Monday, August 31, 2009

Hey everyone! I had a pretty productive day at work today, and then came home, made supper and met with a client for a wedding I am working on this weekend. I have recently become a certified wedding coordinator/ consultant, but am starting by being an assistant on a couple of weddings just so I can get a feel for how the event runs when you are in the coordinators shoes. I LOVE weddings! I love everything about them, and am so excited to eventually launch my own wedding coordination business!

On to my daily eats ... for a morning snack I had source vanilla yogurt topped with mixed berries:

I find that having a little bit of protein in my morning snack helps me from gnawing my arm off around 11:15. For lunch I had my leftover pasta from Saturday night:

Doesn't look anywhere near as good ... but it still tasted great!

The other day I was trolling the Internet for an easy recipe to make for dinner this week, as I knew I had a meeting to get to tonight and wouldn't have time to cook anything extravagant. I found a recipe for a cheesy, chicken broccoli dish that sounded good. It was SUPER easy!

Ingredients:
- 1 bag frozen broccoli
- 2 chicken breasts (skinless/ boneless)
- 1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- shredded cheddar to cover

Directions:
- Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces and boil 20 minutes.
- Dump bag of broccoli into 9x13 pan and cover the bottom
- Put chicken on top
- Mix soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry powder and dump over top
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese (and breadcrumbs if you have them - I didn't)
- Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes (uncovered)

Ta da! An easy, healthy meal in no time! Verdict = pretty good, but next time I would add rice, less chicken, more broccoli, and more curry.

This is my portion:

Off to pamper my self with a face mask :-) Sweet dreams ...

I'll make you banana pancakes, pretend like it's the weekend now ...


Well, the weekend is over all too quickly, and this morning I needed something to start my week off right - Banana pancakes. I mashed one banana up and added it to the pancake mix. I had 3 pancakes with some syrup for dipping. And a small glass of 100% pure orange juice.

I am heading to work extra early this morning, as I have a million things to do ... I work as a teacher, and there is ALWAYS work to do!

What do you do for work?

Sunday, August 30, 2009

This afternoon I went to work for a few hours. I had a fiber 1 bar and a coffee in the afternoon. For dinner we went to the husband's parents, and had pork roast with apple sauce, corn on the cob and roasted veggies. I had 2 bites of creme caramel for dessert.

Sorry for the lack of pics tonight ... too tired, need a break!

G'night!

Happy Birthday Heather!!!

Yesterday afternoon I had a headache and wasn't feeling too hungry for lunch. I had a pickle:

And about a spoonful of this cream cheese mixture I was making for later on in the evening:

I decorated the Taj Mahal cake!!! It turned out pretty good - haha, our original goal was to make a 3D cake, but we realized that was NOT going to work!

It was my friend Heather's 27th birthday party last night, so we went to "The Bushwakker" for dinner. I had the Cajun chicken fettuccine. It was a HUGE portion, so I only ate half and boxed the other half up to take home. I gave the garlic toast away to friends.

I also snagged about 10 of hubby's fries, and 1 bite of a loaded potato skin. I had 1 beer (a raspberry, blackberry brew):

It was decent.
After dinner we all headed back to my and hubby's place to hang out, do Karaoke, etc. Some people brought snacks for later on in the night.

I had about 4 of those little sticks dipped in the spinach dip. And ...

2 meatballs, and ...

2 mini pitas, and also 2 bites of the b-day cake.

Most people seemed pretty tired throughout the night, so it was pretty mellow for the most part. I think most people were gone by 1:00 or so, and I was in bed by 2:00.

This morning I woke up craving some veggies! I made a little platter with carrot, tomato, and celery filled with almond butter:

I also had a bowl of spinach with a little fig and balsamic dressing:

And a glass of 100% pure blueberry juice ... hello antioxidants :-)

This will probably keep me full for a few hours, while I go to work for a bit and try and get myself organized.

Dinner at the in laws tonight :-)

How many nights do you eat at home? It seems like we go out at least twice a week, and once a week we go to hubby's parents, so we are lucky if we eat dinner at home 4 times per week.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Yesterday was a great day! I had a good day at work, and then went out for dinner with some girlfriends that I haven't seen in a long time due to our *my* way too busy schedule(s). For lunch at work I had some rice with taco beef on top and some mango salsa. I also had 1 mini Aero bar. For a morning snack I had strawberries (about a cup). Dinner was at a new restaurant called "The Abbey." I had a glass of wine, and 1 glass of beer. The wine came with a veggie salad.

