sweet honeysuckle

I am feeling a little bad about the craptastic blog post from yesterday. I was having a rough day and just not feeling it. I hope I can make up for it today!

Around this time last year, Mike was working at a restaurant part time, doing trivia for their run club on Monday nights. I, as well as several others, would meet at the restaurant and then head out for the run. Since there were varying levels of runners in the group, we would all meet back at the restaurant after our run for some beer, trivia, and $1 tacos. It was a really fun group.

There is a trail that we would all run along, and mostly everyone would do 4 miles or so. I would usually only run about 1-1.5 miles and then turn around and head back, since it would take me over 45 minutes to do just 2-3 miles. I had only made it to the end of the trail once or twice, because I never seemed to have enough in me to get me there and back.

Since that same trail is really close to the hospital that I work at part time, I decided to go for a run between jobs to clear my head of the craziness that was yesterday. It was really funny, because I finished the same section of the trail that we used to run with the group in less than 28 minutes. It is amazing how far I have really come in just one year.

It was really nice out yesterday evening, and the breeze was just right. The trees allow for a lot of shade along the trail, and it provides just the right amount of hills, twists, and scenery for a good work out. My legs always seem a lot more sore when I run this trail than when I run anywhere else.

As I was running, I kept smelling honeysuckle and couldn't help but be reminded of my childhood. My brother, sister, and I would go searching in the woods for that sweet plant, just to have a little taste. I never found any honeysuckle yesterday, but I know it is out there, just because of the strong smell. I am just too chicken to actually go into the woods anymore.

This trail also goes over the interstate, which always really freaks me out. I don't know why, but I always just imagine the bridge collapsing and me falling into the high speed cars below. I am so weird.

When I finished running, I almost couldn't remember the day that I had, with the most annoying co-worker ever that had grated my nerves all day. I can't say that running always helps to clear my head, but it definitely worked yesterday. It was exactly what I needed to get another 4 hours of work out of me.

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When I got home last night, I took a look inside our fridge and thought - "Gonna have to go out for lunch tomorrow." We are severely in need of a grocery shopping trip, but we aren't going until tonight. I told Mike he was treating me to lunch today, but I changed my mind this morning. Somehow, I was able to get quite a bit of food together for my breakfast and lunch, even though we need to go grocery shopping. 

All packed up, I have a banana, orange slices, an apple, a small salad with cukes and tomatoes over romaine and spinach, some ranch dressing (makes a boring salad sooo much better), a (colored) hard boiled egg, a slice of bread, and some canned rice and beans. 

Seriously, I brought some canned rice and beans with me for lunch today? I have to say, I am really excited about it. haha. My body has been CRAVING something besides salad lately, so I am excited for a bit of protein and carbs for lunch. I found this can in my pantry, and after reading the ingredients and nutrition facts, I figured it was the way to go for today. Nothing like cleaning out the pantry in preparation for a grocery shopping trip!

I threw one serving of this mixture into a container and then threw in half of a slice of pepper jack cheese. I figure adding a little cheese will make anything taste better. I am about to go dig in, because my stomach is growling!

My friend, Lindsay, told me about a delicious and easy dinner idea that she made a few days ago, so I think I will be making it tonight. I can't get it out of my head!!! 3 ingredients that I heart... avocado, black beans, fried egg. BOOM! 

Have a good day!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 433
Sodium (-) 476
Protein (-) 13

a cookie for breakfast and dessert for lunch

How gorgeous was it yesterday?

I decided to spend my 30 minute lunch break along the walking trail that my office park has. It is exactly 1 mile long and takes just 15 minutes or so to complete, so it is a nice way to break up the day.  I love the walking trail where I work. In the spring and fall, I usually spend my lunch breaks walking around, enjoying the scenery.

Work has been pretty busy lately, so it was nice to take a break, listen to some music, and enjoy the weather. I also got to break in my new TOMS!

I went with the slate gray and I love them. They are already pretty broken in and I have only worn them once. I am, however, so glad I went with a smaller size. I started out with a 6.5, but ended up returning them for a 6 since I was afraid they would stretch out to being too big. The only bad thing about them is that they make my feet look so small. I have really small feet for my height and size, but these just make them seem like nubs. Oh well, that is one thing I can't change!

My lunch yesterday, tasted like dessert. I am pretty sure my sister makes my niece and nephew something similar, which is fantastic, but I used a whole wheat wrap, added some natural peanut butter, sliced bananas and sliced apples. It was delicious.

