new pop alert

i am still crazy busy with work. tomorrow is july 1 canada day! happy birthday (in advance) country. i love being canadian. except for cold winters, canada is the bomb-diggety. anyhoo - tomorrow i have to work because my company decided to make friday our holiday instead. hello long weekend instead of weird mid-week day off! great success.

in other news, last saturday i was walking around with my bf in his hood. we wanted some diet pop to mix our drinks with and the store we usually frequent was already closed. there was a funny little fruit market type of place across the street so we went there. inside i found a diet raspberry ginger ale. i mixed it with white wine and it was DIVINITY. i thought it was a ridiculous brand from far away called "weight watchen" but in fact it is called waist watcher and is made by weight watchers AND is sugar free, aspartame free, caffeine free and sodium free. it does contain splenda which a lot of people badmouth. i like diet pop dammit. i like it and i'm going to continue to drink it. check out the flavors in the link. they only had a couple in store and nothing crazy like chocolate or vanilla cream, but still. i have a feeling these bottles being in canada was a giant fluke but only time will tell!

1/2-marathon training update

swam friday morning, ran saturday morning - twas SO HOT but i did it :) except at the end of my run i thought it would be fun to do some walking lunges and now my inner thighs are killing me.

because of thigh pain, i had to revise this week's training AGAIN.

here goes:

monday: 35 minutes swimming
tuesday: 5-mile run (hopefully)
wednesday: rest
thursday: 5-mile run
friday: 35 minutes swimming
saturday: 5-mile run
sunday: rest

i am not feeling that great at the "mo" so tomorrow's run is up in the air. i have a lot of work to do and i am working on it at work AND at home. wah wah wee wah! must be productive now, bye bye.

lunchtime

i scheduled yesterday's post to come out of the blog vault at 1:40 pm, and it didn't work. i wondered why no one was commenting! dammit! and now this one didn't post either.

yesterday i went swimming. it was pretty good. my bf came over for date night and he brought some food his mom had given to him so we had a mishmash for dinner. some lasagna and some sausages with peas and potatoes. i added beans to the mix. it was all right. i really appreciated it more when i realized i only had our dinner plates as dishes to wash. and by wash i mean put in the dishwasher. and by that i mean i'll do that tonight.

today i am scheduled for a run, but it's supposed to rain. options: a) go running in the rain - hardcore! b) run on the treadmill inside. i think i'd rather go outside and get soaked. i LOATHE running on the treadmill. it makes me so hot and bothered and i mean sweaty and actually bothered as in "this is the worst" - not to mention it's boring and there is nothing to look at except once in a while the condo maintenance guy comes and throws something in the outdoor trash. boring! sorry condo man, but you are a dullard.

i am excited because tomorrow i am meeting a friend for lunch - guess where?


wow, i'm jealous of myself. did you know they have these in ontario now? well, two or three of them - but one is close enough to my work. i have seen lots of US bloggers visiting panera bread and receiving gift cards and enjoying sandwiches and soups and i longed for that to be me. alas, my dreams are finally coming true! what shall i order? i will have to peruse the online menu tomorrow morning. ooooh i can't wait.

drowning in a sea

a sea of business.

sorry for lack of updates. well, who can blame me? sunday was father's day so i went to the burbs to visit my daddio. it was good - we shared this amazing cake (birthday and father's day). i went back to the city on a time schedule because i had to pick up a prescription (now that i have benefits). i thought the drug mart closed at 8 pm but it closed at 6 pm - dammit! the shoppers drug mart by my house is the WORST. only open 8 until 8 and 6 on sundays. some are 24 hours or at least open until midnight. gee whiz.

monday was the photo shoot. LONG DAY. i left my house at 7 am to be there by 8. outside all day, doing manual labor in the hot sun. it was fun though and of course a valuable learning experience. it was still going when i left at 6:30 pm, but i had to make sure that i'd be back in the city by 8 pm - when the drug store closed!

i realized on the weekend that i forgot to renew my license plates. man, it's one thing after another, isn't it? i would have just mailed in the form when it came, but every two years you have to get your emissions tested before you can renew, and it was my time. so i did that tuesday at lunch, and today i'm going to actually renew the plates. yabba dabba!

