Swan Lake Eats Her Cake

i used her she used me but neither one cared we were getting our share

2011-02-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

Well today is the Super Bowl. Who do I think should win? Well it's hard for me to choose considering I think one team is cocky and the other has a rapist...

Let your imagination fall where it may.

Oh, and lucky for us the Black Eyed Peas are performing.

I'm just kidding. I couldn't be less interested in a half-time performance. Well I take that back. I'd be less interested if it was some old washed up band like it has been in the past.

Ok, ok I know I sound bitter about the Super Bowl, but I'm really not I swear. I just love me some Peyton Manning....and he plays for the Colts...which isn't the Packers or the Steelers. Ok, I'm gad we've cleared that up.

Um, on a totally unrelated note, Lifetime movies are Da Bomb! Yep I'm bringing that back. Last night I watched the scariest one I've ever seen. It was called The Secrets in the Walls, or something like that. I snapped a picture for proof of my lameness...

Focus on the fact that it was about this crazy dead girl from the 50s, and ignore the fact that there's some creepy ceramic cat under my television.

Grandmas give great gifts.

And now for an animal update...

Zeppelin is a baller.

Gatsby has turned to the sauce.

p.s. I am a Disney Insider (so they send me sweet e-mails with updates, I'm kind of a big deal)....anyway Bambi is coming out of that pesky vault they keep.

Sahweeet.

"Night Moves" - Bob Seger

all the men of faith and men of science had their questions

2011-02-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

No, I wasn't abducted by E.T. because I like Reese's Pieces, and no, I wasn't kidnapped and held for Ransom because Mel Gibson is my dad (thank god)...

I've been missing in action because I've been living life. I was getting overwhelmed with everything I had to do (work, school, etc.) and keeping up with the blog. I definately didn't want to do a bad job documenting my life. However, now that I've had eh, six or so months to reflect and catch my breath, I'm ready.

Things will be a tad different though. I will most certainly not be solely focused on nutrition and fitness. Those things are still an important part of my life, but definately not thee most important parts of my life.

Consider this, a place for my brain to throw up. Graphic, yes.

Of the top of my head, I'm thinking the things to look forward to on this blog are:

1) Music

2) Wedding Ideas/Planning

3) Fashion

4) Food

5) Fitness

6) Oh and pics of my cute animals (and future hubby)

After all, this will be whatever I want it to be.

Local Natives - Wide Eyes

i change shapes just to hide in this place

2010-08-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

Serious updates and pictures are in order!

Ok for starters, let’s jump right into some recent eats.

Chips, Fajitas, Scones, Pizza, Waffles, Crackers, O My! Sounds like the plan of an obese person.

Well I don’t consider myself obese, but I threw in some veggies for good measure.

So my update from yesterday needs some explaining doesn’t it.

The bf (Excuse me, Fiancé. Weird.) was to be surprised with a new vehicle. I was in cahoots with his parents to make a trip to Vegas for the old and new car switcheroo. So we got on the road.

Gatsby enjoyed himself.

And drooled a lot.

There were some interesting sights along the way...

...and then we finally arrived. The fiancé was stoked about his new vehicle and it started the weekend off on a rather joyous note.

We gallivanted around Vegas, enjoyed some eats, as well as a flick…

Not my choice by the way, but it was alright.

To make a long story short, I was proposed to on Friday the 13^th, on a rooftop.

The next day I enjoyed flashing my bling and consuming liquor in the middle of the day. When in Rome…

It’s both exciting and exhausting informing everyone about an engagement. I’m also both stressed and excited. Any tips?

Plus, how could I forget about son #3, Gatsby was love struck by this beauty.

They had a whirlwind romance.

Enjoy: “Animal” by Mike Snow

eliminate the need for water replace it with a safe shell

2010-08-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly!

I know the last time I checked in it was Wednesday evening. Can I just say a lot has happened since then. I will continue to update for the next couple of days, but here is a Top 5 List.

1) The bf was surprised with a new car. Hybrid style. Awesome.

2) Gatsby got his first girlfriend. She's a chiuaua. It's long distance relationship though, and I think he's too immature to handle it.

3) I ate my first Hush Puppy.

4) I took a week off of exercise.

5) Oh and I got ENGAGED!

(I'm feeling exhausted and drained though this evening, so I think regualr blogness will continue tomorrow. I unfortunately didn't get too many food photos while in Vegas because we frequently ate with family and new friends. I didn't feel like explaining.)

So with that I leave you with a song that always reminds me of the bf: "Penelope" by Pinback

galaxies pour down my cheeks

2010-08-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

So remember I said I had a fun weekend announcement?

Guess where the bf and I are headed?

Speaking of Las Vegas...do you see any resemblance here?

I love the three man wolf pack.

I won't be able to post while gone, but I will be sure and take pics of the blog worthy eats and adventures.

Today was typical in the food department.

Oats.

Bagel, Laughing Cow.

Cauliflower, Laughing Cow, and Marinara Sauce.

Plus a lot of snacking today...like a lot.

I also found some pretty awesome jeans at Express and a dress on sale at American Eagle.

Mexican Food tonight. awesome.

Hair cut and Vegas road trip tomorrow. More awesome.

What's to come in Vegas. Most awesome.

Listen to: "Galaxies" by Laura Veirs

don't waste your touch, you won't feel anything

2010-08-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Zeppelin wants to be a secret spy so bad!

I'm not breaking the news to him that he can't live out his dream. This must be how a parent feels when their child says they want to be a rockstar or an astronaut. "Sure, sure sweetheart, you can be anything you want." When deep inside you know you wanted to be a ballerina, and look at where that took you. Eh, I like to eat too much, ballerinas have to do too little of it.

Discipline.

I lack this.

Gatsby made a new friend on his walk last night as well.

He sort of thinks he's a tough guy though. If only he knew Zeppelin outweighed him by 6 pounds. I can't shoot down the dreams of all of my animals though.

He'll lose his puppy teeth soon. The doggie tooth fairy is real.

See I can play along.

For dinner I definately had cookies and a slice of pizza. Note to self: don't bake a batch of cookies without a recipient (outside of the home) in mind. I will eat the whole lot.

Breakfast was another Fall favorite (yes I realize it's August), the pumpkin cinnamon oats.

1/2c oats

1c water

3 tbsp pumpkin puree

sprinkle of cinnamon

Truvia packet

It's pretty isn't it.

Lunch was:

3 tomaotes

parsnip fries w ketchup

Tomato Basil Boca Bruscetta burger in a whole wheat pita w more ketchup

Truth be told, I wasn't really feeling the parsnip fries so I didn't really eat them. But I did school a co-worker on what a parsnip was. I was in the kitchen microwaving these babies when the question "What is a parsnip?" arose. I was like "Are you serious?" She might as well have suggested she had no idea what color the sky was. I promptly googles parsnip, showed her a pic, made her sample the fair, and converted another parsnip fry believer.

That's a successful day if you ask me.

Hit your eardrums with: "The Leaving Song, Pt. 2" by A.F.I

A little diddy about jack and diane

2010-08-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

Three fun facts about today

1) Today is the 41^st anniversary of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland.

2) In 1854, Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," which described Thoreau's experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.

