Shredded iceburg lettuce mixed in with some romaine that was about to go bad, topped with black beans, taco chicken, tomatoes and salsa, all leftover from taco night.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Random Lunch...
Before I leave for the weekend, I thought I would share my most random lunch ever.
Shredded iceburg lettuce mixed in with some romaine that was about to go bad, topped with black beans, taco chicken, tomatoes and salsa, all leftover from taco night.
On the side, some leftover sweet potato wedges and asparagus.
It may have been random, but it was delicious! I am stuffed now and trying to talk myself out of eating a cookie... no chance I convince myself.
Have a great weekend!
Shredded iceburg lettuce mixed in with some romaine that was about to go bad, topped with black beans, taco chicken, tomatoes and salsa, all leftover from taco night.
Have a great weekend!
2 Short
I think Deluca is enjoying being an only child again...
He never gets on our bed anymore. I think he would just rather stay on the floor than deal with Franklin bothering him. But, when I got out of the shower today, I found him cuddled up with his toy on the bed. He is taking full advantage of this freedom. :)
Recent Eats
Dinner last night was pretty boring, but pretty delicious. Sweet potato wedges seasoned with EVOO, sea salt and P, garlic powder, and paprika and some grilled asparagus.
This morning I opened the fridge to find 1 lonely egg. We have been pretty successful at clearing out all the fresh food in our house (wait until you see my random, ass lunch), so I finished it off by making an egg sandwich before leaving for work today. Honey wheat toast, egg, white cheddar cheese and strawberry preserves.
On-the-Go Fuel
After running by the grocery store last night, I came home and quickly ate dinner so I could get working on packing. I started my packing in the kitchen and put together quite the snack pack for our trip.
Bread, cheese and turkey for sandwiches, string cheese, carrots, hummus and pretzels for snacking. I also added celery, cashew and almond butter, and some ranch for dipping. My sister in law is bringing the fruit (apples and bananas) and a few other snack type items. I also grabbed a bottle of pre-made tea, so that I won't need to purchase any along the ride. The jug I bought was $2.15 and will give me at least 6-8 glasses of iced tea. If I had to buy that many I would spend close to $8. Score! Plus, Sweet Leaf is one of my fav iced teas!
I made a bunch of turkey sandwiches and put all the stuff that needs to remain cold into 2 small coolers. Then I packed all the dry ingredients and supplies into a picnic basket. I brought some cups, straws, and napkins, so we shouldn't need anything else.
I am pretty pumped about being able to eat healthier food along our 13 hour car ride and reduce the amount of time we have to stop. We will probably still have to stop a few times for bathroom breaks and coffee (for Mike), but otherwise, we should be able to drive right through. Total cost for all of the above $24. Definitely the same, if not cheaper, than 2-3 fast food runs on that long of a car trip.
2 Short
I am 2 lbs short of my New Year's goal. I have been holding steady at 7-8 lbs lost since I started this blog. I definitely feel better, my clothes are looser, and many have noticed a difference in my weight. I know that my eating has improved by leaps and bounds and that makes me feel great.
I just need to incorporate more exercise. I can't even really blame the cold weather though, it is December 23 and 65 degrees outside. Perfect running weather.
I will not let those 2 lbs discourage me since I know I will get them off. I just hate that I didn't reach my goal. This will just make me work harder in the new year to be where I want to be. I am really happy with what I have accomplished since starting this blog and know that it is because of it that I have been so successful. The most important thing is that I am content with where I am. I just have to keep looking forward and at the big picture. My long term goal is what is most important, so I will keep working towards that.
I am bringing my computer with me while I am visiting with my in-laws. I will try to get in a post here and there, but can't really make any promises. We are usually so busy running around while we are there, there is little down time. But, we haven't been up there for a week in a really long time either, so maybe it will be different. I will try to snap some photos of what kind of food I get into while up there... maybe some hot wieners? (goodness, I hope not!) Either way, I will be sure to do a full re-cap when I get back.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Carolyn
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 612
Sodium (-) 138
Protein (-) 13
Pretty good all around!
Recent Eats
Dinner last night was pretty boring, but pretty delicious. Sweet potato wedges seasoned with EVOO, sea salt and P, garlic powder, and paprika and some grilled asparagus.
On-the-Go Fuel
After running by the grocery store last night, I came home and quickly ate dinner so I could get working on packing. I started my packing in the kitchen and put together quite the snack pack for our trip.
I made a bunch of turkey sandwiches and put all the stuff that needs to remain cold into 2 small coolers. Then I packed all the dry ingredients and supplies into a picnic basket. I brought some cups, straws, and napkins, so we shouldn't need anything else.
