Aaaaand I'm Drunk

So, I blew it a little bit today. Just a little bit, though.

This morning I got up early and ran 3.32 miles around campus in 40'10''. I'd call that a success considering I have run exactly 3 times in July including today, whereas I ran 25 times in June. So I feel like I kind of just picked right back up where I left off. I had to drive to campus (because as I have previously stated, NC does NOT believe in sidewalks and I hate road running) where there is a little trail going around that is exactly 1.61 miles, and I ran it twice. Not too shabby. I felt pretty good and it was really nice out today. It was only 75 degrees and overcast.

Anyway...to the part where I blew it. I met my classmate for lunch today at a local Irish pub for the USWNT Olympic game...and proceeded to have 4 pints of Magners (I LOOOOOVE Magners) which comes out to roughly 719 calories, PLUS I had a caesar salad with beer-battered fish on top. Eek! Aaaand, we sat there from noon until 6 pm so by the time I got home I was a tipsy/drunk mess. I maintain that the reason why I drank so much on a Tuesday afternoon is because a. I don't have job b. I'm enjoying my freedom before the craziness of school starts and c. ESPN and Facebook and Twitter keep spoiling the mother f-ing Olympics for me. I mean, seriously, why doesn't NBC just televise the shit live and then do a primetime broadcast later for the people with jobs. All the results are posted online before anyone gets to see any of the events because of the time difference, and it's pissing me off to no end, because I'm home to watch this shit SO LET ME FUCKING WATCH IT! I guess I have to stay off all social networking sites, not watch ESPN, and not even open my homepage (MSN) for the next two weeks. But WAIT...even when I don't do that it gets fucked up for me anyway. Last night, I sat down to watch Missy Franklin take home the gold in the women's 100m Backstroke, and literally 3 minutes before the race was to be televised, NBC shows a promo for their upcoming morning show, "We sit down with gold medalist, Missy Franklin and her parents tomorrow morning..." I was like, are you fucking kidding me?! Thank you for ruining that. I'm SUPER pissed with the way the Olympic coverage is being handled. Obviously. Can't you tell? So there it is....anyway....

So I got home and was DRUNK and I still had to cook dinner for my family and get Bubs ready for school tomorrow. Its a good thing my husband is so patient and awesome because he played with her and grilled up some steaks while I made Cauliflower Mash (ie a GIANT mess in my kitchen due to drunken retardedness) AND he ended up giving Bubs a bath. I passed out at 7:45 pm and woke up about a half hour ago at midnight WIDE awake and thirsty as crap.

So I've just downed 2L of water and now I'm wondering what to do with myself at 12:42 pm.

I can't say that I ate particularly well today considering I went to a pub and drank a ton of beer and then came home drunk and starving so I devoured a giant steak and caulimash and broccoli and a couple of slices of dubliner cheese...so I don't even really want to think about my totals for the day.

But I did run. And I plan on running again tomorrow, too. Hopefully I don't throw up on my hungover self in the process.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to go to yoga at 9:30 and then go run around 3 or 4. We'll see about the run, but I will definitely get in the yoga. I REALLY need to finish unpacking boxes! My office is still a complete disaster and I only have two weeks until school starts! ahhhhh!!!!

Okay, now I'm rambling. Good night.

Let's Be Real

Okay, let's be real. Today was the FIRST day since we moved here that I've had completely to myself. So you know what I've been doing? Not running or going to yoga like I said I was going to. Nope, I've been sitting on my ass in my bed watching the Olympics ALL FUCKING DAY LONG. That's right. I took a holiday today.

I looooove my daughter more than anything in the entire world, but holy balls, she is a handful and refuses to leave me alone. Ever. So in celebration of her very first day of school (camp..but whatever) in our new city, I am doing nothing. Not one bit of housework. No exercise. Nothing. And it's GLORIOUS! I didn't realize how much I needed this until I got up this morning at 5:45 to get her ready after not going to bed until 1 am because I was filling out her forms and packing her lunch and her backpack...etc. I went with my husband to her school this morning just in case I needed to go over any forms, so when I got home at 8, I took a nap until 11. Then I woke up, turned on NBC and have kind of been vegging out all day.

I had some grandiose plans about running AND going to yoga today. But shit...that's not happening. I'm going to milk my free holiday and then get my ass back at it tomorrow.

So...there it is. I'm human...a tired human. I needed a break. The end.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole [Recipe]

So, this turned out freaking amazing! Hubs said he liked it, and well, Bubs doesn't like anything so she doesn't count! I was really surprised because I just kind of  threw all of this together hoping it wouldn't suck and I'd be stuck with a giant casserole dish of crap to eat all week. But! It didn't! So yay for me!

Here we go...

Ingredients:

• 1, 3-4lb spaghetti squash
• 6 links Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
• 1/2 of a white onion, chopped
• 1 cup canned sliced mushrooms (or use fresh, either way)
• 1 large bag of fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 cups grated reduced fat or fat free parmesan cheese
• 1 jar Light Alfredo Sauce
• 1/2 bag, Pepperidge Farm Sage and Onion Stuffing

Directions:

1. Cook the spaghetti squash as directed here.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (no need to add oil). Cut the sausage links out of their casings and crumble with fingers into skillet. Add chopped onions and mushrooms and cook until sausage is brown. Add spinach and cover until it wilts.
3. Dish spaghetti squash into casserole dish and mix alfredo sauce in until well combined.
4. Spread sausage, mushrooms, onions and spinach over top.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top and finally, cover with bread crumbs. Spray the crumbs lightly with cooking spray.
6. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees until heated through (about 15 minutes).

Makes 6 huge servings
Per serving breakdown:
Calories: 481
Total Fat: 19g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 96mg
Sodium: 1928mg
Potassium: 282mg
Total Carbs: 51g
Dietary Fiber: 7g
Sugars: 11g
Protein: 27g
Vitamin A: 74%
Vitamin C: 38%
Calcium: 34%
Iron: 30%

This thing was sooooo good! Try it, I swear you will love it! I will be eating it all week, happily! :)

Goal Week

Well, I really want to get into those 170s. And while I did well with my eating despite the lack of exercise this weekend, I think I need to step my game up a bit.

So here's my plan for the week

Sunday -- Yoga AND soccer -- CHECK (just got home from the soccer game, went to yoga this morning)

Monday -- Yoga AND run

Tuesday -- Yoga

Wednesday -- Run

Thursday -- Yoga

Friday -- Yoga AND run

Saturday -- Rest

It'll be easier to get it all in this week because Bubs will be in school!

So, so far, so good. I did both workouts for today. And I ate well. I weighed myself this morning at 184lbs. So, I'll wait until Saturday and then weigh myself again and see if I made any progress.

Plus, I have a great recipe to share that I made up all by myself! :)

AND, can we PLEASE talk about how Yoplait just came out with coconut greek yogurt. I am in heaven. They are delicious. And only 110 calories with 8g of protein for 4oz. Yay for snaaaaacks!


K...well that is all...here are my stats for the weekend:


Friday, July 27th
B: Apple Pie Oatmeal
L: Grilled Chicken Salad from Cracker Barrell (Seriously, this thing was sad. Hardly any chicken,  ICEBERG lettuce, some cherry tomatos, a cheese wedge, two tiny deviled eggs and some corn relish with a vinegrette of some kind....meh. Bubs' chicken tenders looked way better, but I sucked it up because we were shopping and I didn't want to be too full while I was trying on clothes)
D: Hubs made ME dinner for once, and it was even HEALTHY. craziness! Whole wheat rotini with sauteed tomatos and onions and pesto tilapia. yummy!

