Evening and Afternoon Update!

* I forgot to put up my dinner! I steamed asparagus and brussel sprouts...

Then added a piece of lasagna on top

 


I am heading to Jeff's sister's- Missy Mo's gym shortly. She is letting me use a guest pass to see if I enjoy this gym, isn't that sweet !?!
When I got back from class and before I took Jack for a walk, I had an afternoon Snack:
Greek Nonfat Blueberry Yogurt and

Chai Bumble Bar ( I had half)

Chai Bumble Bar Review:
I LOVED the smell of this bar!! It smelled exactly like chai! I really enjoyed this one in comparison to the cherry chocolate and I would say it is a tie with the apricot for me- The sesame was not overpowering, and it was sweet but cinnamon like as well. It was just the right amount of crunch and chew and sweetness for me. 

Lunch:
I packed my lunch in my Pink Insulated Lean Cuisine lunch bag- they were specifically designed to support Breast Cancer awareness/research. I order them online every year and they are available in september- october but they go FAST! I remember the first year they came out, I didn't get one because they ran out! this past year I ordered several and gave them as presents - half of their cost is donated to the komen foundation! They cost $9.95 ( well they did...I don't know about upcoming years) and I had free shipping! They have expanded their designs as well! Isn't it darling!?

I had an organic pear and an arnold sandwich thin filled with baby spinach, two slices of turkey and one slice of ham, and a chocolate.


Breakfast:

Smoothie ( vanilla designer whey protein, organic milk, frozen blueberries, 1/2 banana,frozen mango), I had the other half of banana with some peanut butter , some kiwi and pineapple and a piece of newman's own double fiber bread.

I WAS sooooo full.. It took me awhile to actually finish this breakfast.

 

* If you have noticed this yellow dish (and I have an orange one as well), they were christmas presents and are from pottery barn. I really enjoy them because they make my pictures a little more colorful on here, and they work so nicely for Jeff and I. It makes it a better surface to eat on if we eat in the living room.. and it makes it easy to carry everything in there as well. *

Update to Last Night:

I did have dessert! I made a single serving of No Pudge Brownie Mix using nonfat greek yogurt. I added some mini chocolate chips and a little peanut butter too.

What I ate to help me through Day 2...

Breakfast:
I took water and protein powder and quick cook steel cut oats and mixed them all together - microwaved for about 3 minutes? . I added frozen blueberries and cinnamon and peanut butter! We were out of bananas and milk this morning so I knew I had to head to the store!

I wasn't quite sure how well it would turn out because I am not up to speed with cooking properties of protein powder, which is typically not cooked. I do know how it can clump and not work out well- but this was fantastic!

Post Fantastic Run Fuel:
A slice of pizza ( I had made this the other day and gave it to Jeff for lunches etc.) there was this guy left so I had him with a salad: cabbage, baby spinach, arugula, goddess dressing, cabot cottage cheese...

I also sliced up that lovely pineapple with a kiwi. It was incredibly juicy and sweet and tropical. I almost felt like I was in Hawaii or something...


So I ate all of this lunch while I prepared dinner....

Eggplant Bolognese Lasagna!

I cooked 8 lasagna noodles as directed while browning 93% lean ground beef ( and one buffalo chicken sausage I had froze, thawed, and de-cased). When the noodles and meat were done, i put the meat in an empty pot and filled in with a jar of hunts pasta sauce ( garlic and herb) , a jar of TJ Marinara, and a jar of Bolognese sauce...

In the now empty meat pan, I sauteed eggplant slices with a little smart balance oil. I put sauce in the bottom of a 9x13, layered one layer of noodles, sprinkled with a little parm cheese then eggplant slices then covered with a layer of the tomato meat sauce, then sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and globbed with cabot cottage cheese.

I repeated with a layer of noodles and sprinkling of cheese

eggplant slices

tomato meat sauce

mozzarella shredded...

Dinner: 1/12th ! with a little extra sauce!

I am so glad I made the big pot of sauce I did- I love having extra sauce available and now I can use it for pasta later this week OR it freezes so nicely that I can just freeze portions for whenever!

