Hangin’ Around

Saturday was a laaaaazy day in the UFC household. Well, for me anyway. My husband was up and at ‘em at his usual time (2:30AM) and out the door at 4 for a Saturday work meeting. I got up long enough to see him out the door and then headed back to the cozy bed for more rest and cuddle time with the pup. We ended up lounging there until about 8:30. I was still tired, but decided it was well past time to get up and moving.

Breakfast was a fiesta for one:

• flour tortilla (we were out of the healthy kind)
• Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger chopped into chunks
• scrambled egg
• shredded cheddar cheese
• dolop of sour cream
• salsa
  

It was delicious and very filling! It was enjoyed alongside a good book and some hot maple tea from Canada, courtesy of my aunt on her last visit.

There was also a hungry, hungry hippo at the table:

Breakfast was followed by reading on the porch and a nap on the couch. I had the brilliant idea of a 30 minute workout to boost my energy. It felt good to move, but afterward I was back to lounging.

My husband finally got home around 3 and was pooped. I’d purchased some video games for him from eBay and told him I’d at least like him to test them all out and make sure they worked before I left feedback for the seller. His comment? “I never thought I’d hear my wife tell me that I NEEDED to play my video games.” He did just that while I read some more. Neither one of us found motivation to do much more than that for the rest of the evening.

Sunday I was determined to be more productive than Saturday. We got up fairly early (AKA before 8:00), got dressed and headed to town. My husband got his hair cut while I walked the perimeter of the shopping center. Next was lunch out. We always think that we want Buffalo Wild Wings, but it turns out to be a disappointment every time. Too bad none of the local places are open on Sunday.

After lunch was grocery shopping. We came in under $75 which isn’t bad considering I didn’t shop at all last weekend. I also found this gem in the clearance carts:

Regular price $12, marked down to $5! I love videos from The Firm and have been wanting this one for a while. It’s high impact so I won’t be doing it anytime soon, but it will give me something to look forward to later.

I was putting groceries away when my husband walked in the back door with a stressed look on his face. All he said was “I’m going to need some help. Grab some bags.” I had no clue what the problem could be until after I’d followed him to the garden. We filled 4 bags with yellow squash, banana peppers, a few cherry tomatoes (FINALLY!) and some ginormous zucchini. Now I know what everyone meant when they told us that these things can quadruple in size overnight.

What’s the best way to prepare an arm-sized zucchini?

I spent the majority of the evening cleaning and organizing in the baby’s room. I filled the trunk of my car with things to take to my parents for their garage sale and listed a few items on eBay. I LOVE the feeling of getting rid of things I don’t need!

By Request

I’ve had some requests to see pics of the baby bump. Ask and you shall receive.

29 weeks down, 11 to go! I know that I am growing a life and that these extra 40 (!!!!) lbs. are necessary to protect the Peanut. That said, I really want my body back.

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Happy World Water Day!

• The average American uses 150 gallons of water every day.
• 1 in 6 people on Earth do not have access to safe drinking water.

How can you help?

• Drink tap water instead of bottled water. It helps our planet and gives you a really great excuse to buy a cute, reusable bottle. WIN-WIN in my book!
• Be conscious of the water you use and try to reduce your consumption.
• Share information about water conservation with your friend.

In honor of this special day, Nubius Organics (LOVE ‘em) is offering 20% off all reusable bottles, including those that are already on sale. Just enter promo code WWD20 at checkout. The offer is good through March 23rd, so hurry!

Here’s a recap of my eats from the past two days:

Friday

I woke up STARVING because I didn’t eat much of a dinner last night. Two Kashi waffles with a little butter and lite maple syrup filled me right up. I’d really like to start posting pictures of my first-thing-in-the-morning meals. It’s still dark when I leave the house so I can just never get the lighting right.

I ate the last bit of my strawberries after getting settled in at my desk.

I ate what was supposed to be my lunch about an hour and a half before workout time. Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger, a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese and lettuce all on a La Tortilla Factor EVOO Tomato & Basil Softwrap. Here it is pre-rollup.

