Machine Girl...

I'm just Chug Chug Chugging along on the crazy train today. WHEW what a busy day. I'm convinced that I'm part machine. It's the only thing that makes sense!! No ordinary human being could handle the insanities I juggle every day. Meaning work, life, love life and what's left of my sanity. It all makes sense now! I think my bionic mechanical parts are beginning to squeak and rust though. I seem out of whack like my system is malfunctioning. Perhaps I need a tuneup? My bits and pieces lubricated? HA. That just sounded filthy! Please pardon my nastiness.

Okay, moving on....

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:15am.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. A MOMENTOUS OCCASION OCCURRED IN BREAKFAST LAND TODAY! I had my very first OIAJ (oats in a jar)! I used my empty Better N' Peanut Butter jar. I went through it pretty fast.


I made the usual mix of microwaved oats with...

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

I wept with excitement as I filled up my little peanut butter laden jar of creamy wonder.


With wild eyes I began to consume scoop after scoop of ooey-gooey, nutty decadence. One thing is a given, I've been missing out BIG TIME. It had no idea it would be so glorious!

After scrapping the last bit of life out of my jar, I dove head first into work. My mechanical brain was computing and problem solving with incredible speed. I was processing data like nobodies business.

Around lunchtime my (hard) drive to work started failing. I shut down my "work mode" manually and decided to consume some nutritional goodness. Feed the beast if you will.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:15pm.

Yep, that's right, ANOTHER salad. Am I BLOWING your mind yet with my repetitiveness this week? Don't get me wrong, I love a good salad, but this lunch right here was the creation of pure laziness. I always pack my food at night for the following day. I was tired and this was the best I could come up with. It was still tasty though!

• Spinach
• Morning Star Farms black bean burger
• Tomato
• Chick Peas
• Broccoli
• Sriracha
• Spray Butter

My robotic sidekick (Ann) and I shimmied out of the office around 12:45 for our break. Ahh fresh air, I've missed you!! We ran to Giant Eagle so I could IMMEDIATELY pick up another jar of my beloved Better N' Peanut Butter! I was feeling naked and lost without it! We also ran to scary Marc's because they advertised Dannon Greek yogurt in their add for 88 cents. IT WAS ALL LIES! They had signs up saying production was down (??) and they had none available. I despise Marc's even more now. Why do I keep going back? It's a mystery!

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

Another yogurt concoction. I sliced a Fuji apple and topped it with plain Yoplait Greek yogurt and cinnamon. Simple perfection.


And then at 5:00 we were off to the gym. It was extra special hot in there today. Sweat was dripping into my eyes and it STUNG! My hair was sticking all over my neck and I looked like I just got out of the shower. My clothes were soaked. Basically, I was a sexy hot mess. ;)

WORKOUT!

Bicep Curls (barbell)
40lb x 15
35lb x 15 (2 sets)
Tricep Pulldown (cable with straight bar)
80lb x q15
70lb x 15 (2 sets)
21's (barbell)
30lb (3 sets)
Overhead Tricep Extension (cable)
60lb x 15 (3 sets)
Hammer Curls (dumbbells)
15lb x 15 (2 sets)
12.5 lb x 15
Tricep Extension (dumbbell)
15lb x 15 (3 sets)
Bicep Curls (barbell)
25lb x 20 (3 sets)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
30 minutes, 2.6 miles
Uphill challenge, levels 6-18 (WHEW, it whooped me today!!)

Total time at gym = 1:13
Max HR = 174
Average HR = 146
Total calories burned = 642

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:30pm.

I refueled with a simple shake as soon as I got home. Made with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and chocolate peanut butter whey protein powder. I didn't feel like fussing with the blender. My upper body feels super tight today. It buuuuuuuuuurns!


