Did Ya Miss Me?

“Don’t pay the ransom. I’ve escaped!”

That’s what we used to say in my family when someone called home after being away for a while with no contact. Corny, yes. Very fitting to our family.

I apologize for my extended absence. As any US resident probably knows, it was Income Tax week. This is, to us working in a local Income Tax department, what the week before Christmas is to those working in retail. In one word: CHAOS! I had 0 time to snap photos of my food and my evenings were pretty much just commute, eat dinner and crash.

Now I’m back and excited to start blogging and commenting again. I’ve missed you all bunches and look forward to getting caught up on what’s going on in all of your worlds.

I won’t waste anymore time. Let’s get down to business!

Friday

Breakfast was a quick sammie made with an egg, 2% American cheese slice & a Boca Chik’n Patty all on low-cal bread. No, mom. I didn’t take the picture while I was driving. I snapped it quickly in the driveway before hitting the road.

The morning snack was a string cheese:

Lunch was leftover Laughing Cow Alfredo Bake topped with grated Parmesan cheese (from the Amish store) and a little drizzle of EVOO. This was a first go ’round for us and this recipe. We both liked it, but I thought it was a little bland when we originally had it for dinner. We both agree that it’s much better reheated for lunches.

Workout at work was nice. She had lots of stations set up where we had to lie on our back. That’s the one exercise restriction I have right now so I had to improvise. We did the squat, curl, press move last Friday and I really liked it so I stuck that’s become one of my go-to moves for stations where I need to get creative.

After April, I’ll have to find something new to do fitness-wise on my lunch hours. The weather is getting nice and less people are interested in participating because they want to go walk. The employee fitness room will still be available although the only equipment is a stationary bike, heavy weight bench and an ab recliner. I’m thinking about bringing my own light dumbbells or loading up some mp3 files from yogadownload.com onto my iPod and carrying in my yoga mat. Walks are always an option. I just get bored easily and need to keep it mixed up.

Post-workout snack was a sliced apple. Have I ever told y’all how much I LOVE my Pampered Chef slicer? Cuz I do.

I had a huge energy dip around 3:00 in the afternoon. I’m not quite sure where it came from, but it was bad. All I wanted to do was put my head down, clothes my eyes and snooze. I’m blaming the tired (and my lack of willpower) for giving in when a coworker said she was going to the soda shop across the street for sundaes. I had a single-dipper with a generous dolop of hot fudge sauce, whipped cream & a cherry. The sugar shocked my system and I was beyond wide awake for the rest of the day.

Friday night dinner was quick and easy. I had fat free hot dogs, no bun and spicy mustard. To redeem myself nutritionally, I also had a small side salad. No idea why I didn’t snap a photo although it was far from exciting.

Saturday

The morning got off to a quick start when my husband’s coworker called to say his new company truck was ready to be picked up. One catch. It was sitting at a plant about an hour and a half away. He asked (very nicely) if I’d drive him up and I agreed. It was up, showered, dressed and out the door. I did manage to throw together a PB&J sandwich to eat on the road, but no picture.

We were home before noon and both pretty hungry. I had a Boca Chik’n Patty on an Arnold’s Multigrain Sandwich Thin with 2% American cheese & spicy mustard. On the side, I had a handful of Ranch flavored Potato Crisps. These are really good and a nice, more natural alternative to potato chips.

My husband and I spent a few hours working in the yard. We’re ripping out some shrubs and ornamental grass from a flower bed that were there when we moved in last year, but it’s proved to be a bigger job than we’d anticipated. My husband did the shoveling and I did the pulling which, at one point, resulted in stabbing myself in the lip with something straw-like. We tried until we just couldn’t take it anymore and laughed…a lot.

My husband’s best friend from high school stopped by shortly after we finished and they spent the entire evening (and well into the night) catching up. He’s a great guy and they don’t see each other often enough so I was glad to see them hanging out. I bounced back and forth between their conversation and reading for my Nutrition and Wellness Consultant certification. Around dinner time, I offered to fix something. They said they weren’t hungry enough to eat a full meal, but took me up on my offer of snacks. After serving them, I realized that I was a little hungry and in the mood for something hot.

