spunkysuzi working towards a healthier me

Grocery day and work

2012-01-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

I had to get up a little earlier today so that I could get some grocery shopping done before I went to work. This is what was outside my window :)

First I drank 3 cups of water.

Then I made brekkie: egg substitute omelet, bacon, spinach, 1 tsp butter, 1 slice of toast topped with a tbsp of home made lemon curd. I had my kefir and coffee with 1 tbsp light 1/2 & 1/2.

I love these spinach nuggets! So easy to take out just the amount I need.

Then off to pick up groceries. After putting away the groceries I was getting a bit hungry so I grabbed some veggies, cheese and dragon fruit. But first I downed another 3 cups of water :)

Next I grabbed a quick shower. I bought some sushi and seaweed salad to take to work tonight. Of course I'm going to grab a green tea with it. I also took another 3 cups of water to drink at work.

I've also planned on getting a medium mocha latte when I get to work. Hubby picked this up at the library for me but I'll have to wait for my knee to get a bit better.

Tonight I've also planned on a glass of Yellow Tail white wine after work. Cheers!!

Honesty

2012-01-26T13:20:00.001-05:00

O.k my good blog pal Karla wrote a great post yesterday regarding honesty. It made me stop and think.

Am I completely honest?? I do post pictures of my food. That keeps me honest. I feel that I'm honest. However, I usually post right after dinner and I do sometimes have a glass of wine, or some cheese or some popcorn occasionally and of course, because I've already posted for the day I don't worry about posting it.

That stops today.

From today on what you see on here is what I have done/eaten. I will update the post at the end of the day if I've had anything else.

I'm having an issue being able to work out lately. For a while it was my ankle that had been bothering me. That is feeling better now, thank goodness. Now my left knee is swollen and hurts like you know what.

So for the next few days when I'm standing on my feet for 8 hours at work I'm not going to be going on my walks. I need to heal. I'm doing what I need to do for me. I will pick up some weights. I will try to do some stretches as well. I'm really mad that I can't do what I want to do. But I will get as strong as I want to be!

So on with today :)

For breakfast this morning I made some oats with blueberries, some coconut butter, hulled hemp seeds and a tbsp of light 1/2 & 1/2 cream. I also had 2 Tbsp of Kefir(small container next to my oats) and 1 more Tbsp of light 1/2 & 1/2 for my coffee.

I've decided to stick to one cup of coffee a day. And I drank 3 cups of water before my coffee!

I refilled my starbucks cup and drank another 3 cups after lunch :)

Lunch: Tortilla, ham and cheese, kiwi, cherry tomatoes and some pickled cucumber wedges. Green tea on the side.

For work I'm taking a protein drink, 3 molasses balls and some buttered green beans/peas/roasted red pepper. I also took more water. I actually drank 9 cups of water before I went to work. I also plan on having another cup of green tea with nothing in it.

Blogger tried to eat this post so I quickly re-did it before leaving for work! If anything doesn't make sense that would be why :(

Question Day :)

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Once again it's Wednesday and it's question day!

1. What is your favourite green vegetable??

2. Have you ever tried beetroot greens? What did you do with them??

3. What did/are you eating for lunch today?

4. Do you consider walking to be part of your weekly/daily exercise??

5. Do you have any physical problems that make it difficult to exercise?

I can't always plan!

2012-01-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

This morning I started my day with some scrambled eggs with light laughing cow cheese and a tortilla wrapped around a banana and peanut butter :)

My muscles have felt so tight lately and my arthritis is really acting up on my knee so today I decided to do some beginners yoga. I hope this will help. Well that and an anti-flammatory.

Well the yoga was o.k except for the parts where I needed to bend my left leg!!! Ugh, haven't had it this bad in a while.

Lunch ended up being some veggies, cheese, avocado and some baked blueberry banana oatmeal

This afternoon I have a board meeting and they always supply dinner but I never know what they will be having :) So I try to keep the rest of the days eating light in case the dinner is calorie heavy.

I grabbed a green tea on the way to the meeting and dinner ended up being vegetarian chili with 1/2 a small baked potato, salad with 1/2 Tbsp cesaer salad dressing and a very small raspberry square. Maybe 1 1/2". I don't take pictures there.

Hope you had a good day!!

Rain and walking :)

2012-01-23T17:44:00.001-05:00

I made a blueberry banana baked oatmeal for breakfast this morning. I got the idea here but I tweaked it using no nuts and when I put it into my recipe builder it came out to 121 calories/serving for 8 servings :) Can't beat that!

So today started with 2 servings of baked oatmeal with a drizzle of maple syrup, an egg and some ham on the side. Kefir and coffee.

I threw lunch together quick because I'm going to meet Jen at Starbucks before meeting my walking group! Yes I'm feeling a bit better today. Keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way :) I was enjoying Jen's company so much I forgot to take a pic!

Walked with the walking group for the best part of an hour. Ended up walking over 3 miles!

Making a new recipe tonight! Skinny Salisbury Steak with mushroom gravy, baked fries and roasted broccoli. Mmmmmmmm........ YUMMY!! Thanks Gina :)

Now my weekend starts!

2012-01-22T17:26:00.000-05:00

That's right I worked late last night and came back first thing this morning just so my weekend can start earlier :) No problemo!

So today started before the crack of dawn. I made an omelet with cheese, a whole wheat English muffin toasted with lemon curd on it and my usual Kefir and light cream for coffee.

.
Breaks are at weird times on Sunday morning so I just took a ~~protein drink and 3 molasses balls which kept me satisfied until I got home.~~ They sent me home early so I stirfried some beans/red pepper/peas and golden beet greens. Had some dragon fruit on the side :)

Dinner tonight was some roast beef, mashed potato, gravy, and some pre-shredded cabbage stir fried with a tsp of olive oil. I also had a glass of wine. I ate the cabbage and it was o.k the hubs didn't like it :(

I still had all my muscles feeling sore today and I've also been visiting the bathroom too many times :( I did dance in the kitchen while I was cooking, but I decided a long walk in the cold might not be a good idea.

I'm hoping I'll feel better tomorrow so I can meet Jen for a coffee and meet my walking group. My garmin is getting lonely not being used :)

Ouch!

2012-01-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

By the time I'd finished work last night every single muscle in my body ached. Maybe coming down with a cold?? No idea

Woke up this morning feeling the same. Did some foam rolling which seemed to help a bit but I'm still sore. I'm not doing any workout today, I think going to work will be enough of one :(

Anyway this morning started with a banana protein pancake with some coconut butter and sugar free syrup. Kefir and coffee on the side as always.

Yesterday I only managed to drink one cup of green tea so today I'm shooting for two.

Lunch was easy some scrambled egg with light laughing cow cheese, beet green with 1 tsp butter and a kiwi. I bought some beautiful golden beets this week and they had a lot of greens on them. Wasn't sure whether they would be good just stir fried with a green onion and topped with a tsp of butter but they were sooooooooo good!! Will be doing this again.

I'm taking to work a protein drink and an all bran bar and I've planned to have a mocha latte as well :)

Hope your having a great weekend!

Weekly update #4

2012-01-20T12:11:00.002-05:00

Gain or loss this week: -4.2

Exercise:
Friday-15 minutes yoga plus 20 squats
Saturday-20 squats
Sunday-20 squats
Monday-45 minute walk plus 20 squats
Tuesday-55 minute walk plus 20 squats
Wednesday-All day at hospital but I managed to to do my squats (in the bathroom)
Thursday-45 minute walk no squats my thighs are like noodles :)

1. Workout at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes or 150 minutes? only worked out 4 days but I did get 160 minutes it.
2. Journal daily? Yes I did
3. Blog daily? Yes I did even the day we were at the hospital
4. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day?? I drank 8 cups every day this week :)
5. Did I do 20 squats a day this week? No I did them for 6 days and then gave the legs a rest.

How would I describe this passed week? Well it was definitely an up and down week. Food wise it was great, exercise wise not bad but no where near what I'm capable of. Ralph going to emergency was very stressful on both of us. Thank goodness he's o.k (still has more tests) I didn't let it give me an excuse to dive into chocolate. So I'm happy to say the week ended on a positive note.

This weeks challenges will be #1-4 plus drink 2 cups of green tea a day!

This morning I got up and made an egg, a slice of toast with 1 tbsp peanut butter and a grapefruit. Kefir and coffee on the side :)

Then it was off to pick up some groceries. Since today is my busiest day of the week at work I chose to make this my rest day. Believe you me it's no day of rest ;)

Lunch was some veggies, cheese, berries and Ace crisps.

Took a protein drink and some greek yogurt with blueberries and honey with to work and I'll be having a glass of wine tonight after work.

Oh and a wonderful fellow worker who moved to Bosnia sent me this wonderful box full of candy. Luckily they're mini's and I plan to have one per week. Or I'll hand them out to someone else :)

Walking and working!

2012-01-19T12:26:00.001-05:00

My get up and go and got up and went today :(

I got up with full intentions to go for a walk before work. Since I'd done nothing but sit for 8 straight hours yesterday I was sure I'd go out for a walk. Then I thought I need a rest. It was getting rather nasty outside with snow. I'd make another coffee and sit on my butt until I had to get ready for work.

By the way thanks for all the well wishes. After 6 hours there and being pretty sure there was no heart attack we got silly with the camera. It was either that or complain like everyone else was doing. They were very busy and we just had to wait our turn.

So first I made some pumpkin waffles with sugar free syrup and some cranberry sauce. Kefir and light 1/2 and 1/2 for coffees.

Then I got my garmin ready and set off for a walk :) Yep, I got my butt up and slapped on the Garmin for a 2 1/2 mile walk in pretty nasty weather. Half way through I couldn't see through my glasses and had to take them off. When I took my hat off at home it was caked with snow :) Am I doing everything I can to keep me healthy?? Darn right I am!!

After I finally got warmed up I heated up some leftover green beans with 1 tsp of butter, 1 Tbsp light parm cheese and a warm tortilla filled rolled up with some peanut butter inside :) (for got to take pic of the wrap)

Now I'm off to work. Today I'm taking some leftover cabbage roll casserole that I was going to have last night but they'll be just as good tonight, add a whole wheat soup bun from work and I'm all set!

Hope your having a great day.

A rough day

2012-01-18T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today started well.