For my entrée, a friend and I ordered 2 appetizer pizzas (that were much bigger than an appetizer) and we shared them both. One had veggies, the other had chorizo sausage. I think the sausage one was better because the veggie one overdid it on the goat cheese. Neither blew me away though.

I slept in this morning and haven't really felt like eating anything. I had a coffee, and a small bowl of source vanilla yogurt with flax seed. Just wasn't feeling like anything more substantial.

Tonight we have a friends b-day party that we have really been looking forward to! We are going to a restaurant called "The Bushwakker" for dinner, and then we are coming back to our house for dessert/ snacks/ fire pit/ games, whatever! It should be a fun night! Husband and I are making the b-day cake ... a Taj Mahal cake :-)

A few months ago we were out at an East Indian restaurant, and we were telling our friend that we would love to make her b-day cake again this year. We asked her what she wanted, and she turned around and pointed to a big picture of the Taj Mahal and said "I want that." She was joking, and I don't think she expected us to actually make it, but this morning Hubby baked the cake, then cut it into a Taj Mahal shape ... and this afternoon we are going to decorate it together! I will post pics once it is done! Should be pretty cool :-)

Okay, I am off to clean my home and get it ready for my peeps to come over and mess it up again! Maybe I will eat something else too - I probably should!

Do you make cakes? What is the neatest cake you ever made? Last year we made our friend Mike a Guinness cake!

Friday, August 28, 2009

I want to crawl back in bed ...

I seriously have been having the best sleeps lately! I woke up to my alarm, but I was so comfortable and having such good dreams, I did not want to wake up. After snoozing for 1/2 hour I had to drag myself out of bed. I immediately threw all ingredients for a Green Monster into my blender:

Ta - da ... green monster perfection:

If you have not tried one yet, TRY ONE!! I promise you that the only thing you will taste is banana. Amazing really. While sipping my green monster I made up a piece of French toast (1 slice multi grain bread, 1 egg, little bit milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and syrup for dipping):

This breakfast should keep me full all morning. I don't have any lunch food in my house/ or leftovers so I might have to go out for lunch or pick something up this morning ...

I never know what to take for lunch ... what do you take?

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Foodie Book Fanatic

That wonderful breakfast kept me full all morning! Usually at work I get hungry by about 10:00 and want to gnaw my arm off ... but not today! The Green Monster and complex carb did the trick! For lunch I had leftovers - ham and scalloped potatoes:

And an unsweetened apple sauce cup:

And about 1 cup of fresh strawberries (no pic).

I forgot my water bottle that I usually take to work, and did not want to use some random cup from the work cupboard (I am weird like that) ... so I had to buy a drink from the vending machine. They didn't have water *gasp* in the machine, so I had to resort to Brisk Ice tea :-( I NEVER buy fountain drinks or bottled beverages besides water, because:
  • I don't really like the taste
  • They have too much sugar, or artificial sweeteners
  • I don't like to drink my calories (unless they are of the fermented kind :-)
For dinner I had Curried Lentil Soup, and a sliced tomato:




It was a delicious and satisfying dinner! I love lentils!

As a self proclaimed "foodie," I obviously LOVE food, including making it, eating it, etc.. But one thing I love almost as much as eating food is ...

Reading about food! ALL things food. All the time. I read all kinds of books, but the ones I read the most are definitely food/ health/ nutrition related. I am probably more educated in the food and nutrition area than in my own fields that my degrees are in!! No joke!! I have been reading about this stuff since I was a young adolescent, and have kept abreast on pretty much everything out there. Here are a few samples from my collection - all of which I have read ... in case you want a "review":



These ones are more health related.

I also read pretty much every diet book out there, even though I have NEVER been on a diet. I just like to stay educated, and I find it extremely interesting and engaging to read about health/ nutrition/ and food:

Kevin Trudeau's books, as controversial as they may be, are brilliant.

For pete's sake, I even read the pregnancy books (especially the nutrition parts) ... and NO I am not preggers :-)



And where would I be with out my many magazine subscriptions!? (I could only find a few because I recycle them regularly):


Yesterday I bought a book that looks very interesting. It is called "Thin" and it is based on a documentary. It is about eating disorders, which if you know me, you will know is one of my biggest research interests. I am fascinated by the science behind eating disorders, and related disorders like OCD. I can't wait to crack this book open ... g'nite, I am going to read!