Totals:
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1579
Exercise: 0
Net: 1579
Remaining: -179

Saturday, July 28th:
B: Apple Pie Oatmeal
L: Ranch Chicken Tacos topped with an avocado
D: 2 slices of Thin n Crispy Veggie Lovers pizza from Pizza Hut

Totals:
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1567
Exercise: 0
Net: 1567
Remaining: -167

Today, July 29th:
B: Apple Pie Oatmeal
L: 1 slice of Thin n Crispy Veggie Lovers pizza from Pizza Hut
D (before game): Spaghetti Squash Casserole
D (after game): Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ds: Yoplait Coconut Greek Yogurt Cup (4oz)

Totals:
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1662
Exercise: 310 (I can't get a good grasp on how many calories playing soccer burns, so I'm not including it--so these totals reflect the calories burned just doing yoga)
Net: 1332
Remaining: 48

Long week ahead! Have a great night! :)

I Think I'm Stuck

I think I'm stuck. I got back on the scale today and saw 185.2. I don't know if I'm retaining water because of Bikram, but I feel like I've kind of been stuck around 185 for the past few weeks. I don't think I'm eating horribly, and I stayed within my calorie range yesterday....maybe I need to start running again. I've actually kind of missed it to be honest. And when I WAS running, weight was just falling off. But still...ugh. I want to be soundly in the 170s by the time school starts and I only have two and a half weeks until orientation.

I guess I just need to step up my game a little.

Today I'm taking Bubs to our "local" (it's an hour away) outlet mall to get her some school supplies and me a few pieces of clothing as well.

Hopefully I have just as  great a day as I did the other day in the dressing room.

As far as exercise has gone. Yesterday I only went to Bikram. I decided not to sign up for the other soccer league because it would just be too much. My knee was pretty sore yesterday, but it felt better after the heat and stretching at Bikram. I don't like I could feasibly play three games a week and have my knee hold up. So I'm going to play on Sundays and Wednesdays and continue to do Bikram and hopefully get some runs in. Sound like a plan?

NEXT week, Bubs starts school so I'll be going to my campus to look for some good running routes and get some good 3-4 mile runs in. I need them desperately.

As far as yesterday's calorie breakdown:

B: Apple Pie Oatmeal
L: Tostitos with homemade Avocado Corn Salsa
D: 2 Ranch Chicken and Black Bean Tacos (1 packet ranch dressing mix, 1 packet low sodium taco seasoning, 1.5lbs chicken breasts, black beans, 1 cup low sodium/fat free chicken broth--mix together, top with 1.5 cups shredded cheese of choice--I used WW, bake in the oven at 425 for about 40 minutes, let sit for 10, shred chicken, place in taco shells, enjoy.) I topped mine with fat free cottage cheese because I was out of greek yogurt (gasp!)
Sn: I had like 4 of Bubs' pretzel nuggets and maybe an extra bite of the taco meat to taste test AND maybe a bite of Hubs' freeze pop (so those 63 extra calories below are probably most definitely wiped out ha!)

Totals
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1647
Exercise: 310 (Bikram)
Net: 1337
Remaining: 63

Now I'm taking a two day break from Bikram (Hubs is working through all of the classes today and tomorrow so I can't go to any) and probably exercise in general, and I'll pick back up again on Sunday when I go to Bikram AND play in another indoor game. Yay! Hopefully I continue to eat well even though I'm not exercising!

Have a great weekend! :)

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" [Recipe]

This one is definitely a keeper, and its really simple as well! I adapted it from this blog and the picture is courtesy of her!



Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower, rinsed, dried, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2T Fat Free Evaporated Milk
• 1T Butter (I used Country Crock with added Vitamin D -- it's only 50 calories per tablespoon)
• 2 oz of SHARP (I mean REALLY sharp) cheddar cheese of choice
• 1t Salt (if you decide NOT to use EXTRA SUPER SHARP cheese)
• 2t Minced Garlic

Directions:

1. Place cauliflower pieces in microwave-safe bowl, add butter and milk and micromave on high for 5 minutes
2. Stir to coat the cauliflower with the butter/milk. Microwave on high for another 4 minutes
3. Placed cheese, garlic, salt and cauliflower/butter/milk mixture in food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Enjoy with reckless abandon because it's only 395 calories for the WHOLE thing.

So I ended up using 2/3 cup Weight Watchers Mexican cheese blend to save some calories which is obviously not extra sharp cheddar, so that's why I added the salt. If you use really sharp cheese, the salt shouldn't be necessary.

Here is the calorie breakdown using the WW cheese:

Calories: 395
Total Fat: 16g
Saturated: 8g
Polyunsaturated: 3g
Monounsaturated: 2g
Cholesterol: 40g
Sodium: 3050mg
Total Carbs: 39g
Dietary Fiber: 15g
Sugars: 17g
Protein: 28g
Vitamin A: 26%
Vitamin C: 464%
Calcium: 71%
Iron: 15%

Not too shabby...and it was so smooth and creamy and tasted just like mashed potatoes to me! Try it! You'll like it! And if not, tell me why and how to change it!

Almond Joy Oatmeal [Recipe]

This was sooooooooooooo yummy! I can't believe I had never thought of this before. I had over at undressedskeleton.com that Taralynn had made a version of this, but I couldn't find it, so I made my own simple version and you know what? It tastes exactly like an Almond Joy, is very filling and satisfies my sweet tooth! All for breakfast! Yay!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
• 1T unsweetend cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup light coconut milk (Thai Kitchen)
• 1/4 cup raw almonds

Directions

1. Cook oatmeal with water per usual
2. Add coconut milk and cocoa, mix until well combined
3. Top with almonds
4. Devour instantly

Oh yummy! And here is the calorie breakdown:
Calories per serving: 370
Total Fat: 22g
Saturated: 6g
Polyunsaturated: 5g
Monounsaturated: 10g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 5g
Potassium: 82mg
Total Carbs: 37g
Dietary Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 12g
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 18%

There are tons of variations as well:
Use coconut cream instead of coconut milk and add 230 calories
Use regular instead of light coconut milk and add 160 calories
Use 1T of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of cocoac powder and add 60 calories
Use 2T almond butter instead of raw almonds and add 30 calories
Use 2T flaked, sweetened coconut instead of coconut milk (sub coconut milk with almond milk) and the meal would be 425 calories

Anyway you get the picture...just make sure there is coconut, chocolate and almonds and it will taste like an Almond Joy! :)

My Return to Indoor Soccer

The last two days I have been just completely exhausted. Womp womp.

Yesterday morning, I was planning on going to Bikram at 6 am just to get it out of the way since Hubs didn't have to work until later in the morning. So I set my alarm for 5:15. At 4:30, Bubs fell out of her bed and screamed bloody murder so I went to her room and comforted her and then I figured it would be stupid to try to go back to sleep, so I just waited it out and went to yoga. By the time noon came around I was dead. I was craving a nap sooooo bad. So, I took a nap when Bubs took a nap.