yesterday was my first day of half-marathon training. it should have been monday but i was too exhausted after being outside all day to go running. it's supposed to look like this this week:

monday: running 30 minutes
tuesday: 30 minutes another activity
wednesday: rest
thursday: running 30 minutes
friday: 30 minutes another activity
saturday: 2-mile run
sunday: rest

i think the training is beneath my level at the moment so i'm going to stick to my current length and then increase my distance on the schedule later.

my week will look like this:

monday: rest
tuesday: 5-mile (50ish minutes) running
wednesday: 30 minutes swimming
thursday: 5-miles running
friday: 30 minutes swimming
saturday: 5-miles running
sunday: rest

am i going to screw myself up? yesterday i ran right after work and it was HOT. dayum. i wore my fuel belt so it was ok.
that's that. my birthday party on the weekend was a smashtacular success but i'll post about that tomorrow.

and my other special bf gift which i have not revealed yet. i will say, however, that it's already motivating me not to mindlessly snack at nighttime. yippee skippy!

toronto meetup keg mansion photos

tomorrow (monday) i am at a food photo shoot all day (hooray!) so i won't have time (or access) to post. so here are my photos from the blog meet-up at keg mansion. there are only three:

first:
the lovely jen, amy and angie


next: a group shot
it's angie, amy, marie, meredith, cat, jen, marie-helene (bottom) and jamie (top) and me. sorry to top and bottom you girls, there was no other way.


and finally, the same shot without the smoke breezing in front:

no post yesterday

yesterday was sort of productive. it was my three month workaversary so i now i have benefits - good ones too! at lunch i went to "no frills" to purchase food for my birthday party on saturday ... $105 later! what did i get?

pop bottles (diet coke, club soda, diet grapefruit, diet ginger ale)
water bottles (for drunkards)
chips (regular ruffles, ketchup, roasted chicken, smoky bbq, honey mustard party mix)
crackers (three different kinds)
cheese (cheddar and marble)
hummus dip
roasted red pepper dip
asiago cheese and artichoke dip
carrots
celery (bleh)
baby tomatoes
cucumber
cauliflower
white bread for sandwiches
summer sausage meat
lean deli chicken
marble cheese sandwich slices
miracle whip light
eggs
green onions (for egg salad sandwiches)
pc memories of kobe meatballs
reisen chocolate caramels

that is a lot of party food, considering i already have a lot of candy at home. i also bought:

strawberries for me
blueberries for me
chipotle chicken burgers (only 120 calories - pc blue menu) for me
toilet paper (i guess that's for everyone)

it certainly adds up! when i got home from work i brought all that food upstairs and set out on a run. i was feeling kind of porky and i had lots of energy so i ran for 6 miles, all around the town. it's so easy to run downtown because there are so many people and stores to look at. the first part of my run is a little ghetto, then it's all good. i ran past the citytv building where workers were busy setting up the stages for the muchmusic awards this sunday. i'm glad i don't live in that area - it would be a madhouse of screaming jonas brothers fans.

after my run, i boiled fifteen eggs and eighteen mini potatoes. the potatoes and nine of the eggs are for the potato salad i'm bringing to my boyfriend's staff party tonight (i am remaking the clean eating potato salad from the upcoming cookbook that i made a few weeks ago for the work potluck) and the rest of the eggs are for egg salad sandwiches for the party. last year they were the first sandwiches to get eaten which surprised me. i put a bit of curry in the mix so they are special. actually my sister has mentioned them to me about fifty times over the last year so i think she ate them all. this year i am making more so there is enough for all.

after cooking, i cleaned my den. it's kind of a den/storage room, but that doesn't work for party time. i have giant items from costco in there just hanging around - like twenty rolls of bounty paper towels and a value pack of feminine products. yah ... let's hide those items!

today is also busy. at lunch i am going to my mom's office to pick up her famous chocolate chip cookies for the party. isn't she nice to make them for me. she thinks i tell everyone i made them and take all the credit but i swear i don't. i don't want people begging me to make cookies! that happens to my mom ... the neighbours come over and ask. really people! i also have to hit up the LCBO - i don't want to look at that receipt! i'll just read the brail on the interac pinpad and shut my eyes.

