A positively perfect day

Today I want to rant about POSITIVITY and happy-happy, joy-joy type goodness. I was in a special mood yesterday. I'm sure my post made that painfully obvious. Or did I hide it well? Either way, apologies my lovely (and patient) readers!! We all have those days! I'm in a much better mood today. So much so that I would like to declare today positively perfect day! I have some personal matters that I'm currently "handling" and they had me bit frazzled yesterday. I'm happy to report that as of this morning, things seem to be moving into the right direction. I'll share all the details with you once I get it all sorted out. Just know that as of right now, everything is just peachy keen.

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

I swear my oats tasted better than usual. It probably has something do with the absent stress monster that was clinging to my weary back yesterday. AHHH! I'm in such a good mood!

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups water
• dash cinnamon
• dash apple pie spice
• pinch salt
• Splenda to taste
• 1 tbs flax
• 1 tbs Trader Joe's pumpkin butter

I completely forgot how much I ADORE this sweet and creamy pumpkin butter. It was SO good with the oats. Now if I could only stock up on canned pumpkin and add that to the mix as well. That would be amazing! I've been hording one large can of pumpkin at home and I'm scared to open it. I know once I eat it, that will be the last of it. I'M SCARED TO LET GO! I can't find the stuff ANYWHERE right now! I've been looking for months! IT'S A CONSPIRACY!

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

I'm a lover of leftovers. I'm also a lover of cabbage. This made packing lunch for today a no brainer. I had the slaw-cauliflower combo leftover from last night and topped it off with a black bean veggie burger from Morning Star Farms. It was SERIOUSLY amazing! I enjoyed it way more than my dinner last night. Sometimes the trick is to just let your food hang out in the fridge overnight. Magical things can happen inside refrigerated tupperware. MAGICAL!


On our break away from the office today we were on a secret mission. It may or may NOT have involved Birthday purchases for a certain fantastical Papa. Mr. wonderful will be celebrating his eternal youth on the 21st. HI PAPA! You know I love to torture you so. ;)

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:15pm.

I had the pleasure of another Dannon strawberry Greek yogurt today. I'm loving these little sweet treats. Great flavor, creamy texture and 12g protein. SOLD!


After work it was off to the gym for my weekly LAST CHANCE workout before weigh in tomorrow morning. I know most people HATE scales but that square little devil sure keeps my ass in check. For me, weighing in weekly (though lightweight stressful) just works. Of course this method doesn't work for everyone and you should always do what makes you comfortable. To some people this means tossing the scale out the window or burning it in a ritualistic ceremony. HA!

WORKOUT!

Elliptical Cross Trainer, 1 hour, 5.1 miles, 716 calories
1-5 min., (level 6)
6-10 min., (level 7)
11-15 min., (level 8)
16-20 min., (level 9)
21-25 min., (level 10)
26-30 min., (level 11)
31-35 min., (level 12)
36-40 min., (level 11)
41-45 min., (level 10)
46-50 min., (level 9)
51-55 min., (level 8)
56-60 min., (level 7)

GOOD GRIEF! I thought the hour would never end!! People that find an hour on the elliptical to be "fun" or "easy" are either crazy, or great liars. Maybe one day cardio will grow on me. Until then I will openly HATE IT and FORCE it.

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:45pm.

I got home later than usual from the gym. I had to make a quick stop and Mama and Papa Babushkas house to pick something up. By the time I walked in the house I just had no desire to mess with the whole smoothie making process. I opted for a fudge brownie Jay Robb protein bar instead. I LOVED IT! It was dense, chewy, chocolaty without being too sweet and just plain tasty!


The stats were pretty nice too with 14g protein, 6g fiber and 220 calories. The carbs were a bit higher than I like at 23g but not bad overall. I would totally have this again. I give it a 9 out of 10.

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

While devouring the bar, I also started prepping my dinner. Mama Babushka hooked me up with some brussel sprouts during my quick visit after the gym. I completely depleted my veggie stash at home because I've been on some sort of a vegetable kick this week. CAN'T GET ENOUGH! In a last minute desperate attempt I politely asked my Mama if she had any to spare. Of course she did. LOVE HER!

I seasoned the brussel sprouts with sea salt, black pepper and cayenne and tossed them on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. I decided to bake the last of my orange cauliflower as well. You know, just to cover all of my veggie bases. For some protein I tossed a jalapeno chicken sausage in with the veggies as well. SO EASY! Of course I drizzled some Sriracha on top as well. I need my heat!


