Day 283 – 285: Another Fun Weekend… Another Blah Monday

Hi Friends! Hope you’re all having happy Mondays. I’m feeling blah/tired/etc. Eats are going pretty good and I got in 3.5 miles at lunch so it’s not too bad I guess! Let’s back up to the weekend for a quick recap!

Friday was a great day! I got lots of work done, got in 6.5 miles, got home and showered for a fun night at Lincoln and Shana’s! We got there around 9 and talked all night - good times! I of course drank too much but (as usual) didn’t think so until the next morning. I ended the day (well around 3 a.m. or so) at 2,147 calories, 242 carbs and 33 fat grams. 736 of those calories were vodka, beer and mini quiches… oops! But they were so good and as usual the drinking is ALWAYS worth it! Here’s what I ate.

Role Models.... hehe

Good but probably not for everyone...

Saturday I woke up at their place and my allergies were full-on awful and my stomach was upset. Ugh… we rolled out of bed and headed home. Although Austin insisted on a Chick Fil A pit stop. In my weakened state I ate a biscuit. Wow – it had been a while but it was SO GOOD! We got home and went back to sleep. Got up around 11 and felt well-rested but my stomach and head were allies against me making for a long afternoon. We mostly watched Law & Orders, and a couple of movies: The Hudsucker Proxy and Role Models. The Hudsucker Proxy was okay – definitely a random movie and pretty silly at times, which was unexpected. Role Models was HILARIOUS – I love Paul Rudd and while the premise was ridiculous I thought it was cute, funny and not too cliché! Afterwards we tried to get into Dexter. Um, no. Wasn’t for us. I might try one more episode but I don’t know. Have you ever seen it? Anyway – I ended the day at 1,972 calories, 315 carbs and 47 fat grams. OMG – 315 carbs??!! That’s intense. Here’s what I ate.

I dunno... kinda creepy.... even this poster is creepy...

LOL Hilarious.

Sunday I still felt pretty pooey but I knew I HAD to get out of the house no matter what. I got to work and cleaned up the house and did laundry and packed my gym bag with every intention of going for a walk. Well, we went to see Hangover instead. It was GREAT – very funny and like Role Models, somewhat silly premise but not too cliché and the dialogue was hilarious! It was a fun watch – will DEFINITELY see it again. Great movie to see with your guy. After the movie we went to the library where I found two more Karin Slaughter novels and a couple of other mysteries – so exciting!! We got home and I cooked lots! Breakfast for 2 for 3 days (breakfast burritos), 4 servings of red curry chicken, 4 servings of sweet & sour chicken and made snacks and more while watching Grey’s Anatomy Season 1. Ahhh a simpler time. Then it was back to laundry and Law & Order. I DID get in some strength training with my dumbbells – biceps, triceps and shoulders. I’m pretty sore today so I did something right! I ended the day at 1,709 calories, 49 fat grams and 229 carbs. Not awful… especially considering I ate a small popcorn and some twizzlers at the movies! Sigh. Here’s what I ate.

K – off to the gym (again) for another 3 miles and dinner with Austin! “See you” tomorrow!

Days 280 - 282: Home Blog + Oatmeal & Fruit + Busted AC

Before I get into the day-to-day here are a few things to note:

1. Happy Friday!
2. My Home Blog: www.makingmyhomemartin.blogspot.com I’m SO sorry if it’s boring or repetitive with this site, but hope you can have fun with it! I mostly do updates on our progress, as well as likes & dislikes with different rooms, blogs, etc.
3. My header/background is new! Yes- it’s a complete and total work in progress – sorry for the mess -but I’m on it!

Tuesday was an exciting day because I went to the grocery store to buy some new (for me) products including fruit and oatmeal – woo! I also got in 6.5 miles walking. The day was long with work, working out and grocery store (s) so nothing really exciting happened. I ended the day at 1,826 calories, 290 carbs and 35 fat grams. This seems a little high, but honestly, I only regret the skittles! Haha Everything else was filling and yummy. I do wish I hadn’t had the cat cookies either – I was just SO hungry and had too many errands to run to not have a snack before dinner (another margarita pizza- YUM). Here’s what I ate! Notice the banana – I’m working on it!! I even bought made 8 fruit snack packs including banana, strawberry, apple, pineapple and grapes. They’re SO pretty – I just loved making them. And wow – it’s way cheaper to make your own!! I found this worked for me:

25 grams banana

45 grams apple

70 grams grapes

75 grams strawberries

50 grams pineapple

123 calories, 37 carbs and 1 fat gram. Is this a good snack? Or should I add more bananas (25 grams) to take it up to 146 calories and 43 carbs? Are these “good carbs”? Sorry for all of the questions – first time I DIYed fruit. :)

Fruit Cups!

Wednesday started out bad in that I felt bad again. Then I had a meeting during lunch so I couldn’t walk. The meeting was offsite and I hadn’t eaten out in FOREVER and it really upset my tummy. So I ended up going straight home, no working out, and just felt blah/bad. I stayed in bed and hung out with Reuben and watched SYTYCD – AMAZING. I just loved it – even the crash test dummy dance, even the dances set to heinous music. I am just such a fan!!! I ended up at 2,072 calories, 259 carbs and 69 fat grams. (I blame the lunch out… boo… but really it was all of the treats I had when I got back from lunch. I mean really) Here’s what I ate.

