I like big books and I cannot lie

Yay it’s Monday! Not. When will I ever enjoy Mondays? I swear, I do not mentally wake up until 2P or so and it’s just rough until then.
Nothing really exciting to report about today, which is sad. However, in true Amy fashion, I would like to give a shot out to whoever googled “Bart Simpson Pay Attention To Me” and got to my blog. That made me smile, don’t know if it should or not?

Breakfast was Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt, Blueberries and Trader Joe’s Blueberry Flax

Lunch was macaroni pasta with leftover Trader Joe’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip with grilled mushrooms, onions, yellow pepper, squash and pimentos.

I stopped by the library and got two books—-so excited to read Jackie Warner’s “This is Why You’re Fat” after reading Janaetha’s review of it.

I also read a review of “The Art of Eating In” in People magazine—in attempt to save money, the NYC author gave up restaurant meals, fast food and to go food for two years and wrote her story about her experience.  As y’all know, I love to cook and am all about saving my money so this book really appealed to me.

Growing up, my mom cooked some but most of our meals were at restaurants or take out. We didn’t have Sunday dinner or something consistent and when my mom did cook, it was the same foundation meals. Now I love my mom’s cooking but looking back, I hate the fact that we always went out and they really didn’t control what I ate. This along with laziness added to my weight increasing over the time and why I have been heavy for most of my life. During and after college, I still ate a majority of my meals out since I worked at restaurants and always got meals for free or half off so they weight kept piling on for me. When I finally had enough of my weight gain and took a hard look at myself and how horrible I looked, felt, etc. I taught myself how to cook and have been doing it ever since. Who knew, that this entire time that I was eating so bad that I loved veggies and healthy food? It’s kinda sad that it took me this long to realize it and unfortunately, every day I just shake my head at what I did to my body for so long. I really don’t understand how people can afford-both financially and physically- to eat out all the time. I guess I have better things to do with my cash and like knowing what’s going in my food. I wish I had more time and money to get more creative with my meals and devote more time to that alone. However tonight was NOT one of those nights where I wanted to get creative in the kitchen.

Don’t you hate when you have stuff in your kitchen to cook but you don’t want any of it or don’t feel like cooking? Cooking is very relaxing for me, I put on some music, chop my veggies to let out aggression and dance while cooking. But tonight, was not feeling it at all. I took Lincoln out and I was just beat still. I don’t know what was up with me today but feel like I sleep walked throughout the day. Meh. I went over to Fresh Market (a smaller Whole Foods if you will) and picked up some buffalo chicken tenders, baby spinach (the green monsters are making a comeback!!) and gasp—Patriotic Pretzels??!!

Yogurt covered pretzels are one of my most favorite things ever (you don’t see them on my blog b/c I don’t buy them for myself since I normally have no self-control with them) but decided to spend the $3 on them because, cmon, I’m supporting America by buying them.

And don’t think I didn’t break into them on my five-minute ride home

Too cute, too yummy.

Followed by a balanced dinner of fried tenders with Kraft Light Three Cheese Ranch and more yogurt covered pretzels. These tenders were on steroids so I finished two and was full.

Is anyone else super excited for Last Comic Standing to be back on? I know I am!

PS-If you want to see a super awesome giveaway, click over to Lisa’s page, she has the mother of all giveaways going on……actually don’t go, better odds for me to win LOL JK 🙂

Here for the wknd

I’m not going to Indiana. I’m still not feeling well and decided an 18 hour drive by myself while sick would not be a good thing. Plus I am going to DC next Thursday for the wknd and have been planning that for months and didn’t want to miss out on that as well. Sad thing is, this is not an April Fools joke.

I woke up late today and didn’t even time to make coffee—-eeeeeeek! I stopped at the Bucks before catching the bus, thank god for Starbucks at the shopping center where my bus stop is.

I got into work and changed my calendar. I love changing my wall calendar at work because I get a new picture on there. Am I the only person who gets excited by this??

Lovely!

I had the creamiest, dreamiest bowl of oats and greek yogurt for breakfast. Included oats, dallop of Trader Joe’s Greek Yogurt, unsweetened coconut, flax and a banana.

BEST

COMBO

EVER!

There was a guy talking to the lady who sits in my cube behind me at work and was sooooo loud. I thought his voice sounded familiar then I finally figured it out. He sounded like Bruce from Family Guy!!!

