Messy, messy and germy, germy. Ick!

My overly ambitious attitude carried over into this morning as well. I was woke up by our TV at 4 AM so I was feeling tired and cranky and decided to skip out on my workout. I will try to do some yoga again tonight, cuz my muscles are tight. My desk is too high for me so I sit in this awkward shrugging position all day so I can type.

I got out of bed and did the usual hygiene stuff and got my make up on. Then I proceeded to the kitchen, making a stop at the laundry room to start the first of many loads of laundry. Once in the kitchen I decided to soak some dried kidney beans for tonight’s dinner, throw my baked bean concoction into the slow cooker to cook all day, unload and reload the dishwasher, make breakfast, and pack today’s snacks. It was my ambition to do all of this in 20 minutes.

No such luck. At 20 til 8 (I am supposed to be at work at I still wasn’t dressed and had no idea what to wear. Eek! I managed to get some clothes on, but not shoes. I shoved my shoes in my back, slid on my slippers and ran out the door giving myself about 12 minutes to get to work. Luckily traffic was light and I walked into my office at 8:01. Whew.

This is what I managed to throw on. Not great, but could be worse. At least I didn’t show up in my yoga pants! Plus, I am still wearing my slippers.

Breakfast was couple of red berry Special K waffles with maple syrup. They were only okay. B picked these out, I prefer plain Eggo’s.

My AM snack was a salad of cucumber, grape tomatoes, and broccoli slaw. I topped with a few gorgonzola crumbles and olive oil vinaigrette. Lunch is always easy when I have spinach and rice in the fridge. I just have to throw them in a bowl with a few topping and I am set.

In my bowl today is raw baby spinach; leftover basmati rice medley from last Thursday; leftover bacon, andouille sausage, and tomato slices from Tuesday’s lunch; and a drizzle of Newman’s Own ranch dressing. Plus some homemade sweet potato gnocchi.

Tasty and filling. Gotta love that combo.

So far no dessert, but I have a feeling I am going to have a snack attack soon.

3.75 days down, 1.25 to go until the weekend! Soon the countdown to Good Friday will begin! See you for dinner.

When I got home for work I knew that if I sat down and got on my computer I wouldn’t want to get back up, so I ended up cooking all evening.

Dinner was chicken lettuce wraps. Which means I threw a bunch of stuff in a skillet and then coated with an Asian sauce. Love it.

Tonight the skillet included ground chicken, 1/2 sliced onion, 1 slice red bell pepper, 1 grated carrot, and 1/2 can chopped olives. I topped with some General Tsao’s sauce with a little drizzle Szechuan sauce for some kick.

While dinner was on I also put some dried navy beans on for a quick soak. And then after dinner I got to making homemade baked beans. They aren’t done yet, but since I couldn’t find a recipe I like I am thinking this going to be a big fat fail. I will try to remember to let you know. Do any of you have a good homemade baked bean recipe?

Next on the stove was Kath’s sweet potato gnocchi.

I made a few changes, but stuck to the recipe for the most part. I used less cinnamon and used sage instead of rosemary. I also happened to overwork the dough so they came out more dense than intended but they tasted great! You should definitely give them a try.

I am off to do some yoga. Have a great night!

Last night I did not get a good nights sleep. The warmer weather outside meant a warmer temp insider meaning a 2 AM wake up because I was hot! The restless sleep also meant I was not motivated to get up for a workout. Why can’t I seem to work in a workout consistently? Working out and cleaning my house that I consistently lack discipline on. I gotta work on that.

I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry for breakfast this morning when I was leaving the house so all I grabbed was a PB cookie Larabar. Bad decision. Shortly after I got to work I was starving and cursing myself for packing something more substantial.

I also wasn’t feeling the idea of sweets, but since I was lacking any other kind of breakfast-y foods I proceeded to dig into the Larabar. All I can say in Blah. After eating about half the bar I just couldn’t eat any more. The bar was sweet and dry compared to other Larabars I have tried.

When the Larabar didn’t workout I decided I would go ahead and bust out my veggies that I had packed for a morning snack. Who cares if it is only 9 AM?

I dipped the broccoli and some of the cauliflower in the tiny bit of ranch I packed (maybe 1 tbsp, trying to exercise moderation since I could easily drench my veggies in it) and then dipped the rest in TJ’s tahini free hummus. Surprisingly, this really satisfied my taste buds and my appetite.

I tried eating the rest of the Larabar as my morning snack but still wasn’t feeling the sweetness. As much as I hate to throw out food I decided to pitch it and move onto something else.

I didn’t want to eat anything too substantial since lunch was only an hour away so I broke up a Doctor Kracker and scraped the last remnants of the hummus from my container. Perfect.