Here is Reuben the day he got groomed!

Thursday I felt much better, but my AC didn’t… The upstairs unit gave out. Austin called a guy who came out immediately and determined it was the motor so he ordered another and felt like it would hold out until the morning. It didn’t. I worked (downstairs), worked out during lunch (3.5 miles) and then worked some more. I tried doing laundry but it was just so hot. I got a facial at 5:30 (bliss) and stopped by Joann Fabric for fabric to cover a stool for the kitchen (so cute!), then I headed home, recovered the stool, cooked some meals, caught up with friends via telephone (Austin away on business in Alabama for the night), then settled in (on the couch) to watch the SYTYCD results show with Reuben – SOOOO good. I ended up at 1,651 calories, 282 carbs and 27 fat grams, which I think was about right for my activity level (and it includes wine and sour patch kids!). Here’s what I ate.

Stool BEFORE

Stool AFTER

Days 274 + 275: New Product + SYTYCD + Book Review + Whole/Filling/Yummy Snacks Needed!

So... I wrote on Friday at the airport planning to post it that night at the hotel but I didn't have Internet. So... it's kind of in present then switches to past. Sorrrry! :)

Thursday was a pretty uneventful day – not gonna lie! I basically worked (at home), did laundry and hung out with Austin during lunch, worked more, then after work I SO meant to lift weights but instead I cleaned the house and packed up for Virginia! I’m now at the airport in Atlanta (sigh) and Internet here isn’t free (skanky). I only have 30 minutes so I’m typing now and hoping to post during my layover in D.C. where I feel certain the Internet is free. (think it was during my last visit?) This weekend we’re going to Charlottesville for Austin’s grandfather’s 90th birthday! Friday we’re staying out towards the party (about 45 past downtown) – then Saturday after the party (around 7 or 8) we’re heading to downtown (different hotel) to meet up with one of my besties (Emily – was my maid of honor/college roommate/danceline buddy in high school/partner in crime in middle school/etc.) and her boyfriend Tim. I’m SUPER excited to go out in a new city – apparently it’s fun there so I’m ready to check it out! Back to yesterday – I tried a new product during lunch – Trader Joe’s mushroom ravioli. We served it with 4 oz. of chicken again and ½ cup red sauce (naturally preferred). It was yum! We ranked it comparable with the artichoke ravioli! Aside from trying the new product, I enjoyed So You Think You Can Dance, I watched more Veronica Mars (HUGE fan… ) I ended up at 1,678 calories, 241 carbs and 31 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

I thought A LOT about you guys’ great comments and decided to really consider changing the way I eat. I think I’m going to leave the meals as they are (pretty low calorie; pretty low fat; kinda high in carbs) but really look at the snacks. Honestly, it will be hard to cut the ‘sweet treats’ as these are, in all honestly, cigarette replacements. :( I know – BAD news. But I definitely want to look at replacing at least one with fruit, and replacing the ‘salty snacks’ (i.e. goldfish, cheez-its, etc.) with veggies or carrots/hummus. Lastly – I REALLY liked Sarah W’s idea about oatmeal. I’ve seen you crazy kids out there with your oatmeal and super fun mix-ins so I think I’m going to do some research and give it a whirl. I think I will try this new stuff for a week or so and see how it goes. If it goes well…. I think I want to try a CFW – or at least a CF Sunday through Thursday! (assuming beer and vodka count as crap!) Any advice you lovelies can pass my way I appreciate. What’s your favorite whole/filling/yummy snack?! Anyone have a CFW menu I can mine ideas from? Thanks, friends!!

So I never got Internet…. Now it’s Monday… eek! Here’s Friday’s update… Friday was a busy one! Starting with us finding out it would be an extra $100 round trip for us to check two bags. What? The first bag charges? What? So… we really didn’t NEED to check, but we were for toiletries. Enter TSA regulations and a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond where we stocked up on all of these adorable containers and products and 3-oz. bottles – WOO! I spent $30 (but really nothing because I’m still using gift cards from the wedding – sweet!) and now we have this for the rest of our trips. Somebody’s pumped and it’s ME! We got all of our stuff in a small carry-on suitcase and a backpack (including snacks, books, my laptop, etc.) Yesss. Other than that (probably-not-that-exciting) news, I worked until 12, walked 2.5 miles, did a circuit of legs, chest, triceps and biceps, went to the bank, and met my mom and stepdad – they stayed at our place this weekend for an Earth, Wind & Fire/Chicago concert!! Yay! They also brought Reuben’s uncles, Momo and Buster – so I’m sure he was in HEAVEN with all of the company!! We would have been late…. But traffic was a breeze, the lovely marta didn’t fail us (as it always seems to when we utilize its services for concerts) and we got Terminal T (my favorite) so security involved us walking up to the guy… no line. Long story short: we flew to DC, chilled for an hour and flew to Charlottesville. I bumped into someone that was like 3 degrees of separation (knew lots of the same people; went to the same college; etc.) and we chatted with him on the flight to Charlottesville. Got there, got our rental car, went to the hotel and passed out! Quick note: I finished reading Over Her Dead Body. I know, finally. I really enjoyed it once I got further in and was surprised at the twist ending. In all honesty, it was the hardest of her books for me to get into – I just wasn’t feeling it – but once I got further along it was awesome! I started a new book that night, Karin Slaugher’s Triptych. I read 50 pages and was really into it! I ended up at 1,806 calories, 279 carbs and 35 fat grams. Here’s what I ate. Yes, a lot of crap (frozen yogurt, pizza and sour patch kids? What?)