And then, I went out for drinks with one of my classmates and didn't go to bed until 2 am, and Bubs got up at her usual time this morning (6:30 am). So I was exhausted all day today as well. When I put her down for her nap, I took a nap as well, but that child only slept for like an hour today so I was in hell. By the time Hubs got home, I was so sick of the word "Mom" that I just wanted to hide. I feel bad. I'm supposed to be spending all this wonderful time with her before my classes start and she goes to school, but all we do all day is hang out and watch Disney or Nick Junior and go to playground for about 45 minutes. Other than that I am cleaning. I just feel like she's not getting much out of our time together. And I felt even worse today because even though she only slept for an hour, I slept longer and she just kind of played by herself in her room/the upstairs hallway. Ah...I'm a horrible parent. I think we'll probably go outside twice tomorrow instead of just once, just to get some energy out of her. She went fishing with Hubs on Monday, and she absolutely loved it. Hopefully they can make that a routine thing that they do together on a regular basis.

After I was done being a horrible parent today, I went to my first indoor soccer game in about a year. I played in the field in the first half (probably only about 10 minutes because we had lots of female subs), and then I played goalkeeper the entire second half. I made some pretty good saves, and we ended up tying 3-3. So not too bad for my first venture out in a while.

Some backstory:
I've played soccer my entire life--as a goalkeeper. I played for the varsity team at my high school for all four years and I played on some pretty great club teams as well. I've been to the state championships for both club and high school. And I've played on ODP teams (those are the teams that get you onto the National team). I played division 1 college soccer and started all but like 3 games in my entire career. I didn't play my senior year of college due to some stupid shit that I'd rather not get into, but I graduated early anyway so whatever. But I miss soccer a lot. Since graduating from college I've coached little girls teams, coached at camps, and even coached a division 3 women's college team. Now I just miss it a lot. I was playing indoor soccer a lot early last year, and then my knee started acting up and I stopped. Then I had that surgery in December and I figured that 7 months later, I'm willing to give it a go again. My knee does NOT feel 100% at all and while I've been able to run long distances, I have a really hard time pivoting and cutting and exploding off of my left leg. So tonight was little rough on the field and I didn't feel completely confident going in for tackles or making long runs. But since I'm more comfortable as a GK anyway, that part went well. I even made a last second save at the end to preserve the tie. So, go me! :) And for the record, I did wear my knee brace when I played on the field because that would have just been silly not to. Plus, it makes me feel safer when I do wear it, even if I look dumb with it on.

Anyway....so that was yesterday and today. Tomorrow I'm going to yoga in the evening because I need to rest a little bit in the morning, and then right after yoga, I'm going to go play in another indoor soccer game at a different facility with a different team. Hopefully it goes as well as tonight did. Fingers crossed. At least I know I'll be all warmed up from yoga when I get there! :)

As far as food goes, all is meh but I have a few new recipes that I'll be sharing this evening (yay!):

Tuesday, July 24
B: Almond Joy Oatmeal and a G2 after yoga
L: Southwestern style egg whites with Light Queso Fresco and Chipotle Laughing Cow cheese wedges, salsa and fat free cottage cheese  with a Flat Out Wrap
D: Grilled Fish Tacos at a local bar and 1 mixed drink (Arnold Palmer with Vodka), and 2 Kolsch Beers (yummo)

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 2241 (guesstimate as the bar didn't have any nutritional info)
Exercise: 310 (since I've lost a few more lbs, I guess I burn fewer calories at yoga)
Net: 1931
Remaining: -531

Wednesday, July 25
B: Almond Joy Oatmeal
L: Cauliflower Mash with 1 piece of Ranch/Shake-n-Bake Chicken
D: Tuna Wraps

Goal: 1400
Food: 1823
Exercise: 193 ??? (I guessed again...I don't know...I was sweaty but I don't feel like I worked incredibly hard. Maybe I shouldn't even count these calories)
Net: 1630
Remaining: -230

Can We Say Size 10?

CW: 182.8 (-23.2lbs)

I saw THAT today! :) Yep!

And after THAT I went shopping and fit my skinny ass into a size 10 jeans at Old Navy (I bought them because my jeans are literally falling off my ass) and then some khakis at the Gap (I really wanted those beautiful blue khakis but I'm holding off on buying them until later in August right before school starts so I don't waste my money if I lose more weight between now and then). This hasn't happened since freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL! That's right, it's been like 12 years since my ass was small enough to fit into a size 10....wow!

I am a super happy camper today! I feel great and for once I didn't go into a dressing room and come out completely defeated. I didn't buy anything but that one pair or jeans, but a lot of the stuff I tried on, I picked out my usual size, XL, and everything was just falling off of me. It was a proud moment for me. I've really worked hard to lose this weight, and I can actually see results now. It's going so well. I just have to keep it up (which I completely plan to do). I signed up to play in a women's indoor soccer league AND a coed indoor soccer league. Both of them start August 20th...the same day as classes, but the women's league is on Sundays. The coed league might be tricky, but games are in the evenings, so it shouldn't be too hard to swing. And of course, there is always my number one love...Bikram. I went this morning actually. It was my first class with this instructor--apparently she is from out of town, but when she visits her parents who live here, she teaches classes--and she was great! She was laid back, and actually gave praise as well as constructive criticism directed AT individuals which I haven't seen very often, and I really liked her. Also, the class was nice and small (I mean, it's 9:30 on a Monday morning....people SHOULD be at work, right?) so I felt much more relaxed and in my element that last night's class. I felt like I got a lot out of class today. I rocked the standing bow pose (my favorite posture), but I still don't feel like I'm where I should be with triangle. I just have to keep working hard on that one, but I hate it soooo much! hahaha.

Anyway that's pretty much it for today!

Here are the stats for the day:

B: Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries and Almond Milk and a G2
L: French Onion Chicken with broccoli and half a baked potato topped with fat free cottage cheese
D: Pesto Pork Chops topped with feta cheese, Cauliflower Mash, and broccoli

Totals:
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1554
Exercise: 315
Net: 1239
Remaining: 161

Have a wonderful evening lovers!

The Weekend

My weekend was pretty laid back. Hubs visited his friend who lives about 2.5 hours away so it was just me and Bubs all weekend!

Yesterday we went to the grocery store, played on the playground in our neighborhood, went and got some Sweet Frogs, and cuddled up in bed to watch Cars 2 (two thumbs down...she was bored, I was bored....definitely meh).

Today, we ran so errands and then I went to Bikram. Not too much to report there. She is getting so bored with me. I can't wait until she gets to go to school soon! I'm sure she can't either. I feel so bad having her couped up in the house all the time. Her daddy is going to take her fishing tomorrow for a bit, so that'll be good for them.

Yoga was absolutely terrible today. It was sooooo crowded and when I got there (4 minutes before class was supposed to start) there was no space, so I had to sit on the HOT side of the room, right underneath the heater (there is a little section of the room that has an extra heater so it is 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the room...no joke, they even posted a sign about it...and no one ever goes over there unless a. they are the Bikram crazies or b. it is too crowded. I fell under column b). I felt like I was boiling for the entire standing series, gave up on Triangle pose completely, and moved my mat to the corner for the laying down series. I was between a wall and pillar, but I wasn't boiling, so whatev. What a wimp. I just don't feel like I got a lot out of today's class aside from the fact that I went and sweated my face off. There was an older couple (both of them completely ripped in a bodybuilder kind of way) who were late for class and placed their mats on my right side (also underneath the heater) and they were fucking obnoxious. The woman was grabbing the man's butt, they made a ton of unneccessary noice (especially everytime they went to get water), they were TALKING during savasana....just so obnoxious and disrespectful to everyone else's practice and it threw me off completely. I just did not have a good day today. BUT....I'm going back tomorrow morning with a teacher I've never worked with before so I'm hoping it will be refreshing and a little less crowded so I can practice in peace.

