Empty Bowls

Yesterday was a really, really good day. Well, minus the 8 hours I spent at work.

I started the day with my very first yoga practice from Yogadownload.com. I chose Gentle Hatha #1, one of the free 20 minute downloads from the site. It was just the right length to fit into my busy morning schedule. My mind and body felt awake, refreshed and ready to start the day.

Breakfast was cereal with organic skim milk (not pictured because of poor 5:30AM lighting) and a Horizon Organic lowfat milk box in the car (not pictured because driving and photographing is dangerous.) Can you tell my body has been craving milk lately?

I spent the morning sipping Lipton Red Rose tea and plenty of cold water.

Lunch was organic whole wheat thin spaghetti topped with homemade meat sauce (leftovers from last night’s dinner).

First afternoon snack was a Honeycrisp apple. My favorite! No picture because there was a sudden congregation near my desk and I didn’t want an audience for the photography session.

Second afternoon snack was courtesy of a coworker. She passed around Jell-o Sugar Free Banana Fudge Supreme cups and a can of Light Cool Whip. Healthy? No. Delicious once-in-a-while treat? Absolutely.

My coworker and I both worked through our lunch hours and left at 4PM to attend a fun foodie/charity event called Empty Bowls. It’s a national fundraiser who’s main goal is fighting hunger.

We arrived about 15 minutes after the doors opened and it was already packed! First, we waited in line to select our bowl. All of the gorgeous pottery pieces are handmade by local artists and students from Wittenberg University.

It was so hard to choose just one! I actually ended up with the 2nd bowl I picked up because I loved the shape and the colors of glaze.

My bowl:

Coworker’s bowl:

We then paid ($15 each) and got in another line for the food to fill our bowl. My coworker had an interesting observation about how similar these lines were to those you would see in a soup kitchen except that the lines at this event were made up of prominent businessmen and businesswomen, local political figures and Average Joe’s with big hearts and a little money to spare. I didn’t get a picture of the mass of people because there was just no good angle without someone standing directly in front of me. It was quite impressive. I think we were actually in this second line for about an hour.

Part of the serving table:

Once we got to the buffet servers, we had to choose a soup to fill our bowl. Each one was donated by a different local restaurant. The choices were Vegetable, Potato Leek, Bowtie Pasta, Chicken Avgolemono (Greek), Chili, Broccoli Cheddar and Mariachi Chicken. They all looked and smelled DELICIOUS. My coworker and I both chose the Mariachi Chicken which was donated by my favorite Mexican restaurant! It was actually more of a layered dish than a soup. First, I had to spoon their “house” rice (OMG so good) into the bottom of my bowl. Then, there was shredded chicken with onions, mushrooms & peppers to put on top. The broth for the soup was then ladled over the top of those things and the whole concoction was topped with fresh, homemade pico de gallo.

There was also a mini-salad bar with mixed greens and various toppings. I chose banana peppers, black olives, a little cheese and homemade Ranch dressing. I had a Texas Roadhouse roll on the side, but ended up not using the butter.

We were chatting and eating when my coworker spotted the dessert table. Of course we had to check it out! I had the peanut butter chocolate cake. The piece was small which was a good thing because it was REALLY rich. I savored every bite.

When we finished eating, volunteers from the event washed our bowls for us and brought them back. Leaving with an empty bowl is meant to be symbolic of the astounding number of people who go every day without food.

GIVEAWAY REMINDER: This is your last chance to enter my book giveaway for a copy of The World is Fat by Barry Popkin!

In other bloggie giveaway news, Rose over at On a Lobster Placemat is giving away a Quaker Robe & Slipper set.

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Sicky McSickerson

My husband was so generous as to share his icky cold with me. Boo! I woke up with a sore throat, plugged up head and a little headache. The list of drugs I can take is pretty limited so it’s just been one extra-strength Tylenol every 4 hours to help with the headache.

I had a bowl of Cascadian Farm multigrain squares and organic skim milk for breakfast which is when I discovered that I couldn’t taste.

I got hungry again at my desk later in the morning and had a peach and a packet of Quaker Simple Harvest vanilla, honey & almond oatmeal. It was pretty good and kept me full for more than an hour. I don’t ever use as much water as the package called for. I like my pre-packaged oats a little thicker than when I make them myself.

I still miss my “real” oats. Making a big batch this weekend is going to be one of my priorities.

My salon is right across the street from my office which makes lunchtime appointments very convenient. The same lady has cut my hair since I was 4. She’s pretty much like family so appointments are part beautifying, part social hour. I went waaaaay too long between appointments this time and she ended up taking 2 inches off the length. It looks so much more polished and healthy. I feel like a new woman!

Afterwards I walked to the deli and took my lunch back to the office to eat at my desk. I ordered my usual there, the Loaded Perk salad, minus turkey because of my “no lunch meat unless it’s steaming hot” order from the doctor. I was uncomfortably full after I finished eating all of this:

Mid-afternoon is the roughest time of day. That’s when I just feel drained of all energy and start to get sleepy. The last few days I’ve been doing these office stretches from body+soul magazine and they seem to really help me refocus & regroup. Plus, they’re a good excuse to get up out of my desk chair and move around.

