Scorcher

Hi all–another relaxing day under my belt. I feel so good, rested and just peaceful right now but too bad that’s going to end tomorrow when I go back to work, meh 😦 I need to get back on the ball with looking for other jobs this week and update my resume.

I woke up this morning and made the Low Fat Oatmeal Protein pancakes I tried for the first time yesterday and they were equally great the second time around. I topped with cooked apricots and bananas with a drizzle of maple syrup.

I cleaned this morning, caught up on blogs, had my coffee and relaxed with Lincoln. I was going to a pottery studio at 1P and wasn’t sure how long I would be gone for so I had a small lunch before hand. I made a wrap with a leftover chicken cake, avocado, cherry tomatoes and salsa.

Good thing I was going to the pottery studio because it was another hot one out. Is it hot for anyone else? I talked to my parents in Florida and it was only 85 there and it’s supposed to be in the 90’s the entire wk so I will need to scour my wardrobe tonight for light clothing. The humidity was stifling and the heat  alone made me  feel like I was back in Phoenix so I was not trying to be outside at all.

I made a spoon holder for the stove top, when it’s done it will be lime green with black polka dots. I am a creative thinker but I am not good with art, drawing, etc. so I stuck to something easy. I would love to go again and make more things though, it was quiet and relaxing.

Afterwards I stopped at the Bucks and got a Mocha Light Frappaccino to cool me down.

Then I stopped At Bath & Body Works for their huge sale. I really only go there twice a year for the sale just to stock up on stuff. I just wanted to get in and get out but the saleslady would not get off my sack. I would be looking at something and she would be like “That’s 75% off so it’s only $2.62” or “Did you know if you buy three of the lotions, you save more money than buying two.” I just wanted to yell out “I can read and I can do math” but I was trying to be nice and just smiled. And I was not leaving there without buying something so it got on my nerves after 10 minutes of that. When I go shopping, I’m on a mission and am not all about staying there for an hour. I paid, was free from the claws of the overbearing saleslady and got all of this for $30

Next stop was Ulta where I finally picked up some Philosophy at the recommendation of Mo. Ulta has been selling Philosophy online but it’s finally being sold in their stores and I have heard nothing but good things about their products . I bought the Makeup Optional Skin Kit for only $40.

I got back home, took a nap and when I woke,  it was approaching dinner time.

I made Giada’s Turkey meatloaf with Feta and Sun Dried Tomatoes. I tried this one before last fall and it was amazing so I was excited to try it again.

Before going into the oven

 I followed the recipe except for I baked for 50 minutes instead of 45, used more parsley than called for and used 4 tbsp of milk instead of 2 to give it more moisture.

I served with a baby spinach salad with mushrooms, zucchini, cherry tomatoes with Light Three Cheese Ranch

I did some yoga and stretching for 20 minutes. Speaking of which, head to Peace. Love. Nutrition for a chance to win an Aurorae Yoga Mat! After the yoga, I felt very calm and relaxed and now I’m catching up on “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”. Good night indeed.

Oink Oink

Yep, that pretty much sums up the past two days for me. My eating has been a tad off course with work getting busier which equals me being tired and cranky along with some family drama going on. I am not going to get into the drama because I spent last night dealing with it, crying for hours which resulted in puffy eyes today and just feeling drained. I am sure I am overreacting about this situation but last night, I cried for two hours last night and wrote in my journal about everything I was feeling–frustration, sadness, etc. and afterwards, that made me feel a tad better. But again, enough of that.

I started yesterday with a green monster with chocolate protein, coffee, baby spinach, almond milk and splenda. But I forgot the ice so it was a tad on the warm side….but still good!

After reading about April’s smoothie, I am absolutely convinced I need to buy Caramel Toffee Fudge Whey. There is no way that cannot taste good!

I had oats with peanut butter, raisins and unsweetened coconut flakes for breakfast

Lunch was a chicken salad pita with french fries from Showmars

Yum, I could eat this everyday.

I got home and didn’t have a plan for dinner but had some chicken defrosting in the fridge. I decided to make chicken cakes.

