Shine on baby!

There was a certain spring in my step today. Get it? "Spring"! It was 60+ degrees and the sun was shinning all over my smiling face. AHHHHHH! Sweet ray therapy! Shine on baby, shine on! I blissfully pranced and dilly dallied around all day without a coat and loved every single second of it.

I'm clearly in a better place today. Work is less crazy and I feel this calm peace around me right now.

The always fabulous, brilliant (clearly smart, she gave me an award....) and gorgeous Karin from Give Me Bananas gave me an award. Thanks lady! ;)


The rules:

• Thank & link to the person who gave this to you.
• Copy the logo and place on your blog.
• Tell SIX outrageous lies about yourself and ONE outrageous truth.
• Nominate seven “Creative Writers” who you know will come up with some great lies.
• Post links to the seven nominees and let them know you nominated them.

OH how fun! Can you guess which of the below is true? HA!

1. I'm involved with the Hungarian Mafia.
2. I once ate a pound of tree bark to be one with nature.
3. I have a severe fear of earthworms.
4. My full name is Ildikoshococo.
5. I once did a tightrope tango in the nude for charity.
6. I can roll my R's like a roaring kitten. ROAR!
7. My goal in life is to become a crazy cat lady.

HAHAHA! That was great! Thanks Karin! Okay, moving on to FOOD!

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

The usual hip hoppin bowl of oats. Eat your oats ladies. Make your Mama proud!

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

I microwaved this as usual and then topped it with...

• 1 tbs flax
• 2 tbs sugar free apricot preserves (Smucker's)
• 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter
• dash of cinnamony love

I inhaled this like nobodies business. Whiles gawking at the beautiful sun through my office (prison) window.

Today was so much less hectic at work. I was actually able to take several bathroom, water, stretch and bloggie brakes. Ahhhhhh!

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

Another epic wrap. A few simple and clean ingredients make the best wraps I swear.

• 1 whole wheat and flax FatOut
• 1 wedge light Laughing Cow Cheese (swiss)
• Baby spinach
• Red bell pepper

Rolled into perfection and devoured with 2 crunchy carrots for an extra veggie kick.


We hit the mall on our break today. Me? At the mall? Willingly? I know! WEIRD! I hate malls! However, I was on the hunt for the perfect Birthday card for Nick and another little "cheesy" present. I found them both! YAY! He's all done!

Somehow, in the process of wrapping Nick up, I also "accidentally" picked myself up some new hair clips, a funky hair bow, a pair of earrings and a necklace. It happened so fast. I HAVE NO CONTROL I SWEAR!!


Oh, and check these out. They look like little Babushka Ladies! I gave one to Ann. I LOVE EM! HA!


SNACK (meal #3) at 3:45pm.

I had my snack a bit earlier than usual today. I tried that off brand banana cream pie yogurt I picked up the other day, sprinkled with pomegranate and flax granola. It was pretty good. I wish it had more protein though. This baby only packs 5g.


I left work at 4:30 today instead of 5:00 because I NEEDED to get a workout in and I also NEEDED to be at Nick's Mama's house by 8:00 for the family Birthday "gift giving" celebration. His Birthday isn't until tomorrow (the 12th) but they decided to get together tonight instead. I refuse to give my presents to him tonight though! NOPE! He has to SUFFER AND WAIT. MUWAHAHAHAHA!

WORKOUT!

Since falling madly in love with my Polar heart rate monitor watch, I've decided to once again REVAMP the workouts a bit. I've been doing the same thing for over a month now and I'm ready to switch it up a tad. I've decided to do the following. NO MORE HOUR LONG CARDIO SESSIONS 2x a week. NO NEED!! According to my sexy pink watch, I burn just as much OR MORE doing both weights and cardio together. Who knew? I'm also going to work my arms and shoulders 2x a week. I want to tone them up and it's not happening quickly enough for my liking. :)

Mon - Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders + 30 min. cardio.
Tues - Chest, Back + 30 min cardio.
Wed - Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders + 30 min. cardio.
Thurs - 45 min. cardio + 15 min. abs
Fri - OFF
Sat - Legs, Glutes + 30 min. cardio
Sun - 15-20 min. of abs at home

So anyways, that's the new plan. We'll see how she goes. Here is what I did today.

Elliptical Cross Trainer
45 minutes, 3.9 miles

min 1-2 (level 5)

min 3-4 (level 6)

min 5-6 (level 7)

min 7-8 (level 8)

min 9-10 (level 9)

min 11-12 (level 10)

min 13-14 (level 11)

min 15-16 (level 12)

min 17-18 (level 13)

min 19-20 (level 5)

min 21-22 (level 6)

min 23-24 (level 7)

min 25-26 (level 8)

min 27-28 (level 9)

min 29-30 (level 10)

min 31-32 (level 11)

min 33-34 (level 12)

min 35-36 (level 13)

min 37-38 (level 8)

min 39-40 (level 9)

min 42-42 (level 10)

min 43-45 (level 5)

Ab workout

Crunches x20 (3 sets)

Situps x20 (3 sets)

Leg Raise crunches x20 (2 sets)

Torso Twist crunches X20 (2 sets)

Crunches x50

Total Calories Burned - 597
Max heart rate - 177
Average heart rate - 149

Total time - 1:05

SNACK (meal #4) at 6:30pm.