I made some egg, ham and cheese wraps with a grapefruit. Kefir and coffee of course :)

Then I got some cleaning in my kitchen done.

Lunch was some chicken and flax seed strips, spinach and a tsp of butter. Unfortunately while eating lunch Ralph told me he'd been having chest pains for a while. So we left lunch, phoned a friend for a ride and off to the hospital.

If you remember he had a heart attack 3 years ago so we didn't waste time getting to the hospital.

8 hours later we're home. Tests showed Ralph didn't have a heart attack but he's still going to have to go for a stress test and a re-check with his cardiologist.

After being there for a few hours we started to go stir crazy so a few pictures were taken to remember the moment.

Thanks to those who knew through tweets and messages what was going on and sending support.

Back to regular blogging tomorrow.

Question day!

2012-01-18T05:30:00.000-05:00

Have fun with these :)

1. Apple or pear?

2. Do you measure your food?

3. Do you collect anything? Frogs, owls or salt and pepper shakers??

4. What food would you consider a superfood??

5. How much water have you drank so far today?

6. When you look out your front door what do you see today??

Interval walking today

2012-01-17T17:47:00.001-05:00

Yes this is the day I ramp up my walking :) I take walking up a couple of notch's. I definitely workout harder, breathing is a bit harder and I sweat like crazy.

Rain is forecast for today but I'm hoping to get out before it comes. If not I'll get wet! I'm not made of candy so I'll live.

I have a confession to make. I've upped my daily calories. Still tracking. But they're upped enough that I don't feel like I'm "dieting". I'm satisfied. No cravings. And the best part is that the scale is still going down. Slowly but surely most days I'm going down .2 or .6. And you know what?? I'm loving it!!!
Now it may not keep doing that and if so I'll have to tweak it some more. But for now I'm doing what works for me and I'm very happy with it :) I used to laugh when someone would tell me they could eat 1300 calories or 1400 and still lose but I'm not laughing at them any more.

So on with my day!

Today started with one of my favourite brekkies oatmeal. I had oats, pumpkin, cranberries, cinnamon and sweetener all cooked up together and at the very end I put a beaten egg white in and stir and stir and they come up fluffy and creamy. Then I put a dollop of home made cranberry sauce on top. Kefir and coffee were on the side. See Lyn I do have Kefir every day :)

Then it was off on my walk. Misty but not too wet! 52 minute interval walk in today.

Lunch was a protein shake made with almond breeze, protein, and banana. 3 molasses balls on the side.

Dinner tonight was whole wheat pasta, with meatballs and sauce, topped with some light parm cheese.
Believe it or not I couldn't eat it all :)

Got all my water in today!

Glad I went out for my walk earlier because now it's hailing/raining/windy :(

How did your day go today?? Tomorrow's question day can't wait to see your answers and I won't forget to post mine.

Healthy day??

2012-01-16T18:13:00.004-05:00

What does a healthy day mean to you??

Weighing in?
Eating oats?
Low carbs?
Going for a run?
Drinking only water?
No fruit?
Juice?
Blogging?
Twitter??

This is how my day looked.

Waking up after at least 7 hours sleep.

After waking up I make a bee line towards my Keurig and pick out what kind of coffee I'm going to have.

While that's brewing I fill up my water bottle with 3 cups of water. I make a deal with myself I can have my coffee once I've drank my 3 cups of water :) This way the water goes down pretty quick!

Making a healthy breakfast whether it be eggs/oats or pancakes :) Today it's brownie batter pancakes with banana and sugar free syrup!

Catching up online with my fellow bloggers. Checking out my peeps on Twitter. 20 squats!!

Today I'm volunteering at a games afternoon for people with mental health issues. Lots of fun. Hubs came along as well.

I took some veggies, clementines, a protein drink and 3 of my home made molasses balls. I also drank lots of water there as well. If I hadn't done that I would've eaten some of this:

Got off of the bus home early so I could get some extra exercise in. 45 minutes

When I got home I started dinner. Drank more water while cooking low fat sausage with brussels sprouts in a butter sauce plus a few oven baked fries. I wanted something sweet after dinner so I grabbed a couple of clementines :)

Now I'm having a cup of green tea and chillaxing with the hubs :)I will go to sleep tonight knowing I did the best I could. Am I perfect? By no means but I do try to have more on plan/healthy days so that on days when my planning flies out the window they do not de-rail me.

What do you consider a healthy day?

What kind of day are you having??

Another week of work under my belt :)

2012-01-15T17:27:00.003-05:00

I got up before the crack of dawn to go to work. The only thing that helps is a good cup of coffee :)

I made an egg, a slice of toast with some home made lemon curd and a bowl of Greek yogurt with berries.

For work I took a protein drink and 4 molasses balls. Yep they hit the spot and kept me away from food at work. (not awake this morning and forgot to take picture)

I realized that I was lagging on my water drinking but a couple of water bottles later and I'm good. After water I decided I'd better get my squats done before my get up and go went.

Dinner was some Chicken with flax seeds, green beans, 1 tsp butter and some oven baked fries (low carb ketchup). Glass of wine, movie with my feet up and I'm rejuvenated :)

Not a very exciting day

2012-01-14T12:50:00.001-05:00

Today is another work day.

Last night we were short staffed and crazy busy!! I ran around like crazy trying to keep up with everything.

That is why I normally don't do my walking workouts on the weekend. With my arthritis I just can't do both and still be physically able to work on the busiest days of the week.

So today was a day of rest exercise wise. Well except for the 20 squats. Plie squats today :)

I started today with an omelet, ham, toast, peanut butter and a glass of low carb oj. Kefir and coffee on the side.

Lunch was a bag of Green Giant Simply Steam broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, a banana and 2 molasses balls that I made this morning :) Not too sweet but awesome!

I`m taking a protein drink to work and buying some chicken noodle soup and a mini whole wheat bun for dinner. (not my picture but it will look like that)

Sorry but I'm way behind on blog reading. I'll try to catch up soon.

Hope your having a great day!!

Weekly Update #3

2012-01-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Squirrel outside my kitchen window this morning.

Wow 3rd week update already!! Time is flying by :)

Gain or loss this week: No loss no gain

Exercise:
Friday- 30 minute walk plus plank
Saturday-besides a plank none
Sunday-did plank no other exercise
Monday-82 minute walk plus plank
Tuesday-42 minute walk plus a weight workout plus a plank :)
Wednesday- 45 minute interval walk plus a plank
Thursday- 30 minute aerobics, plank

1. Workout at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes or 150 minutes?I worked out 5 days for 229 minutes (I've got to keep better track of this as my notes are all over the place)
2. Journal daily? I did
3. Blog daily?I did but blogger is being funny with the dates of my post!
4. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day?? I made sure to drink this much 5 days this week :(
5. Plank a day?I did my plank a day and my stomach definitely feels it!!

How would I describe this passed week? Not the best week I've had and I need to kick it up a notch but it definitely could have been worse.

This weeks challenges will be #1-4 plus 20 squats a day. Not always the same type of squats everyday so it should be interesting :)

Today's nosh

Breakfast: Protein waffles with a warm blueberry sauce and some slivered almonds

Lunch: Leftover taco bake and clementines

At work: Protein smoothie
After work: Glass of wine :)

Water today: 6 cups so far and I'm taking a water bottle with another 3 to work
Exercise today: 20 squats Done
spent 15 minutes doing yoga poses Done

Kicking my own butt

2012-01-12T22:50:00.003-05:00

Got up earlier this morning and really didn't want to do anything.

Made a smoothie for my breakfast: coconut water, spinach, mango, protein powder

Then I sat and sat and sat and then I had enough and went upstairs and worked out :) Some days it's just so hard to find my mojo. I needed to get it done because I've got to go to work yet!

Lunch: grilled ham and cheese with some veggies on the side.

I'm taking to work some cabbage casserole from the freezer!

I meant to post this before I went to work but then I forgot :( Oh well, better late than never!

I did have a chocolate dip donut and a banana while at work. No picture!

Today's nosh....

2012-01-11T18:23:00.003-05:00

I did something today that I haven't done in a long time. Sleep in!! A lot!!

Ralph said my alarm went off and he said don't worry about it you have nothing scheduled for this morning so I turned it off rolled over and went back to sleep :) I slept for 12 hours!!!! Guess I must have needed it.

So I got up and ate breakfast and skipped lunch.

Breakfast: 2 gingerbread protein bars, grapefruit, kefir and light 1/2 & 1/2 for coffee (8 pts)

~~Lunch: omelet with cheese, ham and swiss chard, 1 tsp butter and low carb orange juice (7 pts)~~

Snack: Dried fruit (2 pts)

Dinner: cesear salad with light dressing and taco bake (9 pts)

Total points used = 26
water =8 cups so far
Exercise = 45 minute interval walk (4 activity points)

Not much snow here but there was quite a bit of ice on my walk :(

Question Day!

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

Would love to hear your answers :)

1. Do you take any fish oil supplements??

2. Broccoli or cauliflower? What's your favourite way to eat them??

3. Can you touch your toes?

4. What are/did you eat for lunch today??

5. What is the one thing are you focused on this week for your health?

A visit with my dentist!

2012-01-10T17:40:00.000-05:00

Today's word is HOPE. Starting with I hope I have no cavities :)

Believe it or not for the first time in my life I don't hate my dentist! She's such a sweetie pie and it doesn't hurt that I haven't had a cavity in 4 years :) Update no cavities which makes 5 years with none.

Managed to take a long walk to the Dentist and then took the long way round home. Got in 42 minutes of walking. I'm loving using the GPS on my phone which tells me how many mph and how far I've walked.

Before I went to the Dentist I had my breakfast. Egg and bacon with a slice of squirrelly bread topped with chia berry jam. Also had my daily kefir and coffee. (9 points)

After the Dentist since my mouth was not frozen I ate lunch :) Weight Watchers Italian Wedding soup with lots of added swiss chard. I had some 'blueberry pudding' made out of frozen blueberries, 1/2 a banana and 1/2 an avocado! Very tasty. (9 points)

Then came the fun stuff. Cleaning, doing dishes and rolling out my achy muscles.

For dinner we had Blue Menu Cheddar Smokies with baked beans and broccoli. (7 points)

I was tagged by Sugar! Fun, fun. I hope to get that post up soon. Thanks Sugar.

