To party or not to party...I think that's the real question

Especially when it comes to tonight.

Last night's recap: Drinks, drinks, and more drinks. 

Went to the club with my girls and drank and danced and drank some more. My girl picked up the cute bartender (yay), and I met a cute boy myself (double yay). 2 actually cuz I always like to have a backup whenever possible. tee hee. Numbers exchanged and then we went home to bed -just the girls went home to bed!

Confession: We did hit the McDonald's drive thru on the way home (2:30am+) and munched on unmentionable foodstuffs (I will mention however, how delicious it was. Guilt always taste good @ first). 

Back to today....

Current Time check -11:30pm.  I've eaten a whole lotta healthy food today and should either join my friends downtown (several at a Spanish club, some at a top 40 club for a birthday party and a few are in transit between 2 different clubs)or spend the rest of this evening at home (I need to catch up PVR'd episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice after all)

Options: club with some girls (choice of 2), chill @ a new boy's house or downtown to another club with a new boy or waaaaay across town (30 minutes via public transit) to visit a third fellow at a club in the 'burbs (he has also generously offered me his bed to stay in overnight, aw shucks)

Current state of mind: Bored, restless and tired. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day and I'd rather hit the gym @ 1030am than go out drinking tonight.

Plus I blew most of the wad (the money wad) of going out money on last night and can't really do much with $15. 

Final Decision: ????? My thoughts are always "life is short" so you have to live it up today and going to bed/chillaxing at home when there are parties to attend to is NOT living it up.

Argh.... lemme take a shower and see how I feel after.

Saturdays need to be made of MORE than 24hrs dammit!

pic source

Friday weigh-in. Drum roll please....

184.5!!!??(ie up 1 lb)

I demand a recount. Damn those added extras (m&m chocolates and mickey dees muffins) and large portions. New location, new people and new lbs too?? Argh!! Won't this last 30 EVER come off?? Do I have to work even harder for this 30 than I did for the first 30? Sheesh! I thought by now I'd be swimming in melted cheese and other full fat dairy products without gaining a pound. I'd be like of those slender/skinny people (that I hate), who seem to eat whatever they want and not gain a pound.

Argh!

Anywho, @ least tonight's activities should put me in a good mood.

The equation for tonight is simple:

FUN= We start off with copious amount of alcohol

+We add a couple of fun loving girls (yay!)

X Multiplied by the trashy level of our outfits (the higher the trash, the higher the fun!)

+ We add a bunch of cute boys

+++ Which of course adds to the copious alcohol equation

/ Divided by the number of hours we'll spend out @ the bar

- Minus cover(boo! Always a negative!)

= one heck of a good time

Roll Call: who cares today, its Friday! Cuz that's MY funday. :) I'll report to u tomorrow mister roll call with fruits and veggies and multi grains.

Promise ;)

Happy eating!

Argh! Plus other angry, very annoyed sounds

Riddle: How long does it take me to crack in a new job

Answer: 4 days! Actually, only 3 and a half.

As I mentioned before, I'm now working on the team for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and I'm totally excited for the opportunity of a lifetime.

However, as I also mentioned before, I'm working with the top of the top, the elite of the elite. These are people who are used to leading, used to making things happen and especially used to being in charge.

What that means for me?

- struggling to get heard in the crowd 

- getting projects near the end (and when they're all messed up)

People love to talk about getting things done, but there's still so much to do! I'm happy to do it all but I wish I was involved when the projects started so I could have prevented all the problems I'm now trying to remedy. 

Today's Mantra: Tomorrow is another day, tomorrow is another day.

So I cracked. I wanted to scream, yell and take off today. Yes, that's right. My normally optimistic self was struggling to maintain its effervescent glow amid never ending obstacles and set backs.

Yes, on Day 4.

Also, I've had to give up my beloved crossfit classes. boo hoo. My schedule's so crazy and unstructured at the office that I can't guarantee to get out in time to make it to my workouts downtown. 

