Marvelous Mondays

Hello friends!

You know, today, I was thinking that as much as I like to complain about Mondays, I really shouldn’t. For me, Mondays always pass by very quickly and often are my most productive day of the week. And, at the end of the day, I always feel accomplished and tired in a good way. And, of course, it’s Bachelor night as well, so how bad can it be?

I’m determined to rethink my Mondays and start thinking of them as Marvelous Mondays. Cheesy? Yes. But I’m hoping to shift my thinking a bit so I can start each week on a more productive note.

So, my Marvelous Monday started off with a yummy Green Monster.

Operation Bulk Up is still in effect, so I threw in some Almond Butter. I have to admit that I find the name Operation Bulk Up a bit of a misnomer, even though I came up with it. I’m not really trying to bulk up; I’m just trying to provide my body with enough healthy fats, proteins, and carbs to fuel its very active lifestyle so as not to cause unwanted weight loss, fatigue, and general moodiness. But that’s too long of a name.

I was a busy girl today at work, as usual, but I managed to get everything I wanted to get done done. Seriously, there is nothing more satisfying than checking items off your to do list left and right. It just feels so good.

Lunch today was a total gossip fest. As much as I love having some adult time during the day, I’m considering resuming my hermit ways during lunch. I just think some of that gossiping is kind of toxic for my work attitude. I like to be a happy teacher…and prefer to not act like the students! While I listened and tried not to participate, I ate my Hummus, Laughing Cow, Turkey, Baby Spinach, and Mustard Sandwich, Braeburn, and Vitamins.

I had to stay late this afternoon to give some make-up tests so I was pretty hungry by the time I left. I have to admit that it was a bit weird not eating a Luna bar for a snack. Instead, I had an Almond Butter Bagel.

The verdict? This snack was great pre-workout fuel! I was full but not weighed down and didn’t experience any cramping. Two thumbs up!

Today, at the gym, I had an intense workout. A major sweatfest is my favorite way to kick off another work week and I left the gym feeling amazing!

My Workout:

-1/2 mile walking warm-up

-2 mile run in 18:00

-1/2 mile walking recovery

-FitSugar’s Interval Sprints

-3 x 15 seated dips, arm extensions, and vertical bench

After the gym, I had to run a couple quick errands before heading home to shower and prep for tomorrow. As much as I miss J during the week, I do like having quiet, unwind time when I got home. It helps me recharge a bit.

Tonight’s dinner was super filling but really yummy. I had Broccoli and Tempeh Stir-Fry in a Spicy Peanut Sauce with a Toasted Bagel.

That bagel is definitely a bit random. I noticed the expiration date on the bag was yesterday so I wanted to make sure I ate ‘em all. And as you can see, I ate roughly an entire pound of broccoli florets tonight. Can you say fiber?

Dessert was a scoop of Peanut Butter Cup Froyo.

Now I’m settling in for a night of blog reading and Bachelor watching. I’m such a bum at night but I’m so on the go throughout the day that I rarely have the motivation to do anything by lay on the couch and digest.

I hope you all had wonderful Mondays!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hi friends!

I’m sorry for going MIA this weekend; I don’t know how but Saturday just seemed to slip by in a blur and I just realized this afternoon that I never got around to blogging. Whoops!

Fortunately (and unfortunately), I don’t have that many pictures from Saturday so this recap post shouldn’t be too, too long. Let’s begin, shall we?

First off, I really enjoyed Julie & Julia on Friday night but I mainly liked the Julia Child part. I just find her so joyful and fun to watch. Julie, well, I was a little less interested in, despite that fact that her life is kind of like mine – food blogger with an exceptionally supportive partner. I think I had a few issues with her characterization in the movie since I read the book and I know Julie Powell wasn’t very Amy Adams-esque in her own words. In fact, she’s a bit harsh and bitter, to be truthful. So, I guess I can understand why the screenwriter took some liberties with her character. All in all, it was definitely worth watching…and it totally made me hungry!

Moving on…

Saturday:

J got home really late on Friday night due to numerous weather-related flight delays and I waited up for him. By the time he got home, he was ravenous so I warmed up some Chili for him and then we stayed up late just chatting. It was lovely but our late bedtime had us not even stirring the next morning until past 10! Yikes! I rarely sleep that late and when I woke up, I felt like the day was half gone!

We quickly got ourselves together because we had plans to do our wedding registry that day and we had a birthday dinner to attend that evening. In the interest of getting out the door quickly, I had a very easy and fast breakfast using a new product – Sweet Wheat Alternative Bagels.