3) In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally slain at Tate's Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Mansonand a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

So why didn’t anybody tell me last week was Shark Week? I planned on wearing my “live every week like its shark week” shirt, but now I’d just look like I missed the memo. Lame.

Fun fact: It's a shark-eat-shark world ... sometimes even before the sharks are born. When some species' embryos begin to develop teeth, they eat their unborn brothers and sisters until one shark remains, an act known as intrauterine cannibalism.

That’s hard-core.

Ok so I suppose you want to read about food considering this is a food blog. Ok, I’ll oblige.

Last night for dinner the bf and I headed out to a local pizza place with one of his long lost friends and his wife. The joint is called Blind Onion. I didn’t take any pics though because I didn’t want to look like a weirdo, but we ordered a pitcher of Shock Top and a Large Carnivore. It was divine. The pizza had pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, linguisa, and salami. I had 1 slice and about 1 ½ beers. I was still pretty full from all of my cookie tasting and sushi gorging, but a sane woman doesn’t pass up pizza I don’t care how full you are.

This morning I enjoyed some much needed coffee with grapefruit and a chocolate almond milk infused oat creation.

Lunch was heavy on the veggies, just the way I like it. I’ve still been trying to work my way through the bags and bags of fresh tomatoes my parents gave me, so every meal seems to include them.

This one was no exception. In the mix: tomatoes, bell pepper, laughing cow, whole wheat pita, ¾ c egg white, squirt of ketchup.

Snacks were a mini whole wheat bagel with a laughing cow (unpictured), and some of this:

Let me start by saying that I was in the work kitchen area minding my own beeswax, when suddenly this beauty was unveiled. So I’m like many women, a straight up lover of all things chocolate and cake.

A co-worker inquired “Aren’t you going to have some?”

To which I replied, “No, no.”

“Why is that?” I was asked.

“O because I’m not a big fan of Pillsbury frosting.”

“I think it’s homemade, how can you tell it’s Pillsbury?”

“I can smell it.”

This is legitimately how the conversation went. I mean I didn’t lie. I have an excellent sense of smell and I don’t like certain frostings.

But in the end, Swan Lake ate her cake.

Every. Last. Crumb.

On another note, today is the official official start to half-marathon training. Whoo Hoo! I’m scheduled to do some cross training so by golly that’s what I’m doing. Then some weights, then some Gatsby walking, then some more cookie eating.

I also have an exciting weekend planned that I’ll talk more about later this week, so stay tuned.

I can’t be the only one who has a heightened sense of smell! Anyone else? If so what can you sniff out from a mile away?

Listen to this: “Jack and Diane” by John Mellencamp

i tremble, they're gunna eat me alive

2010-08-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

Let me just start by saying that today's food choices have been epic.

But forst we must revisit last nights dinner. It was delicious as well. I mean who couldn't love tomatoes with sea salt and another concoction. I'll call this one "Pizzafied Cauliflower". It consisted of about 3 cups of cauliflower, 1/2 c organic marinara sauce and a laughing cow. They melded together in the microwave...end result: perfection. I suppose you could use other cheeses too if you'd like. I just so happen to love laughing cow on pretty much anything.

I woke up craving some "out of the house breakfast". That's what I call the "I don't want anything in my fridge" excuse. So I met the Beetle at a local cafe, Emerald City. The Beetle's latte has a design, I love it!

It makes my straight up coffee look a little sad. Whatev.

Sorry for the blurry pic, but I ordered a fruit salad and a breakfast cookie. The fruit salad had cantaloupe, pineapple, green apples, strawberries, honeydew, almonds, and a yogurt sauce.

The breakfast cookies are a force to be reckoned with. I'm not sure of exactly what makes up this heaven on earth delicacy, but I do know I ate it slow.

The bf and I decided to try a new joint for lunch. It was called Wasabi. I can't even explain how fresh this food was. I swear they had a portal to the ocean in their kitchen. Needless to say I ate a little too much, but it was soooo worth it. I was starving after my workout and wanted rice and fish to fill my tummy. So then it was full. Then things were good.

The bf was quite impressed with their dinner menu.

Then I got home and decided baking cookies was a must. You see the weather felt like Fall to me. When it feels like Fall I want to bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. So I did. It's as simple as that.

Here's the recipe and instructions, straight from my recipe book. The only changes I made were 1) I used egg white instead of a whole egg because it's what I had, and 2) I had no vanilla extract so it was missing in action. I also used white chocolate chips because the bf loves

You will need the following. (As you can see this is really no where near a health food.) Life happens.

See...not a health food. Just roll with it.

Dry Ingredients.

Mixer action.

Am I weird if I think this is oddly beautiful? Yeah I like the smell of gasoline too. I'm that girl.

Just a quick taste test.

Approved. Now add the chips o' chocolate.

Yeah my first batch was a little burnt.

But I had a lovely taste tester present. He told me all was good in the hood.

Second batch was much better!

Of course I tasted quite a few as well, then took Gatsby for a walk for good measure.

This clearly wiped him out. Good thing we bought him a fancy dog bed. Money well spent.

Ear Candy: "Help I'm Alive" by Metric

she never mentions the word addiction

2010-08-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well it feels good to be back on schedule with the blog. Not having internet was horrible! So because I've done so much updating today I will be brief and use one word to describe each pic.

Salt

Broccoli

Dinner

Morning

Run

Facts

Lunch

Energy

Sleepy

Snack

Listen: "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes

tick tick tick tick on the watch and life's too short for me to stop

2010-08-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Originally to be posted August 6, 2010

I feel like a truck hit me. Literally. I woke in the middle of the night last night, and then was awake for hours. I felt sick to my stomach and contemplated getting out of bed to plant myself next to the toilet. In case there was an eruption. Thankfully there was no eruption, but I woke up exhausted and still feeling queasy. Blah. I hate being sick. I really wanted to take a sick day from work, but alas I didn’t.

I had planned on gym time but now my thoughts float to my bed, sleep, and a fan blowing directly on me.

For breakfast I did enjoy some more chocolate almond milk overnight oats. I didn’t take a pic though because I posted one yesterday. I also enjoyed some unpictured snacks of Ritz crackers and some tuna in half a pita.

All I wanted for lunch was soup. I don’t even really like soup. This was odd for me to crave it. I think it clearly shows my sickly condition. So for my lunch break I ran out and got some. I then proceeded to add about a cup and a half of fresh zucchini. It hit the sicky spot.

I’m really hoping I can nap this afternoon. I’m really hoping said nap will make me feel better. I’m also really hoping that somewhere mermaids are real.

Listen to: “Bulletproof” by La Roux

you're safe if i'm safe,and if she's safe, we're all good

2010-08-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Originally to be posted August 5, 2010

Well this website told me the following things about my name…

50% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 2.2% have a higher vowel make-up. This means it isextremely well envoweled.
In ASCII binary it is... 01000101 01110010 01101001 01101110 00100000 01001100 01100001 01101011 01100101
Backwards, it is Nire Ekal... nice ring to it, huh?
In Pig Latin, it is Erinway Akelay.
People with this first name are probably: Female. So, they are constantly overcharged for beauty products

I suppose it’s the little things in life that bring me joy?

For breakfast I enjoyed some more oats, cottage cheese, and almond milk. Only this time the almond milk was….chocolate. Whoo Hoo! It was rather deelish.