I’m going to finish up Saturday and Sunday later today AND do a book review of Triptych. Yes…. It was so good that I’m done with it already even though I started it Friday. I pretty much read by plane, train and automobile Sunday and finished it up. AMAZING!! I will also FINALLY assess May and get pumped for June. I think my biggest goal for June is going to be figuring out this CFW thing and finding treats that will satisfy me in crap’s absence… again – help Kel! I hope you all had fab weekends. And thank you AGAIN for your great advice and thoughts on my maintenance situation/calorie stuff. I appreciate the help and advice and am SERIOUSLY considering changing how I eat… starting with snacks!

Day 268 – 270: Wonderfully Productive Family & Friend Weekend + New Recipe!

Thursday was a great day! I got lots of work done, used my lunch to get more stuff done at the house and once it hit 5:30 I was back to house stuff – just SO ready to get it all done! Austin got home and we hung more lights, put together more stuff, etc. It was a busy evening to say the least! I did make a new recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen – Bourbon chicken. OMG – SO good! Here’s the recipe for two servings:

10 oz. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tsp olive oil
½ garlic clove, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tbsp apple juice
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
½ tablespoon cider vinegar
¼ cup water
6 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 cups white rice

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over rice. We LOVED it – tasted very authentic and spicy but sweet. A new favorite fo sho. Each serving had 496 calories, 6 fat grams and 61 carbs. Clearly, a little high on carbs! But this could easily be remedied by taking it down to ½ cup rice instead of ¾ cup – and maybe add some veggies. I tried to eat the veggies but I accidentally burned them (don’t look nearly as burned in the photo!) Anyway! Hope you try and like! I ended the day at 1,692 calories, 25 fat grams and 229 carbs. Here’s what I ate. Here's the final product!

Friday was a fun day! I volunteered with the special Olympics aquatic event at Emory with my department (Marketing). We started at 8:30 a.m. Typically we divide into groups: timers, escorts and ‘fans in the stands.’ We started by giving out pom-poms and out of no where this woman stops me, introduces me to her son and basically says he’ll be sitting with us and she’ll be back at 11:30 and is OFF! OMG I was so thrown off. I ended up having a great day though getting to know 13-year-old Michael and visiting with two of my favorite co-workers. He was hilarious and cracked me up! At 12:30 I headed over to my mom’s – yes- my mom got a place in Atlanta!! I’m so happy for her and couldn’t wait to see the new place (she moved in the night before). It was adorable and gave me lots of ideas for her housewarming gift! I was only there for a minute – had to get to Ikea to return some chairs and get a few things. SIDEBAR: This guy pretended to work for Ikea and helped me load my car but when he got done he asked me for money. Yeah – total peddler. Argh. Who carries cash? He kindly reminded me there is an ATM inside. Who knows their PIN #? I haven’t used an ATM since undergrad! By this point REAL Ikea workers approached and shooed him away. Grrrrr. That’s all I have to say. I ended up spending the afternoon vacuuming, cleaning and helping Austin hang more stuff. I finally got in the shower at 6 and then we had friends over! Two of our favorite couples came over and hung out! We just drank/played drinking games and they all stayed over. It was fun! Also – one of the couple’s little boy stayed over for the first time. He is SUCH a doll and did so well. Him and Reuben had a blast together!! I ended the day at 2,160 calories, 32 fat grams and 240 carbs. Here’s what I ate.

Here's the final Room! Sorry the pictures are so low quality - eek! Bad lighting! I'll take some good ones tonight!!

Saturday I woke up too early. Way too early. Only 5 hours of sleep. But I had to go! I needed to finish mom’s present and get over to her place to meet up with her and my sister and help out! I got up and raced to Target, Wolf Camera, Forever 21, Pottery Barn and then off to Decatur to her place. We chilled for a minute then headed out, had lunch (this yummy chicken breast with sage and artichokes on foccacio sandwich!), ran to Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s and PetSmart, then back to her place to put together an Ikea bookshelf (OMG – never again!) and decorate. We ended up at it until 11:30 that night! Lots of good times and laughs and her place is SO close to being done – WOW! But I had to go! I got home and passed out – exhausted! I had 1,801 calories, 188 carbs and 71 fat grams – so kinda high on calories and WAY high on fat! (I blame the sweets!) Here’s what I ate. Here's the bookshelf at mom's. Again - bad photo - that's actually a really cool lamp in the top left and the bottom right cubby will hold a throw blanket!