When I saw that these bagels only had 110 calories, I knew I had to try them!

I had a Toasted Bagel with Almond Butter, Strawberry Preserves, and Banana Slices. On the side, I had the other 1/2 of the Banana with a Almond Butter Smear.

It was really yummy! I was impressed with those bagels; they had a great, filling, chewy texture.

Then, J and I were off to the mall to register! This activity was quite possibly my favorite part of wedding planning so far!

I was thrilled to register for a mixer.

And we picked out some formal china at Macy’s.

Registering took a lot longer than we had anticipated and by the time we finished at Macy’s, we had to stop for something to eat before going into Crate and Barrel. And we needed something quick because we were on a time limit due to early dinner reservations. We decided to just grab a Blueberry Bagel and Cream Cheese from Corner Bakery to tide us over.

It was yummy! I realized about 1/2 through eating that bagel was my second of the day. What can I say? I love my carbs!

Registering at Crate and Barrel was so much fun! J practically had to drag me out of there so we could make it to dinner on time.

That night, we were celebrating two family members’ birthdays at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse so we had to rush home from the mall to change into nicer clothes and then rush to the restaurant. I didn’t want to even worry about taking sneaky iPhone pictures since my family doesn’t know about the blog so I decided to just take the night off from pictures period. Just for the record, I had some Bread, Calamari, Ahi Tuna, Harvest Salad, Ribeye, Potatoes, and Carrot Cake. It was quite the indulgent night, to say the least!

Sunday:

This morning, I woke up feeling yucky. I had eaten too much the night before and given myself a tummy ache. And I had sipped on some wine, which was much stronger than I expected. Basically, I had a total food hangover with a bit of a wine headache thrown in for good measure.

I knew the only cure for the way I was feeling was a good sweatfest so I grabbed a Mini Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar and headed straight to the gym.

At the gym, I had a nice, long elliptical session followed by some core work. I felt much, much better after!

My Workout:

-75 minutes on the elliptical

-100 crunches

-100 reverse crunches

-100 bicycle crunches

-2 1:00 planks

After the gym, it was time to rush home for a quick shower before church. I was starving after my workout so I had to have a substantial snack as well. I toasted up another bagel and had a Bagel with Almond Butter and a Ambrosia Apple.

Church was great again today. Lots of talk about what matters at the end of our lives. Our priest said that at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is relationships – with God, with each other, with ourselves. Very interesting and true.

After church, we had to run a few errands. I packed a random snack to munch on – a Fiber One Strawberry Toaster Pastry.

It tasted just like a Pop Tart, which I basically lived off in college. Oh, unhealthy memories!

Unfortunately, this snack did not hold me over so when we finally got home, I was so ready for a snack. I decided to dig into my Newman’s stash for an idea and came out with these Newman’s Own Protein Pretzels.

I ate my Protein Pretzels with two Turkey Slices and Spicy Mustard for dipping.

I didn’t notice any taste difference with these pretzels; they tasted like your basic pretzel, just a little less salty. But their satiety level was intense! I ate this snack at 3…and didn’t get hungry for dinner until almost 8! I mean, talk about some serious protein power!

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for the week ahead, watching some pre-Super Bowl coverage, and pouting. J left town tonight for work until Friday. We both joke about being in a “long distance relationship” because it kind of feels like that sometimes. Oh, well…I think our time apart makes our time together sweeter.

After he left, I finally started to feel ready for some kind of dinner. I wasn’t in the mood to cook so I just warmed up some Chicken Noodle Soup and had it with a Toasted Bagel and 1 Egg + 1 Egg White Scramble with Baby Spinach.

Nothing too fancy but it got the job done!

Now I’m kicking back and kind of watching the Super Bowl. I’m not too invested by, truth be told, I am pulling for the Saints. I hope everyone had a nice week!

One Chili Friday Night

Hello hello hello!

Happy Friday!

Right now, I’m a content girl. I’m wrapped up in a warm, fleece blanket on my couch, watching some TMZ with plans to watch Julie & Julia in a little bit. I’m pretty sure I’m the last food blogger to see that movie. Period.

I’m really glad I get to have a nice, quiet Friday night tonight because today was an absolutely crazy day. Sometimes, Fridays just fly by. Other times, Fridays drag. And every once in a while, a bunch of crap hits the fan at work on a Friday and you just can’t tear your eyes away from the clock because you want to leave work so badly. Obviously, today was one of those days. Fortunately, I wasn’t directly involved in the crap hitting the fan…but I was close enough to get dragged into it and had to sit through a few painfully awkward meetings and conversations. Awesome. I obviously can’t go into too much detail but let me just say that some people need to step up, start acting like professionals, and follow the curriculum. Okay, I’m done talking about work. I mean, it’s the weekend. I’m going to relax and enjoy it.