2 Short
I am 2 lbs short of my New Year's goal. I have been holding steady at 7-8 lbs lost since I started this blog. I definitely feel better, my clothes are looser, and many have noticed a difference in my weight. I know that my eating has improved by leaps and bounds and that makes me feel great.
I just need to incorporate more exercise. I can't even really blame the cold weather though, it is December 23 and 65 degrees outside. Perfect running weather.
I will not let those 2 lbs discourage me since I know I will get them off. I just hate that I didn't reach my goal. This will just make me work harder in the new year to be where I want to be. I am really happy with what I have accomplished since starting this blog and know that it is because of it that I have been so successful. The most important thing is that I am content with where I am. I just have to keep looking forward and at the big picture. My long term goal is what is most important, so I will keep working towards that.
I am bringing my computer with me while I am visiting with my in-laws. I will try to get in a post here and there, but can't really make any promises. We are usually so busy running around while we are there, there is little down time. But, we haven't been up there for a week in a really long time either, so maybe it will be different. I will try to snap some photos of what kind of food I get into while up there... maybe some hot wieners? (goodness, I hope not!) Either way, I will be sure to do a full re-cap when I get back.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Carolyn
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 612
Sodium (-) 138
Protein (-) 13
Pretty good all around!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
It's Only Thursday?
This week is going by at a snail's pace...
We have plenty left to do before leaving on Friday, so the evenings are flying by, but the days, are sooo long and sooo boring. I have complete holiday brain and am only really doing work to keep the clock ticking. I don't think anyone at my office is getting much accomplished.
Anyway... I didn't make it to the gym yesterday or today. I blame Mike for yesterday and I blame myself for today :). Yesterday morning, Mike and I were riding together and I could have dropped him off early, gone to the gym and then gone to work. But, he really wanted to sleep in. Which he deserved to do because he has been working really early lately and staying up pretty late working on various things. So, I allowed it. Today, I just couldn't get motivated. I actually woke up pretty early, but by the time I got moving to leave, I would have only had 30 min at the gym. So, I decided to use that time finishing laundry and making breakfast. We have to get all of our packing done tonight so laundry is kind of a priority right now. :)
I am just going to have to kick my ass in gear when we return from our trip. Although I would love to say that I will work out while up there, I know better. Without a gym membership and the freezing cold temperatures, I will probably not be getting anything in. I am going to say that I will try to get a run in a few days, but we shall see...
Yesterday's lunch was fantastic. Very horrible for me, but super delicious. It doesn't help that we have a million cookies and sweets laying around the office as well... I should just stop weighing myself until January. ;)
After stopping by a birthday party last night, we came home to eat some leftover tacos. I had a big chicken taco in a whole wheat wrap. I was pretty full after just one, so that is all I had. I will be having another today for lunch to try to use up all the leftovers.
Tonight, I think I am having a sweet potato with a side of asparagus for dinner. I want to use up everything in the fridge before we leave. I am going to the grocery store tonight to get supplies for our road trip munchies. I think we have come up with a good plan and I'll post the details tomorrow.
Have a great Thursday... if and when it ever ends, it will finally be FRIDAY!! Whoo Hoo!
Yesterday's Stats (I don't even want to look!):
Calories (+) 328
Sodium (+) 1035
Protein (-) 3
We have plenty left to do before leaving on Friday, so the evenings are flying by, but the days, are sooo long and sooo boring. I have complete holiday brain and am only really doing work to keep the clock ticking. I don't think anyone at my office is getting much accomplished.
Anyway... I didn't make it to the gym yesterday or today. I blame Mike for yesterday and I blame myself for today :). Yesterday morning, Mike and I were riding together and I could have dropped him off early, gone to the gym and then gone to work. But, he really wanted to sleep in. Which he deserved to do because he has been working really early lately and staying up pretty late working on various things. So, I allowed it. Today, I just couldn't get motivated. I actually woke up pretty early, but by the time I got moving to leave, I would have only had 30 min at the gym. So, I decided to use that time finishing laundry and making breakfast. We have to get all of our packing done tonight so laundry is kind of a priority right now. :)
I am just going to have to kick my ass in gear when we return from our trip. Although I would love to say that I will work out while up there, I know better. Without a gym membership and the freezing cold temperatures, I will probably not be getting anything in. I am going to say that I will try to get a run in a few days, but we shall see...
Yesterday's lunch was fantastic. Very horrible for me, but super delicious. It doesn't help that we have a million cookies and sweets laying around the office as well... I should just stop weighing myself until January. ;)
Have a great Thursday... if and when it ever ends, it will finally be FRIDAY!! Whoo Hoo!
Yesterday's Stats (I don't even want to look!):
Calories (+) 328
Sodium (+) 1035
Protein (-) 3
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
InStylin' Taco Party
It was so wonderful to get together with my friends last night. We had so much fun catching up, drinking wine, stuffing our faces, and opening presents. I meant for us to take a picture together, but we got distracted taking pictures of this little guy...
