A Look Inside…

It’s time to invite you in for a look inside Healthy Fit Mama’s fridge, freezer, and pantry!

FRIDGE

For the most part, the hubby and I eat the same foods, but there are a few “his” and “hers” items in the fridge. Some of our staples include:

• water!
• unsweeetened soymilk (for me)
• skim milk (for hubby)
• OJ (for hubby)
• apples
• eggs
• egg whites
• yogurt – regular for the hubby and greek for me
• hummus
• sandwich thins (we keep these in the fridge because we don’t eat them fast enough)

• flaxseed meal
• almond butter
• mayo with olive oil
• sugar-free syrup (I have a confession – as natural as I like to eat, I can’t shake my sugar-free syrup addiction!! It’s the best on a big bowl of oats!)

FREEZER

My freezer is full of big bags of homemade baby food, plus:

• frozen shrimp
• green beans
• broccoli
• chicken
• bread, bagels, and english muffins (We freeze them and thaw them as needed. It takes us FOREVER to use them up! These are mostly for the hubby. I don’t eat them much.)

PANTRY

We never go without these items in the pantry:

• peanut butter
• Fiber One
• Kashi Go Lean Crunch (to satisfy my sweet cravings!)
• dates
• raisins
• oatmeal
• oat bran
• Larabars
• walnuts
• almonds
• Purevia (for me)

Do you an your significant other/roommates eat the same foods?

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OPENSKY

I’ve been adding some exciting new products to my OpenSky store lately – including the George Foreman Next Grilleration! I rely on my George Foreman grill so much to grill up healthy meals in no time flat. Plus, there’s no need to go out in the cold to grill!

PB is Key!

Hey everyone! Sorry to have been MIA for a whole week. Totally unintentional. I wish I could say that I’ve been up to something exciting…

It’s been no secret on this blog that Mama has a BIG appetite! Especially when it comes to breakfast. I’m notorious for slamming 500+ calories in the morning and still being hungry a couple hours later. I think I have finally found the key to staying full through the morning – PB!! Adding peanut butter to my oats in the morning keeps me full for hours – which is great for extremely busy workdays when there isn’t much time to eat.

This morning, I had the most amazing bowl of oat bran:

• 1/3 cup of oat bran
• 1 cup of water
• 1 mashed banana
• vanilla
• cinnamon
• raisins
• 1 tbs of PB

Check out that amazing PB drizzle!!

Trader Joe’s PB is the best for drizzling!

Per usual, this ginormous bowl of oats was eaten along side a plate of eggs (1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg). Holy full tummy!!

I didn’t dig into my lunch bag until about noon time today. That’s 6 hours of fullness. Incredible!

I neglected to photograph my packed work lunch… Throughout the afternoon, I had the following:

• protein shake (1/2 cup of unsweetened soy milk + 2 tbs of Nutribiotic vanilla rice protein powder)
• deli chicken wrap with light mayo
• teeny, tiny apple
• a few almonds
• plain Chobani mixed with stevia and cocoa powder

I also packed some Trader Joe’s low sodium minestrone, but I never got around to eating it.

When I got home from work, though, the hunger started to set in. I munched on some mushrooms and roasted garlic hummus while I prepped dinner.

baked tofu, peppers, onions, and mushrooms all coated with Trader Joe's sesame soy ginger vinaigrette

Tonight’s exercise was Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout. Have you bought this video yet??? You should! It’s the most kick-butt at-home workout I’ve ever done. You definitely get some bang for your buck!

I wish I had taken a picture of my evening, post-exercise snack. It was delish!! 1/2 cup of non-fat yogurt mixed with cocoa powder and stevia (I’m hooked on chocolatey yogurt!!), and about 1/2 cup of frozen cherries. I will definitely be having this again in the near future!

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Have you checked out my Opensky Store yet?? I recently added apple pie Larabars! YUMMY! 😉

Eating Cheap – and Healthy!

It’s no secret that times are tough for many people these days – myself included. But just because you’re on a tight budget doesn’t mean you have to give up your healthy diet. Don’t get me wrong – there are tons of specialty health foods that I love that are pretty darn pricey, and have been eliminated from my budget. But with a little planning, I’ve been able to slash my grocery bill quite a bit.