I FLEW HOME and made a quick protein shake. No time for a blended smoothie. I was in a RUSH! I just put a cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze in my shaker cup and added a scoop of peanut butter chocolate whey protein powder. Shook it like a MAD DOG and chugged it. GO GO GO!


I took the fastest bath in history! Dried the hair, put the face on and dove head first into dinner making. I was keeping it quick and simple tonight.

DINNER (meal #5) at 7:20pm.

I decided to whip together a SUPER FAST (yet oddly delicious) Egg white omelet.

• 4 egg whites
• 1 wedge of light, swiss Laughing Cow Cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• a bit of green bell pepper

I also enjoyed the leftover green beans from last night on the side. And naturally, I smothered everything in Sriracha because I am addicted to HEAT!


I quickly ate my dinner and then drove to the Birthday gathering. I got there right on time. AND I WAS GREETED BY A SLICE OF COCONUT CREAM PIE! OMG! (crappy picture, sorry) I had the thinest slice possible. I indulged but not too much. I also had 3 (yes 3) cups of decaf. YUM!


I was also greeted by a belated present from Nick's mom. Crazy sweet lady!


LOOK AT THIS SWEET HAT!! She made it! I AM IN LOVE WITH IT!


We hung out with his family till roughly 10:00 and then made our way home. This left me just enough time to blog for you fabulous people! Hope you enjoyed it. It was sort of a long one!! ;)

XOXOXOX
Ildie

Double Trouble!

Did you miss me my lovelies? There, there now. You can stop crying. Mama's back now to make it all better. We have two days to cover so let's get right to it! ;)

SATURDAY!!!

It was basically a perfect (FREAKIN AMAZING) day from start to finish! Nick gave me my present in the morning. I got a French Press and a kitchen timer. I swear that man knows the way to a foodies heart. ;)

The card however, made me question his sense of humor! I AM NOT OLD DAMN IT! NOPE.. NOT ME!


Ann came over for breakfast at 10-ish and gave me the best present EVER! A pretty little pink Polar heart rate monitor watch. I LOVE IT ANN. THANKS!


I also loved her card. Ass...... HAHAHAHA!!


The day basically took off from there and continued full force until almost 3am. My non stop shenanigans and tomfoolery is clearly WHY I didn't blog last night. Forgive me.

Okay, let's start from the beginning...

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:30am.

According to Ann, this was one of the best bowls of oatmeal she has ever had. I concur! For two LARGE servings I used the following.

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 2 tbs 5 grain cereal
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze
• 1 cup water
• pinch salt
• TONS of cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbs maple extract
• Splenda (use as much as you like or other sweetener of choice)
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• 2 small bananas, sliced

I cooked this until it became nice, creamy, thick and ooey gooey. I topped my bowl with 1 tbs flax, 1 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves and 1 tbs of Better N' Peanut Butter. AMAZING! I cried a little.

After breakfast Ann and I both hung out for a bit, cleaned up, dolled up and met a bunch of friends for celebratory Sushi. I LOVE SUSHI!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 1:30pm.

I won't even bother telling you what types or rolls I ordered because we all shared with each other. Let's just say that it was all absolutely amazing and I'm drooling now just thinking about it.


SNACK?? (ha) at 4:00pm-ish.

After Sushi it was off to my favorite winery for games, laughs and ridiculousness.


Nick did not partake in the festivities for the rest of the evening. He hates wine. INSANE RIGHT? There were also whispers of going to dance later and he never dances. What can I say, opposites attract. We snacked on wheat crackers, Brie, mozzarella, pita chips, pretzels and red grapes. Instead of cake, I enjoyed a delicious Coconut Tahiti cookie, while being serenaded by my crazy group. They were loud, sassy and brilliant. Their singing skills caused a clap session in the entire dining hall at the winery. I loved the attention and waved generously at all of my adoring fans. HA!


Mitt and I also played with this gigantic blue dice. We were channeling our inner cat. HAHAHAHA!


After we had our fill of wine, we moved the party to a bar for some Karaoke. The place was packed but somehow we managed to snatch a table.


My lovely friends sang their songs and rocked it out as usual. I of course NEVER sing karaoke. I don't see that changing anytime soon either.


The lovely Stephanie even sang me Patrick Swayze's "She's Like the Wind". HAHAHA! I loved it. Thanks Steph!!


SNACK (meal #4) at 10:00pm.

While there, we enjoyed some popcorn and an artichoke dip appetizer. And some beer. BAD ILDIE! BAD!!!


