Snow hater

I am drowning in snow. PLEASE HELP ME! Perhaps I should start a "let's move to AZ" fund and add (magic) money to it every month? I can't stand this frozen whiteness anymore. Did you know that Cleveland, Ohio is #1 on the worst weather City list? That would be for the ENTIRE country, not just Ohio! Yeah, I found this out yesterday. I live just South of this curse! I find this to be highly disturbing!

I drove through the funk this morning and crawled my way slowly into work. I made a nice cup of coffee and soon as I arrived and started prepping some comfort food.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

Dark Chocolate Cocoa Oats

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 1 tbs ground flax
• 2 tbs unsweetened dark cocoa (Hershey's)
• tons of cinnamon
• dash salt
• 2 tbs PB2
• Splenda to taste
• Love

This was so incredible. The dark chocolate cocoa is SO much better than the regular variety. It looked like mud. Delicious, nutritious, decadent, rich, ooey-gooey mud. My coworkers think I'm crazy sometimes. They see my food and cringe in disgust. Go away, (vigorously flapping hands in their direction) you bother me!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I made the whole kitchen stink like hot spinach and eggs. Like I care. Twas delicious! It was a spinach and egg explosion on a plate. SO GOOD!

• 4 egg whites
• chopped spinach
• S+P

Cooked in a frying pan (sprayed with Pam) last night before I went to bed so I could enjoy it today. Eggy lunches make me feel special. I like feeling special. HA! To fuel my spinach addiction, I also tossed some fresh leaves into the Honey Wheat FlatOut wrap along with Sriracha and Trader Joe's cilantro and jalapeno hummus. I'VE DIED AND WENT TO SPICY HEAVEN.


That orange blob in the background is a Tanjelo, which I never ate. I got too full from the wrap.

One again our lameness and hatred of all things cold, wet, snowy and Winter-esque kept us confined to the office for our break today. I had no desire to venture outside. Instead I opted for green tea sippage while perusing blog land. This was the highlight of my day up to this point. Lame? HOW DARE YOU! It was magnificent. I love cathching up with all of you lovely ladies! ;)

The most glorious email was circulated at 4:00pm. The "big boys" said we could leave for the day if we wanted to since the roads were getting crappy. This made me both happy and nervous. EEEK! Of course I immediately put on my coat and got the hot heck out of there. Once second I was there, the next second I was goooooooooone! Swoooooosh!

The roads were crappy but only in certain areas. However, I still thought it best to skip the gym and drove straight home. This would make it two days in a row now that I didn't make it. UGH! Don't you worry though. I still got a workout in.

WORKOUT! (without a snack first, THE HORROR!)

1 SOLID pissed off hour spent shoveling my long driveway. We're talking 5-6 fresh inches out there just waiting on me. Seriously disgusting! I may or may not have been seen BEATING massively tall piles of snow with the shovel, while cursing, profusely!! I may or may not have thrown snowballs... at actual piles of snow. Ha! The hate runs deep. It was so windy, cold and miserable out!

After this freezing torture session I came in and warmed up with some green tea. CURSE YOU WINTER! Once I felt okay, I dug out the dumbbells and did the following exercises in living room. I didn't want to skip upper body day all together so I did what I could.

Superset #1 (3 full sets)

• Dumbbell Bicep Curls, 8lb x 15
• Dumbbell Hammer Curls, 8lb x 15
• Tricep Extension, 8lb x 15

Superset #2 (3 full sets)

• Two Handed Bent Over Tricep Extensions, 8lb x 15
• Dumbbell Lying Tricep Press (skull crushers??), 8lb (each hand) x 15
• Tricep Extensions, 8lb x 15

Concentration Curls (3 sets)

• 8lb x 15

Superset #3 (3 full sets)

• Dumbbell Shoulder Press, 8lb x 15
• Front Dumbbell Raise, 8lb x 15
• See-Saw Dumbell Raise, 8lb x 15

Upright Dumbbell Row (3 sets)

• 8lb x 15

Shoulder Shrugs (3 sets)

• 8lb x 15

It felt good to get a workout in, even it wasn't at the gym. It's like sweat therapy for the soul!