after work i have to rush home, quickly put together the potato salad, and jump on the bus to my bf's house. the party starts "right after school." tomorrow will be a day of baking cake, mad cleaning, chopping, assembling, distributing, blowing (balloons people!) decorating, etc. my actual birthday was pretty awesome. my boyfriend gave me roses, wine, made me pad thai (my favorite), gave me ice cream cone cake that his mom made, and gave me a beautiful shirt and an awesome necklace. (see photo below.) he also got me one more awesome gift but i'll tell you about it next week because it deserves it's own post. suspense! anyway, time for work. i am writing this post in advance and the clock is tick tocking! thanks for your birthday wishes everyone. the birthday week continues bwa ha ha.

happy birthday to me

man, i feel like an old goat today. what do goats say? braaayyyy brraayyyy! oops that's a donkey. now i am in my "late" twenties. JOY! it's okay ... except i actually feel older. i don't feel older than yesterday, but in general. now when i stay out late or party too hard my body reacts in a very negative way. like today for example - i really could have used a couple more hours of sleep.

last night was the no doubt concert and it was amazing! when i got home from work i went for a quick swim. i made dinner for my boyfriend and best buddy - the chicken meatballs and whole wheat macaronis. my friend brought over fresh greens from her community garden and they were very tasty and delightful. we didn't go to the show until 9pm because we did not care to see any of the opening acts (paramore or bedouin soundclash - i went to university with the second group and have had my fill). the show was great! i love no doubt and gwen stefani so much. i am such a die hard fan that i knew every word to every song.

i gave my boyfriend his picture and he really liked it. this is it below - a little warped from the way i was holding it up to the computer screen. and you can see the reflection of the screen and the picture in the screen and the screen in the reflection and so on and so on. they told two friends and they told two friends and they told ... ha ha wayne's world, party time, excellent. the second picture makes the girl's face a bit better, but her bottom is cut off.



and now today. i can't really be bothered to make special foods for myself but i am going to eat exactly what i like the most - carby carb carbs.

for breakfast i packed a ziplock bag of cereal. some multigrain cheerios, some krispix and some fiber one worms. yippee. my mid-morning snack is a triple chocolate vitatop. i have some pb2 in my desk so maybe i will put some on but probably not. for lunch i have a peanut butter and jam sandwich on that amazing cape seed bread. and an apple. see? not exciting. but peanut butter is delicious. talking about food is making me hungry.

my boyfriend is coming over later to celebrate. i think we are just hanging out and ordering in since we are both pooped from last night and he is feeling sick. we can watch top model too. i think i am going to go to ikea on the way home from work. i need some new hand towels for my bathroom since the ones i have are white and looking old and dirty. how embarrassing! no exercise today. i was thinking about swimming but am feeling lazy. if you can't be lazy on your birthday, when can you be!?

busy

my stomach is wonky today - blame being a woman!

last night i cleaned the kitchen - under the sink, the sinks themselves, under the stove and fridge, in the fridge, in the microwave, the counter tops and cabinet doors, etc. i didn't get to the bathroom because i couldn't be bothered. i went for a 5-mile run along the lake. it was good but i put my zune in the back pocket of my tighty spandex shorts and then one of the earphones kept cutting out after the 3.5 mile mark. i have a feeling it's because the zune was getting damp due to sweat. sick i know - i won't make that mistake again. hopefully it just dried and will work again.

last night i also worked on a picture i drew for my boyfriend for our 30 monthaversary. it's a pinup. i just took a picture with my laptop but i can't post it until i give it to him. it's not my best work - really i could have put more effort into it, but things are getting crazy and i'm happy i did anything at all.