He is sooo cute! And, he has changed so much in the last few weeks! He is starting to get a little chub on his cheeks!
Here is a photo from my wedding of the 4 of us, since I didn't get one last night.
I got several great gifts from everyone including a scarf, picture frame, shirt, an adorable apron, and an InStyler. I have been wanting an InStyler for years but it is just one of those things that I would never actually buy for myself. So, it has just remained on my Christmas list for the past few years. I was so excited to get it last night. I couldn't wait to use it today.
I really love it. It took half the time to straighten my hair and it adds a lot more volume than my straightener does. There are lots of different ways to use it, and it comes with a DVD and instruction booklet for doing different styles. I know that once I figure out the soft curl technique, that will become my go-to.
My hair is super long, wavy, and thick, and it takes forever to do. I love my hair long, but it is such a pain in the butt. Normally for work, I just throw it in a low, messy bun and go. Hopefully now I can actually do some different things to it. I am so pumped about this gift!
For dinner, Mike and I made chicken and beef tacos. We set up a build your own assembly line for the tacos and it went really well. Tacos are just so easy when feeding a crowd. It is easy to please everyone and doesn't cost too much or take too much time.
We had chicken, beef and black beans as options using homemade taco seasoning. (We haven't bought taco seasoning in years so that we can control what goes into it and reduce the sodium a bunch.) Then we set up some toppings along the counter for everyone to enjoy. I took these pictures after everyone started digging in, so it is pretty messy looking.
I forgot to take a picture of my plate, but I had 1 big chicken soft taco with tomato, cheese, sour cream and black beans. It was the perfect amount of food.
Jessica brought some cookies over and we set out some of our cookies for dessert. I actually think we all forgot about them, because no one really ate any sweets.
I spent most of the evening doing this:
I just love him!
Food Stuff
Today I rolled with a simple breakfast-on-the-go of toast with cinnamon crunch cashew butter since today I will be eating a bad lunch. My company is buying us Smithfield's BBQ with all the fixings. It is going to be delicious, but my poor sodium intake is going to rocket to an all time high. :( I just have to keep telling myself - "everything in moderation!" I am really looking forward to having some NC BBQ though. :)
We have no groceries in our house.. besides what we made last night for dinner. We purposely did that, since we will be leaving for a week and figured we would "clean out the pantry" for lunches and dinners. But, we really have nothing to make for lunches. So, yesterday, I had to go out for lunch. I went to a place nearby called William's Gourmet Kitchen. They serve sandwiches, soups, wraps and salads and everything is really good. When I walked in the door and saw they had butternut squash soup on the board, my decision was made. Usually, when they have it as a special, it is sold out by the time I get there. But, not this time!
I got a side order of sweet potato fries because I can't ever go to William's without getting their sweet potato fries. They serve them with cinnamon butter on the side and they are just delicious.
Road Trip Munchies
I am going to do some research today to come up with some healthy alternatives for our road trip on Saturday. We have a 10 hour car ride ahead of us and I do not want to stop for fast food. Also, we want to get up there as soon as possible, so we need to avoid sit down restaurants as well. Mike actually came up with the idea to pack some sandwiches and snacks so we can just stop to stretch and let Deluca out every once in a while. Luckily, Mike's sister Haylie, is riding with us and also does not like fast food. So we are going to come up with a plan that will be perfect for the drive. I'll let you know what I find out and how it works out on the road trip.
Happy Wednesday!
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 147
Sodium (+) 853
Protein (-) 21
 |
| Baby P |
Here is a photo from my wedding of the 4 of us, since I didn't get one last night.
 |
| Jenn, Me, Jes, CJ |
 |
| Before |
 |
| After |
For dinner, Mike and I made chicken and beef tacos. We set up a build your own assembly line for the tacos and it went really well. Tacos are just so easy when feeding a crowd. It is easy to please everyone and doesn't cost too much or take too much time.
Jessica brought some cookies over and we set out some of our cookies for dessert. I actually think we all forgot about them, because no one really ate any sweets.
I spent most of the evening doing this:
Food Stuff
We have no groceries in our house.. besides what we made last night for dinner. We purposely did that, since we will be leaving for a week and figured we would "clean out the pantry" for lunches and dinners. But, we really have nothing to make for lunches. So, yesterday, I had to go out for lunch. I went to a place nearby called William's Gourmet Kitchen. They serve sandwiches, soups, wraps and salads and everything is really good. When I walked in the door and saw they had butternut squash soup on the board, my decision was made. Usually, when they have it as a special, it is sold out by the time I get there. But, not this time!