As far as my stats are concerned, here ya go!

I am still stuck at 185.2 (down to that tenth of an ounce...no change whatsoever), but I'm thinking of getting back into running once Bubs starts school in two weeks. I'll probably go to campus and look for a good route around there so that once classes start I'll know where to run!

Anywho....

Saturday July 21st
B: Protein Pancakes with butter and syrup
L: Leftover Salmon and Shrimp and 1/2 a loaded baked potato
D: Leftover Mahi Mahi and Shrimp with Broccoli
Ds: Sweet Frog -- Original Tart with Shredded Coconut, Almond slivers, and Whipped Cream

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 2481
Exercise: 0
Net: 2481
Remaining: -1081

Meh...whatever. I don't think those are completely accurate because the local seafood restaurant doesn't have any nutrition information so I guessed and I didn't  feel full or anything at all yesterday, so I doubt I ate THAT many calories. Especially since I weighed myself this morning and everything is the same. But....I'll stick with it.

Sunday July 22nd
B: Honey Bunches of Oats with Almond Milk and Strawberries
L: Southwestern Egg Beaters with Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges, Old El Paso Salsa, Plain Greek Yogurt, and a piece of Flat Out flatbread
D: French Onion Baked Chicken (just a french onion soup mix packet and olive oil), a Baked Potato topped with Butter, Weight Watchers Shredded Cheese, and Cottage Cheese, and Broccoli
Sn: I had a few of Bubs' baby carrots at snack time
I also had a Glacier Freeze G2 after yoga because I was just dying for something other than water (the whole bottle was only 45 calories though and it replaces all those electrolytes I lose when sweating my face off).

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1491
Exercise: 315
Net: 1176
Remaining: 224

I think I'm done eating for the evening as I am pretty exhausted and about to curl up in my bed with my favorite show, True Blood! Yippy! Have a great night! :)

Moving On

Regardless of the tragedy that occurred in Colorado yesterday, my husband and I decided to go see the movie here in North Carolina. I don't want to live my life in fear. Yes, it is appealing to stay inside and shield my daughter from the evils of the world, but there is also so much opportunity and so many good things that need to be experienced in life. I don't want her to be afraid to live her life, even if I may be scared for her. This event makes me want to hold on so dearly to the ones I love and never take forgranted my time here with them because you never know when that time is up. Tragedies occur everyday, and while I'm not hugely religious, I do believe in fate and karma and that when it is your time, it is important that you feel in your heart that you spent your years well, living them to the fullest and not shying away because you're scared.

So that's where I am. We saw the movie. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but the it was a bit somber for an opening night. The theatre was full but not packed and the atmosphere felt rather sad. No one laughed at the funny parts or clapped at the end. We saw the move. We left. The end. I felt like the entire theatre was holding their breathe waiting for something bad to happen, but trying to prove that they weren't scared even if they might have been a little. Every time I saw someone come in the theatre I braced myself a little. Which is crazy because that was an isolated event in Colorado. Why would I think that it would ever happen here? It's a 1 in 1 billion chance. But I'm assuming those in Colorado never even blinked an eye at the thought that something like that would ever happen to them...like I said before, something like that can happen anywhere, at anytime to anyone. That's just the state of our society. We just have to be cautious. Not afraid. And that's what I'm trying to be from this point forward...

Anyway...back to the point of my blog:

Hubs and I went to dinner last night before the movie. This really yummy local seafood place. It was GREAT...and I ate WAY too much.

I had:
Hushpuppies dipped in butter
Fried calamari dipped in marinara
Cajun Style Mahi Mahi and Shrimp Skewers with a Baked Potato and Sour Cream and Steamed Broccoli
Key Lime Pie

I ate half the order of hushpuppies and half the order of calamari (I split them with Hubs), then I ate half of my mahi mahi and shrimp, all of the inside of my baked potato with one little tub of sour cream, and all of my broccoli. I DID NOT share the keuy lime pie, 1) because Hubs hates it and 2) even if he did like it, it was too perfectly good to share (plus it wasn't that big)

I'll be eating the leftovers all day today. Hubs had the salmon and shrimp which he left for me to eat (he went on a fishing trip with his buddy for the weekend). So I have a ton of shrimp and half a salmon fillet and half of a mahi mahi fillet all to myself! Yippy! :)

All-in-all I probably ate 2500 calories in that one sitting, but I didn't eat lunch and I only had my protein pancakes for breakfast. So I cheated yesterday, but I don't eat like that everyday by any means and we were on a nice date.

The outfit I wore for my date was practically falling off me though! My jeans are just wayyyyy too loose these days. I buy all of my jeans at Old Navy because I'm a mom with no money and they still look and fit great. The ones I wore last night are called The Dreamer and they are a size 12. They are a mid-rise so the cover up my "baby pouch", and I love the style, but I think it's about time to go with a 10....which means, I'll wait until I lose a bit more weight and go with an 8. I'm not buying any clothes until at least August 11th. I need to buy an entirely new wardrobe for school. I don't own any work clothes or dress-up clothing because for the past two years I have been a student and a rehabilitation technician...meaning I wore yoga pants and t-shirts allllllll the time. So when I do go shopping I have to go all out and I want to make sure I'm at a good size so I don't waste all my money buying stuff that's going to be too big in a week....So here's to having some goals! I have about 3 weeks to drop another size. We shall see....

Warning: Rant on the State of Our Country :(

I know that this doesn't have anything to do with my blog...but, it's my blog so I'll talk about whatever I want to talk to about, damnit.

I am so deeply saddened by the events that transpired at the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado early this morning. In case you don't know, a shooter opened fire at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie, killing 12, injuring 50+ more among those a 3-month-old and a 6-year-old.

It's crazy to think that you honestly cannot go anywhere anymore without fearing for your safety. As a mom, I am constantly thinking about the worst case scenerio at any given time, but I really think we take forgranted simple outings such as going to the grocery, going to see a movie, getting ice cream, going on a picnic at the park. There are some seriously crazy people out there and I've started to believe that literally nowhere is safe anymore.

I mentioned in a previous post that I have recently been looking for preschools for my daughter since we moved and the first thing I thought about when I saw the school that we are ultimately going to send our daughter to is, "What if she drowns in the pool?". SERIOUSLY?! I mean safety should always be a huge concern, but why do I automatically assume she's going to drown in their pool (which they have 2 lifeguards at at all times by the way) instead of thinking, "Wow, I wonder how their curriculum stacks up!"

Since  becoming a parent I've found it incredibly hard to watch or read the news and if any of it ever involves children I am instantly dissolving into tears....It's sad.