Here are some tips for healthy eating on the cheap:

• Shop the freezer section. No, I’m not talking about frozen entrees! Instead of buying all fresh produce, stock up on store-brand frozen vegetables and fruit. They’re often just $1 or $2 a bag and are just as healthy (if not more so) than fresh produce. Frozen veggies and fruits are frozen immediately after being picked, preserving those oh-so-important nutrients.

 

• Be a bargain hunter. Every Saturday, my husband and hit 2 grocery stores – Trader Joe’s and Stop & Shop. While I do love Trader Joe’s because of its variety of natural foods, I also love it because there are many things I buy on a regular basis that are actually cheaper than the regular supermarket. Some examples: eggs (just $1.49/dozen!), soymilk ($2.99/gallon), almond butter ($4.99/jar), liquid egg whites ($1.99/carton), and peanut butter ($1.79/jar), just to name a few…

• Stock up! I used to be hesitant to stock up on things when they were on sale. I’d think, “Well, I don’t need [name of item] this week.” Umm, if I’m going to need it next week, why not buy it now while it’s cheaper?!
• “Clip” coupons. There are some great coupon websites out there that allow you to browse and select coupons without having to buy up all the Sunday papers. Sites like coupons.com allow you to print coupons right from your computer. But if you’re like me and don’t always (or ever!) have ink in your printer, you might favor The Coupon Master. This is my new favorite coupon source. You can search for and select coupons, and have then sent right to your home. You do pay a small handling fee for each coupon (8-10 cents), but when you’re saving $1.00 or more on some of your favorite items that you’d buy anyway, it’s totally worth it. Net savings of 90 cents!

Unfortunately they're sold out of these now! I think I bought them all. 😉

• Buy in bulk. Bulk items are definitely cost-effective! If you have the storage space, buy things like nuts and oatmeal in larger containers. You may shell out more in the short term, but overall, you pay less per serving.

Hopefully these tips will help you save a buck or two…and stay healthy at the same time!

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I’m having a hard time getting back into the groove of photographing every meal… So I don’t have pictures from each of the last few days. But here are today’s eats:

Breakfast

1/2 cup of oatmeal,1 banana, vanilla, cinnamon, raisins, and PB

1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg

This bowl of oatmeal was amazing! The PB mixed with the sweetness of a super-ripe banana tasted like a peanut butter cookie! 😀

Lunch and Snacks

protein shake, greek yogurt, apple, turkey and hummus on a whole wheat sandwich thin

Dinner

It was a fend-for-yourself night since the fridge was getting pretty bare…

greek yogurt mixed with cocoa powder and stevia, banana, and almond butter

Dinner of champions for sure…

Fitness

Tonight I did my Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout DVD. This video just came out last month, and I made sure I pre-ordered it! It is 50 minutes of pure, kick-ass Jillian Michaels. So intense! If you watch the show, you know that the last chance workout is no joke! I highly recommend this one if you workout at home, like me.

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I hope you all are enjoying my more focused blogging. I’d love to hear feedback! Also, if there are topics you’d like to read about, let me know!

POM Review and Sunday Yummies

Happy Sunday! (Or perhaps Not-So-Happy Sunday if you have to go back to work tomorrow…like me!)

As promised, here’s my long overdue POM review:

A few weeks ago (well I guess at this point it was actually a couple months ago!), Kristen from POM Wonderful sent me a box of these little beauties:

100% pure pomegranate juice

Now, I don’t typically like to drink my calories, unless it’s in the form of a protein shake. But after reading so much about POM on other blogs, I was eager to give this a try.

So I cracked one open and took a sip. It was slightly tart and slightly sweet, and reminded me a lot of cranberry juice. Very tasty! And I have to admit, one of my first thoughts was, “I could make a great cocktail with this!” Haha! 😀

I gave it to the hubby to try and he really enjoyed it. For about a week straight, POM replaced his morning OJ with his breakfast.

