym and kiss the elliptical. Well not really because it’s very germy I’m sure but you know what I mean…
I made that Engagement Chicken for my ex boyfriend. Yeah, I think the ex part says it all… But it’s very delicious chicken!
haha OH NO.
Aw, I’m so happy for you, being able to work out and do what you love. That is great!
And thanks for the link on agave- very interesting. Jeez I never know what to believe anymore about all this health information. Agave hasn’t been that big in my kitchen just because it still has a lot of calories and very expensive, so I almost feel relieved to know I’m not cheating myself out of “the sweetener of champions”. Ha ha
Have fun sweatin’, girl!
That article on agave nectar annoys me so much. The study is sponsored by the corn industry. I don’t use agave because I think it’s better than sugar anyway-I do because I have low blood sugar and my sugar spikes very badly and I feel like crap when I have sugar. Agave nectar keeps me stable and feeling great. Ughhhh I hate biased research!!!!!
Hey Gina! Question about chia seeds: Do you just throw them into the blender with the other ingredients or do you add them in at the end in your glass?
i throw them in the blender but you could add them at the end, too
crunches on the bike??? share!!!
Congratulations on being released! I bet that made your day! I’m sure Pilot will enjoy your meal tonight!
yay for the knee!!! and, did he propose again?;) the dinner looked delicious! also, i think i’ll be sticking to dates from now on. i try to take everything with a grain of salt, but until i do some more research, dates (for sweetener) it is!
hahaha NO he didn’t!!! i should have told him that it was engagement chicken
Susan powers actually rebutted the whole Agave is like HFCS thing in a really great post today. She talked to one of the guys from Xagave who sells raw agave syrup. Check it out if you like at http://www.rawmazing.com/articles/agave-hero-or-villain/#more-5572
Also to go against what the initial article talks about, it says that agave has ridiculously high levels of fructose, so does fruit, and I think we know we should eat those 
ahah i totally agree
i can’t wait to check out this article
Good news on your knee. I had a question about what type of Dr. you went to? Sports Medicine?
I’m training for a 1/2 marathon in May and ran a 10-miler last weekend and have been having major knee pain ever since. I’m trying to decide if I should go see a doc, or just ice everyday.
Any tips? Thanks!
i saw a doc in flight medicine (general) who referred me to an ortho, which i’ll be seeing in a couple of weeks
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