I almost forgot to do my plank today and Tuesdays is weight workout day so I did pick up the weights and did a few exercises.
Bicep curl
rows
kick backs
across body hammer curls
shoulder press and chest press

A great exercise day for me and a great eating day.

Total weight watcher points: 26 points
Water: 9 cups so far
Exercise: 45 minute walk, plank, weights (5 activity points)

Now I'm off to watch a movie with the hubster and enjoy a coffee mixed with warmed Vitasoy Mint Chocolate tastes just like a mint mocha. (1 point) Hope your having a great evening too.

Yesterday was a blur...

2012-01-09T17:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was up before the sun, went to work. After work went grocery shopping, came home and went to bed :)

Oh well today is a new day!

Today's word is BELIEVE. I believe today is going to be a great day.

This morning I made oats with a banana, egg white, cocoa and some salted caramel sauce. Kefir and 2 Tbsp of Light 1/2 & 1/2 (5 pts)

Then I did my daily plank for my challenge this week. Glad that's over!!

Today I have a couple of meetings to go to and then I need to drop off a couple of things for Jen. I took along some veggies, clementines, cheese and yogurt with honey and granola. (9 points)

I also got some exercise in, I met up with my walking group and managed to get 82 minutes of walking in. Which earned me 7 activity points.

Dinner was a beef and broccoli, 1/4c jasmine rice stir fry with a glass of wine on the side.

Total weight watcher points=26
Water=80 oz
Exercise= 82 minutes (7 activity points)

It happens!

2012-01-07T12:40:00.002-05:00

Set my alarm to get up a little earlier. Put together some Greek yogurt, blueberries and granola and then ate it :) Forgot to take a picture and was probably still half asleep!!

Before breakfast I chugged some water and did my challenge for this week a plank. So far no problem. But I have this feeling after a day or two I'm going to start growling when I'm doing them :)

For lunch I made some roasted broccoli, baked sweet potato chips, a glass of low carb oj with some whey protein.

I took some cabbage roll casserole to work and my treat for today will be a skinny mocha latte no whip or drizzle :) Live wild! (It's still frozen in the pic)

Nothing exciting going on today besides going to work. Hope your having a great day.

Weekly update

2012-01-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Well it's Friday again and time for my weekly update.

Last weeks challenge was to not eat after dinner. How did I do?? Well I didn't eat after dinner 5 days and on the other days I ate a couple of clementines. All in all a pretty good week.

Gain or loss this week:-1.6

Exercise:
Friday- 45 minute walk and a 20 minute weight workout
Saturday-rest day
Sunday-yoga
Monday-45 minute walk
Tuesday-Weights plus a 70 minute fast walk
Wednesday-15 minutes of stretching plus squats etc
Thursday-none

1. Workout at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes or 150 minutes? I worked out 5 days this week for 233 minutes
2. Journal daily? Yes I did
3. Blog daily? Yes
4. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day?? I drank 8 cups or more for 6 days and 6 cups of water once
5. Not eat after dinner? 5 days I didn't eat after dinner

How would I describe this passed week?? All in all a good week

This weeks challenges will be #1-4 plus a plank a day!!

Back to work

2012-01-05T12:47:00.002-05:00

Today is Monday for me which means back to work :) yes I'm one of those people that work every weekend.

I'm hoping I'm wrong but I think I'm coming down with whatever the husbands got! Cough and a bit of a sore throat. Which will probably mean another bout of bronchitis for me :( Well I'll deal with that when it comes or doesn't come!!

This morning I made a pumpkin/cranberry protein pancake with sf syrup! I still love my pumpkin.

My right ankle has been a little tender since that long very cold walk I had this week, so I made an executive decision to give it a rest today since I'll be standing on it for 8 hours at work. That and the fact that I slept in means less time before work to do anything :)

Lunch was some swiss chard, mushrooms and cheese. Blueberries on the side. Now that's what I call a power lunch. Lynn's weekly challenge is to eat superfoods and this counts as one of this weeks!

For work I'm taking a protein drink, mini clementines and a homemade protein gingerbread bar. I've also planned to have a mocha latte no whip fat free. Yummo

Tomorrow is my weekly update.

My nosh

2012-01-04T18:15:00.001-05:00

For exercise today I did some stretching, squats and planks and I was good with that :)

Breakfast: Mini egg quiches with egg substitute, bacon, light cheese, swiss chard, broccoli and low carb orange juice on the side. Kefir and coffee of course!

Lunch:(taken with me to meetings) ~~veggies, home made gingerbread cliff bar, blueberries and cheese~~
I forgot to take it with me :( So I dropped by to see Jen and had a wonderful soup and some raw veggie juice!

When I got there I found out poor Jen is home sick! Really sick. Hope you feel better soon kiddo.

We had baked spicy tilapia, baked fries, carrots and tahini dressing.

Now I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day because it's back to work tomorrow.

Question Day!

2012-01-04T05:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year and here's the first 2012 Question Day :)

1. When you find a recipe that has ingredients you've never heard of are you will to try making it??

2. How is your New Year starting?

3. Have you made a weekly plan for exercise??

4. What did you have for breakfast today?

5. What is the one healthy thing your focusing on this week??

Time to pick up the weights!

2012-01-03T17:15:00.001-05:00

I've made Tuesdays my weights and stretching day. Knowing what I need to do on a specific day has made it a lot easier to stick to plan.

So before I did anything I picked up the weights. If I'd known what was going to happen later I might have save my energy :)

This morning I made some oats with an egg white, banana, slivered almonds and honey. Kefir and coffee on the side.

For lunch I took some sardines and mixed it with some low fat cream cheese, lime juice and hot sauce :) I put it on some Ace crisps, veggies on the side and some low carb oj with whey protein! Me superwoman!!

I needed to go to the mall to look at some rugs for the living room. Our carpet is old and we rent so they don't want to replace it. So I'm going with the next best thing a rug to cover it :) Hopefully it won't cost a small fortune.

We were also looking for a new chair. I think found one he liked :)

While we were out we also stopped at The Bulk Barn my favourite place to pick up baking supplies or unusual products I can't find in the grocery store.

Unfortunately after all the shopping we missed the bus and didn't want to wait around in -21 celsius/-7.6F with the wind chill!!! So we walked and walked for 70 minutes. I swear for a while there I was a popsicle.

Thank goodness I'd put some chilli in the slow cooker before I left. And yes Patrick that's green onions :)

The only bad thing that's happened is that last night I had a nasty episode with my IBS. That truly sucks because I haven't had to deal with that for years. Hopefully it's settled down now and won't give me any more grief.

I am just a walking fool :)

2012-01-02T17:42:00.001-05:00

Today is normally the day to meet up with my walking group. However, I wasn't sure if the rec centre was open and I know the people who organize it weren't going to be there. What to do??

I needed to go to the bank and pick up a few groceries. I figured the easiest way to get a good walk in was to just get off of the bus super early and walk home :) So that's what my exercise was for today. Forgot my camera today so they are from my phone!

While I was out I stopped at Starbucks and went to buy this mug and a coffee. When I went to pay their till was not working as it should so I ended up paying $4 for both :)

Went into a store to pick up hot sauce! (yes Patrick you'd be proud of me) and look what else I saw!! And no I didn't try any :) This picture is less than a quarter of the size of their display.

Breakfast: Egg substitute scrambled, spicy havarti cheese, low carb oj, whole wheat english muffin with chia berry jam try this you'll love it!

Lunch: veggies, gingerbread cliff bar and greek yogurt with bluberries

Dinner: Chicken strips with flaxseed, veggies, tahini dressing and a glass of wine (ok I added some spinach and 3 mini clementines)

A new year!

2012-01-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

I started the new year in the same way I hope to be at the end of the year. Good food, exercise, drinking lots of water and less stressed.

For breakfast this morning I made protein banana waffles with peanut butter, a touch of sugar free caramel and sf syrup.(This was seriously one of the best waffles I've made) Kefir and 2T light 1/2&1/2 for my coffees.

After letting that digest for a while I did some yoga! One of the things I've planned for my weekly workouts.
O.k all I have to say is that I'm glad no one else saw it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel sore tomorrow.

Lunch was the last of the shepherds pie, I'll eat that for leftovers any day :)

I'm taking a protein drink, veggies and some mango to work.

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

New Years Eve!

2011-12-31T19:19:00.000-05:00

Well today I'm back to work 12-7! And no I won't be touching any donuts even though we're free to take any when we close tonight. (sorry I don't mean to tempt anyone else)

Decided to take this day as my rest day from exercise. It's going to be crazy busy at work and lots of cleaning before I go home :)

Started today by sleeping in. That's what happens when I haven't worked for a while. When I finally got up I made myself some lemon poppyseed oats topped with lemon curd! Kefir and coffee were definitely on the menu as well :)

I'm taking to work a protein drink and a home made gingerbread cliff bar! Not much time to eat at work today.

After work I came home and re-heated the shepherd's pie I made yesterday and we're ringing in the New Year with a glass of wine.

I did drink all my water.

I'm not doing a best of 2011 post since I had so many physical setbacks in the last year. I really do want to forget about it! I choose to believe that 2012 will be a better year :)

Weekly update

2011-12-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

I've decided to make Friday's my weigh in days so on Fridays I'll post how the week went. The good the bad and the ugly :)

Since this was the week of Christmas I'm very happy with how it went.

Gain or loss this week: -2.6lbs
Exercise: 5 days
Friday- none
Saturday-walk 45 minutes
Sunday- Bike ride- 40 minutes
Monday-30 minute walk
Tuesday-none
Wednesday-40 minute interval walking
Thursday-70 minute walk

1. Workout at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes or 150 minutes? Yes I worked out 5 days and exercised for 225 minutes :)
2. Journal daily? yes I kept track with online WW's
3. Blog daily? I thought I did but when I checked I think I missed Tuesday!! Oh well
4. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day?? I aced this one

How would I describe this passed week?? While there was some room for improvement I was really pleased with this week. I'm pushing myself to do more exercise wise and it's really feeling good (well except for the sore butt)

What are my goals for the coming week?
I will do the 4 goals that I set for this week plus I'm going to put a new one in: Not eating after dinner!

How about you, do you set daily/weekly/monthly goals??