the good news is that tomorrow's book photo shoot is postponed due to rain. good because i have lots of work to do in the office and i can have a regular schedule and celebrate my birthday on time. ;)

tonight is the no doubt concert. i am going with my bf and my bff who is coming after work. since i get off at 4 i might have time for a swim before she arrives, although i have to tidy the bathroom as well. messiness = personal embarrassment. ok i'm definitely swimming. i also have to pick up milk for breakfast on the way home. i have to make dinner for the three of us. my bff is bringing greens from some garden thing she grows out of (community something or other?) and i am making lean chicken cheese meatballs from sobeys (YES) and whole wheat pasta with tomato paste. i am all about using the paste as sauce. i hate when things are too saucy and by things i just mean pasta. i like a saucy pizza. SAUCY.

this week i have been trying to eat breakfast before i leave for work. it's rushed so cereal and milk, but i find it's holding my hunger off until my midmorning vitatop snack perfectly. i used to have a vitatop in the car, then breakfast at work, but i'd rather eat the bigger part first. that way you start the day feeling pleasantly full and that's better than being sort of moderately hungry - wouldn't you agree?

anyway, that's that! booyah. i still haven't uploaded my pictures from saturday but others have and they are exactly the same. ha.

HOORAY

i had such a fun time at the blogger saturday dinner meet-up last weekend! it was "so fab" to meet you all - i have to say, everyone was so good looking in person (more so than pictures i mean) ... such awesome clothes, shiny hair, nice jewelry, smiling faces, etc. i have a pic or two to post but haven't uploaded anything yet ... busy weekend!

on friday night i made a terrible-for-your-health, excellent-for-your-taste buds hockey dinner. lackluster chicken wings from a frozen pack (which were too spicy even though they were medium - i am over chicken wings ... bleh ... would not purchase at home again), veggies and pc blue menu pretzel waffles with fat free sour cream french onion dip (made from a powder pack plus 1 cup of the sour cream), and the star of the show, steak quesadillas. i seasoned some flat steak-like beef with a bit of italian seasoning and salt/pepper, quickly pan fried it (no oil, just PAM), then cut it up into little strips. meanwhile i chopped some red onion and grated some monterey jack cheese. i used big tomato basil flavoured tortilla shells, brushed one side with olive oil (oil side down), layered cheese, onions, steak, a bit more cheese and then another tortilla on top (with more brushed oil). i let my bf brush the oil on so he could feel "helpful" ha! i made two and they were SO GOOD - better than any quesadilla i've had in a restaurant. i ate too much but the penguins won so it's all good. the best thing about the whole experience is that now i can spell quesadilla without doing a google search.

on saturday i went for a 6-mile run, and then my bf and i rode our bikes to his house, stopping in a park to play catch with this velcro ball game i have. instead of a baseball glove you have this velcro circle attached to your hand. easy catching! it was so beautiful outside and there was a big street/rummage sale in the park. so much fun!

on sunday there was a street festival right outside my bf's apartment so we walked up and down the street a few times. i didn't buy anything from the vendors but there was the usual corn on the cob, yams, bbq'd meat, ice creams,etc. i did, however, go to cobs bread bakery to buy a fresh loaf of bread. i got the cape seed bread which according to the salesgirl (who was so nice, helpful and informative) is their healthiest loaf. it is made with: Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Sesame Seeds, Whole Flaxseed, Sunflower Seeds, Poppy Seed, Country Grain Mix: [Sesame Seed, Sunflower Seed, Oat Flakes, Flax Seed, Millet, Barley Flakes, Rye Flakes], Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Salt, Malt Flour, Wheat Flour, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Enzymes (Amylase), Calcium Carbonate, L-cysteine. some of those things at the end sound questionable but what can you do - better than a kick in the pants. the bread has seeds on the inside and out, is high fibre and low GI, and is made with NO OIL and NO SUGAR. score. it's so good too. yummy yum yum

this week is going to be CRAZY! here is my schedule:

monday: 2.5 year a versary (not doing anything though because it's monday and we both need time to take care of our own business)
tuesday: no doubt concert
wednesday: photo shoot all day, my actual birthday
thursday: nothing
friday: bf's end of year staff party (have to bring a food dish)
saturday: birthday party
sunday: father's day

now, i tend to get stressed about planning. everything must be perfect. perfect dammit! today i am going to dollarama (party supplies) and i will clean/declutter my abode after work. i want to go for a run as well.

thursday

i love thursdays because it's a day when i get everything ready for the weekend. i think tonight i will go running, even though i did it yesterday. i feel like i didn't because i did it so early in the morning it might as well have been the day before.