I thought I’d be full the rest of the day from my salad, but it wasn’t to be. About an hour before quittin’ time I snacked on some water crackers and a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese. I also had a plum which made it into my tummy before I could get my camera out.

Dinner was the definition of “convenience foods.” We had light cheese ravioli topped with meatballs (from frozen) and Muir Glen Organic pasta sauce. The variety we had was a sausage flavor, but I can’t find that one on their website. It tasted almost more like pizza sauce than pasta sauce. We both really liked it and would buy it again. We also had a repeat side dish of cottage cheese.

Sorry for the horrible picture. My camera battery was losing steam and the picture quality seems to suffer. No worries, though. It’s all charged and ready to go for today. Aren’t you excited?

What’s the most comforting (non-drug) thing to you when you’re sick?

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Technical Difficulties

So yae…about that contest I was going to have last week. I’ve been having camera issues since my last post. They weren’t downloading to my computer correctly and several ended up being deleted between the camera and the computer. Everything appears to be corrected now and my first giveaway will be in tomorrow’s post!

Yesterday was an uneventful Monday. The only real thing of note was the temperature (with wind chill) was below 0. Soooo cold!

I started the day off with a bowl of Cascadian Farms Multigrain Squares. This is one of my go-to cold cereals. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. They have a very nice texture and are extremely filling. I eat them plain right out of the box sometimes, but this was a “with milk” day. Organic skim in case you were wondering.

My morning beverage of choice is my newest addiction. The wonderful folks from POM Wonderful sent me a box of their delicious pomegranate juice to sample and review. Two thumbs way, way up on this one. It’s delicious! I love the perfect balance between sweet & tart. Combine that with all the health benefits and it’s a clear winner. I like it straight up, but I’ve also been mixing 8oz. of juice with 16oz. of Perrier for a pomegranate spritzer. Or, as my husband calls it, a “pregnant lady cocktail.” LOL

The drive to work flew by. I’ve been whipping through audiobooks lately. If I find one I really enjoy, it seems to make the drive go faster.

My morning snack at my desk was a Baybel Light cheese wheel & a big, hot mug of Lipton Black Pearl tea. I made the mug myself. Well, just painted it. My friend and I went to one of those paint-your-own pottery studios a couple years ago and this is the fruit of my labors there. I am by no means artistic, but I love pretending to be.

Lunch was exactly what I was craving. Light Cheese ravioli with homemade tomato sauce. I’ve been in the mood for spicy lately so I added some crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce. Whoa Nelly! It didn’t taste nearly that hot when I sampled it from the saucepan. It was still really, really good.

The afternoon was a typical Monday. Uneventful and booooring. My husband sent me a text message saying he was making dinner, but wouldn’t tell me what. I assumed omelettes. Wrong. He pounded out some chicken breasts, seasoned them and cooked them in the grill pan. He also made steamed broccoli & egg noodles. While he ate his as three separate things, I threw all three of mine in a bowl and stirred in a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. Everything was cooked to perfection and a simple meal turned out to be extremely yummy. I think having someone else cook for you always helps.

Everyone have a fabulous Tuesday! The weather here is still extremely cold, but the sun is shining which makes it easier to handle…at least when you’re inside. We’re supposed to be in the 60′s this weekend. Rainy, but warm. Spring is slowly but surely making it’s way to Ohio!

What’s your favorite season?

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Playing Catch Up

*takes deep breath*

That’s the first time I’ve had a chance to do that since my last post. Work is still hectic, but that makes the day go by fast so it’s all good. I’ve been pretty tired in the evenings so it’s been dinner, workout, a little reading and then bed. To make up for my lack of posting this week I have something exciting in store for early next week. It may or may not be my very first giveaway!

Here’s the recap of my eats:

I’m now on a Kashi cereal kick. I had GoLean Crunch Tuesday & again this morning with organic skim milk. No pic since it looked the exact same as Monday.

I’m still digging the Horizon Organic milk boxes and they’ve been an every morning commute treat this week.

TUESDAY

My super sweet coworker knows I love tea and brought me an extra that she picked up at Panera. She forgot what it was so I had to be a bit adventurous. I’m pretty sure it was hibiscus flower or something along that line. I wish I knew because it was good and the perfect cure for my icky morning tummy syndrom. The picture is very unexciting, but I took it anyway.

There were no leftovers from Monday night’s dinner. Poor planning resulted in the need to bust out another frozen meal. This one is my favorite Lean Cuisine called Sesame Chicken.

Tuesday means lunchtime workout at work. I’m really enjoying the sessions. Still not an extreme burn, but nice toning exercises mixed with just enough cardio. It’s also nice to get to know some of the other ladies in my building better. I’ve also discovered that I really, really love the Bosu trainer.