In addition to its great taste, POM Wonderful pomegranate juice also has some amazing health benefits. It’s extremely high in antioxidants! Read more about the health benefits here.

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Onto the Sunday Yummies…

Just because I took a break from the blog due to my busy schedule, doesn’t mean I took a break from my healthy habits! Today’s eats are pretty typical of what I’ve been eating on a regular basis:

Breakfast – 1/3 cup of oat bran, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin, 1 tbs of ground flaxseed, raisins, and walnuts, alongside 1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg scrambled

Lunch – Protein shake made with 1 cup of unsweetened soymilk, 2 tbs of Nutribiotic vanilla rice protein powder, 1 medium banana, and ice; and a chocolate brownie Z bar

Snacks – plain Chobani (mixed with cocoa powder and stevia, of course!) and some mushrooms and roasted garlic hummus that went undocumented

(Greek yogurt and I are currently “on” again, mostly because I have a TON of $1.00 off coupons! It’s inevitable that my tummy will end up hating me though, and then I’ll be completely dairy free again. :-()

Dinner – ground turkey fajita salads

I used frozen bell peppers for my fajita veggies tonight. Super convenient (no chopping necessary!) and super cheap! I’m on a tight budget these days so I’m buying more frozen veggies than ever. I spiced up my peppers and onions and my ground turkey meat with a combination of chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a dash of garlic salt. I topped the whole she-bang with some Pace Picante Sauce that I received in the mail a couple weeks ago, courtesy of Foodbuzz. Spicy stuff! Runny nose kind of spicy! 😉 And that was the Medium variety. I can only imagine what Hot is like!!

Fitness

After baby was all snuggled in her crib, it was time for mama to exercise! Tonight was my circuit training night. I alternate every other day with circuit training and Spinning (on my bike at home). I did 2 20-minute videos from Exercise TV. This is a new find for me! I love the variety. I can mix and match, and keep myself from getting bored.

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Just for fun, here’s a recent picture of me and my baby girl!

Well, it’s 9:19…time for a shower and then it’s off to bed! I’ll be back soon with my baby food making how-to post!

Slackin’ Off

Ok, not gonna lie – I totally slacked off on the picture taking this weekend. No reason; just laziness. It happens, right? So, I aplogize in advance for this post being light on the pics.

FRIDAY

I started my day with a big bowl of oats:

• 1/4 cup of oatmeal
• 1/4 cup of oat bran
• 1-1/4 cups of water
• 1 banana
• 1 tbs of ground flaxseed
• vanilla
• cinnamon
• raisins
• walnuts

And some eggs, of course:

• 1/2 cup of egg whites
• 1 whole egg

The morning was nothing out of the ordinary. Same stuff, different day.

Lunch was a veggie dog burrito…

…followed by a protein shake.

I realized I had nothing but chicken and ground turkey in the freezer for dinner, both of which we had eaten a few times during the week, so I made a mid-day run to the store.

After I got back, my mom cam over to watch the baby while I had a pre-screen phone interview for a job in Boston. It was pretty short, but it went well. It sounds like a great job at an exciting company.

For dinner, I cooked up the haddock and brussels sprouts I picked up earlier in the day. I sprinkled the haddock with lemon pepper and salt and baked it in the oven. The brussels sprouts were roasted in the oven, too. This is the absolute best way to eat them!

I put baby to bed quite easily around 6:30. It’s so nice that bedtime no longer involves any crying! 🙂

For my workout, I did Physique 57 in the basement. I have to say, I feel a little silly doing some of the moves, but it certainly gets my myscles burnin’!

SATURDAY

Baby got up super-duper early on Saturday morning – like 5:40ish! Funny thing…she sleeps through the night and sleeps until about 7 am when my husband puts her to bed. But when I do it, she wakes up at least twice and gets up really early in the morning. Hmm…

Needless to say, breakfast was a bit on the early side.

banana with almond butter

1 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch + 1/2 cup of almond milk

1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg

Later in the morning, hubby and I took baby to the doctor to get her flu shot. The office doesn’t have the H1N1 shot yet, of course. As soon as they have it though, I’m going to make sure she gets it!