I am in the mood for dessert- especially with the run this morning! I was surprised that although class was longer than expected, I was NOT hungry at all until I got home. I will probably bring a snack on wednesdays from now on though, esp since the class is 3 hours long!

Did you all have a wonderful wednesday?

I definitely feel like I did! Sometimes I get so excited about life in general just thinking about what my future holds ( like an engagement, a wedding, getting my degree, getting my certification, finding a great job, having babies, fixing up my home etc etc ) , even if it may not all happen the way I think or when, it is just uplifting to think about for me.

Home Safe but Tuckered Out

I am home and tuckered out! Jack is too because he didn't even want dinner - he has laid in his "bedroom" since we got home! I think it was all the attention and spoiling my parents gave him. We went on lots of walks too- and he had lots of treats. He was kinda bad only because the parents let him up on the furniture:

I must be so tired from all of that baking I have been up too ... Creme De Menthe Brownies, my personal favorite is Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake , and Mocha Swirl Light Cheesecake-

In fact, I doubt my fatigue had ANYTHING to do with the freezing, 1 hour wonderful walk this morning, 3 hour drive, 2 loads of laundry, and unpacking 8 bags of a bullet smoothie mixer my mom gave me ( thanks!!! woohoo!), leftover baked goods, clothes bought while shopping with my mom, and luggage! Right ?


Body:
Walked with my mom and Jack , 3+ miles this morning! It was very chilly compared to yesterday's walk gees! My knee is a little sore from the run yesterday but nothing major at all really- I am gonna get a heat pack now and ice and alternate to get the blood flowing- hopefully get rid of any swelling!

Mind:
Read more in the morning but only a little bit!

Read some new blogs!! I am so excited to receive comments from readers I was unaware of! I love that people are enjoying my blog as much as I enjoy writing it! I would certainly like to add to my blogroll but I always end up closing the browser and can't find the exact addresses again! So feel free to send me a comment so I can add you/ or you can add me etc. etc.

However, most all of my mental energy went towards my 3 hour drive on the highway with Jack! I fought off sleepiness by drinking water and singing to Jack, he is not a fan. Oh well.

Soul:

I am the type of person that feels MUCH better if I unpack immediately- otherwise the stuff lays around for a week or longer! So I got everything going right away into its place- except the laundry- however I folded AND ironed what is done! Hooray for that

Jeff is home and I am home ! Yah! He LOVES his new sweater/shirt that I assured my mom he would like! Also, two of the pairs of pants fit fantastic and he loves them! The third pair were jeans by the SAME brand, SAME size as the other two pairs- and clearly 2 inches too long!!??!?!? What the crap ? oh well, I will go see if I can get a shorter pair. I hope they aren't too short though!

After I got back and put everything away, I caught up on this premiere week of shows I remembered to record before I left! 90210, Priviledged, and The Biggest Loser!

Dinner with Nate and Andrea! Andrea picked me up and we met the men at the restaurant! Both of us had not seen our significant others' in four days! and... both Andrea and I ordered the same exact meal, both Jeff and Nate ordered the same exact meal too- how coincidental!?!

****** Jeff got a great deal on a BRAND NEW vehicle thanks to his uncle Jeff... it is a truck and he wanted a truck! it is 4 wheel drive and he wanted 4 wheel drive so we could take it onto the beach for camping at the ocean and it has more too! The bet part is it is brand new with a full warranty and he is getting it for what the used vehicles cost that he was considering recently! I won't reveal too much because there are some logistics involved - he/we should be bringing it home Monday so I will reveal all the details and photos then! ****** Thank you to everyone who has been commenting, keeping up with this situation for us, and hoping along with me that things work out post accident! ( Erica , Mads, Veggie Girl, Strong and Healthy, Hangrypants and I hope I am not forgetting anyone else...)

I am so excited that Jeff's uncle Jeff ( his namesake and practically his identical twin as far as personality goes) and aunt Darlene are visiting this weekend. This happens to work out nicely with the car deal since Jeff can ride back with them sunday and drive back his new truck! They are great fun so it will be a family oriented weekend of wine, laughter, and who knows what!

On to the food:
Breakfast:
Egg whites with hummus, Oats with Bluberries, Bananas, Pears and Peanut Butter.