last night before my bf came over i did some vacuuming and cleaning. i washed the kitchen floor because it was getting out of control ... one too many spills that were hastily wiped up. and then of course last night making dinner i was dropping everything in sight. we had one of those lean cuisine pasta dishes for two, some garlic bread made on whole wheat mini ciabatta buns (drool) and salads. i taped canada's next top model and i thought i taped so you want to be a supermodel but really i taped that show about that horrible new york woman finding love ... again. i fast forwarded in hopes that my mistake was an illusion and pushed play right at a part where new york's mother was interviewing a "little person" who wanted to date her daughter. come on people. i had to look up the term "little person" to make sure it was the politically correct way of saying it. anyway ... who in their right mind watches this show? i would rather lick a toilet. my bf thought it was so funny and kept saying i taped in on purpose to watch later. not true!

this post is losing focus. running tonight ... i think.

tomorrow is game 7 of hockey and i'm watching it ... oh yes. sidney crosby don't let me down. we are having chicken wings and bud light lime beer. i need some things to serve with the wings. i am thinking carrots, zucchini and baby tomatoes, and little whole wheat pita wedges, both served with hummus and fat-free sour cream dip. that should be enough ... there are only two of us.

i'm also looking forward to saturday because i am meeting all of the toronto-bound blog girls for dinner. FUN TIMES oh yah!

toronto, running, swimming, i found money

wow i'm losing followers. i felt a little pang of sadness but it's over now.

another quick list:

1) my potato salad recipe for the potluck turned out pretty well. everyone enjoyed it thoroughly! it was more work than i thought because i had to boil eggs and potatoes first and cool them before even starting. it's fun to separate the yolk from the white in cooled hard boiled eggs. the yolks look so funny. like little shiny orange fun balls. there was so much yummy food at the potluck ... it can all be yours in the fall for the low low price of ... um ... i don't know yet!

2) this morning i woke up super early (5:20 am) and ran four miles. i have to be at work at 8 am and i commute so i have to leave at 7:20 am and i have to shower after a run (obviously ... don't want to stink) and realistically i need 20 minutes or so after waking up to get dressed and ready to run. it was hard to wake up and i really thought about going back to sleep but once i got moving it was fine AND the city was cool and empty! AND i found a loonie and a tcc token (toronto transit $2.75) my lucky day. i went to bed last night at 10 pm to prepare for this big event.

3) last night i went swimming. at first i didn't want to, even when i got into the pool. but then i thought to myself - remember when you loved swimming? where did the love go? and i realized my problem was (and is) that i'm always trying to squish a workout in, instead of enjoying myself. so i said NO RUSH, slowed it down, and really had a great swim. i hate feeling like i have to do this, got to do it right now, right now before my next pressing activity! i need to calm down. after my swim i showered and had a steam in the change room - very luxurious. i am pretty luck to have a pool and a steam room in my building!

4) tonight is date night. we are watching canada's next top model and make me a supermodel which i taped last night. i am also lucky my "main squeeze" likes watching model shows with me.

5) good places to shop in toronto:

number one: queen street west (if you start at yonge and queen - the bay at eaton centre) go west past bay and it's awesome store heaven. and you'll get to see city tv/muchmusic building which could be cool if you've never seen it. speaker's corner is also there. good shopping goes a bit past spadina road - there is an urban outfitters and american apparel and then it dies out before bathurst street.

number two: yorkville (yonge and bloor) go up yonge to bloor and walk west on bloor - the shopping here is amazing! there is holt renfrew which carries top designers, on bloor street there is a tiffanys, a louie vuitton, a chanel... etc. obviously i don't shop there but it's nice to look. go all the way to avenue (where the royal ontario museum is) and turn north because one block up on your right is ... whole foods market! yippee! there is an awesome cheap but nice restaurant called hemingways here.

number three: kensington market, this place is a world in it's own. i love it.

not in the mood - 10 randoms

i'm just not in the mood for blogging ... yesterday OR today!


so here is a quick list of what's going DOWN:

1) blog meet up girls - i posted this question on FB but no one is responding - do you have any sort of itinerary for drinks/dinner on friday or saturday. i want to join you for dinner one night (probably saturday) but i need to plan ahead, if possible. no stress if you don't have a plan yet.