SNACK (meal #3) at 7:30pm.

You know the drill. As soon as I was done with my workout I made my new fave smoothie. The Mighty Green Goddess.

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 5 drops orange creamsickle Capella Flavor Drops
• 1 packet Splenda

Enjoyed on the couch with a quick episode of What Not To Wear. Nick was CLEARLY not at home!! He was visiting a friend after work for dinner and some MAN TIME (AKA video game session). As always, I took full advantage of the alone time. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Cheers!


After some serious girlie couch time, I was starting to get hungry. Super fast dinner to the rescue.

DINNER (meal #4) at 9:00pm.

I decided to make a quick and fresh open faced veggie sandwich.

• Ezekiel wheat bun
• Wedge light laughing cow cheese
• Spinach
• 1/2 Avocado
• Green bell pepper slices
• Roasted red peppers
• Bread & Butter pickles

On the side I had the leftover veggies from last night's dinner. VEGGIE OVERLOAD! The sandwich was..... was..... amazing! Everything was good! I enjoyed this very much!


I think I'll call it a night now and curl up with another cup of tea and my DVR. Nick is home now and we have a new exciting Lost episode to watch! Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday night. The week is more than halfway over. YAY!

HUGS!!
Ildie

Feelin Fine

I feel FANTASTIC today. Bursting with energy even. Perhaps it's all the green tea I've been drinking? Or ALL the water I'm consuming? Some of my coworkers think I have a "problem" though. I'm in the bathroom every 20 minutes!!!!


Maybe it's because I cut back to one cup of coffee a day? Or because I'm having 5 small meals a day and avoiding a HUGE dinner? OR maybe it's because I'm having an "I feel thinner" day. Whatever the reason, I woke up feeling fine! I was all smiles today. Say whaaaa?

BREAKFAST (meal #1)

The feast this morning was Pumpkin Maple oatmeal. And yeah, it tasted just as good as it sounds. I do LOVE me some pumpkin puree though. If you're not into it you won't like this concoction.

• 1/2 cup Irish Oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cup water
• lots of cinnamon
• dash pumpkin pie spice
• Splenda to taste
• 2 HEAPING spoonful of pumpkin puree. 1/4 cup maybe?
• 2 tbs sugar free, low calorie maple syrup

Good, soothing, calming, warm, ooey and gooey. Loved it! I enjoyed it with my ONE sacred cup of coffee for the day. I savored every little caffeine smothered sip!

It was a busy day at work today. Usual Monday hustle. I kept chugging water in between working and before I knew it, I had consumed 3 bottles (75oz) all before noon. This is ABSURD for me! I think I'm clearly getting better at this water consumption thing. My bladder hates me right now!

LUNCH (meal #2)

A lovely salad to appease my starving and screaming stomach!

• spinach
• sweet butter lettuce
• chick peas
• cherry tomatoes
• feta cheese
• honeycrisp apple
• sugar free strawberry walnut dressing

I THINK I SWOONED while eating this. Seriously, I SWOONED! So glad I purchased the dressing. It blended beautifully with the feta and the crisp, sweet apple. I could eat this every day.

For our mental (must leave the office for a while) break, Ann and I ran to Barnes and Nobles again. It's turning into our second home I swear! I grabbed a large green tea and nestled into a nice and cozy spot to read a handful of health and fitness magazines. AH, this is the LIFE!


My dream only lasted for an hour though and then we had to get back to work. TRAGIC!

SNACK (meal #3)

Ah yes, the all too familiar yogurt mess. A 4oz cup of plain (0%) Oikos with cinnamon, Crunchy Maple Sunrise cereal and a drizzle of the sugar free maple syrup I had leftover from breakfast. DUH-LI-CI-OH-SOOO-GOOD!


RANDOM: I found these old advertisement pictures online and I just HAD to share. Seriously, what the HECK? WOW!


Promptly at 5:00 it was off to the gym. This week will be the true test of how my body and mind like (or hate) the new Plan Of Attack. Today was back, chest and cardio day.