Oh and if you haven't already checked her out- Lee of For The Love of Peanut Butter - made a version of my Pumpkin French Toast for breakfast today- She loved it and I am so happy!!!! Thanks for the tag Lee!


Lunch: (sorry it wasn't pictured I had already packed everything into the car)
Leftover pasta bake from last night ...



Snack:
A small banana with peanut butter and greek nonfat yogurt. I also crumbled a bite of a Luna Sunrise Bar that I have never had before. It was yummy!

Dinner:

We went to a hot dog/greek place that has a great sandwich and salad menu! I got the Greek Salad ( iceberg, onion, tomato, greek olives, feta, beets, pita) with Grilled Chicken. Jeff ordered the special hot dog and chili fries. I did have some of the chili fries - meh - pretty good- I liked the fry part better than the chili part.




TGI almost F !

Shopping, Beach, BumbleBar Review, Non-Taco Salad...

Simple and delicious!
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup organic fat free milk (for creamier oats, I would use 1/2 cup liquid but I like mine stickier!)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup
Microwaved for about 2 minutes

I added fry pan bananas (banana sliced into a frying pan on medium heat, about 1 minute on each side) and fresh blueberries and cinnamon and all natural peanut butter.

Bumble Bar Apricot:

I was pleasantly surprised with this flavor of bumblebar! I was expecting more of an apricot flavor, however, it was more subtle. Despite that, it was till a very fruity and sweet flavor throughout! I think there was coconut shavings in it as well. You can see the flax and sesame seeds, I love to chew apart the flax seed. Your body cannot digest flax seeds whole, although they can still contribute to digestive transit. I would definitely eat this flavor again. It has only 180 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

My mom and I split this leftover section and I also had a zone bar for protein but my camera battery died. So no photo!
We spent a great day shopping and I found Jeff three pairs of pants! I hope they fit, I know he will like them before trying them on but no pants he ever get fit him the right way. He is between sizes for waist and length and he has such a hard time with pants fitting right! Keep your fingers crossed!
I also feel like I got a whole new wardrobe but I really just got a couple of great things thanks to my parents! I love being at the beach too, I just love it- the air, the view, the shops, everything.

That is sound side and unfortunately, it rained ALL day and was really foggy. Fortunately, the rain didn't bother us!

We came home and I took jack out for a quick run then had dinner...

My mom made tacos, I had a "taco salad" minus the taco shell.

It was organic baby greens, some broccoli with hummus and taco meat ( 93% lean ground beef with taco seasoning), some tomato, cheese and kidney beans. Delicious! Thanks Mom!

We just finished Stepbrothers, My parents hadn't seen it yet but Jeff and I rented it awhile ago. I think it was funnier the second time around.

Body:
Walking Walking Walking.. shopping.. searching through everything and trying a gazillion things on to model for my mom. We went to a ton of places but I found that things at J Crew fit me a lot better than other stores!

And also a few short runs with Jack , in the morning before we left and in the evening when we got back.

Mind:
Oh my goodness, last night before bed- I read 60 pages! I just couldn't put it down until it got to be really late and I was dozing off. I am (still) reading the book, Eat Pray Love, and I have enjoyed every page. I have to really force myself to sit down and read just at first. Once I started reading, its like my mind never wanted to stop! This morning before breakfast I read another few pages and I am looking forward to picking up where I left off tonight before bed.

Soul:

I just said Goodnight To Jeff! ** He told me earlier today the latest news he has on a vehicle. It sounds awesome and I hope it comes through. He doesn't want to jinx it so just pray for him and I will write about it when we know more!!!!!!**

Shopping at the beach with my mom was fantastic!

Jack is getting so spoiled, he was allowed to lay on not only the couch but my dad's recliner chair too! He is not allowed on our furniture. My dad took him out for a walk too! Go dad! Jack pulls a ton!

Talked a lot with my mom about everything from jeans that fit, beach weddings, nutrition and what I want to do with classes and school! Phew... It's been a great day!

See yall tomorrow!

Warm Fruit, Cottage Cheese and Blueberry Oats

I wanted something warm so I heated up frozen blueberries and pineapple. The juices came out of the fruits and I thought I would make fruity-oats, so I put in some quick cook steel cut oats and added a little water. In they went to the microwave for a couple minutes and on top went Cottage cheese (cabot is delicious!!), Cinnamon, Banana (organic) with Smucker's All Natural Peanut Butter.