When I put two and two together I kept doing impersonations…..umm to myself like “Oh noooooo!” and “Hey how y’all doing?” Love Family Guy.

I got my ass handed to me at work due to it being the first day after quarter end. Luckily, I am still taking tomorrow off to rest up and the stock market is closed so no work will be coming my way.

For lunch, I had another big salad with baby spinach, broccoli slaw, cucumbers, shredded cheese and black beans with T Marzetti’s Honey Balsamic dressing (my new fave!)

I eat lunch at my desk 99% of the time(which sucks) but something new I’ve been trying is changing my Pandora station when eating. I typically listen to a house station or rock during the day but while eating lunch, I slow it down a bit. Today I listened to my Sublime station and I noticed myself eating slower.

With the salad I also had Progresso No MSG Added Roasted Garlic Chicken

 I was really happy with this soup. I’m not a fan of the brothy soups but am trying to eat them more since they tend to be better than the creamy soups. And I didn’t even have to add salt or pepper which I normally do so thumbs up!

I saw this ad on the bus ride home….. Smoked Butt…hehe. I am so easily amused.

I wanted something easy for dinner so I went with my old standby of nachos. Too bad I don’t have any jalapenos, onions or greek yogurt at home so they were quite boring nachos. Only Baked Scoops, Morningstar veggie crumbles and cheese…. but nachos nonetheless!

And I had a new jar of salsa to break into—Trader Joe’s Organic Tomatillo and Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa

I liked this. I grabbed it yesterday without really looking at it because I was in a hurry and feeling crappy. I typically don’t dig the smoky salsa’s but this was different, it was smoky with spice but not over the top smokiness.

I took an hour and a half nap and then had a Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle .

I had so much to do before my trip next wknd and hope I feel better this wknd to get some of it done. I need a new bowl for work, I am getting sick of looking at the blue one. I need to get an oil change. I need to sit down this wknd and make my April goals in order!!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Whole Lotta Catching Up To do!

Hi all-I have been totally MIA for the past few days due to A) it being gorgeous outside and B) too much to do so this is the catch up posts of all catch up posts. But I do have lots of pictures of food so redeeming myself there!

Starting off with Friday, I had the greenest green monster I have ever had!

I got to work and was covering my desk + another person’s so needed a Starbucks stat……and I went venti this time which I never really do anymore.

Since I am a nice co-worker (and don’t want my butt to get any bigger) I brought in Dove chocolates and set them in the break room

I went back into the break room five minutes later to make my breakfast and they were gone. The people live their Dove!

I made a bowl of Chobani blueberry greek yogurt, sliced peaches, unsweeted coconut and flax—it was delicious!

The morning went smoothly without too many issues

Lunch was Annie’s Shells and Cheese with broccoli florets

And then the craziness started and lasted all afternoon. I did pack along a salad to have along with the shells but didn’t have a minute to get over to the break room to prep it. Nothing too horrible but just a lot going on and was happy when 5 o’clock hit!

I was riding along on the bus home and you could hear my stomach growling and the salad was just sitting next to me so I broke it out. I want to apologize to other bus riders who had to smell my salad with tuna salad and vinegar. But there were only four other people on the bus and I was starving!!!

I took Lincoln for a long walk and by the time we got back, I was mentally wiped clean. I couldn’t think after the craziness that occured at work and wanted something easy for dinner so I fried up some frozen pierogies and grilled mushrooms and onions on the side.

Oh pierogies, I will never quit you

I settled down and finally got a chance to watch this past wk’s episode of Lost which was all about Richard.

I soon had someone watching me

What an episode!! I may have to watch it again today because it answered so many questions.

Lincoln started inching himself towards me so he could beg for food

Ha, he looks drunk here

I was in bed by 1030 on Friday night because I am lame but I did get a nice eight and a half hours of sleep which is unheard of for me!

I tried out my Sticky Bun Coffee I got on sale at Bi-Lo on Saturday morning

And we all know about BFD but what about DFB? I feasted on mashed potatoes with avocado and greek yogurt for breakfast

I was tempted to add some garlic, salsa and lime juice to make guacamole potatoes because it just sounds magical.

Lincoln was due for a check up and we spent a half hour at the vet getting his shots so he can be a healthy boy!