Well that's it beautiful people. I'm going to call it a night and maybe watch an episode of Dexter before crashing. We're already done with season 1. I LOVE IT!

I'll fill you in on my weigh in and how I did last week in my usual Sassy Friday Update Style. Have a great night.

XOXOXO
Ildie

Stepping outside the box is not allowed!

I'M A DAY BEHIND!! Lost track of time Friday so I'm posting this morning instead for your reading pleasure. ENJOY! ;)

FRIDAY IS HERE! I made it through the week and it feels so glorious! I'm giddy with excitement I tell you, GIDDY! HA!

I'm also in a super good mood because I lost weight again. Down another 1.8 lbs. Not stellar I know but I'll take it. Close to two pounds a week whether over or under is good for me. Two pounds a week is healthy. I was excited. :)

Breakfast today was quick, sweet, rich and scrumptiolydumplious! I doubt that's a word you can find in any dictionary but it fits. I was running behind this morning so I just grabbed a NuGo bar for breakfast. It was the Banana Chocolate kind. It made no mention of coconuts but I swear I tasted that in there too. Sneaky NuGo guys! IT WAS SO GOOD! And it kept me full for hours. I enjoyed it with a nice cup of coffee.


Random: Look at my calendar kitty today. HE LOOKS DERANGED! I love it!


Then I worked for a bit and went to a meeting about our project database program. We implemented a new one roughly two years ago and are still trying to solve all the issues and bugs with it. They were looking for our input and our likes and dislikes etc... Ann and I went prepared! We had a list (looooooong list) and a lot to say. I tossed some jokes in there too. You know, like, YEAH Hahaha, isn't it awesome when you try to do this and it does this instead? I thought it went well!

By the time the meeting was over it was after lunchtime. Where did the day go? So I quickly heated up my Morning Star Farms black bean burger and toasted my English muffin. I had a nice little apple on the side as well. Yeah, not very exciting I know. Like I said before, I was running behind this morning dang it. What can I say? It was delicious though! :)


I didn't get a chance to leave the office for a break today. The meeting lasted too long and I had some emails to catch up on after that. No big deal though.

For my afternoon snack today I enjoyed yet another plain Oikos Greek yogurt with red grapes. I clearly like this combo. I think I've had it 3x this week already. Maybe I take comfort in the familiar? Don't you judge me!!!!


After work I went to the usual Friday HOT SPOT. Meaning the grocery store. OH I'M LIVIN ON THE EDGE right? I spent a FORTUNE and hurried home for some Ildie gets to relax time. I was a bit naughty at the store today. It was a long and rough week and I needed some liquid candy so I got one of these...... Again. DON'T JUDGE ME! I love wine and it's been a while. :)


For dinner I tried stepping out of the box a little bit and resisted the temptation of making Taco Salad. I had sort of the same thing last night stuffed into a wrap instead of tossed over lettuce and I wasn't hip on having it again. Nick started crying and pleading and gently whimpered a song about his love of Taco Salad in my ear....... I tried to help him deal with the loss and tried to get him to work through his pain. However, after about 30 minutes of pleading I decided to make Taco Salad to keep the peace. I mean don't get me wrong, I like the stuff (love it actually). I was just trying to do something different. ;)

After pouring myself a nice large glass of wine, I started on dinner. Before finishing it, I was already ob glass number 2. UH OH.... I've been eating lite and losing weight. All of a sudden I looked at Nick and started laughing. I had a buzz. HAHAHAHAHA!


We ate our Taco Salad and you know what? It was good. It's always good! I don't know why I was hesitating making it.


After dinner Nick decided to teach me how to play Munchkin. I don't know if it was the game itself, the wine or the fact that I was getting tired but I could NOT grasp it. HA! He tried diligently for about an hour to teach me and then we gave up and curled up to watch TV. And yeah, that's my Friday in a nutshell. :)

You turn me on, Morning Star.

HAPPY FRIDAY! This never ending week is finally over. YEAH! I'm currently sipping on green tea and crying while watching an episode of House. Nick thinks I'm crazy. My eyes are all swollen and stuff. I'm such a puss. I used to watch it all the time but stopped sometime last year for no reason in particular. We decided to download every single episode and watch them ALL, season by season, from the very beginning. Brilliant idea I dare say! When we have nothing going on and there is nothing on TV, we watch one or two episodes. It's a nice way to unwind at the end of the day. By the time I make it home during the week it's late. I'm at the gym till 7:00 pm or later and then I come home, clean up and make a healthy dinner every night. We're talking 9:00 - 9:30 by the time I finally sit my ass down. It's nice to curl up on the couch and relax with my Nick, my kitty and my sexy, sarcastic Dr. House.


