this week the plan

i know it's "humpday" but here is my weekly plan.

according to my marathon training schedule (say shed yule) i should be doing this:

monday: run 40 minutes
tuesday: cross train 40 minutes
wednesday: rest
thursday: run 40 minutes
friday: cross train 40 minutes
saturday: 3-mile run
sunday: rest

since i never listen to what i'm supposed to do (rebellious by nature?) here is my plan:

monday: 5-mile run (about 50 or so minutes), sit-ups and stretches
tuesday: 35-minute swim, 1-hour treadmill walk, sit-ups and stretches
wednesday: 35-minute swim
thursday: 5-mile run, sit-ups and stretches
friday: rest
saturday: 5- or 6-mile run, sit-ups and stretches.

yesterday i swam before work and then did the incline treadmill walk after work. i had nothing else to do! (other than cleaning, etc.) also, i need friday to be a rest day because i am going to see my fav band: depeche mode! woooooooooooopeeeeeeeeee! should be a gay ol' time as the flintstone's theme song used to say. did anyone else watch that everyday at lunch? i always did!

this morning for breakfast i made SPINACH OATS.

do not be alarmed by the following pictures:



i pushed the bloobs over in the second pic so you can truly appreciate the green. here are the ingredients:

1 cup spinach water (made by blending 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup skim milk and 3 cups of baby spinach)
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup all bran original
1 T flaxseed
1/2 cup blueberries
1 small container fat free vanilla yogurt
1/2 t vanilla
1 T chopped walnuts
dash cinnamon
small spoonful of natural pb

it's not pretty because it's in my to-go office plastic ware, but it works. it tasted a little weird but i think my walnuts have gone bad or something. i don't even really like walnuts that much. i got them for a baking project and really should throw them down the chute. i am also having a spinach salad for lunch today. it's not easy being green!

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!?

vacation

i'm sorry i can't write a large post today because i'm living it up in paris. see?


this should be a good weekend. tonight is my bf's event at the rivoli - it's an indie music + art series so if you live in toronto you should stop by and check it out. all the proceeds go to camh, the centre for addiction and mental health, so it's for a good cause too.

in other news, i am within a pound (which means nothing, remember) of my zone weight. phewf. i will have to watch it next week though. i need to get off the damn see-saw. i promised by boyfriend we could go out for chinese after the party tonight. i love it but it's so bad for you. i've been putting it off for months. i could get healthier options but really, what's the point? i want chicken balls and chow mein, not steamed broccoli. i could make broccoli at home!

have a good weekend :)

ding dang dong

one more thing - for anyone who watches america's next top model. did anyone notice that celia was eating peanut butter right out of the jar? holy moly. even my boyfriend said WTF - that's so fatty haha.

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.

my loot

i am back from the united states, and it was everything i dreamed it would be. first of all, your comments about what to buy made me laugh. i was more thinking specific products, although it was really interesting to learn about what other parts of canada don't have. for example, toronto has a whole foods, and a sephora, and a bath and body works too.

unfortunately there is no trader joe's in buffalo, but i did go to big lots, wegman's grocery store, the fashion outlet mall, and target. here is some of my loot :)

1) oatmeal: country choice organic fit kids (1/2 cinnamon toast and 1/2 chocolate chip), quaker weight control banana bread, and kashi creamy all natural truly vanilla. i have died and gone to oatmeal heaven. by the way, i think you can click on the pics to make them bigger.


2. granola bars: quaker "true delights" granola bars, in toasted coconut banana macadamia nut, and dark chocolate raspberry almond.


3. fiber one complete pancake mix. wowee wowee!


4. clif kid z bars! i got a whole box of honey graham, and individual ones of chocolate chip, peanut butter, spooky smores, blueberry, and chocolate brownie (which was still hiding in the bags when i took this photo).



5. delicious hot beverages: swiss miss 25 calorie hot chocolate and sugar cookie sleigh ride holiday tea.


6. popcorn! jolly time sea salt and cracked pepper, and jolly time sassy salsa. i wonder what sassy tastes like?


7. the wonder food - greek yogurt!!! it was expensive but i didn't care. i just wanted to try it once. i mean twice. i bought 2 of the big 0% tubs, and three little ones: vanilla, blueberry, and honey. the last photo is a size comparison.




8. more delicious yogurt in flavours that blew my mind: orange creme, strawberry shortcake, banana creme pie, boston creme pie, raspberry cheesecake, and weight watchers amaretto cheesecake.



