Lots to Talk About

Catching Up

I seem to be getting busier and busier as the days go by. I guess that's ok- it means I'm getting somewhere. We had a great weekend doing some gardening (I did the project management), going grocery shopping, and watching a How I Met Your Mother marathon. I frieken love that show. It's...wait for it....AWESOME! The rest of the days since then have been spent in my dungeon (work) coming in early and leaving late. Oh well- at least they let me leave :)


The boy going at it with the lawnmower:



The veggies I will hopefully be eating from our garden:



Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt Review




Now I have to say- this stuff was amazing! I have always been a fan of greek yogurt, but this has truly been one of my best experiences with it. I have tried all of the flavors and they were all good. Here is my quick overview of each one:

You can also read more about the yogurt on their website:

http://www.oikosorganic.com

Plain Greek Yogurt:

This yogurt was perfectly tangy and thick. It was perfect mixed in with fruit and had a great consistency. Plain yogurt was my favorite since I am not much of a flavored yogurt girl.

Vanilla Greek Yogurt:

Though the vanilla was very subtle, it was a nice, natural vanilla flavor. I have probably gotten too used to fake vanilla products. This one was my second favorite.
Blueberry Greek Yogurt:

I was pleasantly surprised by the real blueberries as I mixed this yogurt. The taste was like real blueberries but it was a little too sweet for my taste. I stretched this yogurt out over 2 servings and even topped my toast with it one morning.
Honey Greek Yogurt:

I mixed this in with my yogurt cereal mess this morning and it was amazing- perfectly creaming and the honey was decadent. I am not a huge fan of putting honey in Greek yogurt, but I would definitely buy this flavor again.

And there ya have it. I enjoyed this amazing yogurt over the last few days and will definitely be using the coupone Kristina sent me as well as the cute lunch tote. Thanks again!


In Her Fridge

Maybe I'm a stalker, but I always like to see what people have in their fridge, just like MTV Cribs! Here is what we have in our fridge this week:

Condiments:



Almond butter, better n' pb, juices, and more canned things:



Juice and yogurt for the boy's smoothies:



Lots of spinach and brussel sprouts:



Finally, here are some of my more exciting meals over the last few days:

Lunches (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday):








Breakfasts:






And my only presentable dinner:


Otherwise, dinner is eaten in this fashion (yogurt mixed with strawberries, protein powder and almond butter)



We also went on a walk tonight because sometimes I just have too much energy and need to be walked. We took pictures of us and the view was pretty too.







If you have finished reading this post, I shall offer you a finisher's medal. This is why people post daily, huh?

Have a great rest of your week! We are almost at Friday!

P.S. I think I officially quit the Drab to Fab Challenge. It wasn't for me- I heart my coffee!

She's Alive! (Evil Laugh)

Recap

I'm alive and as random as ever. Since I have been feeling sorry for myself and being sick with bronchitis, I've had a lot of things on my mind and no spare time! Last night I took the last of my vomit pills (antibiotics) and I don't know if it's the placebo effect, but I am feeling much better. I have been eating (shocker) but not the healthiest as I was hit with waves of nausea...don't worry- totally antibiotic related. Mike threatened to call me out to the blog world when I only wanted frozen yogurt one night for dinner. I also finished my second quarter at school- yay!

Here are the highlights of what I ate over the last few days. Everything else consisted of various crackers and toast...yum.

1/2 bagel with light cream cheese and smoked salmon:




Work baby shower ice cream cake (because ice cream cake can't possibly make you sick, right?)



Weekend

So far we have had a productive day. We woke up to go to services not only to be spiritual, but because we have been trying to be active and meet our wedding officiant outside of um...the wedding day. Now we don't have the best timing, but he has been out of town each time we have gone there. I'm starting to think I'm in the wrong field. The whole experience was still nice and we had a good time and got some errands done. The best part is that we spent the whole day on foot and estimate about 3 miles each way- much more exercise than I have had in weeks!

First, we went to Whole Foods to redeem the coupons I received last night from the lovely Kristina of Stoneyfield Farms. She gave me coupons to try Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt! This is my first blog product trial and I'm taking it seriously! She also sent this cute bag that I'll be using to bring my lunch.