I was trying to decide what to do about being lunchless when my coworkersaid she was calling in an order to the fancy hotel bistro across the street and would pick it up after our workout. Clearly, it was meant to be.

Our workout at work today had tougher cardio stations than normal and I could feel the burn. My favorite exercise today was the BOSU trainer plank. I was grateful to have food on the way when I returned because I was hungry.

I had the spicy vegetarian rice rolls. All I can say is HOLY WASABI! They came with a veggie blend (tossed in balsamic vinegar) and their homemade chips. I ate everything except the onions from the veggie salad and about 1/2 of the chips. I’m a little worried that these will become an addiction. They were sooooo good.

I had an afternoon craving for something sweet, but the only thing available in the office was candy. I ran over to the cafe across the street for a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and ended up with a cup of unsweetened raspberry iced tea, too.

It always feels so good to leave work on a Friday evening. There’s just something so exciting and freeing about knowing you have those 2 days ahead of you for fun. I called a few close friends and family members during my commute to share our baby news. Everyone was thrilled and offered lots of encouragement.

I wasn’t even a little bit hungry for supper. I had toast with butter and jam at some point, but no photo because I was really into the Ohio State vs. Siena basketball game. The outcome didn’t help my bracket any, but man that was a good game! I’m not usually a big fan of basketball on TV, but that’s changed a bit since I’m in the office pool this year.

Saturday

I slept in a little and was worried that the grocery would be crazy busy since I was going a couple hours later than normal. I ate some Kashi waffles and was out the door.

The grocery was actually quite peaceful. I had freedom to browse without being crowded or pushed along by the flow of cart traffic. This resulted in some new products which I’ll be reviewing here soon.

After the grocery, I stopped at the bank and then the local coffee shop for a light iced java chip frappe. It’s one of my favorites.

By the time I’d put groceries away, I was hungry for lunch. I tried something new and made my organic whole wheat couscous in the microwave per the directions from the box. It worked perfectly! Actually, I think it turned out even better than on the stovetop. I added some black beans and Tastefully Simple Mild Red Pepper Salsa.

I also had VeggiePatch Veggie Nuggets with mustard for dipping.

After lunch, I headed outside to do some reading for my Nutrition & Wellness Consultant at-home study. That’s where I spent most of the afternoon into early evening. The sunshine felt great! We didn’t have an “official” dinner. I just did a repeat of lunch because it was so yummy and then hung out with my husband until time for bed.

Just FYI, this is where I’m blogging and blog reading today:

I have some water (in my reusable bottle of course) and fresh iced sun tea for refreshment. Those are clothes drying on the line in the background. That’s one of my favorite parts of warm weather. I love the way they feel and smell. The real perk is that it’s more eco-friendly than the dryer. Plus, it cuts down a LOT on our electric bill.

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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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It’s in the Mail

I work in the finance department of a medium-sized city. Income tax season has already begun so everyone pitches in to help with everything that goes along with this time of year. I spent almost the entire day folding letters and stuffing envelopes. Riveting work, lemme tell ya.

Overall today was a pretty good day. For starters, it’s Friday. To make that even better, it’s payday. My checks are direct deposited so the only thing I see is a pay stub. I don’t physically touch my money, but I know it’s there.

Breakfast was probably my favorite oat concoction so far. I stirred in a dollop of peanut butter and then put a plop (a scientific unit of measure) of Amish store blackberry jam right on top. That ended up being stirred in as I went, but the picture looked prettier this way:

Lunch was something new for me. I love tofu, but I’ve never tried it as a sandwich. Why? I have no idea. It was very tasty and very filling. I put some reheated leftover Gliding Calm tofu, a slice of 2% American cheese and some dijon mustard on 2 slices of low-cal toast. This picture was before I added the 2nd piece of toast:

One of my coworkers brought in a box of Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice tea to share and, being the tea lover that I am, I was happy to accept. Unfortunately, I think it’s just seasonal. I may have to check my grocery and snag some if it’s still on the shelves because I really liked this one. It was the perfect balance of ginger and spice. One bag made two pretty strong cups.