Lunch was at the lovely Sandwich Factory with the bf. Sandwich shops in gas stations are the bees knees.

It was a build your own kind of shop, so I took the liberty of building. My sandwich had the following: lettuce, tomato, red onion, sprouts, cream cheese, cranberry sauce, avocado, pickles, cucumber, Dijon mustard, spices, salt, and pepper, all on some marble rye bread. Why did I get all of these ingredients? Because I can!

Snacks were some more of that devil bread (a.k.a. banana walnut bread from yesterday), and goldfish. Not exactly the healthiest of choices, but they were what I wanted at the time.

After work was more gym time and then possibly a trip to Costco with the bf. Since our internet is MIA (missing in action) we must entertain ourselves with pointless errands, and classic DVDs. However, Gatsby does need a puppy bed.

Ear love: "Ice Monster" by Minus the Bear

How deep is the well I am sinking in

2010-08-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

Originally to be posted August 4, 2010

Let’s jump right in!

Dinner was a version of a previous concoction.

1 c zucchini

2 tbsp almond butter

½ c egg whites

½ c whole wheat rice

Snow White: Once there was a Princess.

Doc: Was this princess you?
Snow White: And she fell in love.
Sneezy: Was it hard to do?
Snow White: It was very easy/anyone could see/that the Prince was charming/the only one for me.
Doc: Was he strong and handsome?
Sneezy: Was he big and tall?
Snow White: Their's nobody like him/anywhere at all.
Bashful: Did he say he loved ya?
Happy: Did he steal a kiss?
Snow White: [sung] He was so romantic/I could not resist.

I ran into this guy last night.

I kid, I kid.

But I did run into these guys…

Man o man, I definitely surpassed my bedtime. Yes I am an old lady now.

This morning I simply had to have coffee and some overnight oats with almond milk and cottage cheese. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of this.

I had grapefruit for a snack…

…and about 1 or 6 slices of this bread. I have a soft spot for banana breads, pumpkin breads, or anything bread. I wish I could have said I’m upset about it, but really it was delicious and I never search out these breads, they just find their way to me. So there.

Lunch was a spinach salad with tomatoes, Trader Joe’s raspberry dressing, and a new tuna concoction. I’ll call this “Tuna a Go-Go”. Why? I have no idea.

In the mix:

½ can albacore tuna (I buy mine from Costco)

½ tbsp relish

½ tbsp honey mustard

½ c green grapes

1 tbsp diced red onion

Pinch of Sea Salt

Pinch of Pepper

5 chopped almonds

I hit up the gym after work and then made my way home to try and be productive like I keep telling myself I will be on weekday nights. I really, really want to organize my closet. Let’s see if it happens.

Listen to: “Quiet Hearts” by Amy Stroup

I'm still here

2010-08-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

I swear I am still alive!

My home internet is down, however, I have been writing posts daily. So once things are up and running again (hopefully tomorrow afternoon) I should be good to go, and will post everything missed then.

take your time... don't live too fast, troubles will come and they will pass

2010-08-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have an affinity for the classic car. They are so sleek, so dangerous, so car-looking. I’m sorry but cars today can sometimes look like they are straight out of the Jetsons. At times I pass one on the freeway and think “Who in their right mind would buy that car?” Some look like boxes, others look like roller-skates, some even look like toy Tonka trucks. I digress.

Growing up my father had two classic cars.

A 1972 Mach I Mustang

….and a 1953 Chevy Truck

Honesty: His cars didn’t look this pretty. They desperately needed a paint job but they were beautiful regardless.

What is this all about you ask?

Well tonight I will likely be attending a Reno event called Hot August Nights. From the website: During Hot August Nights, cars are "cherry" and cruisin' is "too cool." More than 800,000 people flock to the Event where cars are the stars and rock 'n roll rules through dozens of concerts, controlled cruises, show-n-shines, a sock hop and much more! Plenty of shopping can be found at the Silver Car Auction, Big Boy Toy Store, Hot August Nights Swap Meet. So much to do, so much to see, make your plans to visit Hot August Nights today!

Mission: Find these two cars and ogle at their beautiful, shiny paint job, spotless interiors, and chromed out wheels.

Ok, enough of that, onto some eats.

Last night my dinner was scoffed at. Whatever. Deliciousness is in the eye of the beholder.

I enjoyed some green bell peppers that my parents grew in their garden, with some reduced fat mozzarella cheese melted on top.

Alongside that was some fat free cottage cheese with some almond butter. Protein Power!

This morning I enjoyed some more cottage cheese with a grapefruit mixed in. (Sometimes I commit to things I buy at the grocery store and eat them at every meal because I don’t want them to go bad. Is that normal?)

Coffee was also present.

Lunch was a bowl of veggies and an egg white, laughing cow, and ketchup sandwich on Oroweat Double Fiber Bread. That’s the last of the loaf too so I can move onto another grain!

Snacks were a plate of tomatoes with some mozzarella cheese, a cup of grapes, and a mini bagel with another laughing cow. All at different times of course. I’m quite the snacker.

After work I gymed it up and did 3 miles on the treadmill, some elliptical time, and a chest, biceps workout.

Now I’m just waiting to play with Gatsby, eat dinner, and head out to re-live the automobile past.

Eardrum food: “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynard

across this black and white chess board

2010-08-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home today. I hate when that happens. So I’ll just have to post my eats in a smaller, iPhone captured fashion. Here are the culprits:

Grapefruit. Egg Whites, Bagel, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Ezekial.

I also have to say that on my way to work the radio was filled with comments like, “I’m doing ok for a Monday”, “You have the Monday morning blues”, and “We’ll get you through the work week”. How unfortunate that some people are only looking forward to 2 days out of their week. I mean I’m the first to admit that weekends are divine, but I would hate to despise Monday through Friday! So in the spirit of being positive here is one awesome thing about each day of the week that has nothing to do with it being closer to, or actually a weekend day.

Monday – At a local restaurant called the Wild River Grille, you can dine with your dog on their patio during the summer on Mondays. “WELCOME TO THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER JOIN US EVERY MONDAY! THIS SUMMER DINE ALFRESCO WHILE YOU AND YOUR TRUSTED COMPANION ENJOY OUR RIVERSIDE PATIO. $1 OF EVERY ENTREE PURCHASED ON MONDAYS WILL BE DONATED TO THE NORTHERN NEVADA HUMANE SOCIETY. BRING YOUR DOG AND RECEIVE A SPECIAL RIVER TREAT!”

I have no idea who this guy is, but apparently he thinks puppies are tasty. Weirdo.

Tuesday – Hooray! New movies and music come to existence! Plus Tuesday’s seem to have the best television on as well (Pretty Little Liars, The Biggest Loser, Glee, etc.)

Side note: Any show that can make singing in your PJs awesome is ok in my book. Success of this magnitude hasn't been achieved since Sandra D in Grease.

Wednesday – Date night with the bf.

Thursday – There is an awesome 5 hour Farmer’s Market in a nearby city, and the RN&R (Reno News & Review) comes out, filling me in on interesting things to do in the city.

Friday – My gym rest day (usually)…so I take the free time and do whatever I’s like. Sometimes it’s shopping, grabbing a drink with a friend, or just relaxing at home.