Sunday I woke up feeling like a trainwreck. My allergies and sinuses were in fullforce battling against me. I had a sore throat, cough, itchy/red/watery eyes, and I couldn’t stop my runny nose OR sneezing. Lovely. I stayed in bed most of the day only getting up for laundry. Finally I couldn’t take it so I showered, got ready and insisted on getting out of the house, which ended up involving a trip to Kroger and Trader Joe’s – fun! We got home and I felt much more energized. We put in season 1 of Veronica Mars (love it; love Kristin Bell; love the writing; etc.) and made 4 sandwiches, cooked 8 lunches/ 4 dinners and prepared snacks for the next few day – great evening! Afterwards I passed out from my Benadryl. I ended up at 1,567 calories, 223 carbs and 31 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

The weekend was great! I’m so glad I got to see so many of my closest friends and my family. I’m really excited about having my mom closer to home (now 30 minutes away; before 4 hours away). Quick note about weight: still between 114 and 115. I need to post May’s assessment soon – I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped. Boo. But I DID do a lot and am ready for June!! Can't wait to catch up on your blogs - plan to read this evening!!

Day 266 & 267: Home Shopping, Halloween Eating, Dining Room is on the Way, SYTYCD is BACK!

Yes, that's Austin in our pendant light in our living room. Let's back up...

Tuesday was a busy day! I started out exhausted – blah – and the allergy problems were back in full force. Double blah. It was nasty, rainy and muggy. Argh. Some girl hit Austin on his way into the office. Thankfully he was okay and it was totally her fault but I hate that for him. :( I worked, went to the gym during lunch, worked and went to the gym after work! I got in 6 miles, but I had tons of crap snacks… couldn’t help it. Was CRAVING CHOCOLATE and nothing could stop me… Because of the rain traffic was still bad when I left the gym so I ran errands around work (Perimeter) instead of home (Northpoint). I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a sink caddy (somewhere for the sponge and cleaner to go in the kitchen!). Afterwards I went to TJ Maxx – found great vases and 4 placemats for the dining room! Then I headed to look for vase filler. After hitting up Homegoods and Michael’s to no avail, I found luck at Target for river rock and small wicker balls, and Pier 1 for branches and a large wicker ball. Z Gallerie was closed. Who closes at 7 p.m.? Z Gallerie. Argh. And I had no luck at World Market. I finally got home at 8:30 to pizza. Blah. Austin worked on putting together furniture and I set up all the dining room items and cooked lunch and dinner for the next day. Unfortunately, he got step 2 of 25 incorrect so the whole thing has to be disassembled and then reassembled. He wasn’t happy – on top of the accident this morning I think it was a bad day for him. So, it was bedtime. We didn’t get done nearly all that we wanted to but let’s be honest – it’s hard to get stuff done on the weeknights!

Boo. So… I just got in all of the food I ate into Spark People. Like I knew it would be… it was alarming. Aside from my regular healthy breakfast sandwich/yogurt, a lean cuisine/bread for lunch and my two standard snacks (vitatop & cheez its). I had these at work in the afternoon slump:

1.5 Publix sugar cookies with frosting
3 Hershey’s Kisses
1 starburst
1 mini twix
1 mini kit kat

I’m not going to lie – not ONCE did I even kind of feel full. What’s wrong with me? Total binge. I’m disappointed and don’t know what caused it. Just tired + feeling like crap + TOM? I dunno – but I do know that this is not good. :( I ended up at 2,518 calories, 273 carbs and 91 fat grams. O. M. G. Here’s what I ate.

Wednesday was a bit better. I felt worse, but wasn’t as hungry for crap snacks (thank GAWD!) haha I basically worked, walked during lunch, worked more, walked more after work and headed home to cook creamy chicken tostados and do “house stuff” – iron curtains, do laundry, etc. I also watched So You Think You Can Dance – YAY – it’s back! And a silly/cute/pretty bad movie – Enchanted. Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey and are so cute, and James Marsden is just so pretty. Love him! This was a much better day – I ended up at 1,698 calories, 206 carbs and 43 fat grams. Yay!! Much better – especially with the 6 miles I walked factored in. Here’s what I ate.

P.S. The dining room is really coming along great, but it HAS to be painted. My stuff just doesn't look right in a red room!! I hope to paint or have it painted soon!

Days 261 – 265: Wedding Weekend, Weight Maintenance and our Dining Room!

Hi Friends! Long time no chat! I hope you all had great Memorial Day weekends! Me and Austin were in our friends’ wedding and therefore were SUPER busy all weekend long! It was a good weekend though and I have lots of great pics to share which I will weave throughout this post even when they don’t make sense in their location! Haha

Thursday was super busy! Had lots of work to do, used my lunch to clean the house, and had some of our best friends from Birmingham in town for the kick off of the wedding weekend! Mary & Jimmy drove in and visited with us, I cooked dinner and had a few glasses of wine. We tried to stay up and visit, but Mary is pregnant/tired – me just tired! So I passed out pretty early. I know – I’m a loser! Haha I had 1,685 calories, 234 carbs and 32 fat grams – no exercise. Here’s what I ate.

Friday I had every intention of going to the gym. Had my bag ready and everything. But the day got by me with the luncheon and errands and everything so I did not get in exercise. I did have a great day visiting with Mary and getting to see Mon for her weekend! That night me and Austin (who was SICK… boys are so hard to deal with when they’re sick!) went to the rehearsal dinner and had a great time!! Such a great group, Mon showed a wonderful slideshow, we all got to give toasts – great time! Afterward we went to the hotel bar for a drink, then headed back home. Good night! I ended up at 2,319 calories, 233 carbs and 66 fat grams – eek! Ate way too much – not good!! Here’s what I ate.

