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March 11th, 2010
Washington Square Park – January 2010
Okay, I have a lot of indulgences… but this one deserves a special mention. Once in a while I crave a certain something to eat that is comforting, melty and ooey gooey, delicious. Today was one of those days.
I believe it was created by Sarah, who writes one of my favorite blogs, Peas and Thank You.
It is known as “The Crack Wrap”.
Sarah describes it as a “pocket of hot, melty goodness: simply a FlatOut wrap filled with Sabra hummus and Kraft fat free Swiss singles, grilled in a nonstick skillet”.
However, I make mine slightly differently; I use this kind of hummus, usually goat chedder or mozzarella and an ezekiel wrap. And I fold mine over, quesadilla style, and put it in the oven or microwave, rather than wrap it and grill it. But that’s neither here nor there. Either way, they are melty, delicious, and ADDICTING (hence the “crack” part of “crack wrap”).
My Crack Wrap prep today:
Spreading on the hummus
Layering on a few slices of sharp cheddar (I didn’t have any goat cheddar so I used regular today)
Nicely folded over
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Toasty, melty and delicious:
Definitely give this a try! I really like it because it’s like a grilled cheese, but SO much healthier. The ezekiel wrap + the hummus = winners. And you don’t have to use very much cheese to get it to taste awesome.
The combo of the hummus and cheese…perfection. You should make it. Feel free to make it the way Sarah does (wrapping the hummus and cheese and grilling) or the way I do (folding and baking/microwaving). Either way it will satisfy any comfort food craving you have  .
What kind of foods do you usually crave? If they are unhealthy, do you try and make a healthier version?
March 10th, 2010
I feel like Wheat Germ used to be a hot topic in nutrition a while ago, but I haven’t heard too much about it lately. But there must have been a reason for all the hype, right? So today I decided to take a closer look at WHEAT GERM!
What is it?: Wheat Germ, or any cereal germ for that matter, is the part of the seed that’s responsible for the development and growth of the new plant sprout; aka the embryo.
What’s the Deal?: Along with the bran, the germ is the most nutrient rich part of the grain. What makes it so great? It’s a highly concentrated source of B vitamins like folate, thiamin and B6 and minerals like zinc, magnesium and manganese. It has a high oil content and therefore a high amount of vitamin E. And one serving (115g) of wheat germ contains 60 percent of your daily dietary fiber requirements!
Where to use Wheat Germ?: So, wheat germ sounds pretty good, right? Well, don’t go all crazy now eating pounds of wheat germ…. because wheat is actually best consumed in it’s entirety. Aka “the WHOLE GRAIN”. So, what we should really be looking at here is the wheatberry, which is the entire wheat kernel; the bran, germ, and endosperm(the starchy part).
Wheatberries have all the nutritional benefits of the germ AND the bran, in their most unprocessed form. But definitely don’t shy away from wheat germ if you feel that you are not getting enough whole grains in your diet or you just like white bread and pasta. And even if you like your whole grains, I don’t think there is anything wrong with adding some wheat germ to your oats, baked goods or smoothies. However, you should try to eat the whole grain if you can.
As for the wheatberries, if you get your hands on them, wheatberries are yummy stirred into oats and also delicious as a salad, like this one from Ina Garten.
Do you like to eat whole grain products (bread, pasta, grains) or do you prefer the refined “white” products?
I admit, sometimes there’s really nothing quite like a big bowl of white pasta. But only once in a while. When I do eat grains, I tend to eat them in their whole grain form. This includes whole grain or sprouted whole grain breads and wraps, whole grain pasta (like brown rice pasta) and lots of whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oats and wheatberries
Research From:
The Encyclopedia of Seeds – Science, Technology and Uses
Mayo Clinic
WH Foods
Livestrong
Wikipedia
March 9th, 2010
 Canal Street Station: Broadway and Canal 03/08/10
I completed my 7 miler yesterday! I asked on Twitter for some suggestions of where to run… but in the end decided to run on the esplanade, where we did the KERF blogger run.
It was beautiful out. The weather was absolutely perfect (despite slight windiness). The view over the water was stunning!
7 miles is the longest I’ve ever run on purpose! I may have run 7 before or close to it, but I never intentionally set out to run 7 miles. I know it may not be long for some, but I am super proud of myself! 
The run itself felt great! Running it wasn’t “heavenly” as I may have lead you to believe by the title of my post – I had a bit of knee pain, and some foot numbness. But finishing WAS heavenly! I felt really good, and strong.
And I figured out how to track my mile splits finally:
M = Mile
| M1 |
M2 |
M3 |
M4 |
M5 |
M6 |
M7 |
| 7:56 |
9:07 |
9:26 |
9:52 |
9:31 |
9:58 |
9:12 |
Not bad. Not sure how I started off that fast though! Guess I was a little too eager to run in such nice weather  . I think that may have affected my speed for the rest of the run. I recall mile 4 as being the toughest. After I got past that, it felt like smooth sailing!
I have 4m scheduled for today, as I was supposed to do my 7m on Sunday. But I don’t think I’m going to do it. I’m going to do some cross training and strength training today and tomorrow and save my 4 miles for Thursday (and then do Thursday’s 3 on Saturday). Whew confusing!