Road Trip Munchies
I am going to do some research today to come up with some healthy alternatives for our road trip on Saturday. We have a 10 hour car ride ahead of us and I do not want to stop for fast food. Also, we want to get up there as soon as possible, so we need to avoid sit down restaurants as well. Mike actually came up with the idea to pack some sandwiches and snacks so we can just stop to stretch and let Deluca out every once in a while. Luckily, Mike's sister Haylie, is riding with us and also does not like fast food. So we are going to come up with a plan that will be perfect for the drive. I'll let you know what I find out and how it works out on the road trip.
Happy Wednesday!
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 147
Sodium (+) 853
Protein (-) 21
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Sore Abs Workout
This week is crawling by, as I suspected... I can't believe it is only Tuesday, it certainly feels like it is at least Thursday.
I got to work today and someone had brought in donuts... Although I know that I should not have one, since there are tons of cookies at home and we have lots of treats here at work, I still wanted one. I hadn't had one in a long time and it was delicious. Sprinkles are my fave. :)
I am a little sore today from yesterday's workout. Actually, I am a lot sore. Usually only parts of my stomach are sore, which tell me I am not getting a complete ab workout in. I took today off from the gym, so I don't over-do it and so that I could sleep in a bit. Plus, when Mike and I ride together, I don't have the choice of sleeping in, so I took advantage today since we rode separate.
I thought it might be helpful to post the workouts that work for me. I am no personal trainer, and really have no idea what I am doing, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. What works for me, might not work for you, but I always find it helpful when others let me know what has worked, especially when it comes to abs. Plus, I want to document what I did so that I can remember it. :)
Ab Workout:
- Side Bends - with 8 lb weight (I used to use 12 lbs, but I am starting light). I use the incline thing that you lean your hips on. Then I do 12 bends on each side for 3 reps.
- Stability Ball Front Lean and Rest - I try to do 3 reps of 20 seconds. Lean forward with both your elbows directly below your shoulders on a mat, clasp your hands under your chest for stability. Extend both legs out and on to a stability ball. Keep your balance and try to create a straight line from your neck to your toes.
- Pelvic Lifts on a Stability Ball - Place both ankles/heels on the stability ball while lying flat on a mat. Leaving arms to your side for balance, lift your pelvis to the sky, creating a straight line from your neck to your ankles. 3 reps of 20 seconds.
- Crunches - Good old crunches - I only do 3 reps of 12-15. I find that when I try to do more, my technique gets pretty bad and I am worried I will hurt myself. I also use the stability ball to put my legs on sometimes to get a different area of my abs.
- V-Crunch - Sit upright on mat or bench. Lean back so that you are balancing on your tailbone. Lift legs with a bend at your knees. Crunch your abs with your legs, creating a V. 3 reps of 12.
Tonight we are having a taco dinner with some friends while we exchange Christmas gifts. One of them is in town from NY, one is from Greenville and the other lives here in Raleigh. The 4 of us have been friends since high school but we became even closer in college and after. It is always a fun get together and every time I am with them, we usually just tell stories and laugh our faces off. My abs might just get in a little workout from all the laughing we will do. :)
Monday, December 19, 2011
"Merry Christmas you wonderful, old Building and Loan!"
It is less than a week until Christmas... can you even believe it? I know I can't. In 5 days we will be pulling into Mike's grandparent's driveway, ready to start our 1 week vacation in Rhode Island. It is going to be a long 5 days, and probably pretty hard to get any real work done.
I had a few things I wanted to accomplish this past weekend.
... I got every last bit done!
Mike and I spent the entire weekend at home (except for a grocery store trip) and got so much accomplished. I worked all night on Friday night, so we didn't get started until 2 on Saturday. But, when I woke up, I got moving. We went grocery shopping, came home, and I started baking. I made the Ride 'Em Cowboy and Peppermint Cookies while also making the almond and cashew butters.
If you haven't ever tried to make nut butter before, let me just tell you how amazing it is. The blog referenced above is my go-to nut butter expert. She has step by step instructions and before you know it, you won't even need a recipe. Now, I just throw in whatever sounds good and keep taste testing until I get exactly what I want.
We are going to Rhode Island for the entire week next week and I thought it would be nice to bring some of my homemade nut butter and some banana bread. I know there will be a ton of cookies already there, so I probably won't bring any of those with us. I made most of the cookies for Mike to take with him to work. One of our friends is a huge fan of the Ride 'Em Cowboy cookies and until I made them this past weekend, I had forgotten why they are so good. They just are. We are also having friends over on Tuesday night to do our annual gift exchange with some of my best friends from high school. I figured cookies will be good to have around that evening.
Since we will be gone for an entire week, and the dogs will also not be at our house, I really wanted to do a good cleaning. Coming home from vacation to a disaster of a house is always a drag. I am really excited that we will be coming home to a sparking clean house and we can just relax when we arrive. I spent a good 4 hours on Sunday cleaning every room.
