product love

here are some products i am really digging lately:

1) dairyland "creama"

only the fat-free kind, let's not get crazy. i know i've mentioned this before, but the dairyland brand of dairy products is the best in canada, in my opinion. not including organics or one's i haven't tried. the dairyland milk is so creamy and tasty, the yogurts are amazing... there is something else i love but can't remember. oh right! cottage cheese! the dairyland cottage cheese is THE BEST hands down. dairyland fat free creama is also tops. truthfully i detest the name "creama" but there is nothing else wrong with this product. it's fat free, 10 calories per tablespoon, and it really creams up your coffee. i am not into black coffee and why would i ever be with products like this out there.

2) the bag of spinach: the bag of spinach rocks. do you want to know why? of course you do. it's so versatile. it's pre-washed so there is hardly any mess and it's ready to go. no need to get out that annoying salad spinner that takes up a whole cabinet above the fridge (and i have to move all of my cereal boxes to get to it). earlier this week i talked about putting spinach in a smoothie, but i like it many, MANY ways. add it to an omelet, put it in your lunchtime wrap, chop it up and just eat a spinach salad. spinach adds bulk to your food with hardly any calories and a massive amount of nutrients. where do you think popeye got those giant muscles from? and, it's a great source of iron. i have anemia and don't like taking iron pills (cough... constipation... cough) so fills that void.

3) frozen raspberries: i love them! my favourite brand is "europe's best" because they are always so fat and plumpy but i have been known to buy other brands, even noname store brands, and they are good too. sometimes i let them thaw overnight and sometimes i eat them frozen. sometimes i heat them up in the microwave and sometimes i let them warm up in my oatmeal. they seem expensive but aren't really if you compare the amount of berries you are getting in a frozen bag to that of a little puny half-pint container. those are often $3 on sale, and a bag is usually $5 or $6 for thrice or four time that amount. yes, i said thrice. do you like that word?

in other news, it is finally, almost the weekend. i have to clean my apartment SO BAD. it's not "dirty" just "cluttered" because i have a problem with putting things back where they belong. i feel like i'm always accumulating so much stuff and with it comes giant boxes or the need to throw out my old giant things. with a little living space it's difficult to stay decluttered.

the movie last night was cute. it was laugh out loud funny in a lot of parts. it deviated too far from the book for my liking, but that always happens. except in the movie "atonement" - that was very true to the book. the outfits were cute, isla fisher was cute, luke brandon, cute. all cute. that's my review. it's cute.

does anyone have big plans for the weekend? it's my book club on sunday. we read "the independence of miss mary bennett." i am still reading it... eep. i have big plans for yoga and for swimming too.

of all the things we need...

here is a tip: don't watch the movie "valley of the dolls"... it's absurd. it makes no sense, especially if you haven't read the book. the characters are all over the place. not a good movie. the book, however, is amazing.

in other book news, today my "hungry girl" recipe book has to go back to the library. i flipped through it one time (one time!) and made nothing. the thing with recipe books is that they are meant to be bought, not borrowed. i also have vegan with a vengeance and it's awesome. much better than the hungry girl book. no offense, hungry girl. your book is great too. it just serves a different purpose and doesn't meet my culinary needs right now. who knew i had culinary needs?

my book club bbq was great. i made grilled zucchini (not boats), a sweet potato, and a pre-marinated chicken breast. delicious. i also had wine, veggies with dip and those chocolate lady fingers.

this morning i was going to walk on the treadmill, but i wanted to give my shin a break. i want it to heal and recover but i loathe being inactive. it makes me feel like sloppy sloth sally. instead i went for a swim in the pool. i did 50 lengths front crawl, then alternated 10 lengths breaststroke and 10 lengths front crawl three times. keep in mind my condo pool isn't a full sized pool. the whole thing took me about 30-35 minutes with no stopping. a pretty good workout except i can still see faint goggle rings around my eyes..... looking good!

this morning at work i got this "brookstone catalogue" which is basically full of expensive things that no one really needs.

exhibit a: the golf drink dispenser. "here's the discreet way to enjoy hot or cold drinks right from your golf bag!"


for you dog lovers, exhibit b: the car dog booster seat. so your small dog can have a comfortable view of the road. this dog does actually look pretty happy.