When lunch rolled around I was comfortably hungry and ready to meet Jennifer at Yoshi’s. We have missed hanging out the past few Wednesdays. I had my usual shrimp tempura roll and some zucchini and onions (and a coke, I just couldn’t resist!). No gyoza today, maybe next week.

I don’t have a good exit line….so I will be back with dinner. Have a nice afternoon!

I did manage to get myself out of bed again for a workout. I did level 1 of 30 Day Shred. That workout makes me feel like such a wimp. I can never make it through a few of the exercises, but I am seeing improvement each workout.

I felt cute again today so I decided to take some pictures of my outfit again.

All of my pants are either too loose or slightly too tight so most days I feel like I look like such a slob. I usually wear the bigger pants since I sit all day, and after a few hours of sitting slightly too tight pants feel way too tight. It is just nice to feel good about how you look every once in a while.

I was starving by the time I got to work and I was ready to dig into breakfast. Honeynana Chobani Champions yogurt, Adore Glo bar, an apple, and some Justin’s Honey PB were on the menu.

When I went to Harris Teeter on Sunday I found Chobani Champions on sale and I could not pass them up! I want to compare the chocolate flavor to chocolate Oikos, so despite not liking banana flavored foods I grabbed the chocolate and honeynana pack.

I am not usually keen on the idea of something so chocolaty for breakfast so I grabbed the honeynana for this mornings breakfast.

First of all, I love the serving size. This size is perfect for me. I tend to get tired of yogurt before I make it through a normal sized container.

After taking my pictures and trying the yogurt plain, I remembered to add some chia seeds that I had packed this morning. For a banana flavored product I was pretty pleased with the flavor. Even though the flavor was decent I knew I could not eat an entire container of banana flavored yogurt on its own so I decided to use it as fruit dip.

I sliced the apple, topped with a drizzle of PB, and then spooned on the yogurt. Deee-lish-us. And I only used about 1/2 the packet with PB, which means I am getting to spread out the goodness.

For a morning snack I decided to try something that Katie recommended, dried apricots with almonds stuffed inside.

I have tried and tried but I just don’t like dried apricots. I ended up pitching the apricots and put together a different snack.

Almonds with peanuts and Cuties.

I was really at a loss for what to eat for lunch, but I am pretty proud of what I came up with.

I was going to make a turkey sandwich until I realized that we were out of turkey. Plan B turned out to be a  BLT, and then I added some chicken andouille sausage for kicks.

The final product ended up being a toasted bagel thin schmeared with blue cheese (we are out of mayo), 3 pieces of turkey bacon, some chicken andouille sausage, tomato, drizzle of olive oil vinaigrette, and some romaine lettuce. Very good sandwich.

Then I ate the leftover salad from this weekend that my Mom sent home with me. I love blue cheese on salads.

Quick desserts are slim pickings in my house right now so I ended up eating some chocolate and butterscotch chips with some milk. The butterscotch chips are so rich that I could not finish all that is pictured here.

My afternoon snack was the rest of my almonds and some dried cherries. I did not eat them together together though. I ate the almonds first then the cherries. As my apricot experiment may have indicated, I am not keen on the dried fruit nut combo no matter how much I like or don’t like the dried fruit in question.

B wanted soup for dinner so he ran to Food Lion to pick up a few cans. He picked up chicken noodle and sirloin burger because they had the lowest sodium content… and because he wanted chicken noodle.

I ended up eating the sirloin burger with a slice of homemade rosemary bread that I had made a few months ago and froze. When I have a soupy soup (as opposed to a stewy soup) I love to soup up the roux with bread. I think I could have eaten 2 or 3 more pieces of bread.

This soup had absolutely no staying power so I have nibbled all evening.

We opened some Triscuits Thin Crisps to try. They tasted really good, but the rosemary flavor is still my favorite flavor.

Then B made me some guac.

Unfortunately it didn’t hit the spot either and I only ate a few bites before leaving the rest for B.

I ended up finishing the chocolate and butterscotch chips from lunch as dessert, but I am still feeling snacky. I must find something soon because I hate to go to bed hungry, and I am very fortunate not to have to.

I am feeling surprisingly tired so I think I am going head to bed soon. Have a good night.

On May 13, 2010 the is a Girls Night Out, Glamour and Giving event being held to support Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.

If you are into fashion or just into having a fun night out with the girls, please consider attending!

When I got home I had this mess to deal with.

I went to unload the dishwasher and realized the dishes were still dirty. Oops. Now my sink is an even bigger mess! Hopefully I can get it done before bed.

We had planned to make lettuce wraps for dinner but had a change in plans since B is sick. He either has the flu or food poisoning or something like that.

I ended up eating the leftovers from lunch with a few additions. Fish sticks with tartar sauce, sautéed Brussels sprout, macaroni, and baked beans. Dessert was a Samoa cookie.

