Phantom Farter

I'm reporting to you live from Sunny (YES, SUNNY) Ohio today. The weather is gorgeous, the snow has melted and people of all ages have been rejoicing wildly in the streets. You can smell the sweet scent of Spring in the air. It's ripe aroma has caused mass delirium amongst the locals! It has spread the disgusting disease known as "joy and laughter" like wildfire. Showing no mercy to even women and the children. I myself have been afflicted by this "disease" and my face is sore from all the smiling. AHHHH! I LOVE THE SUN!

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

I welcomed the sun with my new favorite oatmeal combo.

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 wheat bran
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash pumpkin pie spice
• pinch salt

Topped with.....

• 1 tbs flax
• 2 tbs sugar free cherry preserves
• 1 tbs Better N. Peanut Butter

Like dessert in a bowl. I kid you not. How can anyone hate oatmeal? The concept of such insane hate blows my mind!

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

One of my favorite at work lunches ever. Spicy breakfast wrap. LOVE!

• 4 egg whites
• 1 whole wheat and flax FlatOut
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 tbs hummus
• Drizzle of Sriracha

Gently rolled together to produce a perfectly wrapped, sexy, spicy, amazing lunch!! I could eat these every day! This had me full for hours.


On our break, we made the now monthly pilgrimage (CRACK RUN) to Super Walmart to stock up on Greek yogurt. I've got an addiction and I need to feed it! I picked up some chocolate Oikos to try as well as some plain Dannon Greek yogurt. I also picked up a non Greek variety. Walmart's off brand name had a banana cream pie flavor and it had me INTRIGUED! I had to get some.

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

I tried the chocolaty crack (Oikos) that I picked up at lunch today. So what did I think? Eh, not bad. I think I prefer the plain. It was good but not as creamy and the flavor was a TAD artificial. I had it with a bit pomegranate granola. Trust me, I ate it all and will eat the others as well. NEVER HATE ON OIKOS!


I was feeling pumped for the gym today. No idea why. As a general rule I LOATHE Cardio day! However, I now have the power of my amazing Polar watch which makes me want to keep pushing to see how many calories I can burn. I'm telling you. This thing is MAGICAL motivation! I made SURE to turn it on correctly this time so I could track ALL of my progress correctly!

WORKOUT!

Elliptical Cross Trainer
60 minutes

634 calories burned

Max HR 173

Average HR 159

I was covered in sweat. The workout felt like a long one. Probably due to the SILENT and FOUL smelling Phantom Cardio Room Farter. OMG! Whoever it was kept doing it. Over and over and over again. You couldn't get away from the aroma. It was OUT OF CONTROL BAD! It had my eyes stinging. HA! Soooooo disgusting!

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

I tried a new to me flavor of whey protein powder today. I picked it up at Walmart for only $12. Can't beat that! Chocolate peanut butter just sounded too good to pass up.

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter whey protein powder
• 1 banana
• 1 1/2 cups ice

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I love this new flavor. SO glad I decided to pick it up to try. Mmmmmm!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm

I was craving Tofu. And a salad. I decided to marry the two together this evening in a little kitchen experiment. MUWAHAHAHAHAHA!

I seasoned the tofu with sea salt, pepper, key lime seasoning mix and spray butter. I tossed them into a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes, flipping them once. They came out nice and golden.

I tossed them on a bed of crisp romaine and baby spinach. Toppings included green bell pepper, avocado, tomato, garlic & sea salt sunflower seeds, Spray Butter and Sriracha. Delicious!


Lost was on earlier tonight and we have it recorded. My endless love of confused jungle mania and mayhem continues. Only 10 more episodes left. So exciting! I have to watch it right now!! I can't stand it anymore!!! ;)

Bye for now.....
XOXO
Ildie

Trapped

As predicted, the EVIL snow storm arrived late yesterday afternoon and continued to fall ALL night long. When we woke up it looked crazy outside. 5 inches my ass. More like 12+. The decision to skip the gym this morning was not a hard one. I'M TRAPPED! I don't think I could have made it out of the driveway or up our street even if I was crazy enough to try. BAH!

I enjoyed an espresso while staring at the insanity from inside. THIS is about as close as I want to be to the powdery stuff that frozen nightmares are made of.


My espresso was to die for, as usual. I made it with chocolate chip cookie flavored coffee and topped it with fat free whip and cinnamon. It warmed me right up!


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

Eggs sounded good this morning. NO OATMEAL? GASP! Strange right? Maybe I'll have it later today as a snack. LIVIN ON THE CULINARY EDGE OVER HERE!

