Sadly, this is not a KERF homemade pizza 🙁 As much as I wanted to cook another fun dinner tonight, I got invited out for pizza and couldn’t turn it down! The husband has class on Thursday nights and has to grab something quick for dinner uptown, so my MIL treated us to pizza at FUEL, a Charlotte local favorite.
Because the husband has to be there by 6, we met at 5:00 for a very early dinner (snack!?). I took the lightrail up and got there at 4:30, so I decided to walk down East Boulevard, probably my favorite street in Charlotte, and enjoy the day. The picturesque sidewalk drenched in 75* sunshine:
For dinner we did a “build your own” half veggie, half husband pizza. My side had green pepper, tomato, spinach and mushroom and “his” side had pepperoni, jalapeño, green pepper and mushroom. All with part-skim mozzarella and a whole wheat crust! Pretty healthy for pizza out.
I had two slices. Although I could have eaten the whole thing!
I wasn’t really that impressed by FUEL. It was nice to have the healthy options of part-skim and whole wheat, but the sauce was rather bland. I did like the size of each piece though and the crust was great. It tasted fresh and healthy too (which is not your average pizza report!)
I also got a big chopped salad with cuc, tomato, celery, green pepper, carrot and iceburg. It was what it was. Honey mustard dressing on the side, of which I used about half a tbsp. The salad kept me busy and helped fill me up.
I got home at 6:30 with dinner out of the way and no dishes to do, so I decided to take advantage of the weather once more and went out with Eat, Pray, Love for another loop around the neighborhood. I’m whizzing through this book now that I’m not just reading a few chapters each night! The walk was so enjoyable, and now I’m settling in with some Physiology before I head to bed for more reading.
Tomorrow is spinning first thing, then my 2 classes, then whatever I can get done before we have our company arrive in the late afternoon. Then I’m headed Uptown for the big game!
Rachel says
Kelly L,
I posted this on the other kelly’s blog but don’t think you saw it.
Kelly L,
You mentioned you do pilates. Do you feel it’s slimed your waist. My problem area is definitely my waist and poor posture. They are really expensive so I have hesitated doing the reformer class (I tried a mat class but don’t like it). Does it just work on your core or do your arms and legs get a workout too? thanks!
Rachel says
do you think taking a reformer class once a week would even be effective?
NC (need to change my name) says
mmm that pizza looks great!! I’m sorry the sauce was disappointing, but that’s so cool that you were able to get a ww crust and part-skim cheese on it. I love places that have a “build your own” option, like The Loop, for example. 🙂
ChocolateCoveredVegan says
I had pumpkin in my oatmeal today, and it was superb. You are a genius! (But I bet you already knew that!)
april says
does anyone have any good recipies for tilapia? I recently bought some but am in need of a good recipie! thank you!
Julz says
OK, I’ve been wondering this since I started reading this beautiful blog…HOW DO YOU READ AND WALK AT THE SAME TIME???? Or better yet, how can you read a magazine and run at the same time? THAT is amazing! I can barely do the ET and read a mag! Please, spill these details!
Kath says
ALL,
I will do a video of me reading and walking this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!
Kath
chandra says
Ha – a video of how to read an walk. Too funny. I actually thought about it over my lunch break the other day when I was walking and decided I’d end up reading the same page over and over so I passed. 🙂
I’m jealous of your weather – it is snowing here right now! Booo snow, YAY SUNSHINE!!
Courtney S says
Rachel, pilates is the best! I’ve done pilates at home for years (and take classes here and there, too) and it’s made a huge difference in how I look and feel. It’s subtle, but all of a sudden you realize you have muscles and tone. Take some mat classes so you know the basics, then buy some good DVDs or classes on CD to keep the cost down. Plus, having the option to do pilates at home means you’re more like to do it. 20 or 30 minutes in your house is nothing!
Romina says
Homemade or not, that pizza looks delicious!!
Nadia says
I purchased a 10-class Pilates package…went twice and hated it so stopped. I realized recently that the package “expired” so I basically wasted the money I don’t have. Anyway, I was wondering if Bikram yoga done consistently would give me the same results…anyone know? I’m trying to add some muscle/tone…and have done yoga only for about a month and a half but going to stick with it. Just wondering if anyone has had similar results with yoga as one would with pilates? If not, I guess I’ll have to incorporate strength training…ugh. I hate lifting weights.
Kelly L. says
Rachel- Sorry, I guess I missed your original post. I love pilates. I have taken both mat and reformer classes. They are both great and really work your core. The key is to find a studio with good instructors that teach real pilates. I have had friends take mat classes and hate it but I think it’s because they get an instructor that doesn’t have a certification from a true pilates organization. If you do the entire mat series you will definitly be sweating and your heart beating!
