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.

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 !

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!

Banana Almond Maple Oats

Breakfast:

Steel cut Quick Oats (from Trader Joes $2.29 for 17 servings)
organic banana ( it seriously fell that way in the bowl too)
I put a sprinkle of slivered almonds, a drop of maple syrup right in the middle and peanut butter all around the banana.
I also had a little of the smoothie I made for Jeff... milk, protein powder, pb, frozen mango, frozen pineaple and frozen strawberries.

I love how the snowman want to get all their stick-hands on my bowl!! Isn't that cute! The placemat is from Target (last year ).

the plan:
Body:

Run in the morning, strength training in the evening with Jeff!

Mind & Soul:
to be determined
I meditated yesterday after my 40 minute yoga session and I swear it was like waking up to a new day after! Felt fantastic.

Paper # 3 Done!

"Eat me Eat me Eat me" said my breakfast to me:

British Whole Wheat English Muffin ( from Trader Joe's)- meh its okay

Slice of Healthy Canadian Ham

1/2 cup Cage Free Egg Whites (Trader Joe's)

w. hot sauce and

Black Coffee in my snowman mug from college

Banana with Smucker's All Natural. I have been eating Smucker's All Natural since freshman year of college (8 years!) and I have never gotten tired of it. So yummy, the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.

The banana was really small...

2 Lunches ?

I normally do not have a mid-morning snack- most of the time I am writing or reading or exercising before lunch and just never hungry. I think it has alot to do with habit because when you are used to not snacking mid morning, you usually aren't hungry. But today, I was heading to campus mid morning (10:30) in hopes of getting as much of my project due tomorrow done as I could. So I had this Chobani Blueberry to hold me over..

SO GOOD! I swear, this is by far my favorite yogurt. I strive to consume organic dairy products ( Check out the Tag "CLA" for info why) but this yogurt is just soooo delicious. I have tried stoneyfield organic, fage, and Trader Joe's brand and Chobani just beats all of them in texture and taste ( in my opinion!). I for sure like all of the others but Chobani ROCKS!

I was so involved in my project, I realized I needed more fuel by 2 pm- grabbed an Odwalla Protein- another yummy mini-meal

( sorry for the repeat photo - didn't have my camera today on campus)
Good news- I finished my project at 4 pm!!! Woohoooooooo!!! It is due tomorrow by 5 but I am not even going to look at it anymore since I need to spend all day studying for either/both of my finals next week AND... getting ready for Jeff's work's Holiday Party. It's at the Umstead Hotel and Spa... Gorgeous new, total upscale, ritzy place.



Quick Dinner:

Big Delicious, In Need Of Veggies Salad

( greens, red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, snap peas, EDAMAME, hummus from the other day)
Smoked Salmon from TJ- this brand was SUPER SALTY... i mean "country ham" salty... ick
Garlic Twists ( I used TJ pizza dough with garlic herb seasoning and cheese)

Body:
Gym trip Late Afternoon: Elliptical 30 minutes, Bike 4 miles

Mind:
Paper #3 FINISHED!! It was actually a series of small papers combined for this project on College Women Food Choices. I will make a separate post to explain it!

Studying tomorrow for Research Methods Final and/or Nutrient Metabolism Final ( Lipids)

Soul:
I got a big ol chocolate bar (hershey's dark pic tomorrow) and Jeff and I are watching "Tropic Thunder"...

I am getting in trouble for writing and not watching so its boyfriend-time

...and then there was Pie

After we ate, we all did the dishes, sat by the bonfire outside, and then I came in to rest b/c I was exhausted!
and then I saw... the pies! 5 kinds, two apple, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and the best ever Banana Pudding Pie... it was exactly like banana pudding in the form of a pie- with a nilla wafer crust... I had a small slice of all except pumpkin

I slept for over 12 hours! I was soooo tired from all the exercise and knew I needed the sleep- otherwise I would have been up shopping with K C Mo at 6 am.

... it is tradition to have pie for breakfast the next day at Jeff's mom's. So My Black Friday Breakfast
Grapes, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and Banana Cream Pie ( fruit and veggies right)
I am not a "crust" fan- so for that apple pie I just ate the filling- Delicious!

 
 

I had some coffee as well and we came home I made a nice little snack to keep my metabolism up and going after that big huge "plug" of delicious dinner and pie last night.

Nonfat greek yogurt, cranberry relish, and some banana with flax butter- Up close

This relish is the best thing ever! so glad its a family recipe! 

Hot Chocolate Kind of Day

Breakfast:
Smoothie: Pineapple, Blueberry, Banana, Flaxseed Butter, Organic Milk 1% and
Miini bowl of oats ( just 1/3 cup irish cut mixed with 1/3 cup water, tsp of peanut butter, sprinkle of coconut)

Lunch:
Organic Creamy Leek and Potato Soup, BBQ Tofu Sammy ( with hummus and a tiny piece of cheese)



Dinner:
Whole wheat pasta, garlic herb tomato sauce ( a can of Hunt's and I sherry-ied it up!) and a Tilapia Filet.
I used to eat this my last year in college very often- I loved the tomato sauce and tilapia sprinkled with parmesean- so yummy!

Body:
Still resting ugh! I would love to get me some exercise of any format at this point but the cold wins, I slept literally for 12 hours from last night to this "morning" . I know I needed it but mentally I am dying to exercise~physically just not ready yet.

Mind:
I did make it to class today, we had three presentations on The American Indian- Strong Heart Study, African American Women Obesity, and CVD in non-hispanic foreign born populations...

and.. Gasp, I messed up a suduko! Man I really must be sick!
Soul:
I found this great Southern Living Magazine (The Best Ever Cakes and Pies)

from earlier this year- one of my student's mom's gave this to me during Teacher Appreciation week- I read through it dreaming of all the amazing desserts to make. I am going to share/attempt one with my mom for next week since she bought a springform pan while we shopped together "Lightened Mocha Chocolate Cheesecake" - yum! We may make more too. ( hint hint )
And.. I got this in the mail from her ( I called her to debate whether or not I should get these sheets b/c they were a really good deal)

and... I made this Hot Cocoa, while my pictures were uploading because it was so cold out today ( I took Jack outside and took my garbage can to the curb for am pickup... Brrr!)

I use a heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder, mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of Brown Sugar Splenda blend, 1 cup of 1% Organic Milk, splash of cream, and a big splash of water... mix very well, heat in the microwave for 1 1/2 -2 minutes... stir, add marshmallows, sprinkly of coconut

Bowl of Texture

Body:
Early Sunday morning Circuit Training! Got up early so I could study, and hang out ( aka watch football)

Elliptical Warm Up 10 minutes

Strength: Back, Biceps, Abs 20 min

Cardio: Biked 2 miles, 5 min

More Elliptical 25 minutes

More Biking 8.5 miles 25 minutes


Wowza that felt great!

Bet you havent had this Vegetable for breakfast....?
I came home and was starving after all that exercise! I thought about function of my fuel:
I want some whole grains, protein, antioxidant fresh-ness... So I looked in my fridge and saw leftover spaghetti squash, cabot cottage cheese, and the ick yogurt...and the other half of my banana I had before the workout ( not pictured sorry)


As I ate this I was completely satisfied because of ALL these textures...

Crunchy Kashi Heart to Heart
Smooth Creamy Clumpy Yogurt and Cottage Cheese
Spicy Cinnamon
Mushy Sweet Banana
and.. Spaghetti Squash ( noodley..? )
The yogurt and cinnamon served as its "dressing" and I squirted some honey on it too.
How delicious, seriously, i loved it!
Off to another busy day