To start, I toasted an English muffin and smeared Trader Joe's cilantro jalapeno hummus on each half. I also cooked up 4 egg whites mixed with a handful of chopped up spinach leaves, seasoned with salt & pepper. I topped each English muffin with the eggs and drizzled Sriracha on top.


My breakfast loved me and I loved it right back.

I also had a small handful of grapes on the side and a cup of blood orange & pomegranate tea. Yum-Yum!


After my food settled I decided to workout at home. Nothing major but I didn't want to forgo it all together. I'll probably end up going to the gym tomorrow instead of taking Sunday off like usual. I'm hoping some of this snow melts by then. While I was changing into my gym clothes, Nick geared up to tackle the driveway. It looked insane! I swear we had at least 16 inches or more fall last night!

Nick's Workout....


MY WORKOUT!

Done 2x over
Push ups
x5
Sit ups
x40
Crunches
x40

Done 2x over
Double Leg Raise reverse sit ups
x20
Scissors
x20

Just one set
Plank
30 seconds
Side Plank (right)
15 seconds
Side Plank (left)
15 seconds

Done 2x over
Push ups
x5
Dumbbell Fly
8lb x 30
Dumbbell Press
x30

Done 2x over
Arnold Press (dumbbell)
8lb x 20
Front Raise (dumbbell)
8lb x 20
Side Raise (dumbbell)
8lb x 20

Done 2x over
Bicep Curls (dumbbells)
13lb x 15 (had to hold the 5lb & 8lb dumbbells together, SUCKED)
Hammer Curls (dumbbells)
13lb x 15

I had also planned to get on the bike but decided to continue the "workout" by cleaning the house up a bit. This adventure involved moving furniture, vacuuming, rotating a huge area rug, dusting, decluttering, dishes, laundry folding and bed making. WHEW! By the time Nick was done shoveling, the downstairs looked completely different. I just can't help myself. I LOVE moving things around. It's my inner interior designer wannabe self trying to BUST out.

We were both starving and worn out. Nick heated up some leftovers he scavenged out of the fridge and I made myself a quick salad.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 1:00pm

• Spinach
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup Black beans
• 1/4 cup Cottage Cheese
• Spicy Black Bean Burger (Morning Star Farms)
• Spray Butter
• S+P

This salad was so simple and tasty. It filled me right up and packed roughly 26g of protein. NICE!

After lunch I decided to be a bit naughty and had another espresso. :-O REBEL! I couldn't help it. I was craving it like something crazy. I added 5 drops of chocolate fudge brownie Capella Flavor Drops to the mix this time. Holy yum! Delicious! I love the aroma of these drops. So rich!


Nick recently joined NetFlix and we decided to veg out for a bit and watched Chocolate. No, not the romantic movie with Johnny Depp (though I love that movie a lot and have seen it several times). It was a crazy martial arts movie about an autistic young woman with ridiculous fighting skills. Some of the fight scenes were insane. I love martial arts flicks!!!

By the time the movie was over we were both ready for a snack. He opted for a huge bag of Dandee corn twists and I decided to make oatmeal. You didn't think I would forget did you?

SNACK (meal #3) at 5:00pm.

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1/2 cup water
• tons of cinnamon
• Splenda to taste
• 5 drops of vanilla custard Capella Flavor Drops
• 1 banana, sliced

I topped this creamy goodness with PB2 and a tablespoon of superfruit jam. SERIOUSLY! SO GOOD! It tasted just like a hot peanut butter, banana and jelly sandwich with a hint of sweet vanilla. DROOL!


After lunch we decided to watch another movie. Can you believe I've never seen American Psycho? NUTS! I LOVED every single insane second of it. :)

After movie I started on Dinner. Nick had spaghetti and I decided to make me some tofu and veggies. I'm hooked!

DINNER (meal #4) at 9:00. (only had 4 meals instead of 5 today....)

I marinated the tofu in a mixture of soy, sharp mustard, spicy Thai chili paste and sweet chili sauce. I popped them into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. I wanted them nice and golden crispy.

While the tofu was cooking I sauteed a huge serving of broccoli, cauliflower and pineapple chunks in more soy and sweet chili sauce.


Everything turned out fantastic!! I'm loving tofu lately. I also enjoyed a small whole wheat and flax pita on the side.


Alright my lovelies, it's getting late and I'm going to hang with the Mr. some more before I pass out. Enjoy your Saturday night. See you tomorrow.

XOXO
Ildie

Cool as ice!

