Sunday Funday!

Today was jammed packed with activity. I woke up and hit the treadmill for 20 minutes. It wasn't much, but it was still cardio to start the day. No weights today, my body needed the rest. I also broke down and finally ordered new work-out shoes! I am trying out Asics, I am kinda sick of running through my Niks so fast. The best part is I ordered them today from Zappos and my shipping got upgraded for free! Woohoo! Love those small perks.

Breakfast:

I was at the end of my peanut butter jar, so the oatmeal got dumped in there once it was done! Here is what was in the mix:
*1/4 c. steel cut oats
*1 c. almond milk
*1 organic banana
*1tlbsp. raisins
*cinnamon
*2 tlbsp. organic peanut butter (roughly but prob a little less)
With my side of coffee with almond milk, it was the perfect breakfast!

Lunch:
This afternoon D and I went out to the burbs to visit my rents and take care of a bunch of errands. Before we headed out for errands, my mom made us a yummy crab cake salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was great and super filling. And finally some greens. My weekend hasn't been as veggie packed as my week. I am noticing a trend from the past week...maybe this is working to track my habits and changes I need to incorporate!


After our errands, we headed back to watch the end of the USA v. Canada Hockey Game (bummer we lost), but my sweet tooth kicked in. Luckily my mom keeps a large jar of gummy bears on the living room table and I had small portion. Taking pictures of my food has helped me keep my portions in check, especially when it comes to sweets.


Dinner:
I cooked a dinner tonight that was out of this world. My mom sent me home with some beef tenderloin and port wine sauce. I browned the beef in some butter and then off to a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. I got the perfect medium rare!

I also finished the risotto cakes we started last night. After cooking the rice and making the mixture in advance, it was finally set and ready to coat with panko and fry up in a little grapeseed/olive oil mix. These were totally delicious!


Off to enjoy a little relaxation before the start of an insanely busy week of work and meetings after work! Can't wait for the weekend already!

Saturday Night Cookin'

D and I opted for a night in on Saturday night. It was perfect, especially going to bed by 10pm. Anyone who knows me well, knows I am a morning person, not the best night owl!

We started dinner with a little Gouda from Whole Foods, Kashi veggie crackers, and some white wine! Usually I am a red wine fanatic, but D was making scallops and the recipe called for it, so I thought I would have some to drink!

D and I can polish off a whole block, but in an effort to practice better portion control, once the crackers were gone the cheese was put away! We only ate about 1/3 of the block.

D had a little surprise cooking up in the kitchen. He is also a big fan of the Barefoot Contessa and made her Bay Scallops gratin.

These were like little bites of heaven in my mouth. The gratin crust was made with a little butter, fresh herbs, pancetta, and panko. Holy yumness it was delicious! The crunchy topping and yummy bay scallops! Wow!

And to top it off, a little gluten free vegan cupcake from Whole Foods. This was AMAZING!! Love in a cupcake. So rich, moist, and most important deliciousness!

Full tummy and in bed early was a great night!!

Lunch

Today was a little lunch made with what we have around the house. It was delicious! Here is what was in the mix
*1 c. brown rice pasta
*6 shrimp
*3/4 c. organic broccoli
*1/4 of an organic yellow bell pepper
*1 c. organic portabello red sauce
*1 tlbsp. asiago cheese

Last Night

Sooo much fun last night at VIPink for Bright Pink! Going out with close friends always makes the nights so much fun getting to catch up and have a few drinks! Bright Pink is one of my most favorite organizations I have been involved with for the past few years! To learn more about Bright Pink, check out their amazing website here! www.bebrightpink.org

Breakfast this morning:
I was sooo hungry when I woke up this morning, I had to start the day with some loaded oatmeal! Today's was a little mix up of items I have been wanting to try all week!

*1/4 c. steel cut oats
*1 c. Almond Milk
*1 mashed organic banana
*1 tlbsp. raisins
*1 tlbsp. flax seed
*1 1/2 tlbsp. organic peanut butter

Holy yumness! This was super satisfying and filling. The almond milk gave the oats a thicker texture which equaled richness! I threw the tablespoon of raisins into the pot while the oats cooked and they took on a great amount of moisture. I loved the mashed banana, but who doesn't love banana! And of course the peanut butter topping. It gets all melty and gooey on top. I will def be making this version of oatmeal again soon!