WORKOUT

Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 13
Lat Pulldown with V-Bar (cable)
70lb x 15
70lb x 14
60lb x 15
Inclined Chest Press (plate loaded)
30lb x 15
30lb x 14
25lb x 15
High Row (plate loaded)
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
Seated Chest Press (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 13
Seated Row (cable)
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
50lb x 15
Elliptical - Interval Training - 34 minutes
Resistance 6-8
2.8 miles
420 calories

WHEW! That felt great. So far so good! Curious to weigh myself on Friday morning. I swear I may toss the scale out the window if I don't see what I like. I'm not a violent person, I assure you! I'm delicate like a butterfly. (ALL LIES!!)

SNACK (meal #4)

I made a Green Monster Smoothie the second I got home to fuel the BURN!

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein Powder
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 banana
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/4 tsp Xantham gum

I began to blend this like a maniac. Lightning flashed around me and smoke began to fill the room! You could hear the muffled cries of women and children screaming in the background while I pushed the buttons and laughed wickedly with WILD eyes. I couldn't wait to have it! The stuff is like green liquid crack!


Yep, it was THAT good! Here's a lovely stache picture for you Janetha!


While sipping on this frothy, cool, tall (never ending) glass of goodness, I read some emails and a few blogs (SHOCKING, I KNOW). While perusing my emails I came across the most lovely Award ("Honest Scrap" award) from Nancy over at Spicy Foodie. How very sweet. Thanks Nancy! This award means that I have to tell you 10 honest things about myself. Oh boy.... You ready?

1. I'm a clean freak. Over compulsive disorder? No, I just like things clean and organized!!
2. I hate Country music. HATE IT! It runs deep people!
3. I'm completely blind without my glasses. It's probably why I own 6 pair!
4. Three biggest (stupid) fears are driving in the snow, earthworms, heights (which also rolls over into flying...)
5. Three biggest (valid) fears are getting too old for kids, actually HAVING kids, being alone.
6. I constantly pick at the flesh around my fingernails. I'm doing it right now!
7. My dream would be to open and run a coffee shop/healthy eats/smoothies/funky vibe/artsy/cool music playing joint. Oh if only! You know, if only I were rich and had the slightest idea of how to run a business. MINOR details. HA!
8. Sometimes.... Sometimes I watch The Antique Roadshow.... Willingly! (and then there was silence...)
9. I've been known to cry during commercials. It's even worse during shows and movies. We're talking lower lip tremble, muffled whimpering, swollen eyes and the whole bit!
10. I've never farted in front of a man. In my sleep does NOT count. I don't even care! HAHAHAHA!

Now I'm supposed to pass this on to 10 people. However, I CAN'T CHOOSE. I love you ALL! I give this to all the fine ladies (and gents) that read my blog. You're all fantastic and worthy. I know this is the lame way to do this but I just can't help myself. If you choose to accept this FANTASTIC Award please let me know and I'll make sure to read your responses. XOXO!!

DINNER (meal #5)

I decided to have protein packed tuna. It sounded SO good and I knew I could throw it together in just a few minutes.

• 1 can tuna in water, drained
• 2 tbs fat free Miracle Whip
• 2 tbs spicy hummus
• 1 tbs relish
• 1 squirt of spicy mustard
• sea salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic salt to taste

I only ate half the tuna and put the rest away for another day. I enjoyed it with torn up wheat and flax pitas, spinach and tomato slices.


I made little bite sized baby pita sandwiches.


I had a blood orange on the side as well. It was super sweet, juicy and delicious. YUM!


Tonight was clearly not one of the NO CARBS ALLOWED evenings. I'm only doing that 3x a week TO START! I might change it.... We will see how it goes. Either way, these sexy little pitas only pack 6g of carbs each. Gotta love that!

Of course I had dinner with a nice cup of wild berry tea (which I forgot to photograph). Pretty sure I'll start sweating tea any day now. Can't seem to get enough of the stuff!

Ta-Taaa!