***PRODUCT REVIEW***

Pacific Foods Organic Spicy Chicken Fajita

Ingredients: water, organic onion, organic kidney beans, organic white rice, organic chicken meat, organic red bell peppers, organic green bell peppers, organic garlic, organic chicken flavor (organic ground chicken with juices, sea salt, organic chicken flavor, organic onion powder, organic potato flour, organic carrot powder, organic turmeric, flavor, and organic black pepper), organic olive oil, organic jalapeno peppers, sea salt, organic spices

Nutrition Information: (per serving; 2 servings per can)
Calories: 160
Total Fat: 2.5g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 5mg
Sodium: 710mg
Total Carbohydrates: 26g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 8g

The pros: Yum! I loved the texture of this soup. The rice, veggies and beans tasted great together. The broth had just the right amount of seasoning without overpowering any of the other flavors. The protein content was higher than most other canned soups and left me feeling very full. I’d absolutely buy this soup again as either a quick dinner or easy to transport lunch.

The cons: The sodium content was the biggest drawback for me. I ate both servings which was almost my entire sodium allowance for the day! I could absolutely feel the effects in my swollen fingers the rest of the evening. The soup didn’t taste salty at all so I was a bit surprised by this. I was also surprised to see chicken listed so high on the ingredients list because I think there were only 5 or 6 small pieces in the entire can. This was fine with me because I usually pick the meat out of canned soups anyway, but I could see a serious carnivore (like my husband) being disillusioned.

AUCTION ALERT – Mark your calendars! Erin over at I Walk in This World is having an online auction and bakesale to benefit our mutual friend Beth’s Jimmy Fund Walk in the Boston Marathon! The auction starts on Tuesday, April 21st and there’s a great list of items up for bid! Check out this page for more information about the cause and the auction logistics.

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Picnic in the Park

One month until my next race! My sister-in-law, the wife of my husband’s coworker and I are signed up and confirmed for the Commit to be Fit 5k on May 2nd in Columbus, Ohio. I’m going to run when I can, walk when I can’t. This is by far the largest race I’ve ever entered and it should be loads of fun. There are DJs set up throughout the course so you can hear constant music without needing your iPod AND there’s free pizza waiting at the end. Holla!

Yesterday was GORGEOUS! Unfortunately, I was stuck at my desk most of the day. On nice days, I feel lucky that we have floor-to-ceiling windows and my cube is sort of in a corner so I have 2 window walls instead of 1.

Breakfast was 12-grain bread (swiped from my parents) spread with cream cheese. It doesn’t look like much, but it kept me full for a good long while.

Late morning I had some leftover organic whole wheat rotini sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese & drizzled with EVOO. Yes. I do love me some carbs.

I had an appointment to drop my car off for an oil change during my lunch hour and pick it up after work since the place is only about 2 blocks from my office. My original idea was to go to the library after I dropped it off, but it was just too nice to be inside. I decided to walk to the nearby park instead for a picnic.

I finished up my homemade egg salad with some water crackers and sipped refreshing, cold water and True Lime from my reusable bottle.

The sky was the most beautiful shade of blue and the clouds were fluffy like cotton balls. Here’s a pic from my walk back to the office:

Afternoon snacks were a pear and a Chocolate Chip Clif Bar. I really like this flavor, but I think it tastes more like molasses (yum!) than chocolate.

As soon as I got home we went to sign our tax documents at the preparers house so he can efile them. We only owe $42 to the state and got lots more than that back from the federal. I’d like to say that we’re spending it on something fun, but most of it is earmarked to replace shingles we lost during the fall & winter wind storms. Just one of the many joys of home ownership.

For dinner, I threw together some enchiladas made with lean ground beef and whole wheat tortillas. We’re on a big “finish up partial boxes of stuff on the lazy Susan kick” so it was white rice on the side. When you’re used to brown or long grain, white rice just seems so bland.