9. delicious "flat out" wraps in three varieties! multigrain, light italian, and light original.


THE END. i also got a few other things non-food related. a new hairdryer (mine had glowing embers... can't be safe), some beauty products for my man, a sweater and lounge pants from the GAP, this stuff, and a baby spoon because i like eating with little bites. to bed!

good times

i didn't get back from the burbs until 7pm last night, and as soon as i got home i changed into my gym outfit and jumped on the treadmill (down in the condo gym). i was going to walk, but THEN the guy next to me was running, and i could see our reflections in the window, and thought, wouldn't it be funny (in my mind) to pretend we were running together. and so i ran for 20 minutes without stopping.

20 minutes!!! without stopping! i could hardly believe it. i thought about going for 30, but i was pretty pooped and it was getting to the point where i felt that if i pushed it more, i would be encroaching on bum pain territory. still, it felt great to run again. i am going to poo-poo doing the couch to 5k again when obviously i don't need to. i am just going to run when i feel confident and pain-free.

i'm tired today because i stayed up until 1:30am finishing the fourth twilight book. the fourth one is definitely the worst. still good, but by the end i could take it or leave it. but what do you expect? the magic to continue forever? it's like this with any good series... take the outlander series, by diana gabaldan. same thing.

this morning i went for a 30 minute swim. i'm feeling pretty good because i am on top of job applications, have been exercising and eating within my points, and my apartment is clean. also i hung up some new pictures. i got the frames from ikea and then bought a cheap marilyn monroe calendar from chapters, and used some of the photos from that as art. see for yourself. the middle is colour and her lips match the couch, and the two on the outside are black and white. ooh la la.

monday mania

good morning. there are still two minutes until noon so it's still morning! welcome to monday... bleh!

i had a great weekend. on friday i watched across the universe which was pretty good. how can anything made entirely of beatles songs be bad? the first half was better than the second half.

on saturday i had a 40 minute swim, and also walked to the library and back. i had some resume and cover letter books on hold to pick up, and i got two new amazing audio books for the car. i also got a book by madeleine wickham called the gatecrasher. did you know that is sophie kinsella, author of the shopaholic series? pretty *wild* ;)

on sunday, i went with my family to see jersey boys, which is a musical about the four seasons. amazing!

this morning i did some reading, and then went for a 40 minute swim. i am going to try and get some walking in later.

and finally, here is a photo from halloween (i am slow to upload things!) - my boyfriend and i were 70s olympians. i made the medals and the shirts... crafty!

new bowl

this may be ridiculous but i had to show you guys the new "oatmeal bowl" i got for myself at IKEA yesterday. i love using a huge bowl because then i can just throw everything into the microwave and it doesn't spill out over the sides of the bowl. and it's just fun having a big bowl. it makes me feel like i'm just a tiny person using a regular sized bowl.

i took these photos for comparison. on the far left and second to the left are the dishes that came with my standard corning ware dish set. a small bowl, and a bigger bowl. i like to microwave 1/4 cup egg whites in the smallest one for 47 seconds and out comes a perfect english muffin sized patty.

in the middle we have a colourful blue and yellow bowl. i actually bought this in England when i studied there years ago, which is why it's a loner bowl without anything to match. i like the size of this bowl but when i use it for oatmeal in the microwave, it gets too hot to handle and i have to take it out with paper towels, which is kind of dangerous.

second from the right is the bowl i use the most, since i have four of them. i like the size, and they don't get too hot in the microwave, but they look kind of old and shabby (cracked) because they are plastic. and when i stack them they always stick inside each other and are hard to pull apart which is kind of annoying.

and finally on the right is my new blue IKEA oatmeal bowl. i haven't tried it yet so i don't know how it will handle the microwave but i'm imagining that it will be perfect. :) see how big it is!




oh, i just noticed in the first photo there is a nice shot of my cat's bottom. in the second, his feet. don't let the size of the cat impair your bowl-size-judgment because he is a mammoth beast. also in the second is this cute wall art sticker thing i got for a friend's housewarming present.

hair time! (again)

so here is the big reveal of my blondness. it's fun being a blond, so far. it's not as light as i wanted it but since i had dyed my short hair dark brown (from a box, too) it was chemically processed and harder to bleach. did i already share this story? i feel like i did. anyway, without further ado:

i think if you click on it, it gets bigger. i was going for sort of a madonna/80s look, with the short socks and lace faux gloves. fun!