I came home to a nice surprise—my Crazy Richard’s peanut butter I won from

I had to break into this right away because…..well….no specific reason other than I just wanted to!

I made a Morningstar Chicken Pattie with Frank’s Red Hot topped with cheese on a Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin and tomato with a sliced banana topped with Crazy Richard’s Creamy Peanut Butter.

 The verdict? AMAZING! It was super creamy which I am a total fan of and not too thick (I am just starting to like peanut butter again because it’s thickness turned me off). I will definitely start using this kind and can’t wait to try the chunky)

Lincoln wasn’t feeling so hot due to his shots so he sat with me while I caught up on some reading

Soon after, I decided to take on the mall since JCP was having a great sale. I don’t like going to the mall because it just seems like madness each time I go and too many people. If I do ever go, it’s right when it opens in the morning and I go in and get out stat. I got two tops at JCP then went to Steinmart and got two more tops(those are for work though so nothing too saucy).

WVU was playing at 7 so I got on my gear and headed to a bar a few blocks away from my place to watch. It was $2 Corona’s and yeah, pretty much stayed with those all night. I was alone so just sat and the bar and needed nourishment. Confession…..I absolutely love bar food. I know I shouldn’t but I do and could eat it every day if I could.

I got a cheeseburger with french fried potato chips

So I know it doesn’t look like much but this was one of the BEST cheeseburgers I’ve ever had. I can’t describe why, it was just amazing. I stayed there the rest of the night, made new friends and watched WVU beat Kentucky to move onto the Final Four!!!

What has two thumbs and a sister who lives in Indianapolis? THIS GIRL!

Pending I can get Friday or Monday off of work, I will be making a beautiful nine hour drive to Indianapolis next wknd. I really don’t want to drive but refuse to pay $500+ for a plane ticket. I don’t have tickets but think it would be fun to hang there with all the basketball madness going on. Plus my sister went to Butler so a little bit of a rivalry there which makes it even more fun!

Anyways, after too many Corona’s I made it home and once again, famished. I made nachos, which is just fabulous drunk food. But I wasn’t too drunk that I couldn’t take a picture 🙂 They had Morningstar veggie crumbles, cheese, avocado, jalapenos with greek yogurt and salsa on the side.

And I devoured every last bit!

This morning I was looking forward to a big breakfest….well, a super huge hungover big breakfast: scrambles eggs with mushrooms, cheese and avocado and a Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with TJ’s Superfruit Spread

Nom Nom

It’s supposed to be absolutely miserable out today which I am excited about because

*I’m hungover and don’t want to move

*Have blogs to catch up

*Need to cook lunch meals for this wk

*Have Netflix movies to catch up on:

 

Giveaway!!!Here’s two fun ones for you:

Click here to win some Violet Love headbands!

Click here to win a Body Plan Kit that includes  1 Body Ball, 1 Light Toner, 1 Fit Stick, 1 door anchor, 1 Air Stik Pump, Motivational DVD, Fit Stik DVD, and Gym Technik Mobile Application.

Beautiful Day

What has two thumbs and had a fantabulous day? THIS GIRL!

Maybe it was because I finally chatted it up with the cute Josh Hartnett lookalike on the bus for almost the entire ride. He is just so cute and I kept smiling the whole time because he is that cute.  Turns out he was laid off and is going back to school and was formerly in the military. I will be getting more details from this slice of heaven. No longer are the days of acting aloof and uninterested like I was in my 20’s, I am in my 30’s now so bring it on!

Maybe it was because it’s spring time and absolutely gorgeous out. I love the tulips blooming all over uptown Charlotte

 Those two things just started off my day on the right step. I noshed on some oats, unsweetened coconut, flax and fresh strawberries for breakfast.

Confession time. I have not been tracking for the last wk on Livestrong.com and am starting to feel the repercussions of that. I am a grazer so occasionally will have some chocolate, salt and vinegar chips (I don’t know why I keep these in the house, I seriously need to throw out the bag). So from here on out, if it goes in my mouth, it’s getting a picture. I need to start tracking again and not justifying what I eat to myself or anyone else—-as crazy as said justification may be (ex. two desserts in one day). Sorry if seeing more pics if boring for you all but that’s how I am going to roll.

I got a grande drip with two pumps of sugar free cinnamon dolce and soymilk. I really need to start cutting down on my calories from liquids. I don’t like drinking my calories and should be savoring instead.

