BAD BLOGGER

i am a bad blogger. take me to the garage and shoot me! my mom used to say that - i don't know why. i always thought it was really funny until just now when i thought of it literally and literally it's not funny at all. wow, emo! it's still funny if not taken literally. i can still take a joke ... i hope.

things have been really busy. last thursday i was out of the house from 7:15am (when i leave for work) until 11pm. i went to work, went running at lunch, went to the library after work, to a group meeting, then to see the dears with my boyfriend. long but pleasant day. on friday i came home after work and napped, woke up to eat and watch a bit of tv, then back to sleep at 11. i am battling this throat illness now. what is up with me contracting all of these sicknesses lately? thankfully it's not swine flu. oink oink! i can deal with the throat - it's sinus problems that are killer. head stuffed up = can't think = can't work but still have to work! look - here we are on thursday at the concert in the pouring rain - the radio station was taking pictures of people with neat umbrellas. mine is a monet - my mom gave it to me for easter ... thanks mom!

yesterday we went to see franz ferninand and i didn't get home until midnight. i had a nap before the show but still. it's concert city lately =D spring is here and so is the music.

i went for a run today at lunchtime. work is over but i'm still hanging around. i'm meeting my mom and sister at swiss chalet for dinner and then meeting some girlfriends at the movies here in the burbs. we are going to see ghosts of girlfriends past.

running is going well. today i am monitoring my calorie burn a la shirls. i am tracking it on my HRM from 7am this morning until about 11pm tonight - that's probably when i'll go to sleep. i will share the results tomorrow but can tell you right now that it pains me how low it is.

i forgot to share the big news with you all. are you ready? really? ok here it is. 1/2 scoop of protein powder in the oatmeal is tastier than one full scoop, but not as tasty as ZERO scoops, hehe. i do like protein powder mixed with fat free plain or vanilla yogurt though - yum. i had some today for lunch with raspberries mixed in.

i better get going! i am going to canadian tire to buy myself this zero-gravity chair for summer reading on my balcony. i was also going to buy this breadmaker because it's 45% off but changed my mind. i will never bake my own bread. i've used my rice cooker ONCE and my crock pot ZERO times. these are things i'm sure i'll use when i have a family, but i don't need more stuff collecting dust in my tiny condo. the end. thank you and goodnight.

eat and sleep and swim

last night i went for a 40-minute swim, and then this morning i went for another 40-minute swim. it's just so easy and painless. by the end of it, i feel like i've worked hard. i am not dead tired, not really that out of breath, but my muscles are sore. i'm mostly just a bit cold and sick of being wet, if that makes sense.

check out this crazy picture i found of a white tiger swimming:

looks just like me. grrrrrr. how would you like to run into that beast in the deep end? yikes!

in other news, tonight for dinner i am making chicken enchiladas. it's date night and i am in a date cooking rut. my boyfriend is easy to please with the stupidest foods. he is polish and grew up with his mom cooking gourmet meals all of the time so he missed out on things like hot dogs and macaroni and cheese and now it's a big novelty for him. i have never made chicken enchiladas before but i'm ready. i'm looked up a few recipes and have the gist of it down: roll up filling, place in tomato saucy pan, cover with more sauce, some cheese, bake. i think i will fill mine with onions, red pepper, chicken, a bit of cheese, and green onions. i'm starting simple with things i know i like and can experiment next time. i'm serving the enchiladas with a side of zatarain's red beans and rice which i have never made before but seems to be pretty popular based on my google image search.

i'm going to try and squeeze in some yoga before my boyfriend comes over. in other news, i downloaded the new lily allen CD, "it's not me, it's you" and it's amazing. loving it! i got the explicit version but it's also available without swearing on iTunes.

shshshshopping

last night i went to homesense to do a little shopping. i am going to a girlfriend's birthday dinner tonight and don't want to show up empty handed. everyone always says "no gifts, no gifts" when no one is going to refuse (and not love) a little something. i like homesense because it is the same company as winners. i can go in, find the perfect gift, and not be distracted by the clothes!

i ended up buying more for myself than for my friend... of course. i absolutely LOVE flavoured coffees and i found two amazing ones from a company called "pie in the sky" and distributed by figueroa brothers, inc. although i can't find anything about the coffee on the website. the coffee flavours i got... are you ready for this?... coconut creme pie and boston creme pie. mmmmmmm. of course i haven't tried them yet but am confident they will be sinlessly delicious.