After Karaoke we moved the party yet again to my favorite little bar for dancing. We lost some people during this last leg of the evening. I don't think they could keep up with all of our energy. YOU WERE MISSED DAMN IT! Maybe next time we can all attack the dance floor together.


I basically danced until my feet felt like they were going to rot and fall off. Do two hours of nonstop dancing count as a workout? Well they should!!! I've missed dancing so much! I was flipping my new little hairdo all over the place. Shaking my sass all up and down on the dance floor. We danced until the lights came on and they kicked us out. I didn't get home until 2:45am. :-O

IT WAS AN ALL AROUND AMAZING DAY! Thanks friends (and sis-sis)! And thanks for driving Steph! ;)

Okay, that wraps up Saturday. Let's tackle Sunday next.
______________________________________________________________

SUNDAY!!!

I had a hard time sleeping. I can't explain this. You would think that I would be tired and comatose after my festivities but NOPE! I woke up at 6, 7, 8 and then finally gave up at 9 and got out of bed. I WAS STARVING!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

I made the most delicious breakfast sandwich. I cooked 3 egg whites (seasoned with S+P) and added them to a toasted Thoma's "everything" bagel thin, which I smeared with a wedge of light, Swiss, Laughing Cow Cheese and drizzled with Sriracha. My tasty sandwich was accompanied by a bunch of grapes and two Morning Star Farms breakfast sausage links drizzled with sugar free syrup. SO GOOD!


I also had a cup of French Press. Look, it's a "C".


WORKOUT!

Back to the grind baby! Party's over! I hit the gym at noon for a much needed sweat session. It was lower body/cardio day. I went solo. Ann was "recovering" from last night. ;)

Leg Extensions
90lb x 15 (2 sets)
80lb x 15
Seated Leg Curl
90lb x 15 (2 sets)
80lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine
75lb x 15 (3 sets)
Inner Thigh Machine
65lb x 15 (3 sets)
Hack Squat
50lb x 15 (3 sets)
Leg Press
200lb x 15 (3 sets)
Barbell Curls (I snuck in one arm move....)
40lb x 13
35lb x 15
30lb x 15
Stiff Legged Deadlift
40lb x 15 (3 sets)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
30 minutes, 2.63 miles
Min., 1-10 (levels 6-8)
Min., 11-30 (levels 8-10)

According to my AWESOME new Polar watch, my workout lasted for 1:21 and I burned a total of 762 calories. WOW! My maximum heart rate level was 179 and my average during the entire workout was 151. Not bad. Not bad at all!


Also, I love my new watch!! LOVE IT!


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

I headed straight to Mama and Papa Babushkas house after the gym for a visit. I brought a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder with me and had a simple shake with a cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze. Gotta get my protein fix!


LUNCH (meal #3) at 2:15pm.

I made a big batch of sauteed veggies before leaving for the gym to enjoy for lunch.

• Broccoli
• Sugar Snap Peas
• White Mushrooms
• Green Bell Pepper
• Yellow Onion
• Teriyaki
• Thai chili paste
• Black pepper
• Red pepper flakes

I also made one serving (2oz dry) of linguine style stir fry rice noodles. These are so simple to make. You bring some water to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, toss in the noodles and let them soak for about 8 minutes. Done!

I tossed the pasta with the veggies and drizzled a bit of General Tso's sauce, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes on top. It was delicious!


After my feast it was present time. I received a very special Birthday Card with a very special surprise inside. And an awesome bouquet of white roses. Thanks guys! LOVE YOU!


The rest of the visit was spent sipping coffee and abusing each other vocally with idle threats and bodily harm while competing in Board Game Wars! I got NO Birthday mercy. NONE! However, I won all the battles as well as every single game. TAKE THAT! ;)

After my visit I ran to the store and picked up a flat iron. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST for the new hairstyle. I also picked up a large round brush. Gotta get the hair looking fly for work tomorrow!!

I got home at around 5:30 and relaxed in a nice and looooooooooong hot bath. What a draining, fun, full, amazing, tiring, exhausting and exhilarating weekend. I needed a bit of "quiet time" to myself to unwind. I felt amazing and instantly rejuvenated!

DINNER (meal #3) at 8:00pm.

I had a BIG lunch and wasn't super hungry for dinner. I decided to keep it light and simple. I made a nice salad.

• Romaine
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Avocado
• Yellow Bell Pepper
• Leftover black bean and corn salsa
• Red pepper flakes
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Spray Butter

It was absolutely amazing. The black bean and corn salsa made the salad exceptionally good!

WHEW! This has been a long post aye? There was just so much to cover! Now it's time to pretend that I can stay up and watch TV with Nick. In all honesty, I bet I'm drooling on a pillow in a fetal position within 30 minutes of hitting publish. I'm sleepy. Sleep deprivation is catching up to me. My bed is sounding better and better with each passing minute.

Have a great night!
XOXOXO
Ildie