Realizations

I realized I have not been posting specific sections lately, but rather talking about my body, mind, soul accomplishments throughout my post. I like the sections a little better so here we go:
I started with soul because I think it was more "pronounced" today...

Soul: I think yoga counts towards this as well, as well as the connections I made through the book due. I talked on the phone with my mom for a good hour inside Target. She says Im nesting. I think she is totally right, but not in a "lets get married and have babies sense" but more in a "I need to be able to call my home a sanctuary, not come home to more stress" way.

I realize how right she is because I have this INTENSE need to buy living room furniture and bedroom furniture and accessories, and room fragrance, and candles, and lamps and sheets, towels, the list keeps going on and on. Furniture buying is such an emotional process, its like a Marriage. Planning the room's color scheme, matching furniture, accent furniture, accessories, lamps- what kind of occasions are we having - how much seating do we need- what can we add to it in the future- all that and how much can we afford- spending thousands of dollars on this makes me want to believe it will last for quite sometime but what happens if we get sick of it or if it tears/breaks. Its SO overwhelming, its an investment for the future that you will use but need to enjoy EVERYDAY..

Realization #1: Furniture Buying= Marriage

This isn't necessarily true or a problem if its just you that you are out to please- but I cannot tell you how many stores/sofas Jeff and I have looked at where he loves one and I dont or I really like one and he hates it. The problem is finding a middle ground.

Realization #2: Furniture = Husband ( or wife).

Its exactly like a husband. Sure you could get a futon from Kmart, but will it make you happy? will it last forever? Is it "The One" ? You'd save a great deal of money, but I doubt it would last. They have a tendency to break easily too. And well, most are just plain unattractive and scream "College!"

Ah, alas there is the Thomasville and Lazyboy Collections. You can find anything you want but it is all highly expensive and can require more care and attention. They are attractive, They last, which can be great but can also be like the "old hat"... how much brown leather can you take day after day for 10 years ? Is it really "The One" sofa that will last through thick and thin? Who knows how many people will come over and sit/sleep/spill on it, will it stay true to you and not rip or tear?

My mom reminds me; " Laural, its furniture! you will always find a better deal at the next store"


Realization #3: I am looking for deals on furniture, not potential husbands. I want Jeff and he wants me. We will buy furniture and can sell it, throw it away, or take it with us to our next place regardless of when, if, or where we get married


Body: Run 3.5 miles, 28 minutes ( WOOOOHOOO!!!) and Elliptical warmup 15 min. Yoga in the am, (20 minutes and I did do about 10 before bed last night- no migraine!)

Mind: Read, Read, Read and Interviewed( totally thought I was meeting someone just to talk about the position, not to actually fill out application and answer interview questions!) I found research topics for two classes and have found great sources for those. I am halfway through the book due tuesday!

Breakfast: Not a Smoothie!
Kashi Cereal ( Honey Almond Flax) in a chobanie plain, with a big naner and peanut butter!
Yum!

The reason why I am eating on a paper plate.....

The sink is messed up- among all the other things in the house we want to fix/remodel.... the plumbing is aparrently (yet) another thing

So This morning I ate then left to read on campus and mail a package ( returning a textbook).. and had an unexpected INTERVIEW! ugh... I have no idea nor do I mind if I do not get te position, but its basically doing therapy with one of my previous students I taught in their home/community to help with social skills. Afterwards I came home and had lunch:

Lunch:
again..on a paper towel... oh my . .. Turkey sandwich, with salad on top , that is fake shredded cheese, tomato and a mustard smiley face. Something you will see rarely on the blog is ... canteloupe. It is my least favorite fruit, its so bland, I almost never eat it. It is Jeff's favorite, I do crave it ever so often, hence the slice. ( it is organic by the way which is on sale at harris teeter this week).


After lunch I read more chapters and went to the gym- I did 20 minutes on the elliptical as a warm up then ran 3.5 miles in 28 minutes! Woohoo!
I stopped in to Pier 1 to look at furniture etc. then went to bath and body works to examine room fragrance spray, which is on sale right now $2 off! I bought four scents, and votive candles were 30% off too ( 5 for $5). I want to start making my home feel like home. It is my retreat and should be a place I love to smell after all. It makes me feel better about the problems, like the sink, and our old smelly couch, etc etc.

Jeff's deadline was extended to Monday so he had to stay late at work again! He suggested meeting for dinner- so we met at this awesome hamburger place downtown. I always order their house salad with grilled chicken because it sets the standard for grilled chicken salads- Romaine, Carrots ( look at how big!), onions, cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green pepper! And... blackened chicken.. an awesome amount of veggies and quality chicken ( not the gross processed-tasting kind)...