Dinner Last Night:
I came home from work starving! So I snacked on a slice of cheese!


My meal was a bit of a bunch of items we have in the house thrown together. D and I have been cooking a ton at home and in the process cleaning out the items in our cabinets! It has been a fun process with lots of great recipes. Since it is Lent, no meat on Fridays, but seafood is ok! So I whipped up a little Shrimp Marsala! Completely filling. Trader Joe's has great jarred Marsala Sauce for simmering. Instead of chicken, I threw in some shrimp. I served it over a 1/2 c. brown rice and was the perfect portion!


To top it off, I had a spoon full of peanut butter topped with a couple raisins. Maybe this is why I wanted the similar combo in my breakfast this morning :)


I did have 2 vodka sodas and a beer last night, I am feeling a little foggy this morning. Hoping I can rally this afternoon and get Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred in. We will see, this might be a day off and back on the wagon tomorrow! Hope you have a great day and will update more later!

Lunch

I was super hungry today at lunch! But loved everything about it!

Lunch started with a little tuna salad over organic mixed greens. I love tuna and did my variation of a healthier tuna salad. This will be a repeat soon.
*1 6oz can of tuna in water
*2 tlbsp. non-fat organic greek yogurt
*1 tlbsp. grainy mustard
*2 stalks of celery chopped
*1 tlbsp. capers
*1/2 of a lemon juiced
*1/3 yellow pepper chopped
*garlic salt to taste
*dried basil to taste


On the side I had a handful of carrots with about 2 tlbsp. spicy hummus!


I was craving a little sweet when I got back to my desk (saving that yummy orange as my 3pm snack with tea), so I had a small serving of Powerberries from Trader Joe's. These little things are awesome. It is basically a grown up fruit snack covered in dark chocolate. Yum!


I am really starting to enjoy blogging about my work-outs and eating. It is keeping me on track to make big changes! I can feel them coming slowly but surely!

FRIDAY!! Woohoo!

It seemed like this week dragged on during certain parts and few by on other days! I am sooo glad it is Friday and the start of the weekend! Last night was sooo much fun catching up with two of my favorite Chicago girlfriends. I love having a little girl time to break up my week! More on dinner to come later. Figured I would start with today!

Work-out:
Today's work-out was intense, but I loved every minute of it. Nothing beats a good sweat to start the day!
*50 mins on treadmill weight loss at 4.1 level 6
*Level 1 30 Day Shred
*Additional 60 bicycle crunches (getting back my flat tummy)

I'm starting to feel stronger and feel like I need more of a challenge, so I am going to start Level 2 tomorrow or Sunday of the 30 Day Shred! Nervous but excited to see how far I can push myself!

Breakfast:
Pumpkin Yogurt Oats

*1/2 c. organic pumpkin puree
*1/2 c. plain organic greek yogurt
*1 scoop all natural vanilla whey protein
*1 tlbsp. ground flax seed
*cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
*Topped with one sliced banana and 2 tlbsp. raw almonds

I also treated myself to a grande non-fat latte with a packet of raw sugar. This totally hit the spot and was the treat I was looking for!

Last night the girls and I check out a new place in the city for a little sushi and wine (2 of my most favorite things in the world!)

We started with a little edamame to share between the three of us! It was hot and just a little salty, I don't like it when it is over salty!


I ordered two rolls. The California roll and spicy tuna roll. The spicy tuna roll was great, just the right amount of spicy mayo (hardly any) and the rice was perfectly cooked. The two were really filling and delicious!


Topped off with two glasses of red wine and great girl time, this was a perfect winter Thursday night!

Almost Friday...

I am sooo happy today is Thursday! I can't wait for the weekend and some rest and enjoying good friends!

I think all of the weight work I have been doing finally kicked in today. I woke and was so sore, so I deemed today my day off of working out. It just means I have to watch what I eat even more so.

