Mighty Green Goddess

Another Monday (also known as "lack of fun day") is upon us. Joy of all joys I do declare! The 3rd annual Puppy Bowl last night was jam packed with incredible, exhilarating and exciting non stop action. Dogs RULED the house. I think I counted 8!! Here are just a few of the highlights from our lovely evening.

• An overly excited dog peeing all over someones jeans.
• Dog vomit that mysteriously appeared out of thin air.
• A group dare to consume soft "chalk-like" puppy treats. 3 people participated.
• Shots of a mysterious clear liquid that smelled like rubbing alcohol.
• A tower of Miller High Life cans, the champagne of beers of course.
• A TON of naughty food and sweets.
• Early contractions (mild) by a friend who is going to POP at any moment. We all freaked out but she assured us that all was well and the baby was NOT going to surprise us tonight. WHEW!
• And of course, Puppy Bowls Kitty Halftime show (GO CATS!).

Seriously, who thinks of this stuff? HA! Such a BAD/BRILLIANT idea to have a party based on something so awful (yet cute and compelling). I love our friends!

I would like to clarify that I was NOT involved in any of the ongoing shenanigans last night. I was a little angel all night and had no beer, no mystery shots, no sweets or snacks, and for sure no puppy treats. I snacked on the Amazing Grass chocolate super food bar that I took with me and on some raw veggies off of the veggie platter.

Alright, enough about last night, let's talk about "lack of fun day" now.

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

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 tbs ground flax
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbs unsweetened cocoa
• Splenda to taste
• 5 drops of chocolate fudge brownie Capella Flavor Drops
• PB2

Enjoyed in my office with the door shut and my space heater cranked on FULL BLAST! When I walked into the office this morning the temperature was set to 60. Is this some sort of cruel mass torture? Come on people.... GIVE US HEAT!

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

I was craving one thing and one thing only, SALAD!

• Baby spinach leaves
• Cherry tomatoes
• Black beans
• Fat free cottage cheese
• Drizzle of spray butter

Not a lot of ingredients or pizzazz but in my opinion it tasted perfect. I also enjoyed a sad little bruised banana.


On our break today we hit up the grocery store (we can't stay away I tell you) to pick up some of my beloved multi grain & flax FlatOut. The grocery store by my house doesn't carry it and I HAVE TO HAVE IT! I also found the honey wheat variety to try. So uhm, yeah... That was lunch..... Yep, sure was exciting aye? WEEEEEEEE!!!!!

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

I didn't have yogurt all weekend and my body was screaming for it. Naturally I had to oblige.

• 4oz cup of plain 0% Oikos
• Fuji apple slices
• Cinnamon
• 1 packet Splenda
• Small kiwi
• Sprinkle of Back to Nature, chocolate delight granola

I'm not sure why but I woke up seriously sore today with pretty intense DOMS. However, as always, I put those aches and pains aside and went straight to the gym after work. We are expecting yet another titillating and exciting winter storm tomorrow so I wanted to make sure to get a good workout in tonight. Tomorrow may not happen. I HATE WINTER!

WORKOUT!

Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
30lb x 15 (3 sets)

Lat Pulldown with V-Bar (cable)
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15

Seated Chest Press (plate loaded)
60lb x 13
50lb x 15
50lb x 15

High Row (plate loaded)
90lb x 15 (3 sets)

Advanced Inclined Chest Press (plate loaded)
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
20lb x 15

Row Machine (cable)
60lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 15

Elliptical Cross Trainer, 20 minutes, 244 calories, 1.72 miles
1-2 min, (level 5)
3-4 min, (level 6)
5-6 min, (level 7)
7-8 min, (level 8)
9-10 min, (level 9)
11-12 min, (level 10)
13-14 min, (level 11)
15-16 min, (level 12)
17-18 min, (level 11)
19-20 min, (level 10)

Oh the aches and pains were screaming at me by the time I was done. SO SORE! I only did 20 minutes on the Elliptical instead of the usual 30. WE WERE TRICKED! The clock in the cardio room was set 20 minutes ahead. Thinking that we were running WAY late, Ann and I thought it best to only do 20 minutes on the ellipticals. As soon as I grabbed my purse out of the locker I noticed the correct time on my phone. BAH! Oh well, I was tired, sweaty, sore and ready to go home anyway.

I made a quick and delicious shake as soon as I walked in the door. I look forward to these frosty treats all day long!

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:15pm.

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
• 1/2 small banana
• 1 scoop (30 grams) vanilla whey protein powder
• 5 drops orange creamsickle Capella Flavor Drops
• 2 cups spinach
• couple pieces of ice

Mighty Green Goddess, I shall worship you until the end of times. I bow to thees luxurious deliciousness! This is my absolute favorite combo YET! Something about this mix just blended beautifully together. Just look at that color. So pretty and fresh!

After my heavenly Goddess fuel, I soaked in a steaming (almost painfully hot) bath for a good 30 minutes. I also stretched afterwards for about 10 minutes. Hopefully I'll feel better by tomorrow.

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

I didn't want anything too fussy for dinner so I decided to make a quick veggie burrito. Into a large pan went the following.

• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• Spray butter
• Trader Joe's spicy taco seasoning mix

While the veggies were cooking away I heated up a serving of Morning Star Farms grounds which I also seasoned with taco seasoning.

