let's talk shop, shall we?

I am in a bit of a shopping mood... I am normally very good about spreading my shopping out and trying not to spend very much money, but I can't seem to stop myself right now. There are so many things I want (and need) and I can't decide what to get first.

We paid off our trip to Mexico yesterday and since then, I just feel like a weight has been lifted. I should probably be saving every last penny we have for all of the other weddings, trips, and parties we have coming up this summer, but I feel like I have a little more wiggle room than I did before. I told Mike that we could each take a little bit of money out to get something we really want. This is pretty dangerous for me.

For Mike, he probably won't even spend it. He will probably take the money out, put it in his wallet, walk around Lowe's or Home Depot for hours only to leave empty handed.  Or, he will spend it on me. haha. Not that I have ever asked him to, but that is just what he does... it is who he is. I think it makes him the happiest when I say I want something and he can say, "here, go get it." I love that man.

Anyway, with my little shopping fund that I have, the items are endless. I need new running shoes. I have been searching for a new pair for weeks. I need some running clothes. Running leggings, running jacket, new socks, new sports bras.  I need some TOMS for casual outfits. I need some new work clothes and shoes. I need a new purse since my strap has broken off of the one I am currently using... But, what to spend it on?

Life's decisions can be so hard. I have a $10 of coupon from DSW so I have been looking there for new running shoes. So far, it is between these and these. The first pair will probably be a little heavier, and I am really looking to lighten up my running shoe. The second pair may get horribly dirty, but really, who cares? They look super lightweight and the price is pretty awesome... Any thoughts?

Look! Still light out at 6pm!

Since it is FINALLY staying lighter later in the evenings, running outdoors will soon become part of my regular work out and I am going to need some warmer running garb. I searched Dick's the other day for a bunch of new running clothes for the spring, but have a hard time spending the money on them. Especially knowing that at TJMaxx, I can probably get similar items for a fraction of the cost. I will probably just head there to stock up on some running clothes. 

I have been wanting TOMS for a while now. I have several friends and family members who rave about them and they seem like the perfect casual outfit shoe. My only decision there is gray, blue, or black? I am liking the gray or blue most, but black seems more practical.

I probably won't be buying any new work clothes because I think that is the worst thing to shop for. It just bores me to no end. I pretty much just try to incorporate my normal clothing into a more professional look. It seems to work out ok, but, I really need some new black shoes. I either have boots or pumps. Nothing in between. I need a little variety.

The purse is going to have to happen since I really have no other purses that are versatile enough to wear with everything. I better start looking for one. I would love this beauty, but it is a wee bit expensive.

I guess maybe I better get a 3rd job.

Recent Eats

We are in another (wonderful) situation where we have way too many vegetables and fruits in our fridge, so we need to do something with them. Last night, we whipped up another awesome veggie and egg scramble for dinner. (don't tell Mike, but I used 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites instead of 4 eggs, he didn't even notice.)

I also decided to put these enormous carrots to good use and made julienned carrots. They were really tasty and a great compliment to my egg dinner.

Julienned Sweet Carrots

1 large carrot or several small carrots, cut into strips
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tbsp butter

Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water, bring to boil. Add in carrots and bring back to boil. Once you have reached a boil, reduce to a simmer for 5-6 minutes until carrots are slightly tender. Drain water. Add butter and brown sugar and toss together until mixed and melted.
With the leftover carrots and other veggies, I went ahead and threw together a big salad with tomatoes, hard boiled egg, goat cheese and spinach for my lunch.

I also did a little juicing with carrots, apples, and oranges. When I know I have juice waiting for me in the morning, I always wake up a little easier. :)

Gym Time
We didn't exactly leave for work on time today, so I only had about 40 minutes at the gym. I decided to use the entire time on the treadmill running. I am slacking a bit on my abs this week, so I will have to make up for them tomorrow! I need to get in back, abs, and a run tomorrow. No way that all happens, but I will certainly try!

Have a good day!

Yesterday's Stats: BEST DAY EVER!
Calories (-) 229
Sodium (-) 588
Protein (+) 22

Egg Salad with a Twist

I have been thinking a lot about egg salad lately... I am not. sure. why...

When Mike hard boiled some eggs for me the other day, I have been trying to come up with my own recipe for egg salad... but then I just couldn't get that curried greek yogurt idea out of my brain. So, I went with it. I did throw in some additional veggies like carrots and celery, so it wasn't exactly the same thing, but same flavor I am sure.

We loved this egg salad! As I was making it, I asked Mike if he liked egg salad and he said sometimes he tastes it and thinks to himself "self, that is good." So I let him have a bite. I warned him that it was not the traditional egg salad that he was probably thinking about with mayo and mustard, but he loved it. He loved the sweet flavor and tangy combination from the yogurt and cumin. We had a winner.

I packed us both a few lunches out of this salad and it was a nice change up to our traditional leftovers for lunch. I had mine on a whole wheat bun with sliced tomatoes with a blood orange greek yogurt and some buffalo wing pretzel crisps. I am certainly getting my protein in lately with all the added egg and yogurt in my diet.

BTW, the blood orange Chobani? AWESOME. These new flavors are soooo good!

Remember the other day when I made a so-so dinner of a homemade pasta sauce with veggies over whole wheat spaghetti? Well, we had a bunch leftover, and I didn't want it to go to waste. Mike decided to doctor it up a bit by adding some seasonings and jalapeno chicken sausage. We ate that for dinner on Tuesday night, and it actually turned out really good. I crumbled some goat cheese on top of mine and it was really creamy.

