Rambling Babushka

Back to life. Back to reality.

2010-06-14T16:38:00.007-04:00

Ahhh, do you all remember that song? It's so old. Makes me feel old to admit that I used to jam out to it. HA!

What the title of today's post really means is that I'm back ON TRACK as of today. Wild weekends, Birthdays, Wineries, Bars, Cookouts, Parties and Events are done and over with and I need to get my sloppy ass back into gear. I'm feeling super motivated and I'm excited to tackle this CLEAN MONTH of no drinks, no bad food, no slacking and no excuses. It will be hard but I'm feeling pumped!! I will let myself have ONE MINI SLIP for one day on July the 4th. THAT'S IT! And you can quote me on that! :)

To start things off right, I once again did a mini-re-vamp of my weekly workout routine.

Monday - Back and Biceps + Cardio
Tuesday - Chest and Triceps + Cardio
Wednesday - Light leg day + Cardio
Thursday - Shoulders + Cardio
Friday - OFF
Saturday - Heavy leg day + Cardio
Sunday - OFF

This will be the "typical" week for me. Of course things come up forcing me to change my days around but that's life. This week will already be a bit different because I have a hair appointment late afternoon on Thursday and me and my nappy, thick head of hair will probably be there ALL NIGHT! So I'll probably do something to make up for it on Friday. Weather permitting, Ann and I are talking about hitting up a park close to her apartment for an attempt at trail running. We're both off from work that day. And yes, I AM scared. As you all know, I AM NOT A RUNNER but by golly I'll give it a try!

BIRTHDAY RECAP!
Ann and I had a blast, minus the table of annoying humanoids that were directly behind our table. It's AMAZING how much time people spend talking about and making fun of others. To me it just means that they are insecure and I think that behavior to be incredibly disgusting. It took all of my energy to not comment on the obsessive manner in which they spent HOURS laughing at the expense of others.

Okay, moving on. We drank, we played games, we snacked, we drank, we snacked some more until I felt like my insides would explode. UGH! Sometimes I wonder about my ability to self control during merriment-having. When I'm sipping wine and in a good mood all good decisions go flying out the window. Bye-bye common sense, hello cheese ball and dessert.

It was an amazing afternoon though. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN ANNIE-BOO! LOVE YOU!

Today has been spent making up for my overindulgent weekend escapades.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

I'm cutting down portion sizes. And you know what? I WAS STILL FULL! Who knew?

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1 small banana

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:15pm.

I had a small Nectarine and cooked broccoli slaw which also included leeks, sweet mini peppers and soy sauce. I also added a Boca Burger to the mix for a bit of protein.

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I had a small bowl of strawberries and raspberries and a protein shake with just 12oz water and a scoop of Vanilla Whey powder. I forgot to photograph both. HEY, It's been a while since I've had a regular post. I'm still getting back into the swing of things. :)

And then it was time to SWEAT!

WORKOUT

10 Min. Warmup on the Elliptical (level 6)
Lat Pulldown (cable)
50lb x 12
60lb x 12
70lb x 12
Low Row (plate loaded)
50lb x 12
70lb x 12
80lb x 10
One Arm Dumbbell Row
20lb x 12
25lb x 12
25lb x 12
Face Pull with rope grip (cable)
70lb x 12
80lb x 12
90lb x 12
Barbell Curls
35lb x 12
45lb x 10
35lb x 12
Bicep Curls with straight bar (cable)
30lb x 12
40lb x 12
50lb x 10
Hammer Curls
10lb x 12
12.5lb x 12
15lb x 10
Elliptical Cross Trainer
20 Min. at level 6

Total Time at gym = 1:24
Max Heart Rate = 170
Average Heart Rate = 137
Calories Burned = 649

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:30pm.

When I got home I refueled with another protein shake. This time I made it in the blender with some chocolate whey, almond breeze, frozen cherries and a large handful of Spinach. YUM! I've missed these!! Forgot to take a picture again..... Sorry..... :-o

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

I wish I could avoid eating so late every night but with doing the gym after work, it seems next to impossible. I decided to make an open face tuna melt sandwich. I added fat free miracle whip, mustard, relish & green pepper to a can of tuna. I topped an Ezekiel bun with the tuna and split a single slice of cheese between the two halves. I popped them into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. It was SO damn good. I also had some tomatoes and peppers on the side.

I also snacked on an apple a bit later.

And there you have it. A regular, good old fashioned post. Did you miss them? :)

Have a GREAT night!
XOXO
Ildie

Hodgepodgery gone wild!

