Damn You Bauer!

I'm generally falling asleep by this time of night. Not to mention I got up an hour early because I was excited about the 'big snow' here in Charlotte, NC. There's just something about watching all the morning news channels going crazy over the weather. But alas, I just watched 2 hours of 24 and am all kinds of ramped up! Not good. So I'll blog :)

So yeah, we got around 4 inches of snow here in Charlotte, NC. We took the dogs to romp in the snow around 9am (I decided to go into work late to give the roads a little time to clear up). There were 3 of us and 4 dogs. They had a blast! Photos here. The last 4 'pictures' of the dogs in the snow are actually videos. And the cute little dark brown lab-ish one is mine :) She spent the day eating snow ... it was like a dream come true that everywhere she walked was edible. So funny.



I finally got into work around 11ish and NO ONE was there. Really. Out of 17 people that work in my section of the office there were 4 of us there. And by 1pm there were only 3 of us. It was a long afternoon!

I got home a bit early and cleaned out the garage so I could park my car in it! This morning while cleaning off my car (all 4 inches of it) it dawned on me that I do in fact have a 2 car garage. And while there's a lot of stuff in it I could surely move it around to fit one car. So I did! Here's to NOT scraping ice off my car tomorrow morning! I also hit up boot camp tonight. I was promised no running since it was snowy out... but the sidewalks were clear when I got there and running was had. Bummer but I burned over 500 cals which meant ice cream for dessert :) Totally worth it!

Ok I'm still ramped up but going to try to get to bed!

Eats for the day (photos here):

big bowl of cereal w/ strawbs and bananas
turkey and cheese on light bread (with a pickle)
strawberries
2 clementines
2 spoonsful of pb from the jar
cherry cobbler yoplait light
cukes and carrots with hummus
1 scrambled egg, 2 98% fat free turkey dogs, sandwich thin, and a slice of cheese
edeys thin mint ice cream
lots of hot tea while watching jack

A Morning in the Kitchen

I can't remember if I posted my WI yesterday... if not it was 175.2. I'm started my tracker over on the side with this weigh in for The Challenge!

I was up at 7:30 today. That's early for me -- I can't even get up at that time for work during the week! Why is it I have no trouble getting up on the weekend, but Mon-Fri I can't pull myself out of bed... hmmmm.

I let the pup out and got to work in the kitchen! By noon I'd done the following:
- Made 2 servings of salmon
- Made a batch of pumpkin waffles
- Made Chicken Cakes (the recipe was on Roni's old site but it doesnt seem she moved it over to her new site)... basically think crab cakes but with chicken and a light version
- Made Meatloaf Muffins
- Made a batch of dog treats
- Made chewy pumpkin bars (with some modifications)
- Made 2 servings of cous cous
- Made 2 servings of brown rice
- Went to the food store to grab a few things
- Packed my lunch for tomorrow

Whew! I'm pretty much DONE cooking for the week! I've got rice/cous cous for my starch. I've got chicken, beef and fish items all cooked up. Tonight I'll whip up some asparagus with dinner and then have that as well. Perfecto!! I even made a full menu of bfast/lunch/dinner for the week. Now if I can just stick to it I'll be in good shape.

Now that all the hard work is out of the way and the dishes are done I'm sitting down to watch some football. Pathers on now... and Eagles on at 4:15. Woohoo! Also... dog park run at some point.

In other news I'm watching Fiona this week. Maddie hasn't really seen her since Ar left so I know she'll be beside herself with excitement when Fiona comes to play for a whole week! And my roommate is out of town from Wed-Sat so it'll be me... Maddie, Fiona and Milo (roommates dog). YIKES!

Pictures

It was supposed to rain all day today... but so far it's held off! I got off my butt this morning and went for a ride. Nothing too long - just 10 miles. But it was hilly and windy, so that's gotta count for something. And, I had a really cute outfit on. So maybe I can't ride all that fast, but at least I look cute, right?? Here are two pictures post ride. (Don't mind the bathroom location)




What you can't really see is my cute skirt, but such is life. And since I'm in the picturing mode.... here is one of the pups standing outside oh so patiently waiting for me to let them in.

I'm thinking about heading to the gym now and doing a quick walk/run on the treadmill and maybe lifting (arms, not legs!) But we'll see if that happens. I'm all dressed and ready to go so that should help my motivation. And since I already went to the foodstore for the week (tripple coupon day was yesterday) I really don't have too much to do today. Yeah!