We made a run to the grocery store after to get a few last minute things for my mother-in-law’s surprise birthday party that was later in the day.

I kept it light for lunch since I knew we’d be having a lot of finger foods at the party – protein shakes for 2:

• 1-1/2 cups of almond milk
• splash of vanilla
• 2 packets of Stevia
• 1 banana
• 4 tbs of NutriBiotic vanilla rice protein powder
• ice

And that’s where the pictures end for the day.

We got to the party around 3. I snacked on various things including pita chips, veggies, hummus, cold cuts, shrimp cocktail, a couple nibbles of brownie, a bit of cupcake… Throughout the party (which I was at from 3 until about 9 – minus one hour when I brought baby home to feed her and leave her with my mom for a bit), I had 2 small glasses of wine and about 2/3 of a beer. Obviously I didn’t exercise today. Too much partyin’ goin’ on!

After that party, we stopped by my dad’s party too. Over there, I had a few bites of the german chocolate cake my step mom made. Holy deliciousness!! I couldn’t keep myself away from that!

I went to bed around 11:30 – way past my bedtime! When baby woke up at 2, I noticed I didn’t feel so hot. Darn alcohol. I can’t drink anymore. At all. Doesn’t matter if it’s 1 glass of wine or 3. I won’t feel well the next day.

SUNDAY

I had a one track mind this morning – FOOD!! I needed to feed my dull alcohol headache. Breakfast was exactly the same as yesterday – banana w/ almond butter, Kashi Go Lean with almond milk, and eggs. I inhaled it and didn’t take pictures!

I decided to squeeze in a little extra exercise today to try and make up for my overindulgence on alcohol and sweets on Saturday night. So I hopped on my Spinning bike at 10 am. I fully intended to ride for 35-40 minutes, but my iPod died at the 20 minute mark. Honestly, I was happy to have a reason to stop! At least I got my metabolism revved up early in the day.

Baby was a bit on the fussy side all morning. Blame the flu shot! She’s feverish and cranky. So most of my energy went to keeping her happy. I did squeeze in some lunch though – a slice of whole wheat bread with almond butter and apple butter and a protein shake. Again, no picture.

Once I had baby settled in for her second nap, I headed to the grocery store for all the weekly essentials. I usually go on Saturdays, but clearly I had too much going on yesterday!

Over the rest of the afternoon, I snacked on some kiwi, walnuts, greek yogurt (yes, I strayed from my “no dairy” policy and yes, my tummy will probably hate me later) and butternut squash that I cooked up for baby.

For dinner, I made one of my favorite Food Network recipes that I haven’t made since we moved back from CO – Shrimp Fra Diavolo. Sooo spicy! YUM!

Hubby put baby to bed tonight, so mama hit the basement for Physique 57. My thighs are still burning!

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I’m totally psyched that tomorrow is Monday. (Never thought I’d say that!) I’m really hoping to hear back about this job in Mass this week, preferably early in the week. I really have a good feeling about it. Think happy thoughts!

What are you looking forward to this week??

My First TJ’s Products!

Wow – was it cold this morning!! Brrrr. When summer’s over, it’s over!

I had plans to meet my cousin for breakfast this morning at 9:30…but of course I can’t wait that long to eat! So I got up and had Breakfast Round 1.

banana w/ almond butter and 1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg

Breakfast Round 2 was a bowl of plain oatmeal at a little diner. No fancy toppings; just oats. I didn’t take a picture, but I’m sure you can use your imagination!

For lunch, I started with dessert…

apple pie Larabar

…and then moved on to the main course.

chicken, roasted red pepper hummus, spinach, and hot sauce on a whole wheat tortilla

Usually I love this wrap combo, but today it didn’t do much for me. It was just ok.

My afternoon snack was a protein shake.

1 cup of soymilk, 2 tbs of vegetable protein powder, 1 tbs of cocoa powder, 2 packets of Stevia, ice

I didn’t have any extra fruit hanging around to put in my shake today, It was still pretty good though.

This afternoon I got an awesome package from the fabulous Janetha. It was full of goodies from Trader Joe’s. They’re my first ever TJ’s products! 😀 Thank you, Janetha!