Saturday I had no intention of going to the gym! I was up by 8:30 getting ready for a full day! Needed to be at Monica’s parents’ house by 10 a.m.; knew I wouldn’t be home until 2 a.m. So yes, Reuben was back at Unleashed and I was off for a day to see two of our best friends get married! It ended up being a wonderful day – full of fun, friends, yummy food and good times. Andy and Monica were a happy bride/groom and have such good friends and family. We really enjoyed being a part of it (we were both in the wedding party) and are so happy for them. The night ran long but we had a blast – GREAT band, lots of dancing, lots of drinking! I ended up at 2,411 calories, 188 carbs and 61 fat grams. Not awful but not fabulous! Here’s what I ate.

Sunday I felt like poo. I was beat. I was sore. Wearing heels for 14 hours had caught up with my feet and calves. My allergies/sinuses were on fire and I was just DOWN. My TOM was in full swing (day 2 AKA worst day ever always… well 12 times per year) and I was doubled over in cramps. Not cool peeps. I ended up having one of the most sedentary days ever. I tried to get out. We went and got pupper (another successful visit!), and decided to run a few errands. We even ate out for lunch and got TCBY! But then we CRASHED. Napped for a couple of hours and then I never really got up. haha VERY lazy day – ate crap too. Watched crap TV too (movies including Another Cinderella Story and Penelope. Oh My). Only did one productive thing: worked for hours on a dining room inspiration board! I ended up at 2,045 calories, 236 carbs and 72 fat grams. VERY high fat grams!! Here’s what I ate.

Monday I was like OMG really – how many high days without exercise can I have and not gain weight? For the record – I’ve been holding steady at 115 the last few weigh-ins. I woke up not hungry – and ended up eating late all day (breakfast at 11, lunch at 4, dinner at 9 – weird!). I ate relatively healthy all day, and even got out of the house (to house shop!). I got lots of stuff for our dining room (so much that it didn’t fit in the car and my amazing sister met me to help out!). I got lots done at the house but have TONS more to do. Blah. I finally shut down work at 9:30 and we ate dinner and watched Law & Orders. Ah yes- a ritual. I ended up at 1,628 calories, 206 carbs and 38 fat grams. That’s more like it! Here’s what I ate. Yes, I ate the same thing for breakfast and dinner. Do you ever do that? Sometimes I just crave meals back to back – so weird!

This week will be weird. And short. But I hope to be able to blog more! I know – I always say that – but I mean it. And I can’t wait to catch up with your blogs. I hope all is well!!

Days 255 – 260: Lake Weekend! Plus Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… Wow – I’m so behind!

Here’s my weekend in a nutshell! (and Monday + Tuesday + Wednesday) Note – pics to come later! I took them on Mary’s camera as I forgot mine therefore I don’t have any yet! But I will!!

Shenanigans

Friday went by slloooowwwllly. I did get in 3.5 miles during lunch and 2.5 miles + abs after work, then it was off to Scott and Mary’s then off to Matt and Seema’s then we were on the road to Lake Logan Martin (sorry I didn’t tell you where I was going. To be honest – I didn’t know. Just knew it was a ‘lake trip’ and figured I’d find out when I arrived. Turned out to be a lake between ATL & B-ham). We stopped at a lovely Wal-Mart in Oxford for what I thought was beer- but it turned out it was for food….. huh? I thought we were to bring our own food?? Apparently, I was confused and while we were ALL ‘bringing our own food’ me and Austin specifically didn’t need to bring our own food. They said it was no big deal. I felt like a dummy though. Oh well! We (as in they) bought what they needed and we all headed out to the dome. Yes, it’s a lakehouse shaped like a dome. Hehe There were about 14 or 15 of us all together and the weekend was basically spent drinking, playing catchphrase, trying to lay out but it rained, playing trivial pursuit, eating, drinking more, staying up late, not sleeping well, trying to boat it but it rained, etc. We honestly had SO much fun – lots of great, funny personalities – I think I laughed all weekend!

Sunday we drove back (in the rain) and got Reuben! The girl was super nice but said he was a weird little dog and he thought he was the only puppy there and ALWAYS wanted to be held. Well naturally. She laughed and was sweet and said she thought he enjoyed it. He looked great and I could tell he was SUPER excited to see us (after at first giving us the cold shoulder – I think he felt betrayed). We got home, did chores and passed out. Monday was lame – bad allergies, more chores. BLAH. Tuesday was the same, as was Wednesday. Work’s just been busy and my nights have been busy getting this house in order (hence no blogging!)

Eating + Exercise

Friday was a high day due to drinking. I actually ate pretty good and the 6 miles helped but alas, excessive drinking always prevails in pulling me over my caloric limit! It also didn’t help that I bought a bag of gummy bears in the cafeteria at work (went through with Stacy to get her lunch) and I preceded to munch my way into more than 300 calories – oh no! (so easy to do!) I ended up at 2,468 calories, 315 carbs (oh my!) and 43 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Saturday was a high day (of course!). You can’t be at the lake drinking and celebrating a birthday without racking up the alcohol and ice cream calories – eek! I had a very high day with 2,623 calories, 296 carbs and 55 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Sunday…Ugh. Gluttonous with carbs. BLEH! I was just tired and ate crap all day basically! I did manage to not get food in the grocery store (even though sour patch kids were SCREAMING my name!). I ended up at 1,698 calories, 244 carbs and 50 fat grams. Not awful, but not good either. Here’s what I ate.