I'm very excited about our three day Labor day weekend. We don't have any super special plans but it's nice to know that I'll have an extra day to myself. I think we'll probably end up going to a cookout on Monday at his Aunt's house. So of course there is the food dilemma. Do I eat before we leave and watch everyone eat while there or do I take food with me? Is that weird? Eating the food they will be making is not an option. They're huge fans of meat, more meat and your typical sides of beans with bacon, deviled eggs, fatty dips and desserts etc... AGHH, I will figure it all out.

I weighed in this morning and I only lost .9 pounds. I would say 1 pound but that would be lying so I will be honest and say .9. Not a great loss but hey, it's a loss so I'm happy. I can't expect to lose close to 3 every week. That's just not realistic. Or healthy. Next week will be better. Right?


For breakfast today I had a cup of coffee, a cup of warm sugar free applesauce and a Kashi granola bar.


My lunch was DELICIOUS and fresh. I had a crab meat wrap with lettuce, mild yellow pepper and some cherry tomatoes on the side.


For dinner I made "taco salad" again. I made Nick's with ground beef and mine, but of course, with Morning Star Farms ground meat magic. I love this stuff. It's super low calorie and basically has no fat. I mixed in some green onions, black beans, great northern beans, taco seasoning and a jalapeno pepper. GOOD! I had this mixture with some lettuce, a yellow tomato, salsa, fat free sour cream and a half of an avocado.


For a quick snack later, I had another Kashi granola bar. This was a variety I had never had before and I LOVED IT. It was crunchy instead of chewy and came in two thinner pieces. It was flavored with pumpkin and cinnamon I believe. Very good! I had it with a cup of green tea.


And now I must go to sleep. It's midnight and I'm sleepy. Have a good one.

Lark at the Park...

Guten Tag, (German for "good day") Hope you're all having a wonderful day. I'm a bit tired today. We were up late playing games in Canton last night and I got to bed at about 1:00 am. However, I FINALLY WON at Settlers of Catan. I whooped them all, I whooped em good! YEAH!!!!! :)

Today was busy at work with it being the last day of the month. Happens this way every month. I've gotten used to it after ten years with this company but that doesn't mean I like it. Speaking of work, this is my office, I basically LIVE here during the week.


I've worked with friends, some have gone (layoffs) and we've since lost touch and some are still in my life. I also work with my sister, which keeps me sane. It's a small Co. and things are different from how they were when I first started, as is the case with many companies due to the economy. We just keep trucking along. I'm thankful every day for having a job to come in to, but as with all things, the stress remains. Life goes on.


I spend lots of time staring at this picture on my desk of Nick and I at a costume party because it makes me laugh when I get stressed.


For breakfast today I had my usual coffee, an english muffin smothered in fat free apricot jam and a banana. Tasty, tasty.


For lunch I ate at my desk as usual and had a turkey wrap and a plum.


Then Ann and I escaped for an hour and spent it at this park around the corner from work. I've been trying to get her to go there for months and I'm glad we finally made it. We had a blast. The place was nice and it just felt good to get out and get some fresh air.


For my afternoon snack I enjoyed a serving of fat free plain yogurt sweetened with splenda and topped with some juicy and ripe blueberries. Yummy.


Ann and I rode to the gym together today. She is finally having the hole in her tire fixed and has no car for the day. It was cardio day again. Starting this week we will be doing it 2x a week. BAH. Not my favorite but it will get the fat suit off the fastest. :) We were there for a little over an hour and then I took her home. I would also like to add that my ass is semi numb from the stupid bike.

For dinner I had leftover turkey burger. I sliced it up into strips and put it in a Pita with some lettuce, leftover grilled onions and mild Hungarian peppers. I also made some broccoli on the side. I seasoned it with spray butter and a few sprinkles of ranch dip mix (only 5 calories per teaspoon). It was all very good. Nick had some of my Mama's breaded pork chops with oven baked potatoes. She gave me some leftovers yesterday. So basically, I didn't have to cook dinner tonight, which was awesome.


Still tired from last night so now I just get to relax and do nothing for the rest of the night. Talk to you all tomorrow. Have a goodnight.