Making Mexican food always reminds me of my trip to Morelia, Mexico when I was in high school. I studied there for two weeks in an intensive language immersion program and stayed with a family who lived near the school. The mother in my home away from home took me to the market with her every day after my classes let out and then let me help her prepare dinner. The whole trip was incredible and I learned as much about the culture as I did about the language.

I wanted veggies too so I had some leftovers from my stir fry dinner on Wednesday night.

Sorry about the lack of quality photos. I was starving.

In giveaway news:

Bobbi is offering up a fabulous Ultra Light Packable Pullover from Danskin.

Sarah will have FIVE winners of her Bob’s Red Mill contest.

Becca is giving away some CIA goodies.

Do you like to eat outdoors? Do you prefer to dine inside or outside?

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Bacheloretting It

I have a love/hate relationship with Wednesdays aka “Hump Day.” Part of me is really excited because it marks the halfway point of the week. The other part of me is just wishing it were closer to the weekend.

Lately I’ve been hit or miss with my morning exercise. I’m trying hard to get back into that routine. Yesterday I was awake early. Instead of laying there and snoozing I decided to get up, see my husband out the door for work and then do a little yoga.

My selection was the free 20 minute (actually 25 minute) Prenatal Yoga class from YogaDownload.com. It was incredible. This sounds strange, but the best way I can describe the way I felt when I finished is “healthy.”

Another coffee day at work which meant a frozen skim white mocha. Yum! I swore I took a picture. Either I’m crazy or my camera ate it. Oh well.

I was completely unhungry (is that a word?) until lunchtime so no morning snack. My lunch was homemade egg salad on a La Tortilla Factory Tomato & Basil Softwrap with just a little bit of shredded 2% cheese.

A few coworkers and I pulled a great April Fools joke over on my boss that left me giggling all afternoon. I didn’t expect him fall for it, but he did. Hook, line & sinker! I have to watch my back now because he’s sworn revenge on all of us.

Later in the afternoon I had some more Stoneyfield Farm Oikos yogurt (honey flavor) with Bear Naked Fit granola and unsweetened coconut flakes. This time I knew to stir it up before I added my toppings.

I couldn’t hit the door fast enough at 5PM. The sun was shining and I couldn’t wait get out for some fresh air. I picked up the pooch, chatted with my mom for a bit and then headed home. My husband was staying out of town so it was just me and the puppers.

For dinner, I decided to make stir fry. My husband doesn’t like Chinese food (or anything ethnic besides Mexican) so I don’t have it very often. Mine last night was pretty quick and easy. I just steamed a bag of frozen veggies, cooked some organic whole wheat pasta and topped the whole shebang with a mixture of Tastefully Simple Sweet Sassy Mustard Sauce and reduced-sodium soy sauce. Yes, I do realize that rotini isn’t exactly Chinese and thin spaghetti or rice noodles would have been more appropriate.. I had a partial box that I wanted to use up before I opened anything new.

I had good intentions of magazine reading and painting my nails after dinner, but I pooped out early and just wanted rest. I talked on the phone with my husband for a while and then turned on Jon and Kate +8 while I curled up on the couch with a cozy blanket. That’s where I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until this morning when my husband called to say “Good morning.” I got more sleep than usual, but I still feel tired. I also have a nasty crick in my neck. Next time, I’ll make myself go to an actual bed when I get that sleepy.

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A Day Late

I got so wrapped up in blog reading and commenting yesterday that I forgot my own post. Oops! So, here are Tuesday’s eats:

Breakfast didn’t look great, but it tasted good. This was part of what was in my lunch bag when I left it in the fridge. No worries. though. Day old (refrigerated) yogurt with Bear Naked Fit granola and blueberries is a little mushy, but a-ok.