O.k now back to today :) Today is my day to do weights. I figured out a routine last night so I'd have no excuses not to pick up the weights. Here's what I did:

Bicep curls
cross body hammer curls
plie squat with tricep extension
shoulder press
chest press
stretching

And then I went for a walk! I'd only planned to do weights but the weather was great and my Garmin was calling so off I went on a 45 minute interval walk and I worked HARD!! Actually it works out well because I'm supposed to do an interval walk tomorrow but I'm back to work and start early so it would have been hard to get it in.

Today's nosh:
Breakfast:chocolate peanut milkshake: 1/2c 1% cottage cheese, 1 scoop vanilla protein (I only have vanilla) 2Tbsp cocoa, 10g peanut flour(I didn't put ice in because Ralph is sick in bed and I didn't want to wake him crushing ice it would have made more if I'd added it) Kefir and light 1/2&1/2 for coffee 2Tbsp

Lunch: Whole wheat english muffin, cheese slice, tomato, lettuce, egg and a glass of low carb oj on the side.

Snack: Eggnoggin' tea latte and a home made gingerbread cliff bar these are absolutely delicious !!

Dinner: Leftover split pea soup and stewed rhubarb no sugar (doesn't look like much but it was mighty tasty)

Back to work tomorrow :( I've loved being home and hanging out with my favourite guy!!

Today more walking!

2011-12-28T18:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was interval walking so today I walked more for distance. Fun stuff! I actually managed to walk 4 miles today which was hard work on the snow and ice. I loved every minute of it!

I also did a lot of stretching after because my muscles are feeling really tight :(

This morning breakfast was an omelet with cheese and spinach, a banana and a glass of low sugar oj. I also had my kefir and a coffee :)

Lunch: 2 more Pc Blue menu chicken strips with flaxseed these are so good if your in Canada try them, veggies and mango

Dinner: Cabbage roll casserole and a glass of wine

Tomorrow is my weekly check in day :)

My nosh!

2011-12-28T17:24:00.001-05:00

Here's today's nosh:

Breakfast: Protein pancake with blueberries and sf syrup, 2 Tbsp Liberte raspberry kefir and light 1/2 & 1/2 for coffee

Lunch: ~~veggies, cheese, sweet potato chips, clementines~~ somehow I forgot about lunch until just before dinner :( (Don`t worry I very rarely forget to eat)

Dinner: Pc Blue Menu chicken strips, baked fries, low carb ketchup, spinach and 1 tsp butter. Hot sauce on the side :)

I woke up to snow and lots of ice!! Thank goodness for my Yak Trax :) Managed to get 40 minutes of interval walking in today.

Question Day!

2011-12-28T05:30:00.000-05:00

For new readers once a week I post a few questions. Feel free to answer and please stick around and read others answers! It has been a bit quiet over the holidays so I'm hoping it will get busier again here on Question day :)

Now for this weeks questions:

1. How did your Christmas go? Did you get what you wished for??
2. Are you still/back on your healthy eating/exercising plan?
3. What was the best thing you ate over the holiday? (the picture above was one of my favourites, eggnog protein waffles)
4. What was the worst thing you ate over the holiday??
5. Are you planning on making New Years resolutions?

Have fun with these! I'll be back to post my answers later.

Fun, fun, fun....

2011-12-26T21:41:00.001-05:00

This morning I made an eggnog latte with my brekkie :) Definitely going to make that again!!

I also had some eggs and kale on the side.

We were invited over to my daughter Jen and Martins house for brunch today! I love going over there because they are such foodies and it's always fun to watch them in the kitchen. Martin is French Canadian and boy oh boy can he cook :)

Which is why we had a nice walk there and back. It was snowing but at least it wasn't too bad to walk.

Today he and his side kick (Jen) made crepes. He was taught how to make them at the age of 5 amazing!!
They made crepes with maple apple filling, some fruit salad on the side and bacon. Their gorgeous cat Allie was supervising :) It was perfect. I enjoyed every bite. Thanks guys

I also got some great tips for using a cast iron pan. I think I'm going to invest in one.

Now I'm going to put my feet up and enjoy a beer and a movie!

It's Boxing Day in Canada :)

2011-12-26T18:17:00.002-05:00

Just to keep myself accountable. After dinner last night I did pick up a couple of clementines and some cheese. I didn't go crazy it was just a snack.

Although it's boxing day here I don't go out shopping because it's crazy out there! So for me it's just another regular day.

This morning started like any morning with a bottle of water, a coffee and some brekkie. Breakfast this morning was some egg nog protein waffles with some blackberries and sugar free syrup. Oh my it was good. I also took my 2T of kefir.

In case you wonder why I take it here's what they say about it. (I take 2 tbsp a day)
As with most other probiotic products, a dose of kefir is recommended daily for its full benefits to take effect. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by its effervescence. Liberté Kefir contains 20 different kinds of bacteria and yeast. A single tablespoon (15 ml) a day yields 5 billion beneficial bacteria.

Lunch was a quick and easy one. Veggies, cheese, 2 clementines. (I forgot to take a pic)

Breakfast for dinner tonight. One of my favourite dinners. 2 eggs, 3 slices of pre-cooked bacon, a hashbrown, English muffin with home made lemon curd !

A quiet Christmas Day

2011-12-25T15:31:00.001-05:00

A quiet Christmas day.

Started today with some fruit salad and a coffee. I'm eating more calories at dinner so breakfast and lunch were light.

Lunch was some cheese and veggies and grapes

Dinner was roasted turkey breast, stuffing made with no butter, kale salad, home made cranberry sauce (no sugar) and 2 glasses of wine.

For exercise today we were going to go visit one of Ralph's sisters but they were going to Niagara falls to see the lights and we just didn't want to do that. Her husband has alzheimers and it's very hard to be in a car for that long with so much arguing going on. Especially on Christmas Day!

We still went on a bike ride and for me it was the first time since my hand surgery so yep going on a bike which you haven't ridden for 1 1/2 years is HARD :) And yes I had to stop and walk a couple of times. That's o.k one of my goals this year will be to consistently bike and go for nice rides with Ralph.

Hope you had a great Christmas also!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

I just want to say thank you to everyone who comments or reads my blog! I love the feedback and the support you give me.

Another great recipe!

2011-12-24T16:18:00.001-05:00

I finally got the problem I was having with Weight Watchers fixed! I just wanted to be able to use their online plan because it has recipes I've used before and it's a nice site to use. Now the only problem is that my Android phone can't use the mobile ww's app :(

I'm trying to make drinking water a habit again. One way I've found that works is that I have a bottle of water before my first coffee and before breakfast! Believe you me I want my coffee and breakfast so I down that first bottle pretty fast :)

Breakfast today was some orange juice with whey protein, egg substitute scrambled with kale, 2T of kefir and 2T light 1/2 & 1/2 for my coffees.

I went on another walk today but it was definitely colder than the last walk.

This is how Snuffy spends his time, spoilt or what??

For lunch I made some roasted squash with some honey, 2 clementines !! Very orange and very tasty

Then I cleaned like crazy while sipping a green tea! Thank goodness that's done.

Last night we tried this cabbage roll casserole recipe that I found on Kalyn's Kitchen. Although it took a while to put together it made a lot!! And it was a definite hit in our house. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to use shredded cabbage they sell for making coleslaw. A time saver for sure.

Dinner tonight was some warmed up stuffed pepper soup, a request from the hubby. Same picture from last night :) Yep I'm totally cheating!!

I hope all my readers have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Staying strong and a recipe

2011-12-23T18:30:00.000-05:00

Today started the way I want everyday to start feeling strong and drinking water :)

Breakfast was bacon and eggs, a slice of toast with butter and a side of grapefruit!

For lunch I decided to have some veggies, cheese, clementines and some sweet potato chips.

Dinner was cabbage roll casserole with a ~~light beer~~ glass of wine :)

Here's the stuffed red pepper soup recipe that I found here by the way Gina has some fantastic recipes be sure to check out some of her other recipes for some great ideas! She kindly allowed me to share her recipe. The photo is from last nights dinner. Did I mention hubby had seconds?? It was really good.

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1/2 cup rice • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 261.2 • Fat: 4.8 g • Carb: 37.5 g • Fiber: 4.7 g • Protein: 17.6 g • Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 606.3 g (without salt)

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 lb 95% lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt.Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic.Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.

Makes about 8 cups.

Now I'm off to put my feet up and enjoy my fake fireplace and of course Snuffy and Ralph :)

So how are things going??

2011-12-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

I can answer that question by telling you about my day today!

First I started by drinking 2 cups of water and used my new water bottle.

Then I made a protein smoothie made with almond breeze, protein, banana and maca, 2T of Liberte kefir (it really helps the tummy). I used my new measuring spoons, sounds funny but they motivate me to measure more.

I'm loving my Keurig. Today's pick is Green Mountain gingerbread with a shot of warm Vitasoy mint chocolate! Yes a peppermint mocha it was.

O.k now I was ready for action!! Well at least for a 45 minute walk.

Even my nails are in the Christmas spirit :) (sorry abut the middle finger it's the injured one and I can't bend it)

Lunch: I had an English muffin with egg substitute, bacon, a cheese slice and some oj

Dinner: Stuffed pepper soup, clementines and a glass of wine (I'll post the recipe tomorrow, not for the wine but the soup)

I also drank 2 green teas today.

I give myself an A+ for today :)

How was your day??

Question Day!

2011-12-21T05:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas Edition of Question day :)

1. Do you like turkey?? Besides roast turkey what other ways do you like to eat it?

2. Egg nog/peppermint mocha/rum/hot toddy :) What's your favourite Christmas beverage? Recipe, please!!

3. What is your favourite/unusual Christmas time tradition??

4. Do you eat a special Christmas breakfast?

5. Do you usually have turkey, duck, roast or ham for Christmas dinner?? Or maybe Tofurkey??

It's time for change!

2011-12-20T05:30:00.000-05:00

Looking back over the last year I do see some improvements but I also see where I have made no improvements in fact I have gradually slid back in some bad habits. Dealing with my physical problems pretty much all year didn't help but that is no excuse.

Enough is enough. It's time for some changes and improvements. I'm not talking New Years resolutions because I don't know about you but for me they never work. What I am talking about is setting some goals and achieving them. Some may be daily, weekly or even monthly.