yesterday i didn't do any exercise, but i had a completely on plan day. i felt like crap for the morning, and then went to the chiropractor and grocery store where i replenished my fruit and vegetable stash. they were out of canned pumpkin which was quite annoying. what kind of huge grocery store has no pumpkin? it's not like it's thanksgiving... then i could understand. i bought a frozen loaf of ezekiel bread (the low sodium kind) which i am excited to try. also these high-fibre pitas which are 1 point for 1/2 and 3 points for the whole thing - a decent size as well.

anyhoo, i made some chocobrans, and had a much needed nap. after that i felt great, applied for jobs, carried on with the day, yabba dabba do.

today i am off to the burbs to do some "work" in my mom's office. it can be very boring but beggars can't be choosers! ps my feet and legs are still bloated but less so. yesterday i drank my weight in water to try and flush whatever it is out, and i'm going to do the same today.

another busy day and hair

i think my interview went well yesterday. it lasted a long time (2 hours) which is usually a good sign. i think there are two others on the shortlist as well, so now it's just a waiting game. it's nice to feel like i've done everything i can now though... there is no pressure for yet another interview.

today is another busy day. i am driving to the burbs to get the x-ray results from my doctor. hopefully she can refer me to a chiropractor or something like that. i am feeling much better but there is still a bit of pain when i put pressure on my left leg.

after the doctor i am meeting up with one of my very oldest friends for lunch, and then we are going swimming in his backyard pool. fun! and then... tonight is book club. busy!

today i probably won't have time for working out... maybe i can swim after book club... that doesn't sound very appealing.

here are some hair photos from the wedding on saturday. actually this is at my cousin's house between the wedding ceremony and reception. first is my sister and i:


second is a closer photo of the hair:

where the sky meets the sea

 

i haven't really sorted through the photos yet, but here is a nice one. it's somewhere on the road between san francisco and santa cruz. it doesn't look like a real photo because the ocean and beach shouldn't connect like that... i'm actually standing on the edge of a giant cliff (scary). it was so windy but beautiful. this is the just after we drove away from the san francisco fog and gloom. it was so weird how the division between fog and sun was so drastic and obvious. i got these purple pants in san francisco... love them!

yesterday i tried swimming but my leg was really hurting so i had to stop. my mom wants me to visit a chiropractor and i am seriously considering it. my boyfriend and i cleaned his apartment pretty much all afternoon - until about 7. i did the whole bathroom and under the stove elements. we might go back today... i'd rather just get it over with. he is so excited about it and so am i because it's in my old neighbourhood which i miss a lot. it's a bustling area... people are always out doing things on the street.

so i have the choice to see two movies. 1) mama mia and 2) the dark knight. what should i choose?

even with no exercise, my weight is going back down. thank you fibre :) i hate not being able to do hard core exercise. maybe this injury is my body's way of saying it was too much. when i feel better again i will definitely ease into something. being hardcore was fun while it lasted.

i also wanted to mention that the egg on oatmeal was totally delicious. people eat eggs on toast - toast is a grain like oatmeal... what's the difference? it wasn't flavoured or instant oatmeal people - i am not crazy! ;o)

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)

time passes fast

can you believe it's july 7 already? where does the time go?! it is so hot today and i love it. bring on the heat. my weekend was good. i went to a wedding and it was fun times. here i am at the garden ceremony.

i changed for the actual reception. i haven't uploaded any of my own photos yet, although i've been tagged on facebook way too many times already.

next weekend i am going to a cottage. this means bikinis and bathing suits. ayayayayayayayaya! it's not so bad but this week i'm going to really focus on my stomach. i always feel bloated after the weekend. and over the course of my lifetime i've done about 50 million crunches so there must be abs in there somewhere! my plan for this week is to eat sensibly, make my smallest meal dinner, exercise everyday, and increase protein in the form of protein shakes. last week i didn't drink any protein shakes at all. i just forgot all about them, even though they are yummy and delicious.

yesterday i went for a 5-mile run. normally i take sundays off so it really made my day feel like saturday. i haven't done any activity yet today but i don't have anything to do after work so i'll hit the gym for a bike or fast walk. this post is boring me a little. yesterday at my parent's house my mom gave me fresh pineapple... so delicious! i love summer fruit.

guess what?