2010-06-10T14:44:00.012-04:00

With thoughts running wild, I bring you another brilliant and alluring installment of "Hodgepodge Posts Of Randomness". Fueled by my trusty, massive cup of coffee and with knuckles freshly cracked, the words will now incessantly flow from my fingertips. You have been warned.

FIRST of all - HI! I know I haven't been around much. I suck!

SECONDLY - I currently have heartburn/weird stomach pains going on. This sucks even more!

THIRDLY - I am thinking of revamping my "healthy lifestyle habits" a bit. Starting on Monday the 14th. Some of the changes (some done before, some new) are listed below. I feel like I'm in a slump, both with my eating and with my workouts, and I need to SLAP THE HECK OUT OF IT!

No carbs for dinner 3x a week!
Up the veggies because I've been slacking a bit lately!
Start drinking protein shakes for my pre-workout snack with a piece of fruit for some carb kick!
Cut back on dairy. NO MORE GREEK YOGURT! Oh my! (not every day that is, on occasion is fine...)
Drink a gallon of water a day! (this one seems so difficult for me...sigh...)
Start taking multivitamins again!
Change up workout routine a bit. Sort of sick of the repetition. I have NO definitive plan yet though!
Attempt a few runs outside at the local park. I'm curious to see how much I can handle.
Up the cardio again. I've been slacking on this more than anything else!
Buy new gym clothes. My current "fashionable" vomit inducing selection is disturbingly AWFUL! You look good, you feel good, you're more confident and you work out harder. SIMPLE!

FOURTHLY - Ann's Birthday is this Sunday and we are celebrating on Saturday. This brings on mixed feelings of dread, fear, joy and anticipation. Fear and dread because I know we will be naughty. We're going to the winery with snacks in tow for Pete's sake. There's obviously also anticipation and joy for the exact same reason. I think the following pictures will sum up the usual mischievousness of Birthdays spent at the winery. We go there for her Birthday every year! HA!

Ann's Birthday, 2008...

Ann's Birthday, 2009...

(Whew, I was a plump little bunny back then wasn't I?) :-O

FIFTHLY - After 3 straight hours of discomfort, the heartburn/weird pain has finally resided. Thank goodness. That was horrible! My body has been acting so weird lately.... ???

SIXTHLY - The horrible and disgusting "skunk panther" (as I have lovingly named it) tattoo on my chest is going to be covered up. Nick's brother will be hooking me up with a sweet new tattoo just as soon as we decide on an exact design. I was 16-17 when I got that HORRIBLE thing permanently attached to my body and I've basically hated it ever since. I'm SO excited about this! The styles of sparrow I like are below. Obviously we will have to work with something that can cover up Mr. Skunky the best. I have high hopes though. And I know what you're thinking (perverts) but NO, Nick's brother will NOT (repeat) NOT see me topless. The current tattoo is high enough that I can just wear a tube top or something. Thank you very much!

SEVENTHLY - Threadless.com has their $10 t-shirt sale going on and I finally placed an order with them. I've pondered it for years for reasons beyond me without ever actually placing an order. Today was the day. I got 2 sweet T'shirts (below) at an awesome price and they should arrive in a week or so. Yay.

Nick tried to talk me into getting this one as well. He wants us to have matching ones to be super SPECIAL! HAHAHAHA! I think he talked another one of his friends into it as well. Can't wait for this group outing. How can I pass that opportunity up? I mean just look at its awesomeness. Cats playing pianos in space!! DA DA DAAAAAA! It's PERFECT! But sadly, it was out in my size. NOOOOOOO!! It's a T'shirt Kitty Tragedy!

EIGHTHLY - I'm all out of words now. My fingers are numb so it's time to say bye bye. Be back in a few days my lovelies. Don't fret. I'll have a full Birthday update post for your reading pleasure soon enough.

XOXO
Ildie

Under Pressure!

2010-06-08T09:18:00.006-04:00

Why hello there!

SO, it has come to my attention that I haven't blogged in a while. Apparently some people find this to be simply unacceptable. I'm under pressure to perform, blog, whine, share, complain and jibber jabber until all the words fall numb on my tongue. SO here I am in all my splendor, ready to do just that.

I've been a naughty little busy girl lately. Every weekend has been jam packed with fun, friends, events, cookouts, wine, beer, snacking and tomfoolery. So in other words, not the healthiest decisions have been made. HOWEVER, I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Does anyone else find it harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle during Summer months? I swear it seems like there's always something going on!