***PRODUCT REVIEW***

Stonyfield Farm Organic Lowfat Yogurt

The lovely Kristin of Stonyfield Farm sent me some extra coupons along with those for the Oikos and I advantage of a few at the grocery last weekend. I thought this plain yogurt was really good. The taste reminded me a little bit of Greek yogurt which I LOVE so that was cool. The texture was really smooth and it mixed well with my add-ins. The combination left me feeling full for several hours which is rare for my tummy. I’m glad the tub is big because I plan on incorporating it in for more breakfasts very soon.

One serving = 1 cup (227g)

Calories: 120
Total Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 1.5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 150mg
Potassium: 530mg
Total Carbohydrate: 15g
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 15g
Protein: 10g

Ingredients: CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC LOW FAT MILK, PECTIN, VITAMIN D3. CONTAINS OUR EXCLUSIVE BLEND OF SIX LIVE ACTIVE CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, L. CASEI AND L. RHAMNOSUS.

Tuesday turned into a blah day after my adventure with new yogurt. I don’t remember too many details.

Lunch was ravioli.

Post-”workout at work” snack: a juicy anjou pear. (NOTE: Pampered Chef’s apple slicer works perfectly on pears, too!)

Another afternoon snack: celery sticks and Sabra hummus with hot sauce:

Right before leaving work I had a Blueberry Crisp Clif bar. It’s one of my favorite flavors. I’m allergic to artificial blue coloring (which is in more things than you would think) so I’m glad these are natural. They’re deliciously fruity and crispy, all at the same time.

After seeing what I ate during the day, it’s probably no surprise that I wasn’t too hungry come dinner time. Eggs sounded good so we had sammies. Mine was egg, cheese, a little corned beef (heated in the microwave to kill the listeria bacteria) and mustard all on low-cal wheat bread. WordPress is being funky for me today and it won’t upload the rotated picture. Here it is all sideways like:

Be sure to check back tomorrow. I’m a attending a foodie event tonight and I’m really excited about sharing it with you all!

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Houston, We Have a Heartbeat!

Today my husband and I got to see the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It was my second ultrasound and we saw a very clear picture of our baby. The teeny tiny heart was beating away and we could make out the head, arms and legs plain as day. The best part was watching the little peanut dance. I don’t mean move. I mean this kiddo was gettin’ down with its bad self! The nurse started singing the Ally McBeal theme song because that’s EXACTLY what it looked like. Everyone in the room was cracking up laughing and the doctor called a few other staff members in the room to watch. He told me to rest up because we’re going to have a mover and a shaker. I’ve been trying really hard not to worry and stress about the “what ifs” of being pregnant. This appointment was a huge reassurance because the doctor said that this baby is obviously developing well and the level of activity at this stage in the game is awesome.

Anyway. On to non-baby things. I’m still fighting this cold, but it’s improving. I left work early yesterday and called in today. Not much of an appetite hence the lack of photos today.

I’ve been craving egg salad for a few days so I decided to whip up a batch and make a sammie. My version had egg, a little bit of light mayo, little bit of dijon mustard, black pepper, paprika, teeny bit of cilantro and a teeny bit of parsley. It was perfect on toast with some American cheese and a pickle spear on the side. To drink, a bottle of Perrier.

It was nice to enjoy lunch at home, sitting at a real table with a candle and my gardening issue of Martha Stewart Living. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can start planting. I love flowers and we’re going to attempt an organic vegetable garden this year.

My snack was a classic favorite of mine, graham crackers and peanut butter dipped in a glass of cold organic skim milk.

I’m still feeling full and my husband isn’t hungry so probably no big dinner tonight.

Have a great weekend!

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Weekend Recap

Is the weekend really over? Already? It went by so fast!

Saturday morning started off nicely. I slept in which is rare for me, even on the weekend. When I finally got up it was time for breakfast and coffee with my husband. I had 2 egg whites and a slice of 2% cheese on low cal toast. That didn’t look like quite enough and I was really craving protein so I cooked a Gardenburger Portabella burger in the microwave and then added it to my sandwich. My husband thought it looked weird. I thought it tasted delicious!

Add coffee and organic skim milk and it’s a filling meal.