When the veggies and grounds were done I sprayed a frying pan with Pam and layered the following.

• Honey Wheat Flat Out
• Cooked and sauteed veggies
• Morning Star Farms grounds
• A bit more sauteed veggies
• 1 slice of provolone cheese

I toasted the wrap on each side for a few minutes. Just long enough to melt the cheese. I topped the toasty wrap with pineapple salsa and jalapenos.


It was so incredibly easy and delicious! The sweetness from the salsa and the heat from the taco seasoning and jalapenos was perfect! I seriously enjoyed this!

Well lovelies, that's all she wrote. Time to go cuddle with the Mr.

Enjoy the rest of your Monday and STAY WARM and cozy tonight.

XO
Ildie

A foodie fairytale

Why hello there. Happy Saturday! It's been a productive and fun one for me. YEAH!

It all started a long, long time ago. In a kitchen far, far away. In a magical place known as Babushka Land. The lovely Rambling Maiden awoke from her sweet slumber and thought to herself, now what shall I have for breakfast? Oatmeal? No, too typical. Cereal? No, too cold! Then suddenly, a vision of pure breakfast perfection appeared to her out of thin air. Spicy breakfast burrito!! Her diligent yet delicate hands whisked the egg whites, added the ground sausage and cooked both to perfection. With wild yet beautiful eyes, she piled them high atop her flax infused wrap and smothered it all in a secret spicy sauce. Oh the Maiden was pleased with her creation.

• 1 flax and whole grain FlatOut
• 3 egg whites
• 1 serving Morning Star Farms sausage crumbles
• salt & pepper to taste
• Sriracha sauce

Breakfast was served with a mug of hot, delectable brew. Sweetened with the new love in her life.

• Large espresso made with Chocolate Chip Cookie flavored coffee
• 1 packet Stevia in the raw
• 2 tbs Sugar Free creamer
• dash cinnamon

Babushka Land was abuzz with the delight of this magnificent feast. Joy filled the hills as the fair people frolicked about. All was well, for the fair Maiden was full, both with joy and in belly.

HA! Okay, enough with the Maiden talk. After breakfast it was off to the gym for an early morning sweat session. This workout was out of this world. I fear I may be sore by tomorrow. It was similar to the same workout I did last Saturday BUT EVEN BETTER. Last Saturdays workout left me super sore clear into Tuesday! :-O (scared)

Treadmill Warm up - 5 min.
5 Incline, 3.2 speed
Seated Leg Curl (cable)
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Squats
x15
Leg Extension (cable)
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Squats
x15
Hack Squat (plate loaded)
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
Squats
x15
Single Leg Pres (plate loaded)
90lb x 15 (each leg)
100lb x 15 (each leg)
100lb x 15 (each leg)
Plié Squat (heels together)
x15
x15
x15
Stiff Legged dead lift
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
Elliptical - 30 min.
Uphill Challenge
Resistance 3-16
410 calories burned

After this AWESOME workout I came home and quickly made myself a Green Monster Smoothie.

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 5 frozen strawberries
• 1 medium banana
• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 packet Stevia in the raw
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (I'm a cool kid now)

It was SO good! Rich, super creamy and very filling. However, it left me feeling frozen to the core so I decided to take a HOT bath as soon as I chugged this baby down. After my bubbly adventure, I made a nice cup of green tea. Which was enjoyed in my lovely and stupid yellow dog mug. HA!


As soon as the tea was gone I indulged with a laundry party. I'M LYING! I had three loads to do. Amazing, considering only two of us live here. ???? BAH!

Lunch/Meal #3 was all sorts of delicious! I decided to make spicy, Asian infused broccoli slaw with chicken sausage.

Into a skillet I tossed an entire bag of broccoli slaw.


An onion.


Broccoli florets. (about 1 cup)


And a handful of sugar snap peas.


I added low sodium soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and spicy Thai chili paste to the party as well along with some spray butter.


A few pictures of the whole happy family, pre-cooking.


While the veggies simmered in the covered pot, I cut a Trader Joe's jalapeno chicken sausage in half and slowly seared it till golden in frying pan with Pam. By the time it was done, so were the veggies. And here you have it. Perfection topped off with a bit of Sriracha.


After lunch I did laundry load 2 of 3 and cleaned the house up a bit. Busy, busy. Nick eventually forced me to take a break and we curled up on the couch for a while watching his beloved home renovation shows. Signs of aging perhaps? HA! I took this TV watching opportunity and popped a bag of fat free popcorn, which I split with Nick. I seasoned my half with a packet of Stevia, cinnamon, sea salt and a bit of spray butter. SO GOOD! I used to eat this stuff all the time. No idea why I stopped. My popped tasty treat was enjoyed with another cup of green tea.


When dinnertime rolled around I decided to make a loaded little salad. Man I DO love me a good salad! It contained spinach, a sliced apple, a Morning Star Farms black bean burger, sugar snap peas, chick peas and Feta with a bit of fresh cracked black pepper and spray butter. WOW! I know this combination sounds a bit weird but I absolutely loved it. I'll be having this again!


I just finished laundry load 3 of 3 (I'm FREE) and think we're about to watch a movie next. Oliver is CLEARLY ready to cuddle and call it a night. He's been acting like an out of control attention whore all day today. SO CUTE!

Muew, muew, pfffft and all that jazz!