I am not perfect, such is life. But I am willing to do the hard work to achieve them, and achieve them I will.

I will exercise a minimum 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.
I have joined weight watchers although I may tweak how I "use" my points it's worked for me before and I can do it again!
I will blog daily.
I will drink at least 8 cups of water a day
I will treat myself with the same respect I give to others
I will be a runner within the next year (albeit a slow one)
I will give myself daily/weekly/monthly challenges throughout the year
I will tweak my plan when needed. I'm not perfect :)

I'd love you to follow along on my journey and give me a swift kick when I need it, but also give support to help me stay strong.

What are your plans for the next year?

Thanks to google for the images used in this post!

Busy and tired :)

2011-12-17T11:05:00.001-05:00

Life is very busy this week! Work is crazy. The stress at work is nuts.

Eating is so/so and does have a lot of room for improvement. It will get better.

I have to admit that I haven't been working out except for crazy running around on my feet 8 hours a day at work and truthfully I just don't have any more energy for more than that right now.

I am totally in awe of fellow bloggers that are able to stay on a healthy plan at this time of year. I am capable of it but I'm not doing it right now.

Just want to say thanks to everyone who stopped by with a comment on my last post!! I'm so glad you're all still here.

I do have a plan. It will be started before Christmas day! And I will definitely be blogging about it. Stay tuned this blog is going to be quite exciting :)

Is there anybody out there??

2011-12-15T13:02:00.003-05:00

Blogland seems to be very quiet lately or is it just me?? Everyone's probably just getting ready for Christmas!

Tonight's shift at work is the first of 6 shifts. It's also our Christmas party tonight so instead of going they're going to send us pizza. I'll take it home at least Ralph will enjoy it :)

I started today with ham and egg tortilla breakfast rolls with some cherry tomatoes on the side. That and a strong cup o' java started my day on the right foot. (guess I wasn't awake because I forgot to put the cheese in, no fear I just ate it after :)

For lunch I threw together some roasted green beans and fish sticks! Yep an old comfort food.

Instead of pizza I'm going to have a protein shake and a no whip mocha latte. That's right I spoil myself some days :) Not the best eating today but certainly not the worst!!

Now I'm off to drink some water before getting ready for work. Hope you have a great day and that your holidays begin soon!

Question Day!

2011-12-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

1. What non scale victories have you had??

2. Do you buy organic foods? Which ones do you make sure are organic??

3. How often do you go to the grocery store? Do you manage to stay within your budget or are you like me and pop in there several times??

4. Have you been to any Christmas parties yet?? How did you handle it? Did you manage to stay on plan??

5. What is the weather like where you are today??

Today I'm staying home

2011-12-11T23:58:00.003-05:00

Well almost staying home all day :)

Breakfast was some oats, berries and an egg white added for some protein. Coffee on the side was a necessity today!

Then I had some government forms to fill out which I totally hate doing.

I caught up with some blog reading and then decided I'd better get my butt outside on a walk while the sun was still shining because I have a feeling I could have ended spending the entire day on the couch.

Went on my walk but forgot my camera!

Of course once I got home I had to have lunch. Veggies, cheese, crisps and clementines.

I decided to try a chocolate macaroon recipe for the dehydrator that my daughter gave me. Mmmmm my house smells amazing.

Dinner tonight is going to be bbq'd pulled pork on a bun with veggies on the side.

Hope your day is going well!

So busy!

2011-12-11T15:31:00.001-05:00

Very busy at work today and on top of that we had a surprise inspection!

Today started before the birds woke up :) I made myself a banana pancake with sf syrup, which means I didn't need to buy a breakfast sandwich at work.

I took a protein drink, veggies and a clementine to work.

Now I'm home and totally exhausted so I've got my feet up and a bottle of water next to me while I catch up on blog reading :)

I've planned on pizza and a glass of wine tonight and it's totally within my points!

Day 11 of the Back to Basics challenge is almost done and definitely another great day.

So far so good!!

2011-12-10T10:07:00.001-05:00

There wasn't any candy left around yesterday so all is good in my no eating candy world :)

Day 10 of the Back to Basics challenge is going to be another strong one!!

I just had the best chocolate peanut butter protein smoothie/shake that I've ever tasted! Great breakfast starter if you don't have much time.

Chocolate peanut butter protein shake
1/2c low fat cottage cheese (I know but I promise you won't taste it)
1 scoop protein powder (mine was vanilla)
sweetener or your choice of sweetener
1/3 tsp guar gum (just makes it really thick)
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 Tbsp peanut flour (you could use peanut butter but I wanted to keep the calories down)
1/3c water
ice if you like (I didn't use)

I blended it all in my bullet.

For lunch I had breakfast :) scrambled eggs with cheese, prosciutto cotto, whole wheat english muffin with sf jam

I had to take a hot chocolate from my Keurig to work! Shhhh... don't tell anyone (I work in a coffee shop) Also took a protein drink, veggies and some almonds.

How is your day going??

I don't think this is going to be easy!

2011-12-09T08:51:00.001-05:00

Every year at work customers drop of the boxes of candy and home made goodies! It started yesterday with a box of chocolates sitting under my nose on my breaks. I'm not planning on having any since moderation is not my middle name, but it isn't going to be easy. It's not bad enough that I work with fresh baked goodies all day now they're staring me down on my break!!

This morning I had one of my favourite brekkies eggs and bacon :) Turkey bacon this time because that's all I had left. Hit the spot before I made my way to the mall to get a Keurig coffee machine. And some holiday flavoured coffee pods. Now my days are going to start off with a bang and a smile.

Before I got to try it I had to run to the grocery store since I'm out of pretty much everything. For speed a I had an Amy's burrito for lunch along with a cup o' joe.

Now I'm racing to get ready for work and since it's Friday it's going to be a long night. I see a glass of wine in my future after work.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend and the crowds are not too big!

No walking today

2011-12-08T10:20:00.001-05:00

It's getting so busy at work and I'm on my feet for 8 hours that I decided to not walk today! I still need to get a bit of cleaning done so I'm doing that instead.

But first I started this morning with an egg nog waffle (just subbed vitasoy holly nog for the milk). Delish!!

Lunch was some eggs, roasted tomato with melted Irish Dubliner cheese and a whole wheat english muffin with sugar free jam.

Food for work needs to be quick and easy :) Protein shake, almonds and raisins.

Day 8 of the Back to Basics challenge is still going strong. Did I mention that I lost 7.6 lbs this week??? YES I've got my mojo back!!

Hope your having a great day

I'm becoming a walking fool :)

2011-12-07T21:09:00.000-05:00

I had a blast at the Christmas party last night!

I asked where I could help and was immediately put on the 50/50 draw table. It was good to stay busy because on the regular table were bowls of candy! I'm proud to say I didn't touch one.

I also helped to serve dinner. It was definitely a busy night.

By the time I sat down to eat I chose some turkey, some stuffing, green beans, a very small amount of gravy and a small bun. It hit the spot without making me feel bloated. When Ralph went up to get some cake I had him pick up a couple of chunks of cantaloupe. Great meal and no guilt!!

Usually I have pictures but I was so busy I didn't get a chance :(

I do have to admit that after the walk yesterday morning and then helping at the party I was glad to finally get home and sit down with my feet up :)

Today I went on a 45 minute walk and now I'm cleaning. Well after eating that is!

Question day!

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love to hear your answers so please join us!

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie??

2. Do you like cranberry sauce?

3. What was your favourite meal this week?

4. What are you doing just for you this week??

My answers:

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie??-o.k I'm weird I love the home alone and die hard movies :)

2. Do you like cranberry sauce? Like?? I love cranberry sauce as long as it's home made

3. What was your favourite meal this week? I think it was pot roast, roast broccoli, carrots and baked fries

4. What are you doing just for you this week?? I'm walking, drinking my water, taking my meds when I should and relaxing

Christmas party and lots of fun!

2011-12-05T23:08:00.001-05:00

I woke up looked out the window and snow was everywhere! Which means a walk :)

Today started with some egg mini quiche/muffins a grapefruit and a coffee :)

For lunch I decided to have some roasted green beans and a protein smoothie with almond breeze, soy protein and a banana. I've got to say that I get a lot of use from my bullet(mini blender) I've had it for years and the blades are not the sharpest but when it finally dies I'm buying another one. Anyone have that Ninja blender what do you think of it?

Then it was time to pack all my cranberry sauce and go to the party :) I love this annual Christmas party because I volunteer all year and this is great fun for everyone.

I'll post pictures from the party when I get home!

I walked and then I danced!

2011-12-05T17:53:00.001-05:00

I started today with some good old fashioned eggs and bacon :)

When I was helping to stuff envelopes last week we didn't get finished so today I went back. I took some veggies, cheese and a banana to eat. I was going to take an orange but when I peeled it, it was black inside :(

After that I dropped by to see Jen but she wasn't at work yet so I went to Starbucks instead! I had a sf ff cappacino that hit the spot. The only funny thing was when they asked my name she asked if it was spelt with a z and I said yes then she put her own name on it by mistake :) Really nice staff there which is probably why I keep going back.

What is the cat or the squirrel thinking?

After Starbucks I walked just over a mile to meet up with my walking group buddies. I didn't push myself because my foot was aching but I did get 3.5 miles in. I was happy with that, especially since I was going to be standing on my feet (actually dancing) making cranberry sauce when I got home. Did I mention it's been pouring rain here today??

Finally sat down and had a small piece of pepperoni pizza, a salad and a glass of wine.

Day 5 of the Back to Basic challenge is pretty much done and over and I'm very happy with my choices.

Tomorrow is the yearly Christmas Party for the agency that I volunteer with and I'll definitely be exhausted when it's all over and done with.

I love Sundays

2011-12-03T22:42:00.001-05:00

I do love Sundays! Why? Because although I work 2-10 Saturday night and then I go back to work 8-2 Sunday morning which can be exhausting, but then I'm off at 2 and my weekend starts :)

Before I went to work this morning I made sure to eat a good breakfast so that I wouldn't be so hungry that I'd grab bad for me munchies at work! I made a chocolate peanut butter protein pancake with sugar free syrup and coffee. It definitely hit the spot and tasted fantastic.

I took a protein drink to work to tide me over till dinner.