This morning, I was out of smoothie supplies so I whipped up a hot breakfast. I had 1 Egg White and 1 Egg Scrambled with Baby Spinach in a Flat Out Wrap.

Here it is pre-wrapping.

And here it is all wrapped up.

It was a nice start to my day. As much as I love my GMs, switching it up occasionally is always nice.

At work, in between drama and you know, doing my actual j-o-b, I managed to wolf down my lunch literally while teaching. Fortunately, my Almond Butter and Strawberry Preserves Sandwich, Apple, and Vitamins weren’t too distracting to the students.

They did, however, ask me what I was eating (They had already had lunch so I didn’t feel guilty eating in front of them.) and when I told them almond butter, they were all like, “Whaaaat!?” Apparently, almond butter is not so hot in the world in 16 year olds.

After work, I think I literally broke into a light jog to my car. I was so glad to get a break for a couple of days.

My commute home wasn’t too spectacular, due to some rainy conditions. Fortunately, I had a Peanut Butter Pretzel MOJO Bar to distract me.

The weather made me crave some hot comfort food for dinner so I made a detour into Publix on my way home. Even though that little errand made my trip a lot longer (Traffic really accumulated during those 15-20 minutes!), I’m so glad I went in because dinner turned out delicious.

While I was cooking away, I got a text from J letting me know that his flight has been delayed and he’s not going to get home until really late tonight. So, I decided that since we weren’t going to have our Newman’s Own tasting tonight together, I would bust into a few treats by myself while dinner was simmering. First, I tried the Hermits.

Truthfully, these little cinnamon cookies just didn’t do it for me. I took one bite and put it back. I think J will like them more; I’m just not a huge plain cinnamon fan.

Next, I busted into the Champion Chip Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Um, I definitely liked these little guys! They looked and tasted like brownie bites!

I literally had to portion out four little cookies or I would have devoured the entire bag!

Just when I was slipping into a sugar coma, dinner was ready. Tonight, with the rainy, cold weather outside, all I wanted was Chili with Cheddar Cheese and Biscuits. And that’s exactly what I had.

It was awesome!

My chili is always just an impromptu throwing of items in a pot. Tonight’s batch included Garlic, Onion, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Yellow Pepper, Ground Buffalo, Hot Turkey Sausage, Tomato Paste, Diced Tomatoes, Green Chilis, Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, and Beef Broth, all seasoned with Black Pepper, Cumin, Chili Powder, Red Pepper, and Garlic Salt. This biscuit is just good old Pillsbury. This dinner was truly soothing to my body and soul and just what I needed!

Now I’m seriously just going to lay on my couch, watch the movie, and wait until my chili digests enough to eat more Cookies!

Workin’ For The Weekend + Bear Naked Maple Pecan Review

Hi friends! Only one more work day until the weekend!

I just love the feeling of anticipation on Friday nights; it’s almost as good as Fridays themselves! I’m looking forward to this weekend. J and I are planning on a quiet night in tomorrow night (he gets back in town late) and then doing our registry on Saturday followed by a family dinner on Saturday night. I’m sure it will be a blast!

This morning, I woke up and continued Operation Bulk Up with a Bulked Up Green Monster.

I am officially addicted to nut butters in my smoothies; the flavor is subtle but delicious!

Today, work went well. My classes are flying (maybe a bit too fast…) and as I’m looking at the curriculum, I’m feeling really confident that I’m going to hit it all. Typically, I start to panic a little this time of year because I don’t know if I’ll fit it all in but this year, I’m actually ahead of pace! I think it’s the first time I have ever been ahead!

Lunch was another Turkey, Hummus, Laughing Cow, Baby Spinach, and Mustard Sandwich, Pear, and Vitamin Assortment.

These sandwiches may look small…but they are super filling! I think it’s the double protein of the turkey and the hummus.

After school, I chatted with another teacher for a while before heading out to the gym. I snacked on my last Luna on the way. I saved my favorite flavor, White Chocolate Macadamia, for this purpose.

Yum!

At the gym, I was feeling really sore; my core and triceps are killin’ me. I decided that today would just be straight up cardio. I’m pretty sure that working my arms twice a week and working my core twice a week are plenty! I zoned out to the Pandora Glee station for one glorious hour.