I haven't tried the yogurt yet, but my intern promised he would do one of the review for me, so you'll get to see another perspective on this. I told you I was taking this seriously!

After we went to get the yogurt, we went to a Thai restaurant. I'm still not sure how I feel about Thai. I know I like it, but it's never the first cuisine that pops into my head when I want to go out to eat. The restaurant is called Erewan is really cute inside. I particularly loved their menus:




I got the Pumpkin red curry tofu with jasmin brown rice and a fresh spring roll (not fried). It was delicious. I ate the roll, 1/3 of the rice, the side salad, and 1/2 of the entree.






Since we walked home, I was able to digest pretty quickly and got started on some earth shattering activities like laundry, cleaning the kitchen, the the landslide that our home has turned into since I have not felt well.

Phew...that was long. I'm off to do some wedding junk on the computer and fold some laundry. Don't be jealous!

B is for Bronchitis and Other Random Thoughts

Bronchitis!
I'm a bit of a complainer and a hypochondriac...probably due to my childhood of being the younger, spoiled child and many winters of colds. I thought that the last month of 'cold' was just that- a cold. Apparently I was wrong and have been walking around with bronchitis- how dumb is that?

In addition, I have been working very long hours and have not taken a day off to get better- also dumb! When I finally cracked and felt like crap yesterday, I went to the doctor. I came home with antibiotics to take for five days, along with 2 inhalers to help open my airways. I have never had asthma and have had a little bit of a hard time with breathing, but I am weary of the inhalers. I have decided to give them a try for a couple of days as I am getting bizarre side effects from them. I get a little shaky and antsy- not a good combination for a spazoid to begin with. I did get some eats in yesterday before the drugs kicked in:

Ginormous Whole Wheat Bagel with teaspoon almond butter:



Whole Wheat Tortilla Pizza with Roasted Eggplant, Tomato sauce, and a Sprinkle of cheese:



Snack Plate of Orange, Almond Butter, a few chocolate chips, and 2 mini meringues:



Random Thoughts

• Today I stayed home to rest up and my co-worker has managed to torture me while sick...what do people not get about a SICK day? I got a million e-mails and requests for things that could have waited until tomorrow. This overwhelms me and is counter-productive. I dread going back in tomorrow, but I'm glad I got the rest.
• I can't exercise for about a week while I get over this and take my antibiotics. It's not like I have been overly excited to exercise and know that I will get back into it...but when someone tells me I can't do something, I want to!
• I can't stand when people comment on my weight- in one way or another. Do you experience any of this? Some of my parents' friends were talking about how I lost weight but it is really triggering and I wish people kept their thoughts to themselves.

Well...that's it. I'm off to take my pill, inhale some medicine, and eat some dinner.
Have a great night!

How to Spend Two Days in a New City Without Stepping Out of the Airport

The title of this post refers to my business trip on Friday-Saturday night. A part of what I do at work includes meeting planning and since I have spent the last month planning a meeting in Dallas, I got to go run the meeting and check out what the heck it is I have been doing. The meeting was at a property adjascent to the airport, so I technically never left the airport.


My plane left on Friday morning at 6:00 AM...brutal! I woke up at 4:30 that day and headed to the airport. I slept all the way through my first flight and got a fruit and yogurt parfait in Phoenix at Starbuck's. I looked at the nutritional information and it contained 330 cals- that's a lot of yogurt! It was a good thing I had a substantial breakfast because I didn't get to eat lunch until 6-7 hours later. I also got a bunch of crazy physical workouts running around in heels and setting up the meeting. I got some good experience and it was worth it. Here are some highlights from my trip (and the only pictures I could take without looking like a freak):

My hotel room:



Frozen yogurt swirl at the airport (I ate most of the yogurt and a few cone bites)




Chicken burrito with black beans, salsa, lettuce, and rice. I ordered the 'half portion' and this thing was humongous! I still ate the whole thing because I was starving/tired:



I had two nearly 18-hour days in a row and came home quite exhausted! Not quite tired enough to miss our friend's birthday! We went to a new club in San Francisco and I even saw a Warriors basketball player- totally worth going out!