Anyone have any tips on transitioning over? I want to go black and never go back!!

I snacked on a granola bar before lunch

I had a great morning-got a lot done, caught up on emails and felt accomplished. This positive thoughts stuff is for real! I am trying to make a conscious effort to think positively about my day when I am at work. Bye bye negative thoughts!

I had the final piece of Danica’s Bubble Up Pizza Casserole I made a couple of weeks ago. I froze one last piece to see if it would be good and it was delish!

One of my co-workers went on a 25 minute walk this afternoon since it was so beautiful out. If I could just live in a place that was 70 and sunny year round I would be a happy girl! I needed a little pick up afterwards so we went to Starbucks and I got a grande iced coffee with soy milk and three splendas….for free!! The Starbucks people know me now and apparently that comes with perks 🙂 They saw me earlier today and just counted it as a refill–thanks fabulous Starbucks baristas!

I took one of the earlier buses home but no cute Josh Hartnett look-a-alike but oh well, there shall be other days. Lincoln and I went for a 40 minute walk on the greenway when I got back home and he got to socialize with other doggies.

He was happy when we got home!

I made kielbasa, grilled onions and the pierogies I made a few weeks ago for dinner.

I was planning on going for a run since I haven’t been in a week and a half but was still feeling a little off today and kind of light headed so I decided running wasn’t the best idea.

I went to Trader Joe’s to pick up some produce since I have close to zero in da house.

Reason #597 Trader Joe’s has my heart:

Pet Board!!! More like a dog board, which is even better 🙂 Who doesn’t smile when seeing these cute faces? And you bet your bottom dollar I am submitting a picture of Lincoln, this is out chance to get famous! I rolled out of there with tofu, oranges, potatoes, avocados, broccoli slaw, apples, greek yogurt, mushrooms and tomatoes along with this sweet treat.

I was putting the groceries away and came upon this mess

Beautiful. Turns out, my soy sauce bottle tipped over and spilled all over the place. I’ve been wanting to clean my fridge so this was a perfect opportunity to clear it out and clean it up!

All in all, today was a great day. I am a little groggy from this funky sinus cold/headache thing I have going on and am looking to getting a good night’s sleep tonight. I need to look cute in the AM in case Josh Hartnett look-a-like is on the bus 🙂

AND

 I have my year-end performance review tomorrow with my manager. I have been preparing what I want to go over (i.e. I hate my job and the don’t like the people I work with) and think I have it down pat where I won’t go off and start cussing or crying. I am planning on going over what I achieved this past yr, what I learnedI liked  doing (training other’s and work that is interactive), what I think we could use on the team to make everyone more efficient (seeing how my co-workers are always behind on their work and I always help them) and what I am looking for in the future. Wish me luck and any thoughts, comments, etc. please send my way!

We never found out who let the dogs out.

Sometimes when I get ready to take Lincoln out, I get “Who Let The Dogs Out?” in my head and once again, it’s crept in my head.

I am seriously contemplating downloading it from itunes.

I made french toast with fresh strawberries this morning. Yay for spring and cheaper fresh fruit! I need to hit up the farmers market soon.

I decided to get some spring cleaning done and cleaned out my closet and packed away my winter clothes, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Does anyone know of a good earring organizer> This is what it looks like when it’s “orderly” and is such a pain in my behind trying to organize, untangle, etc.

 I love my ghetto baby girl earrings!

I put away a bunch of clothes into my outdoor storage and put away a bunch of stuff that I’m donating to Good Will. All that stuff worked up my appetite and decided to make zucchini cakes.

The cakes frying up

Looks wise=fail. Taste wise=fabulous. They didn’t look as good as the last time I made them but still tasty!

Dessert was greek yogurt, pineapple, strawberries and flax

I got the bubble bath going and put on my bathing suit because it was time to give Lincoln a bubble bath! He hates going in the kitchen sink so have to give him a bath in the tub and he has this pina colada dog bubble bath that smells wonderful.

He looks so fluffy and clean now

And without a collar, he looks like a little naked puppy!