Breakfast:
Pumpkin Yogurt Oats

In today's mix:
*1/2 organic pumpkin puree
*1/2 c. organic greek yogurt plain
*1/4 c. organic oats
*1 tlbsp. ground flax seed
*cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice
*Topped with one sliced banana, 12 alomnds, and a drizzle of agave nectar

This breakfast was super filling and delicious. It was exactly what I needed to start my day off on the right foot.

I was super hungry by the time lunch rolled around! I packed a super veggie filled lunch today.
* organic mixed garden greens
*1/2 c. organic broccoli slaw
*a few broccoli florets
*4oz piece of chicken from last night's dinner
*2 tlbsp. bolthouse yogurt dressing


On the side was a plate full of veggies with 2 tlbsp hummus! These were great!


To top it all off, I had a small orange and small slice of coffee cake!


Off to finish my work for the day and then sushi with the girls! Will update later tonight with those pics!

A Little Chicken Fried...

Dinner tonight was simply amazing!! D out did himself. He has been marinating the chicken in buttermilk for the past two days to break the meat down. He fried it up in a little organic canola oil coated with some flour and fresh sage. I have to day it was the most amazing fried chicken I have had in a long time! Along with a 1/4 cup of corn and 1/3 c. mashed potatoes tonight was the best home made comfort food. Which I have been craving all week! Controlling my portions is helping me keep on track still as well.


Off to enjoy a little R&R and tea! Plus I am dying keep reading my book!!

Lunch Time!!

I was starving by the time lunch rolled around. Another busy morning of meetings, but finally at 12:30pm I got a break to eat. And I had a delicious salad waiting for me!

Lunch:

*Salad
*Organic Spring Mix, 1/4 red pepper, 4 oz. chicken breast, 1/2 c. broccoli slaw, and a few broccoli florets with some balsamic vinaigrette
*1 orange

I opted not to eat my veggies and hummus pictured. I had one piece of celery with a touch of hummus and decided it wasn't what I wanted. Instead, I opted for a cookie. I realize I have been trying to avoid sugar during Lent, but today I caved. I needed a little sugar for the afternoon. It was totally worth every stinking calorie though!


Off to finish my work for the day and then home for another yummy dinner!

MIA most of yesterday...

Sorry I was MIA most of yesterday. Things at work were pretty intense and I wasn't motivated to post last night. I also managed to take no pictures at lunch or dinner! Oh well, I am not perfect nor do I try to be and today is a new day! Have to keep moving forward and learning from the past!

I woke this morning not wanting to exercise at all, but I forced myself to hit the gym hard. (I did have two glasses of red wine last night and needed to burn those off!)
Work-out:
*50 mins on treadmill, weigh loss setting level 6, 4.0mph
*2 circuits from 30 day shredded level 1
I am sore today! All of the weight training and cardio have my inner thighs burning like crazy. So I took it a little easy on the leg work today, but still made sure I got in all my arm work. I have a couple goals I want to meet and I am not giving up. Need to push through the soreness by stretching. I am thinking about working in some yoga today after work to really let loose. I still hit my min calorie burn of 450 this morning, so I am very happy with my work-out!

Breakfast:

This mornings mix was sooo yummy. I mixed it up a bit with some added fruit and this will be a repeat recipe!
*1/2 c. organic pumpkin puree
*organic greek yogurt
*1 tlbsp. flax seed
*2 tlbsp. frozen raspberries
*cinnamon

Time to hit it and get through the day! Will post an update on lunch and dinner later. Hope you all have a happy hump day!

What a rough and long day! Things at work were just plain old tough. I am so ready for this economy to turn around and pick up! Enough about that, let's talk about my work-out and eating today!

Work-out:
*50 mins on weighloss on treadmill at 4.2
*Level 1 30 Day Shredd
*50 additional bicycle crunches

Breakfast:
I was sooo hungry by the time I ate! But had some really yummy oatmeal to have.

*1/4 c. steel cut oats
*2 tlbsp. frozen raspberries
*1 tlbsp. flax seeds
*1 mashed banana
*1 scoop all natural whey protein

I will post more on the rest of my day later! Heading home and some errands

Monday...almost over!