First we went on vacation. The following weekend included a night out with Annie-Boo,

a house party (This is Nicks brother Dan doing a shot of Hot Sauce... I have no explanation! Please notice all of the beer in the background. CLASSY!)

AND 2 different cookouts. The following weekend included me and Nicks 2 year Anniversary, Game night with friends AND a cookout/slash housewarming party. Next weekend is Ann's Birthday and so on and so forth. AGHHHHHHHHHHHH! So much fun having should be illegal! I'm feeling sluggish to say the least. Not at all like my self.

So what do I have to show for all of this fun-having-marathon-like-lifestyle? Weight gain babies, weight gain. SIGH! I won't even discuss numbers. Let's just say I'm working on "sweating" it back off. It's not some absurdly scary high number or anything. It's plenty to PISS ME OFF THOUGH! BAD ILDIE! BAD!!!!!!!

There has been healthy eating as well. Don't worry, I haven't lost COMPLETE control. :)
(Random Hummus plates)

(Berries galore)

(Healthy vegetarian burritos)

(Greek Yogurt messes)

(And I finally tried overnight oats for the first time, LOVED IT!)

And of course, I'm still hitting the gym, though 2 weeks in a row I've only made it 4x. Things keep coming up. Less fun filled (how sad does that sound) weekends are on the horizon though. This coming up weekend we will celebrate Ann's Birthday and after that there will be a nice and MUCH NEEDED break in events.

Now it's time to focus! FOCUS DAMN IT! FOCUS! ;)

Stay healthy!
XOXO
Ildie

Salmon Spell

2010-05-27T10:29:00.005-04:00

Well I didn't stay away for long did I!! I have a slight (severe) addiction when it comes to blabbing about my thoughts. I have to let it out or I get all fidgety and anxious.

Sooooooooo here we go....

While on vacation I didn't exercise at ALL. There was no sexy, slow motion running on the beach. No strength training on the deck with my ocean view. No yoga poses, no stretching, no NOTHING! On one hand, it was glorious, on the other hand, I've felt like a HEAVY SLUG ever since I got back.

I think the combo of stuffing my greedy little face with whatever I wanted and not working out for 11 days straight really did a number on me. I feel better today than I did on Sunday but I still don't feel like myself. I went back to the gym starting Monday and I'M SORE AS ALL HECK! Like I just started working out for the first time EVER! I don't feel weak (thank goodness), I just feel SUPER sore!

So strange how our bodies get used to the foods we eat regularly and the exercise abuse we inflict upon it. It's almost like I collapsed physically without it. Would I do things differently next time? Probably! I would perhaps only indulge ONCE a day instead of at EVERY MEAL and I would probably try and squeeze in a little exercise here and there.

Okay, moving on. Don't you just LOVE random posts?

I have not been taking photos regularly. THE HORROR! BUT, here are some of the things I have enjoyed since getting back into the swing of things.

Oh oatmeal, how I missed your gooey goodness. I've had the same exact breakfast since Monday and my body thanks me for it. ;)

Fruits. LOTS and LOTS of fruits. Apples, Kiwi, Berries, Bananas etc... I can't seem to get enough!

Wrap your brain around this wrap. Spinach, bread and butter pickles and ham. I seriously LOVE bread and butter pickles! They are the BEST in my opinion! I even add them to my salads. SO GOOD!

Smoothies to cool down and refuel with after my workouts. It's been HOT around here lately. Mid 80's since I got back. Above average for this time of year in Ohio I do believe.

And of COURSE, Greek yogurt. I missed this while I was gone. I missed it severely!

And I MUST talk a bit about my dinner last night. Nick had dinner at his moms the night before and brought me home some recently fresh caught and grilled Salmon. UN-BELIEVE-ABLE! It was the most tender, juicy, perfectly cooked Salmon I have ever had in my entire life!!!! EVER!!!! I cooked up some fresh green beans, seasoned them with soy, spray butter, black pepper and minced garlic. I placed the Salmon on top and topped it all off with a drizzle of creamy horseradish sauce and fresh Wasabi paste. I also had a toasted English muffin on the side. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! I can't say that enough.

My nose was on FIRE. I adore Wasabi!

Alright lovelies. That's it for now. Be back when I have something new and exciting to yap about. :)

XOXO
Ildie

And she's BACK!

2010-05-25T09:03:00.004-04:00

I've been back for three days and I'm still dreaming of my quiet, relaxing, sunny little Island paradise. I wish I could go back there right now!!!