They have this dressing for onion rings ( Jeff's side), its like a remoulade sauce, anyhow- I dip bits of my salad in ( usually end up finishing a good teaspoon total)

Yum!

Tomorrow we are are tailgating bright and early- picking up our engaged friends Nate and Andrea at 7:15 am!

They are bringing donuts and mimosa's and bloody mary's and bagels...( per my BIRTHDAY request). I will partake in the donut eating and maybe have a mimosa or two. But we are heading out early to watch the game at home so I can read, and Jeff can fix the sink.

Go STATE!

Big Sigh of Relief

Dessert: Several of these yummy treats Hershey's Cacao Reserve , Ultra Thin Squares...
I totally had over 1 serving, they are so thin and delicious!

Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer Tea...in the mug Jeff's Nana gave us... ( i feel a migraine coming and I am going to try my hardest to relax, sleep well, yoga first thing in the morning- maybe before bed!)

and... Gastronomical Me... Let me say, I really don't enjoy reading but truly wish I did, I just get bored with sitting still, get up, and lose my track of thought! If it is something I really need to analyze ( like this) - I can't take it to the gym because my workout suffers intensity and I dont concentrate as well on the book ( mental picture of me falling off the treadmill totally possible )

I am trying to read two more chapters tonight- at least 4 ( hopefully 6) tomorrow, (the book is due tuesday) See you in the morning ! Sleep Well Everyone!

Dinner Solo Tonight- Jeff has a BIG project due so I pan cooked a salmon serving, along with whole grain pasta, mushroom tomato sauce ( I almost always add more veggies to my sauce!) and a salad with apple cider dressing ( it was a Dole Kit... I figured I would try the dressing- not too bad!)

Pre-Class/ Post-Group Meeting Snack: another TLC Honey Almond Flax

Lunch ( again half in the car /half home b/c of shopping, returns, Gym etc..) I had a balance bar in the car at Noon ( after my workout, calls,a returns etc. I needed fuel! and sorry no pic I left my camera at home!)

Then at home I had a salad with a slice of turkey, some fage

Health Insurance Quotes, Plans, Coverage Letters, Refusal of Coverage Riders, etc etc etc ... Ahh!!! pain the a** since August 19th! An entire month of this .... BUT...
Wonderful news today!!!! BCBS accepted my application and did NOT charge me through the roof nor put any riders on my asthma or allergies... like half of these in the photo! ugh! seriously- one of the plans, near the back of the photo- charged me but told me it would never cover any asthma or allergy related ANYTHING ( treatments, prescriptions, doctor visits)...

Anyhow, when I got the word from BCBS , I immediately went to the gym for cross training to burn off my excitement!

Elliptical 40 minutes, Strength: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps ( I usually lift hamstrings but they were tight today from the double lifting and lots of running so I gave my legs the "day off ")

insert here: Big Sigh of Relief : Ahhhhh!

Cockadoodledoo!

Up early and breakfast was made before the sun (er..clouds) came out!

Smoothie Recipe for 2: different today and in the order I put it in the blender...

1.25 cups 1% milk 130 cal
1 large banana 120 cal
1/2 c frozen peaches 35 cal
1/4 c frozen blackberries 20 cal
(2 cherries for extra sweetness) 20 cal
1 scoop of protein ( 110 cal, 23 g protein)
1 teaspoon -ish of peanut butter 50 cal ( thats an overestimate)

I haven't done a calorie count on this but I am going to just out of curiousity.. I have estimated the smoothies I have been making are about 200 cal/each....(usually depending on pb, it may be more like 250)

So for today's divided by two, for Jeff and Me... (total is 375 calories...37 g protein)
Each were 186 calorie, 18 g protein, 3 g fat, 22 g

Which is good to know, because I like to add flax, more peanut butter sometimes, sometimes I eat it with some cereal, etc etc so I understand why a few of the days I didnt I found myself hungrier earlier ...( 3-4 hours later)

Off to do some shopping, health insurance phone calls, and hopefully get a cross training day in ( elliptical and strength) if not I can always take a rest day!

I have to meet with my group at 2 for monday class, and review notes from biochem ( adv. nutrient metabolism class this afternoon- test is in 2 weeks!)

Conquered: Case of the Blah's

Dinner: Ribeye steaks were on sale at Harris Teeter BOGO! I never buy red meat because 1. its so expensive! and 2. its higher in sat. fat.. and 3. I never know what constitutes "good meat"...