Saturday – There is another great Farmer’s Market this day. Its right next to an awesome bakery called House of Bread where I can be found sampling…often.

Sunday – I usually use this day to cook, bake, organize, etc. This brings me a lot of satisfaction.

I couldn’t stay up late enough last night to finish Hot Tub Time Machine, but the plan is to finish it tonight. I can’t decide if it’s horribly bad or horribly good. I do love me some John Cusack and 80s fashion though. The jury is still out.

Tonight the bf and I are planning to finish up so home improvement tasks. I am going to finish my chalkboard painted wall that I’ve neglected for the past month and he’s going to put up some baseboards in the office. Big things are happening, clearly.

I want to make this recipe from Eat, Live, Run. I want to make it now!

Blueberry Crisp

Serves about six

4 cups fresh blueberries

juice of one lemon

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 stick cold butter, cut into tiny pieces

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a shallow pan (I used a 9 by 15″ pan) with cooking spray. Spread out the berries evenly along the bottom of the pan and sprinkle the lemon juice on top.

In a large bowl, combine all the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to work in the butter. In the end, you should have tiny pieces of butter throughout. You still want some chunks for optimal streusel.

Spread the streusel on top of the blueberries and bake for about 25 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Noise: "Your English is Good" by Tokyo Police

you look smashing in your fourth grade picture

2010-08-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Where's this delicious sandwich from?

Why Beach Hut Deli of course!

I got the Beach Bikini™: Turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce, sunflower seeds, alfalfa sprouts and mayo on special sliced wheat. S $5.95.

However, I asked for no mayo and no turkey. My mother ordered for me, and she took it upon herself to have them put the meat on the side (she said she couldn't see paying for it and not getting it). Geez. So I ended up putting a slice on each half. I asked for no meat because I think they put way too much on their sandwiches. Just my personal opinion.

I also got a bag of Baked Lay's on the side and a Diet Coke.

My morning snack was 2 servings of baby carrots and a peach in the car on the way to my parents house, and then in the afternoon I had some Triscuits with a laughing cow.

After my parents Oooooh and Ahhhhhed over Gatsby. I went home and had a veggie roasting party while I cleaned simultaneously. I'm quite the multi-tasker like that.

I still have some cleaning to do, and then it's relaxation and dinner time. I think it's Hot Tub Time Machine watching tonight!

I shall leave you with some more pet photos (sorry for the overload, I swear I can't help it). I shall title this piece, "When the Cat and Dog Both Love the Same Bed"

Ear Food: Suicide Medicine by Rocky Votoloto

Married to the game but she broke her vows

2010-08-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ok so I couldn't post yesterday. The bf was motivated to work on our laminate flooring in the office, hence no internet connection, because he was busy busy busy. Whistling while he worked, I suppose.

I also realized that I haven't even posted any pics of my first love, Zeppelin. Zeppelin and Oliver have a touch and go relationship at this point but I caught them in the act of love. This

moment must be documented.

Ok, I just wanted proof that they truely are besties.

Onto some eats. Dinner on Friday night was the following diddy.

Ariel straight up wanted my dinglehopper, don't mind her.

Chickpea burger

1c cooked brown rice

Ketchup galore

3 oz broccoli slaw

2tbsp eggplant hummus

It was rather deelish if I do say so myself. However, I did want something a little sweet afterwards. I was laughing at Marilyn Monroe in the Seven Year Itch, and somehow decided upon my last medium apple cooked in the microwave with some cinnamon on top. I really need to think of some type of crust supstitution to add to this mix, I would never need a traditional apple pie ever again. Well, almost.

Breakfast saturday morning was some coffee in the mermaid mug and the typical overnight oats (drizzle of syrup, truvia)

I didn't forget my camera this time at Tahoe. So enjoy a picture montage of the morning.

The eats at the beach were a peach...

...and an egg white sandwich (1/2 container Trader Joe's Egg White and chive mix, lettuce, Double Fiber Bread) and about 2 servings of baby carrots.

Upon arrival home from the beach I was starved, so I grabbed the other half of the egg white deliciousness and the heel of my bread loaf.

Off to the gym I went to partake in some me time. I was pretty tired already considering we had to hike down to the water in Tahoe and then consequently back up to the car. Plus being in the sun can take the life out of you! But I managed to do 3 miles on the treadmill and some strength training. (I'll post the weight workouts for the latter half of my week later this evening)

Man this is the longest blog post ever! I guess I just had a lot to fill you guys in on.

Like my recent grocery store stop.

I also made a green monster when I got home from the grocery store. I felt like I needed some energy. Snow White thought it was a green apple. Why does she keep going after those things?

Dinner was a favorite. Brinner. Oh yes, Breakfast for dinner! I made the bf and I pancakes to enjoy while we watched some 24 and relaxed. We had quite the busy day and comfort food was in order.

I had 2/3c Bisquick HeartSmart Mix

About 1/2-3/4 c Almond Milk

1/2 c Sugar free syrup

After I hit the hay for a while I was woken up by whining Gatsby....too early I might add. I'm still a little groggy. Such is life I suppose. I have some errands to run today and I need to get a workout in at some point. But before I go, breakfast was 2 cups o joe in the other Ariel mug and a grapefruit with Truvia. Doesn't seem like much, but I wasn't too hungry just yet. We ate pancakes later than usual last night and so I'm still pretty a-ok on the hungry scale front.

Until this evening, enjoy your Sunday!

...and listen to this...

Song to hit your eardrums is No Love by Eminem featuring Lil Wayne

You don't know how lovely you are

2010-07-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Last night after Gatsby and I went for a walk by the river, the bf and I went on a lovely dinner date. We went to a local diner called Pneumatic Diner. I really like this place and hadn't been in a really long time. They have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options. So what did we order? Well we each ordered a dish and shared.

Well it was sort of like that.

We got the Vegan Bubba sandwich to devour. This baby had marinated eggplant, shredded carrots, spinach, hummus, and I feel like I'm missing something, but anyway it was divine. The bread was seedy and filling too. Just the way I like it. They also provide a side of tortilla chips and salsa with their sandwichs.

The other dish we got was the Vegan Nachos. They pile black beans salsa, hummus, cilantro, and onions up on this bad boy. I can't really describe how good this is. They do something to their hummus. It tastes extra lemony and yum.

The bf and I dominated the meal. Plus afterwards we got a vegan chocolate chip cookie to split, just for good measure.

This morning I had some OIACCC. :)

I know the OIAJ phenomenon has swept the web but This is my version (Oats In A Cottage Cheese Container)

1/2c oats

1/2 c cottage cheese

1/2 c almond milk

Truvia packet

Sprinkle of cinnamon (after the photo)

Morning snack....repeat alert!

Mini Whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp almond butter.

Lunch was something old and something new. Damn I forgot something blue.

Same sandwich that's been filling my tummy all week and a new side of green beans, corn, and peas.

I had an apple before my workout and then a mini protein smoothie upon my arrival home.

My workout today was 4 miles outside by the river, but man was it hot! I hate running in the heat but I really didn't want to hit up the treadmill. So my sister walked Gatsby while I ran/walked 2 miles from the car and then 2 miles back. The last mile was basically all walking though because I ran back into the Beetle (my sister) and Gatsby.

This evening calls for some relaxing, watching 24, and maybe starting on the organization of my closet. Have a lovely evening!