I think the point of your e-mail was about the reformer classes. I love my reformer classes. They are a lot of fun and not only work your core but your entire body. I had class today and we did a killer leg workout. My problem area has always been my stomach too so I know what you mean. I have noticed a major difference in my core strength since starting pilates. My stomach is much much tighter than it has ever been. Each class we do arms, abs, and legs, however with pilates you are pretty much always using your core. The arm and leg exercises really give you a good workout because the springs can be adjusted for weights. So if you were doing something like rows or bicep curls on the reformer you can make them lighter or heavier by adjusting the springs. The other benefit to a good studio is that they should have equipment other than the reformer. We worked out today with the tower (a tower with springs and bars). There are so many other cool pilates equipment. www.balancedbody.com is a good place to check stuff out.
I agree, the classes are expensive. I pay almost $200 a month and go twice a week but I think it’s worth it. Pilates give you sculpted muscles and both a physical and functional strength. For example, I love to wakeboard and after starting pilates I noticed a huge difference in how stable I was. Plus, I wasn’t sore like I usually am. If you do pilates 2-3 times a week and walk or run 2-3 times a week you’ll be in great shape.
I think I just totally rambled on. If you can’t tell I love pilates (and yoga when I have time). I’m thinking about getting my certification myself. Hope that helps! 🙂
Kelly L. says
Oh and as far as pilates DVD’s goes be careful. So many pilates DVD’s aren’t real pilates. They don’t give you a good workout and basically alter the orginal pilates method that Joseph Pilates created. I will say that the videos by Stott Pilates are good. They have all different skill levels so you can start out where you feel comfortable and move up.
The key to pilates is to learn the basics: neutral spine, breath, engaging the abs, etc. If you do the basics and work through the exercises you will really feel it.
Serena says
I totally agree with Kelly L about how great pilates is and how you have to be careful to make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly. Since I started going to a really professional studio doing group reformer classes and one on one or duet classes I’ve noticed a really big difference in my ab, arm and leg strength and tone. I also realized that you can totally fake the exercises if you don’t know exactly how it’s supposed to feel when you’re doing them and you won’t get a lot out of it. So I recommend taking classes at least at first to learn the form and then moving on to DVDs and other less expensive options, especially b/c you don’t want to strain your neck or back.
curious says
Hi Kath,
I really enjoy reading your blog. Your food always looks delicious and it’s nice to see that you can eat healthily and still enjoy great-tasting food. I have to say, however, that I don’t agree with your basketball affiliations at all, and that I have an institution down the street from your favorite going all the way!
I do have a question– you get so much extra walking in whenever you have any spare time. Looking at this extra exercise, how much of it would you say is because you just plain love it, and how much is that you feel like you should? Like your quick walk before and after dinner tonight– I’m sure it was pleasant, but did you have to convince any part of yourself that just wanted to curl up on the couch to read that going on the walk would be a much more productive and healthier choice? Just wondering!
Elizabeth says
Kelly L, what do you think about the Winsor Pilates DVDs? Will I be getting a “real” pilates workout if I use those? Thanks for your expertise on this subject (and thanks, too, to Rachel for asking the pilates question)! 🙂
NCCarter says
Funny….we unexpectedly had pizza tonight, too, and also ordered whole wheat crust. So nice to have that option! My husband had pepperoni and green olives on his….my side was spinach and tomatoes. My husband thinks meatless pizza is not pizza, nor is pizza without tomato sauce.
That pumpkin bread looks delish. I’m going to have to make some this weekend.
Kelly L. says
Elizabeth- I personally have not done any of the Windsor DVD’s. My experience with pilates has all been with tried and true Joseph Pilates method. I have heard good things about Mari’s DVD’s but have yet to try one. It’s worth a shot. As far as how “true” her method is I’m not sure. From what i have seen it just doesn’t seem that intense to me. When I do the the series I do each exercise right after another and I’m sweating up a storm and my body is hurting (in a good way). WHen I’ve seen clips of Mari’s DVD’s it just seems so “la ti da, let’s do a leg lift and lose 5 lbs.”
Here are some good links:
www.balancedbody.com – there are some good DVD’s here and you can check out all the equipment
www.stottpilates.com – more good DVD’s
bikergurl says
Wow, I am SO jealous of that green grass! The snow depth up here in Quebec city is still at 110 cm, which is about 3.6 feet. Care to share some sunshine and heat?
Jessie says
Why do you call your husband “The husband”?
Betsy says
i giggled when i read “half-husband pizza.” hehe.
Kelly T says
How is she supposed to answer that?
twinks says
I am a physicalmind certified pilates instructor. I teach mat, as well as aparatus (reformer, wunda, cadillac, etc). I definitely think it’s worth giving pilates another try…maybe a different instructor would help.
As for Windsor, stay away. It’s not very intense, it’s not very innovative, and I think you’ll get bored quickly.
If you decide to keep taking classes, I would definitely make sure that your instructor has either a BalancedBody cert or a PhysicalMind cert. I personally really hate the way Stott lays out their program, and I don’t feel that their instructors get proper training (you can actually send in a VIDEO and receive a certification).