However, I do enjoy it! I use to not get enough iron, and drinking coffee can inhibit iron absorbtion so thats like a double whammy ( i can't believe I just used that phrase but it seemed to fit).
5 oz Steak ( just pepper and grilled- I started the grill and everything too!!!), Asparagus with lemon pepper seasoning, Kashi Rice Pilaf (its not the fiesta kind, its just the New "Instant" 7 Grain Pilaf )

Snack
I had some serious research to do for classes so I came back to campus after lunch/shower and had to dash back... I packed this tlc honey almond flax bar and ate in the library!







Lunch
Turkey sandwhich on 7 grain Light, with mustard ( in memoriam of my first food experience see post) - haha! Plus lots of fresh cut veggies... I only ate a bit of the chobani because I was full from everything else.

I ate on a paper towel because our sink is clogged and I don't want to pile in more dishes...ick!
This bread ( It took me forever to pick out a loaf at the store. People came and went and looked oddly at me looking at the ingredients! It took so long because I hate bread that is high in calories {because you add all this stuff to them, which makes it too big or filling to eat, etc} i hate bread that has High Fructose Corn Syrup, i hate bread that has no fiber... I don't really enjoy bread for the most part at all really. I do, however, enjoy this bread very much for its taste, cost, and calorie size... despite that the 8th or 9th (?or so) ingredient on the list is fructose, and corn syrup....


Before lunch I had a GLORIOUS Run of 4.5 miles! I tell you, I had a case of the blah's after breakfast and there is nothing like a good run to fix em!
I did campus loops + ... each loop on the road is 1.25 but I try to run extra on the ground if I can to avoid traffic and get better cushioning from grass/dirt. My first loop was 13 minutes, 2nd was 11 minutes, 3rd was ~ 2 miles~ in 16 minutes... Lots of stretching after!


Thanks for the early birthday wishes!

Blended

1 medium Banana
1T ground Flax
1.25 cups 1% milk
1/3 c frzn blueberries
1/3 c frzn peaches
1/3 c fzn cherries
1 scoop protein powder 23 g protein, 110 calories (I miss my pure prorein, it had a much less chaukly protein taste)

I started blending then added four (total) ice cubes one at a time through the top cap. I love my blender, it was a present from my mom and dad but I know it's not super expensive.

Off to run on campus ( there is a chil in the air that reminds me Fall is starting, it makes me happy that the opportunity to run is extended until late morning, and evening too!

My birthday is in 6 days!!! I want to hang out with friends at the football game, have a massage/nails spa day, dinner with Jeff...

my first food experience ever

So I have this assigment for my food topics class, we have to post about our earliest possible food memory we have.
And post it on Blackboard at 5:05 pm... well, I have class from 4:00-5:50 along with several other of my food topics classmates. I emaled the prof but havent heard back, so I guess I will just be prepared to do it immediately after since its not open to posting early!

Anyway here is my posting:

I had to have been three years old. I say, had to have been, because we lived in the house on "jenny dr." and I was four when we moved to the house on "greenridge". I could have very well been only two years old. I remember the burnt orange tiles and dark brown posts that were next to the refridergator.The bedroom was blue and seemed like such a big room to play in. I followed my two older brothers and older sister everywhere we went. I felt that my was duty, to follow them. My two older brothers were making something. I ran from the bedroom towards the living room, passing the kitchen counter along the way. I saw my brothers with a bright yellow bag with blue letters. Something else was up on the counter, yellow and in a jar. My instinct was "Oooh yellow! I want some". Matt, the oldest was 7 or 8 at the time, came over to me and gave me a piece of flat white fluff with yellow goo on it and told me he would share if I wanted some. Marshmallows are white and fluffy, but they were smaller. He must have given me a flattened out marshmallow. I like candy, especially gooey, sweet frosting. I leaned in and smelled it. It didn't smell like candy at all! The yellow goo smelled rather salty, but the white fluff smelled almost sweet. My face must have revealed my confusion, Matt ensured me "Its candy, go ahead eat it." I took a big, curious lick of the yellow goo and found a gritty texture and salty/spicy taste. My eyes squinted tightly with a tear starting. I put the mustard from my tongue back onto the fluff, I couldn't bear the taste of the yellow goo, that stuff was icky! Definately not candy! So I used my tongue to smear the yellow goo back onto the top part of the white fluff square. Immediately, I took a bite of only the white fluff to "fix my tongue". The fluff was soft and quickly glued itself to the roof of my mouth, it was plain yet buttery. It was sweet but not as a marshmallow or cake would be. When I cleared if from the roof of my mouth, it stuck together in a molded shape. The bread made my tongue feel "calm" again. I had never tasted mustard before and I promise to you, it remained out of my food for many years to come due to the shock of assuming it would be candy. Refusing to use it on anything for the majority of my adolescence, I finally decided to be brave in college and give it a whirl. After finding it to be a nice addition to sandwiches, I use it quite often now. Fortunately, the white enriched bread has never become a staple in my life.