I finished off the apple and banana in some leftover peanut butter and had a greek yogurt on the side. Such a great lunch. :)

When we got home from work last night, there were not 1, but 2 boxes waiting on my doorstep. I love packages!

My new tennis shoes had finally arrived!

They are exactly what I was hoping for. Lightweight, perfect fit, and super cute. I didn't have a whole lot of time before we had to leave for Ash Wednesday service at church, so I could only take them out for a quick spin. I did a short, 15 minute jog around the neighborhood, to make sure I liked the fit of my shoes. It was a nice run and I definitely love my new shoes.

Those legs? All natural color, baby! haha

The weather was perfect for an outdoor run, I only wish I could have gone a little longer. The sky was really pretty too, so I snapped a quick picture before it got too dark.

Mike made me an egg sandwich for dinner before we scooted out the door. Fried egg, pepper jack cheese and tomato on toast. Yuumm!

We got home a little after 8 from church, and I felt a little hungry. I had a feeling I would with such a small dinner, so I made a rather odd snack. It tasted amazing though, so I have no shame in sharing. Whole wheat tortilla, a little shredded cheddar, a little goat cheese, heated in the microwave, and then topped with salsa and hot sauce.

Mike was giving me weird looks for this combination, but I think he was just jealous. ;) Really, he has an aversion to goat cheese... I can not understand why. It is the most amazing cheese on earth, in my opinion.

Before heading off to bed last night, I made a breakfast cookie. The other box that came yesterday was an order from OpenSky. If you are not familiar, it is a shopping website where you follow certain people and they endorse their favorite products, which you can then purchase those products at a reduced cost, depending on the deal of the day. You fill out the things you are interested in, choose some celebs or experts to follow, and they send you opportunities to purchase products they love.

I have been looking for a protein powder that I could use in smoothies and energy balls to up my levels a bit. I am trying to avoid a lot of soy based protein, since it is a little over processed and can potentially cause some health issues that I am not very interested in. Soy products are pretty hard to avoid since they are in almost EVERYTHING so if I can avoid it in any way, I try to do so. Especially in a supplement powder that I can control.

Anyway, one of my favorite bloggers - The Fitnessista - is a big fan of Sun Warrior Protein Powder. I have looked at this vegan, non soy-based, powder before, but with a price tag of almost $50, it wasn't happening. Here is where OpenSky made it's debut.

Since I follow Gina on OpenSky, she had a deal on Sunday that offered Sun Warrior in chocolate or vanilla for only $35. Still, $35 was a little more than I had planned on spending, but I opened the e-mail anyway and found that OpenSky had given me a $12 credit in my account. They randomly do that. They will send an e-mail saying "you have $10 in your credits to use before x date." I haven't really found anything that I absolutely need, but this was a great deal. I couldn't pass it up. (Although, I am secretly hoping that I hate this stuff so that I don't want to ever buy it at full price.)

Gina has a bunch of recipes on her blog, but one that I have always been interested in trying is the Breakfast Cookie.  I gave it a try last night so that I could have it on my way to the gym this morning.

I couldn't even taste the powder, except that it is chocolate and my cookie tasted chocolatey. There was no chalky flavor and the stevia that is used in the powder did not leave me with a nasty aftertaste like it normally does. I will have to try it in a smoothie to be sure, but so far, it tastes pretty great.

The cookie was really good but a tad dry. Gina recommends adding in toppings such as bananas, pumpkin, etc., but I only had 1 banana on hand and wanted to have it for my lunch today. So, my cookie was oats, chocolate protein powder, unsweetened chocolate almond milk, cinnamon, and unsweetened coconut. Next time I will have to add bananas or something to make it a little less dry, but overall, I really liked it. It tasted a lot like a no-bake cookie, which I am a huge fan of.

Gym Time

I headed to the gym much earlier this morning and spent a full hour doing some weight training. I did a full chest work out (flat bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, dips, and skull crushers) and then decided to go ahead and get my leg work out in for the week. I did squats, lunges, butt extensions, calf raises, and leg presses. I felt pretty worked by the time I left.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Oh gosh, I couldn't be more excited. This is the first Friday in months that Mike and I have no plans. I am so excited to get home, get into my pjs and relax on the couch, without having to make lunches, pack my gym bag, etc, etc... It will be glorious. Next week, we only have a 2 day work week and then we are heading to by God, West Virginia for 4 days full of skiing and playing! Can.not.wait!

Have a good Thursday everyone!

Yesterday's Stats
Calories (-) 172
Sodium (+) 71
Protein (+) 21 (!!)

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!

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!