Song of the day: "The Scientist" by Coldplay

And all I can do is just pour some tea for two

2010-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

I thought I’d take a post to talk about some upcoming things for me, as well as some blog regulars I’ve decided to incorporate.

1) Ok Let’s start with some interesting fitness plans. As you may have noticed from my daily posts, I have started a strength training plan and am also about to start ½ marathon training. That’s because I will be running the US Half Marathon in San Francisco!!!

Pic

I can hardly wait! Here is the website if you want to check it out. http://www.ushalf.com/. I will get to run over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the presidio. This is especially exciting to me because the bf and I recently visited San Francisco and declared we love the city. My grandmother also took us to the presidio to show us the church where both her and my grandpa, and my mother and father got married. How precious!

2) The strength training plan I’m using is from an old article in a Muscle& Fitness hers. They don’t have the information on their website but I will post pictures of the workouts and let you all know the results at the end of the 8 week challenge. This is the magazine cover though:

3) Taking a cue from Closet365, I will now force all of you to be exposed to the music I love. Every post title will be a song lyric and I will include the title and artist in my post. I think it’s important to keep adding music to my running playlists; it really helps keep me motivated. Maybe ya’ll will like what I’ve presented and it will give you a few ideas to add to yours.

Seriously though check out the Closet365 Blog it is super fun and I love all of her outfit ideas and photos!

For example today’s lyrics are courtesy of Blind Melon “No Rain”

4) I’m going to add a concoction tab. I have been told I make the weirdest food concoctions and yet somehow I think they are delicious! I guess other people can be the judge of that.

(Don’t deny that chicken flavored biscuit crackers is weird. Delicious, but weird.)

I'm trying to think of a name for this post but I can't because my puppy is distracting me with his cuteness

2010-07-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so I don’t know what’s gotten into me but man I branched out a bit with my food combos. You may think that what I’m about to tell you is weird but I promise you will be thanking me later.

So I will call my dinner concoction “PB married Green Beans and Egg and Rice had no objections”. It’s a mouthful I know, but I seriously threw this meal together without any idea of how it was going to turn out and I frankly it rocked my world.

I was comfortably full for hours and the PB kept me from craving something sweet after dinner. In the mix:

½ c egg whites (real eggs would be good too I think)

2 tbsp chunky peanut butter (I would have used almond butter but I left it at work. I think it would be fantastic as well though)

6 oz Green beans

½ c cooked brown rice

So I just microwaved the green beans and rice until they got nice and warm and the green beans lost a little of their crunch. I also threw the egg whites in the bowl and let it all cook together. Sooo easy! Once I stopped and stirred a few times, I plopped the PB in the bowl and microwaved some more and stirred some more. In the end I this great combo of peanut butter infused green beans and rice infused with egg and well I can’t really describe it. The only thing I may do different next time is bake the green beans in the oven; I think that would be super good!

Bottom line I engulfed the bowl. Clearly.

I also realized last night while I was blogging that puppies and kittens handle my computer time in different manners.

Exhibit A: Oliver

Exhibit B: Gatsby

This dog is growing on me more and more.

This morning I had some more Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats (CCOO).

½c oats

1/2c fat free cottage cheese

1/2 c almond milk

Truvia packet

Drizzle of sugar free syrup

Sprinkle of cinnamon on top before consumption

I also had some coffee in the Ariel mug.

Morning snack was a Whole Wheat mini bagel with a tbsp of almond butter.

Afternoon snack was this other dandy concoction. I will call this “Tuna and Slaw topped with Hummus”. In the mix:

3oz. Broccoli Slaw

2 tbsp Eggplant Hummus

½ can of Tuna

I know this seems weird too, but man was it good!

In between all of that was lunch of course. I had another sandwich with a medium apple on the side. My sandwich was 1/2 c egg whites, laughing cow, drizzle of sugar free syrup, between 2 slices of Double Fiber bread.

Gym time today was some cardio and this strength training routine (I forgot to take a picture of the routine, I'll post it next week when I do it)

I have been a little stressed at the gym because I feel like I need to get home to the puppy! I don’t want him to be cooped up in his kennel for more than a few hours.

Beta Carotene

2010-07-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

My new puppy kept me up last night. Not because he was annoying (he spent the night in a crate in the living room) but because I must have had subconscious anxiety about him. I swear I couldn’t sleep at all!

So naturally today is a little difficult to get through. I had 2 cups of Ariel cup coffee today. Seriously, that never happens. I know I can drink Venti coffees like nobody’s business but double dipping on the coffee cup experience, never. I’d like to say it helped but I’m not really sure it did. I’m still a little drowsy.

Last night’s dinner was interesting. And by interesting, I mean epic.

2 c green beans

1 serving lite tofu

1 chickpea burger

2 tbsp eggplant hummus

Today’s eats were some overnight oats (½ c oats, ½ c fat free cottage cheese, ½ c almond milk, Stevia packet, drizzle of sugar free syrup). However I thought I’d show them in a different light, i.e. the container I pack them in. Convenient and portable.

This combination is really hitting the spot lately.

Morning snack was a whole wheat mini bagel from Trader Joe’s dipped in half a container of egg white salad with chives from Trader Joe’s.

Oh and here are some precious photos I shot of Gatsby (the new puppy) this morning, when I should have been sleeping.

He clearly loves his new friend, Mr. Beta Carotene.

Lunch was equally yum as all other meals. I had about 2-3 c of zucchini and an egg white and laughing cow cheese sandwich.

Afternoon snack was a Green Monster. But I failed in taking a picture of it!

Even though I was exhausted I still went to the gym today and did this strength routine...

...and 35 minutes of cardio. I was going to run but I think I might stick with the elliptical. Running when my head hurts due to lack of sleep only furthers my headache I’ve found.

Then some running of errands with the puppy, and perhaps a park jaunt while we’re out.

Do you still work out when you’re tired or do you succumb to the much needed R and R?

Name: Gatsby

2010-07-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Someone referred to me as Dr. Doolittle today.

Is that bad?

Ok, so what if I’ve taken in a kitten and a puppy within the same month. You would too!

Here’s the story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

Yesterday afternoon, while at work, the bf calls me and says, “I’m coming to your work, I’ll be there in 40 minutes.” Flabergasted, I responded with “Um ok, is everthing ok?”. “We’ll talk when I get there”. So naturally I was freaking out. I hung up the phone and a million things ran through my head: Did someone die? Did he get fired? Are we going on a surprise trip?

I’m aware I was all over the place.

Fifteen minutes later I get a text message reading: Can you go straight home after work?

This furthered my confusion. Sure if you need me to, I replied.

I sat panicked and with butterflies in my stomach, trying to concentrate at work, but unable to think about anything besides what could possibly be going on!

Finally he arrives and I get the call, “Come outside and meet me.” “Ok” I say.

He’s going to break up with me I think to myself. Oh my god, what did I do? I don’t even remember?

I walk outside and what do I see….the bf holding this

And so it began.

Let me go back a second and reiterate the fact that I am a planner. (Remember when I bought my new, neat, crisp planner earlier this week, and how it brought me so much joy?) This experience was not written in there. If I had known a puppy would be coming into my life I would have bought “Puppies for Dummies” or some other equally lame book, read up on what to do, what not to do, and then agonized over my puppy raising philosophy.