Monday… I was just so freaking hungry! I can’t explain it! (or can I? Just realized it was probably pending-TOM-related. Hmmm) Anyway, it was all I could do to stop eating! I ended up at 1,698 calories, 225 carbs 38 fat grams and 97 grams of protein. At least I got in 5.5 miles, right?! Here’s what I ate.

Tuesday was the same way – determined that TOM is coming so THAT makes sense. I needed an oil change and a friendly co-worker followed me to drop my car off then we went out to lunch! So I thought I was getting a grilled chicken sandwich with mozzarella cheese, basil and roasted red pepper. Not bad, right? Just the cheese… well it turns out it was CHICKEN SALAD. Oh my… it was bad. So yes, another high day. Here’s what I ate. 1,836 calories, 57 fat grams and 246 carbs. I did get in 4 miles after work!

Wednesday was a little better. Still no TOM but I was definitely having to fight cravings all day long. Here’s what I ate. 1,695 calories, 43 fat grams and 225 carbs. I only got in 3.5 miles during lunch!

Goals

I’ve honestly been too busy to look at my goals too much. Eek! Not good! I know that high days is out of control as well as weighing under 113 (been weighing 115 all week). Some goals are going great though – recipes, reading, decorating, etc. This month has been tough, not gonna lie! I’m hoping June is less busy. So far all we have planned is a trip to Virginia (one weekend) and a concert. Not bad!

K- off to read your blogs! Sorry this post is so delayed and kinda boring. I’ll post lake pics later this week!!

Day 252: Another New Recipe, TJ's Product Review and Weekend News

Yesterday I woke up MUCH more well rested and even washed/dried my hair in the morning (as opposed to the night before). This was necessary as per my new theory that either my hair needs to be “fresh” or I need to wear make up. Well make up is out as allergies are too bad… so good hair it is to keep me from looking haggard and unkempt. Anyway! Traffic was bad this morning – boo, but it only had me 10 minutes late so not awful. I worked hard, walked 3.5 during lunch and then had a yummy lunch with a new Trader Joe’s product: Yellow curry sauce.

I basically took 5 oz. chicken and cooked with salt, ginger and 1 tbsp sauce. Once the chicken was almost done, I added .75 cup cooked white rice, more salt, another tbsp of sauce and 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro and stirred for 1-2 minutes. It was YUMMY!! May have been even better “fresh” the night before – but reheat was pretty fab!



Afterwards I was in meetings pretty much all afternoon, then I headed back to the gym for 2 miles and back and shoulders strength training. Then I raced home to make a new recipe from, you guessed it, For the Love of Cooking! This time I made what me and Austin call Creamy Chicken Tostados. AMAZING!

Before Oven

Sour Cream Sauce

6 tbsp fat-free sour cream

2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp lime juice

1 clove of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine ingredients. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Chicken and Dressing

1-2 pieces baby red bell pepper, cored, seeded and flattened

1-2 pieces baby yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and flattened

8 oz. cooked chicken, shredded

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Heat broiler for 10 minutes. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Put the flattened peppers skin side up on a baking sheet; broil until blackened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove any blackened skin and chop them finely into pieces. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, cumin, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken meat, onions and peppers. Toss chicken mixture with the dressing until well coated. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if needed. Add sour cream sauce. Mix well.

Other Ingredients: 4 tortillas, 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheese, shredded and Guacamole & salsa (I used 6 tbsp of Trader Joe's - 1.5 tbsp on each)

Place tortillas on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the bottom of the tortilla is close to golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the tortillas over. Carefully, layer the chicken and pepper mixture on the tortilla; then add some sour cream mixture; next add a bit of cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and the tortilla is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with fresh guacamole and cilantro. Serve with fresh salsa and enjoy.

Toasted & Ready to Eat!

It makes 2 servings but for one it’s super filling and secondly it’s pretty high in calories. So, it makes 4 tostados – I had 1.5 which came out to 388 calories, 40 carbs and 10 fat grams. It also has TONS of protein – 35! But if you have all two, you would end up at 517 calories, 54 carbs and 13 fat grams. If you DEFINITELY want more than 388 calories – just pile all of half the recipe on one tortilla to cut out a tortilla! Just some thoughts. GREAT recipe though, but for now I’ll reserve it for weekends – it took too long for a weeknight!

After dinner we settled in for a couple of law & orders and a couple of vita brownies- YUM!! I ended up at 1,692 calories, 240 carbs and 33 fat grams – not bad (especially with cardio factored in) Here’s what I ate.

Days 245-246: New Recipe, Two New Product Reviews, Cinco de Lamo, Stonyfield & Granite Sneak Peek!

This is a little backwards but I want to start this post with today!! It’s going so well you guys. The granite is about to be installed, I went to Trader Joe’s during lunch and got ALL KINDS of new stuff – woo! For lunch I made this – Trader Joe’s Artichoke ravioli.