With Black Coffee:


Blueberry Oats Underneath:



Up early today thanks to jeff (really thanks because I hate sleeping in!) ... HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!

the plan:

gym ? run ? keep your fingers crossed for a 6 miler depending on my knee/toe status.

yoga- it really does fill body, mind, and soul.

Maybe looking at trucks with Jeff, we might drive down to the beach tomorrow to look at one ( its only about 1.5 hr away)

Maybe heading to his parents for new years eve festivities !? I don't think we really want to spend money on going to a bar to stand in there, sweat, be squished, and drink crappy free champagne. I am always in the mood to dance though!

I usually don't even photo what I drink unless its something other than water, but just so yall know- I drink a glass of water before each meal and another 4-5 throughout the day as well. Water is SO important to help with proper digestion and helps your body cell functioning. If I drink something else, I usually make note of it.

Speaking of drinks, hope all of you have a safe, fun plan for tonight!

On the way to New Years Eve!

I know, I should have made this look much prettier but I didn't and it was delicious nonetheless. It was pumpkin pie for one, with steel cut oats as a crust and pumpkin "filling" . I didn't have anything else in our fridge really and no fresh fruit- so I threw frozen blueberries on top since it was too hot to eat immediately anyway.

Quick and Easy! I spent the morning putting away presents ( new hairdryer, candles, clothes, pillows etc etc!) and I went to the gym for a great workout. Stopped at the grocery store on the way home, had lunch, showered, then headed out to the bustling stores to make some returns.

Lunch:

Salad!! I LOVE VEGETABLES! My salad had romaine, raddichio, radishes, carrots, snap peas, purple (red) cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower! I added some reduced fat feta ( BOGO at Harris Teeter!) and lovely Athenos Lemon Garlic Greek Hummus (also BOGO at Harris Teeter). I had a whole wheat wrap with a salmon burger, pickle, and some goddess dressing. Delish!

Off to the stores, Bath and Body works is having their semi-annual sale and although I was considering more, I got another wallflower (Black Ameythst) and a scented oil as a gift for Momma Mo ( they are on sale for $3!!). I also stopped at Micheal's Craft Store and picked up some clips I needed for frames I made for Jeff ( he doesn't know exactly what they are yet!)

Jeff's football team was playing in a bowl game this afternoon, so we are watching it now.


with Popcorn

Tonight, his brother Jonathan bought us tickets to his alum's basketball game ( lower level!) for christmas and we are going with his brother PJ too!

Dinner: Sandwich and veggies (turkey and ham with mustard and a pickle)


Body:
Cardio at the gym: I ran a 5k in 23 minutes! It felt great aside from my toes still being weird. I have tried new shoes but now I know that it has something to do with my knee. I kept running but at a slower pace for another 2 miles. So total- 5.3 miles.
I cooled down with the elliptical for 5 minutes.

Mind:
suduko was super fast... organize house stuff now that we are back home. Next week I am planning a trip back to my parents before school starts. We also havent figured out what we are doing for New Year's Eve yet.

Soul:

I love running. I love my new leather purse, I love the beach ( going there while I am at my parents), I love all of my christmas presents from everyone and I feel spoiled but in an enjoyable way.

The football team lost but the basketball team won.

I am also conjuring up new year's resolutions, new blogging ideas, a romantic getaway ( one of the presents Jeff gave me) and hoping that my brother will be able to visit this week! I would LOVE to see him, that would be the most wonderful present ever.

French Toast Breakfast Tree on Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve! Hooray!
French Toast Breakfast Tree:

Peanut Butter Trunk, Pumpkin Egg White French Toast Tree... (pumpkin, egg whites, splash of milk, splash vanilla extract, dash of cinnamon)
decorated with blueberry bells, cherry balls, flaxseeds and pineapple topper.