i also bought two bottle koozies. what is a koozie? yeah... that was my question too. it's a little zip up jacket for your bottle. i bought them with the intention of using them for alcoholic drinks. for example, if a person wanted to enjoy a pomtini on toronto island without arising suspicion. but then it occurred to me that they are probably for water bottles. one is bright orange with white polka dots and the other is bright green with white polka dots. each one has a cute little mitten zipper tag. i'm assuming they are being marketed towards women, which is why i never thought they were for beer. but they could be for beer. if you like beer. in a bottle. like a corona... alright i feel better now. they were on super discount for $0.70 each. in these hard economic times i can justify this goofy purchase.

i bought my friend a pretty amazing present, if i do say so myself. it is a Liquid Solutions Tea-zer Tea Brewing Tumbler with Infuser Basket in blue. basically a loose leaf tea thermos. what a great idea not to mention adorable. not everyone likes coffee (did i just say that?) but most people like tea. AND loose leaf teas are becoming more of a mainstream rage. or maybe, when you get to a certain age more people can afford and drink loose leaf teas.

afterward, i went to loblaws to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. i love loblaws AND their organic section is pretty similar to whole foods market. last night i spotted almost everything i buy at whole foods for cheaper prices. i bought grapefruits, blood oranges, bananas, and this. i know it's overpriced for oats but i have to try it! review to come later.

i didn't do any yoga last night but i did do some this morning. i tried the 20-minute lunar flow. i loved the spine twists but some of the weird backward bending moves made my lower back ache and i'm sure i'll be in yoga pain tomorrow. i am heading down for a swim around noon, and tonight am walking a) to my boyfriend's apartment 2.5 miles away and b) to the restaurant, maybe another mile or so.

a test of wills

today i feel a bit like a fatty mcbutterpants. last night my boyfriend and i went to see the new james bond movie (it was only ho hum compared to the last one) and we shared swedish berries and popcorn. i asked him TEN times not to get butter on the popcorn, and he got butter because he thought i was joking. joking? what kind of joke is that? i can't even wrap my head around it. obviously i still ate some because i'm not going to be a jerk who refuses to eat the popcorn that someone bought for me.

so i got up really early this morning and went for a 30 minute swim. i didn't really feel like swimming, but it's one of my quickest workouts, and i can shower in the pool change room which makes for an even faster time because there are no comforts of a home shower. no choice of body wash or shampoo, no relaxing stream of water from the rainfall shower head... just in and out.

tonight i am going to the movies again. i don't go for six months and then go twice in two days. apparently that's how i roll. some of my girlfriends and i are going to see twilight, and meeting for dinner at shoeless joe's first. i looked at the menu online, and it's really the worst thing ever. luckily the NI is posted, and I've narrowed it down to two options. 1) french onion soup (5 points) with a large house salad (3 points) and balsamic dressing (1 point) or 2) something called a salmon skillet which is salmon with veggies and rice (10) points. both are pretty good options. they have some things that sound yummier like the goat cheese burger, but i'm not compromising on the points after the butterfest of yesterday. it's only shoeless joe's, not a gourmet restaurant, and tomorrow i won't care what i ate for dinner tonight.

lazy vs. rest day

yesterday i didn't do any exercise. i didn't get home until 8:30 because i went to the walmart supercentre. i love you walmart supercentre. you are so big and super. i bought: a new tweezer, some dove intense repairing conditioner, three new cheap sports bras (A cup annies can get away with cheap sports bras), a new big bowl for microwaving oatmeal, 4 new drinking glasses (mine have slowly been breaking and i only have two left), some eye make-up remover (i like the rimmel brand), some dairyland fat free vanilla yogurts, and a pomegranate. oh, and a fancy wrapped wine from the wine rack in the walmart. oh, AND i forgot one to mention one of the best things i got. i mean, maybe the best, i have to try it first. here it is:

jolly time healthy pop caramel apple flavour. it's only 120 calories for 1/2 the bag. my box came with 3 packets, not 12. there were two other yummy flavours, like mallow magic, but that one was 360 calories for 1/2 the bag. outrageous! sometimes the walmart supercentre stocks products like this that i would usually only expect to find in the united states. occasionally it has chex mix which is my snack crack. i didn't buy any snack crack... don't want to OD!

i also went to canadian tire which was the main purpose of my trip because i wanted to buy a little (maybe 2 feet) christmas tree for my apartment. but i wanted one with pre-strung lights that didn't look tacky or cheap and it just wasn't my day. there were some nice bigger ones, but i don't want to go overboard. i bought my mom a nice whisk and spatula for christmas. i also got her a membership to costco. she is going to love it. i am going to love it too because i'm going to beg her to take me there. please mum please!