You would think that our country would place more emphasis on the saftey of its citizens, rather than the money generated from big businesses that harm people everyday ie tobacco and guns. Yes, yes, I know that "The Right to Bear Arms" is part of what this country is founded on, but you think that the screening process to allow people to access that right would be a little more selective. Now, we don't know much about the shooter at present, but I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later that he has a history of mental illness and/or violent tendencies and he ripped his cat apart with his bare hands when he was 9. My family owns guns, my Dad das a concealed carry permit, and I believe that responsible parties can and should be able to have weapons to protect themselves and their loved ones should something occur. However, I do NOT think that there are enough precautions in place to keep the crazies from owning guns and other weapons as well. There should be extensive background checks, urinalysis, exams, the whole nine yards in order to be able to get a gun permit and some states don't require ANYTHING, except for proof that you have never been convicted of felony. What the fuck does that matter?!

When are we going to wake up and say that enough is enough? Columbine, Virginia Tech, Tucson...I mean, seriously! How many "isolated incidents" have to happen before we realize that we are being bombarded with violence on an hourly basis and it needs to stop. This country is seriously ass backwards when it comes to priorities. I have to take a drug test in order to get a job, however people on welfare do not have to take a drug test before collecting free money...it just doesn't make any sense to me what direction this country is heading...I seriously fear for my child and her safety at all hours and it makes me just want to bubblewrap her and leave her inside forever so she doesn't have to see what kind of shit hole the world is becoming. I long for the days before 9/11 (I was 15) and Columbine (I was 12) where I was just a carefree kid and I hope that Bubs can hold onto her carefree days longer than I was able to....

I don't know. It's just sad and I don't know how to express just how frustrating it is to feel so tense all the time, worrying that something bad is going to happen to you and/or your loved ones. I am a constant "worry wort" as my husbands likes to call me and I wish I could just relax and be...but with things like this happening ALL THE TIME these days, its hard to not worry about those you love at all hours.

Anyway...end of rant....

THIS Picture

I've been getting A LOT of compliments on the picture below. Bubs (she's three by the way) took this picture of me and my husband last night after I got home from Bikram. I was sweaty and gross...and apparently everybody in the facebook universe thinks I look great and skinny. Kind of makes me proud....

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Pudding Cookies [Recipe]

I got this recipe off the Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips bag and then proceeded to change a few things up to make it a little bit more healthy. Not THAT much more healthy, but they are really yummy so whatev. Hubs and Bubs LOVED them and I only had two before sending my husband to work with the rest, so that's a plus!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour (this is what I had on hand...I need to finish this flour before I can move on and get Whole Wheat Flour that I prefer)
• 1/4 cup Truvia baking blend
• 3/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Chobani 0% Plain Yogurt
• 1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened (I accidentally melted mine, but it was fine)
• 3/4 cup liquid egg whites
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil (I read that if you are substituting egg whites for whole eggs when baking, you need to add a little bit of oil to make up for the missing liquid...hence the coconut oil)
• 1 small package of sugar free, fat free butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips (to make it a little more healthy, I would probably only use 1-1 1/2 cups next time...they just won't be as chocolatey which is fine with me...I'm slowly falling out of love with chocolate these days)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix flour, pudding mix (just the dry mix...don't actually make the pudding), baking soda, and salt in one bowl
3. Beat Truvia, yogurt, butter, and vanilla together thoroughly, then add egg whites slowly. Add coconut oil and brown sugar.
4. Pour wet ingredients slowly into dry and beat on low until completely mixed.
5. Add chocolate chips.
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. This recipe SHOULD make 36 (3 dozen) cookies, however mine only made 24 because I made bigger cookies. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
7. Let cool....devour.

Calorie Breakdown:
Original Recipe: 206 calories per cookie (24 cookies)
Original Recipe: 137 calories per cookie (36 cookies)
My Recipe: 190 calories per cookie (24 cookies)
My Recipe: 126 calories per cookie (36 cookies)
Half the Chocolate (my recipe): 143 calories per cookie (24 cookies)
Half the Chocolate (my recipe): 95 calories per cookie (36 cookies)

So, it's not that big of a difference, but with no white sugar and the added protein from the Greek yogurt as well as the healthy fats from the coconut oil and the lower cholesterol from using just egg whites instead of whole eggs, I still think it's a good alternative. Give it a try and see how you like it!!!

Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops [Recipe]

Warning: This recipe is NOT clean eating...but it is good! I can't eat clean all the time, I have to cater to the Hubs at least SOME of the time.

I adapted this recipe from here and it is super easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thin cut, pork chops
• 1 10oz can of 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom and Chicken Soup
• 2 packets, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1 cup (8 oz) almond milk

Directions:

1. Arrange pork chops in bottom of crock pot
2. Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl
3. Pour mixture over pork chops
4. Cook on High for 2-2.5 hours

We served ours with Kraft Veggie Mac and Cheese (Lite Prep) and broccoli.

I'd like to make this recipe clean but I just haven't gotten there yet...the sauce this stuff makes is super yummy over the broccoli though!

We had 4 thin cut pork chops, so I assumed 4 servings at 251 calories per serving. Not bad, but lots of sodium so watch out.

Just Doing My Thing

I've been having a good few days! Things are going very well with Yoga--I went on Monday and actually sat in the front of the room! I completed my challenge of going for 6 days just like I said I would.  Honestly, I really do love it! I already have my whole next week of Yoga planned out and I bought their unlimited month package (only $160--WAY more expensive than any gym membership I've seen) last night when I went to the late class. I also plan on going back tonight!

Tomorrow, however, I'm taking my lovely husband on a date to see the Dark Knight Rises because we are huge comic book nerds. Well, actually, he's a comic book nerd, I just like action movies. Leave the silly romcoms at the door....not my style.

And today has been reserved for cleaning my house. womp womp. Bubs and I have been traipsing all over the county this week trying to find a good preschool to send her to and yesterday afternoon we finally did, so I can relax. Yay! Except not really because I have to clean!

I don't really have a whole lot of amazingly wonderful things to say about my last few days. I mean, they've been pretty momtastic...and that's about it! But that's not what this blog is about....

So here are some of my stats for the past few days:

Tuesday, 7/17/2012
B: Protein pancakes with 2T almond butter and banana slices
L: Flat Out wrap with provolone, sundried tomato pesto, and tomato -- grilled
D: 2 tilapia filets (8oz total) topped with light garlic and herb mayo, 2 wedges laughing cow garlic and herd cheese, tomato chunks and panko crumbs, grilled in foil packets with a side of cauliflower rice and a ton of broccoli florets

Totals
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1354
Exercise: 0 (I was supposed to meet a new classmate for dinner, but she had to cancel and I just wasn't mentally prepared for yoga, so I didn't  go anyway)
Net: 1354
Remaining: 46

Wednesday, 7/18/2012
B: Protein pancakes with 2T almond butter and banana slices
L: 2 Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
D: 1 serving of Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops with broccoli florets and 1.5 cups of macaroni and cheese veggie pasta (lite prep--almond milk, and just a little vitamin d country crock)

Totals:
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 2255 (I think I OVERESTIMATED here...but I guess that's better than underestimating)
Exercise: 315 (Bikkrrraaaammmmm)
Net: 1940
Remaining: -540
Like I said...probably an overestimation....

Anyway, that's been my week so far. I'm really obsessed with the protein pancakes covered in almond butter with bananas right now. It's about 700 calories, but to me, it is totally worth it because I am full until well into the afternoon which means I eat a later lunch and then end up eating a much smaller dinner after yoga. So it works! Plus, yoga naturally curbs hunger anyway.

Caulirice? Crice? Er....? [I Wouldn't Call This a RECIPE per se...]