Before heading up to soak in a nice hot bath, I started prepping dinner. I was RABID with hunger. I didn't want to come down from my bath and have to start cooking from scratch. I haved no patience for such nonsense today!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

I cleaned and sliced a ton of carrots, zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms, seasoned them with spray butter, S+P, garlic powder, cayenne and rosemary and popped them into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I took a nice relaxing bath while they cooked to perfection. They smelled like heaven by the time I came back downstairs. I made a quick sandwich to go with the veggies. I toasted a whole grain Ezekiel bun, smeared swiss laughing cow cheese on one half, superfruit jam on the other and added the last of my smoked turkey lunch meat. Done and done.


I don't know what it was about this sandwich but I was in LOVE with it. SO so good!

Time to unplug machine girl now and get some R&R. Stop crying!! I'll be back tomorrow. ;)

XOXO
Ildie

I got my FIX

Today was such a feel good day. I slept in until 9:30 and woke up feeling refreshed and energized. I made myself a cup of raspberry chocolate flavored coffee and started on my long list of chores. I did 3 loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, washed the bed linens, cleaned the tub (HATE IT) and vacuumed up a bit. I love a clean house! After a while I worked up a good appetite. Twas breakfast time! I made open face english muffin sandwiches with egg whites, fat free american cheese and pan seared lean ham.


So tasty! I love breakfast sandwiches.

After I finished my tasty morning treat I finally, FINALLY got caught up on my blog reading. I won't even lie, I was WAY behind. FOR SHAME!

At 1:30 I left to visit the folks for the weekly Sunday shenanigans. As always I packed my own lunch to take with me. This may seem odd but I like having complete control over my eats. It helps me stay focused and on track. The only thing I was craving was oatmeal. So yeah, I had oats for lunch. And you know what? IT WAS GOOD!

Blueberry Banana Custard Oats

• 1/2 cup (almost 1/2 cup) Irish Oats
• dash of 5 grain cereal (maybe 2 tbs)
• 1 cup vanilla Almond Breeze
• dash cinnamon
• splenda to taste
• dash salt
• 1 banana, sliced
• 3 egg whites, whipped
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries (stirred in at the very end)

Uhm, just as good as yesterday! Maybe even better. I think it actually gets better every time I make it. AMAZING!

After my lunch-breakfast we played a few rounds of Sorry and Yahtzee. Oh how we love our stupid, mindless little games. We always have a blast. ;)

When I got home I found nick in the hallway ripping the scary, dark brown paneling off of the side entrance walls. OMG! It is official. He can NOT be left alone (with tools) at home. Every time I come home he is "working" on something. HA!!! Just kidding. I love that crazy, ambitious man of mine. I just wish he would work on ONE project at a time.

For dinner Nick had the leftover burrito from the other day and I made myself a quick plate of goodness. Edamame seasoned with sea salt and a Morning Star Farms black bean burger on an Ezekiel bun. I topped the patty with spinach, hummus and spicy mustard.


SO GOOD! And SUPER low calorie, which means I get to have a yogurt treat later. And here is a visual of that sweet, SWEET creamy yogurt mess made with Oikos!


Yeah, that's right, I said OIKOS! Ann went out of her way and picked some up on Saturday. I LOVE YOU ANN!

• 4oz Oikos
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 tbs Pom flax granola
• splash raspberry Codiak Cakes syrup (YUM)
• 1 tbs Chocolate PB

I HAD MY FIX and instantly felt better. Now I can go to sleep in peace. Have a great night!

It Cometh!

I spent most of my day today staring, glaring, reading, researching, gawking and browsing Weather.Com. I was keeping a CLOSE eye on this bad boy. They're predicting 3-4 inches today and an additional 5-8 tomorrow. OH COME ON!


You know why I'm annoyed? Because I ordered really good tires online (only available by ordering) and they arrived yesterday. I made an appointment this morning to have them mounted on Friday. Unfortunately I had to put it off until tomorrow because I work until 5:00 which is when the place closes. BAH! I planned to drop the car off tonight and leave my keys with them (leaving work at 4:00 so I can make it there by 5:00). They will mount, balance and align them sometime tomorrow and call me when they're done. I'm sure you see my dilemma here. This leaves me with two annoying options.