exhibit c: the doggie dining table. now your dog can eat in a healthier, more comfortable position. is this really necessary? i've never known dogs who had a problem eating off the floor!


time to work. tonight is date night (at home) and we are booking our hotels for california! we already have plane tickets, rented a car, and the first night's hotel. and pretty much decided on what cities to stay in (and what we are going to do in those cities). surf city here i come. :o)

finally the day has arrived

what day is that? the day i am going to see sex and the city with my girlyfriends, that's what. i wanted to avoid the crowds in the theatres on opening weekend because i can be easily bothered at the movies. and in life. people doing things like talking too loudly or hitting the back of my seat really puts me into a rage. food noises don't really bother me (at the movies haha).

i brought my dinner to work (to avoid eating a giant popcorn) and then i'm going to walk to the theatre. the show starts at 6:50, which is good because we are going to my friend's house to have a few drinks after, and i heard that the movie is 2 and a half hours long. that's long! but good... almost like 5 episodes of the show. :)

i got new running shoes in the mail yesterday. yahoo! the bad part is i had to pay $25 duty tax on them... crap! but still, even with the duty they are less than $50 than what i would have paid in store. i got the mizuno wave inspire 4's.

aren't they pretty? they are just like my mizuno wave inspire 3's, but the blue is less teal-like, and more of a dim aqua. at first i was put off by this but then i realized i was put off by the colour of my old shoes when i first got them. i love my running shoes and i have grown to think they are pretty, but really, i think running shoes in general are ugly. they are so big and bulky and not fashion. if i could give anyone fashion tips i would say (to start) the following two things: 1) unless you are doing physical activities (for example, running, any sports, even walking to work...) there is no need to wear your big, bulky, running shoes. i know they are comfortable but still, come on. what would stacey and clinton say? i know what they would say... she would be appalled and he would be horrified. and please don't wear them with jeans... oh, the horror! (it's like every dad's style... along with the jean tuxedo) and 2) no khaki pants. if i went on a date with a man who was wearing khaki pants, it would be a deal breaker. harsh? maybe.

now that i have that out of my system... this morning i went on a 4-mile run around town. it wasn't hot out but it must have been humid because when i came back i was a sweaty betty. i then turn on the tap to take a shower and realize that there is NO HOT WATER... ahhhhhhhh! this is very rare since i live in a condo and there is always hot water. i could be running the dishwasher, the laundry machine, and taking a bath and there would still be hot water. not that i wash my clothes in hot... just saying. i stuck my head under the tub tap to wash my hair... brrrr.... talk about brain freeze. i wash my hair everyday anyway, so the thought of not washing it after it's soaked with sweat isn't that appealing to me. then i did a wash-cloth wipe down everywhere else. i hope the hot water comes back soon...! although it is supposed to be 30°C tomorrow and all this weekend so maybe i need some cool refreshing showers.

yesterday i bought peanut butter and co. natural peanut butter. i've never bought natural peanut butter before. it's amazing. the only ingredients are peanuts, and salt. it's all oily at the top so it has to be stirred. for the past year or two i was using PB2 because it is only 50 calories for 2 T and regular peanut butter is 200 cals for 2 T... big difference. but i think now that i am at a pretty stable weight i can "live it up" with regular peanut butter. also i'm trying to incorporate more healthy fats into my diet. filling fats... so that i can eat less but feel more satisfied overall. and isn't the jar so cute? those kraft bears have nothing on this jar!


enough blabbing! today's menu is:

1/2 small banana with 1t natural pb

1/4 cup cheerios with 1/2 small banana and 1/4 cup unsweetened almond breeze

1/2 cup cherries

quaker weight control cinnamon oatmeal
with 1 T ground flax
1/2 pack regular oatmeal
1/4 cup wheatberries

1/2 cup plain 2% yogurt
1 t no sugar added raspberry jam
1/4 cup wheatberries

3/4 cup quinoa
1 serving red lentil curry with spinach and tomatoes
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato/cauliflower mix

and i'm bringing a rebar to the movies just in case. a rebar is " a blend of 20 different fruits and vegetables with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives - each bar is made with 2 cups organic fruit and 2 cups organic vegetables to make for the most nutritious pocket-sized snack available." and 160 calories, 6 g fibre, 2 g protein. i have never tried this before... but it sounds great!