After writing that I’m realizing maybe the spontaneity was needed.

Anyway, how could I pass up a face like that?! Then the bf’s story was the icing on my newly smashed cupcake.

“Erin I just found him in the desert. I was out at work and he was just walking around this shed. I walked in there and saw him, and was like, ‘Cute puppy, who’s is it?’ Then the natives who live on the reservation let me know I could have him and that he had no home. Apparently there are always stray dogs on the reservation and nobody claims them and people shoot them so they don’t procreate. So I took him.”

Ok you had me at “found him in the desert.”

So now with that we have a new addition to the family. Yes, we just adopted a kitten from the Humane Society 3 weeks ago; yes that makes 2 baby animals in the same month. I’m aware at how this sounds. But really if the bf wouldn’t have brought him home I would be worried about what kind of man he was. He’s got too big of a heart. That’s why we’re pals.

So we went to the vet, got puppy shots, went for a puppy walk, and traveled in the car to get soft serve. This kids all right!

Any tips for raising this precious guy? I have never owned let alone raised a dog before, HELP!

p.s. Don't worry, more phots to come!

New Edition

2010-07-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

The chickpea burgers turned out quite stupendous. For a recap of how I make them go to my previous post "Chickpea Madness!.

I just love that the bf requests them.

Dinner was a repeat of last night, sort of. I had the same wrap but I threw in a green monster instead of carrots and almond butter on the side.

Wrap:

whole wheat tortilla

2 tbsp eggplant hummus

5 oz of lite tofu

3 oz of broccoli slaw

Green monster was the same ingredients as yesterday.

I can't understand why my plants die either. WTF?! I water them and feed them plant food and sing them lullabies.

Whatever.

Onto the today's eats…nothing too exciting because I’m pretty much a repeat food offender today. What can I say? I find a combo that I like and then I eat it a lot. I also do this because I hate to waste food.

I will however have something a little different for dinner tonight! Chickpea Burger concoction coming at ya! Since you remember I made a batch of them yesterday for the bf…I must partake in their awesomeness as well.

Two songs I’ve been really into lately:

Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

And

Lady Antebellum – American Honey

I told Oliver the other day that I downloaded the song for him because he’s honey colored. So I sing it to him sometimes. (Yeah I talk to my cat, so what).

Gym time today was supposed to be epic. However, a little phone call and emergency vet visit prevented this. I'll post more about this tomorrow but here's a sneak peek...

(Can I say I'm exhausted already? Is that allowed?)

Oh and just in case you hadn’t gotten your fill of entertainment for the day, The Jersey Shore cast hit up the NYSE today.

GTL Baby

A dalmation plantation

2010-07-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today’s weather has been weird to say the least. We’ve been issued a thunder storm warning. Weird.

Weather like this makes me want to stay inside all day, bake cookies, and watch Disney Classics. I think I need some Pongo and Perdita in my life.

Anywho, this morning’s breakfast was deliciousness:

½ c oats

½ c fat free cottage cheese

½ c vanilla almond milk

1 Truvia packet

Plus some coffee

Lunch consisted of:

2 slices of Double Fiber bread

Laughing Cow cheese

roasted green bell peppers

1/2 c egg whites

2 medium carrots

1 tbsp almond butter

Snacks throughout the day were grapefruit, roasted veggies, and egg white/whole wheat mini bagel (it hid from the camera) combo pre-gym.

Gym time = Pure awesomeness today. However, a week off sure makes me feel winded!
I started off with a mile run, then shoulders, then 30 minutes on the stairclimber, then abs.

Strength was this:

That I found in here:

I’m stoked to start this 8 week program. It promises loss of body fat and gain of muscle tone. Awesome-nova. Zenon style.

I also bought a new daily planner today. For some this may be weird, but for those of you out there who understand the thrill of planning out a day, celebrate with me.

It’s small, yet sturdy. Plus it’s turquoise. I also like how the days get their own page, sometimes I like to write quite a bit.

I’m off to make some more Chickpea burgers at the bf’s request.

That’s right.

He likes something I made.

Booyah.

Bugs Bunny Style

2010-07-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well the roasted veggies turned out stupendous! Look at those beauties!

Dinner was a delicious wrap.

La Tortilla Whole Wheat Tortilla

2 servings of lite tofu

3oz broccoli slaw

2 tbsp eggplant hummus (from Trader Joe's)

Plus my Bugs Bunnyness was callin'. Straight up carrots and 2 tbsp of Flaxseed Almond Butter.

It's close to hay hitting time. But first I must soothe my burnt skin with aloe.

p.s. Is Invictus good? I got it via Netflix...

Sunburn is karma for forgetting my camera

2010-07-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ok I failed yesterday. I had every intention of bringing my camera to the beach in Tahoe and taking some glorious photos, but I forgot it in the car.

I did have a fruit and yogurt parfait, hash-brown and coffee from McDonald's though. It was ok I suppose.

Before heading up to the beach I did grab some Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato chips, Stacy's Parmesan and Garlic Pita Chips, and some Greek Hummus for the beach. It was quite the delicious lunch/snack. The bf and I did some reading, laughed at other people's dogs, and got our fair share of sunburn. Fail again.

Later that evening we were invited to a Reno Ace's baseball game. Fun times.

I had never been to a baseball game prior to last night and so it was a whole new world.

We enjoyed some Blue Moons, hot dogs, potato chips, and chicken tenders. Healthy: not really. But it was a fun evening.

See what I mean about sunburn though!

This morning I rose up and made a light breakfast:

1/2 c fat free cottage cheese

5 strawberries

Drizzle of sugar free syrup

Plus coffee in my other Ariel mug

I headed off to the gym and did 35 minutes on the elliptical and 25 on the bike. It felt glorious after taking all last week off. I swear I have no idea what hit me last week but it is very unlike me to take that much time away from the gym. I also grabbed a Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine while working out. I found a really sweet strength training schedule that I'm going to do along with my 1/2 marathon training.

When I got home from the gym it was lunch time! I had:

Chickpea burger I made last week

left over roasted veggies

Then Trader Joe's was calling my name for a stock up.

I also roasted more veggies...

And then celebrated my new groceries with a green monster.

1 c vanilla almond milk

2 c spinach

1/2 frozen banana

5 frozen strawberries

Truvia packet

1/2 scoop Vanilla protein powder

2 handfuls of ice

Before:

After:

Now it's time to do laundry, sweep and mop my floors, and relax of course.

Pow-Wows and Double Rainbows

2010-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Pow Wow was nothing like I expected it to be. I would have taken more/better pictures but I felt intrusive. This is the view from a distance.

This is closer to the pow wow circle...

It was certainly a unique experience. I really enjoyed it! Except for the fact that I got bitten by mosquitos and covered in dust. I almost pulled a "When in Rome..."i.e. eating Fry Bread because I was amongst Native Americans, but I couldn't get Jillian Michaels out of my head. "This stuff is killing you!" (Excellent Losing It episode by the way).

So it's off to Lake Tahow to lounge on the beach with the bf. But I leave you with a YouTube video which has been entertaining me lately:

Curry Up Don't Be Late

2010-07-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

Be prepared…a lengthy post is in order.