Snack was very refreshing. I had slices of green and yellow peppers dipped in a cup of Chi Chi’s medium salsa. I love these individual serving packs. So convenient for transporting to work.

Shortly after I left for work I got some news that made my day even better. I won Kelly’s giveaway over at Every Gym’s Nightmare for the book The World is Fat by Barry Popkin. I’ve heard great things about this book from several sources so I’m really excited to read it. Thanks Kelly!

No dinner picture tonight. My super sweet husband made spaghetti tonight. I started to take a picture, but my camera battery was out of juice. We were both really hungry so I didn’t want to wait for it to charge. Basically what you’re missing is a pile of whole wheat spaghetti noodles with sausage sauce and a some baby carrots with Annie’s Goddess dressing for dipping. Mmmmmm. I’ve been spoiled lately. I’ll be a bit out of sorts when he goes back to working 5 (or more) days a week. This is the off season for his company so they’re working four 10-hour days and getting Friday off. That will end as soon as the warmer weather kicks in. By summer, he’ll be working 80-90 hour weeks including LOTS of Saturdays. For now, I’ll just enjoy having him around more.

After dinner we digested and then hit the gym. I had a pretty good session of walking on the treadmill, upper body & lower body. I did all my strength training in front of the mirror today. I don’t do this every time I lift weights, but I do like to do it every once in a while as a way to check my form.

No big Friday night plans for our household. My husband is watching his favorite show, Friday Night Lights, and I’m catching up on blog reading. I hope you’re all having a fabulous Friday night!

What’s your busiest time of year? Why?

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Mid-Day Margarita

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everyone! I have the day off which is nice. I slept in until almost 8 this morning which is a real treat because I’m normally up between 4:30 and 5 on weekdays. Obviously I needed the extra zzz. Breakfast was 2 leftover pumpkin spice muffins from the batch I made yesterday and a cup of strong, black coffee.

I’ve been reading lots of food blogs for a few weeks now and I’ve noticed a clear theme: oats. I must admit, up until now I’ve been a packaged oatmeal kind of girl. It never keeps me full and I know it’s loaded with sugar so I’d pretty much stopped eating it altogether. This morning I decided to try making a batch of steel cut oats. I bought a container of these a few months ago and just never bothered to try making them because they take longer to cook and I just don’t have a lot of extra time in the morning.

I’m happy to report that the experiment was a success! I ate a little spoonful and was surprised that I actually liked the taste, even without any “extras” mixed in yet. I wasn’t hungry enough to eat a bowl after I’d already had breakfast so I packaged them up in containers and I’ll be taking them to work for breakfasts at my desk during the week.

Shortly after I’d finished with the oats one of my favorite people in the entire world, my sister-in-law, called to see if I wanted to go out to Tumbleweed for lunch. She’s a teacher so she also has the day off. Not really a favorite restaurant for either of us, but she wanted to use the gift card she won at a Christmas party. We both had the taco salad with peppered chicken. I didn’t eat the shell and asked for salsa instead of salad dressing. They brought the chip basket, but each only ate 2 or 3. We did calorie splurge on margaritas, though. Since it’s Monday they were $1 each. I had a Coco Loco on the rocks and she had pomegranate on the rocks. They were both really good. The food? Not so much. I tried to find a picture of the dish or the drink online, but there’s nothing.

I changed clothes as soon as I got home and popped in a workout DVD. The 60 minutes went by quickly and I burned 483 calories according to my heart rate monitor. My legs were burning a little afterwards so I decided to use one of my favorite products: cooling leg gel from The Body Shop. It has a pretty strong peppermint scent and when you put it on it instantly feels cool and soothing on sore muscles. I also decided to paint my toesies and used OPI nail polish in Fondue You.

I’m going to go cook some soup to take for lunches this week. I’ll be back later to post a picture and a link to the recipe. Looks like it will be a good one!

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