After our late breakfast we showered and hit the road to visit my BFF and her husband. The guys both have strange work schedules and she’s a nurse so it’s been forever since we could all get together.

We had lunch at a place called City Barbecue. The other 3 are all big BBQ lovers. Me? Not so much, but I went along because I knew I’d be able to find something I liked. I ended up ordering a big salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded cheese & strips of smoked turkey breast. Everyone else topped their sandwiches with hot & spicy BBQ sauce, but I discovered a spicy mustard sauce that didn’t taste at all like traditional BBQ. I ended up using a little of that as my salad dressing and liked it a lot.

After lunch we headed back to their house and hung out for a while. We had a blast and totally lost track of time. Before we knew it it was time to head home.

I was still pretty full when we got back, but needed to eat something to keep me full through the night. I ended up making oats for dinner! Oats, a little cocoa powder, a spoonful of peanut butter and a few chopped dates. Sweet and delicious!

Sunday morning I got up before my husband and did some yoga. I’ve been feeling really restless lately and that was exactly what my body needed. Afterwards I settled in with my Sunday morning ritual of coffee and coupons. The binder in the picture is how I organize my coupons. It’s filled with baseball card sleeves and divided by section of the grocery. I’ve found it works well for efficiency.

My husband woke up hungry and offered to make brunch. I wasn’t going to turn him down. He made me a 1 egg, 2 egg white omelet with ground turkey, mushrooms & shredded colby cheese. On the side I had 2 slices of turkey bacon and toast with spray butter. Oh, and coffee of course!

After brunch I cleaned the casa and got the laundry going. The rest of the day was pretty much wasted. I had a horrible headache that I couldn’t kick and just overall felt icky. My day was spent mostly on the couch either sleeping or relaxing and reading. Brunch was really filling and I never really got hungry again. I did have some Kashi crackers and cheese later in the evening, but was too lazy to take a picture. I ended up calling it an early night.

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Better Late Than Never

I apologize for my lack of posting last night. It was for a good cause. My roommate from college (whom I love and adore) delivered her 2nd baby yesterday evening and I had to fulfill my promised portion of the phone tree. Welcome to the world baby girl! The name they chose is very, um, unique. Makes me want to watch reruns of the once popular Boy Meets World. There was only one female main character in that show, right? Catch my drift? Yes, I’m serious.

Anywho, on to yesterday’s eats. I slept in a little to make up for my late bedtime Tuesday night. Darn you Biggest Loser! I was in a hurry this morning so I plopped two fried egg whites and a slice of 2% American cheese on a whole wheat english muffin and ate it in the car. I did try to snap a picture while I was rushing around like a mad woman, but I got the ever dreaded “Change Battery Pack Now” message on my camera screen. It really wasn’t that pretty anyway.

Wednesday = Coffee Day(!!!) so I arrived at work to find a crimson cup waiting on my desk. It was filled with my standard venti skim gingerbread latte. I opted for the hot version over the frozen this time in honor of it being 2 degrees outside. The battery pack was on charge so no live picture, but this is as close at it gets.

That kept me full until noon when I heated up my Turkey Taco Quinoa Stew. So. Freaking. AWESOME! I’ve had the same thing for lunch every day this week and I’m nowhere near tired of it. Today’s lunch tea was Celestial Seasonings Antioxidant Plum white tea.

After lunch I sat through the most painful training/brainstorming session ever! I love organization. I crave structure. This 1.5 hour train wreck had neither. I left feeling more confused than I was beforehand and I was very anxious. That called for a cup of Tazo Calm tea. Along with the tea I did some breathing exercises at my desk to help me get back to my happy place. Thankfully the rest of the afternoon went by quickly.

I listen to audiobooks a lot during my commute to and from work. I love to read so it’s a great way for me to make the most of my 3 hours spent in the car each day. During my trip to the library earlier this week I picked up Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business by Gary Erikson, the founder of Clif Bar & Company. I love books. I love Clif Bars. Coincidence? I think not! I started it Tuesday and so far I’m really enjoying it. I’ll post a better review when I’m finished listening.