Well, I'm tired!!!! That's what I get for hanging out with the VERY SCARY GingerDEAD Man last night. I'm a fan of movies that are SO BAD they somehow magically become GOOD! This one is up there on the BAD/GOOD scale for sure! Imagine a pudgy, Barbie sized, evil, murdering and possessed gingerbread man with a knife and a BAD attitude. Brilliant right? HA! The original plan was to watch parts 1 & 2 but NO WAY was I capable of staying for the second one. The first one didn't end until midnight. EEK! I was so tired I passed out during the ride home. Good thing I didn't drive! I may just have to rent part 2 so I can finish the movie in ALL it's horrendous splendor!


I woke up late (shocker) and ran around the house like a maniac all morning. Of course, I ran a bit late for work. Nothing major. I quickly drank (if only I could inject directly into the vein) a huge cup of coffee and enjoyed a delicious bowl of PB2 oats.

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

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 1 tbs ground flax
• 1 1/2 cups water
• tons of cinnamon
• Splenda to taste
• 2 tbs PB2 (love)

Oh my precious PB2. You give me all the joys of peanut butter with none of the caloric guilt. I wuv you!

Work was quiet today but it felt like something was a brewin. A storm of paperwork perhaps? An attack of emails? Endless phone calls? Whatever it was, I felt like I was in an old Western movie. Waiting, patiently for the posse to ride into town so I can take em down!


POW-POW!

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

Another salad concoction, minus the cottage cheese this time. I opted for my favorite (highly addictive) veggie burger instead.

• Sweet butter lettuce
• Baby spinach leaves
• Cannellini beans
• Cherry tomatoes
• Bread & butter pickles
• Spicy Black Bean Burger (Morning Star Farms brand)
• Spray butter drizzle

It took me a solid 30 minutes to finish this plate. I kept pausing to respond to emails and get some work done. POW-POW! TAKE THAT!

For our break today we raided Aldi and I loaded up on some fresh veggies. I love that place! I picked up like 6 pounds of broccoli, a head of cauliflower, 2 green peppers, cherry tomatoes, oats, 2 avocado, mushrooms, a bag of tangelos, a bag of red onions, a huge bag of spinach and some gum for $16. IN-SANE!

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

• 4oz cup of 0% plain Oikos
• TON of cinnamon
• 1 packet Splenda
• red Bartlett pear, diced
• handful of red grapes
• sprinkle of Kaia Foods cacao bliss granola

Combine thoroughly to make magic in a bowl! YUM!

After work we hustled to the gym for biceps, triceps, shoulder and cardio day. WHEW! Sounds like a lot right? IT WAS A LOT!

WORKOUT!

Arnold Press (dumbbell)
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
Bicep Curls (barbells)
35lb x 15
35lb x 15
30lb x 15
Tricep Extension (dumbbell)
15lb x 20
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
Tricep Pushdown (cable)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Hammer Curls (dumbbells)
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Seated Military Press (barbell)
35lb x 15
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
Bicep Curls (barbells)
25lb x 15
25lb x 15
25lb x 15
21's (barbell)
20lb x 1 set
20lb x 1 set
20lb x 1 set
Elliptical, 20 minutes total
1-2 min - level 6
3-4 min - level 7
5-6 min - level 8
7-8 min - level 9
9-10 min - level 10
11-12 min - level 11
13-14 min - level 12
15-16 min - level 13
17-18 min - level 14
19 min - level 15
20 min - level 10
251 calories total burned

After the gym I FLEW home. I was in a hurry. We never watched Lost last night since we spent the evening with a psychologically disturbed cookie man. I can't WAIT to see it. But first, it was smoothie time!

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

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• a dash of xanthan and guar gum
• 2 cups spinach
• drizzle of coconut flavored, sugar free Torani syrup

SO G-O-O-D! After my brain freeze inducing cocktail I took a quick bath, put my fuzzy pajama pants and rockin slipper socks on. I was still cold as ice. Or is it cool as ice? Perhaps both?! YES, BOTH! HAHAHAHAHAHA!


DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm

I was craving veggies! Again! Especially since I picked up so many at Aldi today! Into my largest covered pan went the following.

• Broccoli
• Brussel sprouts
• Red onion
• Cauliflower
• Teriyaki
• Sweet chili sauce
• S + P

While the veggies were sauteing away, I also popped some tofu in the oven (at 425 degrees) for maybe 20 minutes or so. I seasoned them with a bit of teriyaki, sweet chili sauce, cayenne and S + P.

Nutritious protein packed perfection on a plate! It was tasty as heck! Enjoyed with an Ezekiel whole wheat bun on the side, which I sprayed with a bit of butter. MMM!


Okay, time to watch LOST! I can't STAND it anymore. I have my blanket cocoon, DVR and cup of berry tea waiting for me. Have a great night!

XO
Ildie