Today we took care of some financial chores (my favorite), cleaned a little bit to at least unpack, and made some soup for next week. We stopped for lunch/dinner at 4:00 and I was supposed to go to the gym but I was too tired.


Wedding Invitations

I think I found them! Our colors are white, black, gold, and silver. We'll also be including a little green as accents. I have literally looked all over the place, considered ordering them online, but I wanted to feel and touch them...
We wanted the option to print our own and when I saw these, I knew they would be perfect:



We got both boxes for $80 and have more than enough. I may add a vellum overlay and some ribbon to them, but the cost will be minimal. I just couldn't fathom spending $800 on invitations and would rather use the money for something else. I change my mind a lot, but I'm hoping I have found 'the one'! I swear, finding my future hubby was easier than this!


I am exhausted and skipped the gym today. I am hoping, hoping, hoping that I will be able to wake up and get some exercise in. I'm still having a problem balancing things and hope that some extra sleep will get me up very early tomorrow- otherwise, there is always after work.

Exercise is the Best Medicine

Today was another hectic day at work. It included cereal and tea (still no coffee!) and lots and lots of work. In addition to the cereal, I had some roasted carrots, a banana, an orange, and a serving of wasabi peas and a few almonds throughout the day.



As I was driving home from the train, I was thinking of a million creatively stupid reasons about why I shouldn't exercise:

• I'm too tired
• I'm too stressed
• My stomach hurts (faking it)
• I'm too lazy

After thinking it over, I realized I would feel like a loser if I didn't move it. I also realized that it wasn't dark out yet and treated myself to a nice run outside. Just look at this sky:







Don't worry- I didn't take this while running. Don't shoot and run (ok, dumb joke- but I'm tired!)


I took myself out on a run down the street to the park right next to us. It was a great run, but it got dark after 20 minutes and I chickened out and ran home. It was a good start, and just what I needed to get out of my crappy mood.

I came home and made my dinner:

Light flat out wrap with smoked salmon and a small smear of light cream cheese and spinach. I also had a few pita chips on the side.



I ended up eating this open-faced because I play with my food. I contemplated dessert and did not disappoint. I had this lovely nectarine:





And ended up sneaking in my 'dessert of the day' of two Trader Joe's Oatmeal Dunkers.

I haven't done much sitting since I have been home. I have been doing food prep and cooking for the next few days. I'm kind of a domestic and prefer to make Mike's lunch. This way I know our grocery bill is not wasted and of course, he is getting a healthy lunch. None of it is glamorous or pretty, but here is what I made tonight to be packed for hopefully the rest of the week, depending on boy metabolism:

• Roasted brussel sprouts
• Roasted eggplant
• Roasted chicken with curry powder, onion powder, celery
• Giant shells to serve as a carb for another meal
• Giant spinach salad with corn, shredded cheese, carrots, celery, hardboiled egg, olives, and probably other stuff

I'll steal some of the roasted veggies for sure! The rest is all for the boy.

Some random thoughts...
I have been at my new job for a month...and it's been quite the experience. I have learned a lot, but I have also been very busy and proportionally stressed. I am just one of those people who stresses out and I really need to find an outlet. It would normally be exercise, but I have literally been trapped in the office for at least 10 hours a day. I am going to try to tweak a few things and find what works best for me because I know it's not good for my mental health. I need some movement in my life for my physical health and sanity so I am going to mentally prepare myself for a morning workout in the next couple of days.

I am going to be traveling for work to the lovely city of Dallas (never been there, but assuming it's nice) on Friday and returning on Saturday and I know that I have a few strenuous days ahead. I guess I can only do my best.

What are your favorite stress fighters?

6 cookies, 2 walks, 2 monsters, 5 great friends, 1 workout, and 1 healthy apple

Well, it's another weekend. Today when Mike and I were walking to Trader Joe's and I had my sad 'Sunday Face' on he made a great analogy. I get upset that the weekend is over every.single.Sunday and there is really no point to it. Here is a snapshot of our convo:

Him: Why are you all upset?
Me: Because tomorrow is Monday
Him: Think of it this way- imagine that you are in a fight and somebody is about to punch you in the stomach. Now press 'Pause.' You know that somebody will hit you inevitably, so you can either focus on the moment of anticipation, or just go with it, get it over with, and deal with the pain.
Me: Fine. I'll stop moping

So here I am. I had a great weekend and Monday will happen either way, so let's just go with it.
Now back to the title.

