Cauliflower Power...

Little Miss. Sneaky Sunshine is hiding from me again. It's another grey, damp and gloomy day here in fabulous and exciting Ohio. I'm stuck inside with no plans, no tasks and no real ambition to do much of anything. On one had this is magnificent. On the other hand, I'm also trapped with Monster Hunter.

(proof.... he had no idea I was taking pictures.... I'm so sneaky....)


The Mr. has been playing it nonstop. Granted that I play on the computer all day, but somehow, that's just different. You guys feel me right? Watching him all day is like a slow and agonizing eternity spent in sword yielding hell. Someone come and rescue me. Take me away from all of this senseless dragon murder. HA!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 11:00am. (I slept in and LOVED it!!)

I had the tastiest little breakfast wrap. I stuffed a multi grain FlatOut with spinach, sprouts, 4 egg whites (seasoned with S+P), hummus and Sriracha. Seriously messy and seriously delicious.


Enjoyed with my new favorite coffee, Archer Farms coconut macaroon. It's AMAZING people. Go get some!


And yes, it was a doggy-dog kind of day. This cup just seemed perfect. Makes me laugh every time I drink out of it. I don't even know why I got it. I'm a cat person. I haven't owned a dog since I was like 6. HA! ????

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

I had an eggplant sandwich on toasted wheat bread with mozarella and spinach. On the side I had some acorn squash, sugar snap peas and tomatoes.


Delicious! Yeah!

The rest of my afternoon was spent being lazy. Lounging on the couch. Reading blogs. Playing on Facebook. Sipping on way too many cup of delicious coffee. You know, really serious and important business! ;)

SNACK (meal #3) at 6:00pm.

I was craving something sweet and this strawberry Dannon yogurt was on its last leg. I HAD TO RESCUE IT! Enjoyed with banana slices and a sprinkle of Udi's granola and cinnamon.


DINNER (meal #4) at 8:30pm.

NEW TO ME RECIPE! I came across this in BlogLand and immediately became intrigued. Mock pizza crust made with cauliflower and fat free Mozarella cheese? YES PLEASE!

The steps seemed easy enough. Add a head of raw cauliflower into the food processor using the shredder blade. It should somewhat resemble the size of "rice". Microwave the shredded cauliflower (I covered my bowl with a barely damp paper towel) for 5 minutes. Stir with 1 cup of fat free Mozarella cheese, 1 egg, one wedge of light Laughing Cow Cheese and season with garlic salt, pepper, Italian seasoning blend and oregano.

I sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam and formed the mixture into a "pizza crust". I baked it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Once the crust looked nice and golden, I topped it with a bit of Bertolli Arrabbiata red sauce mixed with tomato paste, onion, yellow, orange and red tomato slices, eggplant, green olives and acorn squash. I topped it all with a bit more Mozarella, red pepper flakes and Parmesan. I popped it back into the oven for maybe 10 more minutes. Just until everything heated through and cheese got nice and bubbly. (Sorry for the bad pictures. Nighttime lighting in the house sucks a whole lot...)


AHHHHHHHH! SUPER TASTY! My life is complete now. I can have "pretend" pizza again. With no guilt. Granted the texture and flavor wasn't ANYTHING like real pizza, but it was damn delicious! I love you BlogLand. I love you so much!

We're about to watch Red Cliff. I love Asian movies and I love John Woo. This one looks amazing. Very visual. Have a great night. It's back to the grind tomorrow. BAH!

XOXO
Ildie

The Stuff & The Game

Let me riddle you a story full of food and fury. Set in a land full of obstacles, intrigue, panic attacks, laughter, triumph, failure and above all, undeniable brilliance. A tale of a foodie and fitness loving gal on a lonesome mission of self wellness and satisfaction. Yes, this is my story. And I love sharing it with you amazing lovelies each and every single day. It means so much to me that you keep coming back.

Today was a BUSY one at work. My entire day flew by in the blink of an eye. I did manage to sneak some fabulous meals in though.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:00am. (WAY late, I got stuck at my desk...)

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbs unsweetened dark cacao
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash pumpkin pie spice
• pinch salt
• Splenda
• (Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter + 2 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves.)

Eaten while I did the dreaded hand tango on my keyboard. It was a violent and drawn out dance today. In the end, I'm not sure who was leading, me or the keyboard.

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

I made a tasty wrap with a wheat FlatOut + homemade onion hummus + 1/2 avocado + spinach + tomato.


On the side I had some roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli courtesy of the lovely Ann. YUM!


I actually managed to escape for a break today and we ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things. It was one of those quick, in and out trips. It still felt nice to get out of my horribly uncomfortable chair for a bit though. My sore ass was enjoying the freedom.

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

I had 1/2 cup of strawberries topped with plain Dannon Greek yogurt (mixed with cinnamon) and some Udi's cranberry granola.


I was discussing with Ann how Greek yogurt reminds me of that movie The Stuff. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's a cheesy horror movie from the 80's about some yogurt like substance that everyone became addicted to and it made them CRAZY. HAHAHA! Here's the very classy and awesome trailer.


After work we hit the gym.

WORKOUT!

Lat Pulldown with V-Bar (cable)
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
40lb x 15
Row Machine (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
Seated Chest Press (plate loaded)
70lb x 13
60lb x 13
50lb x 15
Dumbbell Row
20lb x 15
20lb x 15
20lb x 15
Face Pull with rope grip (cable)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Dumbbell Fly
10lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
10lb x 15
Treadmill
15 minutes, 1 minute intervals of 3.2 walking and 5.0 running, 1 mile (I'm pretty sure that almost died...)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
15 minutes, 2 minute intervals of levels 6 & 8, 1.32 miles.

Total time at the gym = 1:19
Max HR = 180
Average HR = 139
Total Calories Burned = 637

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:20pm.

When I got home I whipped up a quick protein shake with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and a packet of Jay Robb Pina Colada whey protein powder. I was hesitant about this flavor so I've been putting off trying it. No idea why because it was absolutely delicious. Jay Robb's got it going on. Seriously! Good stuff!


I watched an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker while I sipped on my shake. I'm addicted to that stupid show. AND THEN I SAW IT! A bag, lurking next to the couch with very scary words "Game Stop" on the side. I peeked inside and THERE IT WAS! THE MONSTER IS HERE! Nick picked up the game (Monster Hunter) after work. He's at his moms right now for dinner but I know what's going down the second he gets home. Nonstop PLAYING till at least 2:00am. Sigh........

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

I decided to make pancakes for dinner. It's been FAR too long. I made the usual mix, which I blended in my blender.

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• Splash cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 Banana
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

This was enough for 3 large pancakes, which I cooked in a frying pan sprayed with Pam. I topped them with Smucker's sugar free blueberry syrup + strawberry preserves (which I microwaved) + sprinkle ground flax + sprinkle of coconut flakes.


Uhm. ____ that was good! I forgot how much I LOVE pancakes. And the kicker, these are healthy! WIN-WIN!

Nick just got home and the game is already on. HELP ME! So much for watching the recorded episode of Lost tonight. The words "but I wanna plaaaaaay, lets watch it tomorrow" were mumbled several times during our debate. I lost this battle. BE DAMNED ELECTRONIC MAN TOYS! Be damned!

I think I'll leave the man with his wicked game and take my trusty laptop to bed. I need to get caught up on all your fabulous blogs anyways. Yeah, that sounds like a brilliant plan!

Have a great night!
XOXO

Ildie