I left work after 6pm today by foot (crossfit class was @ 6:30pm and over 45 minutes away in travel time, sigh) and planned to maybe hit the mcdonalds on the way ( I deserved it, dammit). Checking bus times, mine would not be arriving for another 15 minutes. Boo. So I walked over to Mickey Dees but then decided against it and walked a little further. Then I got to the connecting bus stop and decided since I'd already walked this far, what was another couple blocks. Already in my gym clothes, I picked up the pace and half jogged half walked home. 40 minutes later, I arrive at my doorstep in great spirits and with a plan for the next 2 months:

- Gym in the morning: 5 to 6 times per week

- Walking home after work(even partially): 3 to 4 times per week 

- Join the FREE state of the art gym at the new office(almost deserves a 'duh')

Sigh (of relief!) With this planned out and the gym taken care of first thing in the morning, I can relax at the end of the day and work as long as they need me to. My focus is always me first and as I have a Cancun trip planned the first week of April, I want to be beach body ready....or at least better body ready by then. Or at least a firmer body by then.

ROLL CALL

Nothing exciting today. Mid way during my freak out my trainer and I ran for chocolate, candies and chips (oh my) I had a bit of each and I'm sure this will be reflected in tomorrow morning's weigh-in. Booooo! Oh if there was only such a thing as delicious fat free Lindor milk chocolate with hazelnuts.

Only, in a perfect world I guess.

Brekky: oatmeal (steel cut oats) with almond milk

Lunch: oven baked chicken, sauteed green beans, 1 baked potato

Mid afternoon snack: chocolate, chips,hazelnut flavoured wafers

Din Din: To make up for a plentiful day, I opted for my fave, a large shrimp Caesar salad

Drinks: lots of water, 1/2 glass of OJ and 1 mug of green tea


Exercise: a 40 minute walk/jog home

Weekend Plans
Friday night- shopping for a top to go with my short jean skirt and then heading to a night club with some friends
Saturday - a friend's bday dinner (she's turning '19 with 6 years experience', lol!) then another club to celebrate
Sunday - the 3 R's: Recoup, Relax & Recover

Happy Eating!

yoga photo credit

I can't fight the hunger.... I also think I'm still hungry now

Soooo hungry today.

Went to the gym this morning (first time in over a week) and I forgot how much hungrier I get on those days.

I'm out of protein and should have seen it coming. Plus I'm still in training mode at work so my days are open which means my mind wanders to food. Yummy, delicious food. I daydream about recipes.  I forgot how much I DON'T eat when I'm too busy to think about food. Or when I'm without a man. At least with a man I can keep my mind busy with thoughts of 'him' and what I want to do with 'him' or what I want 'him' to do with me (or to me, hee hee) or if anything, what he should make me for dinner or where he could take me. See! I told you I think men are good for something.

So what did I actually eat today?? The list of things I didn't eat would likely be less. Eek!

RUN DOWN (from the most recent snack to the first meal of the day)

-1 bag of smart pop popcorn (to which I added 2tsp melted ghee butter)

- 2 oz havarti cheese & 6 crackers

- 1 oz lite cheddar cheese & 4 crackers

- IKEA stuffed Salmon filet dinner with a small white roll with butter with steamed carrots and chive sauce and something they call vegetable medallions. It cost only $7.67 too! What a great deal. It was surprisingly good and fresh tasting too)

- 1 oz goat cheese and 4 crackers

- 1 babybell cheese & 6 crackers

- A coworker's birthday today and her husband sent her this basket which she shared with everyone:

Delicious and nutritious (that's DARK chocolate on those strawberries btw)

- a couple of small smoked turkey wraps

- 3 mini oranges

- yogurt, all bran and blueberries

and I began it all with some water and exercise at the gym

DRINKS
4 mugs green tea
1 coffee with sugar and 2% milk
10 glasses of water (that's more like it)

EXERCISE
45 minutes @ the gym:
squats
lunges
sit ups
sprints on the treadmill

Okay, tomorrow is another day and I expect to see 183 or LESS on the scale this Friday - ARGH!! (that was my attempt at an amazonian war cry btw)


Happy Eating!

Welcome to the 2010 Olympic Team

New day, new week, new job, new start!

I've recently been asked to join the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics team ( I chronicle the invite here)

and had to change job locations for the 2 to 3 month assignment for the games and the para-Olympic games (after which I will be transferred back to my old role, sigh)

New location means a complete change in routine - eating, working out and planning/creating meals.

