wednesday

why do things that are bad for you taste so good with coffee? for example: croissants, muffins, chocolate, anything with butter, pastries, etc. i am enjoying a chocolate right now, with coffee. (reheated in the office kitchen coffee but that's besides the point.) did i mention this chocolate is from italy? yes, it's true. it's sort of good but in that "icey square" chocolate kind of way, and i usually prefer harder chocolate. hopefully one square will be enough to satisfy my craving and move on.

this morning i swam for 30 minutes. when i got home from work last night i did 30 minutes on the bike downstairs and really pushed it at the end and now my legs hurt. swimming is a nice break from legs for me because most of my movement in swimming comes from my upper body. i wanted to ride my bike again to work today but it was raining. nooooooooooo! it's supposed to clear up so maybe, if i'm lucky, i can walk home.

it's funny how priorities change, isn't it? now i'm "lucky" if i can walk home, where as my mindset used to think that was one unlucky break. like if i was walking home from somewhere, and someone i knew came by in a car, and drove me the rest of the way, i'd be thrilled. now i would say, "no thanks - keep it movin' buddy!" and keep walking.

so tonight is date night, which means dinner at my bachelorette pad and watching of ANTM, good enough for me. but if my boyfriend suggests making poutine for dinner one more time, i'm gonna lose it. seriously, that is all he EVER wants to eat. and if i give in and we eat it on wednesday, he still wants it on the weekend. don't get me wrong, i love poutine. we even make a healthy (somewhat...) version, so it's not that terrible. but variety is the spice of life people, let's try something new. for those who don't know, poutine is a wonderful dish from Quebec. traditionally it's fries, topped with cheese curds and covered in gravy. mmmm. we use mccain oven fries (the lowfat variety), with part skim shredded mozzarella cheese, and a packet of powdered swiss chalet gravy (which is only about 20 calories for 1/2 cup or something). so really not bad. now that i'm going on and on about it i kind of want it too. if he wants to make dinner then i will indulge his love of poutine tonight ;)

enough blabbing. i am going shopping at lunch because on friday night i am going to a wedding shower and i have nothing to wear. nothing "classy" anyway. nothing that fits! why did i watch biggest loser last night instead of going through my closet?! if i can get a nice high-waisted pencil skirt or something then i'm set. wish me luck.

today i'm eating:

1/2 granola bar

1/2 banana
a few handfuls of honey nut all bran
steel cut oats with some added all bran

chocolate square (from italy!)

grapes and yogurt

oatmeal with added bran (maybe)

red, orange, yellow peppers with spicy hummus dip

dinner - probably poutine

it's only wednesday

it's only wednesday. but that's ok. last night there was ANOTHER major snowstorm. it took me a really long time to get home on the streetcar. it's brutal out there. even though today is cold it is thankfully sunny. i need sunshine in a major way. hurry up summer. i am fantasizing about dragging my new papasan chair out on the balcony and reading in the hot sun, while drinking a calorie-free iced beverage. doesn't that sound nice?

so tonight is my big swiss chalet date. apparently there was a "misunderstanding" and my boyfriend thought we were ordering in, while i thought we were going to the restaurant. don't worry, i cleared it up ;) but seriously, if it's too cold or whatever i'd be happy to order in. although ordering in... i don't know. sometimes it just doesn't do it for me. if i'm going to eat at home in front of the tv (because that's what happens at home) i'd rather have something healthier and cheaper. so we'll see. i like to order in thai food. i used to live near this great thai place but not anymore. boo hoo hoo. they had the best spring rolls and panang chicken. the thai food i like the best uses peanuts and coconut milk which is not the best in terms of health.

i am really looking forward to the weekend. yes, the brock plaza hotel is amazing. marilyn monroe stayed there while filming a movie. and...

"As Niagara’s first luxury hotel it has long been a favourite of Hollywood elite and royalty. Since it’s opening the Brock Plaza has played host to notable guests throughout history including Walt Disney, Shirley Temple, Jimmy Stewart, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, and perhaps most famously Marilyn Monroe while filming the movie “Niagara”. In recent years the Brock has been graced with appearances from Sylvester Stallone, Matt Dillon, Bruce Willis, Jackie Chan, and has even appeared on film. The ending to “A whole nine yards” starring Matthew Perry was filmed on the balcony terrace on the 11th floor."

we actually went to niagara falls and stayed at the very same hotel last year around v-day, for free because my boyfriend's parents had some sort of points we redeemed. i got a great deal this year though... niagara falls is awesome - there is a lot to do. i will post some pics from last year's trip tomorrow... they are really funny trust me (and not just to me because i'm in them).

in terms of eating, i am not doing that well. did i mention that a printer in hong kong sent my office a huge basket of chocolate and goodies for the chinese new year? hershey's kisses, chocolate pizza, chocolate almonds, chocolate spoons, jujubes, popcorn, lemon butter cookies, shortbread, chocolate mints, peanut brittle. the list goes on and on. thankfully there are no more chocolate almonds as these are my weakness. did i mention there aren't any more because i took them home and ate them all? yeaaahhhhhhh.

today i am focusing on mindful eating. healthy snacks between meals to avoid the crap.

menu:
breakfast:
tea
organic maple nut oatmeal with a few blueberries and 1/3 banana
coffee

snack (only if i'm hungry):
apple
cottage cheese

lunch:
mc frozen dinner
frozen peas, microwaved

dinner:
swiss chalet

tgiw

i'm happy it's wednesday because the week is almost half over. yesterday one of my friends sent me this little gem about tuesday. oh, it's funny because it's true, like so maybe things.

i need to admit that i have an addiction to american apparel. i love simple clothes that fit well, are made of cotton and spandex, and don't have any slogans or writing on them. it's genious! true, some of the clothes may seem expensive, but they are all made in a sweatshop-free-factory in downtown LA and that's pretty cool. i love the leggings and the dresses. i also have a bathing suit from aa. groovy!

this morning i woke up early and made chocolate chip banana bran muffins. only, i like to add a bit of vanilla, and today i decided to use 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 white chocolate chips. oh boy! i had one for breakfast (who can resist warm, fresh-baked goods! no one, that's who!) and it was very tasty and the two-colour chips looked very appealing.

yesterday in the grocery store i FINALLY found no-sugar-added pudding cups. i avoided pudding cups in the past because a) i could really take it or leave it—pudding is good but not that special and b) the ones with sugar are sugar laden and 2 points a.k.a not worth it. but the no-sugar added ones are only 1 point and have 0g of sugar. i don't really "get" how they taste so delicious. i got vanilla even though i spent a few minutes debating between that and butterscotch. i couldn't find them before because they are not kept with the regular pudding cups, they are kept with the dairy in the cold section. what in the world?

this week has been good and on plan so far. i am still trying to eat only when hungry and it's going pretty well. i went to the gym last night before meeting up with a friend for some drinks/gossip. who wants one?


here is today's menu:

chocolate chip banana bran muffin (1)
oatmeal with pumpkin (3)
chefboyardee ravoli microwave cup (4)
salad with dressing (1)

semi-total (9)
i have some leftover panang thai so perhaps for dinner i'll steam some rice and dump it on. the word "dump" definitely makes it sound less appetizing but trust me, it's good.