I had a couple pita chips and the apricot bar. Both amazing!!

Late in the afternoon, I rescued the last of the Brussels sprouts from the garden before the first frost comes. I roasted them for dinner to have with my Gardein BBQ Pulled Shreds on a whole wheat sandwich thin.

After I snapped this pic, I squirted organic ketchup on my brussels sprouts. Mmmmmmm!

‘Twas a most excellent dinner! 😀

Tonight was my Spinning night, so after baby was in bed I rode for 40 minutes. It was a great, intense ride. My legs are going to be sore!

Well, gotta jet… Time for Grey’s Anatomy! Night!

Jealous Much?

I did a lot of blog reading today and it left me, well, insanely jealous! Of what, you ask? Fellow bloggers having their dreams realized. Caitlin just landed an amazing book deal (way to go girl!); Jenna just accepted a dream jobin California. It got me thinking about how much I would really love to use this period of unemployment to pursue a career that I would really enjoy.

My dream is to go back to school to become a dietician, and also become a certified personal trainer. Unfortunately, with a family to support, I just can’t take a leap like that right now. 😦 Maybe someday…

What’s your dream job??

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Baby was up earlier than usual today, which meant I was too. I was craving AB, so I made an almond butter/banana/raisin wrap with some eggs (1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg).

YUM!

Around 9, I took baby out with me to do some errands downtown. (“Downtown” is tiny!! I live in a very small town.) I parked at the little store and did various errands around town on foot. Nothing like sneaking in a little exercise on a gorgeous fall day! Multi-tasking, people. 😉

I got home at 10 and was ready for a snack. It had already been 3 and a half hours since breakfast! I made a protein shake with 3/4 cup of hazelnut decaf coffee, 1/2 cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1 scoop of vanilla brown rice protein powder, and ice.

The coffee was still a little too warm and it melted most of the ice, so my shake was a little more watery than I would have liked. It still tasted good though! It was like an iced cappuccino.

For lunch, I made myself a big salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, yellow squash, chickpeas, roasted red pepper hummus, and hot sauce.

Normally I love this lunch, but it didn’t really do it for me today for some reason. I ate most of it though. And then I had a little dessert – 1/2 of a Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabar. It had been waaay too long since I experience the deliciousness that is a Lara! 🙂

I spent the early afternoon putting together favors for my sister’s baby shower with my other sister. They came out really cute!

I got snacky this afternoon and wolfed down a bowl of Fiber One with soymilk before I could even take a pic! Ooops. Hit the spot though! 😀

Dinner was one of my new favorite products: Gardein BBQ Pulled Shreds on a whole wheat sandwich thin with roasted brussels sprouts. I am loving the brussels sprouts right now!

I got baby put to bed fairly quickly and easily tonight. She’s making a lot of progress falling asleep in her crib (instead of being nursed to sleep). I stood there and rubbed her belly while she nodded off. It was adorable!

I dilly-dallied for a bit after that, totally procrastinating about exercising. But I finally headed into the basement to ride my Spinning bike. I ended up having a great, energetic 40-minute ride. On days when I don’t feel like exercising, I’m almost always glad that I just decided to do it. I feel better after.

Time for some new TV shows! I’m watching “Flash Forward” right now. It’s pretty good! I’m trying to decide if I’m going to stay up for “Grey’s Anatomy,” or go to bed at a decent time and just watch it tomorrow. I’m recording it just in case. 😉

Back Spacer

Wondering about the post title? That’s the name of the new Pearl Jam CD that just came out! My CD just came in the mail today. Have I mentioned on the blog before that I am a diehard fan?? Well, I am!! I’ve seen them in concert 9 times (3 of which were in a 2-week period of time last summer!) and they are AMAZING! I’ve been listening to them since I was about 12.

Do you have a favorite band?

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Well, I won’t bore you with the details, but last night was disastrous in terms of baby’s sleep. Mama was not a happy camper this morning. Obviously, I needed a big bowl of oats to get me going!