It has been a long Monday and I am so happy to be home unwinding with D! I came home to a little tapas tonight, yummm....

Dinner:
Started with some grouper ceviche served with popcorn! WOW, this was fantastic. So light and refreshing during the winter. It hit the spot


The second part were some gluten free crab fritters with some mango sauce. This was the first time we have tried to make fritters at home, and we have a lot to learn. The oil got hot enough, but the fritters still stuck to the bottom when they were dropped in. I made sure to watch my portion control, but these were great!


Snack:
I was pretty hungry around 4 today, and had an organic bosc pear!


Lunch:
Today's salad was filled with lots of green veggies
*1/2 c. spinach
*3 stalks celery shopped
*1/2 avocado
*1/2 C. broccoli slaw
*broccoli florets
*4oz. chicken breast
It was totally satisfying and filling. I must have been craving veggies because I ate it all. I topped it with a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette. On the side I had a 1/2 c. baby carrots and 2 tlbsp. hummus.


And finally breakfast. I don't have a picture today because I got to work and went right into meetings, so had to eat during the first one because I was starving. Here is what was in my oats today
*2 tlbsp. golden raisins
*1/4 c. steel cut oats
*1 tlbsp. flax seeds
*1 tlbsp. organic peanut butter
It was filling and kept me powering through work all morning.

No work-out today. I woke up pretty sore from yesterday's session and felt my body needed a break. I have been learning to listen to my body and feeding myself nutritrious foods. I find my energy levels are up and I am feeling stronger. Off to make some tea and movie time :)

Comfort Food Day...

Today was cold and rainy in the city and totally had me craving comfort all day!

Lunch:
Was a bit of a mash-up today. I ate about 1/2 of what was left of my big ol' omelet from breakfast yesterday, eating most of the veggies! Which were just sooo yummy. D was having some Trader Joe's Orange Chicken (I add broccoli to get some veggies in) and I had to indulge a little bit, but made sure I had more broccoli than chicken!




Snack:
We ventured out for a bit to run some earrands and stopped for a quick non-fat latte and a sweet treat (it is Sunday, so I can have a little something sweet). D got this awesome pecan bar slice and it paired perfectly with our cups of coffee.


Dinner:
Comfort food at it's best! I made my first Bolongese sauce for the first time in a long time, and it turned out fantastically. My love for this meaty sauce started when I lived in Italy. The multiple layers of flavor form the thyme, white wine, tomato paste, and 3 meats (all grass fed of course) make this sauce simply fabulous and one of D's new favorite. The recipe made so much sauce, I was able to save enough for another cold snowy night like tonight. I serve my sauce with quinoa spaghetti, since it is gluten free and nutritrious.



I measured out 1 c. of sauce, but it was WAY too much for my 1/2 c. of pasta. I only ate about 1/2 of it, and all the noodles, which will provide me with great fuel for my intense AM work-out!

Have a great start to the week, and great night relaxing.

Nice little start to Sunday

I woke up this morning with a serge of energy and immediately hit the gym. I slept for about 10 hours, which might have had something to do with it!

Work-out:
*50 mins on the elliptical - level 7 Aerobic Work-out (sweat-and-heat-rate-raising-tastic!)
*Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred
*50 extra bicycle crunches (ouch!)

Breakfast:
When I have a bigger dinner out the night before, I tend to crave oatmeal the next morning, so that is exactly what I made!

*1/4 c. quick cooking steel cut oats
*1 mashed banana
*2 tlbsp. frozen raspberries
*1 tlbsp. ground flax seed
*1 tlbsp. raw slivered almonds

It was delicious, a tad sweet, and super filling after an intense work-out. A definite repeat mixture



Off to spend the rest of the day getting ready for the week!

Goat Cheese and Chicken

Dinner tonight was fantastic! It was the first time I have been to Feast, a local restaurant just down the block from my house! It was great catching up with my dad, brother and his girlfriend. We had a small bread basket to start. I had a mini tiny biscuit with a touch of the chipolata butter! Yum!