My Workout:

-65 minutes on the elliptical

When I got home this evening, I was greeted by the best present ever – a package from Newman’s Own! It contained a plethora of goodies.

Let me just say that for the Kashi and Bear Naked samples, I was contacted to review. For these samples, I actually initiated the contact with Newman’s. It might be shameless…but look at that haul! Totally worth it!

I resisted just breaking into the Newman’s for dinner, since I promised J I’d wait for him so we could have a little tasting party tomorrow night (yes, we’re really cool), and instead fixed myself a real dinner of Chicken Noodle Soup, Scrambled Egg Whites and Baby Spinach, and a Toasted Sandwich Thin.

It was a nice, warming dinner on a cold, rainy night.

I’m so ready to just veg out tonight; I think I’ll stay up for The Office and then go to bed early. Yay for tomorrow being Friday!

Product review time!

***

Product Review – Bear Naked Maple Pecan Granola Review

Disclaimer – I was sent this product free of charge for review on the blog.

Last night, I needed a snack before bed. My tummy was rumbling and even though I’d eaten 9 clementines throughout the evening, I was still hungry. I decided to break into my sample of Bear Naked Maple Pecan Granola.

Product Description from Bearnaked.com:

“100% pure and natural granola. Maple Pecan is a delicious blend of whole grain oats, nutrient-rich praline pecans and sweetened naturally with real maple syrup. Praline pecans are lightly coated with agave nectar for a flavorful crunch in every bite.”

My Review:

When I opened up the bag, I first noticed the large pecans that appeared almost candied. I poured a serving into a bowl for a closer look.

Upon closer inspection, I could see the large pecans coated in agave nectar.

I picked out a pecan to try right away. Now, I personally love candied nuts but I don’t love how they stick in your teeth, coat your tongue with sugar, and sometimes lose their nutty crunch. To my pleasant surprise, these pecans tasted candied but had the texture of a regular pecan – still very crunchy!

I poured some almond milk into my bowl to enjoy the rest of my snack.

The verdict? Super yummy! The granola tastes like maple syrup and cinnamon mixed together, which is great for me, since I have a sweet tooth. The nuts and the granola also retained their crunch even after sitting in the milk for a while. I was really impressed…and even more impressed that this little bowl of granola and almond milk kept me full from 8 until I went to bed at 11. I don’t mean I was satisfied and content; I mean I was full.

Here’s the nutritional stats.

My only concern with this product is perhaps the sugar content. I’d like to eat this granola again before a workout or day at work to see how sustainable the energy is.

My Final Thoughts:

Bear Naked Maple Pecan Granola is delicious! But, for some people, it might be too sweet. As I was eating this product, I couldn’t help but think it was almost a tad bit too sweet for me…and I have quite the sweet tooth! That being said, the maple flavor was definitely there, the agave nectar-coated pecans were out of this world good, and the granola had a nice, crunchy texture that I enjoyed!

Rubber Legs

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Right now, I have some serious rubber legs. I had a really intense workout this evening and I am totally feeling the effects; my legs feel like shaky rubber every time I get off the couch to go grab something! But I’ll talk about my workout a bit later.

This morning, I started my day off with a Bulked Up Green Monster.

A GM is the perfect start to my day. I love getting calcium, vegetable, and fruit all in one frothy cup! And now that I’m adding almond butter, I’m getting some protein and healthy fats as well.

Work was work. We had another meeting this morning, which I won’t even go into because it’s a bit of a downer. It doesn’t effect me directly but since my school is relatively small, I feel pretty close to all of my colleagues so I’m a little bummed.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. It was a relief to sit down and catch my breath while I ate my Turkey, Hummus, Laughing Cow, Baby Spinach, and Mustard Sandwich, Braeburn Apple, and Vitamins.

I am seriously obsessed with sandwich thins. They never look like a lot but they really satisfy my carb craving!

After work, I had a club meeting, which went well, and then I snacked on a Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar on my way to the gym.

I had a killer workout at the gym today! I love giving it my all and feeling totally spent at the end. I have such a feeling of accomplishment! Check out what I did!

My Workout:

-1/2 mile walking warm-up

-2 mile run in 19:00

-1/2 mile walking recovery

-FitSugar’s Interval Sprints (This is a killer workout!)

-15 x 3 arm extensions, seated rows, and tricep dips

My arms and legs were screaming by the time I left!

I was really excited to get home this evening because I had an awesome dinner planned. After cleaning up, I got to work making Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast, Roasted Onions and Broccoli, and Clementines.