Chicken Cakes

8 to 10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast

1 egg

1/4 panko or breadcrumbs

1 tbsp mayo

1/4 cup onions

Salt, pepper (whatever seasonings you like, I also add garlic and chopped cilantro)

Throw onions and cilantro in food processor than add chicken

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

Form into patties (I made three with these), heat 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil, place cakes on the pan and cook

I also had some sliced zucchini and mushrooms cooking on the stovetop with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, garlic salt, red pepper flakes and pepper

I was starving when this was cooking and was trying to hold off on snacking until it was done then I remembered reading Diana’s post yesterday about eating what you want and said eff it, I’m grabbing a small bowl of chips.

Soon enough, the patties were done and dinner time was here!

I grabbed some wing sauce and light ranch dressing to make it buffalo-eque on placed on a kaiser roll

Breakfast this morning was a Kashi Cookies and Cream Bar…..eaten on the bus so no pic, sorry! But this day was horrible, the puffy eyes were out and all the crying last night left my eyes so dry so my contacts were not working so well. I never wear my glasses outside the house so contacts it was and I was rubbing my eyes all day and felt like I couldn’t see. Talk about annoying. And we had three people out of the office…..on a team of six people so yeah. Not a fun day at all. I was even cussing like a truck driver when I was talking to people who I deal with….note…..I rarely cuss at work unless I am very pissed off or very very very very stressed. I had one guy email me telling me to take it easy this wk and not jump off a bridge. Eek! I am not that frustrated!

Lunch was another take out one from Showmars—-gyro and fries

That’s what I’m talking about! Next wk I will be planning better so I am not eating out yet again, this madness has got to stop ASAP. I hate spending money on lunch when I can eat it at home and have just been lazy in that field.

After I got off work (at a reasonable hour to boot), there was only one thing that could make me feel better. And his name is Trader Joe.

There once was a girl named Tiffany who lived in the land of North Carolina with her fur baby Lincoln. Tiffany had been trying to create new health goals for herself each month and one of Tiffany’s goals for the month of June was to cut back on cheese and dairy products.

Well, that goal is clearly out the window.

The first thing I did when I got home was cuddle with Lincoln who was absolutely psycho today. He was scratching at me, kissing me and just happy. It made me feel better. We went for a nice walk then I switched into my comfy clothes and glasses. Anyone else do this? I hate lounging around in business casual wear and when I am home for the evening, usually slip on some yoga pants and a tank top. But I always leave my ghetto baby girl big ass earrings on, go figure.

I made a meal I haven’t made in forever—pizza rolls!

Pizza Rolls

Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough ( I use about half of the package)

4 slices provolone

4 slices salami

Turkey Pepperoni

Ok, that’s the main ingredients so it is super easy to make and you can modify as you like. I cut the provolone and salami in half and then roll out the dough into thin strips. Top with provolone, salami and pepperoni then roll from one corner to the other and place on a greased cookie sheet. I then mix extra virgin olive oil, crushed red peppers, oregano and parmesan in a bowl and brush onto rolls before placing in the oven. Bake at 375 for 13 to 15 mins or until golden brown.

And a cold one to wash it down with!

The fur baby was watching the rolls very closely

I absolutely loved the World Cup Concert tonight–Shakira was my favorite performance and I need to catch some cames! Hope everyone’s having a fabulous start to the wknd!

On the wings of blech

It’s snowing it’s snowing! I was minding my business at work today and happened to look outside the window and there it was! I don’t know what it is about snow but in my mind, it just makes everything better.

I started out my day with yet another iced coffee Green monster with soy milk, chocolate whey and splenda

Speaking of protein powder, click here for a chance to win  Sun Warrior Protein Powder!

Breakfast was oats, frozen berries, flax and TJ’s Apricot-Mango Greek Yogurt on top—I have this girl to thank for bringing this into my life-you are GENIUS!