Body:
Short Run with Jack (20 minutes around the neighborhood hills). It was such a warm christmas eve! I think the high was 68*. It is so weird to have grown up in freezing weather and snow, literally snow from October-April ....and to now have winter temps of 68* and higher!. I had lunch plans that didn't work out, so when that happened, I realized I could get the "real" cardio I had been hoping for at the Gym. I was hoping to get in that red face, dripping sweat cardio because I know I will be resting christmas day, driving and above all, would rather enjoy opening presents and family time than be out on an hour long run! So, my cardio turned into an amazing 4.5 mile run/sprint... I ran for two minutes straight at 9.0 (a 6:40 min. mile) and the rest at 8.0 ( about a 7 minute mile). Phew.. so my total running mileage today was 6.5 miles!

Mind:
Tired, need to wrap gifts! 4 hours of sleep last night is just not going to cut it!

Soul:
Its Christmas eve!! dinner at Momma Mo's tonight is Tur-Duck-en. Family time tonight, tomorrow and all weekend. oh and presents are certainly wonderful ( both to give and to get :-) )

Santa is on his way kiddos... I am going to be checking in but probably not posting much until at least tomorrow or friday!
Merry Christmas to All if I don't see you , hear from you, or comment with you!

Blueberry Egg White Oats ?

I have no idea what made me come up with that. I wanted protein, and I wanted to use my egg whites for that. I didn't want just scrambled eggies , wasn't in the mood for it. I wanted something sweet and didn't want oatmeal ( despite that I have four different types of oats and no bread left).

So I "messed up" before making the batter for french toast with blueberries http://runlmo1.blogspot.com/2008/12/semi-stuffed-french-toast.html - that french toast came out fantastic, but I didnt want to throw away the leftover egg-blueberry batter- so it came out very odd- like blueberry scrambled eggs but with the milk in the batter it came out more like cake. So I thought I would intentionally try to make it today,

I ate all of it- I liked it as much as the pumpkin oatmeal mixes I usually do! However, I do want to "work on" the recipe so as a general recap it included: egg whites, blueberries, sprinkle of oats, milk, cinnamon. It didn't "look" good enough to me so I topped it with coconut, flaxseed butter, and almonds.

Snowman Says "Yes Ma`m"

I still wanted more of "something"... so I made a coffee with milk... did the trick to finish up my meal.


I am out of canned pumpkin, bread, Smart Balance Oil and frozen fruit, oh no!

We may or may not be heading to Nana's this weekend- Jeff has not been able to get christmas shopping done and the rest of the family will not be there either-

My mom is maybe on here way?... My dad woke up sick ( get well dad! sorry you aren't feeling well! love you) so not sure what the plan is for today.



*update to last night*
Some people actually asked me "so what do you do when you have a piece of chocolate or something "bad" ?" ..... which is hard to address the "bad" part because I refuse to acknowledge that FOOD is bad ( FOOD -not nutrients- i.e I consider saturated/trans fats as "bad" for your health but they are not a FOOD. Food that contains them is not necessarily "bad" because the FOOD offers many other "good" nutrients )

Anyway- I told them I just take a picture of whatever it is or write about it the next day. Last night Jeff and I watched a movie together on the couch and it was just so nice to snuggle. We stayed up way too late. I had:

Chocolate chips... (milk chocolate)

and some mini reese's pieces.

Toasted Cinnamon Almonds

...are the best! I got this big bag of raw sliced almonds from Trader Joes (~ $4) so that I could do a special appetizer for Momma Mo's tree trimming tonight! Well this bag should last me quite a long time, even though it was the smallest bag they had...

I toasted them in the pan while I cooked two pieces of egg white french toast and sprinkle cinnamon over all of it. I heated up frozen blueberries, frozen mango, and frozen pineapple. Chobani Nonfat Greek Yogurt on the side- I swear this is just soooo delicious . If you haven't tried this yogurt and you like yogurt with fruit on the bottom- you must try this! Its delicious!

Up top with black coffee in my snowman mug!

Today, I'm hoping to get in a run and look into getting a job and prepare the dish for this evening! Happy Tuesday!

Happy Thursday To All!

* last night Jeff and I each had a glass of a Riesling I have been keeping my fridge since Thanksgiving. I finally thought it was time to celebrate a little- so there is my glass- we watched a scary movie (Sweeney Todd) and I couldn't take the grossness because I would have nightmares now that he is gone for a few days. So we switched to a comedy, The Ex. I thought it was hilarious- not a great movie- but funny!