When I got home I started making the cranberry sauce! Umm yep I'm going to be cooking a lot more cranberries tomorrow :)

Since I've got the next 3 days off I painted my nails red and put some new tunes on my mp3.

Now I've got my feet up, a glass of wine and I'm watching Ice Age A Mammoth Christmas special.

Hopefully I'll have more pictures for the blog this week.

Oh and yes I'm still journaling my food, drinking my water and feeling great! Hope your having a great night.

Day 3 (couldn't think of a title today)

2011-12-02T23:00:00.001-05:00

So far I'm loving the back to basics challenge I'm in! I've been doing great eating wise and I'm getting lots of water in.

This morning started with some oats, which I love! Add raisins, some vitasoy holly nog and bada bing perfection :)

I've enjoyed putting together this and that for food this week. Enjoying my food but not obsessing. I'm less stressed and feel very calm.

I'm hoping to get a lot of walking in this week. With work being so busy I haven't been going out on my walks as much because my foot still aches after my shift. But when I'm not working I'm going to be out walking.

On Sunday or Monday I need to cook up 22 bags of cranberries into cranberry sauce!! I do this every year for the Christmas party of the agency I volunteer with. I also make some sugar free using sweetener and it's always a big hit as there are quite a few diabetics that go. My house is going to smell amazing. Then at the party I'm usually walking all over and I'm pretty sure I walk a few miles just helping out :)

Now I'm off to eat a salad and get ready for work! Hope your having a great weekend

Good choices

2011-12-02T09:47:00.001-05:00

When I got to work yesterday the first thing I saw was a big bowl of candy on the staff table. This is where I have my breaks!!

When I went out front to work all you could smell was gingerbread. The new donut and timbit is gingerbread!! And people were groaning while eating them because they taste so good.

Wow first day of work this week and that's what I'm up against. Well that and cranky people :)

The good news is that I didn't let any of it get to me. I didn't have one candy nor any gingerbread product. I also didn't kill any customers so I call that a good day!! So I stuck to my plan and drank my water.

I tried something new today baked squash with butter and honey, and chunks of smoked sausage on the side, yummo!

Today will be another great day :) How's your day going??

I'm not waiting until New Years Day!

2011-12-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

Colleen from Bee Fit threw out a challenge for anyone who needs to get back to basics and doesn't want to wait until January 1!! You pick out whatever you need to do for you. They are still asking people to join so if you want to go right over to Colleen's blog and let her know.

This is exactly what I need to do. Get back to what I know I need to do. Drinking my water, working out, planning my food ahead of time so that all I need to do for work it grab and go.

So this morning I have my journal in hand. Today's food has already been planned and tomorrow's as well.
I've chosen to give myself a break from taking pic's of my food. Not saying I won't take any pictures but instead I want to focus on other things I need to do.

Hope your having a good day!

Question day!

2011-11-30T12:03:00.001-05:00

Welcome to question day, can't wait to read your answers!

1. What is your favourite cold weather soup??

2. What is your favourite holiday drink? Do you like eggnog?

3. What are you doing today to get you closer to your goal??

4. Do you dread going to parties or look forward to them?

5. Do you sometimes just take a day or two off from healthy living?

My answers:

1. split pea and ham
2. I love the holiday teas. Candy cane lane, Eggnogg'n etc
3. Drinking more water I've been slacking on that this week
4. Probably a mixture of both
5. I do and I wish I didn't

stuffing envelopes and shopping!

2011-11-28T19:34:00.001-05:00

I started today with a whole wheat english muffin topped with light cream cheese and roasted tomatoes. I had a low sugar glass of oj on the side. Of course I also had a cup of coffee!

Then I was off to get a new bus pass for December. No car means I use the bus all the time :) After I got the bus pass I went to do some volunteer envelope stuffing.

I took along some veggies, berries and a protein drink! Thankfully it kept me full until I got home because as soon as I got home I was off on a bus to the mall. I wanted to find a phone cover and we had some movies to pick up. Update: no phone cover found but we did get some movies.

Definitely got a lot of walking in today. I walked for at least an hour.

Dinner tonight was a ~~light smoked sausage, baked fries, baked beans and green beans.~~ That is what I was going to have however we decided to eat at the mall! After a lot of thinking I decided to have a falafel salad plate with no dressing and a bottle of water. No picture since I forgot to take my camera.

How was your day??

It's Monday!

2011-11-28T10:07:00.001-05:00

Yes the breaking news is that it's Monday :)

Actually I love Monday's because that's the beginning of my weekend! Also means I get to go to my walking group. Not many doing it right now but wait till the bad weather and there's usually lots of people walking on the indoor track.

This morning I went to make a banana breakfast bake, unfortunately I had no bananas so I subbed some unsweetened apple sauce and it still came out pretty good. Of course the coffee I had with it helped to make me smile!

Before I met my walking group I stopped by to say hi to Jen at work who then hijacked me into going for a tea at Starbucks and since we hardly ever get out together I was more than happy to go :) I still got at least 30 minutes of walking in today.

I did pick up a veggie juice while I was at Thrive juice bar and I even asked for extra beets in it! I also took along some Irish Dubliner cheese for snacking on the bus.

Finally home only to find out Ralph biked all the way to the rec centre, walked for an hour then biked home. Some days just work out that way.

Dinner was a precooked turkey roast, broccoli, carrots with a touch of gravy and home made cranberry sauce no sugar.

Now I'm off to try a new Innis & Gunn winter beer 2011 and throw a movie on.

I am not missing :)

2011-11-26T11:40:00.001-05:00

I promise I'm not missing!

But I am absolutely crazy at work and it just gets crazier until after Christmas.

I also finally went out and got a new phone. I ended up getting an Android which is awesome yet totally frustrating to try and figure how to use it. I won't tell you how long it took me to figure how to make a call never mind to text or get online :)

I just finished putting all my contacts on the phone and now my fingers are aching!

I will try to get a regular post up either Sunday or Monday.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and are having an awesome weekend

My weekend's over!

2011-11-24T09:47:00.001-05:00

It's back to work today! Yep, this is my Monday.

I think I'm slowly learning that getting healthy, getting fit does not have to be all or nothing! If you are a new reader you may not realize that I've had some bad luck for the past year with staying healthy.

First I sprained my ankle, which wouldn't be too bad if my job didn't involve standing on my feet 8 hours a day :( So when I overdo things a bit it acts up. This week has been a great week but yesterday the food was aching a bit. So I've made the decision not to do my walking until Sunday which is my last day of work this week. When I'm not working I can walk like a mad man but I just have to be smart!

Second I had a bad accident with one of my fingers. I severed 2 tendons, an artery and a nerve. For that I spent 7 weeks in a splint at the same time going for therapy 2 times a week and I still worked.

Third about the time I was finally getting the splint off I came down with infected sinus' and bronchittis! I'm finished the antibiotics, the nasal spray and the inhaler but I still have a bit of the junk in my chest! I'm going to see how I am by next week and I may have to go back to the clinic :(

Every time something happens I stop doing what I know I need to do for my health. Well no more. Yes I'm not going to walk for a couple of days but I am going to do my weights and my core workouts. And I'm still going to eat healthy and drink my water. I'm still going to blog about my food because that helps to keep me on track. I'm not going anywhere :)

Today I started with a pumpkin muffin and a pumpkin pie smoothie.

After breakfast I did a core workout. Planks, bridges, crunches etc. Ouch!!

Lunch while not the healthiest fit into my plan and was an old comfort food. Fish sticks, fries and brussels sprouts.

Now I'm off to get ready for work. I'm going to have some chicken noodle soup at work and a whole wheat bun!

Hope you have a great day. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:30:00.000-05:00

To all my American friends Happy Thanksgiving

Making do with what I have!

2011-11-23T17:08:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to use up things in my fridge/cupboards/freezer! Still eating pretty healthy but at least I'll have room for things when I go grocery shopping on Friday :)

Today started with some Greek yogurt topped with a pumpkin muffin, some home made blueberry jam and some almonds.

Mid morning I was craving something....an skinny eggnogg'n tea latte :) Oh my!

Lunch was an egg McSuzi with some avocado and a side of stewed rhubarb.

Then it was upstairs to do a weight workout. I swear I'm feeling every muscle every time I move.

I was going to go on another walk today because it was nice and sunny but the foot was aching a bit so instead I went to the mall and did some looking around for Christmas shopping :)

Dinner was 2 La tortillas low carb with smoked mackerel, lettuce, roasted tomatoes, hot peppers and a side of baby carrots with a habenero pepper glaze! Weird but oh so good.

Now I'm going to go chill for the rest of the night.

Question day!

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

1. Do you consider yourself a "foodie"?? If so what do you think that means?

2. Do use use butter??

3. Do you drink herbal teas?? What is your favourite?

4. Are you planning on exercising today?

5. Are you reading a book this week? Care to share??

Here are my answers because I admit I forget to answer some weeks :(

1. I am indeed a foodie! To me a foodie is someone who not only loves to eat food but loves to prep/cook/share food as well :)

2. Sometimes I use butter but not usually. I do have to say that I love an organic straight from the farm butter I get sometimes.

3. I do drink herbal teas. I really like a honey lemon one we have a work!

4. I plan on going for a walk plus doing some strength/weights.

5. Right now I'm reading Nicholas Sparks Safe Haven!

Can't wait to hear your answers

Two good days in a row!

2011-11-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

That's right I woke up again today with the attitude that today was going to be another great day! I felt so good last night after eating well, doing some weights and moving more that I just had to do it again today :)

Today started with protein pancakes with a warm berry sauce and a cup of chai tea latte on the side.

Okay I wasn't exactly smiling ear to ear when I climbed the stairs to my workout room(little sore from yesterday), but I did make my way up there to do some of these:

two hand roll downs
holding balance
easy ab crunches
bridge
knee planks
chest lifts

I love wearing these while I exercise as well as my cordless mp3!

When I came downstairs I found out the water was off! No coffee, no flushing toilet, nada, nothing!!!!!

It finally came back on and all I have to say it's good I finally got a coffee or lives may have been at risk :)

Lunch was some roasted red pepper dip, roasted tomatoes, peppers, avocado on small toasts(1 slice D'Italiano sliced thinly in half and cut 1/4's) with an orange on the side.

I also went on another walk but this time I did intervals! I really worked hard and I could feel the sweat after.