Early on in the book they outline how Luna bars came to be. I’m ashamed to admit it, but until then I wasn’t aware that Luna bars were made by Clif Bar & Company. You learn something new everyday! In the spirit of the book, I packed this for my drive home snack. I swear this flavor is becoming like crack to me.

It was a quick change into workout gear when I got home so that my husband and I could hit the gym before dinner. Turned out to be a great workout. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the elliptical then did the Week 11, Day 2 workout from Buff Brides by Sue Fleming with bursts of cardio between the sets of upper & lower body exercises. I finished with crunches. I burned 426 calories in 48:13.

Afterwards we headed home and had breakfast for dinner! My husband and I are both big fans of breakfast food so at least one night every other week is devoted to our love of traditional morning fare. Last night it was pancakes and sausage. I had one of each. My pancake was topped with Parkay spray and a little bit of maple syrup.

Not to toot my own horn, but my pancake skills last night were off the hook. My husband deemed them perfect!

I got the baby news just as we finished dinner so I called everyone on my list while I cleaned up the kitchen. My adrenaline was still pumping from my workout so I took a hot bath to unwind and then headed to bed.

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TGIF!

Happy almost-the-weekend everyone! The end of the work week is in sight and I’m looking forward to a three day weekend. The temperatures this morning were hovering around -20 degrees and the high for the day was -5. That’s cold. Really, really cold.

I woke up STARVING this morning. I was in a hurry so it needed to be something quick as well as filling. I grabbed this Clif bar and ate it during my commute. Yum!

Everyone at work was in a pretty good mood. Typical Friday, but I’m not complaining. There was a very pleasant surprise in my e-mail inbox around 9:00AM. The coffee house we order from on Wednesdays had a delivery near our office and said they could stop by our office afterwards if anyone was interested. I rounded up the orders and e-mailed them in. No picture today because it was the same thing I posted on Wednesday, venti frozen skim gingerbread latte. Most of my coworkers thought I was insane for ordering a frozen drink (again) when it was so cold outside and our office felt like a refrigerator.

I really wanted to stay in for lunch and catch up on some magazine reading, but I needed to run errands. I went to PetSmart for dog food. Of course, a new toy snuck in my cart. Then I stopped at the vet’s office for flea and heart worm treatment since we just used the last tube. I ate lunch at my desk when I got back to the office. Today was edamame with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from the bottle I keep at my desk. I buy the frozen, individually portioned containers at Sam’s Club and microwave them at work. Sometimes I eat them from the pods and sometimes (like today) I shell them all before I eat them. I also had a string cheese and a cup of green tea. I think it was Tazo Green Tips.

The rest of the day was pretty normal and boring. Around 4:00 I started my Friday ritual of cleaning my desk. Before I leave on Friday I sort through the clutter on my desk, get rid of trash, shred anything that needs it, do some filing and then wipe my desk down with surface cleaner. I also make a “to-do” list of any pending tasks so that I can pick right back up after the weekend.

I was really looking forward to getting home. My husband had promised to make omelets for dinner. Breakfasts are the only thing he really likes to make and he’s especially proud of his omelet skills. He got to work in the kitchen while I changed my clothes. I remembered the tube of polenta in the refrigerator and decided it would make a nice accompaniment. I sliced it into rounds and baked it.

When my husband put my plate in front of me he told me there was a “surprise ingredient” mixed in with my eggs. I’ll admit it. I was a little nervous. One bite told me I had nothing to be scared of. In fact, it was really good. He put garlic in the eggs when he scrambled them! It’s something I never would have thought to do, but the flavor was amazing.

My dinner consisted of a one egg, one egg white, mushroom & cheese omelette. On the side I had 2 polenta rounds topped with dijon mustard and parsley flakes. We also opened a bottle of champagne that we received as a Christmas gift. Here’s what everything looked like:

After dinner we played a little Wii bowling and Wii tennis. I lost miserably at both and I’m blaming it on the champagne.

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