New Location Issues:

1. There's no parking available at the new office tower and transit doesn't run near to where the office tower is (a 10 to 15 minute walk is closest bus stop).
PLUS SIDE: I'll have to walk a little extra every day (extra cardio, woo!)

2. Due to potential long hours and unscheduled shift changes, I won't be able to go to my usual crossfit class @ 5:30pm cuz I'll never be able to get there in time  
PLUS SIDE: Fully equipped, on site gym with personal training on site and fitness classes, yay

3. The kitchen area lacks everything I'm used to. I didn't realize how spoiled I was in my current location and how much I took a functioning microwave, a cutting board, space in the fridge for your pre-packed lunch and a sharp knife for granted!  

PLUS SIDE:.....still trying to figure this one out. Bringing in your own mini cutting board (like I plan to do tomorrow) is not really a 'plus side' thing.

ROLL CALL

brekky (8am)

3/4 cup yogurt

1/2 cup all bran cereal

1/2 cup of delicious blueberries

mid morning snack (10:30am)

2 clementines

lunch (1pm)

distracted by the lack of cutting utensils and a cutting board, I ate at the hot cafeteria instead and got:

5 perogies

1/2 vegetarian stuffed yellow pepper

1 cup of greens with hummous dressing

2 tbsp full fat sour cream

mid afternoon snack (3:30 to 5pm)

2 clementines

1 babybell cheese

8 crackers

dinner (7:45)

2 cups Broccoli

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup onion

1/2 cup zucchini

1/2 cup cooked catelli smart pasta

3 oz grilled chicken breast

1/2 can low fat cream of mushroom soup

1 cup watermelon for dessert

DRINKS:

3 mugs of green tea (1 tea bag I brought in my own from home and lucky I did as they don't have any at the office)

9 glasses of water (uh oh)

EXERCISE: None. :( Will have to kick it up a notch for the rest of the week.

Happy Eating!

Pre vacation fasting: So THATs how that 'post blog' button works. Ohhhhh

Whoops!
Before I left for Vegas, I meant to post this but completely forget! No way am I gonna delete this, so you simply get it a few days late. :)

TUESDAY JANUARY 19TH, 2010

Last day till the infamous Vegas vaycay so of course eating healthier is MUCH easier today. Plus I know my partner in crime and I will have snacks galore for the next few days so fasting now is easy! The hard part will be when I get back. After a few days of eating 'fast'ly and conveniently, I'll definitely need to do a cleanse. Maybe several.

ROLL CALL

brekky (8:30am)
3/4 cup plain organic yogurt
1/2 cup organic grains
1/3 cup blueberries
5 clementines (for throughout the day)

mid morning snack(11:30am)

1 cup baby carrots

lunch (1:30pm)

I've been craving egg salad for awhile now so I thought I'd make some.

the egg salad recipe:

2 medium free range eggs, boiled, cooled and finely chopped
2 tsp miracle whip

1 tbsp horseradish mustard

1/4 cup each green pepper, orange pepper and onion - finely sliced

dash of Worcestershire and tobasco sauces
black pepper and sea salt to taste

* I mix the sauce and veggies together and toss in the chopped eggs in the end

The egg salad sandwich with organic, no flour, sprouted grain bread and lettuce:

 

mid afternoon snack (3:30pm)

1 cup vegetable soup

din din (7:45pm)
Too lazy to cook and craving a stir fry which, to me, is a meal that takes forever cuz of all the cutting and prep work, I went to a take out stir fry place. For just $8, you can pick from a buffet of veggies and meats and sauces and then they grill it for you on a large grill. yay! I love inexpensive conveniences.

oh and I tossed out the white rice. I just wanted the meat and the veggies.

my veggies
broccoli
mushrooms
carrots
onions
garlic
mini corns
bean sprouts
cabbage
my meats
lamb
chicken
beef
my sauces
garlic
mongo jam (hot sauce)
ginger

drinks:

Water - 12 glasses

Green tea - 4 mugs (1 tea bag)

exercise:

60 minute Spin class. The purpose of this class was to 'train the mind'.  We were to train our minds to last longer than our bodies. The theory behind it was that your mind tells you to stop long before your body needs to. So the class was a bunch of long sets on the bike where we had to train our minds to ignore distractions and keep going.