2) I REGISTERED FOR THE MARATHON! no backing out now. training begins the week of the 22nd. i know i can do it even though i've never run that far before - it will be my greatest physical achievement ... SO FAR!

3) i am full time back on the oats. no green monsters this week. sorry greenies but i missed oatmeal in the morning - so filling and delicious.

4) tomorrow at work we are having a potluck to test recipes for an upcoming cookbook. i am making a potato salad. i have to shop at lunch for potatoes, eggs, cucumber and avocado oil. i have never tried this avocado oil before - it better not be expensive!

5) speaking of expensive, i am now very poor due to my car repairs. but i put it on my amex with air miles so just think about how many air miles i'll be getting. silver lining on a cloud? not really.

6) last night i did an old workout in my condo gym. i used to do this all the time. it goes like this:

5 minutes walking (speed 4.0, incline 1%)
10 minutes running (speed 6.0 to 6.2 mph)
break for 5 minutes of arm weights
10 minutes running
break for 5 minutes of arm weights
10 minutes of running
5 minutes walking (speed 4.0)
a few more minutes of walking (reducing speed) until i reach a total of 4 miles
100 sit ups (different kinds)
stretches
20 push ups (girl ones)

it's a fast workout, just over an hour but effective. and since you only run for 10 minutes at a time, it's not too boring and your heart rate stays elevated for longer than just running alone.

7) if there is a sobey's supermarche near you - go there right now. go to the frozen food section and buy the sobey's brand lean chicken and cheese meatballs. they are 100 calories for 4 and the tastiest meatballs i have ever had. last night i made dinner with sauteed broccoli, baby tomatoes and roasted red peppers from a jar, and six meatballs cooked in the oven, all drizzled with garlic salt and chili lime hot sauce. yum yum. i was hungry later though, so be warned if you try it at home.

8) last night i watched benjamin button and it was good.

9) in exactly one week and let's say 7 hours i'll be watching no doubt live WOOHOO!

10) in exactly one week and ten or eleven hours i'll be 28 instead of 27. noooooooooooooo! can't i stay young 4eva? will it help if i type like a youngster? 4eva? i think step one would be not to say "youngster." ;)

and one bonus - tonight i am planning on a swim, i think. i am going to try to attempt a morning run tomorrow. i'll have to get up VERY early but i want to get in the habit of running before work since i'm going to be training in the hot summer and want to run while it's still mildly cool outside.

does this sound good to you?

GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SANDWICH
With spinach, goat cheese, pomegranate molasses, red pepper, fresh basil. Crafted with our wonderful hearth baked, traditional Italian Ciabatta bread.

served with crisp greens.

it's what i had for lunch at milestones

i am going to eat the second half of my sandwich later when HUNGER STRIKES.

no monster today

i had to take a break from the monster. why? WHY? i'll tell you why:

1) i had to leave my house this morning at 6:30am to take my car in to the dealership for repairs. i got an oil change and a water belt something something maintenance thingymabob and when i was backing out of parking spots and turning i could hear a grinding in my engine, so i wanted to get that looked at. they call me at 10:00 am and kindly let me know that the grinding noise means i need new break pads. that's okay because it's not that expensive. i was hoping it would be relatively cheap and it was sort of, if you consider an all-inclusive vacation cheap. anyway. they also informed me that i have a crack in my exhaust, need all new tires and an alignment. yikes. i am doing it all because i don't want to meet my untimely death driving home from work in an unsafe vehicle. yikes. not cheap. i guess it's better to be poor than dead, right?

my point is i didn't have time this morning to be blending.

2) even though my smoothies contained fiber from the spinach, they weren't ... how should i say ... regulating my system quite like my regular oatmeal breakfast. by the end of the day yesterday i was feeling really bloated and gross. my lower stomach was really protruding! yes, i said it - protruding!!!

