The measure of a woman

Midweek hath fallen upon us my blogging sistren (female equivalent of brethren). This has been a slow week and I'm glad it's finally Wednesday evening. As I sit here curled up on my couch under the warm pillowy comfort of my fluffy blanket, I find myself reflecting over my fantastic day. It started out magnificent. First of all, the sun was shinning. YES! THE SUN!!! In Ohio, in Winter. Amazing!

And then another miraculous event took place. Some of you may remember one of my MINI goals (fit into my old red coat) which I was striving for before the end of the year. It was just one of many goals. The more you have, the more you can meet, the more accomplished you feel. SAFETY IN NUMBERS! HA! Well LO and BEHOLD, on a whim this morning I tried it on again and IT FIT... PERFECTLY! OMG! The last time I tried it on was about a month into my "eat clean and workout" lifestyle change which was roughly 4 months ago. There was at LEAST a 5-6 inch gap from end to end that was consumed by my bubbling gut. I couldn't even get it all the way up on my flabby arms. Now look. LOOK!


It's midway through January so it took longer than the end of the year but only by a bit. I shall award myself ONE mini goal completion point.

I also asked Ann to take my measurements this weekend so I can check them every month and track my progress more accurately. Sometimes you don't lose weight but you lose inches. I KNOW I should have done this before I started but better late than never. I also never took an official before picture. I mean there are pictures OF me, sure, but not a solid set of full body shots. I suck! I will do those this weekend as well. The plan is to lose more weight and once the changes are obvious, share both the pictures and the measurements with you all. In the meantime I'll also try and find an older picture. :)

When I got to work today, my HAPPY morning continued. Ann presented me with this beautiful little thing. This was going straight into my bowl of oats this morning. I was SO excited. I LOVE YOU PB2!

• 1/2 cup Old fashioned oats
• 1 cup water
• lots of cinnamon
• lots of pumpkin pie spice
• dash salt
• Splenda to taste
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tbs (1/2 serving) PB2

Holly freakin deliciousness. This was by far the best bowl of oats I've ever had the pleasure of inhaling (without breathing) while at work. At home is a different story because I can cook them on the stove and go crazy with the ingredients. At work I'm forced to microwave and keep additions to a minimum. No more. NO MORE I SAY!

Lunch was just as good. I made a wrap with a wheat FlatOut, green peppers, butter lettuce, tomato, bread & butter pickles and the spicy Moroccan hummus I made last night.


On our break today, as much as I wanted to AVOID it, I made a mid week run to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Don't you just hate it when you run out of fresh produce/perishables midway through the week? So annoying! Per Ann's suggestion, I'm going to start doing my shopping on Sunday mornings instead of Friday's after work. This should insure that I have fresh ingredients to get me through the work week. Next week will be the true test I suppose.

My afternoon snack was delicious. It was another slap you in the face mama style bowl of yum-yum.

• 4oz cup Oikos
• Splenda to Taste
• Sprinkle Cinnamon
• 1 protein carrot "cake"
• A sprinkle of Just Granola brand pomegranate granola
• 1 tbs (1/2 serving) PB2

Hold me.... I could CRY because that's how good it was. I ate it slowly. Lovingly savoring every decadent little bite. SO GOOD!

After work it was off to the gym for my daily sweat session.

Barbell Curls
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
Arnold Curls
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
Cable Tricep Pushdown w/ bar
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Hammer Curls
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Cable Bicep Curl w/ bar
40lb x 8
30lb x 15
30lb x 10
Elliptical - Interval training
Resistance 6-8
30 minutes
373 calories burned

I was feeling weak towards the end. Not sure what that was all about. I was going to do some ab moves next but decided to just head home instead. As soon as I walked in the door I ate a banana (which went un-pictured) to get over my light headed slump.

After I cleaned up I immediately started on dinner. On the menu were pan fried chicken breast (cooked with Pam, not oil) seasoned with garlic salt, fresh cracked black pepper, cayenne & dill. I sliced the chicken and tossed it on top of a bed of spinach for a nice salad. I also added diced pickles, one hard boiled egg, red onion, red pepper flakes, black pepper and spray butter. It was Egg-xel-ente!


I also boiled a bag of edamame and had a serving on the side tossed with sea salt.


Dinner was SO good! To warm up later I made a cozy cup of raspberry tea and had a few Trader Joe's schoolbook cookies as well. I never got around to taking a picture though. Forgive me. ;)

Time to hang with the Mr. Have a great night!

Friendly Strangers

Everything here is frozen, quiet and covered with a thick, wet blanket of fluffy puffy snow. I wish I could say that I like it but I hate it. I'm a Spring and Summer girl at heart. I guess I picked a bad place to live? I picture myself moving out West sometimes. It's one of my many fantasies. Nothing wrong with dreaming right?

After the miserable and slick drive to work I warmed up with a large cup of coffee and what will soon become the very boring and ritualistic bowl of oats. I did add preserves to the mix this morning though. You know, to SPICE it up. LIVIN ON THE EDGE!