I did some culinary amazingness this afternoon. Just now, in fact. I am so proud of myself, to be honest. I made cauliflower rice! That's right...I am seriously kicking carbs in the ass right now. First spaghetti squash, now this!

Anyway....here's what I did....

Take a whole head of cauliflower and wash and dry it. Then cut it up into chunks and throw it into the food processor set with the shredding tool. And voila! Cauliflower rice! Now all you have to do is microwave it for a few minutes (don't add water, it has plenty on its own) and season it as you would regular rice (I used country crock with vitamin D, salt, and pepper) and you're all set.

And just so everyone can be jealous...here's what I ate it with:

Yummy...Crock Pot Chicken Tacos with half of an avocado...good lord, I am stuffed.

This whole bowl is just about 600 calories. And 1.5 cups of the "rice" was just 38 calories, whereas, 1.5 cups of white rice is about 300 calories. Yay! The only downfall is that I have little pieces of cauliflower all over my kitchen right now...I'm still kind of getting used to this whole  food processor thing and I tend to make a giant mess like all the time....sigh!

Anyway...just thought I'd share! :)

Big Weekend with My Sister!

Well, I had a great weekend with my sister! She got here around 9pm on Thursday and Friday morning we got up and went to the beach. It was about a 2 hours drive on the freeway, so it wasn't too bad at all! Bubs absolutely hate the ocean the first time my sister took her in, but she loved the sand and she spent the majority of our time there shoveling it into her bucket and dumping it out, and repeating. The second time my sister took her into the ocean, she liked it a lot more and was splashing all around. We had a great time! After about 3 hours there, we got back in the car and drove the 2 hours back. We got home around 5:30pm and then my sister's friend who lives near us came over to visit. She is going to be Bubs' babysitter, so we basically had a very informal interview and just hung out until almost midnight. The interview was so informal that my husband decided to drink an entire bottle of wine. By the end of the night he was obnoxiously wasted. Apparently she didn't care though because she texted my sister later and told her that she was excited to babysit for us. So, that's good to know! We are crazy, but some people don't mind! :)

Yesterday, my sister, Bubs and I went to the local farmer's market and got some organic produce then I went to Bikram while Bubs took a nap and my sister relaxed, and THEN my sister and I went to see Magic Mike. I spent the entire movie with my hands on my face in complete awe, squirming in my seat. It wasn't a super sexual movie, but the naked man dance scenes were sexy. I don't know if that make any sense.

Anywho...this morning we woke up and make protein pancakes for breakfast, and then my sister left and now we're all just kind of lounging around. I plan on going to Bikram in an hour, so I'm just saving my energy. Sigh...

Not too much to report to be honest. As far as food is concerned, I ate half of a large bag of m&m's last night at the movies and when I got home, I added up the calores....its was like 1400. EEEEK!!!!

Here was my menu for the past few days!

Friday
B: Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal drizzled with Coconut Milk, 1 glass Silk Light Chocolate Soy Milk
L: Honey, Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich
S: Small Chocolate Frosty from Wendy's
D: 2, 4 oz Tilapia filets with Newman's Own Mango Salsa and Broccoli
Ds: 1 slice of the Deep Dish Cookie Pie (it's gone now...thank God)
Ex: None

Consumed: 2396
Ex: 0
Net: 2396
Remaining: -996

Saturday
B: Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal drizzled with Coconut Milk
L: Flatout Wrap with Red Onion, Tomato, Basil, Chicken and 2 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb Cheese
D: Chicken with Light Alfredo Sauce, Tomato, Yellow Onion, Basil and Broccoli
Ds: Half a Bag of Peanut M&Ms...whoops!
Ex: Bikram Yoga

Consumed: 2561
Ex: 315
Net: 2246
Remaining: -846

Not my best showing the past few days but I'm hoping to get back on the right track this week. I hope to continue to do Bikram and even get a run or two in. We shall see!

By the Way...I Almost Forgot

CW: 185.2lbs (20.8lbs lost)

That's what my scale said this morning! :)

Still doing work! That's right! :)))))

A Breakfast That Wasn't a Failure [Recipe]

I made this this morning! Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal...holy crap, it was amazing. Sooooo good. Of course I changed it to fit what was in my pantry/my dietary "limitations":

1/4 honey instead of brown sugar
2 cups unsweetened original flavor almond milk plus 2 cups fat free evaporated milk instead of milk/heavy cream
1/3 cup egg beater egg whites instead of eggs
2 teaspoons apple pie spice instead of just cinnamon

I had some leftover evaporated milk so I just topped my oatmeal with that and It. Was. Fantastic. And very filling I might add. And Bubs liked it which is always amazing considering this child subsists on goldfish crackers, cheerios and raisins. It's always a pain in the ass to get her to actually eat anything. So, 1 point for mom! Yay!

My version was about 270 calories per serving not including any topping (recipe makes 6 servings):
Total Fat: 3g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 228g
Potassium: 401mg
Total Carbs: 46g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Sugars: 25g
Protein: 11g
Vitamin A: 12%
Vitamin C: 7%
Calcium: 38%
Iron: 10%

Anyway, yesterday went well, meal-wise:

B: Nothing because my muffins were a failure
L: 2, 4 oz Tilapia Filets with Avocado Salsa and Fat Free Cottage Cheese
D: (when I got home from Bikram at 11pm) 1 1/2 Pork Chops (only about 5oz...they were thin) with Lightly Buttered and Peppered Broccoli Florets
Snack: After lunch I had a slice of the Deep Dish Cookie Pie
Ds: After Dinner I had a slice of the Deep Dish Cookie Pie (what? it's freakin' delicious!)
Ex: 317 calories burned doing Bikram Yoga

Totals
Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1741
Exercise: 317
Net: 1424
Remaining: -24

Not too shabby...I'm sure I'll do much better once all of this damn pie is gone. Haha!

So here's to going to yoga again tonight, and my sister coming to visit for the weekend! So exciting!!!!

Avocado Salsa

Even though I posted this recipe in a previous post, I wanted to make it a standalone post so that I could link it to the Recipe Collection page for easier access. So here it is!

This recipe is really easy and tastes so fresh and yummy, I plan on eating it like everyday. It is also very customizable, so its easy to tailor to anyone's taste!

Ingredients

• 1 medium avocado, pitted, cubed
• 1/2 of a large tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or a tablespoon of cilantro paste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix it all together and top onto fish or eat with chips...pretty much do whatever you like with it! Eat it by itself, whatev.

Vegan Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins = Failure [Recipe]

Fail Fail Fail....I am so disappointed. I tried to make these muffins I found on Dashing Dish (original recipe here) with blueberries because my blueberries were going to go bad and I completely failed at it. I tried to make them vegan which I guess was my biggest mistake--instead of using egg whites like the recipe called for, I used flax eggs and I guess there just wasn't enough liquid because my blender would not blend them, so I added some almond milk to thin the batter out a little bit and I think I just ruined them. They completely deflated in the middle and never even cooked all the way through after 25 minutes. So, I give up. I need someone to teach me exactly how to do some vegan baking. Chocolate Covered Katie is awesome so maybe I should stick with her, but I've been trying to incorporate my protein powder into my recipes, and she doesn't do that all that often. I thought this recipe would be awesome. Grrr. I'm annoyed I wasted all my effort and ingredients.

At least my cookie pie from yesterday was a success....