so i got home late, too pooped to work out. and i should mention that i was suffering from bum pain. dammit! so i took a "rest day." it's funny to me to call days when i plan to work out and don't "rest days" instead of just "lazy" or "can't be bothered" days. but it all worked out. normally i "rest" on friday mornings, but today i had a 40 minute swim. today is also weigh-in day and i am down two pounds and barely back in my maintenance range. hooray! i knew my pants were fitting better. even when i am a mere two pounds heavier i can feel the difference in my thighs.

this weekend is going to be fun fun fun until my daddy takes the t-bird away. tonight after work i am going to my bf's parent's house for his dad's birthday dinner (hence the wine). hence: do you like that word? and then tonight a home movie night with friends. tomorrow the ago is free all day (art gallery of ontario) so it would be fun to stop there, and then my bf is having a "november is boring" party. and THEN, on sunday, we are sitting on his roof (third floor street apartment) to watch the toronto santa claus parade! could it get any better? yes it can - by drinking a peppermint latte :) oh, and THEN on monday... i am going shopping in BUFFALO with my bff - it's her birthday.

my question for readers is: what would you buy in the states!?!?! i expect at least 1,000 comments, ha!

oh.... hello

wow. today i feel like poo. blame t.o.m.

t.m.i? maybe! too many acronyms? definitely!

last night my boyfriend and i had a nice date. we watched ferris beuller's day off at the movie theatre, and then he made me a delicious dinner of whole wheat spaghetti, meatballs, and vegetables with cheese. the meatballs were from sobey's and called "chicken and cheese." interesting texture... different than a beef or turkey ball, but still good. and only 100 calories and low fat for 4 of them. and they were reasonably sized balls, too. ok, enough ball talk.

for some reason, i have a problem with red pasta sauces. i like the taste, but sometimes they are too saucey. i like minimal sauce, or no sauce even. my bf and i compromise by using a can of tomato paste instead of sauce. it's flavourful, but not too saucey. perfecto! now i think he likes it better than regular sauce too.

this morning i left his abode at 7am, rode my bike home (about 3 miles, mostly downhill though), went swimming for 30 minutes, and then got ready for working in the burbs. i had a big carby breakfast. i am craving carbs like a crazy carb... lover. tonight i am hoping to get day 2 week 3 couch to 5k in, but we'll see based on how my lower half is feeling.

today's menu:

1 baby banana (0.25)
3 apple graham crackers (0.25)

1/2 cup multigrain hot cereal (2)
banana (2)
1/4 cup all bran (0)
1/4 cup pumpkin (0)

1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt (1)
1/4 cup pumpkin (0)
(5.5)

1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese (1.5)
140g frozen raspberries (0)
(7)

50g deli chicken (1)
ezekiel hamburger bun (3)
tomato and mustard (0)
(11)

baby carrots (1)
red pepper (0)
hummus (0.5)
(12.5)

apple (1)
grapes (1)
all bran bar (2)
(16.5)

protein powder (2)
140g frozen berries (0)
1 cup unsweetened almond breeze (1)
1/2 banana (1)
(20.5)

wasting time

i am in love with frozen raspberries. and this week my local grocery store has them on sale for $4.00 so i am going back today to stock up. i don't know how much they normally cost but yummo! and a giant serving (140g) is 0 points. can't beat the zero!

last night i tried an eating "experiment." when i got home from work i was feeling the hunger, so i ate 1/2 a banana and then went down to the gym to do day 3 week 2 of the couch to 5k program. it's not that intense - a five minute walk, then six sets of 1.5 minutes running and 2 minutes walking, and then at the end a five minute cool down walk. i managed to make it through pain free which is a huge bonus. i think if i want to do any running, i'm going to have to do it at night time. that's ok with me, because it doesn't take up that much time. i'm not going on any long runs or anything.

my eating experiment was to try and keep my dinner really light. i had a scoop of protein powder (2 points), a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze (1 point), 140g frozen raspberries (0 points) and the other half of my banana (1 point). so 4 points which is substantial, but still a very light meal that doesn't sit heavy in the stomach. and then this morning i am more than 2 pounds lighter. i was definitely still feeling the weekend bloat and water retention!