I order a glass of organic red wine and the organic chicken breast stuffed with herbed goat cheese. It was served with gnocchi, spinach, cherry tomatoes and bur blanc sauce. To say the least it totally filled me up and was fantastically prepared. The breast meat was juicy, the gnocchi was light and fluffy like little clouds in your mouth, and what is there not to like about a bur blanc sauce! Nothing!



Now I am home ready to snuggle up in bed with a movie!

See you tomorrow!

Mmmm...omelets!

I totally forgot to blog and take pictures yesterday! It was a super long day at the office followed by a long night. Today is a new day and that is the best part, you always get to start again!

Breakfast:
Dean and I woke up starving and had breakfast on the mind! And making breakfast out was a must. We tried out a new place a few blocks away called Eggsperience. It was delightfully delicious and the menu was HUGE. Soo many yummy options.

I was craving protein and the the omelet Egg White Delight sounded perfect and that it was. Egg whites, spinach, roasted peppers, mushrooms, and low-fat mozzarella.



I ate about 1/3 of it with my toast and jam. The side of fresh fruit was fantastic as well!

Work-out:
I hit the gym after errands and had a great work out. I logged 45 minutes on the weight loss setting on the treadmill at 4.1. It felt great to sweat and rock some Madonna! Then Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred DVD again. I am already starting to feel stronger lifting weights again.

Post Work-out Meal:
Fruit Smoothie
*2 scoops all natural whey protein
*1/2 c. organic raspberries
*1 banana
*8oz water

2 tlbsp organic hummus and some organic baby carrots



Off to get ready for church and dinner with dad, and 2 of my brothers! Will post dinner updates later tonight :)

Today started off with a good butt kicking from my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. I am pretty much starting over from taking it easy the past month. By the end of Level 1, I was dripping and feeling strong. I love that I get a total body work-out in a half hour. Plus she encourages you the entire time, even when you want to stop and take a break! I don't belong to a gym, but our building has a gym and I find I like work-out DVDs more and more.

I didn't have time to eat before heading to the office, but when I finally got there I had an awesome treat!!



I have recently discovered a blog called Iowa Girl Eats and she makes Over Night Oats quite a bit. I have started making my own spins on this idea too! Below is one of the recipes I make the night before

*1/4 c. organic oats
*1/2 c. organic pumpkin puree
*1/2 c. organic Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
*2 tlbsp. organic ground flax seed
*cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spices

I mix it all together and throw it back in the fridge overnight. When I am ready to eat in the morning, the toppings are endless. Sliced banana was the choice today! It is a filling and nutritrious breakfast!

Lunch was a celebration out to one of our favorite spots near the office, Yolk. They make GREAT breakfast food and lunch items. I usually order off the breakfast menu and stuck to that trend today.



I ate half of my egg white omelet with green onions, tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, and salsa. It was soo tasty and filling I only ate half with the side of fruit and 2 slices of multi-grain toast. I was full and satisfied.

Dinner was fajita night! This is a weekly favorite. We by the marinated Pollo Asada from Trader Joe's and grill it up on our indoor grill! Feels like a little bit of summer in the cold winter. I sauteed up some spinach and mushrooms to get some veggies in our corn tortillas. Topped off with a little low-fat cheese and low-fat sour cream, it was the perfect ending after a long day at work!



Off to finish the laundry and get ready for bed! See you tomorrow :)

40 days and we are going...

Today starts my Lenten journey. I have decided they year I am going to focus on fasting and doing something positive for myself. It is a three part commitment I am making. I am going to blog about my what I eat for the next 40 days through photos and descriptions. I am excited to find what I discover about my eating habits, while growing as a person.

The second part is I am going to abstain from processed sweets. That means, no dessert, no cupcakes, no cookie, no ice cream, and no candy. Why so much? Well, I want to give my body a break from processed sweets and sugars because they are a weakness. I am up for a challenge!

My final part is working out with my favorite work-out DVDs 5 days a week. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am also a Jillian Michaels nut! I simply can't get enough of her books, DVDs, and life philosophy. I have her books and DVDs, which you can get here on amazon.com And you know her methods work!