Cleaning Machine!

Smoothie!
Frozen cherries, frozen blueberries, frozen peaches, a banana, big scoop of protein, 1.25 cups of milk... As I blended I added several ice cubes to make it thicker! Deliciouso...


After breakfast I searched high and low for a reciept to return a dress that is too big ( i was hoping to tailor it or find a small but... i'd rather have the $30 back... "Simplify Life Simplify Laural") I did tell myself that..

I found it and shopped for what seemed like forever- I also had returns to target, returns to DSW ( shoes I bought for the wedding and didnt wear them because I wore a different dress!)..and knew I was going to target- so while there I grabbed some zone bars and some Kashi Honey Almond Flax... I decided to eat the zone bar while out shopping for added energy (kcal), and protein because I had serious shopping to do .

( I am looking to purchase new living room furtniture and new bedroom furniture and guest bedroom sheets, a new matress and I need a new pair of running shoes to break in before the marathon! )

When I got back to the house, I wanted something fresh! whole! and crunchy! I had veggies with a little goddess dressing, and a tiny bit of lunchmeat that needed to get eaten before it went bad!

I didn't have class today and also wanted to rest from running, so I did yoga and strength training BBQ Abs here at the house, lots of house work ( cleaned the kitchen, all the floors, cleaned the couch and the top of the fridge)...

I had no idea what I was thinking for dinner but it was delicious...

I sauteed some 93% lean ground beef, a Tb of taco seasoning, three servings of black beans ( whole, goya can)... and then sliced up organic polenta, put it in the pan, topped with tomato slices. I also heated up a bag of frozen mix veggies ( corn, water chestnuts, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, peas) ... and shredded the majority of one light string cheese on top of Jeff's, and sprinkled mine with the rest!









Dessert was tension tamer tea! it is slightly minty but more sweet.. highly recommend it!

Its on to reading for class and watching Made of Honor which just came out yesterday (Thanks redbox!)

Monday Lunch!

Grilled chicken, veggies with basil and half a ww wrap... ( the broccoli and chicken+ sauce was from south beach living frozen chicken caprese. I have posted one on here before, It has 240 calories and 22g of protein. The ingredients are ( in my opinion) very good, not as great as whole foods but in the essence of time and taste and convience (I needed to eat asap after my fantastic workout), I have one of these plus I added extra mix veggies and a ww wrap for healthy grains.

I love those unexpected, don't really want to get sweaty and move around, i'm tired but we'll see how far I get kind of workout sessions that turn out to be AWESOME!
Strength training: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Hamstrings ( I did romainian deadlifts and ham curls!)..
Elliptical 20 minutes
Run: 3 miles! my pace was at 7:53 min/mile for the first, 7:00 min/mile for mile 2, 7:30 for the last!

Woohoo!

I had to jet to class, print out the research matrix for college female dining choice literature research and then run back home ( we were supposed to go to jeff's parents for dinner but we were both too tired once we got home and hungry! so the FASTEST high protein filling dinner I could think of ...

Eggs! I used 2 eggs and 4 egg whites, scrambled with some 1% milk and green beans w carrots!
YUMMMMMMY! I was so hungry that I ate most of it before it hit me to take the photo- I split it in half with Jeff ( who put his in a big white tortilla)... I ate half of the eggs in my other half of ww wrap from lunch!










I almost immediately wanted dessert though, I think that run caught up with me after class so I put together something healthier and AMAZING!
Warmed up 1/2 cup blueberries in the microwave, topped it with a spoonfull of chocolate chips (which slightly melted!), half a chobani vanilla yogurt, added pistachios and almonds... with a leftover wedding cookie!

and then came the cookies...

There is only half of the cookies, they went on for another two tables to the left! On the far right, there is a fake cake- its a card holder!!!! How adorable! Their cake was five levels (tiers?) and ivory with a black fondant stripe on each layer! Christanthamums as decorations!