Do you have any "foodie" book suggestions for me? I can't wait to read "Hungry Monkey" and a few others that I have on my wish list :-)

Good Morning Lovelies :-)

I woke up this morning and had a glorious Green Monster (unsweetened vanilla almond breeze, 1 banana, 2 ginormous handfuls of spinach). It was delish. Not a spinach taste at all.

I also had a slice of whole wheat toast with almond butter:

I slept really well for the last 2 nights and I think it was because the window was open and it has been getting cool at night. I have MUCH better sleeps when it is cooler in the house, and my pillow stays cold! I love a cold pillow!

Do you like your pillow to be warm or cold?
Have a great day!!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Watch to brighten your day ...

Came across this just after posting my last post. Made me think. Do you pay attention/ appreciate/ enjoy every moment?

This video is beautiful.

Busy = Crap Food Choices

Wow - after a 10 hour work day, I am wiped! I really need to find sometime for me one of these days! After a whole summer of doing not much of anything, I am now in shock because of my insane schedule. I wake up, eat, work, eat, work, eat, sleep (or try to sleep while I think about work). Hopefully this schedule slows down a bit, and I can have a life again. I also want to start getting some physical activity in. My idea of physical activity lately has been jumping through hoops, dodging homework, and running away from my problems :-)

I have become inspired by other blogs over the last few months ... they have inspired me to want to run! I have never been a runner, and really suck at running, and also hate every minute of it. Why on earth would I want to run then? I have no idea. I just really wish that I was a runner. I want to try and go for a couple torturous runs over the next couple weeks - and even though I know I will HATE them, I am going to TRY and push through. This is my goal. Whether or not I can get around to this is another story. When I am not working, I have homework to do, and when I am not doing that I have GREs to study for, etc. etc. Ugggh. Please come back summer!

Anyway, onto the eats:
  • Mid morning I had a fiber one bar.
  • For lunch today I ended up meeting friends from my old workplace for lunch at the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, AWFUL ... Burger King :-( Bleh. (Can you tell I didn't pick the location :-) I don't like fast food as a rule, and hubby and I NEVER go out for it. But, my friends wanted BK and I wanted to see them, so I went. I had a chicken burger, small fries, and a bottled water. One BIG reason I don't like BK is that I got food poisoning from there twice! On those 2 occasions I was sicker than I had ever been before - trust me, it wasn't good! So I completely stopped eating there - until today. It has probably been 3 years since I have had a burger from there, and I NEVER will again!
I also chose to stop eating at McDonalds about 8 or 9 years ago, and haven't had a single burger or fry from there since. I decided that I didn't need it, and I wouldn't miss it, and I haven't. Husband and I try to go to non-chain restaurants whenever we can.
  • For dinner Hubby made chicken tacos (ground chicken, taco seasoning, mango salsa, cheese, multigrain tortilla). I had 2 and a water.




After dinner we went to check out the newly renovated Starbucks in our city (we don't have a single free standing Starbucks believe it or not!! We only have 1 in the Chapters, a couple in the Safeways, and 1 in a hotel). I had 1/3 of a skinny mocha frapp. I ordered the tall (small), but they gave me a bigger one by accident, and it was WAY too big. I was sick of it after about 3 sips.



Now that I look back at my eats today, it is a good thing I had that green monster this morning. That was the only dose of veggies I got all day! I hate how when I get busy, the meal planning and veggie consumption goes down the drain.

Do you find you make poorer food choices when you are busy?

Not feeling it ...

This morning I just HAD to have a GREEN MONSTER again! It blows my mind how it can be so green, yet not taste even a little like spinach. It tastes ONLY like banana. I blended:
- about 1 cup vanilla almond breeze (I don't measure)
- 2 big handfuls spinach
- 1 banana
- 1 tsp flax

I slowly sipped it, and it was soooo good, and good for me too! BONUS!

I thought I could use some carbs, so I dished out a bowl of plain mini wheats:

And added a little milk. I tried eating them, but only got through 3 bites and then tossed the rest. I just wasn't feeling it. Maybe too much chewing for me today :-)

I have a really full day ahead of me, and will likely be at work until about 8 or so tonight ... so I will be posting later tonight.