On Sunday, I also made the No Bake Cookies and banana bread. Those No Bake Cookies are amazing. I have always made the traditional No Bake Cookies and love them, but I wanted to see how this "less sugar and healthier" version came out. They are amazing. I don't know if I will ever make the traditional version again.
The banana bread didn't really turn out as I had envisioned it. I found the recipe for the chocolate banana muffins and wanted to try to make it into a loaf of bread. I probably should have just stuck to the muffins, because I ended up having to cook the loaf for an hour and a half. Even though it tastes great, the outer edge of the loaf is a little darker than I would have liked it to turn out. I am sure it will still get eaten. :)
I finished up baking around 4pm on Sunday and spent the next 4 hours wrapping presents. I don't have a lot of time this coming week to do any wrapping, so I really wanted to get everything done yesterday. I am so glad to be finished.
While wrapping, I threw together a comfort meal. A can of tomato soup and some grilled cheese. I used pepper jack, white cheddar, and sharp cheddar as the cheeses and the Campbell's Select Harvest from a can. Although I would prefer to make my own soup, I didn't have the ingredients or the time. It was still pretty good though.
It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!
From the moment I met Mike, he has been quoting It's a Wonderful Life. He always said it was his favorite movie and he HAD to watch it every year at Christmas time. I had never seen it until I met Mike. When we watched it for the first time, I remember dreading it. A black and white movie? An old movie? A movie that I thought had nothing to do with Christmas? No thanks. I am more of a How the Grinch Stole Christmas kind of girl. But now, it is one of my favorite movies and traditions that we have. We watch it every year, while eating cookies and milk. I really look forward to it and love laughing at all the corny lines and facial expressions. Of course, I cry every time, too. You would think that after watching it 6+ times, I would be over the emotion, but I'm not. And now, I am kinda sad that it will be a whole year until we watch it again. Because watching at any other time of the year would just be odd.
I think I also love this movie because if Mike and I ever have a little girl, she is probably going to look exactly like Zhu Zhu, George Bailey's daughter. If she does, we will probably have to call her that. : )
We also decided to give our pups their Christmas toys. They won't be together on Christmas (sad face) since we are taking Deluca to RI and leaving Franklin at Grandma's house... before you judge - it was a long, thought out decision, but one that we feel is necessary to ensure Mike's elderly grandparents don't get knocked over on account of our nosy, under your feet, rambunctious Franklin. Although it makes me really sad to not have him with us, it just makes more sense. Mike thinks that Deluca should come to RI because it is on his bucket list. Plus, that way my mom only has 1 dog to deal with. Anyway, we gave them some toys and they went kinda wild. I tried for like an hour to get a good picture of them playing, but my crappy iphone and crappy camera just do not photograph fast enough. So here is what we got them. Along with treats of course.
Gym Time!
I made it to the gym this morning and put in an hour and 10 minutes. I did arms, abs and 30 minutes of interval running on the treadmill. I will probably be pretty sore tomorrow, but I am so glad I went. I was certainly dreading waking up at 6:45 am, and probably whined the whole way there, but after I got in the door, I was glad I was there. Let's hope I can get there on Wednesday and Thursday too, so I will accomplish my goal for the week!
I had a few things I wanted to accomplish this past weekend.
- Make Mama Pea's No Bake Snowball Cookies
- Make RecipeGirl's Ride 'Em Cowboy Cookies
- Make my favorite Christmas cookie - How Sweet's Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Make Banana Bread - adapted from here and here to make my own version
- Make Edible Ashley's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Almond Butter
- Make Edible Ashley's Cinnamon Crunch - Cashew Butter (instead of almond)
- Grocery Shop
- Clean the entire house
- Finish wrapping all of our Christmas gifts
Mike and I spent the entire weekend at home (except for a grocery store trip) and got so much accomplished. I worked all night on Friday night, so we didn't get started until 2 on Saturday. But, when I woke up, I got moving. We went grocery shopping, came home, and I started baking. I made the Ride 'Em Cowboy and Peppermint Cookies while also making the almond and cashew butters.
If you haven't ever tried to make nut butter before, let me just tell you how amazing it is. The blog referenced above is my go-to nut butter expert. She has step by step instructions and before you know it, you won't even need a recipe. Now, I just throw in whatever sounds good and keep taste testing until I get exactly what I want.
We are going to Rhode Island for the entire week next week and I thought it would be nice to bring some of my homemade nut butter and some banana bread. I know there will be a ton of cookies already there, so I probably won't bring any of those with us. I made most of the cookies for Mike to take with him to work. One of our friends is a huge fan of the Ride 'Em Cowboy cookies and until I made them this past weekend, I had forgotten why they are so good. They just are. We are also having friends over on Tuesday night to do our annual gift exchange with some of my best friends from high school. I figured cookies will be good to have around that evening.