Um, are you kidding me?! So good. We made the whole package and added 8 oz. chicken + 1 cup of naturally preferred organic mushroom sauce. YUM. It makes two servings – each at only 454 calories, 49 carbs, 10 fat grams and a great 42 protein grams. So good.

I followed this up with another new product (for me) – VITA BROWNIES. I’m such a fan. Where were they before today? Sadly enough, not in my tummy! I totally think vita brownies will be my no. 1 source of fiber from here on out. Just kidding! (kind of). Okay – tracking back….

Tuesday was probably the lamest cinco de mayo ever. I just worked hard, came straight home from work and got in bed. Haha I did get in 3 miles… didn’t go back after work but that’s okay. I was sore from Monday’s 5.5! And my abs were SO sore. Wow – they must have gotten out of shape! Austin had work stuff that night so I just chilled. I DID make a new recipe and Austin was at home in time for dinner and we both LOVED IT. It’s adapted from For the Love of Cooking’s Chicken in Tomato Sauce with Feta:

1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp olive oil (divided)

8 oz. chickenSalt, Pepper and Oregano to taste

2 cloves of garlic, chopped1 tsp fennel seeds

1 14 oz can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes

1/4 cup of fat-free chicken broth
4 oz. barilla macaroni

15 g fat-free feta cheese
15 g fat-free mozzarella

parsley, garnish

Heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and fennel seeds. Stir constantly for 60 seconds, then add tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and oregano, to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While simmering, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large pan sprayed over medium heat. Season each piece of chicken with salt, pepper and oregano, to taste. Once hot, add chicken and brown for four minutes then flip and brown for an additional 2-3 minutes. Now add tomato sauce to the chicken pan, lower heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. While simmering, boil water and cook macaroni. Then taste and re-season sauce with salt, pepper and oregano if needed. Drain macaroni and divide into two servings. Pour sauce and chicken over top of macaroni and add cheese and parsley on top.

WE LOVED IT! But forgot to take a photo. Sad. No worries though because we’ll be cooking it again soon! After dinner I blogged, watched TV and ended up at 1,671 calories, 231 carbs and 33 fat grams. Here’s what I ate.

Wednesday was a great work day. It was super quiet in the office so I got so much work done! And I did 3.5 during lunch and 2 + legs after! Again – legs were SUPER sore. I had so let the ST go…. But that’s okay – I’m BACK! After work I went to Kroger and it was AWFUL. It took me an hour. I hate new grocery stores – I couldn’t find anything. It was so depressing. I got home to an empty house (Austin had another work thing) and cooked that lemon pepper artichoke chicken and rice again (I’m addicted to artichokes now apparently) and watched the biggest loser and called it a day. I was SUPER hungry. Like I needed to eat more than 1,700 calories so I did. I had 1,971 calories, 307 carbs and 39 fat grams. Frightening amount of carbs – eek!! But I was SO FREAKING HUNGRY. Here’s what I ate.

Exciting News: A sweet girl at Stonyfield organic sent me some coupons for Oikos yogurt! Yes - me, the new yogurt lover, gets to try out their fabulous yogurt for free- i'm so super excited. She even sent the CUTEST little yellow recyclable bag - I used it at TJ's!!
Can't wait to try it. How cute is it? Even Reuben loved it! Have you guys tried oikos yogurt?? I'm sure you all have and i'm the big loser/last to try!

Today I’m going to try to go walk 4 miles after work and do some ST. I’m trying a new gym (same chain; new franchise) so I’m excited to see how I like the vibe (they all have different vibes in my humble opinion). I’m MORE EXCITED to see how this granite turns out. And, since we don’t have a sink tonight in the kitchen, I’m not cooking. But I will be trying two more products from Trader Joe’s – can’t wait to share – hope we love them! Have I told you how glad I am to be back in the blogosphere?! I spent a solid few hours last night backreading your blogs – glad you’re all doing so well – I’ve missed you! :)

And in case you're interested... here is a sneak peek at the granite! woo! Note: it still needs LOTS of work (hasn't been cleaned, grout line hasn't been filled, etc. but i'm PUMPED)

Days 231 - 234: House Pics: Our Living Room, Bedroom & Entryway! Woo!

I'm behind again - argh! haha This post will be two parts - pics of the house and the usual -what i've been up to and what i've been eating! Let's start with of the house!! Hope you like it - can't wait to get fully caught up and hope you guys are all having the best weekend. I'm spending the weekend with Austin and Reuben and friends, and today i'm setting up my scrapbook room - WOO! For starters... here is our Living Room!

Eeee I just love it! I love the new couch, the chairs, the pillows- and one of my favorites is the throw. I'm so glad to be able to use the new red pillows and think Austin did a great job with the curtains!! I love the set up my sister did with the furniture and with the jugs. We think it's a super cozy room and I love that it has a good bit of seating even though it's not the largest space. All that's left to do is ironing the curtains and filling the console with books and/or DVDs - woo!!