Now I think it is time to face my kitchen. Eek!

I am feeling nice and refreshed after my weekend at the beach. It is amazing what a weekend away from home can do for you! Unfortunately I have a sick husband and a load of household chores to face when I get home.

This morning started out well. I was awake for my workout even before my alarm went off.

I don’t normally give myself enough time to eat anything before a workout but this morning my arms felt like lead. So I ate an easy snack to give me a little energy to get me through my workout. I ended up doing a 20 minute yoga workout and then did the first to segments of the 30 Day Shred level 1 workout. I had some DVD player issues that cut into my workout time considerably. The DVD was stick in the middle of the level 3 workout! I am still not sure how I fixed it.

I felt pretty for a change this morning so I decided to take some shots of myself.

I got my whole outfit on sale at the Old Navy outlet this weekend! B makes fun of me for liking cardigans, but I think it is cute.

Over the weekend I received some Amazing Grass sampler packs that I had ordered last week so I decided to give them a try for breakfast.

I made a smoothie with spinach, almond milk, ice, 1/2 banana, 1/3 mango, 1/2 nectarine, some frozen blueberries, and a packet of Amazing Grass Green Superfood.

It was very grassy. It took me over 2 hours to drink this smoothie because I just couldn’t get past the taste. I am sure there is a way to make smoothies that mask the grassiness but I certainly did not manage that this time. I have some flavored SuperFood powder samples that I am going to give a try. They may be better for a beginner like me.

When I finally got the smoothie down I was starving and started my morning grazing. I started with an Doctor Kracker (I accidentally started typing Uncle Kracker, Oops!) and Laughing Cow.

Then pickles.

Then Cuties and some roasted peanuts.

I guess I am still on my salty kick.

Over the weekend I picked up a few groceries, including some vegetarian Bush’s baked beans, and I just couldn’t get them off my mind. Naturally I went ahead and made them today’s lunch. Lunch ended up being Annie’s macaroni (which is on sale at Harris Teeter), Bush’s vegetarian baked beans, and green beans. It was so good that I went back for seconds on the beans and macaroni!

FYI, I think Bush’s makes the tastiest baked beans ever. I want to try to make my own homemade baked beans but I am afraid they would fall terribly short of my beloved Bush’s.

No dessert. I got caught up watching last Thursday’s Grey’s Anatomy on my DVR and had to rush back to work!

Breakfast was apple slices, organic PB, and a couple of Cuties.

Chips in the house are a dangerous thing for me. I just can’t resist them! I laid a hurtin’ on this bag of sour cream and onion chips that my parents brought as a morning snack.

The weather today was even better than yesterday so we took another walk on the beach.

B and Piper decided to take a run in the water. Brrrr. But it was too cute!

Lunch was leftovers from last nights dinner. We cut the lamb off the chop, topped with Greek yogurt-dill sauce, and put on a pita. We were trying to make a gyro look-a-like. Plus a little salad on the.

We hit the road to head back to Charlotte around 12:30 and I did not do anything to plan snacks for the road. We ended up stopping and treating ourselves to some Bojangle’s seasoned fried dipped in honey mustard. I am hoping this snack will finally satisfy the major salt craving that I have been having this past week.

On our way home we stopped in at EarthFare and scored some free coffee and granola with a coupon they sent out this week. Such a score!

Dinner was awesome! We made some TJ’s chicken pot stickers with TJ’s gyoza dipping sauce, udon noodles, and sauteed veggies (onions, mushrooms, and zucchini). It was an Asian feast! We attempted to make homemade shrimp sauce but that was a big fat fail. It was way too runny, plus it was pretty much just spiced mayo that is watered down. Ick! I wonder if I could make it with Greek yogurt?

Dessert was my last 2 Godiva chocolates. I am so sad to see them gone.

I wanted to do a yoga session tonight but time has gotten away from me. It time for me to get a bath so I can get and bed and be refreshed for a workout tomorrow AM.

I hope you all had a great weekend! 

It has been a gorgeous day in Myrtle Beach! It was such a full day and I have a ton of photos for you.

My morning started with a breakfast of 2 deer sausage patties, 2 Cuties and 1/2 classic Glo bar.

After breakfast we all decided to soak up some sun and take a walk on the beach.

Then we drove down to the flea market in Surfside Beach.

I was really glad that I planned ahead and packed some snacks. I go really hungry while we were walking around.

I finished my Glo bar from breakfast.

And a Clif Kids stawberry organic Twisted Fruit.

I may or may not have helped my Dad eat some popcorn that he bought from one of the vendors. 

I came home with a couple goodies. My Mom got me this jar of local honey and I am looking forward to giving it a try.

On our way back to the house we stopped by Costco to buys some goodies for dinner and we definitely partook in some of the free samples. Yummmm. They were even sampling Odwalla smoothies!