I ran to K-Mart to pick up some random stuff plus Easter gifts for my nieces. I love going there as opposed to Wal-Mart since the [prices are comparable and not as many people go there. One of the things I cannot stand about Wal-Mart are the crowds (given it is good people watching). Soon enough, it was time for the WVU-Missouri game. I made popcorn with my new White Cheddar seasoning

WVU won so they are onto the Sweet 16 and play Washington on Thursday–bring it Huskies! I feel asleep right after and hate that about Sunday afternoons. I never sleep well on Sundays due to me not being happy about another work wk starting but something about Sunday afternoon naps is so right.

Dinnertime was approaching and already had split chicken breast in the crockpot cooking so all I needed was a side dish. I had this box of Annie’s Organic Shells and Cheese sitting on my shelf for a few weeks and have been itching to make it. This was my first Annie’s experience and was excited!

Shells and cheese alone never fills me up so I steamed some broccoli and threw it in the mix with some pepper

 

I pulled the chicken apart to make pulled chicken, spooned Budweiser bbq sauce on top and let simmer in the crock while the shells were cooking

LOVED the shells and cheese. It didn’t taste as processed as Kraft shells and cheese, which I definitely liked it. It was light, cheesy and paired with the broccoli, a perfect side dish.

Since I already had dessert at lunch, I figure why no continue to have dessert at dinner.

This was another first for me–Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle Bar

I’ve always wanted to try these but they are super expensive but only $2.48 at the supermarket this wknd so I had to buy a box!

Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmm. This was delicious and reminded me of Pudding Pops from the 80’s!

God, those were so good!

I made lunch for tomorrow–Barilla Plus Whole Wheat Farfalle with sautéed baby spinach, artichokes in olive oil with fresh garlic and red pepper flakes.

It’s hard to believe this is one serving of the farfalle—56g. Before I had a food scale, a “serving”—eek!

I signed Lincoln and I up for the Dogswalk Against Cancer Event on the 3rd here in Charlotte this evening. Some of my former co-workers may come out with their dogs to walk as well. It’s the weekend of Easter and will be something fun to do since I have no plans for Easter Sunday itself.

Does anyone watch Desperate Housewives? Does anyone else want to shave off Preston’s porn-stache or think MJ is super whiny all of a sudden? I know I shouldn’t pick on a five-year old but suck it up MJ and stop whining about everything under the sun!

I wish I could tire out as easily as this little guy  but no can do. Hopefully I will start getting sleepy soon enough!

I think I woke up feeling like P Diddy….or Mase

It’s funny how a good night’s sleep can help. Operation Nyquil was a success last night! I can’t remember the last time I was in bed before 11P but that changed last night and I feel wonderful today. I definitely need to work on getting to bed earlier if it is going to give me this much energy. It’s funny because in college I could run on four hours of sleep, run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off, work, party til no end, go to sleep and do it all over again. I wish I could go back to those days sometimes (especially the cheap $300/month rent I paid!)

 I got into work today and Stinkalicious was out today!! That just made my day even better than it was already going on a good night’s sleep. Safe to say, Stinkalicious is the most annoying co-worker I have ever had. They will be copied on an email that doesn’t involve them and instead of just hitting “delete” , they call the person who sent the email to tell them not to copy them. Personally, if I was the person, I would keep copying them b/c I am a brat like that 🙂 But that along with horrible personal hygiene, the fact that they do not do a good job, always asking for help with their (maybe due to the six smoke breaks a day they take?) and not carrying their weight on the team, makes them not my favorite co-worker. So it’s a stink free day and like McDonalds, I’m lovin it!

I was going to have just greek yogurt and granola for breakfast but needed something with a little more umph so went with oats, strawberries, flax, unsweetened coconut with a dallop of Oikos Honey greek yogurt

AKA Heaven

Another super busy day for me which again, made time fly. Thumbs up to that!

I snacked on Brothers All Natural Asian Pear Crisps

I liked these so much more than the apple flavored ones I tried the other day. These were a lot sweeter and had more flavor so it was perfect for my sweet tooth.

#1 Thing to make me feel old today:

I had to explain to a co-worker what a slap bracelet is. He is in his mid-twenties and American so I was baffled on how he didn’t know this.

 I may have emailed him a video on how to work a slap bracelet. God, I love being snarky.

Lunch was great! Jimmy John’s was offering $1 subs from 11A to 3P but I walked down there and the line was around the corner and did not have the patience to wait in line for a cheap sub. I went to Showmars and grabbed a Chicken Salad Pita with french fries

LOVE ketchup!! And meal served with some form of a pickle, is A-OK in my book.