Have a great day everyone!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Today was another busy day - getting my room ready for my new class! I had a lunch packed for today and I took a picture of it, but then a colleague wanted to go for lunch - so I went, and didn't get a pic. I had a small turkey sub on whole wheat with light mayo, tomatoes, and banana peppers, with water to drink. In the afternoon I snacked on this:

I am overwhelmed with stuff I have to do right now, it is INSANE! I have a million things to do for work, and then GREs to study for (Canadian version of SAT). I write my first one at the end of Sept. and haven't studied or prepped a thing yet. I also am taking 2 classes, and for one of them I have to write a thesis, and then I am working on a wedding for a client, and then I have stuff to do around the house and yard. This is TOO MUCH for 1 person! I feel like I should buckle down and not have a life at all, and just get to all this work - but then how can a person survive without seeing their friends and having fun too??

How do you manage all that you do?

For dinner I had my leftovers from last nights dinner at Korea House:

Before dinner I went to a work function for about 1/2 an hour and had a couple shrimp, a piece small piece of bread dipped in artichoke dip, and a couple mini pitas. I feel like I haven't stopped going all day, and now it is bedtime. I need time to relax!!

G'nite!

GREEN MONSTER

Well, I did it! I tried a green monster with actual Spinach in it!!

I wanted to make the most simple of GREEN MONSTERS first so that I would know how they taste and be able to drink them if I was out of other ingredients to mix in (almond butter etc). I mixed the following in my magic bullet:

- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 handfuls spinach (fresh)
- 1 small banana



VERDICT: It does NOT taste like spinach!!!!!! Believe it or not, it just tastes like banana! It tastes more like banana than the one I made with amazing grass about a week ago - which goes to show how potent amazing grass must be. You will be seeing A LOT more Green Monsters in my future! What an easy way to get your greens in :-)

I also had 1 slice of whole wheat toast with almond butter:



I will be taking a coffee with me on the way to work ... have a great day bloggies.

Monday, August 24, 2009

My Favorite Meal

Today husband and I went out for what is probably my favorite meal! It is called Bee Bim Bop, and we get it at a restaurant called "Korea House." It comes out in a sizzling HOT bowl, and you can hear the food sizzling as they bring it and for most of the time you eat it. It has rice, beef, and veggies, with sunny side egg on top. You mix it up when you get it and the egg shreds and cooks completely, and little bits of the rice get crispy - the best part! I put a Korean hot sauce on top and mix it in - SO Delicious!

It is a HUGE serving, so I only ate half, and took the rest to go. The best part about this meal is that it is only $10 :-) And they give you the best miso soup I have ever had (to start) and little dishes with things like kimchi, mushrooms, etc. I ate a few bites of kimchi, and drank my miso soup. Divine!

I am SO exhausted from a very long day - so I am off to bed!

Can't wait for tomorrow mornings breakfast - a GREEN MONSTER with real spinach!!! Haven't tried one of those yet, but I bought a big bag of spinach ... I will give the verdict tomorrow morning!

Do you drink green monsters? They are all the rage in the blogging community from what I have noticed.

1st Day Back ...

Back to work day ... so there were treats awaiting us this morning. I had about 2 servings of fruit (assorted) and 2 bite size muffins (sorry no pic - don't want to freak out the people I am working with on the 1st day :-)

We went out for lunch, and I had about 1/2 a veggie quesadilla (sp?) and a few sweet potato fries.

I will have pics of my supper!

Back to work now :-)

Back at it ...

Well, today is my first day back to work after a relaxing summer off ...

For breakfast I had 2 eggs and 1 slice whole wheat toast:

I also had a glass of 100% pure orange juice:

We had no coffee in the house :-( So I will have to grab one on the way to work, or at work.

Have a great day everyone!!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

I Got Some GREEN in :-)

I just had to get some GREENS in, so I slammed one of my AMAZING GRASS samples, mixed with 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze. Ahhh a quick dose of vitamins.

G'night peeps.

Not the healthiest day ever ...

I just realized that I ate NO vegetables today!!!! What??!!!

We went for brunch with my family, and I had a small skillet (it really is small, just looks big in the picture). It was a southwestern skillet with some hash browns, ground beef, egg, salsa and sour cream.

I ate about 1/2 a slice of the toast.
Dinner was at the inlaw's house, as we almost always have Sunday dinner there. We had the BEST ham I have probably ever had, scalloped potatoes, and perogies. This is my portion:

Dessert was half a donut:

And that was my day of eats - not a vegetable in sight, unless you count the salsa :-) I am thinking I might have a veggie or two for a snack while I watch BIG BROTHER!!!

(secret: I am a reality TV junkie).

Do you watch BB? What is your favorite TV show? I love quite a few reality shows, and then a couple other non-reality series.