Ooook. So why didn't anyone tell me that all of the attractive black men go to the gym at around 6-ish? Well, if I needed inspiration, I got it now. There is nothing like seeing muscular, sweaty black men of all complexions and stature exerting physical effort. Damn. If the allure of eye candy wasn't enough, the goal of getting tight for the summer was signed and sealed with every glance at each ebony glistening bicep. Lol, I will stop now. I'm starting to sound like a ghetto Harlequin novel...

Guess Who's Back

Wow, it has been almost 3 months since I've last posted. It's always easier to post when you are on your grind. The frequency of my posts tend to reflect the frequency of my workouts. I tend to get writer's block, well, writer's guilt and shame might be more appropriate. I guess I don't want every entry to look like this: I didn't work out today...again...ate bad food...damn....James.

It' much easier to record accomplishments. Hence today's reappearance! Today, the stars aligned, and I worked out after work. I can not tell you the last time that happened. In the past, if I didn't work out in the morning, it didn't happen because I was SO exhausted after work. It always amazed me how some people could go to the gym after putting in 8+ hours. "They must have a desk job," I told myself.

So, after taking a quick nap at home, I went to the local gym and ran/jog/walked on the treadmill. Every minute felt like I was playing "uncle" with my bones, each one screaming for mercy. It is amazing how out of shape you can get in month (or two) of little to no exercise. However, I got through it and I feel accomplished. More to come later....

New Recipe - Veggie Quiche

Weekends are the devil. I always seem to go way off track when Saturday comes. This weekend was no different, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

Instead, I'll share a successful recipe. I found a quiche recipe on Safeway's website and it turned out pretty well. Easy recipe, but even with all of the calorie cutting, it still isn't exactly lowfat.

However, it is high in protein and vegetables. Aside from the ease in preparation, I like this recipe because it can be easily altered. The base is just the milk, eggs, and mayo, but the accesories are limitless - like pizza! For example a local cafe has many different types of appealing quiches - feta and spinach, bacon and gruyere, pear and cheese, chorizo and pepperjack, I'm sure I can recreate all of this at home.

In this recipe I forgot to add the second cup of cheese, so I threw it on top; therefore, the quiche looks a little burnt, but it was tasty. Today I had it for breakfast with a veggie sausage patty (80 cal / 3g fat / 1g fib / 10g protein) and apple slices (70 cal / 0g fat / 3 g fiber / 0 prot).

Ingredients
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup 2% milk
4 "eggs", (use egg substitute)
8 ounces shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish frozen pie shell

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Line a cookie sheet with foil.
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and milk until smooth. Whisk in eggs. Season at your discretion.
Layer spinach, cheese, and peppers in pie shell, making several layers of each.
Pour in egg mixture.
Place quiche on prepared cookie sheet.
Cover quiche with foil.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove cover, and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is set.

Nutritional Content - SparkRecipes analyzed the content for me. I don't know why the fiber is so low since it is a veggie quiche, but I will take their word for it. I am strongly considering making it crustless or finding a lowfat / whole wheat crust. The crust accounts for most of the calories and fat.

Per Slice (8 slices) -
Calories - 250.5
Total Fat - 15.3 g
Saturated Fat - 6.2 g
Poly/monounsaturated Fat - 0.0 g
Cholesterol - 14.0 mg
Sodium - 409.9 mg
Potassium - 94.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 18.4 g
Dietary Fiber - 0.5 g
Sugars - 3.5 g
Protein - 9.5 g
Calcium - 22.4 %