It was so good! I just sliced a “pocket” in a chicken breast, stuffed it with goat cheese, chopped sundried tomatoes, and garlic, and then sauteed it in a hot pan. It turned out great with a lovely, oozy middle.

I can’t wait to make this recipe again!

Dessert was some Peanut Butter Cup Froyo.

I love my froyo!

Okay, I have some wedding work to do so I’m signing off for the night. Hope you all are having good weeks; it’s halfway over!

***

For Operation Bulk Up, I’ve been researching protein powders and decided to write my new Examine article about the different varieties and their varied benefits.

Sore to the Core + GOLEAN CRISP Review

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful day; mine went swimmingly!

First off, can we please behold the loveliness that awaited me when I got home this evening?

I was recently contacted to review two new products of Bear Naked and one new product of Kashi and they were patiently waiting for me when I got home this evening. I love Bear Naked and Kashi products; prior to the blog, I used to eat Bear Naked granola every day for breakfast during the summer…when I had time to actually sit down and eat breakfast, instead of sipping it out of a cup on my way to school! And for me, Kashi was the first healthy brand I started to buy on a regular basis when I began my journey to health. Of course, I couldn’t wait to dig into these products as soon as I saw them but I’ll save my review for the end of this post.

Anyways, let’s talk about my day in eats, shall we? I started my day with a Bulked Up Green Monster.

Today, I added almond butter and a second banana to my smoothie, which was tasty but probably too much bulk! I was absolutely stuffed by the time I finished my drink…and I felt it sitting in my tummy all morning long! I think I’ll just stick to adding almond butter in the future.

My classes flew by today, which always seems to happen when I have a lot I want to accomplish. When I don’t, those classes seem to drag on and on! I didn’t quite get to everything, even though I was furiously rushing, but on the bright side, furiously rushing did make the day pass quickly!

I finally caught my breath at lunch, while I ate my Bulked Up Turkey, Hummus, Laughing Cow, Baby Spinach, and Mustard Sandwich, Pear, and Vitamins. This meal was devoured while discussing The Bachelor. Don’t even get me started on Vienna.

This picture is a bit too shadowy for my tastes but I like how you can see the bulk in the sandwich.

After work, I had a meeting to attend about the cookbook we’re putting together (slowly but surely) and then a few papers to finish grading. I finished up my work and bounded out the door to hit the gym. On the way, I snacked on a White Chocolate Macadamia Luna Bar.

Can you believe I’m down to only two Lunas left? Get ready for some actual variety next week!

At the gym, I stepped up my core routine after a long elliptical session and I can tell that I’m going to have one sore core tomorrow! I’m one of those people who actually enjoys feeling sore so I’m looking forward to it hurting when I laugh tomorrow!

My Workout:

-65 minutes on the elliptlcal

-100 crunches

-100 reverse crunches

-100 bicycle crunches

-4 30-second planks

I basically doubled my usual ab routine and it was killer!

When I got home, I was greeted by my new friends. I busted into the Kashi GOLEAN CRISP Triple Berry Crunch right away, but that review will be at the end.

After my snack, I prepped dinner, put it on the stove to simmer, and then showered and prepped for tomorrow.

Dinner tonight took care of itself on the stove; I love when I don’t have to babysit my food. Chicken Tortilla Soup is such a great one pot meal and it’s so warming, tasty, and spicy! I had a couple of bowls with a side of Clementines.

Dessert this evening was a couple handfuls of Kashi GOLEAN CRISP right out of the box. Classy.

Now I’m settling in for a night of The Biggest Loser. Have a great night, y’all!

***

Product Review – Kashi GOLEAN CRISP Triple Berry Crunch

Disclaimer – I was sent this product free of charge for review on the blog.

Product Description from Kashi.com:

We packed our New! GOLEAN® Crisp!™ Toasted Berry Crumble cereal with 9 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber— that’s twice the protein and fiber of the average of other cereals*— to help keep you feeling fuller longer!**

And to make sure that your taste buds are just as satisfied, we combined a deliciously light and crispy whole grain cluster with a naturally sweet blend of cranberries and wild blueberries and then toasted them all to perfection. So add it all up and Kashi GOLEAN Crisp! is sure to keep you good and satisfied all morning long!

• 9g Protein
• 8g fiber
• 18g of whole grains
• Scrumptious blend of cranberries and wild blueberries

My Review:

When I got home tonight, I had to try this cereal right away. I poured out roughly 1/2 a serving on a plate.

Immediately, I noticed real dried fruit mixed in with clusters of cereal that reminded me of Kashi GOLEAN. Upon closer inspection, I could see different cereal shapes and some large clusters mixed in with the individual pieces.