Option A --- Have poor Nick wake up an hour earlier, drive PAST his place of employment and bring me to work, drive back to work (probably arriving late), come out of his way again after work to pick me back up and drive us home. All the while hoping that we don't actually get a combined total of possibly 10" of snow "as predicted" and get stranded somewhere.

Option B --- Just use a vacation day and not go in to work on Friday and pick my car up over the weekend after the snow storm passes. I'm trying to talk Nick into taking the day off too if it's bad. We're expecting 4" overnight and more HEAVY snow should hit us by noon tomorrow with an additional 5-8". I could just vomit at the thought of having to be out in it!

Hmmm. Yeah, I think I'm liking option "B" MUCH better but we will see how it all pans out. Weather forecasts are notorious for being COMPLETELY WRONG around here on a regular basis. Then again, that radar looks INSANE!

Breakfast today was a heart warming bowl of the usual.

• 1/2 Irish oats
• 1 1/2 cups water
• dash salt
• lots of cinnamon
• Splenda to taste
• 1 banana sliced
• 1 tbs cherry preserves (Ann was kind enough to share a bit)

Breakfast was enjoyed with a large cup of coffee and water bottle #1. Still doing GREAT on upping the water intake. YAY!

Lunch was AAAH-MAY-ZING! I shared with Ann which had her very excited. We had leftover TunaCado (I love the name I gave it!!!) from last night on Ezekiel buns. I also made us a side salad with (sweet butter lettuce + tomato + spray butter). Lunch was perfect in every way. I was jam packed with healthy grains/carbs, veggies and TONS of protein.


By 1:30 we decided that it was just too late to leave the office for a break. SO SAD! The afternoon just sort of got away from us. Not to mention I was still 100% focused and consumed with WEATHER WATCH! The blue blob of "white death" was getting closer with each passing minute! Our reunion now seemed unavoidable!


I never had my afternoon snack today because as soon as 4:00 hit I hesitantly crawled into my car and started the long drive home. It was already snowing and getting SUPER slick and crappy out. UGGHHH! Nick met me at the house and we followed each other to the shop to drop my car off. It was so horrible! I was giddy with joy by the time we finally made it back home! I dove into my pajamas and decided to brew some delicious macadamia coffee.


Which I enjoyed with sugar free caramel syrup and fat free cream.


SO GOOD!


And then I started on dinner. I was craving Mexican and I knew just what to make! As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program (which I am a part of), I received two jars of Pace Picante Sauce to sample.


In case you're not familiar with Foodbuzz, check them out. It's a great community of food lovers and bloggers and I have been a featured publisher with them for a few months now. I've met a bunch of wonderful foodies and found some fantastic recipes as well. ;)

Dinner: (Smothered Turkey & Bean Burritos)

Filling

• 1 lb 97% lean ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, chopped fine
• 2 green onions, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup fat free refried beans
• 1/4 cup black beans (rinsed & drained)
• 2 tbs Taco Seasoning mix
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• dash dried cilantro
• dash cayenne
• dash red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

Sautee the yellow and green onions for a few minutes, add the ground turkey and cook thoroughly until browned.


Add all other ingredients and cook for an additional 10 minutes to insure that the flavors blend together.


I made 4 stuffed to the brim burrito wraps out of this mixture. I used two regular corn tortillas for Nick and two LaTortilla Wheat tortillas for me. I added the burrito wraps into my square 9x9 baking dish (which was already sprayed with Pam).


I topped them with the entire jar of Pace Picante sauce, fat free cheese for me and Mexican cheese blend for Nick. I popped them into a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Oh they smelled good! We each had one for dinner. They were massive which means leftovers. I LOVE leftovers!

I topped mine with fat free sour cream, fresh green onions, green and red hot sauce and fresh cracked black pepper. DROOL!!


