Fashion Faux Pas and Healthy Bruschetta

Just now, I had a mildly disturbing realization.  I'm currently wearing shorts that resemble Umbros (but are NOT, for the record) and a kickball T-shirt from 2005 that has a hole.  Okay, three holes.  And that's not the disturbing part.  THAT would be the fact that I've been wearing some iteration of this very same outfit for close to 72 hours straight and have not put on real clothes since a baby shower I attended on Sunday morning.  Sometimes the shorts are red, and sometimes they are black, and I happen to have 5 different colors of kickball shirts, but really, the concept is the same.  I am not sick, nor am I on vacation, or working out 24/7 like the bionic woman.  No, I've just been attending to my usual business and suppose I've never felt the need to wear something public-worthy.  ***Just for the record, I HAVE showered an appropriate number of times during this 72 hour period.  If I hadn't, I sure as heck wouldn't be blogging about it.***

You see, I work from home and sometimes fail to see the point in dressing like a regular person when gym clothes are so much more comfortable.  I'm kind of ashamed of myself, but not ashamed enough to give up the fake Umbros.

And now that I'm thinking about it, my taste in casual wear has always been, well...pretty abysmal.  I like to think I have pretty good style when I'm out in public and feel like my clothes say a lot about me.  Fun, put together, a little out there at times, willing to take risks, colorful and unique....you get the gist.  But my casual wear says nothing good about me at all....it screams apathy with a side of shabby chic without the chic.  I go through phases where I'm obsessed with certain pieces of "lounge" clothing.  For awhile it was a pair of men's Calvin Klein plaid pajama pants that were about 5 sizes too big.  I loved those pants so much that I literally wore a hole in the butt.  And then begged my mom to sew them up until another hole appeared.  Sew them up again, a new hole, sew them up again, a new hole.  This went on for years until finally an Intervention was staged and it was time to say goodbye.  I traded the plaid pants in for these black velour yoga pants (before Juicy Couture even existed), and I wore them EVERYWHERE.  Like, until they too fell apart.  Then it was time for my husband's personal favorite, the dreaded green sweatpants.  Not only were they actual sweatpants (did you know they even still made those?), but they were CAPRI sweatpants.  Genius!  A four season monstrosity!  I wore those bad boys around the house every day for the first couple of years of our relationship.  He's a lucky man, I'll tell you what.  I eventually retired them after we got married, and actually thought I had lost them or given them away.  But THEN, I was cleaning out my car, and guess what I found in the trunk?  Yep, the green sweatpants.  I'm thinking of bringing them back when it gets too cold for Umbros.


Er, now that I've sufficiently embarrassed myself, I guess I'll talk about food.

Operation "Decrease the Size of Ann's Belly" is fully under way.  I've attended 4 spin classes in 5 days and have been planning healthy meals and not shoving food into my face just because my Umbros are stretchy.  So far, so good.

This grilled pork tenderloin and bruschetta on whole wheat bread was delish, and you don't even notice that it contains very little fat.  Score!

Bruschetta on Whole Wheat Bread
Source: Adapted from Epicurious

2 cups assorted cherry, grape, and teardrop tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large)

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for brushing

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 small loaf whole wheat french style bread loaf

1 garlic clove, peeled, halved

Combine halved tomatoes, finely chopped onion, 3 tablespoons olive oil, chopped fresh basil, minced garlic, and balsamic vinegar in medium bowl; season tomato topping with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Place bread slices, cut side up, on baking sheet; brush bread with olive oil. Toast bread in broiler until top is golden brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 2 minutes. Immediately rub cut side of bread all over with halved garlic.

Top toasted bread with tomato mixture and serve.

Grilled Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Source: Adapted from Cooking with Chrissy

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon grill seasoning

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, grill seasoning, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over pork. If you like or have the time, marinate several hours or overnight. 

Heat grill to medium high.

Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 degrees.  Let it rest before slicing.