AHHHHHHH. I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT! If you're looking for peace and quiet as opposed to a popular, packed, tourist driven, bustling beach with a killer nightlife, I highly suggest Ocracoke, NC. It's quaint, everyone is lovely, the food is great, the scenery is ridiculous, the beaches are never packed and you can walk everywhere, or rent a bike or golf cart or scooters (one of which we plan to do next time).

I know I have't had a real blog post in a while. I think vacation spoiled me. I realized that it's sort of nice to not HAVE TO do something every single night. Maybe HAVE TO is the wrong choice of words because I CHOSE to do it every night. My point is that though I enjoy blogging, I also enjoyed not blogging and doing other things with my time. Does that make sense? I have missed you all though!! I will keep blogging and posting for your reading pleasure but I'm just not sure that I can/want/will do it every day like I used to.

To end this sort of all over the place pointless ramble of a post, let me leave you with some food porn from the trip. I'll only show you meals that are worthy of mention because they were FANTASTIC! :)

The BEST pancakes ever, enjoyed on the deck while gazing at the ocean. It was Kodiak Pancake mix and Kodiak raspberry syrup.

Yeah, that's right. I made burgers one night and I used BEEF not turkey. OH NO SHE DIDN'T! Hey, I was on vacation, it's OKAY! :)

Hot dogs and I swear, the best macaroni salad ever! We ate that salad until every little last drop of it was gone.

Omelet with ham, onions, green peppers and colby jack cheese. YUM!

Penne with meat sauce and of COURSE, a glass of wine. :)

Spicy sausage with sauteed onions and peppers and coarse ground mustard.

My FAVORITE meal on the Island was at a little place called Dajio. The shrimp and scallops were spectacular. The sweet and sour cucumber slaw was SPICY and amazing! And the chips... Oh the chips.... They were homemade and ridiculous!

And that would wrap up all the photos I took of food while on vacation. We also had ice cream, fresh local fish, chips and cheese dip, crab cakes, hush puppies, pretzels, wasabi peas, cheese and crackers, beers, wine, mixed drinks and all sorts of other vacation MUST HAVES! Yeah, I was bad! I was REAL BAD! Since I've been back I've cleaned up the eating and finally went back to the gym yesterday. It felt great to get a workout in. I actually missed the gym. WILD RIGHT!? :)

XOXO
Ildie

Island Calm

2010-05-17T16:59:00.003-04:00

Hello lovelies. I'm having a BLAST in Ocracoke. I don't want to spend too much time inside typing or in front of this WICKED box. Instead, I will leave you with some photos that perfectly capture the essence of this place and the brilliance of this vacation up to this point. :)

Be back in a few days....

LOVE it here!!!!

XOXO
Ildie

Picture Perfect

2010-05-13T21:28:00.004-04:00

Hello bloggies. Today has been a SUPER long and busy day so this is going to be a be a pictorial recap only. A super duper informative, picture perfect story of foodie perfection.

I wish I had more time to elaborate but it's late and my bed is calling out to me.

That's all she wrote today. I hope to be back with a full post tomorrow. Have a great night.

TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously can NOT WAIT!!

XOXO
Ildie

Random Deep Thoughts...

2010-05-12T21:24:00.007-04:00

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Sing it Johnny, sing it!! Even though your brilliant lyrics are full of lies and deception. Today was another dreary and wet day in Northeastern suburban paradise. Gone are the days of sunshine, warmth and bliss.

I better change the subject before my disgust of all things gloomy scares you away. Be gone evil Wednesday spirits! Be gone!

INSERT EMERGENCY ADORABLE KITTY PICTURE!! Strategically timed to keep you interested. Seriously! OMG! I want it! I want 10 of them!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Splenda
(Microwaved, EXPLODED, cleaned up (sigh) and topped with 1 tbs Chocolate Better N' Peanut Butter and cinnamon)

So uhm, I do NOT care for the Chocolate version of Better N' Peanut Butter. IT'S BAD! NEVER TRY IT! You all know that I'm a fan of the original. However, the chocolate one tasted super artificial. A bit like sugar free chocolate syrup, but WORSE! YUCK! Seems as though my breakfast was just doomed from the start today. HA!

RANDOM DEEP THOUGHTS: I have yet to pack anything and we leave this Saturday. I realize it seems like I have plenty of time, but in FACT, I barely have ANY! Time, such a funny thing. It seems like everything in life has a specific time and a chosen place. Constant schedules based on suns and moons, hours and minutes, seconds and moments. I so long for a place without the ticking.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

Another salad. I bet you're not even surprised anymore are you?

