12 weeks to ultimate, beach-ready, totally ripped body perfection.
12 weeks of eating as clean as possible and working out 5 days a week until my triceps are sharp enough to cut glass and I can actually refute my theory that I was born without ab muscles.
12 weeks of 'failure is not an option, for fear of ultimate photographic humiliation forever more.'
Ok, so that last one sounds a little harsh. Full disclosure: 12 weeks from today one of my best friends of all time will be getting married. Just about everyone I've interacted with for the last 10 years of my life will be in attendance and let's just say that despite a full year now of eating well and working out extremely consistently, I still have a ways to go before I'll look my best.
I originally was supposed to start this wedding-ready journey at the start of the year but, well, you could say I gave myself some leeway. So now it's crunch time. One pound a week of puuure bodyfat to burn.
I'll let you know how it goes.
To help the process along, I've limited myself to one night of eating out per week. Not only does it help the wallet, but it keeps you accountable for ingredients, portions, and not indulging in 8 glasses of wine to pass the time.
I'd been dying to make this Spinach and Chickpea recipe I came across on Smitten Kitchen. Besides just sounding delicious, it requires ingredients I almost always have on hand already. Plus it's Spanish (oooh exotic!), vegetarian (vegan, even), and super filling.
I decided to add tofu for a little extra protein (and chunkiness) and to help make it more of a main entree type dish. It worked like a charm. After one bowl I was stuffed and still had enough for 2 more servings. And you know is the kind of recipe that you can just tell gets better after it sits and all the flavors meld together, too.
Needless to say, I can't wait for lunch tomorrow.
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 pound spinach, washed
1/3 pkg extra firm silken tofu (the kind in the vacuum packed boxes), cut into 1 inch cubes
A hefty 1-inch slice from a country loaf or about 2 slices from sandwich loaf breadcrusts removed and cut/torn into small cubes
1/2 cup (4 ounces) tomato sauce (I used canned pasta sauce and it worked just fine)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika**
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice, to taste
Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt (in batches, if necessary) and stir well. Remove when the leaves are just tender, drain in a colander and set aside.
Add tofu cubes to a separate skillet greased lightly with olive oil. Sautee until golden brown on all sides and set aside.
Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread for about 5 minutes or until golden brown all over, then the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more or until the garlic is nutty brown.
Transfer to a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle along with the vinegar, and mash to a paste. *I think I got a tad too generous with the vinegar here, so keep it light as it really came through strong in the final dish. If the paste is dry you can always add a little water to help.
Return the mixture to the pan and add the drained chickpeas, tofu, and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas and tofu have absorbed the flavors and are hot. Season with salt and pepper.
If the consistency is a little thick, add some water. Add the spinach and cook until it is hot. Check for seasoning and serve with smoked paprika on top, or on fried bread toasts (as the Spanish do).
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