On a positive note, however, because I didn't eat those muffins for breakfast I had a slice of my cookie pie (gasp), and I got to eat THIS for lunch:

Two 4 oz tilapia filets (seasoned just with pepper, cooked in a frying pan with just a bit of cooking spray...simple), 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, and an avocado salsa that I just whipped together using 1 medium avocado, 1/4 chopped tomato, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, cilantro, and lemon juice. So good! Avocados have a lot of calories, but they have so many good nutrients and fats that I have found them to be a staple in my diet. I typically use them to replace fats in other recipes, I use them on sandwiches instead of mayo, etc. They are just so freakin' yummy. Anyway....

Everything on my lunch plate today was a total of 630 calories and here's the nutritional breakdown:

Total Fat: 33g

Saturated Fat: 5g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g

Monounsaturated Fat: 19g

Cholesterol: 90mg

Sodium: 753mg

Potassium: 1079mg

Total Carbs: 33g

Dietary Fiber: 13g

Sugars: 8g

Protein: 53g

Vitamin A: 17%

Vitamin C: 256%

Calcium: 51%

Iron: 17%

I'm going to yoga again tonight (hoping to burn another 300 calories) and then I'll probably come home and eat some protein/veggies like I did last night. I've noticed that I'm really enjoying eating whole foods and keeping my refined carbs to a minimum. I haven't eaten pasta or rice and I've been eating tons and tons of fruit and veggies with protein (mainly in the form of fish--salmon, tilapia) instead. I'm still completely enamored with spaghetti squash and plan on eating that forever, and I recently came across a very simple recipe for riced cauliflower as a rice replacement, so I'll be trying that ASAP.

Anyway, check back later, because I'll probably be here. I have tons of time on my hands these days while I wait for school to start, so I plan on just blogging away for the majority of it (that is when I'm not exercising, doing things with Bubs, or fixing up my new house...)

Bikram Challenge

Today I decided to take my first Bikram Yoga class in over a year. I've always "enjoyed" Bikram-- you know, as much as anyone can enjoy sitting in a hot as balls, humid room while trying to hold these ridiculously tricky poses and still breathe--and early last year I was going two times per week, every week, religiously. The studio was near where I was taking classes so I could get into PT school AND right where my mother-in-law lived (she watched Bubs while I was in school) and it was convenient to go right when I got out of class and then pick up Bubs and go home. Then my knee started bothering me and classes ending, leaving me with an hour commute each way just to take a yoga class. So I just couldn't do it anymore.

Good news though! The studio in Durham is exactly 10 minutes from my house and its a nice easy commute. They are a little pricey, but not too shabby and my first class was fantastic. I don't know if it's because I'm in better shape from all of the running I've been doing over the past few months, but it wasn't as challenging as I remember it being when I did it in VA. It was also a lot more laid back. In VA, the instructors were adamant about complete silence, which is completely understandable during the postures and savasana and whatnot, but at the end of this session, everyone clapped and cheered, like "Yay, we did it!" It was nice. And I liked the instructor, she wasn't too demanding or demeaning like some of the instructors at the studio in VA. All-in-all it was a great first experience, and I'm excited to go back. I bought a 7-day unlimited introduction package for $25. So, I can go for the next consecutive 7 days as many times as I want. So that's what I'm going to do. Today was day 1. I'm going to try to go at least 5 more times (Friday, I'm taking a day trip to the beach with Bubs and my sister, so that's why I say 5 instead of 6). Tomorrow, the class I can make is at 8 pm. So, here's to the challenge! :)

Also, here are my stats for today...not too great, not awful...it was that damn cookie pie:

B: Blueberry Maple Fridge Oatmeal (recipe here). I didn't particularly like this flavor (mainly because I'm not a huge fan of blueberries, I'm just trying to eat them before they go bad)
L: Chickpea Burger in a Flatout Wrap with tomato slices and Avocado Cream Sauce
S: Avocado Cream Sauce with Multigrain Chips (My cream sauce was going to go bad, so I ate it like it was guacamole with some chips to get rid of it)
Ds (Yes, I ate dessert after lunch): .75 servings of the Cookie Pie
D: Salmon fillet with mango salsa and tons of broccoli (devoured after yoga at 10 pm)
Ds: .75 servings of Cookie Pie

I need to put the cookie pie away. ahhhh!!!!

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 2014
Exercise: 317
Net: 1697
Remaining: -297

May I just say, that I have absolutely no idea how many calories Bikram Yoga burns, honestly. I've heard that it can burn up to 1000 calories and then I hear critics say that it's only about 200, if that. This form of yoga is not listed in My Fitness Pal app, so I just used regular yoga. I'd rather be on the low side instead of overestimating.

Chocolate Covered Katie is My Hero [Recipe]

So, I have Chocolate Covered Katie listed as one of my favorite blogs, and for serious, I am not kidding, she is amazing. Go to her website immediately. I've recently been gathering up some serious courage to try some of her recipes. I started with a fan favorite of hers, the Sugar Free Deep Dish Cookie Pie. I haven't actually had the chance to try it yet, but the batter was freakin' delicious so I'm assuming the actual, baked pie will be just as fantastic. I had to make some modifications based on what I had so here's what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup pitted dates
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup unsweetened, original almond milk
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup 1-minute Quaker Oats
• 2 packets Stevia in the Raw
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a round baking pan (9x9)
2. Mix the first seven ingredients together in a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients minus the chocolate chips in a different bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix thoroughly.
3. Add the mixture to your food processor. I had to do it in four batches because I have the smallest food processor ever. I also found that I had better success, if I scooped out some of the dates, added them first to the food processor and processed them for a few minutes, and THEN added the rest of the ingredients.
4. Add all of the mixture to pan and bake for about 40 minutes until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

I calculated the nutrition information based on the ingredients I used and here's what it looks like:

Serving Size: 1/8th of a pie
Calories: 376
Total Fat: 15g
Monounsaturated: 1g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 118mg
Potassium: 103mg
Total Carbs: 59g
Dietary Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 29g (mostly natural sugars from the stevia, dates, and honey...but, don't forget those chocolate chips)
Protein: 8g
Vitamin A: 5%
Vitamin C: 1%
Calcium: 11%
Iron: 13%

Not too shabby considering a regular cookie pie is probably like 800 calories per serving. So...yea. I plan on serving this to my husband tonight with coconut whipped cream (recipe here...its super easy) and see what he says! Fingers crossed!

Last Post for Today...I Swear

I'd like to point out to those who did not notice my last post, I have tried me some spaghetti squash as a pasta replacement, and may I say that,  while the Hubs thought it was nasty, Bubs was none the wiser when I plopped down her plate of "Nu-Nu's" and parmesan the other night and watched her devour it all.

I was in heaven. It was absolutely the best replacement for spaghetti I could have every imagined. It was so good. It doesn't taste like squash. I hate squash. This was different. It was crisp, but stringy and tasted amazing with the different toppings I added over the past few nights. That's right, I had enough for 3 dinners.

Here's what I did:

Night #1: Plain spaghetti squash, Worchestershire and Montreal Steak seasoned sauteed mushrooms with tomato basil sauce
Night #2: Sundried tomato pesto spaghetti squash and grilled salmon with italian seasonings
Night #3: Sundried tomato pesto spaghetti squash with two portobella mushrooms each with a wedge of garlic and herb laughing cow light cheese, a tomato and topped with a 1/2 tablespoon of parmesan, baked at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Amazing. And it's only about 40 calories per cup as opposed to 200 calories per 2 oz of regular pasta, depending on how you season it. I had like 3 cups at each meal and was 100% full and satisfied.