yesterday randi asked when i started to gain weight, and if it was when i stopped working. well, i'd say probably not when i stopped working, but instead when i stopped running. i was really hardcore and probably burned so many calories running. and i was eating a lot to make up for running so much. a lot of my runs, 4 or so times a week, would be an hour or 6 miles. so my portions were bigger and i was used to eating that much and that's the problem. i am still a volume eater but am trying to cut down on portion size. truthfully i haven't gained that much weight, not even ten pounds, but five becomes ten and then more and more and that's when it becomes a problem. and my business skirt didn't fit, let's not forget that.

today for breakfast i am making an egg and cheese sandwich. 2 slices ezekiel bread (2 points, and truthfully i am not that crazy about this bread. it's *too* fibrous, which i never thought i would hear myself say), 1/4 cup egg whites (0.5 points) and 1 slice kraft fat free cheese (0.5 points). maybe ketchup or a tomato slice too. :)

yawn

i sure am tired today. i deliberately woke up early so that i could go swimming downstairs at 10am. the pool is closed for "cleaning" between 11 and 12 (which is an annoying time to be closed and prime swimming hour!) every week day and i want to get going today. i am going back to the sewing studio to finish my summer dress FINALLY. i don't know why i have been putting it off. well, today is the day!

the concert last night was alright. they didn't play that many songs i knew, and when they did, they let the crowd sing for most of the song, instead of singing it themselves. it's fine when it's just a line or two in a popular song, but not the whole song. my friend said, "i am paying to hear you sing, not to sing myself!" to which i reminded her that the tickets were free but the point was still made of course. the best part of the concert was that we could walk there and back from my building. not dealing with traffic is heaven!

last night for dinner i made us the pc blue menu shepherd's pie from loblaws. yummy. i have always likes this one. it's about 290 calories for 1/4 of the pie which isn't too bad. if you put it with some peas and a slice of whole wheat baguette it's quite filling.

it's friday which is weigh-in day but i'm just not feeling it this week. this is unusual for me but everyone deserves a week off. this weekend... not sure what is going on really. i am reading this book called "pillars of the earth" by ken follett. it's about a builder in the twelfth century who longs to build a cathedral. of course it is about more than just that. it's great so far.

summer concerto

it was a good idea to ride my bike to my boyfriend's apartment yesterday, because this morning i just zipped home (it's mostly downhill on the way home) and i didn't have to wait for any sort of slow delayed transit. it was a good date last night because he made me dinner, but also not that great since we bought a futon (just a few doors down... but still) and then had to carry the massive frame and mattress up 2 flights of super steep narrow stairs. and then put it together... and of course the instructions were ridiculous. there were two lengths of bolts... long and short - and it didn't tell you where to use each one. eventually i figured it out and now he has a really nice futon.

even yesterday i was feeling the effects of getting too much sun the day before. i wasn't really burned since i used sunscreen, but felt really weak and weary. oh woe is me. yesterday at the end of my swim i was beginning to feel a little faint, like if i got out of the pool at that exact moment and tried to walk over to my towel, i might not make it. i was fine though.

in a few moments i am going to do the pilates 50-minute fat burning video. it starts with some basic stretching, then some cardio dance-like moves, then more stretching, and then the last ten minutes or so is actual pilates mat floor exercises. it's a pretty good workout i think.

and then tonight i am going to see blue rodeo at the outside amphitheatre. my friend's boss gave her free tickets... not complaining! finally it's a beautiful summer day! (not raining)

home today

i am at home today. since i am at home today, i am going to do my entry "food blog style."

i woke up at 8:30am and made a coffee, and small bowl of cherries and cheerios. ch ch ch champion foods. :) i was reading in bed, eating them, when i fell back asleep and didn't wake up until 11:30am. am i lazy or what?



now it's noon! i have some stuff i want to do today (on the computer), so hopefully i can get it all done. if i do, i'm going to reward myself with a trip to whole foods. (i have to drive there... bleh!) i was hoping to get outside for a run, but it's pouring rain... it might stop by 2pm or so for a couple of hours, so i'm going to postpone my workout until then and make something more substantial to eat.

for brunch or lunch i made my favourite... oatmeal:


1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened almond breeze
1/2 small banana
1/4 cup wheatberries
1 T flax
1 t splenda
1/2 t vanilla
some thawed frozen berries on top. :)

i went for a long run... 6 miles. it was easy and my heart rate stayed about 140 the whole time. i think my monitor is working fine now... phewf. i was running for over an hour and burned 430 calories or so.

when i got home i thought about what to have for dinner. i looked in my vegetable drawer and saw a sweet potato that was almost ready to bite the dust, so i made a big batch of mashed potatoes.