3) my boyfriend really likes when i make salads with dinner. he thinks my salads are so special because i add carrot shreds, tomatoes and the key - red onion for a kick. i know it's pretty standard but i'm keeping that to myself. anyway, i think i'm ODing on greens since the thought of having a salad last night really made me nauseated. we had hot dogs and soup. not bad but no veggies - what's going on here?

4) i love oatmeal and missed it dearly.

i needed a break from the monster. instead i had a multibran vitatop in my car on the way to the dealership, and later at work a nice bowl of oatmeal which included an instant pc multigrain oats pack, 1/4 cup all bran, 1/2 banana, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts and 3 chopped pitted dates. YUM. so hot and delicious and filling.

anyway, that's that. for those who asked, my green monster was very large. i took that picture after i drank some. it went to the top of the bottle. and yes, i drank it all even with the gross coffee in it. i added a bit of splenda. i wasn't going to not eat anything! heaven forbid. and here is my lunch:


hahaha it's backwards - do you love it?

green monster

ingredients:

4 cups spinach
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze
1 banana
1 T natural peanut butter
3/4 cup frozen mixed summer fruits
1 cup coffee
1 scoop vanilla protein powder


comments: adding coffee was really gross. the combo of spinach and coffee was really bitter. i won't be doing that again. i only added it because i made it yesterday morning and didn't have time to drink it and put it in the fridge and thought what the hell. what the hell is right! i had to put it in that massive jar because i forgot my 800 mL plastic bottle at work yesterday. man oh man oh man.

contest

angela at oh she glows is giving away a Hip T here! What a great idea - it really bothers me when my shirts are too short.

yes, yes, yes

so i'm going to run the half-marathon. it has been decided! now i just have to sign up. i should probably sign up soon, right, so i don't flake out. not that i'm a big flaker or anything.

last night i couldn't bring myself to go swimming. and i have a giant stack of magazines waiting to be read, so i busted out four miles at 4 miles an hour on the treadmill, alternating a 5 incline and a 0 incline every two minutes. after that i did a bit of arm work, some stretches and sit-ups. it was my book club last night too so i had to boot it upstairs to shower and eat.

my green monster yesterday was pretty filling. i'd say i was hungry for lunch around noon and i drank the monster around 8:30. i brought it to work in a bottle.

i made another one today and here is what i put in:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond breeze (i have never seen chocolate unsweetened, by the way!)
2 T chocolate PB2
1 scoop chocolate whey isolate protein powder
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
5 ice cubes
4 cups of spinach

yes, i really spinached it up today. and why not? that's the money food right there, might as well take it to the bank. for lunch i'm having a honey maple turkey sandwich on a pc mutligrain sandwich thin, with a slice of low-fat swiss, tomatoes and dill pickle slices. i have an apple, a yogurt and some fiber one but i think i'll save it for later. tonight i am going to my parents house for dinner in the burbs. i'm taking my running stuff so i can get a workout in before dinner.

everyone is so gung-ho about posting pictures of their food. maybe i will have to jump on the bandwagon.

dear everyone

my green monster smoothie was yummy. i had a hard time getting over the fact that i was drinking EIGHT weight watchers points for breakfast, but everything was healthy.

it had 1 cup vanilla almond breeze (2 points)
1/2 cup frozen berries (0 points)
1 banana (2 points)
2-3 cups spinach (0 points)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder, whey isolate (2 points)
1 T natural pb (2 points)

all good stuff. i could reduce the points by using 2 T PB2 instead of natural PB, and i could use unsweetened almond breeze for 1 point instead of the regular vanilla. 6 points isn't too bad. and i could add more spinach. first i used my immersion blender because my regular blender didn't like the giant chunk of frozen berries i had, and then i switched it back to the regular blender to really blend up the spinach. this is the key - blending the spinach so there are NO spinach pieces ... they are gross.

in other news, today i can't stop thinking about ...

running the scotiabank half marathon in september. i have never run any race before. but why not? there is this online training program they give you that starts june 22 and lasts 14 weeks. it's for people who run 30 minutes three times per week. that sounds like me! what do you think? is it too much too soon, or is it a good goal? they give out neat medals and i think it would be a great accomplishment for me.

ps. june today but FREEZING! yikes.