Oh, and a quick confession before I go. We went to IHOP last night for dinner. I got the pancake sampler which is pancakes, bacon, eggs and hashbrowns. I ate the two pancakes (the harvest grain and nut ones... they are outstaning!), my eggs, the bacon and just a few bites of hasbrowns. And yes, it was about 20 points. And yes, I counted them all. So there goes my big splurge meal of the week!

Puppies and Baking

I had a little impromtu baking session last night. You see, when I got home from work last night I guess I didn't close the back gate all the way. And when it's nice out we just leave the kitchen door open for the pups to run in and out (and yes some bugs, but it's worth it to not have to keeping letting Maddie and Fiona in or out). So anyway, I'm making dinner and the house phone rings. I didn't recognize the name so I ignored it thinking it was someone calling for Ar. Then the same number called my cell phone and I was like jeepers who is this?? So I answered and it was a woman and she asked me if I lived in Old Stone Crossing, then if I had a chocolate lab. I immediately looked in the backyard and saw the gate was open!!! I freaked -- the woman was like and do you have a fluffy black dog as well? She had both of them and was asking where I lived so she could bring them to me. Well.... I walked outside and she was LITERALLY in the front yard. So miss Maddie and Fiona didn't stray too far -- but thank GOODNESS the woman called!!!! I was so flustered that I just sort of corralled the pups into the back yard and didn't even ask their names or anything -- just said thank you and ran away. BUT then I realized the name came up on the house phone caller ID so I went to the Old Stone Crossing Directory online and found where they live... so I made them cupcakes last night and I'll bring them over tonight to thank them. But of course I wasn't going to bring them 24 cupcakes!!! So I made 12 big cupcakes (8 for them). Ar ate one of the big ones and I put the other 3 away. Then I made 24 mini cupcakes and brought them to work today. I just ate one but won't have anymore! Whew... so hopefully that baking session didn't sabotage me TOO much.

After ALL of that excitement and baking I got up the energy to go to the gym. I did day 2 of week 5 on the Couch to 5k. 5 min warm up, run for 8 min, walk for 5, run for 8, 5 min cool down. Cripes it was hard. And I kept thinking next time I need to KEEP RUNNING for 20 min straight. I'm really going to give it my best on Fri, but if I can't do it I'll just keep at it until I can. So when I'm ready to quit someone send this to me :) Also... I have NO idea how I'll run at all after just swimming 1/2 mile and biking 18 miles. HA! Whos idea was this triathlon again???

In other, completely unrelated news, I'm wearing a cute dress today :)

Menu is all out of whack. I had a bad lunch... well yummy, but not healthy. A few people took me out for admin professionals week or whatever. Honestly I didn't even know that was this week and I tried to convince them not to take me out, but I lost. And a DIFFERENT group of people are taking me out tomorrow. I feel horrible because I'd so much rather just stay at work and eat my healthy lunch then take my lunch break to run some errands. But alas, they are being nice and I should appreciate it. Just hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get a salad or something! I'm going to gain a million pounds this week if I keep this up!

I think I have Trainer Boy tonight but forgot to check his book last night. So I'll go at 7 and keep my fingers crossed! He better have me on the schedule... I've missed being sore all over!

Monday Blues

On Friday I was on top of the world. It was sunny, a high of 80 degrees and of course the fact that it was Friday didn't hurt. But today is Monday. The high for today is supposed to be 51 (though I have a feeling we won't make it out of the 40s) and it's raining. Funny how much the weather affects my mood. I'm just BLAH!

The weekend was nice and relaxed. Saturday morning Ar and I got up at 7:30 and took the dogs to a local trail to let them run. Here are some pictures....






When we got home I went to my WW meeting and then Ar and I did a little shopping at Target. I skipped the gym for a number of reasons. One of them being I'd worked out 5 days in a row. By the time we got back from Target it started raining and gold cold, so I was glad we got up early and enjoyed the nice part of the day!

Yesterday Ar and I went to brunch at a friends house. I ate a little more than I should have, but nothing horrible. I figure I used a lot of my flex points over the weekend and probably have about 13 left for the week. I'm ok with that. I'll get right back on track today!