I decided to try the cereal dry because, in my experience, if I like the cereal dry, then I’ll love it with milk.

Upon first taste, I was sold. In fact, I can’t wait to try it with milk!

I instantly noticed how light and crisp the cereal pieces were. They had a great crunch and a slight taste of berry in each bite. When I started inhaling the cereal by the handful from the box, I noticed the variety of textures in each taste – crispy cereal bits, crunchy clusters, and chewy oats and berries. Every bite was sweet and reminded me of Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries, a guilty pleasure from my childhood. The only difference is that this cereal didn’t leave my mouth feeling coated with sugar but instead had me filling satisfied but not weighed down. I definitely felt full after eating roughly a serving of this cereal dry, a fact I attribute to the high fiber and protein content. Check the nutritional stats out for yourself.

Not bad for something that tastes like a treat!

My Final Thoughts:

Kashi GOCRISP Triple Berry Crunch seems like a great option for breakfast, due to the 9g of protein and 8g of fiber. I suspect it would keep you full all morning long. However, the taste is so sweet that I can see myself eating it for dessert with almond milk or as topping for frozen yogurt. And I could absolutely see myself eating it straight out of the box…because that already happened tonight!

***

Wow, reviewing a product is actually really fun. I guess it helps that I liked the cereal! I will say that I pride myself on my honesty and if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t say I did. And I wasn’t paid or reimbursed by Kashi for this review. Thanks!

Bulkin’ Up

Hi friends! Congratulations on surviving your Monday!

Thank you all for your feedback on my post last night. I think I’m going to follow a hybrid of y’all’s advice. I’m definitely not going to start calorie counting, because it’s quite the slippery slope and I don’t even want to go there, and I’m not going to force myself to eat when I’m not hungry, but I am going to start “bulking up” my regular meals so I’m still eating when I’m hungry but I’m just eating a little bit more. Just for kicks and giggles, I’m going to call it Operation Bulk Up. Sounds like a plan to me!

Operation Bulk Up started this morning with my usual Green Monster. I added a heaping spoonful of Almond Butter to the mix for more protein, healthy fats, and calories.

The almond butter added a nice nutty flavor to my usual smoothie. It was basically a chocolate, banana, and almond butter smoothie, so in other words, heaven in a glass!

Work was a bit crazy as usual. I really should have done some work yesterday instead of just being lazy! Oh, well, it was fun in the moment!

I did take a break for a Bulked Up lunch in between running around. Today’s lunch was a Hummus, Turkey, Laughing Cow, Baby Spinach, and Mustard Sandwich, Apple, and Vitamins. I added turkey and the Laughing Cow cheese to my usual sandwich for a bit more protein and fat.

It was delicious!

After lunch, it was more of the same craziness before an after-school tutoring session. By the time I was finally ready to leave, I was bordering on hangry so I’m pretty sure I inhaled my Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bar before I had even left the parking lot!

I had an absolutely rockin’ workout this afternoon, incorporating a new interval workout and some strength training! I was sweating like crazy by the time I left!

My Workout:

-1/2 mile walking warm-up

-1 mile run in 8:45

-1/2 mile walking recovery

-FitSugar’s Interval Sprints

-15 x 3 of arm extensions, seated dips, and seated rows

It was a great way to end my Monday!

After the gym, it was straight home to shower, prep for tomorrow, and wait for J to get home from work. Once he arrived, we made a yummy dinner together – Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Pea Marinara Sauce. For some extra calories and carbs, I had a toasted Sandwich Thin on the side.

It was such a filling, warming, and nourishing dinner! I love how savory everything was except for a bit of added sweetness from the peas. I enjoyed every single bite!

After dinner, I had a lovely scoop of Publix Peanut Butter Cup Frozen Yogurt.

Very yummy, as usual!

Now I’m off to enjoy The Bachelor and kick back and relax!

Lazy Sunday

I have had a wonderfully lazy Sunday. I’ve basically been camped out on the couch in my sweatpants since about 2 this afternoon and haven’t even touched my bag of work I brought home this weekend. I might have to pay for being such a sloth tomorrow but oh, well, I felt like I needed a restful day today.

This morning, I awoke at 10 after getting 11 hours of sleep. Amazing. My body was definitely tired last night, which was evident when I fell asleep on the couch shortly before 11. Once I woke up, J and I debated skipping our usual Sunday morning gym trip. We eventually decided to go, since we were both feeling a bit sluggish from the cupcakes and fried food we consumed on Saturday. I grabbed a Mini Crunchy Peanut Butter CLIF Bar on my way out the door.