RANDOM DEEP THOUGHTS: Repetition, though mind numbing, provides comfort and embraces you gently with the familiar.

Spinach + Avocado + Leftover Eggplant + Cherry Tomatoes + Spray Butter + Sriracha sauce + a toasted Thomas's English Muffin on the side.

A bit later Ann and I found ourselves at Macy's again. What is it about this place??? The ALLURE is uncontrollable. As is my inability to stay away from the junior department. I am NOT a junior. What is wrong with me?

RANDOM DEEP THOUGHTS: Denial is the fountain of youth.

I bought 2 shirts..... from the denial department..... ??

SNACK (meal #3) at 5:20pm.

Nope, no delicious yogurt snack today. I lost track of time again today and worked clear through snack time. Instead, I inhaled this Granny Smith apple in the car on the way to the gym.

WORKOUT!

Free Weight Squat (with straight bar)
45lb x 15
55lb x 15
65lb x 15
Stiff Leg Deadlifts (with straight bar)
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
65lb x 15
Leg Extensions (plate loaded)
100lb x 15
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
Seated Leg Curls (plate loaded)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Inclined Leg Press (plate loaded)
180lb x 15
180lb x 15
180lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
Treadmill
Long story short, I was going to run for at least a mile but a certain SISTER was whining to leave already so we could go feed the cats. I guess she was in a hurry to get home? This translates into a pathetic 6.5 minutes, .57 miles and a lot of frustration.

Total time at gym = 1:02
Max HR = 180
Average HR = 142
Total Calories Burned = 517

RANDOM DEEP THOUGHTS: Coffee makes everything better. Sweet, delectable, aromatic beans of caffeine heaven. Take me away...

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:30pm.

LARGE espresso + dried apricots + butter pretzels + a Fuji apple. I actually did NOT eat the apple. It sounded good at first but in the end, I changed my mind.

After my MUCH NEEDED coffee break, I took a nice, long, EXTRA HOT and relaxing bath. I washed this stupid day right out of my hair and felt a million times better.

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

We're working with slim pickins at the moment. I didn't want to buy more than we could consume for the week since we're leaving on Saturday morning. I think I grossly underestimated how much we would need though. This translated into Nick having boxed Mac & Cheese and me having Thai Kitchen Bangkok Curry soup + a Flat Out wrap with the last of the leftover chicken breast + swiss + spinach + honey mustard. It was actually quite tasty. Disaster averted.

RANDOM DEEP THOUGHTS: To sleep is to be free of woe, distress and the entrapment of the never ending tic-tocking. Sweet slumber wraps me in worry free ignorance and embraces my weary thoughts in a thick layer of darkness. Oh what dreams may come.

GOODNIGHT lovelies!

XOXO
Ildie

8th wonder of the world...

2010-05-11T22:09:00.011-04:00

My morning started extra bright and early today. I had a fun and fantastical doctors appointment at 7:50am. Ladies, you know the one. The one we ALL love and wait for breathlessly every year. I was SUPER excited about it to say the least! (I just lied to you.....)

After my appointment I rushed to the office. I was both starving and anxious to get started on my work. I had a hunch that a lot of emails would be waiting on my arrival. I'm very popular you see!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:00am.

I had the privilege of a very sexy "almost" empty Better N' Peanut Butter jar again today. YAY! Who knew empty jars could make someone so happy? Not I! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

This had 1/2 cup old fashioned oats + 1/4 cup wheat bran + cinnamon + pumpkin pie spice + Splenda + raisins. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! I still can't explain WHY oats taste better out of a jar. I just can't. It's like the 8th wonder of the world. A great statue of an oat filled jar should be erected to honor its magnificence. Standing 50 feet tall with a massive copper spoon. Now that my friends, would be something magical!

Considering my late start today, work was semi decent. Could it be? Am I actually starting to get caught up? Do miracles really happen? I believe.... I believe....

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I indulged in a delicious breakfast wrap for lunch. One of my favorites. 4 egg whites + spinach + vegetable hummus + Sriracha stuffed inside a honey wheat FlatOut. So messy but oh so good!

I also snacked one some Granny Smith apple slices. I forgot how much I love these sour little babies. Crisp, tart and delicious!

While on our break today, Ann and I received the most pleasant surprise. A call from Mama and Papa Babushka. It was the first call we've gotten from them since they left 2.5 weeks ago. Their cell phones don't work in Hungary so we've been emailing instead. I guess they just couldn't STAND IT anymore and had to hear our voices. They're so damn cute!! I can't wait to see them already. Sadly, it will be some time before I do. They come back SUPER late this Friday and I leave SUPER early on Saturday for vacation. It will have to wait until my return. Sigh.. :(

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:15pm.