And if you don't know how to cook a spaghetti squash, here's how:

1. Cut it in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds
2. Poke a bunch of holes in it and season it with italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whatever you like.
3. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 1-1.5 hours. The flesh should easily come away from the rind.
4. Scoop it out into a dish and season it as you please, maybe add some olive oil and voila! spaghetti squash!

Ok, I'm done sharing this amazingness with you now! Go try it! I don't think I'll ever eat regular pasta again! (okay, well that might be a lie....)

Chickpea Burgers with Avocado Yogurt Sauce [Recipe]

I adapted this recipe from Macheesmo and it can be found here. Picture is courtesy of that website.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/4 cup flax
• 1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt
• 3-4 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons cilantro (I use a cilantro paste)
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix chickpeas, yogurt, cilantro and garlic in food processor until completely smooth.
2. Add other ingredients, except for green onion and process again until completely smooth
3. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat at medium-high. Make four patties and place in pan, heating through, browning on both sides.

Nutritional Information, makes 4 servings: 160 calories per serving, 5g fat, 22g carbs, 8g fiber, 2g sugar, 8g protein

For the Avocado Yogurt Sauce:
In food processor, blend two medium, ripe avocados with 1/4 cup fat free greek yogurt, 1/4 cup red onion, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and garlic powder to taste until very smooth. Top chickpea burgers.

Nutritional Information, makes 8, 1/4 cup servings:  82 calories per serving, 7g fat, 314mg potassium, 5g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g protein

No Sidewalks! GRR!!!

CW: 186.6lbs (19.4lbs lost)

I hate North Carolina and its no-sidewalk-ness. It makes me not want to run. And I was doing so well. L Everything is main roads here. I could totally deal with running on the street if I were running through neighborhoods. But as soon as I leave my immediate neighborhood I am on a main road and there are no other neighborhoods in sight. I’d just run in my neighborhood if it weren’t exactly .15 miles—that would get boring really quickly.

So Hubs and Bubs and I went to the Duke Gardens yesterday around 10:30 in the morning. We had a picnic and played a little bit of soccer in the field and then we walked to the lake to look at the ducks. Bubs had a fantastic time! When we got home, I decided to go for a jog. It was noon. It was 102 degrees outside. I ran for maybe a quarter mile and then thought I was going to die so I power walked instead (for 3.06 miles in 43 minutes). And the entire time I was just dreaming about water. Blah. It was too much. I felt like crap. When I got home I chugged two liters of water, took a cold shower, ate some chickpea patties and avocado yogurt sauce, and then took a 3 hour nap. I was drained.

I woke up feeling pretty refreshed though. So I guess that’s good. This whole moving process and all the things we have to do to get our house in order has just completely drained me. And did I mention that my knee is giving me fits again? I know I did already...but still. The little bit that I did run yesterday, I basically limped and my knee hurt the entire time. L I think I need to get ANOTHER opinion on this bad boy. I’m so sick of it. I want to be able to run and cut and jump like I used to. Just playing around at the Gardens with Bubs and Hubs was a bit painful. I couldn’t change directions quickly and its not like I was playing in a super competitive game or anything, we were just goofing off, playing keepaway, ya know? Sigh….

The only plus side about all this is that I’ve gotten back in to some good eating habits and I’ve lost a little bit more weight even without a whole lot of exercise this past week. So that’s a positive. Gotta think about the positives….oye.

Yesterday’s (Sunday 7/8/12) Menu:

B: Strawberry, Banana, Almond Butter and Granola Flatout Wrap found here with 3 pineapple spears (539 cal)
L: Two chickpea patties with avocado yogurt sauce (496 cal)
D: Spaghetti Squash with sundried tomato pesto and grilled salmon (504 cal)
Ds: 3 angel food cupcakes with 1/3 less fat strawberry cream cheese topping (238 cal)

Totals

Goal: 1400
Consumed: 1777
Exercise: 315
Net: 1462
Remaining: -62

Not bad. And to be honest, I’m eating good things and in moderation so I’m feeling pretty good about my calorie intake. I’m trying to eat more cleanly—less processed foods, less carbs, less refined white sugar, more fruits, veggies and protein. So far, I’m doing well, and the foods that I’m eating I actually like. Craziness!

P.S. Check out my recipe section! I'm slowly adding new recipes that I've either created myself or stolen/adapted from someone on Pinterest (giving them full credit of course)! Of course, I'm still experimenting in my kitchen so keep checking back for new ones!

I Didn't Work For This...

CW: 189.4lbs (16.6lbs lost)

Um, really? I’ve been eating like shit and not exercising for the past week and THAT’s what I read today. REALLY? I am so surprised, and very happy to be honest, but still….surprised. And maybe a little pissed, too, because I distinctly remember working my ass off for 1 measly lb a few weeks ago....grrrr.

Anyway, my menu for today:

B: Blueberry protein pancakes with strawberry garnish and lite syrup
L: Sweet Frog frozen yogurt – banana pudding flavor with nilla wafers and whipped cream (yummo)
D: 3 chicken and veggie kebobs with a piece of flat-out bread and hummus and feta mint sauce (recipe for the kebobs and the feta mint sauce can be found here)

I’m regaining control of this diet thing here.

And no, I did not run today or yesterday. The end.

Hello, North Carolina!

Well, we moved. And my healthy eating habits have taken a huge hit. So has my running. We moved out of our house in VA on Sunday and into our house in NC on Monday. My last run before the move was on Friday and I finally got one in yesterday (Wednesday). It was a little less than 3.5 miles, took about 45 minutes and it was all on the road. Apparently, NC does not believe in sidewalks, because there are none whatsoever. I don’t like running in the road, its scary. Ahh.

Anyway, so my food consumption has looked like this:

Saturday Night: We had dinner with my mom at this place in Gainesville called Bungalow – I had a veggie sandwich and only ate a few of the fries

Sunday:  Mom and Bubs and I went to Red Robin where I had the Chicken Bruschetta sandwich with onion rings, then for dinner we went to an Irish Pub and I had 2 Magner’s Ciders, a roasted chicken with goat cheese salad, some crab dip, and cheesecake AND bread pudding (we shared). BAD, K!

Monday: Waffle house for breakfast (I felt disgusting eating my waffle and didn’t finish it), then pizza for dinner (I ate four slices – 2 stuffed crust cheese and 2 thin crust veggie)

Tuesday: Pizza and brownies

Wednesday: two hot dogs with chips for lunch, 4 chicken and veggie kabobs for dinner with homemade ranch potato salad for dinner

OYE….I’m not doing well. I’m so afraid to even go near the scale. My only saving grace is that I did get a run in yesterday. But still…

We went to the grocery store and got all sorts of yummy food yesterday, so I should get back on the right track now.

P.S. Did I mention my knees are killing me. Yes, plural. Again, oye. Maybe its the down time, or maybe they're just starting to crap out on me. Either way, I don't like it.

Other than my crappy eating the move has been going well so far. Things are getting in their right places and we are just steadily getting stuff together. We don't have any air conditioning today and no one can come out to fix it until tomorrow, so hopefully I don't die before then because its like 105 degrees today. ick!