I think the vegetables had a chance to soften up a bit more and the sauce was a little more flavorful. We are really getting good use out of 1 package of those jalapeno chicken sausages. I would so much rather eat them this way than in a bun. They add so much flavor to regular meals!

Can you tell who plated my dinner?

Wednesday's breakfast was completely random. We are out of bread, and I am still just not feeling like eating oats, so I just threw a bunch of things into my bag. Grapefruit, hard boiled egg, and mangoes...

The grapefruit is making me so happy every morning. I love fresh grapefruit! That combined with the mangoes is so very refreshing in the mornings. :) The egg is really just there so that I am not snacking for the rest of the day.

We went to they gym last night for a leg work out and got in a pretty good one in 30 minutes. I had to rush to get to the hospital on time, but I am glad we were able to get it in. Doing a leg work out, then running around a hospital floor for 4 hours, makes for some very tired and jello legs. Today I plan on doing cardio, arms, and abs since I have been pretty slack this week.

Which brings me to a good question. If I work out every single day on the weeks that I work 10-6, is it OK that I slack a bit on my 9-5 weeks when I don't feel like waking up before 7? Of course, I know it would be best to go every week, the same amount, but I feel pretty good knowing that I did 7 days in a row last week, so this week I am only getting in 4 days. Do you agree? Or am I just making up excuses for my laziness?

We do have one small problem in our house currently... a lot of these are leftover and being consumed... we don't want them to go bad! And, they are SO GOOD! Someone come over and eat them all so we don't have to!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 44
Sodium (-) 71
Protein (+) 16

7 AM

Mike returned to work yesterday and his co-workers had a little fun with his cube...

Luckily, he has a good sense of humor. :)

I think Mike is finally coming out of his depression from Sunday night. He was moping around a little the last few days, but I think he is finally getting over it. Can't win them all!

Monday night, I was in a serious veggie and egg mood, so we put together a quick and easy dinner. Mike scrambled some eggs and threw in some jalapeno chicken sausage, onions, peppers, spinach, and tomatoes.

I had one in a wrap, and another small serving of eggs without the wrap. A little hot sauce and cheese and it was the perfect dinner.

My breakfast needs a change up. The oats and peanut butter toast with banana combination were just getting old. Mike hard boiled some eggs for me while he made dinner on Monday, so I have been having that with toast and half a grapefruit these last few mornings. I also plan on making some egg salad this week, so those hard boiled eggs will come in handy. The grapefruit from our produce box this week is so delicious! Perfectly sweet and juicy. I topped it with a pinch of pure cane turbinado sugar, but I really don't think it even needed it.

My lunch yesterday was some leftover egg scramble, with a small side salad of spinach, tomatoes and goat cheese. I also added some goat cheese to my egg scramble and it was beyond delicious. I will have to add goat cheese to my eggs more often.

7AM
My schedule flip flops between 9am and 10am to 5pm and 6pm. When I work 10-6, I have no trouble getting to the gym every day. I can wake up at 7/7:15, get to the gym by 8 and have an hour work out. When I have to be at work at 9, it feels hours earlier. I just can't seem to get up at 6. I just lay there, hitting snooze and feeling grumpy about waking up.

I have realized that my body just likes to sleep until 7. On the weekends, I will certainly stay in bed until at least 8 or 8:30, but 7 is a reasonable time for me to wake up. I feel rejuvenated and excited, and I have lots of energy to get a work out in.

Tuesday morning, when the alarm went off at 6, Mike and I tossed and turned, hitting snooze every 9 minutes before ultimately deciding to just go to the gym after work. I hate going to the gym after work. I usually try to find 879 reasons why I can't go throughout the day, and I enjoy my evenings for relaxing. Low and behold, when we got off of work yesterday, I headed for the gym, but quickly convinced myself and Mike it was warm enough outside for an evening run. Boy was I wrong.

Never mind our demon eyes...

By the time we got home and grabbed Franklin, the sun had already set and it was quite chilly out. We ran a quick 2 miles, feeling the sting in our lungs from the cold air we breathed in. I turned around at one point to ask Mike if he felt like going for 3 miles, but we all decided we wanted to get home ASAP.

It did feel nice to run outside though. My legs felt light and the run was pretty easy, besides the pain in my lungs. I am glad we got some sort of cardio in, even if it wasn't the most ideal. Tonight, I am working at the hospital, so I think we are going to try to get in a 30 minute leg work out between getting off from my daytime job and going into the hospital. I have about an hour and a half between, so we should be able to make it happen.

Goal Update
In some feel great news... I am wearing my "skinny" jeans today, and they are a bit loose in the waist. You know those jeans we all have, that pretty much let you know when you are on the right track? Well, I am wearing those today. I wore them for the 6 months leading up to my wedding and that was the smallest I had been in years. I was pretty excited to wake up this morning and try them on, just to see how they would fit. To my surprise, they fit perfectly. :)

I am still 1 lb away from my short term goal that I wanted to achieve by 2012. 1 measly pound away from a goal I had set to be accomplished 39 days ago. But, I have to realize that throughout the holidays of travel and eating, and getting back into working out, the plateau phase is right on schedule. I think I am at the end of that plateau, so hopefully I will start to see a rapid decline on the scale and in my inches.

To be positive, I am excited that I am almost there. Almost to my wedding weight, almost to the 10 lbs lost mark. And, I did it by eating a nutritious, whole diet, without cutting out anything, without feeling hungry, and without adding anything fake to my diet. I did it by working out in a healthy way, by myself (with a little help from Mike), without a trainer, and without spending a ton of money. It feels really great to be on the right track.

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 87
Sodium (+) 47
Protein (+) 12