I’ll be really sad when the pineapple is gone. It made a perfect post-workout snack. Maybe it will reappear on the grocery list for next week.

My husband was dressed and ready for the gym when I got home so I changed and we headed out. I did about 30 minutes on the elliptical, bench pressed ten reps at a lightish weight and then stretched while my husband finished his workout.

Dinner was taco salad, a quick and easy favorite in our house. I topped my bed of romaine and green leaf lettuces with seasoned lean ground beef, salsa, reduced fat sour cream and shredded mozzarella cheese. I know, I know. I was going to add jalapeño peppers, but my husband (who loves spicy stuff) put a few on his salad and cried when he took a bite. lol

WEDNESDAY

I had a large vanilla creme (noninterference from my boss this time) as soon as I got to work. Basically just a latte without the espresso. Slowly but surely I’m quitting the coffee. Today marks one week completely coffee free! Notice I didn’t say caffeine free. I’m still relying heavily on tea. I can’t have herbal teas (doctor’s orders) which really stinks. Herbs aren’t regulated by the FDA and there are just too many questions and conflicting studies about their effects on pregnant women. I know Yogi makes a prenatal tea, but even that got the thumbs down when I asked. My go-to this week has been Lipton Red Rose.

I ran errands Wednesday at lunch and brought back a salad from the grocery salad bar. It was made up of mixed greens, chopped hard-boiled egg, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, jalapeño peppers, cucumbers and two kinds of cheese with Kraft Light Ranch for fork dipping.

Dinner was a favorite in our household, chicken meatballs! The recipe came from The Biggest Loser Cookbook and they’re actually called Muscling up Meatballs. I usually just eyeball everything except the ground chicken and eggs so they never taste the same twice.

At my bridal shower this time last year we played a game where I had to guess my husband’s responses to questions they’d asked him ahead of time. One of them was “What is his favorite meal that you (meaning I) make?” His answer? Chicken meatballs.

Our side dishes were Annie’s White Cheddar Mac & Cheese and steamed Italian vegetables.

Thursday eats weren’t exciting so no pictures. Lunch was a repeat of Wednesday’s dinner. My snacks were Annie’s White Cheddar Bunnies and a banana, both of which you’ve seen before.

It was so cold and windy yesterday! My poor husband worked outside in it all day and had serious trouble getting his body temp regulated once he got home. My cousin called last night to tell me she’s pregnant with baby #3. Her due date is one week ahead of mine. We’re waiting a little longer before we tell anyone except our parents, my sister-in-law and all of you. It was sooo hard not to spill the beans! One month from today I’ll be 12 weeks at statistically out of the woods for any major complications. That’s when we’re planning to share the news with everyone else.

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

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Back in the Swing of Things

Not sure where my head has been lately, but I’ve had 0 time to blog lately. Work has been steady and I’ve been so tired in the evenings that I don’t remember how I even got to bed most nights. I’ve missed doing it so I promised myself that I’ll MAKE time in my day somehow.

Yesterday started out with a little Namaste Yoga followed by a sunrise breakfast of Kashi GoLean Crunch, organic skim milk and fresh pineapple. I know I’ve said it before, but I love mornings when I get to eat a leisurely breakfast at home instead of food on the run.

After breakfast I did a little cleaning, a little laundry and then read for a bit. I tried to take the pup for a walk, but she laid down before we even made it out of the front yard.

I met my friend at noon at the outlet mall near my house for lunch and shopping. No picture of lunch, but it was Chinese. Subway was calling my name, but lunch meat is on my “do not eat” list from the doctor and I just wasn’t feeling a veggie sub. We spent whole afternoon shopping and I only bought two things totaling less than $20! That’s a first. My bank account is thanking me.

I was exhausted when I got home so I took a little siesta. Fatigue has been a regular thing for me lately and I’m trying to figure out any way possible to incorporate a nap into my work day. Don’t think that’ll fly with the boss man. It’s really a shame.

My husband got home a little later than he’d expected. It was a pretty physical day for him at work so he wanted to pass on the gym. I wasn’t feeling extremely well so I bailed, too. We HAVE to stop doing this. It really helps my energy level and he made the comment that his jeans are starting to get snug again.

I put dinner in the crockpot before I left for my shopping trip. All I had to do was bake the biscuits and we were ready to eat! This recipe for Buttermilk Chicken is from my friend Kate’s blog. It’s one of my husband’s regular requests and perfect cold weather comfort food. We’ve also served it over brown rice, salad or pasta and it’s good every which way.

I don’t like any kind of gravy or mushiness on my bread so I had a little scoop of chicken sprinkled with parsley and Parmesan cheese and my biscuit on the side.

After dinner it was Monday night TV time. We watched The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Jon + Kate Plus 8 before I called it a night.

Looks like another ridiculously busy day of work. I’m hoping to catch up on some of your lovely blogs after the gym tonight.

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