Once I got to the gym, I totally got into it as usual. I had a nice, long elliptical session, followed by some core training, and finished up with some tricep work. It was a great workout! I’m going to try to alternate core and arm work throughout the week so I’m getting more of a full body workout.

My Workout:

-75 minutes on the elliptical

-50 crunches

-50 reverse crunches

-50 bicycle crunches

-50 push-ups

-3 30-second planks

-3 x 15 tricep kickbacks

-3 x 15 tricep dips

Whew! As you can imagine, I was super sweaty by the time we left!

After the gym, it was time to go home, shower, do some laundry, get a little bit of prep done for tomorrow, and then slip into some serious bum mode. I sat down for a lunch of a Clementine, 2 Egg White, Laughing Cow, and Baby Spinach Wrap, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Vitamin Regime shortly after donning my pink sweatpants.

Can you see my reflection in the back of the spoon?

I had a couple of Dark Chocolate Kisses for dessert.

Post-lunch, I laid on the couch and did a whole bunch of nothing. It was pretty glorious; I watched a lot of bad television, cleared out my DVR, dozed intermittently, and caught up on some blogs. At some point, I snacked on a Peanut Butter Pretzel MOJO Bar.

Eventually, I did get my Examiner articles written for the week (I always write them on Sundays or they just won’t get done.) and then J and I decided we felt motivated enough to make dinner.

Tonight’s dinner was Personal Pizzas! My pizza had Goat Cheese, Roma Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinegar, and Black Pepper on it.

It was awesome!

After dinner, I had a little scoop of Publix Peanut Butter Cup FroYo for dessert.

Now I’m starting to rev myself up for the Grammy’s tonight. I’m excited to see Lady Gaga and the Michael Jackson tribute!

**

Warning – I’m about to discuss something weight-related that could be triggering. If you don’t want to read it, please ignore the next block of text.

Random question – I love blogging because it helps me to see what I’ve eaten throughout the day. Often, I end up eating 1-2 substantial snacks later in the night that go un-blogged because I either (1) get hungry again or (2) feel like I haven’t eaten enough for the day to sustain my active lifestyle. I hate calorie counting and I don’t want to start but lately, I’ve been noticing that I haven’t been feeling as hungry as usual (probably due to stress) and haven’t eaten as much and have subsequently lost a bit of weight (in addition to the little bit of weight I put on over the holidays), which is not really something I’m looking to do. I’m considering starting to ballpark my calories for the day to ensure that I hit a certain number but I feel torn. Should I ballpark my calories to make sure I hit a certain number? Should I eat even when I’m not hungry to make sure I’m eating enough? Or should I try to remain an intuitive eater and only eat when I truly feel hungry? I truly felt hungry on Friday and Saturday and subsequently ate more than usual, which doesn’t bother me, but I also wasn’t stressed or working out those days. Any advice out there?

**

New Examiner article about alternative protein sources is up!

Plans and Errands

Hi friends!

I have had quite a busy Saturday, running errands and such, and am just sitting down for the first time all day. Fortunately, my errands were really fun and enjoyable so even though my Saturday was very busy, it was also very fun.

This morning, I woke up and started my day with a sample I received in the mail this week – Barney Butter!

I had never had Barney Butter before and only recently, within the past year or so, made the transition from peanut butter to almond butter so I’m still a relative newbie to the variety of nut butters out there. But obviously, I had seen Barney Butter all over the blog world so I was quite anxious to try it and see if it lives up to the hype.

I decided that the best vehicle for nut butter is always some kind of toasted carb so I made myself some Barney Butter and Strawberry Preserves Toast for breakfast.

I love how glossy the Barney Butter looks in that picture!

Anyways, I definitely enjoyed my BB but if I’m completely honest, I’m not sure I get what all the fuss is about. Yes, it was tasty and slightly sweet but so is the Blue Diamond brand, in my opinion. And it’s not the purest nut butter out there either; it’s got evaporated cane sugar in it. I don’t particularly care about the cane sugar but it’s definitely something some people do care about. I’m not sure if Barney Butter is worth the money for me personally.

After my breakfast, it was time for a Cake Tasting. We met up with a baker I know from my high school networking site (She graduated 4 years before me so I don’t personally know her but we have a few mutual friends.) and got to munching away. She was so sweet and made us Five Cupcakes in various flavors we had requested!

Starting at the top and moving clockwise, we have Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Icing, Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting, Milk Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream Icing, and Vanilla with Coconut Butter Cream Icing.