I took the late bus home and wanted to nap but just couldn’t fall asleep.  There is a Starbucks at my bus stop so I decided to stop in and get an iced coffee

Starbucks makes me happy 🙂

Enter #2 thing to make me feel old today:

It was so nice out, I put down my windows and was rolling through the parking lot with my cd player blaring. Was it blaring something cool or hip? 

  Oh no, it was blaring Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney “The Girl is Mine”

I felt really old and really dorky.

Since it was 70, sunny and perfect out, it was a great evening to take Lincoln for a long walk. We went on the greenway for 45 minutes and he had the opportunity to socialize with many dogs, big and small. Poor Lincoln, everyone thinks he is a puppy whenever we go out and when I tell them he is three years old, people are shocked. But he is almost up to the double digits in weight-so go Lincoln!

By the time we got back, it was 7P and I was famished! I had leftover veggie crumbles and black beans from the other night so went with tacos with avocado, onion, salsa, jalapenos and greek yogurt

Fan-flippin-tabulous!! I was enjoying my tacos and watching Inside Edition and heard about the whole Jesse James/Sandra Bullock drama. I did not see that one coming–they seem so happy and in love.

I need to catch up on all the NCAA basketball going on!! I did not have one minute today to catch up on the upsets but I need to see how my picks are going. I am more of a NCAA football girl but am really excited about basketball this yr since WVU is doing so well!

 

Oh— If you are near a Rita’s Italian Ice, they are giving out free Italian ice on Saturday in celebration of the first day of spring!

And holy giveaways batman…..

But before Saturday, click here for a chance to win some acai! Ends tomorrow  so be sure to hit that up:)

And one more,  click here to enter to win a beautiful Rachael Ray Hard-Anondized 15″ Oval Grill Pan—I WANT THIS!!

Click here for a chance to win a Namaste Foods fun pack-o-stuff.

Hell, one more just for kicks—-if you would like win some Amazing Grass, click here!

Thanks everyone for your encouraging words from my post yesterday. I wasn’t trying to be Debbie Downer or anything but sometimes we all need to vent, right? I am a big believer in everything happens for a reason and I know I will get through this and make in work (of course I’m saying this in  a Tim Gunn voice 🙂 )

Just wanted to say thanks again—One more day to go!!!

L.A. Face with an Oakland Booty

 I got two compliments about my weight loss from co-workers today—which was totally unexpected! I have been feeling somewhat discouraged lately and trying not to go by the numbers on the scale and more of how my clothes fit, which have been getting looser and looser. However a good portion of my life has gone with the idea of paying attention to the scale and not to inches, how clothes fit, how I feel etc. it is a bit difficult to get used to.

Anyways, it was a nice way to start my morning and a reminder to myself to keep moving forward and not get stuck on the notion that I have to be a certain number. I will state this now-I am a big booty gal

Enter in one of my most favorite Nike ads

 I am happy to be living a healthier life style, incorporating healthy foods, habits and workouts in my life but sometimes wonder what would happen if my butt keeps shrinking? It’s the bane of my existence….yet the thing that defines me. I am little in the middle but got much back, cursed with an Italian butt, etc. I don’t want to be some normal girl with a normal figure but at the same time sometimes hate my booty and the attention it brings.

 Oh Sir Mix A lot-you sing to my heart. 

 I am a true LA Face with an Oakland booty but what happens if I keep losing weight and my booty goes bye bye? Fortunately, I don’t think it will ever go away not be a flat a**sed girl, it’s just not in my DNA.  In my perfect world, we would be able to decide where on our bodies we wanted fat to dissolve from (along with me donating my fat to the starving kids in Africa) Sigh.

On a random note– I totally want to buy this shirt!

 

Now onto protein I’ve noticed ever since giving up a majority of meats I have been light headed and had zero energy. I was looking at my food diary from the past wks and I can see a significant drop in my protein intake. Before Ash Wednesday, it ranged from 85 to 140 grams a day and this past wk most days have been in the 40’s and 50’s range. As much as I don’t want to, I am going to try meat again for a few days and see if I feel back to normal. It is important for me to stick with what I gave up for Lent however it is most important for me to feel healthy and normal

That being said, I made nachos with ground turkey and black beans for dinner.