Look what was waiting for me when I got home. I'm having one right now! Thanks Anne

Hubs is craving pizza so that's exactly what we're having. Nothing fancy just pepperoni and cheese.

A glass of wine, a movie and I'm going to call it a great day :)

Back to the grind!

2011-11-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

I was very optimistic when I woke up this morning. I really wanted to eat well, exercise, get a walk in and have fun!! Even though I'm not feeling 100% I still did what I needed to do :)

I started with pumpkin/cranberry oats with an egg white stirred in for some protein. I also had a matcha green tea latte on the side. Yummo

I started my exercise today with 3 sets of these:

squats x 12
chest press x 12
bent over rows x 12
bicep curls with a twist x 12
tricep kickbacks with a twist x 12
shoulder shrugs x 12

Lunch was an omelet filled with peppers and onions with a cup of Bolthouse Green Goodness on the side. Forgot to show the green goodness but don't worry it looks like sludge but it taste fantastic :)

Second part of my exercise today was to go on a walk even though it was cold enough to freeze my toes!

Hang on little guys!!

Dinner tonight is going to be hamburgers and a movie!

Still alive (thank goodness)

2011-11-20T17:22:00.001-05:00

I've just finished my fourth day at work and the only things I actually managed to do was sleep/eat/work! Absolutely nothing else :(

I really need to get my old mojo back.

However, I'm not just going to sit back and wait for it, I'm going to do my best to do everything I need to get it back.

So I already have tomorrow's food planned, I have tomorrow's exercise planned and I'm going to have a fantastic day no matter what the weather :)

I'll be back to let you know how it goes.

I just lost a day!

2011-11-16T22:29:00.001-05:00

I got zero accomplished today!

I spent the day either sleeping or sitting on the toilet :( sorry about the tmi

Hoping tomorrow will be a lot better.

Question day

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have fun with these :) (This is one of my favourite photo's)

1. Do you try to eat a certain fat/carb/protein ratio? Do you try to eat less carbs?? Do you worry about what kinds of fat you eat??

2. Do you worry about how many fruits you eat or do you think of them as a great way to get some extra vitamin C etc ?

3. What have/are you doing to make you physically stronger this week??

4. Do you wear make up?

5. How is your week going?? Any new recipes? New ideas??

Can't wait to hear your answers!

Wonderful talent show!

2011-11-15T17:44:00.001-05:00

I had one of my favourite breakfasts today! Individual egg quiches. With bacon, Irish cheese, some
broccoli and grapefruit on the side.

I needed the energy because I had a talent show to go to :)

Once a year I help to plan the talent show, and what a wonderful show it was today! And the the baked goods were amazing, although I didn't have any. I took the fruit platter that was empty by the time I went home.

Look and the wonderful art!

We all had fun!

I managed to get home just as it started to rain!

2011-11-14T15:26:00.001-05:00

For some reason I didn't sleep well last night. I have to admit I love my sleep and when it isn't a quality sleep I really feel blah :(

Oh well I decided I was going to have a great day! I made the decision not to meet up with my walking group because me foot was very tender after finishing work this weekend and I didn't want to aggravate it. That means that I'll stick to squats, weights and some slow walking shorter distances.

Started the day with oatmeal with an egg white stirred in at the end, coconut butter, home made blueberry butter (no sugar) and slivered almonds.

Had a couple of meetings to go to so I packed some food to take with me. Pickled green beans, mushrooms and tomatoes. Some roasted red pepper dip with some Ace crisp bread and some grapes.

After the meetings I had a chance to pop into Starbucks to pick up some holiday coffee grounds! That always puts me into a great mood (or else the caffeine does).

It started to rain on my way home but I managed not to get wet! Good karma :)

Last month my daughter signed me up for a monthly box from Glymm. Today my first box came and I was very pleased with it. They give you some upscale beauty samples and some full sized ones :) They even added a small jar with a pink sweet label on it with jelly beans in it. Yes I had one.

Anne has convinced me I should be eating more fish so we had salmon for dinner tonight along with green beans and some curried lentils with rice.

Now I'm going to sit on the couch and relax for the rest of the night! I have a talent show I'm going to help organize tomorrow!!

It's so good to sit on my butt and rest for a change!

2011-11-13T16:26:00.001-05:00

Crazy, crazy weekend at work!! Very busy and I swear I never stopped moving on my feet. When I got off of work at 2 this afternoon I was dead on my feet. But before I glued my butt to the couch I did manage to stop at the grocery store and pick up a few beauties :)

So that I wouldn't be tempted to buy a breakfast sandwich at work I made one before I went to work with a few berries on the side and of course a cup of high test coffee.

Tonight was a hamburger with no bun, some home made carrot salad a gorgeous tomato and a glass of wine!

Tomorrow is going to be full of meetings. And that's just the beginning of my "weekend". Tuesday is going to be a talent show for the people I volunteer with :) To stop any temptation that I may have from the baked goodies I'm going to be taking a fruit platter.

Have a great night!

Hopefully not as busy tonight!

2011-11-11T23:53:00.001-05:00

Last night was crazy busy!! Did not stop for 8 hours, on my feet.

By the time I got home last night I relaxed with a cup of wine and then went to bed.

This morning started with a protein drink, and some blueberries, blackberries and raspberries :)

But before that I did my morning exercises. My legs and butt are begging for mercy!

Lunch was some veggies, cheese, carrot juice, Ace crisps and some roasted red pepper dip!

So cold in the house today, guess I'm going to have to turn the heat on soon.

Happy Birthday Anne!! You just keep getting better :)

Hope your having an awesome weekend fellow bloggers :)

Please take a moment to remember

2011-11-10T20:59:00.001-05:00

First I want to say thank you to all the men and women who have fought for our freedom. Thank you!

I took this photo a few years ago and to me it just means so much.

This morning I set my alarm a little earlier today so I'd have some extra time before work. Why did I need extra time? So that I could make a good breakfast, get caught up with my fellow bloggers, get some exercise in and dye my hair!

So first I had some eggs and bacon with a side of squirrelly toast and low sugar jam and some coffee :)

But before that I did some up and downs, planks, airplanes, downward dogs and squats!!

Downed a couple of glasses of water.

Ate an awesome lunch and now I'm getting ready for work.

Hope you have a great day. And please take the time today to say thank you to those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Question day!

2011-11-09T22:51:00.001-05:00

I look forward to reading your answers and yes I will post mine :)

1. I read in a book this week that when your eating do you eat to lose weight or do you eat for a health reason?? Interesting when you think about it. 100 calorie packs for weight loss or health?? How do you choose what you eat? Or what you eat for?

2. Do you eat snacks or are you a 3 meal a day person?? If you eat snacks how many do you usually have?

3. What are you having for dinner tonight?

4. Do you make time in your week to do some yoga? What is your favourite pose??

5. What is your favourite song to work out to?

Question day... tomorrow!

2011-11-09T12:54:00.002-05:00

Sorry but I have to get ready to go into work for someone today so I will do question day tomorrow!

I'll be normal soon I promise :)

2011-11-08T17:32:00.001-05:00

For some reason every time the clock does it's daylight savings time it totally screws up my body!

I'm not tired when I should be I want to sleep more when I shouldn't. Ugh, it usually takes a couple of weeks to get back into rhythm. Anyone else this happens to??

Probably doesn't help that my psoriatic arthritis is flaring up. Poor body is so stiff by the time I go to bed and just as bad when I wake up. I've been taking some anti-inflammatories that will help but they have some side affects that I don't wont to happen again.

One thing I did manage to get done was to clean the refrigerator and the freezer :) At least I'll have a place to put the groceries!! All I have to do now is clean out the cupboards.

I'm working tomorrow for someone but I hope to be back to a more normal schedule by the end of the week.

Quick post!

2011-11-04T10:53:00.001-04:00

I'm back to work today so not too much going on here :)

But I did have a very nice breakfast this morning!

Pumpkin quinoa bake

1/3c pumpkin
1/3c cooked quinoa
1/3c egg substitute or 2 eggs
pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp maple syrup or sweetener

pour into a sprayed ramekin and cook in microwave 2-3 minutes or until cooked. I poured some sf maple syrup of after. Delish!

Thank you!

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

You are one of the reasons I never give up!

You are one of the reasons I strive to eat as healthy as I can!

You are one of the reasons I seriously try to get all 8 cups of water in every day

You are one of the reasons I smile everyday :)

You are what keeps me young

You are what keeps me striving to be as fit as I can

You are the reason I keep blogging every day! Even when I'm wearing a splint and can only type with one hand :) Or when I've sprained my ankle and can't exercise!

Thank you fellow bloggers!

You don't know how much you mean to me! Thanks for all your support and encouragement.

A great day for a long walk!

2011-11-02T16:27:00.002-04:00

I've found that since I've been using my Garmin HRM my walks have been improving not only in how long but also the intensity that I do them. I like keeping my heart rate up and I love seeing how many calories I can burn.

Today's it's beautiful and mild out so I definitely had to get outside! Ended up walking for over an hour.

Breakfast this morning was some banana protein waffles with greek yogurt, sugar free maple syrup and walnuts.

Lunch was amazing!! Sardine rillettes:
Sardine rillettes
1 small can of sardines packed in olive oil drained and bones and skin taken out. Or if you love the bones go for it :)
1 1/4oz of light cream cheese
2 tbsp of chopped green onion or scallions
3 tsp of lemon juice
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper if you like (I didn't bother)
pinch of sea salt and bit of grated black pepper.

Mix all together.
I used half of this for me and left half for the hubs. The nutrition is for half.

I served it on thinly sliced leftover multi grain baguette toasted with a very light brush of garlic olive oil. Pickled green beans, cucumber and tomatoes on the side.

When I got back from my walk I ate a healthy pumpkin oatmeal bar

Dinner will be a pork loin chop, tomato rice and some carrots!

Question day!

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

1. Have you turned your heat on yet?

2. What new recipe have you tried lately??

3. Did you eat candy on Halloween? Did you plan for it and stick to it? Or did you abstain altogether? Are you feeling good about how you handled Halloween or are you feeling that you could have handled it better?

4. Is your glass half full or half empty??

5. What are you planning to do just to make you healthier and happier today?

I hope you like question day as much as I like posting it :)

Sort of a day off and some free coupons!