Yum! Can you say sugar coma!?

We only had a bite or two of each and then went back for another bite or two of our favorites, which turned out to be the red velvet and vanilla. We discussed options, designs, etc. and should be getting a price estimate sometime this week. The cakes were tasty, moist, and not too sweet so if the price is right, we’ll probably go forward with it!

After our cake tasting, we ran a couple of errands – Target and Publix. While at Publix, we picked up a Turkey, Muenster, Lettuce, Tomato, Jalapeno, and Tomato Sub with Mustard on Whole Wheat Bread to split. On the side, I had a handful of J’s Salt and Vinegar Chips.

It was definitely a relief to have some food in our tummies after that sugar overload!

After lunch, it was time to head back out for a photographer meeting, which also went really well. It was a referral from a friend and the pictures were beautiful. J and I have to do some budgeting work tomorrow before making a final decision but I’m pretty sure we’ll go with them.

Our photographer meeting ended just in time for us to make the evening mass, which was awesome! We recently joined the parish of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and I’m loving it so far. The homily today was just so practical and easy to understand. I definitely felt uplifted when we left, which in my opinion is the perfect way to feel after leaving church

After mass, we headed straight to a friend’s house warming party, which was lovely. Our friend had bought a foreclosure house a few months ago and been doing major renovations on it. I was super impressed with all of the work he had finished! We had a little wine, snacked on a few tortilla chips, and mingled. Unfortunately, we may have mingled a bit too much because when we finally left, we were both starving and regretting not eating more. To quiet our rumbling tummies, we stopped at Front Page News for a late dinner.

We started with an order of the delicious Buffalo Chips.

I love these chips! I think I may have loved them a bit too much because I ate so many I wasn’t very hungry for the Cajun Presser I ordered for dinner.

The Cajun Presser is basically a Cuban sandwich, except with andouille sausage instead of pork. It’s quite yummy so I still managed to eat about 1/2 of the sandwich and a few fries. Then, I was totally stuffed!

Now J and I are home and have decided to take a break from all things wedding for the rest of the night. I think we’re about to settle in with a movie or some DVR action. Have a great night, guys!

Bottomless Pit

Hi friends! Happy Friday!

Today, for whatever reason, I have been a total bottomless pit; I just can’t get full! Every once in a while, I’ll have one of these days and I always feed my body when it asks for fuel. I figure if it’s asking for (a lot) more than usual, than there’s a reason for it!

I was out of smoothie supplies this morning so I started the day off with a Laughing Cow and Egg White Wrap.

Yum!

It was nice to have a warm breakfast for once but I have to admit that this wrap did not keep me full for as long as my usual smoothie.

At work this morning, my tummy was rumbling like crazy so I ended up breaking into my afternoon snack mid-morning. Fortunately, my Peanut Butter Larabar was the perfect compliment to second cup of Coffee.

I just love this Larabar!

Amazingly enough, I was still ravenous for lunch a couple of hours later! I mean, seriously, what was up with me today!? My Applegate Farms Turkey Sandwich, Pear, Adora, and Vitamins left me satisfied for a few hours.

Work was definitely dragging this afternoon. Why do Fridays always move in slow motion?

After work, I had to rush out the door to make a meeting with a potential caterer. Surprise, surprise, I was hungry yet again. I ran by the cafeteria on my way out the door and grabbed the only snack available - M&M Cookies.

These cookies may not have been the healthiest option…but they sure were tasty!

Our meeting with the caterer went awesome! We should be getting a proposal sometime this week and will be able to go back and have a tasting next month before signing the contract. I was really, really impressed with everything I saw and so was J. I love checking items off my wedding to do list!

After our meeting, J and I came home to chill out and brainstorm on dinner. I didn’t really care and J was craving Mexican so we hit up a favorite no frills place – El Torero. It was a great way to unwind after a busy week.

We started with the usual Queso and Pico De Gallo.

I am seriously addicted to chips and queso! And I don’t feel guilty for indulging because frankly, I don’t get the chance to eat Mexican all that often.

And then for dinner, I ordered the Chicken Taco Salad with a big side of Refried Beans.

My beans were yummy but my salad was only so-so. The chicken was too soggy and any vegetable besides the limp iceberg lettuce was nonexistent. Oh, well. I just supplemented my dinner with even more chips and salsa!

After dinner, we came home to eat Ice Cream and work our way through the DVR.

Not a bad way to spend a Friday night at all!

Tomorrow, J and I have a cake tasting, photographer meeting, and a house warming party to attend! Sounds like an awesome day to me!