Mr. Scale and Mr. Rummy

I looked that son of a **bleep** square in the face and curled my lip aggressively to show him I meant business. I ain't afraid of no flat, gutless, soulless electronic wannabe super scale. Feeling good about my food choices and sweat sessions at the gym last week, I stepped on Mr. Filthy Scale feeling confident. All that came CRASHING DOWN in a matter of seconds. I looked down only to realize that I weighed exactly the same as I did last Friday. We're talking down to the 0.0 amount. A slew of profanity proceeded to pour out of my mouth.

My mind raced. What do I blame it on? Too much repetition at the gym? Not drinking enough water? Too many carbs last week? The fact that I'm bloated and PMS'ing like a violent woman on the verge of a full on crazy attack?

But alas, I shall blame it on nothing. Weight loss is a journey. If it were EASY, everyone would be thin and healthy and the diet industry wouldn't exist. Let alone be full of lying, leeching and conniving millionaires.

Okay, enough with the sass talk. Moving on.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:00am.

Yeah, I said 10:00am. THE HORROR!! I got stuck at my desk again and just couldn't pry myself away to make breakfast. I paid the price for leaving work early yesterday. I came in to a ton of fan mail (email). All demanding my time, attention, amazing detective skills and uncanny ability to respond politely no matter my frustrations. I should've become an actress! Yeah, I'm THAT GOOD!

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups 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 sugar free strawberry jam + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter.)

Ann took the day off from work today. For reasons I cannot explain (please assume that we are obsessed with each other) it made work SUCK even more than usual. I missed you Annie-Boo. Your sweet, psychotic face gives me solace at work. Your concerned and wrinkled little forehead staring back at me while I vent uncontrollably gives me peace. HAHAHA!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:00pm.

It was a tasty one. I had a sweet Fuji apple with cinnamon.


A toasted Thomas's everything Bagel Thin with spinach and oven roasted turkey breast.


And a fuzzy little Kiwi.


It was right after feasting on this meal that Ann finally called to let me know that Mama and Papa Babushka had made it safely home to the sacred land (Hungary) and all was well. They were supposed to call her first thing in the morning. The excuse they gave for calling so late you ask? They forgot about us!! SAY WHAT LOL? How can you ever forget about THIS? Your perfect, flawless, chipper, amazing, brilliant, funny one of a kind first born perfect daughter? RIDICULOUS! I guess I can allow it just this one time though. They were jet lagged, starving, tired, delirious and surrounded by tons of family they hadn't seen in 25 years. It better NEVER happen again though!

While chatting, I decided that I had to see Ann. I HAD TO! HA! I had nowhere special to go on my break anyways and she offered to make me a cup of coffee. SOLD! I drove to her apartment and we chatted for a bit.

SNACK (meal #3) at 1:30pm.

We discussed how much I hated her for being off today over a lovely cup coffee and some pretzels.


And then it was back to work.

At 5:00 I got the hot heck out of the office and proceeded to spend a small fortune at the grocery store. I asked them if they accepted kidneys as payment. The look on the cashiers face quickly made me reach for my debit card though. The nerve!

I came home, put all the groceries away, emptied the dishwasher, gave the beast some kitty treats, tossed in a load of laundry, tidied up the house and then finally sat down for a bit.

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:00pm.

Accompanying me on the couch was my new best friend. May I present to you Mr. Rummy Coke Zero...


Yes, it WAS necessary! It's been a long (and special) week and I deserved a little cocktail. I tossed in fresh lemon and lime slices for good measure. Hey, it had fruit in it. HA!

I also consumed a handful (or two or three) of these tasty little reduced fat Wheat Thins.


I sipped on my drink and munched away while catching up on Blog Land. Ahhhhhh Friday evenings.... You complete me!

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

Nick was having leftovers so I decided to make a quick and tasty little treat. Not sure what to call it. Fruit Quesadilla? Just follow these easy steps.

• I sliced a Fuji apple into thin slices, sprinkled them with cinnamon and microwaved them for 2 minutes until they became nice and tender.

• I smeared a wedge of light Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese on half of a wheat FlatOut and layered the apples on top.

1. I mashed up a very ripe banana and scooped that on top of the apple layer and added a bit more cinnamon.

• I folded the FlatOut in half and toasted it in a frying pan sprayed with Pam on both sides until nice and golden.
• I cut it in half and drizzled wildflower honey over the top.

Enjoyed with a few strawberries on the side. This was incredible. Like having dessert for dinner. The wildflower honey was excellent with the warm apple and mushy bananas. MMMMM! HEAVEN!

It's getting late, and because I'm a lame wimp, going to bed early tonight just sounds amazing. I would FOR ONCE like to wake up early and get a nice head start on my day. There's a lot I want to do tomorrow! I need my beauty/energy sleep!