2011-11-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not working today but I did have 2 meetings this morning. But once I was finished with them it was MY time :)

Today started with a big bowl of steel cut oats with egg white, raspberries and blueberries. I find when I cook them in the slow cooker they expand bigger than cooking them on the stove. More for the buck so to speak!

Then it was off to the meetings. I took my own grub along and grabbed a free coffee at McDonald's :) Lunch included prosciutto cotto, pickled green beans and mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, carrot juice and some almonds.

Before I left this morning I put a chilli in the slow cooker and the smell when I walked back in was amazing. So it will be chilli with some multi-grain batard bread and a glass of well deserved wine!

I'm pretty tired today so I didn't plan on any exercise, however, I did manage to brisk walk 20 minutes to my bus, I walked briskly around a huge grocery store and I took the stairs a lot today :) Guess I did get some exercise in.

Pop chips gave me some coupons, unfortunately they're only for the U.S so would any of you like them. Some are for free bags, some are $1 off and some are buy one get one free :) They expire Dec 31, 2011 There are 6 coupons to give away so please let me know in a comment that you would like to have to have one. If more than 6 ask I'll put the names in a hat!

Hope you had a fantastic start to your week

What a fun shift at work

2011-10-31T23:01:00.000-04:00

These are just a few of the things I saw tonight :)

Of course I had red glasses and a red devils tail :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:33:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Tonight I have to work :) However, I am going dressed as the devil and I am going to have fun. But no candy will enter my mouth!

But first let's start at the beginning of my day. I started today with a baked individual pumpkin muffin with some pumpkin butter and sugar free maple syrup.

Then it was off on a walk. I haven't got as much walking in this week because I'm working 6 days on my feet but today it was time to get back into what I enjoy the most :)

Lunch was leftover chicken, ~~salad~~, instead of salad I had this huge lettuce leaf and made a wrap, dressing, salad toppers, sweets and beets and some Greek yogurt and pomegranates.

For work I grabbed a protein drink, some almonds and I'll buy a sun dried tomato asiago Parmesan cheese bagel at work.

Is there anyone out there that has seen the egg nog bigelow tea?? Want to send me a box and I'll send you a mystery box in exchange?? Please :) Someone sent me a sample a couple of years ago and it's soooooooo good!

Does it bug anyone else that every other thing I read today is "Candy is good for you" "How candy can actually improve your health" "You only live once" ?? Or am I just cranky today :)

Hope you have the best Halloween ever!!

I'm glad you weren't here to see that!

2011-10-30T17:53:00.001-04:00

Yesterday minutes before I left for work I fell off of my computer chair, banged my foot and knee but I don't think I did any major damage! Thank goodness

I worked till 10 pm last night and went to bed around 12, back up at 6:30 and back at work at 8 am this morning. Not awake but I was there :)

This morning I managed to make some eggs, prosciutto, a slice of squirrelly bread and a tbsp of peanut butter. At least I think that was what it was, I wasn't actually awake enough to know.

I decided to eat some ~~berry oatmeal at work today~~. Actually I managed to leave work early so I made a coconut water/mango/vanilla whey protein smoothie and have some sweets and beets when I got home.

Dinner was a roasted chicken, low sodium stuffing, low sodium gravy, massaged kale and some mashed rutabaga . I've got to remember to put kale on my grocery list to get more!

A glass of wine and a mini piece of very dark chocolate was a great way to end my day.

I made my favourite spicy pickled green beans!

Spicy pickled green beans
1 lb of fresh green beans ends trimmed (or be lazy like me and buy a bag of fresh green beans already trimmed and washed)
2 cups of rice vinegar
1/4c sugar (I used splenda)
2 Tbsp of kosher salt (I used sea salt)
6 small dried chiles
1 tsp of peppercorns black or multi-coloured
1/2 lemon cut into slices
I added some button mushrooms this time but I don't know how they'll taste yet since it's still warm :)

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the green beans until tender-crisp 3 minutes or so. Don't overcook. Drain and put into a large heat proof container.

2. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in another medium pot and add vinegar, sugar(sweetener), salt, chiles and peppercorns. As soon as it boils pour it over the green beans and add the lemon slices. Let it cool to room temperature. Slit 3 of the chiles to let seeds spill out into liquid. Chill covered overnight in fridge. Serve cold.

If you don't like spicy things use less or no chiles. Also splitting them makes it spicier so you could also leave that out.

A great crunchy/spicy/salty snack :)

A good day :)

2011-10-29T13:01:00.003-04:00

Exercise today that is!

I'm working 6 days in a row, last night was one of the busiest night I've ever worked. I still have 3 days to work. I'm hoping it's not as busy tonight, then again the night goes fast when it's busy.

You know what I'm happy for right now, today?? Being happy with my eating, my house is reasonably tidy and clean and I feel physically and mentally strong. Can't buy that with money!!

This morning I started with a banana bread pudding/bake with a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup with some raspberries on the side.

Lunch was some massaged kale, with sea salt/lemon/olive oil, tomatoes and mushrooms topped with Mexican salad toppings and prosciutto and cheese. Tarra's sweets and beets chips and an all-bran bar on the side. This is up their as one of my favourite salads!

When I went to work I took cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas as well as a protein drink.

I also had 2 Tbsp of kefir :)

Wow it's cold!

2011-10-28T12:39:00.001-04:00

Last night was only 26F oh my!! They are calling for show/rain showers tonight.

Got up this morning and made myself a mango smoothie with protein(coconut water, mango, whey protein and Greek yoghurt) and an awesome cup of coffee on the side :) A good way to start any day!

Lunch was a low carb tortilla, turkey, prosciutto, lettuce and honey mustard, 1/2c of grapes. 2 Tbsp of kefir

At work a protein drink and an everything bagel.

I got all the bills paid today and I've worked from last Wednesday to this Monday. I'll be glad to be off on Tuesday. Oh but I have two meetings on Tuesday but at least it's not work :)

Hope you have a great day and an even better warm weekend!

Works for me :)

2011-10-27T12:20:00.001-04:00

So at least for a while I'm just going to take it one day at a time! One meal, one hour :) This I can do.

Today I started my day with a protein pancake with raspberries and sugar free maple syrup.

Then I had to run and get some groceries. I decided to take a walk on my way to the grocery store :)

Lunch was veggies, cheese and grapes.

I took a protein drink and I'm going to buy a low fat double berry muffin at work :)

And when I get home there will be a glass of wine waiting with my name on it!! Cheers

Question day better late than never :)

2011-10-26T13:20:00.001-04:00

1. What is your favourite spice??

2. How many pillows do you sleep on?

3. Do you like cranberries??

4. Who makes the bed in your house?

5. Have you used a kettlebell??

Have fun with these :)

Called into work!

2011-10-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

Not much time as I have to get ready for work so I'll just leave you with pictures of my food :) Breakfast and lunch. I'll be eating at work tonight! Sorry question day will resume next week!!

What is this??

2011-10-24T19:23:00.002-04:00

My breakfast :) And a very good one!

Steel cut oats cooked in water and apple cider with figs, prunes, walnuts, currents and maple syrup! Great way to start today!!

I just... can't!

2011-10-23T15:19:00.002-04:00

Sorry a while ago I stopped doing challenges. I'd get way to obsessive over my eating and my exercising. I thought doing a personal challenge would help. Not.so.much!

I've had such a hard time getting back into my normal routine since all the physical things that have happened to me. Don't worry I'm kicking my own ass.

Don't want to get into it too much right now. Don't worry I'll still be blogging and one of these days I'll do what I need to do.

30 Day Challenge Day 5

2011-10-21T20:00:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already Day 5!!

I had to get up early this morning because I have a meeting to go to and then I'll rush home eat lunch get food ready to take to work and then go to work. Busy day.

Day 5
Water: 12 cups today!!
Exercise: I got off of the bus early on my way home from the meeting and walked more than 30 minutes.
Sweeteners: used 6 today
Crystal light: none
Wine: Glass of wine after work
Food: much better than yesterday

Breakfast: egg white omelet, spinach, cheese, grapefruit, roasted tomatoe

Lunch: Pita pizza

Took to work: protein shake, clementines, cheese

30 Day Challenge day 4

2011-10-20T23:12:00.001-04:00

Off to work this afternoon! For some reason I slept in so I made the chocolate banana and peanut butter protein pancakes my breakfast and lunch. I also bought chicken noodle soup and a bagel for dinner since I didn't have enough time to pack my dinner before work. Unfortunately exercise did not happen. Some days are like that!

Day 4

Water: 10 cups
Exercise: no
Sweeteners: only had 4
Crystal light: none
Wine: none
Food: not the best choices today

Breakfast: chocolate/peanut butter banana protein pancake with sugar free syrup, latte on the side

Lunch: ~~slice of squirrelly bread with roasted tomato, light cheddar cheese and a latte on the side~~

At work: ~~1c almond breeze, whey protein, frozen peaches, raw almonds, veggies and a pumpkin muffin~~

30 Day challenge, Day 3

2011-10-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

Rain, rain and more rain!! Oh go away for goodness sakes

Which is why I'm whining!

When I was at the mall yesterday I took a look at some kettle balls I just may have to get one :) Thanks Karen.

Did I tell you my daughter Jen signed me up for 6 months worth of this: Glymm I can't wait to get my first box :)

Day 3
Water: 12 cups down so far
Exercise: 2 out of 4 so far this week I'm taking today as a rest day. I've still got until Sunday to get 2 more workouts in.
Sweeteners: I stayed below my maximum for this challenge
Crystal light: Nope not one :)
Wine: Nada
Food: still going strong

Breakfast: Baked oatmeal with blueberries and mango, scrambled eggs and low fat cheese, coffee with lots of foam

Lunch: pumpkin gingerbread smoothie, whole wheat English muffin with light cream cheese and some freshly made roasted tomatoes topped with a pinch of sea salt, pepper and a drizzle of garlic olive oil

Dinner: split pea and ham soup, banana soft serve(frozen banana) sprinkled with cocoa

Question Day!

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

1. Do you use artificial sweeteners?? Do you keep track of how many?

2. What temperature is it where you are today??

3. If you wear cologne/perfume what is your favourite?? Men and women :)

4. Open your freezer what is the first thing you see on the left hand side??

5. What is your favourite colour?