Whew! Had a killer workout with my trainer, Ken after work this afternoon! It was 90 minutes of pure cardio/strength hell fun. I’ve said it a million times, but I swear that he stays up at night thinking of new ways to torture his clients!

No, really- he pushes me beyond what I think I can do and I amaze myself with every workout. He is really, really gifted- by far the most talented trainer I’ve ever worked with.

Aren’t we cool with our Vibrams?

I can’t remember exactly what I did in my workout today, but I do remember that it started with 25 minutes of running, and then was followed with a lot more “running” while pulling super heavy weights, doing lots of planks and other ab/oblique/shoulder work, and more running. And it was the first time I wore my Vibrams while working out with Ken (he was so proud). They were great!

I was starving by the time I got home and quickly whipped up this:

I read about this recipe on Holly’s blog, which she had re-posted from this recipe. Banana and egg- a weird combination? Sign me up! I knew it would taste great! I put in banana and egg whites in my warm oatmeal, so I figured it would taste kind of like that.

For my adaptation of this recipe, I used: 1 egg, 1/4 egg whites, 1/2 mashed ripe banana, a splash of almond milk and a dash of cinnamon. I cooked it in a (sprayed) skillet, just like I would for an omelet. I drizzled a tiny bit of maple syrup on top and gobbled it down.

Greg was lucky enough to come home when I had a few bites left, so I gave him a taste. He said it tasted good- like custard. Yes, indeed.

********************************************************************

As I mentioned before, the main component of tonight’s dinner was cooking away in the crock-pot all day. Greg put some pork in the crock pot along with some water, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano this morning. I took the pork out of the crock pot later in the afternoon and shredded it up. Then I added in some (homemade) taco seasoning and let it marinate:

We planned on having “Chipotle night,” which means a burrito bowl for Greg and a taco salad for me (which is exactly what we get at Chipotle). ** Side note: Chipotle is one of the few chain restaurants that I agree to eat at, being the snob that I am. And really, I only started eating there after I saw the owner on Oprah talking about his values and stuff for the company. Hopefully it’s all true- I’d like to think that he really does care about the source of his company’s ingredients!

Anyway. Here’s the recipe:

Burrito Bowls (no measurements noted- adjust to your needs depending on how much you want to make!)

Meat of your choice (I used a slow-cooked pork roast, but you could use beef, chicken, ground turkey, or make it vegetarian and use garbanzo beans)

All-purpose taco seasoning (recipe to follow)

Black Beans

Salsa fresca (recipe to follow)

Jasmine rice

Cilantro, salt + pepper

Sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Greek yogurt

Cook the rice as directed (for one large bowl, I use 1/3 c rice and 1 c. water). After it’s cooked, mix in 1 tsp cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Layer the rice on the bottom, followed by a layer of black beans, Meat, Pico de Gallo, cheese and top off with Greek yogurt.

****

All-purpose taco seasoning (adapted from Whole Foods)

4 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon natural brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

4 teaspoons paprika

4 teaspoons dried oregano

Mix all ingredients together. Store in an air-tight container.

(I always make my own taco seasoning since I have all of the ingredients on hand! This recipe makes a big batch, so you will have a lot leftover for the future!)

****

Salsa Fresca

1 medium to large tomato

1 small red onion

1 medium ear of corn, steamed and cut off the cob

1 small red bell pepper

1/2 of a large avocado (I didn’t have any tonight, but usually add it in)

1 T chopped cilantro

1 tsp lime juice

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Dice tomato, onion, red bell pepper and avocado into small pieces (about 1/4″ cubes) and mix into a bowl. Add the corn and the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

****

And dinner is served:

I poured some of Greg’s beer into a little glass for me so that I wouldn’t be stealing his beer all night (I just love the free 4 oz. glasses that we have from the millions of Sam Adams brewery tours that we’ve done!).

Taco salad for me:

(Basically the same ingredients as the burrito bowl, but just a little bit of rice and LOTS of lettuce (and sliced cukes and mushroom)

Burrito Bowl for the hubs:

I always use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because it tastes just as good (or better, in my opinion) and has far less calories. I usually glop it right on top, but wanted it more evenly distributed tonight. So, I put some in a Ziploc baggie and cut off a tiny bit of the bottom corner and drizzled it on like a pastry bag. Genius!

Chips and salsa on the side:

And of course, several of those chips made their way to my bowl for some extra crunch

This dinner always makes me SO FULL. I love it!

***********

I’m so excited that, for the first time in 2 1/2 years, I don’t have to wake up at 4:30 am on a Friday to teach spin class! Hooray! And I’m even MORE excited that the weekend is just around the corner!