Here is our Bedroom

I personally don't think this room photographed as well as the living room - but that's okay - I love it in person. For instance, the mirror/chaise wall seems bare in the photos but it fills it in person - I swear! haha The only things I really have left to do (this year!) is clean up those cubbies - can't decide if I like the way I set up stuff in my sister's absense. Next year, i'd like to get new night stands and reupholster the chaise! (or, if it's too expensive, just get a new chaise). In the meantime I would like to buy a throw to go on it to lighten it up a little - probably an ivory or darker cream color. And lastly, for your viewing pleasure, a glamour shot of Reuben! He's such a model with his new summer cut. He matches our bedroom well!

Our Entryway

LOVE the entryway!! Me and Devie found that piece at Ballard's on major clearance - woo! And I love the Restoration Hardware lamp Austin's mom gave us! We were originally going to do a coat rack here and i'm still thinking about it. The one at Pier 1 was $100 and the closest store that had it in stock was in a city i'd never even heard of 45 minutes away. However, I found this one on Ikea for only $30. Still deciding.... :)

Other progress: the seating area/pool table area needs some work (need lights hung, pictures hung, etc.; the two guest rooms are coming along good! Have the last mattress being delievered tomorrow then that room should come together and again, I hope to have the scrapbook room completed tomorrow, with the exception of a few decorative things. Austin's "xBox room" is going well too -he just needs to hang pictures!!

Now on to what i've been up to!!! FYI: It's been pretty uneventful, peeps - just house stuff!

Tuesday was slightly uneventful! Just worked, skipped my lunch workout to go to Target to switch some stuff out and get some new curtain rods, and raced home after work (skipping the other end of the workout – eek!) to get home and get back to house stuff! I got lots done and passed out early – like I said- pretty uneventful! I ended up at 1,682 calories, 257 carbs and 28 fat grams. Not bad but too high on carbs – imagine that! I’m so glad I made that sausage/pasta again – so good! Here’s what I ate. Yes, I caved during lunch at Home Depot and bought a bag of sour patch kids. Hehe I’m such a candy fan!

Wednesday was a bit more relaxing. I worked, got in 3.5 miles at lunch and headed home after work. I know – I’m a wild child! Haha Austin went out to play poker so I honestly didn’t get much done – just a few small things here and there, and got ready for laundry day the next day! I went to sleep early and slept SO GOOD! Burning the candle at both ends sucks so it was great to CHILL. At the end of the day I had 1,600 calories, 218 carbs and 30 fat grams – not bad! Here’s what I ate.

Thursday was SUCH a good day. I mean it – work from home days make me sane. I got so much work done with no interruptions, and used my lunch to do laundry and hang out with Reubey bear! When Austin got home we knocked out a few things and I worked on my scrapbook room inspiration board. It finally came together and I was SO READY to go to Ikea and buy it all up! But decided to wait until the weekend or later and focus on the other rooms. I rounded out the day at 1,629 calories, 235 carbs and 34 fat grams – I’ve GOT to find some low-carb snacks. Hehe Here’s what I ate.

Friday on the way to work I realized I didn’t have my gym bag. What?! I was so looking forward to working out – really! haha So I called Austin for advice: what should I do during lunch instead? DUH – go to Ikea and buy the scrapbook room stuff – WOO! I raced over, got it all and headed back to work with a car full of fun. Work sped by and before I knew it I was on the way home to see Austin and our friend Phil (in town from Texas). Fun! They helped me unload the car, gave me a beer, and I got started in my room. I only had an hour – because then it was time for Philapalooza – poker night at Jason/Crystal’s. SO FUN! We headed over with Reuben and our overnight clothes (so nice to have the top down – great weather!) We played poker, Rock Band and caught up with everyone – AWESOME time. Crystal and Jason are expecting a baby boy in August so it was fun to see their nursery and all of the amazing work they’d done – so happy for them! We had a great time – so good to see everyone and visit with Phil, too. I definitely had a ‘high day’ ending up at 2,174 calories, 219 carbs and 51 fat grams. Yes – it was the vodka, beer and the late night pizza and chips. But what are you going to do? I had a great time and enjoyed it – even with the extra calories! Here’s what I ate.

We finally went to bed at 4 a.m. – blah – and I woke up at 9:30 – double blah. I didn’t feel too bad though because it was time to go to the granite place in Kennesaw to pick out our slab – WOO! The meeting went well, we decided on our sink and officially chose tan brown as our granite (love it!) – now we just need an updated quote and we’re on the way! We took backroads home and just enjoyed the weather/convertible – SO nice. We stopped and got tuna sandwiches at My Friend’s Place (love them – it had been a LONG time) and got to work in the Scrapbook room putting together the desk chair, visitor chair, lounge chair/stool, 3-drawer dresser, floor lamp and some small storage boxes. Problems though: must go back to Ikea – only got 1 of 2 boxes for the bookshelf, only got 2 desk legs instead of 4 and actually got the wrong color in the dresser AND floor lamp – but decided to keep my mistakes – I like them! Haha

So now I’m catching up on the blog, catching up on TV and getting ready to nap before hitting up Ikea (again). Sigh. Oh who am I kidding – I can’t WAIT to go back – such a fun store.

Starting Monday i'm hoping to be back to normal on work outs, recipes, etc. - i'm excited and have missed the gym!! And my weight is dropping which I don't like - i've been weighing around 110 and I think 115 was my "happy weight" - I just NEED to do my strength training!! :( I'm going to get back on it! In the meantime, i'm going to take a nap! Bye!!