it's friday! and not just any friday. the beginning of summer hours (which means i leave work at 1pm) and a four day weekend that starts tomorrow. can you believe that tuesday is the actual holiday and some people have to work on monday? i feel sorry for people who aren't allowed to take monday as a vacation day. suckers.

friday is weigh-in day and i am 118 pounds which is up 0.2 from last week which is nothing so a stay the same. congratulations to me. i feel good about it, although last night before bed i was a bit hungry and pushed it aside. yesterday i was talking to my bff who is also a long time weight watcher and i was saying that i never want to feel too full again. i hate hate HATE that feeling. she agreed. she said, she would rather feel ravenously hungry than too full and i agree.

this morning i ran 4 miles around town and i'm happy i did it (when it was over) but i probably should have taken a rest day. but i was already up (mental alarm) so why not put that time to good use? this afternoon i am going shopping. i have a bunch of things to return to h & m... also i need some sort of summer foot ware. i can't wear my keds every day. why not? because i am 27 not thirteen :) my feet are a little gross (from running, not from warts and other unsightly foot problems) but i don't care.

tomorrow morning i am heading to my hometown because my family is burying my uncle who passed away in february. my mom's side of the family is different in that we don't "do" funerals. we attend them of course, but don't have them for ourselves. what's the point? (don't answer that haha... rhetorical.) to each their own. anyway, we are burying his ashes with my grandparents so that's saturday. on tuesday i am going to a canada day bbq which should be fun... and yummy.

and for kicks, here is a friday five of things that make me happy today:

1) i through out the rest of the cake last night. i licked the icing once but i threw it out.

2) i love q-tipping after a shower. it feels really good!

3) that i woke up to a clean condo (it wasn't magic, i did it all last night)

4) berries (this morning was cherries, blackberries, and raspberries... except now i have none left.)

5) my cutie pie oliver :) yes he has blue nails. they are softpaws... for people who are against declawing but also against having scratched, ragged furniture.

late post today

i didn't exercise this morning because i am all partied out. i'm going to do something tonight... probably a few 10 minute runs on the treadmill with weights and sit-ups in between. i can hear thunder out the window right now so an outside run is probably out of the question.

my party on saturday was a great success. probably the best party i've ever had. i woke up around ten thirty on saturday and cleaned up for a bit, then went on an awesome 5-mile run while my boyfriend made us breakfast. i spent the whole day cooking and cleaning and he went shopping for last-minute additions. we ran out to pick up the cake from one of my good friends who so nicely made it, and stopped at mcdonald's for dinner. i know... you are thinking... mcdonald's? seriously. i have nothing against fast food really. it's ok every once in a while if you usually avoid it. i had a hamburger with no mayo and small fries. yummy.

i made so much food for the party: crackers and cheese, chips, popcorn, cookies, egg salad sandwiches, deli chicken sandwiches, pb and j sandwiches, a veggie platter, bowls of nuts, hershey kisses, mike and ike's, m & m's, fuzzy peaches, meatballs with honey garlic sauce, jello shooters, a vodka punch, fortune cookies... the list goes on and on. surprisingly people ate 90% of all the food which makes me happy.

here is a photo of one spread:


here is a photo of the cake... the fire alarm just went off!


and here is a photo of my orange and black outfit... check the shoes :)


i think you can click on the photos to make them bigger. this morning after i left school i stopped at this cute coffee shop and tried a vegan chocolate chip cookie. i have never had vegan baking before (that i was aware of) and it was really delicious....

you all make me laugh

yes, it's true. you all make me laugh? in a good way of course. but why? all the reasons/excuses why my pants could have felt tight. let's see:

1) maybe i am building muscles in my thighs.

2) perhaps i left my pants in the dryer and they shrunk.

3) swollen legs.

while these could be valid excuses in the land of wishville, i know it's not possible.

1) i have been running for almost a year and can't see muscles just sprouting up this week. and since i have only done two, yes a mere two HIIT sessions, that can't be it either.

2) i would NEVER even put these tighties in the dryer for one second!