One cool tip she passed on to us: Smile when you work out. Your mind won't know why you're smiling but will assume you're happy and you'll be able to work out longer.

Cooool! 

It definitely worked so I'll try it for any rough patches during a workout in the future.

Cheers for now and see you on the other side of Vegas where I will happily share the sordid (and potentially NON sordid if any) details. :)

viva las vegas!

Time for a revamp!

Spring Cleaning will come earlier this year.

I can't wait for March to arrive before I sweep these cobwebs out of this closet.

I've always wanted to dress better, to look better and to feel better and I want to start now!

The best way to go about doing this...make a plan!

I love making plans.  I also love breaking the plan but I'm always happy that I at least made a plan to break.

It's a sick and vicious cycle that I definitely plan to break. heh heh .

So here's the plan:

1. Dress Better

Options - get a stylist, start reading People and In Style magazine and buy new clothes...

I think I can do that!

2. Look Better

Options - buy clothes that fit, update wardrobe, add to the exercise program (salsa classes anyone?), eat better, hire a chef (oh I can dream can't I?), hire a meal delivery service, laser skin therapy (I have adult acne -ick!), crest white strips, etc

3. Feel Better

This is all self improvement,

Options: Business classes (any subject), massage therapy, volunteer, donate my time and $$$ to social change, go to yoga ( I love it but can't seem to make myself go to the 90minute hot yoga classes anymore), get myself out there (socially and career wise), etc

I also need to do all of the above on a budget. Hmmmm. I might have to add a 4th category : Make Better Money.

ROLL CALL

Breakfast (9:15am)

Oatmeal again but this time I added 1/2 cup of All Bran. crunchy and filling.

Mid morning snack

1 cup of baby carrots

Lunch (1:45pm)

Turkey Sandwich

2 oz smoked maple turkey

1 oz havarti cheese

1/4 cup avocado

Tomato

Cucumber

Lettuce

Horseradish mustard

mmmmmmmmm! My coworker and I have competitions sometimes to see who can make the better looking sandwich, lol! We typically end in a tie.  Here's one of her recent lunches:

Mid afternoon snack (3:30pm)

1 cup vegetable soup

Dinner (8:30pm)

3 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

1.5 tablespoons of zesty Italian dressing

2 small whole wheat cheese, veggie and chicken quesadillas

with plain yogurt (instead of sour cream)

& tostitos medium salsa which is to me the BEST salsa ever made!

Drinks

10 glasses of Water

4 mugs of green tea (1 tea bag, mug refilled 3 times)

  

Exercise

Back @ Crossfit. Workout of the day (this is done after the 30minute warm-up):

-3 laps (1 lap is 400m)

21 OverHead squats (doing squats while holding a 20KG bar over your head)

15 pullups (chin-ups but assisted)

-2 laps

18 OH Squats

12 pullups

-1 lap

15 OH Squats

 9 pullups

Then faint dead on the mats and stretch/catch your breath.

What a workout!! :)

Happy Eating!

If I lived on the moon, I'd weigh soooo much less

Damn weigh-ins!
They're supposed to happen today so that I can ENJOY the weekends!
184 - yikes!
I demand a recount! Surely I must be holding onto water weight? Maybe that thai dinner from Wednesday is still sticking to my ribs??
My own fault though, I have been slacking on the controlled eating part.  I think I may have to go back to daily posts as these 4 times a weeks are encouraging me to eat a little extra on the days that I don't post.
Damn accountability!
T-minus 6 days until Vegas and I was hoping to be a svelte 179 instead of a bloated 180+. 6 days, 5lbs.....can I do that??
Hmmmmm

ROLL CALL

Breakfast (8:15am):

Oatmeal - maple syrup & brown sugar flavour
Clementines (to eat throughout the day)

Lunch:
Homemade stir-fried rice (made 3 servings)

- 1.5 cups cooked brown rice 
- 1&1/2 cup green peas & chopped carrots
- 3 oz rotisserie chicken
- 2 oz shrimp
- 1/2 cup onions & garlic
- 1 medium free range egg
 
  Stir-fry it all together with soy sauce and oyster sauce and voila!   