• 1/2 Irish Oats
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 banana, sliced
• dash cinnamon
• 2 packets splenda
• dash salt
• 1 tbs of apricot preserves

I LOVE oatmeal. It warms me through straight to the core. Good stuff!

With my breakfast I also consumed a bottle of water. I'm doing pretty good on the water intake so far. I will update you every Friday about my water consumption as well as how I'm doing on my other 2010 goals and weight loss. I figure if I have to update you I have to DO GOOD right? It's like turning the pressure on to stay motivated. I love you guys and blogging. Something about having to share your daily eats, workouts, slips, joys and struggles with others makes you want to try harder. Like a support system of friendly strangers who provide great ideas and motivation. YAY!

It was freezing at the office today so I tried to warm up with some tea a bit later. It didn't work. Probably because of the smooth, cool draft oozing in through my office window. BAH!


Lunch today was super simple and delicious! I made a wrap with a wheat FlatOut, ham, baby spinach, spray butter and spicy mustard. On the side I had three bread and butter pickles. MY FAVORITE! I love pickles. ;)


The most amazing event took place after I ate my lunch. Ann and I actually left the office WILLINGLY and drove in BAD SNOWY WEATHER to Wal-mart. Now let me explain why this is amazing.

MIRACLE #1 - Ann hates driving in snow just as much as I do yet we decided to leave.
MIRACLE #2 - We both LOATHE Wal-Mart yet we decided that NO OTHER place would do.
MIRACLE #3 - We both hate being cold and it was FREEZING OUT. Yet we left. WOW!

Okay, you get the idea. She needed a new coffee pot because hers was cracked and I needed a new can opener because the last two I purchased broke after the 1st use. I have a can opener curse!!! I knew we would be able to find something cheap at Wal-mart. I didn't want to pay a lot since you know, it would probably break in a week anyways. HA!

For my afternoon snack I had one of my favorite healthy little treats. I toasted a 100 calorie English muffin, topped it with a wedge of light swiss Laughing Cow cheese, sprinkled Splenda and cinnamon on top then added a few thin slices of apple. YUM! I ate the rest of the apple on the side. SO TASTY!


When 5:00 o'clock rolled around Ann and I ritualistically followed each other SLOWLY on crappy side roads all the way to the gym. Somehow we both feel safer if we follow each other. Why? Because she is OBSESSED with her car and I know she would never rear end me so I always make sure that she is behind me. HAHAHA! ;)

Here it today's workout.

Situps with 10lb ball
x20
x20
x20
Crunches
x20
x20
x20
Plank (hate these)
20 seconds
20 seconds
Reverse Leg Raise Crunches
x20
x20
x20
Oblique Twist with 8lb ball
x20
x20
x20
Elliptical - Interval Training
20 minutes, Levels 6-8, 245 calories burned
Stretchy Cord Session (2 circuits back to back)
Tricep extensions x15
Bicep curls x15
Bent over row x15

After the gym I snailed home in the snow, took a nice hot bath and decided to make myself a special little dinner. Nick was visiting his mom for dinner so I was cooking for one. I was in the mood for some Asian flair. I came up with a delicious little recipe. It included the following...

• 1 bag of steamed green beans
• 2 cups of steamed cauliflowers
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs teriyaki sauce
• 1 heaping tbs Thai chili paste (for heat)
• Fresh cracked black pepper

I had all of these ingredients simmering in a pan while some Thai Rice noodles were soaking in boiling hot water.

For these rice noodles you don't add them to boiling water and keep boiling it. You bring the water to a boil, remove it from the heat and let the noodles soak for about 10 minutes.

Once the noodles were done with their hot bath, I added them to the pan and tossed them with the veggie mixture. This dish was SO simple. It turned out very tasty.


I think next time I might add some or even all of the following to the mix. Fresh peas, broccoli, shrimp, chicken, pork, water chestnuts. MMMM!

For a bit of a snack later I had a cup of Stash double spice chai tea. I love this brand.


I added a splash of cream and fat free whip and I promise you, it tastes SO good. Reminds me of pumpkin pie. ;)

I also enjoyed some Newman's Own Organic Alphabet Cookies. They were very tasty. Nice and crunchy with a mellow buttery and sugary flavor. I give them a 10 out of 10. They went so well with the tea! My tummy is happy now.


And with a lovely quote, I bid you goodnight.

Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie. ~Astrid Alauda

I caught a case.

Yep, I've got it... I've got it bad... I've got a case of the Mondays! I slept like POOP! I woke up with a swollen and tender arm and incredibly sore and wobbly legs from the Sat. workout. They hurt a bit yesterday but it's even worse this morning. I also stubbed my toe while trying my best to not step on the cat as soon as I walked out of the bedroom. And to top it all off, it was cold as heck in the house this morning. To be honest, I just felt like curling back up in bed and hiding from the world for a while. We all know life doesn't work that way though. So instead I got ready, packed up breakfast, lunch and my gym gear and I was out the door.