3) this actually could be an excuse but i doubt it.

today i weighed in at 121.8. that is a gain of 2.6 pounds from last week. frickity crap mofo! but it's not necessary a bad thing. yes, i am out of my range, but it's good because i need to take a good look at what i'm eating. i am totally in control exercise-wise, but eating-wise... not so much. my portions have been increasing. a packet of oatmeal becomes a packet of oatmeal with flax, with all bran, with pumpkin, with wheat berries, with milk, with a banana. and while these things are all healthy, and adding one or two of these things is a great idea, adding them all and eating a giant beheamoth vat of oatmeal is not.

it's time to trim back the portions people! i can do it. i am not even in a bad mood about gaining. it's all about perspective :o)

in other news, this morning i did a quick 4-miles around my lovely city. and i have to say, even two sessions of HIIT is increasing my regular running speed. instead of a slower jog, i found myself with faster, longer strides this morning... it felt really good. when my alarm went off at 6:45am, i was resetting it for my boyfriend, and he rolled over and mumbled, "you are a real inspiration." hahaha - that is so funny to me.

in more boyfriend news, this sunday is our 1.5 yearaversary. last year for our six-monthaversary, i drew him a picture of a pin-up girl. he invited me to go to vegas with his family. even? i think so! ;o) anyhoo, i decided to carry on the tradition and draw him another pin-up. it's a ballerina because he likes them. i finished it last night and scanned it.

i think you can click on it to make it bigger. i've since signed and framed it. i think he will like it because i spent time on it, and it's from the heart. romance!

today on the menu is:

giant iced coffee

hot coffee
cinnamon oatmeal with flax
source yogurt

ezekiel english muffin
3 slices fake spicy meat
spinach and mustard
source yogurt
1/2 cup blackberries

banana
source yogurt
1 cup popcorn

dinner - ?

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...

i have a problem

and it's my love of coffee. i love coffee. it's so warm and yummy and makes me feel good all over. right now i am halfway through reading skinny bitch, which tells you that coffee is bad (and everything is bad...) and if you *need* coffee then you have a problem. well, i don't think i need coffee. i don't have it everyday, and sometimes i only drink half a cup and forget about it. and i make a point not to drink more than 2 cups per day (if i'm really jonesing for coffee), and now that i'm in my almost mid-late twenties, i try not to have coffee at night. it doesn't keep me up at night but the tables could turn at any moment.

in other news, this morning i did an anti-boredom workout: bike, arm weights, elliptical, more arm weights, treadmill, stretching it out. i also did this new arm free-weights move that i read about here on fit celeb. except i used 5-pound weights because my gym doesn't have 3-pound weights... and 3 pounds is too light for me. i think jessica biel (from the fit celeb link) has a superfit, awesome body. she is feminine, but also hardcore... that's what i want. although i'm sure some people might think she is too buff, i am not one of them. see!:

weird how that picture is from chinadaily.com, haha. anyway.

i just noticed yesterday that erin from going skinny tagged me for a meme game. here are the rules:


1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names, linking to them.
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

my five:
1) some of you may know that i am learning to sew... i took a class and made a pillow (and haven't done anything since)... until now! on facebook i won a $100 prize from the sewing studio, and i've signed up for the "how to make a summer dress" class... isn't that rad? it's 4 classes and doesn't start until mid-june. but a summer dress? hooray! just think... once i've made one... i can make a thousand, and wear something different every day of my life.

2) i was a very picky eater as a child. my mom would say stuff like, "if you don't eat that broccoli, then you can't have dessert" and i'd be fine with that. now i can't imagine not wanting dessert, hah. i hated all green veggies, most other vegetables, salad, rice (who hates rice?), and all seafood.

3) i ride my bike to work everyday, if it is not raining, or winter. i love riding my bike but only at a comfortable speed. i am not afraid of going fast... just lazy. i work out hard in my actual workouts, so i want bike riding to be something enjoyable and relaxing. i have a cruiser... here i am last summer - now i have a blue milk crate basket at the back to put my stuff in.


4) i have workout ocd. for example, when i'm running, i have to know a) exactly how far i'm going or b) how many calories i'm burning, but not necessarily both. it's a bummer too, because i live really close to lake ontario, and wouldn't it be nice to go for a run by the lake? but noooooo, since i can't plan my route on mapmyrun.com, i haven't even tried it yet. how crazy is that? that being said, the weather hasn't been *that* nice yet... so hopefully this summer i can overcome this ridiculous idea.

5) i was really obsessed with getting a papasan chair and so i got one, in black, and now i hardly ever sit in it... go figure. it's too comfortable. once i sit down, it's very difficult to get up out of it. my dream is to bring it out on the balcony in the summer and read, and it hasn't really been warm enough yet to do that (because of wind) so hopefully soon.

and now i have to tag five people, so randomly i'm choosing: shelley, crystal, mandy, shirls, and laura. tagging people is a lot of work.