Since we will be gone for an entire week, and the dogs will also not be at our house, I really wanted to do a good cleaning. Coming home from vacation to a disaster of a house is always a drag. I am really excited that we will be coming home to a sparking clean house and we can just relax when we arrive. I spent a good 4 hours on Sunday cleaning every room.
On Sunday, I also made the No Bake Cookies and banana bread. Those No Bake Cookies are amazing. I have always made the traditional No Bake Cookies and love them, but I wanted to see how this "less sugar and healthier" version came out. They are amazing. I don't know if I will ever make the traditional version again.
The banana bread didn't really turn out as I had envisioned it. I found the recipe for the chocolate banana muffins and wanted to try to make it into a loaf of bread. I probably should have just stuck to the muffins, because I ended up having to cook the loaf for an hour and a half. Even though it tastes great, the outer edge of the loaf is a little darker than I would have liked it to turn out. I am sure it will still get eaten. :)
I finished up baking around 4pm on Sunday and spent the next 4 hours wrapping presents. I don't have a lot of time this coming week to do any wrapping, so I really wanted to get everything done yesterday. I am so glad to be finished.
While wrapping, I threw together a comfort meal. A can of tomato soup and some grilled cheese. I used pepper jack, white cheddar, and sharp cheddar as the cheeses and the Campbell's Select Harvest from a can. Although I would prefer to make my own soup, I didn't have the ingredients or the time. It was still pretty good though.
It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!
From the moment I met Mike, he has been quoting It's a Wonderful Life. He always said it was his favorite movie and he HAD to watch it every year at Christmas time. I had never seen it until I met Mike. When we watched it for the first time, I remember dreading it. A black and white movie? An old movie? A movie that I thought had nothing to do with Christmas? No thanks. I am more of a How the Grinch Stole Christmas kind of girl. But now, it is one of my favorite movies and traditions that we have. We watch it every year, while eating cookies and milk. I really look forward to it and love laughing at all the corny lines and facial expressions. Of course, I cry every time, too. You would think that after watching it 6+ times, I would be over the emotion, but I'm not. And now, I am kinda sad that it will be a whole year until we watch it again. Because watching at any other time of the year would just be odd.
 |
| "I want a BIG one..." |
We also decided to give our pups their Christmas toys. They won't be together on Christmas (sad face) since we are taking Deluca to RI and leaving Franklin at Grandma's house... before you judge - it was a long, thought out decision, but one that we feel is necessary to ensure Mike's elderly grandparents don't get knocked over on account of our nosy, under your feet, rambunctious Franklin. Although it makes me really sad to not have him with us, it just makes more sense. Mike thinks that Deluca should come to RI because it is on his bucket list. Plus, that way my mom only has 1 dog to deal with. Anyway, we gave them some toys and they went kinda wild. I tried for like an hour to get a good picture of them playing, but my crappy iphone and crappy camera just do not photograph fast enough. So here is what we got them. Along with treats of course.
Gym Time!
I made it to the gym this morning and put in an hour and 10 minutes. I did arms, abs and 30 minutes of interval running on the treadmill. I will probably be pretty sore tomorrow, but I am so glad I went. I was certainly dreading waking up at 6:45 am, and probably whined the whole way there, but after I got in the door, I was glad I was there. Let's hope I can get there on Wednesday and Thursday too, so I will accomplish my goal for the week!
Friday, December 16, 2011
When Mike Makes Dinner
IT'S FRIDAY!!!! Yes!! If only I didn't have to work at the hospital tonight... this Friday would be perfect. Really, I get kinda excited about working at the hospital. Especially on the weekends. First, there are a lot of young, fun girls that work the weekends on my floor, so it is always nice to catch up with them and gossip for a few hours. Second, the money on the weekends is almost double that of the weeknights. So, I pretty much have all of this fun money spent before I even walk into my shift. :)
Last night I ran around trying to get all of my shopping complete. Traffic was awful, but I didn't have a really hard time with anything else. I got a parking spot pretty quickly and the lines were not too long. I am THIS CLOSE to being completely done. Besides stocking stuffers, Mike is completely finished. I just know he is going to love the Nickelback World Tour DVD that I got him. ;)
I got home a little later than I had planned last night and was excited that Mike had made dinner. My plate was waiting for me in the microwave.
He grilled some chicken with some olive oil, S&P, boiled some broccoli and made the rice from a box. You have to love him for trying! :) I immediately cut all of my portions in half and put some in a container for lunch today.
I was starving when I got home, so I really appreciated the dinner he prepared. I also ate a few meatballs that were leftover from the girl's night on Wednesday.