Dinner:
3oz extra lean ground beef burger
1 ‘Burger first’ whole wheat bun (they’re thin like pitas)
1 Kraft cheese slice
Garden Salad
1 tbsp of Kraft zesty Italian salad dressing
-Large handful of McCain fries (Spicy spirals)

 










 Clearly my actual stomach was smaller than my eyes because 30 minutes later this remained on my plate:

The legend of the shrinking stomach may not be false at all. Gasp!


DRINKS:
H2O:  12 glasses 
Green tea: 4 cups (1 tea bag, mug refilled 3 times)


EXERCISE:
The trainer said it'd be "fun" today. I laughed immediately out of nervousness.
Workout of the day:
1. Kettle bell swings (16kg, 25 reps, 5 rounds)
2. Double unders - skipping (passing the skipping rope around twice before your feet hit the ground): as many as you can in 5 minutes (I did 79, phew!)

3. 100 full situps (shoulders to the ground each time)
4. 50 Box jumps @ about my knee level for height to jump up

So she was right. As workouts go, this one was relatively mild. Her definition of fun was still incorrect but if I replace that word with 'sweaty' or 'will make you feel it in the morning', then yes, I agree it was 'fun'.



Happy eating!

I dream in soup...

My coworker's fiance is a stay-at-home kinda guy.

He cooks, he cleans, he does the grocery shopping and he does the laundry too.

His degree is in Astro-Physics (yikes!) but he's currently in between jobs and now and then does freelance work in landscaping, etc. but they're essentially living off her salary with the occasional kick-in from him.

His freedom allows him to use his creative juices to the max @ home and boy does he ever. The dinners that he makes that she tells us about the next day at work and the lunches that she brings in to showcase his skills are certainly out of this world (pun intended!)

Whenever we have potlucks at work (which is all the time), she relays him the theme  (last one was tex-mex) and he goes out to buy all the items, preps her dish and she brings it in for our eager mouths to devour (it was the best chili ever! )

He's had his chicken phase(roasted, grilled, broiled and experimenting with multiple seasonings), his Indian phase (curries galore!), his Japanese vegetable phase (I never knew daikon could be so good!)  and now we enter the soup phase. His most recent creation - roasted yam, carrot, ginger and orange soup.

mmmmmmm

She served it to us hot and fresh and it was delicious. Not too sweet and the orange finish gave it a fresh taste. Wow.

This is definitely a reason to find a man! Or at least to hire a live in chef. :)

Now I'm obsessed with soups and not the kind you buy in a can but the good kind. Delicious homemade ones filled with that ingredient that you can never get in a can - love. Awwwwwwww . But without the sodium if I can help it. I know I can easily make soups, I just need to make time to put together a great soup/stew and maybe I'll even, gasp, stay home one night this weekend.....maybe. Things always seem to come up with me. Especially when I advertise to the masses( via facebook status updates and numerous texts) that I'm bored on a Saturday night and need something to do. ;)

So the search begins! I will happily take suggestions and recipes from the masses. No watery or cream based soups for me though. I love thick hearty soups and stews and if they're healthy/good for me then all the better.

The search is on!

ROLL CALL

Breakfast (9:30am):

The ol' breakfast smoothie is back again baby!
- 1 and 1/2 cup  - sliced strawberries, bananas & blueberries
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 /2 scoop of that crappy protein I need to replace
- 1 long squirt of Hershey's chocolate syrup (tee hee)

Mid morning snack (11:45am):

- 1 bag (shared with coworkers) Smart pop microwave popcorn (stole it from the roomie, hee hee hee)

- Seasoned with sour cream and onion seasonings

Lunch (1:45pm):

Smoked maple turkey sandwich

- 2 oz smoked maple turkey
- 1/4 cup avocado
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced cucumber
- Lettuce
- 1 oz havarti
- Horseradish mustard
- 2 slices squirrely no flour, sprouted grain bread


Dinner (7pm):

My mom is in town for 2 days so we went to her favourite Thai restaurant where we indulged in:
- Fish cakes
- Rice noodles with beef
- Spicy mixed seafood
- Spinach jasmine rice
























Low fat this is not. Delicious? Yes it is!