• This weekend, I consumed 6 cookies and they were frieken fantabulous.
  
• We also went on a couple of walks this weekend and enjoyed the early spring weather. Check out the geese I shared my walk with.
  
• I also tried my first green monster smoothies (not one, but two!). I can't say I am in love with them, but they are pretty awesome. I am running out of almond milk, so I'll improvise, but they do the trick and I'll keep having them.
• We went out to a local bar on Saturday night. I kept it sober, which is not hard at all and hung out with some close friends.
• On Friday night, Mike and I had a great workout. First I ran 2.8 miles and then we lifted chest and tris 'boy style' while we pondered the probability of Friday the 13th. It's complicated stuff.

Green Monster



Cookie Monster



Me and my New Friends



Some Best Friends



One Healthy Apple
I think last week I decided to quit multiple desserts, caffeine, and a few other things. I have learned a few things since then:

• I don't need coffee every day to make me happy or awake. I had my weekly coffee at Starbucks this weekend and it was glorious! I will continue to drink tea instead of coffee during the week.
  
• I tried a Green Monster and LIKED it. I'm crazy like that and actually thought it tasted good, so I will continue to incorporate them as carrot sticks can get really boring.
• Dessert- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sugar. This weekend I ate a couple of cookies a day and didn't regret it at all. It is what it is- I didn't have a Big Mac, I had a few cookies. I also walked and ran around and used that energy. Most of all, I enjoyed them. I don't think I am meant to live a life without sugar, but I will be mindful of eating sweets instead of meals. I have been guilty of doing this is the past and it's not healthy. I will continue to have a dessert every day on the weekdays and what feels right on the weekends.
  

What all of this means is that I don't do well with restrictions. I do well with options and good habits. Just like I can't work out every single day, I can't restrict the things I love. Moving forward, I will make the above modifications and do my own Drab to Fab Challenge because that's what makes me healthy physically and mentally.

Right now the TV is showing some fighting, meaning that I have lost power of the remote. I shall intervene. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

One Healthy Apple

Drab to Fab Challenge!

Hi Kids,

It's been a couple more exhausting days (or maybe just one?!). Anyhoo, I ate yesterday (yay for me!) but my forgetful butt left the camera at home. Nothing to write home about...but dinner was at 10 since I didn't pack properly. I finished my wrap on the way upstairs to bed.


With work and school, and wedding planning, and breathing, I have realized that I am getting a little run down. In fact, I have had a cold for nearly a month now (WHO does that?). I was digging around and reading some blogs and a lot of you fabulous ladies have been participating in some challenges like Crap Free Week, Green Monster Challenges, Yoga Challenge. I'm not sure I could fully do any of them, but I did see one that looks right up my ally!


Leah of Simply Fabulous is doing the Drab to Fab Challenge!

Now of course, I will make my own modifications since I can't do the same exact thing. Here they are:

• Substitute tea instead of coffee during the week
• Split one coffee per week with Mike on Saturdays (our tradition)
• Quit all diet sodas
• Eliminate artificial sweetener use
• Drink at least 3 glasses of water in addition to tea
• Try a green smoothie! (I'm a little scared of them)
• Limit dessert to one per day to cut down on the sugar

This challenge will run from today (even though I started yesterday) until April 9 (4 weeks). I didn't mention alcohol in there because I barely drink (except for my weekend escapade last week, which was a fluke!). If I do have a drink, then I will confess.

The purpose of this challenge is to hydrate myself, eliminate some of the junk in my diet, and perk up my skin. Perhaps I might get rid of my marathon cold? Like Leah said, this is not a way to restrict or limit myself, just a way to be aware of how much 'other' stuff goes into my body. I hope you will support me and join along if you want.

I'm sipping on my tea, missing the coffee, and have visions of spiking some coffee with Bailey's. Off to a good start!

Happy Thursday!