My snacks this afternoon were a kiwi and a tangelo

Lunch was the same as yesterday–Morningstar veggie sausage link, broccoli with whole wheat thin spaghetti

Breakfast-Oatmeal, flax and frozen berries

Onto the good stuff—-The Bachelor!

That whole thing with Roslyn was ridiculous. I will her that she is a really good actress with all the acting she did last night with the she said vs. she said when it came to her fling with the producer

 

And then with the low blow she hit Chris Harrison with saying that he was hitting on the producers wife? Wow. I am looking forward to the finale and seeing the girls (love on the commercials they have “Will Jake choose sugar or spice?”) meet his parents. From what they are showing, it looks like his family loves Tenley and not showing so much for love for Vienna. At least the finale is set in Hawaii—so no more turtlenecks for Jakey Pooh.

FML? How about LOVE my Life?

Let’s see…. this morning-lost my access id to work. Which if I was a normal person, would not be an issue. However since I am Miss Unorganized 2010, I keep my bus pass and Starbucks gift card in the plastic access pass envelope as well. God forbid, I take five seconds each day to put it in my wallet….GRRR.

I went to the Charlotte Transportation Center to check the lost and found. To get a visual of this place disregard this picture and picture a bunch of people who look like they are going to riot at any second. Each of them are smoking or drinking something and yeah, that’s the fabulous Charlotte Transportation Center for you.

Or as I like to call it, the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. After waiting for the Lost and Found to open, I felt and smelled like I had been in a bar all night. And it was only 8AM. The girl at the Lost and Found was something pleasant but forgot to say something like “Hi”, “How may I help you?” or something of that nature. She just stared at me shocked that someone was actually in there (yay for my tax dollars being put to work) But no go on my id being there so I gave her my phone number but don’t expect to hear from her.

I walked over to my building to find the only comfort that I could at the moment-La Starbucks.

 I love the baristas at the Starbucks in my building and they always put me in a good mood. When it was my turn to order, they asked me how I was doing and of course I asked “Do you want to real or the fake answer?” and they said “Real” which always makes me happy and spewed off my issues.

Which gets into another rant of mine for the day…..this whole FML business

I know I can be negative and snarky however try to keep a positive mindset. But when my friends are updating their status on facebook saying stuff like “Woke up late today, fml” “just got cut off in traffic fml” it really bothers me. FMH (Hour) I can understand but your life really?? I think that’s a tad dramatic. I could totally say fml about losing my access id, bus pass and Starbucks card but I choose not too. What brought this to mind was a facebook status from a co-worker from Phoenix who I started the bank with. Today is the third anniversary of her daughter’s passing. Her daughter died suddenly from an asthma attack and was only nine years old. Her facebook status was in memory of her daughter’s passing and with my foul mood today plus the crappiness of losing those items this morning, it really put things into perspective. Those were material possessions that I could get back right away however for her to have to bury her own child and me sit here complaining about losing that stuff is just ridiculous. Not sure if this makes any sense written out but in my head it does.

I know I sound like
but needed to get that off my chest.

Breakfast was cold vs hot with my baked apples over Oikos Plain Greek Yogurt with some flax. I love this combo, it just tastes decadent compared to the usually cold berries and greek yogurt.

Lunch was spaghetti squash that I made last wknd that I thawed out with Morningstar Veggie crumbles, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, evoo, red pepper flakes, oregano and garlic. I wasn’t sure if it would be good after being frozen but I actually liked it more since it was mushier. I had ¾ of this because I was so full.

I went to the library and picked up Eat Drink and Be Vegan for some ideas since I am not going to be eating chicken, pork or red meat for the next 39 days!

Yay for new things!

Dinner was sad for me. My friend, my only friend in Charlotte who actually wants to do stuff and no boyfriend, fiancée, husband is moving. She is leaving this wknd so this was out last dinner together. We went to Pei Wei which is one of my favorite chain places! Every time I go I really attempt to try something new but just can’t do it. I am a risk tasker but what if the new dish isn’t as good as old faithful? But then, what if it is so much better? Ahhh decisions!

Started off with some edamame

And then onto the main event-Tofu Pad Thai!

Good -bye friend.

 

After that, I decided to head to Target. I was sad and full and Target always makes me feel good!