To try and regain some balance in my step, I quickly made a decadent little bowl of fall oats when I got to work.

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• dash cinnamon
• dash pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tbs pumpkin butter
• 1 tbs cran-apple butter
• splenda to taste

I washed it all down with a cup of coffee and instantly felt better. I got quite a bit of work done in the morning and felt really good about it! I hate being behind. It instantly stresses me out. Getting to clean off my desk felt so glorious!

For lunch I enjoyed the leftover green beans from last night with a wrap. I made it with a Light Flat Out wrap, peppered chicken lunch meat, sweet butter lettuce and a few squirts of spray butter.


For our break today (because we are idiots) Ann and I decided to try and get some more Christmas shopping done. ODDLY enough it went well. No second guessing, no bickering, no dislike of everything we found. WOW. It's like an early Christmas Miracle I tell you! I'm that much closer to my goal of being done by the end of this month. YES!!!!!!!!!!!

For my afternoon snack I enjoyed a crunchy and delicious honey crisp apple. I don't know WHY it took me so long to discover these crispy and sweet little apples but I'm so glad that I did. I think they're my new favorite!


Before we knew it 5:00 was upon us and we were off to the gym. I was a bit worried though. I did NOT want to miss a day but I was also worried about how much I actually handle today. My legs were killing me, which seems like a bad thing on treadmill and bike day. We could have done something else instead but my arm is KILLING me as well and it hurts to raise it. SIGH! So, I pushed through cardio. No, I did not enjoy this workout, but I got it done and feel great about it. NO EXCUSES RIGHT? RIGHT!!!! :)

Treadmill (30 minutes total)

3.2 - 3.4 speed

1.62 miles

Bike (30 minutes total)

Random Uphill, Level 5

205 calories

10.8 miles

After the gym I hustled home and was greeted by not one, not two but three packages. How exciting!! The lovely people at Greens Plus sent me a few samples to try. I received some Chia Seeds, Wild Berry Burst and Orange Greensickle flavored super food. Did you know that just one serving of Greens Plus delivers more essential vitamins, trace minerals, live enzymes and high-ORAC antioxidants than 5 full servings of fresh fruits and vegetables? Yay! I can't wait to try this stuff.


The second package was from the fantastic folks at Luna Bar. I've had some of their bars before and I can't wait to sample some of these new flavors. All Luna products are made with 100% natural, organic and wholesome ingredients with has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Nutritious CAN equal delicious! :)


The final box came from the lovely folks at Newmans Own Organic. I have to be honest with you, the amount of samples I received caught me off guard. My goodness they sent me a lot and they all sound and look AMAZING! I received a ton of cookies, chips, pretzels, mints, chocolate bars and a variety of dried fruits. I wanted to DIVE into this pile of goodies and go CRAZY! However, self control took over and I was able to resist! I can't make any promises for tomorrow though! I know they're in my cabinets, patiently waiting on my crazy little hands to DEVOUR them. I love their slogan too. Great tasting food that happens to be organic.


Oh man, what a lovely thing to come home to. I couldn't stop smiling for hours!

After my package extravaganza and cabinet organization session to find room for all my new goodies, I spent some MUCH NEEDED time on the couch with the Mr. Man and my beloved little fur baby. I recently heard the phrase "fur babies" and I LOVE IT! That is exactly what Oliver is. A misbehaving, BAD and naughty little fur baby! HA!

After cuddle time I took a nice, long and HOT bath to try and soothe my aching body! Oh it felt so good! Then it was time to play around with dinner. We decided on Chicken Fajitas. YAY FOR MEXICAN FOOD!

• 1 lb of skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 large onion, cut into thick strips
• 2 green bell pepper, cut into thick strips
• 6 oz of mushrooms, cut in bite size pieces
• 1 plum tomato, sliced into thin strips
• 1 packet of Fajita seasoning mix
• dash cayenne (of course)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup water to keep it all moist

I cooked all of the veggies first in a large pan with some Pam and some salt and pepper. Once they were done I put them in a bowl and set them aside.


I tossed the chicken into the same pan, added the water, the seasoning packet and the cayenne and cooked them on medium-low heat till cooked through. Maybe 10 minutes.


Dinner was done in a matter of minutes.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also made a quick guacamole to have as a garnish to get rid of some super ripe avocados.

• 2 avocados
• splash lemon juice
• splash lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried cilantro
• 2 tbs sour cream (to add creaminess)
• dash of cayenne (DUH)
• salt & pepper to taste

Couldn't be any easier. I had my fajita in a flat out wrap. They're thicker than the tortillas I usual use and this way I fill up on just one instead of needing two. I LOVE THIS STUFF!

The guacamole was SO YUMMY! I usually just eat avocados fresh and I almost forgot how much I like having it all mashed up like this. DELICIOUS! I enjoyed this dinner VERY much!


Now I must bid you goodnight. Time to watch episode 2 of 3 of The Prisoner. I thought the one we watched last night was pretty good. I was completely sucked in.

Goodnight beautiful people!