Drinks:
- 10 glasses of water
- 4 cups of green tea
- 8oz of hot chocolate
- 1 iced tea

Exercise:
30 minutes on treadmill which is not enough. Tomorrow I need to spend at least 70 minutes at the gym. I owe myself that!


Wish me luck!

What's the fat content in prime rib?

Although I'm sure I don't wanna know!

This is the kind of dish I only order when someone else is paying. This time it was my work. All day Saturday till 1030pm. Then snowboarding on Sunday.

Where does the time go??

But you can read all about my fun weekend of salsa dancing right here: http://nelleytimes.wordpress.com/(my other blog) it's a weekly one and usually occupies my entire Sunday. I don't mind though cuz it's great fun.

My company is a sponsor of the 2010 Olympics so we had dinner @ a steakhouse as they've rented out for the entire Olympic games for special guests, etc.

Cool.

So us lucky volunteers got a taste of what those lucky bastards will be eating over the entire course of the games.

It was a plated dinner and although I could have picked the healthier options (shrimp cocktail followed by salmon entree followed by NO dessert and NO alcohol) that's unfortunately not the way I roll. ;)

Steakhouse dinner ROLL CALL:

Starter:

Roasted tomato and goat cheese tartlet: slow roasted Roma tomatoes & Salt Spring Island goat cheese on a puff pastry tartlet with a pesto finish. (Honestly, I could have stopped eating right here. This is the size of my typical dinners! I must remember this for next time.)

Entree:

Prime rib (medium rare but I should have gone medium well) with all the fixins!

"Slow roasted all day in our sea salt rub, served with pomme puree, seasonal vegetables & Classic Yorkshire Pudding"

Dessert:

Vanilla creme brulee - my absolute favourite all time dessert EVER! Luckily, I am only treated to this deliciousness once a season. My thighs thank me!

DRINKS (Today)

Water - 13 glasses

Green tea - 4 cups (1 tea bag, mug refilled 3 times)

EXERCISE (Today)

My gym has challenges every few months and this month (finals are in March) the challenge was this:

Deadlifts  (picking up weight off the floor and then putting it back down again) @ 110lbs and a new form of torture called handstand push ups. They are exactly as they sound.

21-15-9

So you lift the bar with 110lbs of weight (deadlifts) on it 21 times then you do handstand push ups 21 times then you go back to the bar and do 15 deadlifts and then the handstand push up 15 times, etc.

I was allowed to do modified push up as I'm not yet able to do a handstand against a wall and push off from the ground even once, let alone 45 times!!

My time: 14:01. In March we will all do the exact same workout again and will compare our times and we'll get to see how much we've improved.

I can't fricking wait, she said sarcastically. Must rest now as my arms, they are a hurtin'.

Happy eating!

Heading back to Vegas....

3rd trip in 4 months, lol! One might say I'm a little obsessed. However what people don't realize is that I use my Vegas weekends as motivation to eat healthy and keep waking my arse up to go to the gym 5+ times a week! These mini motivations which do not involve food (we barely eat when we're there anyway) are a great way to keep me on track.

I recommend a Vegas for everyone! A rewarding getaway that encourages you to reach your weight loss goals.

4 nights and 3 days and this time I plan to do it better. This means I will get my makeup done and indulge in the spa @ least once. I will also pack runners and a workout outfit cuz I love how I feel after a workout and especially how I look - skin glowing, eyes shining, sigh. I love post workout me. ;)

This also means that I'll have to cut back on any other spending that I was planning on doing this month....and the next. Possibly March too.

Luckily I have Olympic tickets that I scored in the VANOC ticket lottery (Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics) and I'm trying to sell those on craigslist & kijiji so once I sell a few of those, it'll pay for 2 or 3 Vegas getaways, woo!