 

I had on a purple sweater, purple jacket and had my purple lunchbox today…which everyone was making fun of me for since I always have a full lunch box and wait for my bus like a six-year-old. I felt like all I needed was this to complete the deal

However the bank may frown upon drinking during the day. I think it could either be a really good or really bad idea

Pro’s: Be more social, think the world of secondary loan closing is fun and sing Living on a Prayer at the top of my lungs when it comes on at my desk from Pandora.com

Con’s: Tell people what I really think about them, drink too much and puke or pass out (I wonder if I could ask my manager’s manager to hold my hair back?)

But then again, I could take a nap under my desk Costanza style

That being said—-I think I will stick with the coffee and water for now!

I went into Starbucks in our building today and I received a warm welcome from my baristas (because they are there for me and no one else). It’s nice to be missed and they thought I lost my job and would never show again. Unfortunately, work still calls because momma needs a new pair of shoes!

Lunch was fantabulous and filling—chicken cakes and spaghetti with grilled onions, shrooms , spinach and shalots. But then I brought it over to my desk to eat after heating it up, it smelled like cotton candy. Not chicken, veggies or evoo but cotton candy. Funky.

Dessert was a fruit bowl. I love fresh fruit when it’s cold out. The pineapple was so fresh and the best part

I was bored this afternoon so went out and attempted to play in the snow. By play, I mean go out and walk around. It’s lame being an adult. I would love to go make snow angels and come back to a hot chocolate (maybe with Peppermint Schnapps??) and take a nap by a fireplace. But oh yeah, this thing called work is getting in the way. I stopped at the Starbucks before venturing out and got myself a refill. I love afternoon coffee. Hell, I just love coffee. I went outside and found below

Snow falling down but not sticking. Not fun. However, the minute I come back into the office, it starts going bananas outside.

What if we lived in a world where it rained bananas? I think I would want to live in the desert since it would never rained. And what if there was a desert full of desserts? And it didn’t rain banana splits but just had them all over the place!? Sorry for the LSD-like thoughts, the coffee  (and a diet coke when I came home) has kicked in! But on another note, I have never even had a banana split and think we need to change that in 2010.

But then again, I may look like this eating one

I was going to go to a networking event tonight but couldn’t get out of my parking lot and was stumped what to make for dinner. It’s cold out, I didn’t have a lot of vegetables on hand and three letters came to mind—BFD!

I threw together two eggs, 1/4 cup liquid eggwhites, chopped onions, mushroom, parsley, shredded cheese and Morningstar Veggie crumbles in the pan

The original plan was to make an omelet but I didn’t have the patience for that so random scramble it was. Note this made so much—I had enough for dinner and for breakfast tomorrow-word.

I usually make my eggs with butter or milk but today I just whisked and added salt, pepper and a garlic. A good alternative on top though would have been I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter spray….speaking of which, click here for a chance to win a  coupon for ICBINB!, two recipes and a platter, spreader and spatula from Crate and Barrel.

I picked up this spread TJ’s after work and it was frickin amazing! Very rich, thick and full of flava!

The final product

I went this long with avoiding the elephant in the room——The Bachelor Finale last night

OMG. Good stuff.

My thoughts:

*After 30 minutes, I was over the crying and the lovey dovey stuff. I don’t expect them to talk like porn stars (wait do they even talk in the “movies”??) but enough is enough. “He warms my soul”, “she makes me smile and feel complete”, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you”. We get it

*I think the makeup could have been better. I kept seeing a hint of hair on Tenley’s upper lip and it bothered me (I’m an Italian woman and I notice these things)

*Tenley was finally growing on me and then this happened

*Loved both of the gals dresses at the end

*I will go postal if I hear “On The Wings of Love” one more time

*I don’t know how I feel about Alli as the Bachelorette. Suddenly, work is ok and she doesn’t have to go back. Also, doesn’t she work for Facebook? Couldn’t she work online and not have to go back to SF all of a sudden on the show and now leave ala Ed from last season ?? I was really hoping it would be Tenley who was the Bachelorette

*I don’t think Jake is going to last long on DWTS

However I think Evan Lysacek is going to be fabulous and make it fun!!!

Peace out homies!