Ok I was MIA yesterday, I am aware. My apologies. But I’m back! Breakfast was some delectable oats. I found this spoon at work. If you ask me letters or whole words frankly, should be printed on cutlery. It makes for a rather interesting meal. I spent the time trying to gather why R would be on my spoon. Did R stand for someone’s name? Or perhaps a type of food? Who knows. It’s the little things I tell you.

Sleeping Beauty posed with my grapefruit as well. Good times. She’s a sweetheart.

I also couldn’t resist posting some beyond cute pictures of the boys. They have man-crushers on one another. My direct quote to bf, “On a cuteness scale of 1 to 10, this is like a 50”.

Lunch eats were some refrigerator clean outs. I used some more of my roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers, and avocado. I put all of this on 1 of 2 Ezekiel buns I have left in the freezer. Plus the last bit of salad prepared by my mother last weekend (yes, I know it looks like it’s on its last legs but I hate wasting food). Plus I spritzed some balsamic on there for good measure.

I decided to spend my lunch break checking out some magazine choices. I decided I needed something to keep my eyes and mind busy if I was going to attempt the gym this afternoon. I haven’t been feeling the intensity of running this week but I think the elliptical will do me good. I need to get back into things, this “sickness” all week has been no bueno! Anyway, I decided on theses reads to bring to the gym. We’ll see if they keep me entertained.

On another gym note, the bf and I are seriously considering investing in some workout gear. We like the idea of not having to leave the house to work out and I personally would really enjoy some type of cardio machine. Any ideas? We scoped out Scheel’s and Costco last night. I don’t want something cheap that’s going to fall apart, but I also don’t want to spend thousands of dollars!

Furthermore, on an entirely different note, I’m addicted to post-its.

I realized today that I bogard them at work. I straight up grab new colored ones all the time. Do I need this many? Of course not. Does this keep me from keeping them all at my desk? Absolutely not. Promptly after taking this picture I stacked them up and placed them in a convenient arms length distance. You never know when you’re going to need to write a quick note and then post it somewhere. I realize how lame this is.

Moving on…snack was the heel of a new loaf of bread I bought at the store, with the remainder of my roasted eggplant and roasted red peppers upon it. Simple, but satisfying.

I also thought the name of my nail polish was super cute. “Curry Up Don’t Be Late!” Man wouldn’t that be a nice job, thinking of polish names. Sign me up!

Food for thought: What’s the sweetest polish name you’ve come across?

p.s. I think I’m going to an Indian Pow-Wow tonight. You heard me right. Never a dull moment.

Chickpea Madness!

2010-07-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

So I haven’t felt so hot the past few days, therefore, I’ve decided to forego the gym. I feel better today than I did the previous two, but I think the gym is still a no go for me today.

To back track, last night the bf and I met one of our friends to celebrate her birthday. How did we celebrate? Well we went to all you can eat sushi of course! The restaurant was called Ijji. I ordered three different long rolls and yes I ate them all. There are three foods I have a bottomless stomach for: sushi, pizza, and ice cream. Really healthy right?

This morning I simply needed another Venti iced coffee from Starbuck’s. Any other substitute just wouldn’t do. I think I may need to do something about this addiction.

Breakfast was some OO (Overnight Oats). I hadn’t prepped them the night before but I left my “supplies” at work and so I made them first thing and then let them sit for about 45 minutes. It was actually quite a perfect system.

No little berry! Stop trying to run away!

I’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth mentioning again I suppose, I also take a multivitamin and two fish oil tablets in the morning. A multi-vitamin to be safe, and Fish Oil because by golly Michael Pollan says it’s a good idea.

Snack #1 was a little diddy I thought up all by myself. I’m quite resourceful like that. I had my last sandwich thin toasted with a thin spread of cream cheese and a cut up apricot on top. It was ok. I actually would have preferred to have the fruit on the side and just eat the sandwich thin and cream cheese separate. You live, you learn I suppose.

Lunch was a delicious sandwich on my Great Harvest bread. In the mix:

2 slices of bread

¼ of an avocado

2 stripes of roasted red pepper

2 slices of roasted eggplant

A serving of turkey lunchmeat

Plus a side salad with some balsamic dressing.

Afternoon snacks were a 100 calorie bag o’ popcorn and my last slice of bread with my last bit of turkey and the last bit of cream cheese lightly inside. I won’t be in the office for lunch tomorrow and so I thought I’d clear out some “last little bits” in the refrigerator.

Sooo since I didn't go to the gym I thought it best to go home and cook in bulk. I have been wanting to make Angela's Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers, and I had all of the ingredients so I embarked.

1.5 c cooked chickpeas

1/2 c oats

2 carrots

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tsp cayenne pepper (I didn't have curry)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbsp sunflower seeds

1/4 c pumpkin seeds

So it's slightly different, but not really.

All together now!

Blend Baby Blend!

Add chickpeas..

Once blended, add sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Mix.

Form into patties and bake! I made five patties and baked them for 20 minutes each side.

Now the question is...what am I having for dinner?

Vegan, not for me

2010-07-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Dinner last night was thing delectible Italian treat. I made spiral pasta and then added plain tomato sauce and some melted pepperjack cheese on top. I placed the prepared bowls of past in the own with the cheese and then allowed them to melt. I also stopped by Whole Foods on the way home from work and got the foccacia pictured on the right. It was sundried tomato and basil. Flaky, salty, delicious. Bonus points too because the bf actually ate something I made.

So on other food related news, my pictures from today won't load. Weird. So I'm sorry about that! I had some overnight oats for breakfast though that were superb.

1/2 c oats

1/2 almond milk

5 strawberries

Plus I had some coffee with almond milk mixed in.

For a snack I had nectarine X2 and 10 almonds.

I also enjoyed a roasted red pepper, eggplant, and avocado sandwich on some Great Harvest bread. Accompanied by a mini side salad with raspberry dressing.

I also spent some time today reading/researching the vegan diet/lifestyle. I think I've concluded it's not for me. I thought it was worth looking into because I don't particularly like meat and dairy products make e feel not great. I guess I'm lactose intolerant. However, while researching the lifestyle choice I was getting the distinct impression that it was a very deliberate attempt to "save the world" one person at a time. I fully support this. However, for me the choice would be a nutritional one. I want a diet that is nutritionally sound and enjoyable. I came across some information regarding vegans and bone density as well as the idea of having to take multiple supplements. Not my bag of tea. I like things from the earth, unprocessed.

On this note, I do plan to limit my intake of dairy products a great deal. As well as continue on my path of little t no meat. It's seemed to work for me so far.

With that declaration, I'm off to sushi for dinner. I love fish, what can I say.

Damage

2010-07-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

I’ve realized something about myself. I’ve sort of always known this but really tried to avoid saying (writing) it. I eat too much and sometimes bad things when I’m stressed out or tired. I suppose this is emotional eating? Plus I find that I’ll eat things that I know won’t make me feel good. Then because I don’t feel good it’s hard for me to be physically active and then I feel bad for myself. WTF! I hope you are thinking that because I know I am. If I know better then why? Well let me back up for a minute. Last night I seriously was not even hungry after my entire loaf of bread for breakfast. I spent the day doing yard work and stressing about my mother being upset about me sitting in the sun at breakfast. I know this sounds weird and petty, but seriously this is the stuff that creates a downfall for me. So what did I do, I ate. I had some rice, then some more rice and a half a sandwich with turkey and avocado, then some strawberries with splenda, and then an un-pictured huge bowl of cinnamon toast crunch with Almond Milk.