On another note…
FYI: (I hope this saves some of you some discomfort, pain, or even embarrassment!)
My mom and I have both been having some horrendous abdominal cramping and sulphury smelling gas lately (sorry to be so descriptive). I decided I was going to do some research/experimentation and it has concluded this evening…
I first started eliminating one food at a time to see if that helped alleviate said symptoms. Broccoli one day, dairy another, onions the next, etc. Nothing helped! So I moved on to testing out supplements. After eliminating a few…it seems CALCIUM is the culprite!
I finalized my research tonight by TAKING the calcium. I hadn’t taken it for a couple of weeks, symptoms had gone away. I wanted to confirm that the Calcium was infact the reason for the upset.
As I sit here typing this, I am happy and also very sad to report that I am UNCOMFORTABLY bloated, and it S.T.I.N.K.S!!!
Sorry for the long post…get rid of the nasty calcium if you are having these same issues!
goalie30 says
twinks, some women HAVE to take calcium supplements as they can’t eat dairy and/or don’t get in enough dairy in their diets daily to get the recommended 1,000-1500mg of calcium each day…i think saying to people to “get rid of calcium” supplements just because it caused you bloating and gas isn’t the right way to word it. you and others with this intestinal side effect might want to try a different calcium supplement such as viactiv or caltrate instead of just the big calcium horse pills and see if this doesn’t eliminate the gas/bloating; if i told my patients to stop their supplements just because of side effects, I’d have a lot more oseoporotic people on my hands and osteoporosis means hip fractures, spine fractures, etc. down the road!
Elizabeth says
Kelly L and Twinks, thanks for the links and input on Pilates DVDs and classes! And Goalie, glad to see you back…I was wondering where you had gone! 🙂
Kath says
curious ,
Good question about the walking. I’d say it’s probably a little of both. I LOVE to walk. I love that I can do it anywhere, anytime (as long as it’s not raining or I’m wearing heels!) and I love that I don’t have to put on workout clothes and can just do 10 minutes at a time if that’s all I want to do. I especially love being outdoors – smelling the air, feeling the breeze. I’d rather walk than just sit in a chair outside. However, I do think the exercise component does push me to walk more when I might not otherwise. I think one of two biggest reasons this country is overweight are 1) Accessibility of junk food and 2) Sedentary lives. I think there’s some statistic about people who living in big cities who walk everywhere have much lower BMIs (which totally makes sense!) and people who move to big cities lose more weight than those who don’t (I can’t remember where I read this). When you think back to our ancestors, they were active all day long gathering food and water, cooking, tending to gardens, the kids, working, hunting. Their constant movement kept them strong and fit. So with that in mind, I try to move as much as I can. Pace when I’m on the phone rather than sit in a chair, get up and stretch/move around during long study sessions, and walk whenever I have a bit of free time. Walking is so easy that I don’t really think about my 30 minute walks as “exercise” as much as I think about them as “movement.” Of course an hour-long walk does tire me out, but my little bouts here and there are more just to keep my metabolism humming and my mind happy. Hope that answers your question.
Jessie ,
Because I started blogging that way so people would know his relationship to me without me having to explain who Matt was – and because I don’t call him by his name, I call him Kanz so writing Matt is strange and Kanz would get too many questions asked! (Kanz is a college nickname that stems from the famous Bonobo Kanzi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzi)
Kath
Kelly L. says
Goalie- Glad you are back. I have a question regarding calcium…. I have read that you can only absorb a certain amount of calcium at a time. I usually have yogurt for breakfast with 20-25% of the RDA. Plus, I also take a daily multi (women’s one-a-day) and that supplies 40% I believe. Am I better off taking my mulit at another time during the day? I’m not a milk drinker (don’t like it) so I get my calcium from yogurt and cheese mainly, with the random Cliff or Kashi bar thrown in (they have calcium added too). Should I be taking a calcium supplement as well? If so, what do you recommend? Thanks!
twinks says
I have tried 4 calcium supplements and they all do this to me. Granted, bone health is very important, but if someone else is as miserable as I was with the supplements, I would not encourage them to take them. I would encourage them to find an alternative. Sorry my wording was triggering to you.
goalie30 says
Kelly and Twinks/ re: calcium
Not everyone can take calcium supplements; some people do have bad side effects. IN that case, getting as much calcium from your diet is best. In fact, dietary calcium from foods you eat/drink are absorbed BETTER than the supplements! so there is nothing wrong with getting in your calcium from fortified juices, cereals/granola bars, veggies like broccoli, soy products, dairy, etc. You do NOT have to drink milk in order to get in your daily recommended doses of calcium either.
Kelly, yes, your body only absorbs about 500mg or 30% of your RDA at one time; so if you take in some dairy with your Multivitamin, you might want to take it at bedtime in order to reap the calcium benefits from it. Then get in some forms of calcium at your other meals/snacks at least 2-4 times per day and you should more than adequately covered to get in the 1200-1500mg that’s recommended.