In other news -- MY BIKE HAS WHEELS!! I can't wait to ride. Hopefully it will be nice enough one day this week to get out before or after work. Even if it's just for 6 miles or so. Though there's rain in the forecast everyday. Argh! And I'm out of town this weekend (which is another story for another time). But thanks to Ar for putting up with my complaining and for getting my bike ready for riding season :)

The plan for today is simple. Get through work, ignore the cold and rain, head to the gym to start week 2 of the couch to 5k podcast, go home and have a yummy dinner and STAY AWAY FROM SUGARY STUFF!

Menu:

Breakfast:
milk w/ 1.5 tbsp ovaltine - 2.5
pumpkin waffles return!! - 3

Lunch:
turkey and cheese sammy on TJs high fiber bread w/ tomato and pickles - 5
fat free pringles - 1

Snacks:
yogurt - 2
vitamuffin - 1

Dinner: Burgers!
5 oz lean burger - 4.5
light english muffin - 1
tomato, pickle and other freebies - 0
cheese - 1
asparagus - 0

Snack:
fruit - 1

And TONS of water!!!!

Happy Birthday Fiona!

Fiona turns 3 today! While I was against pets when Ar first got her...
she was the perfect starter puppy. Sweet, calm, gentle and loving.

Happy Birthday Princess!

Google Reader

Dude... how did I not use this before? I love it! And it gave me something to play with this morning at work. So fun!

Also -- I've revamped my new favorite breakfast a bit. First, I found waffles that are just 2 points for 2 waffles. I can't remember the brand name, but I'll try to look at the box and get back to you :) Then to the waffles I add 1/2 banana and 1.5 tsp of peanut butter. It's not a lot of pb at all. If calories didn't matter (and what a world that would be!) I'd pile on 2 TBSP of pb. But alas, they do so just a smidge it is. But it's a nice added touch and packs in some more protein! So try it out. I'm obsessed. All that for 4 points. Can't beat it.

Also -- last night my trainer was all messed up and didn't have me on the schedule. Lame-o! So I'm meeting him on Wed at 7:30. Since it was 68 degrees out yesterday I skipped the gym and went home and took Maddie for a 35 minute walk. After the first 5 minutes she did great on the leash! I'm hoping to take her out again today. Though I feel guilty taking her out and leaving our other dog home. Maybe today I'll take Fiona for a walk instead. We shall see!


Onto my menu...

Breakfast:
See above... YUM! - 4

Lunch:
a BIG bowl of 0 point soup, so I'm counting it as a point - 1
wheat thins - 2
cheddar cheese - 2

Snacks:
Dannon Light N Fit - 1
Pineapple - 1
WW Chocolate Mint Crisp - 2


Dinner:
Jessica Seinfeld Hamburger (estimate on points, I'll check it all tonight) - 4
TJs Whole wheat pita - 1
2 slices Oscar Meyer Center Cut bacon - 1
Cheese - 1
Sweet Potato Fries - 2
Some sort of green veggies - 0

Snack:
WW chocolate cake bar - 1
Graham crackers and tea - 2

Total Points: 25
APs: 2 (30 min walk)
Flex Used: ZERO (hopefully)

Staying Accountable and Puppy Treat Recipe

Just thought I'd post today... it helps keep me on track :) I stayed pretty well within my points yesterday and hope to do the same today.

Here's my updated menu for today. Its almost 9pm so I wont be eating anything else the rest of the night :)

Breakfast (thanks to Carrie for this one):
Light english muffin - 1
1 tbsp honey - 1
2 tsp peanut butter - 1

Snack:
Vita Brownie - 1

Lunch:
tortilla - 2
1 oz cheese - 3
salsa - 0 (1 veggie serving)

Snack before riding:
small bowl of frosted mini wheats - 3

Dinner: (Updated)
homemade pizza w/ peppers, onions, broccoli - not sure on points so ill count 15 to be safe
cheese, crackers before dinner - 4

Total points: 31
APs: 4
Flex Used: 3
Flex Left: 29

At 4 I'm heading out for a ride. Hopefully do at least 15 miles (updated: did 15.5 woohoo), so that will be 4 or 5 APs at least. It was supposed to thunderstorm today... but it doesnt look like its going to. So keep your fingers crossed that I dont get caught in the rain!

Other than that my day has been pretty low key. Went to the food store (I thought going at 11am on a Sunday was a good idea... I was so very wrong. IT was a madhouse of moms and kids who just got out of church. So now I know), made puppy treats (recipe below), cleaned up the kitchen and am now just letting my lunch digest before riding.