I woke up this morning still not having gotten enough sleep. So I stopped for some coffee.

Had some overnight oat medley…1/2 c oats, ½ c almond milk, ½ fat free cottage cheese. Then I mixed in some strawberries this morning. It was delicious actually, and I was hungry then, but seriously exhausted.

I had an early snack: sandwich thin, avocado, and 1/3 c egg whites.

Lunch was a sandwich on my Great Harvest bread. 2 slices, 1 serving of turkey, artichoke hearts. Then I also had a large side salad with some Raspberry dressing from Trader Joe’s.

Followed by a nectarine.

Then I had a Fiber One bar for a snack, and no joke, a bag of Skittles (un-pictured). Why would I eat Skittles, I don’t even like Skittles. Truth be told, the sugar made me feel better for about 30 minutes but then I just felt like crap again.

I suppose this “damage” if you will is done. I don’t really see it as damage; I see it as a learning experience. I know what food makes me feel good and I know what food doesn’t. I need to trust myself to make myself feel better and not eat things that I know make me feel bad. So consequently I don’t want to go to the gym because I am exhausted! All I’ve wanted to do is go back to bed since I woke up. My body wants to relax. I may or may not head over to Whole Foods after work, because I’m feeling inspired to “clean” up my act. Regardless I will head home, no gym, relax, and then try and get some decent hours in tonight.

I also really want to try this recipe from Oh She Glows:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup regular oats
10 baby carrots or 2 carrots
1 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice), melted
1.5 tsp Arvinda’s Curry Masala (or other good quality curry powder)
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Tumeric
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Parsley flakes (optional)
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. In a food processor, process the oats, carrots, and all the spices/seasonings (sea salt, black pepper, curry masala, paprika, tumeric, optional parsley) for 30 seconds or until somewhat smooth. Now add in the chickpeas at 1/2 cup increments and coconut oil (melted), stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. [My food processor was quite cantankerous during this process (it didn’t process the chickpeas well, but that may have been because I doubled the recipe and I had too much in my bowl!)]. Once the chickpeas are mostly processed and smooth, take the mixture and place in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the sunflower seeds and pepita seeds. Wet your hands and shape patties or balls. Makes about 6-8 patties depending on how big you want them. Note: You can also pre-bake these for about 20 minutes and them pop them on the BBQ to finish them off!

Ok I'm making dinner for the bf and myself tonight. Wish me luck!

Manual Labor

2010-07-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying this hasn't been the best/cleanest eating weekend of my life. But, it certainly was good!

Before dinner last night I snacked on the heal of my Great Harvest loaf.

My mom made dinner and it was nice to sit down at the table and have a meal. This never happens. The bf and I don't like to eat the same types of things and so I often times don't make joint meals. She made a glorious salad with romaine, carrots, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and avocado on the side.

Dressing choices. :)

My large glass of water. It has been so hot I've been chugging gallons.

Here's my bowl of salad and my chicken breast with cream of mushroom brown rice on top. Mmmm.

Cut up. I also had about a serving more of mushroomy rice.

A handful of dots for dessert. Well lets be honest, I had about 5 handful of dots. This was also before I realized we were headed off to Dairy Queen again. O well.

When in Rome. Get an oreo strawberry blizzard. Perfection.

Happily full I went off to bed. This morning I found Oliver sleepy eyed on his cat tower. Sooo cute!

I enjoyed a cup of coffee as I waited for my mama to rise. I had some Almond Milk and Stevia in my coffee.

Then it was off to Squeeze In for breakfast. I had moooore coffee. About two cups.

This is my breakfast. :) I said extra toast and man did they listen. Underneath all of that are spuds too. Carb extravaganza. My omelet had tomatoes, feta, olives, and spinach. The dressing was a tomato basil and my toast was Wheat berry. Sooo good! And believe it or not I ate most of the toast single handedly. True story.

Then my mom and I ventured off to Home Depot in search of landscaping ideas. We were there for like an hour. and then I proceeded to spend the next 3 hours landscaping. I dug holes, planted flowers, laid ground cover, placed stepping stones and bark, etc. It was exhausting. With all this work I had more carbs. :)

Two slices of my Great Harvest bread. One with Peanut Butter and the other with Blood Orange Jelly. To die for.

I also had to make another trip to Home Depot for more supplies. Subsequently, this Home Depot is next to a 7-11. I was sooo hot from working outside that I decided I simply must have soda and an ice cream sandwich. Was it good, yeah. Do I feel sort of sick now from all the sun I've been in and food I've consumed, yeah. I think I need lots of water and to sit on my coach for a while. Done.

But first, here are some of the fruits of my labor.

And consequences of being a landscaper.

Sun makes me tired. And so much for my Rest day from the gym being actual rest. :)

Great Harvest

2010-07-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well last night we went out to relax and hang out with my mother who came to visit. We went to a local brewery called Silver Peak and got their specialty: the beer. I got the lighter one and the bf enjoyed the darker one. Mine was a Lemongrass WHeat and his was the Peavine Porter. Very good.

Dinner for me was this personal pizza. It was called the Squash Me. It had grilled zucchini, yellow & chayote squash with pesto & fontina cheese. It was pretty delicious. A lot of cheese though. I could have gone for about half of what it came with, but that didn't stop me from eating the entire thing.

Then it was off to Dairy Queen. I got a small cookie dough blizzard. Deelish! But it was so hot it got kind of melty really fast, which is a total bummer.

This morning I woke up and decided it was way too hot to run outside, even though it was only 8:00. So I went to the gym and did 7 miles on the treadmill. The breakdown looked like this:

Mile 1: Incline 2.5, speed 6.0

Mile 2: Incline 1, speed 6.0

First half of mile three: Incline 2.5, speed 6.0

Second half: Incline , speed 6.0

First half of mile four: Incline 2.5, speed 6.0

Second half: incline 1, speed 6.0

First half of mile five: Incline 2.5, speed 6.0

Second half: incline 1, speed 6.0

Mile six and seven: incline 1, speed 6.0

(Plus I took a 1 minute walking break every 10 minutes)

I also completely spaced on taking a picture of my breakfast this morning because I was so hungry after my run. But it was more of the same. It was overnight oats: 1/2 c oats, 1/2 c almond milk, and 1 Stevia packet.

I had to take sweet Oliver to the vet today to get some kitten shots (I know it seems like he's always going to the vet, but I swear it just seems like that)

He got a little shot and on the way out there I grabbed a venti iced coffee with some half & half in it.

On the way home I stopped at Great Harvest and got a loaf of Fiber Bread. The ingredient list is clean and appetizing.

So naturally for lunch I made a sandwich on my new bread. I had a serving of turkey meat, squirt of mustard, some lettuce, and a side of Baked Lay's BBQ chips. I actually ended up munching on a lot of chips throughout the afternoon, probably about 4 or 5 servings worth. I love chips! This is why I don't usually buy them though, the mother was the bad influence.

I'll do a better job pf filling in some gaps tomorrow. Right now the mom is still here and we are hangin'.