Is this heaven? No, it’s the Target Valentine’s Day Candy Clearance Aisle

 I could have gone buck wild but went with one bag of Hershey’s Hugs Raspberry Kisses–$1.44/bag–holla!

 And Friday is right around the corner-yay! Fortunately, I get to leave work early tomorrow. Unfortunately, it’s because I have a laser tattoo removal session. More to come on that tomorrow….

Tempeh? Meh.

 

Oi, Happy Thursday! Today went by so slowly and  I felt apprehensive about my day yesterday but tried not to let it bother me today since I really can’t change anything. There was tention in the air and I tried not to let it affect me.

I had oatmeal, strawberry and flax for breakfast

 

The snacks- a banana and Blue Diamond 100 Calorie pack Almonds

I didn’t even have the appetite for lunch but I met with a girl friend of mine for an afternoon pick me up at Caribou Coffee. It was nice to get out of the office for a little break. Apparently everyone else had this idea since Caribou was packed! What do these people do and how do I get their job?  Since I had two cups of coffee at home and a Venti House Coffee from Starbucks when I got to work, I decided  I shouldn’t have any more caffeine for the day. I decided on a Hot Apple Blast  only small with no whip or caramel on top for a nice 220 calories. Not too shabby for a delicious drink!

For dinner, I tried  Maple Grilled Tempeh from 101 Cookbooks  (well my take on it at least) with a side of butternut squash.  I did not have the rice vinegar it called for so I substituted balsamic vinegar instead.

The tempeh martinating (recipe called for a long marinate session but I didn’t have so I let it martinate for 30 mins.

I had some Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips and Tabasco while this was cooking

 The final product

 The butternut squash (brushed evoo,pepper and all purpose seasoning -salt free- by McCormick) and baked at 375 degrees for 35 minutes

The tempeh

 

The verdict: Meh.

From UrbanDictionary.com Meh:

1.	Meh
	Indifference; to be used when one simply does not care

I think it would have been better if I let it marinate overnight but I was also a little turned off by the texture. I think it would be interesting to try in a spicy marinade in a wrap or sandwich. The maple marinade was great thougj!

Tomorrow is National Wear Red Day –remember to wear your red!

GTL

GTL GTL GTL. I have said this all day since I just got schooled in what exactly Jersey Shore is! I got an email saying “The Situation” (which I also learned this is a person, not a thing. Go figure!)

 I am kinda intrigued and a small part of me wants to go. Oh yeah, except I wake up at 545A most mornings and need to be on my A game when I am at work. Are his abs for real? Is this like a spin-off of Growing Up Gotti? And how much laundry do they do that they have to add a “L” for Laundry in their oh-so-cool acronymn?

I have spent the last two hours on the phone with HP as my computer was not wanting to start but it is finally up and running again!

I walked to the bus stop today instead of driving because the roads were still pretty icy. It was a happy Monday because of my cool new lunchbox (Thanks Target!) which holds 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 days of snacks!

Cmon, how cute is that??

I got into work and apparently missed the memo on coming in late today. I rolled in at 730A and my co-workers made it in from 930A-10A. Nice. Love that the girl from Florida can get in early but the Yankees and Charlotteans can’t. I wish there was a font for snark!

I decided to try something different from breakfast–oatmeal with flaxand blueberries. A purple mess (and it matches my lunchbox!)

I spent most of the day surfing the web (wow have not said that in forever) and getting schooled in the fineness of Jersey Shore.

Breakfast was left over sloppy joes and chicken noodle soup

with a crack snack pack that I haven’t enjoyed in forever!

 

This afternoon is a haze but I know I didn’t do a lot of work. I think I spent a good hour socializing, went to the library, Starbucks, met with my manager for a meeting we are having with a separate group tomorrow and that’s it.

Dinner was leftover split chicken with Ken’s Lite Honey Mustard sauce and a baked potato with a dab of ranch dressing and seasoning.

 

 Last season on the Bachelorette, I was on Team Jake.

 But now, I would really like to make a drinking game for the Bachelor. This is what I got so far:

*”This is like a fairytale!”

*” I don’t want to get hurt” take two drinks

*”I’m here to find a wife” take three drinks

If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

And Vienna is super annoying tonight, she reminds me of a beat up Haley Duff. Home girl slice better slow her roll with chomping on her acrylics or her french manicure is no longer going to be french. Meh. Jake, win my heart back and please vote her off!!