Hanukkah Noshers (I'm not Jewish, but still a great recipe! heehee)

Makes between 30-40 treats

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups water
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup quick-cook oats
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine applesauce, egg, peanut butter, vanilla and water.
In a second bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, oats and peanuts.
Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until thoroughly mixed together. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out into shapes (animals, stars, whatever).

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Cool on rack before serving. Store in a sealed container.

Confessions....

I have some confessions from last night. I did good and went to the gym after work, only did 30 minutes on the elliptical but I burned 300 calories according to the machine so thats good. I ran home, had a meatball and piece of bread for a quick dinner and went to ceramics. I got home and was FAMISHED (shocking I know)!!!!! So I had some FULL FAT cheese and crackers. And by some I mean more than a serving... probably like 2.5 servings of cheese. But, it HIT THE SPOT. Even though it was 9:25. And then I had 3 little handfuls of kissables. So much for not eating after 9 last night. Oh well... still tried to track it all. I also did HORRIBLY with water yesterday.

But today is a new day! I still have 10 flexies for today and tomorrow... but I'm hoping not to use them all.

Bfast:
puffins w/ strawbs and milk - 2
Pistachios - 2

Lunch:
PB&J - 3
Veggie soup - 1
akmak - 1
apple 1

Snacks:
100 cal pack - 2
asian pear - 0
granolla bar - 1

Dinner (Ar is out of town for work so its just me):
grilled cheese (I know youve heard this the past 2 days -- tonight I'm really going to make and eat it!) - 4
2 pieces of center cut bacon - 2
fat free chips - 2
pickle - 0
strawberries - 1

Snack during 8:30 PM TV:
skinny cow ice cream sammy - 2

Total Points: 24 out of 24
APs: hopefully 2 - I want to do a quick workout again at the gym, cant stay too long as i have to get home to let Fiona out

As for the car, yesterdays disaster is over. Fixed up and paid for (well not the AC but everything else). I wish I had all of your helpful suggestions before I sold my first child to Honda. haha. But at least my car is good for now... I can live without AC. Will it suck? Hell yeah. But honestly, it could be a lot worse! And next time I have a car issue -- I'm asking all of you first!!! heehee :) Thanks for the encouraging words though!

Tonight I'm SO excited to just go home and relax! Last night I ran around from the second I got off work until the second I got in bed (including the 2 hours at ceramics). Tonight it will just be me, pup, perhaps a T-storm or two and Thursday night TV! And theres a new Grey's on tonight. YES! I also think I might do some baking. Which I know is perhaps setting myself up for failure, but I told someone at work that I'd bake this week... and the week is almost over! So we'll see how I'm feeling.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a good week! It's almost the weekend :)

Doggie Treats!

Fiona, our puppy, is turning 2 on March 28. Since I have a pretty hectic week coming up I decided to make her birthday present early. So I spent the morning making home made doggie treats!!

A friend of mine from work lent me her doggie cookie cutters and I found an easy recipe online. I took a bite of a finished one and while it was edible, I dont think we have to worry about me eating all of Fionas treats! They were quite bland. But she LOVED them! (Which isnt saying much as shes a dog and will eat anything put in front of her, but I'm just going to pretend that she knew they were in cute little bone and fire hydrant shapes and that they were made with love just for her heehee)

Heres a few pictures....

The last batch of treats ready to go in the oven. With the leftover dough I just spelled out her name instead of trying to roll out that little tiny bit.

Finished treats!

Fiona giving the bone treat a try (with her blue octopus toy on one side of her and a bone she rejected on the other side)...

"Where are the rest of them?"

Other than that I havent dont much today. I just got back from a 12 mile ride and am hoping to take a quick shower and hit up the foodstore. Oh! And I did go for a ride yesterday (even though I had just gotten my hair done). It was cold and WINDY as hell! I whined the whole time, but Ar made me get out and go. Which was good, but god love her because I was a beast to deal with for the measly 9 miles (if that) we did. But a ride is a ride, and at least I got out there both today and yesterday! Bring on the APs.

I'm also working on the challenge Michelle threw out there to document all my food for the day. So I'll probably get that up tomorrow sometime. I'm going to try to do todays food and tomorrows food... we shall see how that works out.

Hope everyones having a good weekend!