Jeff's Aunt Linda, the brides mother, made ALL of these cookies AND that Card Holder! She told me how she was worried it wasnt big enough ( it wasn't!) but they just took out some and put em inside one of the gift bags.

and so it ends... at the airport at 9 am, I had a egg and ham sandwich, and half a diet coke. I swear my hormones were at the airport on friday and took off on another plane because I couldnt stop sweating, then chills , then hot again all weekend.. I wanted coffee but then started sweating and needed something cold! Anyhow, we got stuck with not just this tin of cookies, but another tin for Jeff's sister and Grandma that couldn't make it! I only stole one!

I picked up Jeff from work Sunday evening and we went out to dinner- I wanted to try this place a girl in my nutrient metabolism class recommended. It did not dissapoint! They had so many options with great veggies, but I decided on .... (Veggie Girl don't look!!!) an angus beef and brie sammie with a salad side (not happy they charged me $2 extra for the salad.. I thought they would bring me a salad not dabble some on the plate... oh well though) . The sandwich was not what I thought it would be, but it was very tasty! The service was odd... granted we were in tshirts and hats but no one else was "fancied up" and their dinner menu is nearly ALL sandwiches! I would still go back because I liked the menu options and it was a cute place!

Home Sweet Home..

It feels so nice to be home! I immediately unpacked and threw in laundry, which always makes me feel better and way more productive then if I just throw everything down and relax! Jeff didnt even come home with me- I dropped him off at work so he could get a head start for his week. So we stayed at Jeff's cousin Kristen's in new york the night before the wedding, yes the bride's house ( soon to be "their" house). His cousin Kristen is one of the sweetest most generous people I have ever met! Her house was amazing! There is her living room, so cute! ( after editing and adding in the photos- I bet at first you thought this was my place! soon...)


Bride-to-be stayed at her mom's and the groom stayed at his place so we had their place to ourselves, but we were exausted so we really just got a good night's rest! We forgot to ask her for the internet passcode for her place so we didn't have internet! ( and we certainly didnt want to bother her the night before her wedding!!)
So we flew out friday morning, I had a smoothie for breakfast, then grabbed these overpriced snacks after our first flight to dulles we had a short layover- I ate the balance bar and I grabbed this cookie because it reminded me of Veggie Girl.. its a vegan peanut butter cookie! I had a couple bites, delicious, but just like all other cookies- high in calories and sweetness! I saved it and took a few nibbles here and there this weekend..Also had a couple pretzels to settle my stomach on the plane ( I get a bit motion sick as far as travelling goes ...)

The rehearsal dinner was at the groom's parents' place- wings, salad, pizza... I kept my portions small and really just concentrated on enjoying everything! I tried to take pictures but it was outside, dark and I had my hands full with my purse, sweater, plate and bottle of water!

We woke up early saturday morning (Jeff's mom's birthday!) and Kristen insisted we eat up stuff there since they were leaving in a day for Cabo for the Honeymoon- so I had a banana and a packet of Kashi instant hot cereal ( a first)... and loved it! Then we drove up to Niagra Falls!!
It was misty!

For lunch we headed to the famous Anchor Bar ( home of the original chicken wing!) ...
So of course we had wings, I had a small salad before they came then 6 hot wings... and lots of celery! And half a beer !

79 of his friends are gone, he looked so lonely! ( We ordered 80 wings for 6 of us, three of which were hungry men)

On the way to the hotel to get ready for the wedding Momma Mo ( jeff's mom) took us through her old neighborhood! It was ADORABLE!

Then, the big event: a 250 person italian wedding- ( i have to say half of me was totally distracted thinking and hoping the hurricane didn't blow my big brother away in Houston.
Last I heard he is doing alright for now- no power for a few weeks is quite daunting to think about! )
There they are at the altar, it wasnt that dark in the church when I took the phto!

The wedding was gorgeous.. it totally looked like out of a movie!

There is my plate of appetizers: I didnt want to fill up ( i have a tendency to do that)... so had all the veggies and the cheddar, and the mozzarella with a glass of pinot grigio.





Dinner was served to us and was a mashed potatoes, green beans and a small steak with SHRIMP on top!!! Jeff grabed the first waitress and told her I was allergic and she ran away ( she didnt take my plate so Jeff snagged off the shrimp so he could have them!)... she came back with a non-shellfish plate and I had a good bit of the steak. I really wanted to dance and explore the mansion we were at...

So began the dancing, Jeff comes from a family of huge dancers.. they have music nights ( while growing up and still!) .. So I had a blast dancing away- I had a bite of the cake but it wasnt buttercream frosting so I just enjoyed a glass of merlot! (if it had been buttercream I totally would have eaten all of it!)