I called Mike to let him know I was on the way home from shopping. He said that he had made dinner and that he would make me a plate for when I got home. I was excited to hear that I didn't have to think about dinner and asked what he had made. He said "chicken, broccoli, and, I know you aren't going to like this, but I made a box of flavored rice." At first, I did cringe a little at the idea of eating that, but then I had to remind myself that it doesn't happen very often, so just get over it.
I will admit that I am a little neurotic. When I get things in my head, I just want to change everything about the way I live and do things, almost a "cold turkey" attitude.
When I started to read and learn about whole foods and eating more naturally, I went cold turkey on everything else. Anything that was pre-packaged, convenient, or ready-made, went in the garbage. I started to make everything from scratch including peanut butter, taco seasoning, beans, and rice. I refused to buy anything that came in a box or packet and I cut out fast food.
Although I still try to avoid most of those things, I am also not a picky person. I don't want to be the person that has to eat at home before going to a party because others do not follow my same dietary interests. I don't want to miss out on a dinner out with friends, even if they choose a "not-so-whole" restaurant. I am easy when it comes to these things, I always have been. I will quickly give up on my own wants, if it is something the group would rather do.
Also, I am pretty cheap. Wasting food makes me want to cringe. When we have people over or in town, I usually do not spend a lot of money on the food we have in the house. Maybe it is selfish, but I would rather buy my expensive food when Mike and I can enjoy it, not everyone else. So, when we do have people over, there are usually a lot of bad leftovers. Leftovers that I would not normally eat or have in my house. Then, we eat them, because it is food and it will provide a few meals that saves us money and waste.
I still make my own nut butters, but when we are out and I don't have time to make more, I just buy the natural peanut butter, with the least amount of ingredients. I eat a lot of beans from a can, but that is more because I can not seem to get the dry bean making right. They always come out so hard! But I justify this by rinsing the beans and draining all the liquid before using them from the can. For some reason, we still have a few boxes of instant potatoes and rice in our house, so on occasion, Mike will make them. I no longer buy them though, so that won't last forever.
Trying to balance a healthy lifestyle, time (that I don't seem to have enough of), our budget, and my sanity is not easy. I feel like I have made tremendous changes over the last year and will continue to take steps towards where I want us to be. Thankfully, I have a supportive husband, who sees that I am just trying to keep us healthy, even if he does sneak fast food whenever he can... that is a story for another post.
Have a great weekend!
Last night I ran around trying to get all of my shopping complete. Traffic was awful, but I didn't have a really hard time with anything else. I got a parking spot pretty quickly and the lines were not too long. I am THIS CLOSE to being completely done. Besides stocking stuffers, Mike is completely finished. I just know he is going to love the Nickelback World Tour DVD that I got him. ;)
I got home a little later than I had planned last night and was excited that Mike had made dinner. My plate was waiting for me in the microwave.
 | |
I called Mike to let him know I was on the way home from shopping. He said that he had made dinner and that he would make me a plate for when I got home. I was excited to hear that I didn't have to think about dinner and asked what he had made. He said "chicken, broccoli, and, I know you aren't going to like this, but I made a box of flavored rice." At first, I did cringe a little at the idea of eating that, but then I had to remind myself that it doesn't happen very often, so just get over it.
I will admit that I am a little neurotic. When I get things in my head, I just want to change everything about the way I live and do things, almost a "cold turkey" attitude.
When I started to read and learn about whole foods and eating more naturally, I went cold turkey on everything else. Anything that was pre-packaged, convenient, or ready-made, went in the garbage. I started to make everything from scratch including peanut butter, taco seasoning, beans, and rice. I refused to buy anything that came in a box or packet and I cut out fast food.
Although I still try to avoid most of those things, I am also not a picky person. I don't want to be the person that has to eat at home before going to a party because others do not follow my same dietary interests. I don't want to miss out on a dinner out with friends, even if they choose a "not-so-whole" restaurant. I am easy when it comes to these things, I always have been. I will quickly give up on my own wants, if it is something the group would rather do.
Also, I am pretty cheap. Wasting food makes me want to cringe. When we have people over or in town, I usually do not spend a lot of money on the food we have in the house. Maybe it is selfish, but I would rather buy my expensive food when Mike and I can enjoy it, not everyone else. So, when we do have people over, there are usually a lot of bad leftovers. Leftovers that I would not normally eat or have in my house. Then, we eat them, because it is food and it will provide a few meals that saves us money and waste.
I still make my own nut butters, but when we are out and I don't have time to make more, I just buy the natural peanut butter, with the least amount of ingredients. I eat a lot of beans from a can, but that is more because I can not seem to get the dry bean making right. They always come out so hard! But I justify this by rinsing the beans and draining all the liquid before using them from the can. For some reason, we still have a few boxes of instant potatoes and rice in our house, so on occasion, Mike will make them. I no longer buy them though, so that won't last forever.