Here is the break down of my day today!
Breakfast:
*Steel Cut Oats with mashed banana, 2 tlbsp ground flax seeds, and 2 tlbsp organic peanut butter
*1 cup of coffee with a tablespoon of skim milk



Lunch:
I had a surprise lunch date from my main squeeze and we ended up at Portillo's and the start of Lent means the return of the egg and pepper sandwich! It was buttery, delicious perfectly scrambled eggs and sweet peppers. Oh so yummy! And we split a fry. A totally indulgent lunch, but worth every bite today!

Snack:
* An orange

Dinner:
*Anything Salad
*Organic baby greens, 3 roasted mini potatoes, 1/2 cup green beans, 1 tlbsp croutons, 4 oz organic chicken breast (even this I was supposed to abstain from meat today), baby mushrooms and some organic broccoli slaw. I topped it off with some yummy Italian dressing!


Work-out:
Today is my day off for the week! Back at it tomorrow!

Hope you have a great night and what is your 40 journey?

Sparkles, Glow, and Make-up!

A lot of my friends, family, and people I don't even know comment how great my make-up looks. I even did my closest college friend's make-p for her wedding! I am dedicating today's blog to my tips and tricks of make-up storage.

Years ago, my obsession with make-up and beauty products started. And it hasn't stopped. Over time, I am sure I have spent a small fortune on the little jars of beauty magic. My approach today is all about high-low. I spend money on products that go directly on my skin (think foundation, tinted moisturizer, hydrating night creams) and the low is spend on accents (mascara, eyeshadows, eyeliners, etc). In the future, I plan on posting about high and low products. But back to today's focus!

Make-up Storage. I have evolved quite a bit since the days of Caboodles! I currently store my make-up in an acrylic flatware storage container. I read about this tip in a magazine back in the 90s and have been using this one since. I can't remembered where it was purchased, but it has filled it purpose!



I keep my brushes in one compartment, eyelines and mascara in a second, followed by lipsticks, and then a nice place to keep our tooth brushes. In the large compartment in front, I keep eyeshadows, blush, powder, and tweezers! I clean the container in the dishwasher about once every 3 months to ensure it keeps most germs out. I also clean off all my current make-up. Plus it forces me to keep an accurate inventory of what I have and if I need anything new. But I usually don't need an excuse for new make-up!

Storing my everyday brushes upright keeps them in great condition (yes, I do have a set of REALLY nice brushes that I only use when I am doing my make-up for events). The bristles of the brush keep well and don't spread out too much. I clean my brushes (with my organic face wash) about every 4 - 6 weeks. Once I am done cleaning, I just place them back in their compartment to dry!

Hope you find my tips helpful! How do you store your make-up?

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you all have a special day with the ones you love!

It's a Snow Globe...and an awesome cookie!

It is a snow globe outside today! It hasn't stopped coming down since I woke up and I have to say I am enjoying it. There is something calming to the soul watching the flakes fall and make everything white and clean looking.


I was in the mood for cookies the other night after I came across this recipe. They have been called The Ultimate Cookie and Way to a Man's Heart Cookies (which might be true because Dean ate about 3 hot out of the oven!). I just want to call them awesome!


Here is my spin on the recipe and what you need:


* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup dark brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 2 cups quick oats
* 1 cup shredded coconut
* 1 bag Heath toffee chips
* 3/4 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 peanut butter chips
* sea salt to top sprinkle on top

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugars together in a mixer bowl. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Than add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add in the oats, Heath chips, chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips mixing to combine between each ingredient. This is what your batter should look like.



Scoop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. I use a small ice cream scoop to ensure all my cookies are the same size and bake evenly! Bake for about 11 - 13 minutes, depending on your oven. This batch makes A LOT of cookies, which isn't the worst thing in the world! I scooped all of mine individually out and then froze the rest, so we can have warm cookies another night :)



A Note on Oven Thermometers: I finally went and purchased an oven thermometer and learned quite a bit! My oven is a bit older and I was curious how accurate my dial was. Turns out it is off by about 5 - 10 degrees lower than the dial. I am happy to have invest the $8 for accurate cooking and baking! I would highly recommending the purchase, you can use it in any oven! You can purchase your thermometer at your local hardware store.



Off to read and a hot cup of tea!