It was amazing. I'm looking forward to the leftovers already!

Nick is now busy setting up a new game he purchased last weekend on the dining room table. It's called Puerto Rico and it looks VERY involved. Time to go bond with my Inner Nerd. Have a great night everyone!

Oh the torture!

I wrote a little poem. Would you like to hear it? Well here it goes.

Jingle, jingle jangle, holiday hop
All the lunatics like to shop
At the last minute, yall beware
Make no eye contact, NEVER stare
Running with carts and rabid eyes
Watch your back, I tell no lies
They'll knock you over without regret
This is a warning, not a threat
Finish your shopping before it's too late
Make a list, there's no time to wait
Time's a tic-tockin, good luck to you all
Whatever you do, DON'T GO to the Mall!!

:)

Okay, enough with the silliness. Lets talk about breakfast. It was nice, simple and quick this morning. I had a toasted english muffin with spray butter, 4 egg whites seasoned with salt and pepper and a banana, sliced and smeared with some of my pumpkin bite mix (trying to use it all up, I hate wasting food). Of course this was enjoyed with a delicious cup of caramel drizzle flavored coffee. YUM!


After breakfast I did some blog reading, cleaned the house up a bit, packed a salad to take with me for lunch and also loaded the car up with the presents I wrapped yesterday. I was due at my Mama's by 1:00 and I wanted to take the presents over there now so I would have less to haul on Thursday. We get together with the folks on Christmas Eve every year for the annual CHRISTMAS PRESENT TEARING EXTRAVAGANZA! OHHH, I can't wait! :)

When I arrived, my Papa helped me take the presents inside. His little eyes were wild with excitement. HA! They had me beat though. Their presents were already wrapped all pretty and neatly stacked under the tree. OH THE TORTURE!

Lunch was delicious. It was a salad with sweet butter lettuce, green onions, chick peas, black bean burger, spray butter, red pepper flakes and black pepper. YUM.


I also brought over the last of my pumpkin mixture. Like I said before, I hate wasting food and I would've never been able to finish this all on my own. I made four little servings of the pudding and covered them with crumbled animal crackers, fat free whip and cinnamon. Not bad... Not bad... My Mama said it was a bit bitter and I agree. I never noticed because I was usually adding just a bit of it to something else. I think I may have used too much vanilla. It was still good though.


When I got home I found Nick in the basement working on yet another project. He was wiring a light down there to also work with the switch at the top of the stairs. SWEET! I hate my scary, dark, ugly basement. Having more light down there helps a lot! ;)

His brother Dan called earlier and it looks like we'll be having company later. The very last episode of the Rally Race is on this evening and the boys are incapable of controlling their excitement. I'm glad Dan is coming over. I can't get into it like he does and Nick likes to discuss the race in great detail every time it's on. Shhhhh, don't tell him but I never know what he's talking about. HA! ;)

For dinner I only had to worry about myself. My Mama sent home some of her famous bean soup for Nick. I love the stuff but no way can I indulge in such decadence!! Instead I decided to have an odd mix of this and that for dinner. I wasn't super hungry. I had a toasted Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted whole grain bun with fat free strawberry preserves and pumpkin butter.


I also cut up a huge apple. Gotta get my fruit intake in for the day!!


Odd mix I know, but it was yummy.

For a bit of a treat later I had a cup of sugar cookie tea. I liked it but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I actually thought that it tasted better once it cooled off just a bit.


I enjoyed the tea with a Cheeky Cherry Chocolate granola bar from 18Rabbits. Uhm, holy WOW. This bar is ridiculously delicious! I WANT MORE! I don't even think they sell this brand around here. I will have to research, locate and stock up if I can find it. LOVE IT! This gets a 10 out of 10. And let me reiterate again, this brand is SO YUMMY! Go get some!


Alright, our guest is here so I must bid you goodnight and go pretend that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Rally Racing. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but I FAR from love it. ;)