i used:
1 giant sweet potato
4 cloves garlic, chopped (2 were really mini)
3/4 head of cauliflower
splash of unsweetened almond breeze

i steamed everything and then used my blender on a stick (what is that called?) to puree everything. yum yum. i love mixing cauliflower into mashed potatoes because it really increases the volume and not the calories.

i ate a small bowl right away:


i had a bath/shower afterwards and then made dinner. i had a sun-dried tomato gardenburger on an ezekiel english muffin, with some greens and mustard, leftover steamed veggies and some mashed potatoes. now i am very very full.


i have never tried ezekiel english muffins before ($4.99 for 6!) and i have to say, they are really delicious. way better than any other english muffin i've tried. i still have some work to do on the computer so i better get cracking. i am not going anywhere tonight because it's still raining and i just can't be bothered. that's how much i hate driving. why do i even have a car?

i hope you enjoyed looking at my food today. =D tomorrow will be back to regular posting (no pics), although i do have to say, posting my food for the day really inspired me to make the most of my food (variety, somewhat nice presentation) and really curbed the mindless snacking and little bites of things i would usually take but wasn't hungry for. interesting...

not a monster anymore

last night i went to bed early. for me, that means getting into bed about 10pm and reading until 10:30... then lights out. and i feel great today, too. it's beautiful and sunny outside... my favourite kind of day. :o)

yesterday after work i went down to the gym and did some biking and strength training. i finished reading the black book of hollywood diet secrets. i would recommend it, if you get it from the library. it's cute and there are some good tips, but it's not really worth owning. (it's very light and will probably be outdated in a few years.)

for dinner i made a spinach salad with spinach, a chopped tomato, 5 chopped almonds, a sprinkle of dried blueberries, about a 1/4 cup of fiber one, honey mustard dressing, and spicy thai shrimps. yummo! i really have no problem combining weird flavours and textures, obviously. i also had a baked sweet potato with fat free sour cream.

my big news is that i bought a heart rate monitor. i couldn't help myself. i was going to buy it on ebay, but then i found a real company in BC that sold them for a reasonable price, with free shipping, so i bought it from there. it's called "fact canada." i like buying canadian because a) i like to support my home "peeps" and b) the main reason: the shipping is always less hassle. usually things that ship from the US are ok, but sometimes they take too long and once in awhile there will be a duty issue and i'll have to pay more. i hate paying more... cash on delivery is the pits. i got the polar f4 - in cherry red. ooh la la. now i have to wait for it to come in the mail. that's ok. i love getting mail.

this morning i got up and went down to the gym. i walked for four miles at four miles per hour at an incline of four. four four four (i just realized that now... good thing that isn't unlucky). i also did a quick mile on the bike and some situps. i made a giant caramel iced coffee and it was so delicious and refreshing. i made a giant cup of coffee before going to the gym and then put it in the fridge. it was still warm when i took it out over an hour later (weird!) so i put in some ice and some sugar free caramel syrup. yummo.

tonight is my book club and we are discussing suite francaise. fun! today i'm eating:

fat free apple crumble yogurt with fiber one mixed in (pre work out) (1)

10-15 almonds post work out (i really need to not eat these from the bag... very dangerous) (2)
2 dried apricots post work out (0.5)

giant caramel iced coffee (0)

hot coffee (0)
(3.5)

1/2 banana (1)
oatmeal (2)
(6.5)

yogurt (1)
clementine (0.5)
(8)

soup to go (2)
1/2 banana (1)
mini bagel (2)
(13)

grapes (1)
yogurt (1)
puffed kamut cereal (1)
(16)

dinner: maybe a veggie burger. i know i say this every day but i really love veggie burgers and usually don't end up eating one anyway.

dinnertime

ok, i'm armed and ready with a game plan for dinner.

i'm doing a different take on mrs. furious's salmon noodle casserole.

i love baked pasta, but i don't love salmon (hey, it smells funny to me, what can i say?) and i don't think my boyfriend likes tuna (which i will change... in time... but now is not the moment) so i am making turkey sausage noodle casserole.

first i will chop an onion and cut up 2 or 3 schneider's lean turkey grill 'ems, and fry with non-stick cooking spray for a bit.



then i will boil whole wheat rotini, add 1 cup frozen peas and 1/2 cup frozen corn... and then follow the rest of the recipe as is. and i will side it with green and yellow beans, and carrots. the end. i am most excited about the healthy request cream of mushroom soup.