Yay to being a single princess!(Hopefully I'll meet my prince in Vegas.....but probably not, lol! )

ROLL CALL

Breakfast (9am):

Yogurt, 1/4 cup granola (Ezekiel grains) and 1 cup honeydew melon

Mid morning Snack (11:30am):

1 cup of baby  carrots

2tbs red pepper hummus

Oooo! I found these cute little ceramic cups that I use to measure out 1 to 2tbs of dip. No need to second guess or eat too much dip. Dollar Stores rock!

Lunch (1:15pm):

-Homemade casserole (makes 3 servings): 1/3 lb extra lean ground beef, 1 green pepper, 1 med zucchini, 1/2 large Spanish onion and 1 cup of Catelli smart rotini pasta, a large handful of brown mushrooms, 1 portabella mushroom. Everything is stir fried quickly and then mixed together with 1 cup of my fave pasta sauce and 1/2 can of tomato paste. I then toss it into a regular bread pan, cover it with grated cheese from 2 qty babybel cheese portions (so convenient!) and bake in oven uncovered @ 375F until cheese is golden brown. If it takes too long and I'm super hungry I simply put the oven on broil and watch it closely till my casserole is golden brown. Martha Stewart never taught you that!

- Large garden salad with oil/vinegar dressing

Afternoon snack(2pm to 5:30pm cuz I was peckish all afternoon)

 3 dark chocolate truffles

1 babybel cheese

2 clementines

3 cups microwave popcorn

Dinner:
Post workout protein shake  (1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup strawberries, 1 scoop protein)

Sushi: Tuna sashimi and a rainbow roll(only half)

DRINKS:
5 cups of green tea and lemon tea (2 green tea bags, 1 lemon tea bag, mug refilled several times)
9 glasses of water (I need to better than that!)

EXERCISE:
Back @ crossfit and today we did a whole lotta squats and lifting heavy weights with our upper bodies. My arms and shoulders hurt already and my thighs and butt are gonna hurt in the morning. I'm also heading back for more tomorrow @ 530pm for the Friday night class. I can't wait though, after all, I need to get in better shape for Vegas, woo!

Happy eating!

Sick days rock!

Except when you're actually sick though.  I rarely get colds or flus so this one really took me by surprise.  3 days it's knocked me out for. Boo to illnesses! I take it as a personal affront cuz I wash my hands frequently, exercise regularly and eat healthfully so I never know where the invading germs came in.

I still tried to go to the gym but gave up on day 3 when I tried to go for a jog and couldn't breathe after 2 minutes. My lungs felt so strained and I actually felt a little light headed too. I can never remember if you're supposed to work out when you're sick or rest when you're sick but based on how I felt last night, I'm thinking that resting was the right choice.

Thank goodness I get paid for sick days so I used today to sleep in, drink plenty of fluids, do my laundry (after all, the stress from piles of dirty clothes only makes you sicker!) and get plenty of rest. Now I'm kinda pumped and sorta ready to go back to work tomorrow. Sort of. 

ROLL CALL:

Breakfast (12:30pm)

Half a multigrain bagel

1.5 tbsp light peanut butter (the only product I purposely buy in the light version because I find it tastes sweeter, mmmmm)

2 clementines

Snack (1:45pm):

1 cup of baby carrots

Lunch (3:30pm)

mccain super spiral fries (2 handfuls)

1 lean beef burger on a thin, multi-grain bun

1 slice of kraft singles cheese

Toppings: hot peppers, stone ground mustard , 1 tsp mayonaise, tomatoes, lettuce

Afternoon snack:

Ketchup flavoured crispers (4 chips)

Dinner (7:45pm):

Chicken noodle soup

My roommate brought it home for me from the grocery store cuz I was really craving some soup and I was stuck at home sick. Cough cough. Poor me!

However I was also craving bok choy (one of my fave veggies after broccoli and mushrooms) so I chopped some up, then seared it quickly in the frying pan with a little sesame oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I then added it to the chicken soup simmering away on the stove and voila!

mmmmmmm. I am soooo gonna do that again!

DRINKS

6 glasses of green tea (1 tea bag)

6 glasses of water

EXERCISE

I slept over 11 hours today. As I normally only get 6 to 7, this was huge and amazing and definitely WORK for me to stay in bed for so long. yay me! ;)

Happy eating!