End to a Relaxing Weekend

We really enjoyed a fantastic weekend out here in LA. Terry did have to work, but we still really took advantage of having some time to rest, time together, and time with Scout.

I love bags when Mom and Dad are home!

Here's what we did this weekend:

• Slept in (both days!)
• Ran 5.75 miles on Saturday
• [Terry] Went to work
• Went to the UCLA game and watched them beat ASU!
• [Julie] Blogged
• Cleaned house & did laundry
• Played with Scout
• Bought me a new phone
• Soaked our sore muscles in our apartment's hot tub (twice!)
• Tried to work out today, which was rough (see below)
• Watched Beetlejuice - yeah, we're old school like that
• Caught up on a ton of our old DVR shows

Today was a fun day at home for me. For lunch, I tested out a recipe from Katie's blog: Baked Oatmeal. The result? A very filling and delicious baked delight! My only concern is that it wasn't quite sweet enough, but that's because I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand. I'm excited to try her recipe again with some different add-ins, like pecans or raisins. And I'm sure this recipe would be an incredible dessert with some vanilla ice cream!

Workout

When Terry got home from work, we squeezed in a very brief strength training session before heading out to buy my phone. Terry did his push ups and sit ups, and I focused on legs, because all my running lately has made me neglect my leg toning exercises.

• 2 x 30 (each leg) Bent-Leg Glute Raises (lay on one side with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, then keep your feet together and lift your knee up slowly without moving your hips; lower; repeat)
• 2 x 30 Open Leg Scissors (lay on your back with your legs straight up to the ceiling, then open and close your legs slowly)
• 2 x 50 (each side) Glute Pulses (get on one knee with your elbows on the floor in front of you and your hands clasped; raise the other leg behind you with your knee bent at a 90-degree angle; keep your leg up for slow, small pulses)
• 2 x 30 (each side) Side Leg Raises (lay on your side with your legs outstretched slightly in front of you; raise the top leg slowly, flex the foot, then lower the leg)

After our strength exercises, we headed out to Westwood to buy my new phone. We decided to jog the <2 miles there, but we stopped after the first mile because I was really struggling (much like yesterday) and neither of us was feeling it. It was pretty pathetic. Then, on the way home, I aimed for 100 lunges. Yeah, right! After 40, my legs were useless, and when I hit 50, they completely shut down. So we walked home and immediately settled into our complex's hot tub. Thank goodness for hot water when you can't splurge on a professional massage!

For dinner tonight, we tried a new recipe for quiche and spruced it up with sausage and caramelized onions. Check it out!

Sausage Quiche

Serves 4

• Quiche crust recipe (I used Lisa's)
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ounces cheddar-Gruyere cheese, shredded

Create your quiche crust and press into the pie plate; set aside. In a medium pan, cook the onions over medium heat until they are translucent, about 8 minutes. Then add the olive oil and continue cooking on medium-low heat for about 5 more minutes. Then add the sausage and crumble as it cooks, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside. 

To assemble, spread a thin layer of the shredded cheese on the bottom of the crust-filled pie plate. Then layer the sausage-onion mixture. Finally, pour the egg/milk mixture over the other ingredients and carefully slide the quiche into the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. 

Love those savory layers

We really loved this combination of flavors. Terry noted that he tasted too much olive oil in the crust, so I will try a different oil or maybe even butter next time. But the sausage and caramelized onions gave a deliciously savory flavor to this quiche, and we would certainly try it again! (Actually, we're bringing this meal over to Jenn's tomorrow to celebrate her qualifying exams being over, so expect an update on their thoughts - and the new crust - tomorrow.)

For now, we're off to bed. Even with the extra hour last night, I'm tired and aware that I have one more crazy week. Though we only have four days of school, I will be working late almost every night. So that means lots of pre-planning for our meals and likely trying hard to wake up early for my workouts. Yikes.