• 1/2 cup of oat bran
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened soymilk
• vanilla
• cinnamon
• 1 tbs ground flaxseed
• 1 banana
• 1 tbs of raisins
• walnuts

Along with my usual eggs.

1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg

The hubby was home with me today, which was a nice change. We didn’t even leave the house, except to pick veggies from the garden and take baby up to see my husband’s uncle’s horses. It was a nice, relaxing day!

My oats did a wonderful job of keeping me full for 5 hours! Lunch was very light – deli chicken with roasted red pepper hummus, and hot sauce on a whole wheat tortilla.

Obviously I needed snacks this afternoon – lots of them. I ate a couple apricots and a date with a teaspoon of honey almond butter and a couple handfuls of Fiber One cereal.

Later in the afternoon, I made the most delicious protein shake EVER! Check out this mix:

• 1 cup of unsweetened soymilk
• 1 scoop of Jay Robb vanilla brown rice protein powder
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon
• 1 ripe peach

Deeeeeeeeeee-licious!

I am soooooo making this again tomorrow! I have 1 peach left!

Dinner tonight was cooked entirely in the oven – baked lemon pepper chicken, roasted eggplant, and roasted brussels sprouts. The eggplant was fresh from my dad’s garden, and I picked the sprouts from the garden here this afternoon. The produce doesn’t get much more local than that!

I ended up dipping my eggplant into some organic ketchup. YUM!

Baby basically passed out at 6 tonight – early for her. So I came downstairs and had a quick snack before my workout.

Honey Graham Z Bar

Tonight I did Biggest Loser Power Sculpt again. It’s a great workout, but I’m ready to move on to something else. I bid on a used copy of Physique 57 on eBay. 🙂

Tomorrow’s going to be a busy one. Lots of errands to do, like getting a new license and registering the cars. Yeah, fun stuff. Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to have a more restful night!

My Weekend, in a Nutshell

Sorry I’ve been MIA this weekend. I intentionally took Friday night off, but then we had a small family crisis come up on Saturday so I didn’t feel like blogging.

Here’s my weekend, in a nutshell.

FRIDAY

Food:

Breakfast – almond butter/banana/raisin rollup with scrambled eggs (1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg)

Snack – Peanut Butter Clif Z Bar. This bar was amazing! I especially loved the chocolate drizzle on top. 🙂

Lunch – chicken, roasted red pepper hummus, and hot sauce on a whole wheat tortilla

Afternoon Snack – protein shakes for me and the hubby

For 2 shakes: 1-1/2 cups of unsweetened soymilk, 1 scoop of vanilla brown rice protein powder, vanilla, 1 banana, ice

Dinner – turkey burgers with roasted butternut squash

Look at that steam coming off my squash!

Post-workout Evening Snack – Kay’s Naturals Apple Cinnamon Protein Cereal with soymilk. This cereal was delicious! It reminded me so much of Apple Jacks.

Fitness

45-minute ride on my Spinning bike

Fun

My preliminary phone interview went great! I’m going to have a face-to-face interview for this job sometime later this week or next week. It sounds like a great job with great pay!!

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SATURDAY

Food

Breakfast – HUGE bowl of oats:

• 1/4 cup of oatmeal
• 1/4 cup of oat bran
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of soymilk
• cinnamon
• vanilla
• 1 banana
• 1 tbs ground flaxseed
• walnuts
• raisins

Awful early-morning pic!

And scrambled eggs:

• 1/2 cup of egg whites
• 1 whole (very small) egg

Lunch – Protein shakes for 2, and a whole wheat tortilla

Dinner – Wild Alaskan salmon with maple/soy/ginger glaze and steamed zucchini, yellow squash, and onion. OH MY YUMMINESS! 😀

Fitness

I skipped out on my exercise in favor of a couple glasses of wine instead. It was that kind of day – family crisis.

Fun

I got out of the house by myself for a few hours. I stopped at my mom’s for a cup of coffee, went to Target, and then to the grocery store. It was some much needed alone time, although I came home $200 poorer.