1. Hit the gym.
2. Feed Mama and Papas' cats.
3. Make a run to the pharmacy.
4. Clean the house.
5. Organize closet. (scared of this one...)
6. Attempt making protein mini muffins. (even more scared. I'm NOT known having baking skills...)
7. Cook a tasty dinner. (I've been craving eggplant...)
8. Probably some more laundry. (It's like a never ending pile of joy and wonder...)
9. Catch up on blogs and write mine at the same time.

Weeeeeeeeeeeee.

Goodnight!!
XOXO

Ildie

VICTORIOUS!

It's been such gorgeous day today! It's warm, sunny and breezy. Oh, and it's FRIDAY! WIN-WIN! As predicted, I had an uneasy nights sleep but woke up feeling much better. I can't let some stupid random encounter with a shady stranger dampen my spirit. Not all things are in our control. In a way you just have to accept that and live your life. I like to think that most people are good. You can't let paranoia run your life!! (I say that now because the sun is shining. Ask me about this again at midnight when I think I "hear" something outside...HA!)

****Drum roll please**** I WON the scale battle this morning. Sweet victory was mine! I lost another 3.4 pounds. This officially puts me over the 50lb mark. To be exact, I've lost 50.2. GO ME!

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

To celebrate, I had a tasty bowl of chocolate PB&J oatmeal, with a special little addition. I crumbled half of a Nature's Path Chococonut bar into the mix as well. It was like a sweet decadent breakfast concoction of LOVE! So good!

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tbs unsweetened dark cocoa
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash apple pie spice
• pinch salt
• Splenda to taste
• (Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax, 2 tbs sugar free cherry preserves, 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter, 1/2 Chococonut bar.)

Pure bowl bliss my friends! BLISS!

My day was a little different today. Breakfast had me so full that I decided to take a break first and then come back and have my lunch later. I just wasn't hungry at 12:30. I ran around and got all of my grocery shopping done first instead. I loaded up on all of the ususals (veggies, fruit, lean meat, low fat dairy etc...) and then headed back to work. Weeeeeeeeeeeee! I got back to work at about 1:30 and decided to have my lunch!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 1:45pm.

I had the best salad today. Simple yet flavorful. I love non fussy meals!

• Spinach
• Tomato
• Leftover roasted brussel sprouts
• Morning Star Farms black bean burger
• Garlic favored sunflower seeds (Kaia Foods brand..YUM)
• Spray butter

I inhaled this. It was magnificent!

While I was devouring my lunch, I came across the sexiest little email ever. It was the "big guys" letting us know that we can leave at 3:00 today. SWEET! It was already 2:00. :)

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

To celebrate our early freedom, Ann and I indulged a bit. I busted out the second sample that I received from Emmy's Organics. Dark Cacao Macaroon's. OMG! I shouldn't have shared with Ann! THEY ARE THAT GOOD! They remind me of a Mounds bar (everything reminds me of a Mounds bar lol) if it were made with dark chocolate! TO DIE FOR! GO GET SOME NOW!!!!!!!! I am in LOVE with them. Not sure I can share the last one with Nick like I did with the Chip Mint flavor. MUWAHAHAHA! It gets an 1365 out of 10. I actually moaned while I ate it. Baby bites at a time to savor the decadence!


DROOL!

I left work in a fury of excitement at 3:00 and hustled home. The air was whizzing through the sunroof and the sun was shinning. I LOVE FRIDAY'S SO MUCH! I got home, put the groceries away, opened some windows and started some early prep work on dinner. I was attempting stuffed pork loin for the first time.

I butterflied the loin and seasoned it with sea salt & black pepper. I then mashed some light swiss Laughing Cow cheese, dried dill, dried rosemary, golden raisins, regular raisins, dried apricots and black pepper in a bowl. I smeared it over the loin and then topped that with chopped fresh spinach. THIS IS WHEN I REALIZED THAT I HAD NO TWINE! BAH! I remedied the situation with roughly 20 toothpicks and some strategically placed foil. :)


I celebrated my brilliance with a lovely glass of wine. Again, I LOVE FRIDAYS!


With dinner basically good to go, I decided to unwind in a hot bath before Nick got home from work. I'm loving this day so far.

SNACK (meal #4) at 6:30.

Nick and I decided to play some board games tonight. We haven't done that in quite some time.


I poured myself another glass of wine (naturally!!) and made a quick snack of fresh strawberries, butter pretzels and a second decadent dark cocoa macaroon from Emmy's Organics. YEP, that's right. Nick didn't want it. I gladly "took care" of the problem by devouring the second piece. LOVE IT!


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

After 3 grueling hours of strategic moves and conniving backstabbing, the game was over and we were both ready to feast. I actually popped the loin into the oven at 9:00 so it would be done by the time we were done playing. Perfect timing. We enjoyed the pork with a side of green beans (seasoned with S+P, spray butter and garlic sunflower seeds). I thought it turned out REALLY GOOD! The pork was moist and tender and the filing was a mix of creamy melty goodness. ;)

Of course I also had some magical Sriracha on the side. I love HEAT!


Time for round two of game wars! I SHALL BE VICTORIOUS!

XOXO
Ildie