We didn’t get home until around 2:30 and immediately dug into last nights leftovers. I think I ended up eating 7 wings in all.

After lunch my Mom and I were ready to head back out. I wanted to hit up a Birkenstock store but the one near our house, at Barefoot Landing, had closed. Boo. So we went to the Tanger Outlets instead.

Check out these rockin’ shoes that we got for me niece-in-the-making.

My brother is a Converse fan and my Mom and I knew we had to stop in the Converse store once we saw it. Sophie really love pink, so we merged the two and got pink baby converse!

I also got me some replacements to these ugly things.

Aren’t these slippers much cuter? My cousin has a pair that I borrowed a few weeks back when we played corn hole in the parking deck of her building and I have been looking for a pair ever since. I think I may have made fun of them at the time, but they were so warm and comfy. Love them!

It seems like were started cooking dinner right after we got home. I couldn’t believe it was already 6 PM!

Dinner included a little wine, bread and cheese. Plus a lamb dinner we cooked up for my parents. Lamb has become a favorite “fancy” meal that we can cook at home. 

We considered making brownies for dessert, but then we remembered the Krispy Kreme down the street and decided we could not pass them up.

When we got there the Hot Now sign was on. Score!!!

B and I ended up ordering half a dozen all to ourselves. We ordered 3 glazed, 1 glazed and creme filled, 1 glazed chocolate covered, and 1 glazed chocolate covered with sprinkles.

The creme filled was my favorite.

We ended up having to bring half of the doughnuts home, but  I am not sure they will make it through the night.

Now I will leave you with a horrible, squinty eyed picture of me wearing a Krispy Kreme hat.

Night!

My parents have made some really nice updates to the house and I am finally getting to see them. So nice!

This morning started off a little rough. I woke up for my 5:45 AM alarm so I could workout but it was so cold that I could not force myself out of bed. I stayed under the covers and read blogs in Google Reader until it was time to start getting ready.

When I finally got up B happened to mention that he turned the heat off yesterday. What?!

53* degrees in my house! And I have been cold all day…even now at the beach house.

I randomly took a picture of my lunch bag this morning. Such a mess.

I wish I would have gotten out of bed earlier this morning because I had to get my stuff packed for the weekend as I was getting ready. It didn’t make me late but it made me feel rushed.

Breakfast was the same as the rest of the week and equally as delicious. I started with an Adore bar and loved it some much that I ripped of a piece and shared it with a coworker. He is a vegetarian and we are often talking about healthy eating and organic produce and such. He loved it!

Plus some blueberry Greek yogurt topped with some thawed [previously frozen] strawberries. I had also stirred in a little vanilla extract and chia seeds. Love this combo, must try again.

I also ate 1 Cutie a little later in the morning.

The morning breezed by at a nice relaxed pace and I munched on some roasted peanuts as my AM snack.

B fixed lunch, which was half a Costco onion bagel, chive cream cheese, tomato slice, and melted provolone. Easy and delicious.

Right after lunch we loaded up the car and hit the road. We stopped about half way to get some gas and to trade driving duties. We also broke down and bought a bag of chips. We hated them. After one bite we were ready to pitch the guys, and that we did.

Unfortunately the nasty chips got me craving something salty so we stopped a little further down the road and picked up some chips that we knew were a sure thing.

Once we got to the beach I was ready for another snack and I had guac on my mind. Sadly, our avocados were not ripe enough and would not mash. Although my craving would not be deterred. I ended up slicing part of the avocado and sprinkling it with garlic powder. It worked for me.

These were the chips. TJ’s didn’t have the same chips that I bought last time (multigrain with flax) so we decided to give these Veggie and Flaxseed chips. They are good, but I prefer the multigrain.

We waited for my parents to arrive before we had dinner. We had considered going to a local German place, but that wasn’t sounding particularly satisfying to any of us. We ended up going to Buffalo Wild Wings for some wings.

I really fell off the healthy eating wagon on this meal (especially after eating a bag of chips on the ride down) and started with a coke to drink. I was surprised when I thought it was too sweet. I drank most of it but drank a lot of B’s water in between too.

We started by sharing an order of  mozzarella sticks.

And shoestring fries.

Then we ordered a buttload of wings. 6 different flavors and a total of 48 wings. Of course that was way too many!

I ordered 6 medium flavored wings and 6 spicy garlic. But I also sampled the honey BBQ (too sweet, no spice), Caribbean jerk (not much of a jerk fan), and Asian zing (too gingery for my taste).  I think I ate 7 or 8 wings total and there were a lot of leftovers across the board. We will be eating wings for the next 2 days.

Of course we saved room for dessert. We needed a little ice cream to cool the fire in our mouths!

The rest of the evening has just been a lot of relaxing. That’s all for me for now! Have a great weekend!