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SUNDAY

Food

Breakfast – Toasted whole wheat sandwich thin with almond butter and banana, and scrambled eggs (1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg)

Lunch – Protein shake and a whole wheat tortilla

Afternoon/Evening Graze-a-thon – We went to my dad’s to watch the Patriots game today. No pics (bad blogger :-() but here are some of my eats:

• veggies and hummus
• tortilla chips and bean dip
• chicken, Mexican rice, and black beans
• an apple

No need to make dinner tonight. Fabulous!

Fitness

I pulled double duty today. I did Biggest Loser Power Sculpt in the morning and rode my Spinning bike for 30 minutes in the evening. I guess I was feeling guilty about skipping out yesterday.

Fun

I suppose I already covered the fun for the day above. 🙂

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I’m so happy tomorrow is Monday! Weird, I know. Most people dread Mondays. Being unemployed, however, I welcome Mondays because it’s the start of a new week to search and apply for jobs. I feel helpless on the weekends because I can’t make any progress!

Do you dread Mondays? Or do you welcome the start of a new week?

Raw or Roasted? That is the Question.

I finally got some more sleep last night! YAY! Baby only got up twice. It’s still not the 8-12 hours straight that she used to sleep, but after the last few restless night, I’ll take it.

Yesterday I mentioned that I used up the last of my raw almond butter in my protein shake. I knew as soon as I polished off that jar that I had to crack open my jar of roasted almond butter for breakfast this morning. It took me about 3 or 4 weeks to get to the end of the raw AB jar. I was axiously awaiting the day I could open my roasted AB.

So, this morning I made an almond butter/banana/raisin wrap along with some scrambled egg/egg whites.

I eargerly bit into my warmed up wrap and my first thought was, “Wow, I didn’t realize how much the raw almond butter had grown on me.” I was shocked. Dont’ get me wrong – this wrap was still delicious (and nutritious!). I just didn’t realize how much I had come to enjoy the raw almond butter. Now I’m torn. Raw or roasted? I don’t know which is my favorite now! Maybe I’ll alternate between buying raw and buying roasted. I’d hate to have an open jar of each because I’m so indecisive, I’d never be able to make up my mind about which one to have. And, consequently, I’d probably end up eating both every day! Haha.

Moving on to the rest of the day… I ventured out for a bit this morning to buy some invitations for my sister’s baby shower. I have GOT to get these done by the end of the week. Going out with baby in the late morning wasn’t a good choice though. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and toally threw off her napping schedule. Such is life, I suppose.

My almond-buttery breakfast kept me full until noon (that’s 5 whole hours of satiety!), at which time I made a monstrous salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion, carrots, zucchini, chicken, roasted red pepper hummus, and hot sauce. A bit of advice – don’t shake a bottle of hot sauce while wearing a white sweater. I ended up with little red splatters all over me. Well worth it I guess; my salad was amazing!

I followed up my savory salad with this sweet treat:

Yummy chocolate brownie Z Bar!

I spent the afternoon alternating between playing with baby, putting down for naps, and writing out baby shower invitations. And of course there were snacks – an apple and a vanilla/cinnamon protein shake, which was eaten with a spoon again.

Dinner tonight literally took all of 10 minutes to make – and it was fantastic! I tried another Gardein product – BBQ Pulled Shreds. I put my serving of shreds on a whole wheat sandwich thin and had some green beans on the side.

This was such a tasty meal! I’ve always loved pulled pork, even though I rarely if ever eat pork. These BBQ shreds were right on with the taste – and even the texture! (If you don’t like meat because of the texture, you may have an issue with this.) I will definitely buy this again. All the great taste of BBQ pulled pork without the saturated fat! Oh – and it has 19 grams of protein per serving. Amazing!

After putting baby to bed, I hopped on my Spinning bike for a 45-minute ride. I really wanted to stop after 30 minutes, partly because I was tired and partly because I was bored. For inspiration, I thought about Holly and the 22 miles she ran this weekend. (I’m in awe!) I kept on truckin’ till I reached the 45-minute mark.

Well, it’s off to the shower for this gal.  I leave you with this random question:

If you had to eat the same meal all day everyday, what would it be?

That’s an easy one for me – a big bowl of oats with banana, vanilla, cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts. Never gets old for me!