Trying to balance a healthy lifestyle, time (that I don't seem to have enough of), our budget, and my sanity is not easy. I feel like I have made tremendous changes over the last year and will continue to take steps towards where I want us to be. Thankfully, I have a supportive husband, who sees that I am just trying to keep us healthy, even if he does sneak fast food whenever he can... that is a story for another post.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Oh Christmas Brie!
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| Put together, baste with egg wash, Bake at 400 F for 20-25 min, Serve! |
That is all I have for today. But guess what??? Tomorrow it is Friday! Have a great day!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Only the BEST Chicken Nugget Recipe Ever
Happy hump day! Wednesdays are always good days for a few reasons. 1. my office celebrates "casual Wednesday AND Friday," 2. only 2 more days til the weekend!
Gym Plan
Mike and I have developed a plan for next week that will hopefully get me to the gym at least 3 times and we can ride together. Riding together has been really helpful to our budget since we both work very close to each other, but very far from our house. Our gas bill is just so high, we had to come up with some kind of solution. But, when we ride together, I don't normally go to the gym. Mike has a lot to wrap up before the end of the year at work, so he is going to try to put in a few extra hours each day. Our plan is to drop him off early, I can go to the gym, and then go to work myself. Luckily, the gym I go to is very close to both of our jobs so, barring any eye traumas, I should be back to my gym routine soon!
Yum. that is all.
Boy, do I have a recipe to share with you. I made the BEST chicken nuggets ever last night and I can't wait to make them again. They were sooo tasty! So much better than any fast food restaurant and so much healthier! I found this recipe on Skinny Taste and followed it almost exactly. That recipe is a keeper. Although, I do want to try to create a spicy version soon.
The Best Chicken Nuggets
adapted from Skinny Taste
2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into nugget sized chunks
Salt and Pepper
4 tbsp of olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian bread crumbs
2 tbsp panko
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil Spray
Preheat oven to 425 F.
After you cut your chicken up, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Mix breadcrumbs, panko, and cheese in a small bowl. Also, put olive oil in a separate bowl. Coat each chicken nugget with olive oil, then in the breadcrumb mixture.
Place on a greased cookie sheet and spray with the olive oil spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Flip each nugget, spray with olive oil again, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve with your choice of dips.
I really couldn't get over how great these nuggets turned out. I think the spraying of the olive oil was definitely key. I had hoped we would have enough for leftovers today, but we ate them all. :)
After dinner last night, Mike and I put together some lunches and oatmeal for our breakfasts the rest of the week. This morning I enjoyed oatmeal - "Mike's Way" - with frozen raspberries and brown sugar.
Tonight, I am meeting up with some lovely ladies for an ornament exchange. We are all bringing a dish to share and I decided to bring a Cherry and Brie Pastry Bake. I can't wait to try it. I will post all of the goodies from tonight's festivities tomorrow. Have a great day!
Yesterday's Stats
Calories (+) 8
Sodium (+) 537 :(
Protein (-)2 :)
Gym Plan
Mike and I have developed a plan for next week that will hopefully get me to the gym at least 3 times and we can ride together. Riding together has been really helpful to our budget since we both work very close to each other, but very far from our house. Our gas bill is just so high, we had to come up with some kind of solution. But, when we ride together, I don't normally go to the gym. Mike has a lot to wrap up before the end of the year at work, so he is going to try to put in a few extra hours each day. Our plan is to drop him off early, I can go to the gym, and then go to work myself. Luckily, the gym I go to is very close to both of our jobs so, barring any eye traumas, I should be back to my gym routine soon!
Yum. that is all.
Boy, do I have a recipe to share with you. I made the BEST chicken nuggets ever last night and I can't wait to make them again. They were sooo tasty! So much better than any fast food restaurant and so much healthier! I found this recipe on Skinny Taste and followed it almost exactly. That recipe is a keeper. Although, I do want to try to create a spicy version soon.
adapted from Skinny Taste
2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into nugget sized chunks
Salt and Pepper
4 tbsp of olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian bread crumbs
2 tbsp panko
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
Olive Oil Spray
Preheat oven to 425 F.
 |
| Lite Ranch, Spicy Sweet and Sour, & Sweet & Sour |
After dinner last night, Mike and I put together some lunches and oatmeal for our breakfasts the rest of the week. This morning I enjoyed oatmeal - "Mike's Way" - with frozen raspberries and brown sugar.
Tonight, I am meeting up with some lovely ladies for an ornament exchange. We are all bringing a dish to share and I decided to bring a Cherry and Brie Pastry Bake. I can't wait to try it. I will post all of the goodies from tonight's festivities tomorrow. Have a great day!
Yesterday's Stats
Calories (+) 8
Sodium (+) 537 :(
Protein (-)2 :)
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