Speaking of strength training – I read on Shedding It that Rachel is doing the one hundred push-up challenge.
I thought to myself, what an AWESOME idea! I have pretty pitiful upper body strength and think this would be a great way to build it up, and a fun challenge to do! So I’m hopping on board! Starting today!!! I’ll keep you updated on what I do for it every week and my progress on my fitness page. You are more than welcome to join in!
Do you prefer strength training or cardio?
I feel like everyone always has a preference, or dreads doing one of the other. I feel like for women, strength training is not their favorite. For me though, I actually prefer it to cardio. If I had to choose between 30 minutes on the treadmill/elliptical or doing an hour of strength training, I would pick the strength training every time!
March 8th, 2010
 Dean & Deluca – Prince and Broadway 03/08/10
What a gorgeously gorgeous day it is in NYC! I love sunshine! I feel wrong being inside, but I just finished lunch (ezekiel wrap with hummus, tomaters and TONS of broccoli sprouts + tamari almonds + a clemintine) and am digesting before getting ready for a run!
So beautiful, I cannot NOT be outside And the weather for the rest of the week looks great too!
I feel like I want to explore a new area on my run today. Hmm…
Yesterday I skipped my run (making up for it today ) in favor of grocery shopping with the BF. He’s not feeling very well, so along with our regular grocery items, we picked up a boatload of clemintines (vitamin C yo!) We’re currently working our way through them!
I also picked up some Justin’s Maple Almond Butter packs to try. I’ve heard very good things!
Another treat I picked up at the store was Mango Passion sorbet from Blue Moon Sorbet.
The ingredients are very simple:
I really really liked it! Very smooth and fruity. Definitely a fan!
So…last night was the Oscars. Did you watch? The Hurt Locker cleaned up! But, as I said yesterday, I kinda like the Red Carpet show more than the actually awards. I didn’t LOVE a lot of the dresses last night, but of the ones I did like, I think Demi Moore’s was my favorite. I thought her dress was gorgeous, LOVE the color.
[source]
Alright I need to get my butt in gear and figure out where I’m running to today!!! Enjoy the weather!
Do you like fruity desserts? What are your favorites?
I love sorbet, especially lemon and mango. I also love pies and crumbles. Strawberry-rhubarb pie and blueberry or apple crumble are my favorite! And just plain fruit is an amazing dessert itself!
March 7th, 2010
I’m finally out of my Exam fog! I was absolutely exhausted yesterday, napped for a while BUT managed to haul my butt to Queens for some…. INDIAN FOOD! I think I like Indian food almost as much as The Fitnessista However I haven’t had a chance to have any in NYC because BF says he doesn’t like it 
A group of us went to Jackson Diner, in Jackson Heights.
You could smell the spice as you walked in! Mmm, I love spicyy!
We started up with some spicy dippers
And crackery things…don’t know what they’re called!
J.H. and I shared one of my favorite Indian dishes; Saag Paneer (Spinach with fresh cheese).
I love Paneer but there wasn’t really that much in our dish. Boo! The dish sort of looks like baby food, but it tasted pretty good!
It wasn’t the best I’ve had, a little too buttery for my taste, but still satisfying.
It was actually A LOT of food in that little bowl, even to share!
We had some rice and fluffy naan on the side.
I want to find a good Indian place in Manhattan I can drag the BF to, I’m sure if he tried it and asked for his meal to not be so spicy, he would love it!
During exam time, I made myself a GIANT batch of quinoa to have so I wouldn’t have to think of what to make for dinners. I had to get pretty creative with my meals so as not to have the same thing every night. And one of the quinoa dishes I made really stood out:
I actually just threw a bunch of stuff in a bowl, but it was so yummy!
My bowl contained: quinoa, white beans, baby corn, organic mixed greens, sprouts, cranberries, apricots, walnuts and goats cheese. I topped it with EVOO, apple cider vinegar, a bit of lemon juice and agave. It was SO GOOD!
Today’s plans include grocery shopping, 7m run later in the day, baking and watching the Oscars! Sometimes I think I like the red carpet show and seeing all the outfits, better than the actual show
BF and I plan to have a mini Oscar party with some homemade Ezekiel chips with my homemade guacamole, a Kashi pizza, some sweet potato fries and something yummy for dessert. Trying to think of what I can bake next from my babycakes book!
Are you a fan of Indian food? What type of Non-American Cuisine is your favorite?
I have so many! But I think it’s a 3-way tie between Italian, Greek and Indian. Yum!
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Welcome to Just Flourishing! I'm Janna.
I love eating, cooking and learning about healthy food. That's probably why I've decided to become an R.D.!
I used to be a ballet dancer and now I keep fit with yoga, running and some exercise classes thrown into the mix.
I believe in treating our bodies as well as we can by eating delicious and healthy foods and being active as often as possible. Why should you ever want less! Disclaimer I'm not a Registered Dietitian...yet! For medical or nutritional counseling please consult an RD, certified nutritionist, or medical doctor. All content on this blog is based on my own personal experience and opinions. It is not meant as medical advice.
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