Breakfast:
1/4 cup Irish Oats

1/3 cup water

Heated up for 2 minutes, pushed in frozen Mango, Strawberry, and Blueberries. Re-heated for another minute.

Added 3/4 cup Trader Joe's Nonfat Greek Yogurt

Sprinkle Cinnamon

Smucker's All Natural

I like how my Snowman Family is holding onto my breakfast bowl this morning! Hee Hee...

and if you like snowmen too, check out Heather's Snowman Family... SO CUTE! While you visit her there, leave a comment for her food drive donation. She will donate 5 cents for each comment!

If you fee like surfing some more, check out Cory at http://zestycook.com/zesty-reaches-100-posts-giveaway-time/. He is giving away $100 for celebrating his 100 posts! He has AMAZING recipes too!

Now on to me:

Body:
My foot still hurts but not as much as yesterday- I have noticed this knee twisting, toe pain the last week only on days I run so I know that it's connected to that. I feel okay ( my knee feels " twisty" but doesn't hurt) while I run though, its always after.
I am not sure what to do about it yet, other than rest from running. It's actually the opposite knee that got "dislocated" in August.
I think I will do strength training: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Hammies and then for Cardio just do elliptical and bike. Nothing compares to getting in a good run for cardio though.

* Still looking at new gyms, but I think I am trying to wait for the best deal. With new year's coming up, I'm not sure if deals will get better or worse because of demand.*


Mind:
- suduko suduko suduko- I am almost finished with my book of puzzles, I will have to switch to online.

Soul:
I miss Jeff already, he left at 5:45am this morning and I could not fall back asleep once he left! I eventually did but it took forever. So here is my list of things I would like to do over break, some more immediate than others

More in The Next Few Days:

• Throw out or sell old clothes
• Get rid of all the crap stuff in my clothing room. I have all kinds of fitness magazines, accessories that I don't use/need, just junk that I want to pitch.
• Hang up 8 x 10 photos from Oregon, I had these done in September and Still haven't hung them up
• Get a Job- ideas so far:
• Bath and Body Works,
• Mariposa (school I taught for the past two years+ left this fall),
• at the Mall ?,
• at a Weight loss center ( I think I would love this because I could actually network with people, use what I learn, and for man new years resolutions- they might need someone )
• At GNC ( I used to work there in college)
• At a gym ( discount on membership WOULD be nice... and same thing with needing staff .. i could keep hours through spring sememster ?)
• Sign Up for the Volunteer Program ( THANKS EMILY!) . Jeff's coworker Emily has taken a few nutrition courses and volunteers at an organization that educates those in need about better nutrition, etc. Its kind of like community health advisors only volunteer. SO COOL!

A Little More Long Term in the Next Few Weeks:

Study Metabolism over Break.... I know... but it would be nice to get a jump start on Lipids and Proteins. The course I just finished the exam for last night continues in a Part 2 for spring.

Look For/Purchase Coffee table, End tables, Lamps , Chair/Chaise ( Maybe drive to IKEA... nearest is a few states away)

Change blog template- maybe change blog Domain- I want something where I can put in sections and Organize it because it feels so reader-unfriendly to me. I just haven't had time or know-how to look up and find out how to do it all.

THESIS! I need to start my thesis- hopefully before summer so that means next semester

Happy Thursday To All!

Oatmeal Sundae

The Base of my sundae, instead of ice cream: Irish Style oats!
- Mixed with organic pumpkin puree, Chocolate Protein Powder, Cinnamon, and heated up in the microwave.

The Toppings:
- Marshmallows- were, well, Marshmallows, but then I got creative

- "Whip Cream": I put on a scoop of nonfat greek yogurt with a spoon of pumpkin butter ( i swear this combo is scrumptious)

"Fruit Topping": Blueberries (frozen heated in the microwave)- I LOVE the purple color

"Nuts": My favorite heart healthy fats: Flaxseed and Peanut Butter (Smucker's All Natural Creamy)

I know it is not really a sundae, but essentially the way I put it together totally reminded me of a sundae with all the toppings!

Happy Hump Day to All!