Plain Dannon Greek yogurt with cinnamon and Udi's cranberry granola. My second of four Udi's granola bags is officially gone. :-O One is also going on vacation with me. I don't know what I'll do when I run out. The stuff is incredible! :)

After work it was time for the gym.

WORKOUT!

Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
60lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
Lat Pulldown with V-bar (cable)
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
Face Pull with rope grip (cable)
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
Seated Chest Press (cable)
75lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
Inclined Dumbbell Press
12.5lb x 15
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
One Arm Dumbbell Row
20lb x 15 (each side)
25lb x 15 (each side)
30lb x 15 (each side)

After the strength training we mozzied up to the cardio room only to realize that every single machine was taken. Neither one of us was feeling SUPER PUMPED or motivated today. The full room had us declaring the workout DONE in about 30 milliseconds flat. SHOCKING I KNOW! We never do that...

Total time at gym = 48 minutes (We didn't even break an hour. I think this is a 1st.)
Max HR = 135 (booo)
Average HR = 106 (booo)
Total calories burned = 220 (SUPER booo)

After the gym, we went to feed the kitties at Mama and Papa's and continued our "Mission Clean House" challenge. We're almost done. I know Mama will be very happy to come home to a sparkling house. REMEMBER PAPA, IT'S A SURPRISE... SHHHH!

We're such AMAZING daughters. HA!

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:30pm.

When I got home, I wasn't feeling a shake. Perhaps because I didn't really feel like my half assed attempt at a workout merited a smoothie? Whatever the reason, I didn't make one and instead snacked on some strawberries with fat free whip and a TINY sprinkle of crushed walnuts.

I love berries! I can't wait until raspberries are more affordable. They're my absolute favorite berry. Possibly even favorite fruit!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

I had an eggplant, spinach and avocado sandwich on a sprouted whole grain Ezekiel bun. I cut the eggplants into rounds, salted them and let them sit for 20 minutes before patting them dry to get the bitterness out. I sprayed a pan with PAM, coated the eggplant with a bit of parmesan cheese and basil and baked them for 30 minutes. So easy.

On the side I had a warm green bean salad with leftover green beans from last night, cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes and a bit more avocado. Great flavor and texture combo. The beans were hot and the tomatoes and avocado were cold. YUM!

It's been a long day. I've already been up for 17+ hours and I'm feeling it. Time to sneak in a quick recorded episode of Lost and then I must SLEEP!

Have a great night!
XOXO
Ildie

Shocking Revelation...

2010-05-10T22:56:00.008-04:00

Hello lovelies. I hope you're all having a fantastically mundane, repetitive, predictable and boring Monday. Oh wait, that's what my day was like..... I wish the exact opposite for the rest of you.

I feel like this day has slipped right through my clammy little fingers. It's 11:00pm and I just sat down to type out this post. I think we all know what that means. INCREDIBLY FAST RECAP POST! Can-she-do-it? Only time will tell. And heeeere we go!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and a mix of golden and regular raisins.)

SHOCKING REVELATION: I didn'tt really enjoy my bowl of oats this morning. SAY WHAAA? You all know I'm an oatmeal fanatic. I couldn't believe my taste buds. How dare they! Maybe I eat oats too often? Maybe I'll love them again tomorrow? Just not sure! More research is necessary!!!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:00pm.

I had a large salad with spinach + cherry tomatoes + Morning Star Farms black bean burger + leftover sauteed veggies from yesterday's lunch + cannellini beans + spray butter.

After my salad feast, I got caught up on some more work and then Ann and I headed out to World Market on our break. I shouldn't be allowed in that store. I am physically incapable of leaving without purchasing something. Sometimes I contemplate leaving my wallet at work. Perhaps this should be mandatory. Ann, I know you're reading this. I put you in charge of this highly important assignment. WATCH ME CLOSE. I'M STEALTHY AND SNEAKY!

Today's purchases included a bottle of Dutch chocolate wine (YES, CHOCOLATE) and some Banana Bread Beer (YES, BANANA BREAD). I've been dying to try both and no time seemed more perfect than vacation. :)

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

Plain Dannon Greek yogurt with Udi's cranberry granola and fresh strawberries for dipping. I had about 5 more strawberries on the side which went unphotographed.

5:00 rolled around in the blink of an eye and we were off to the gym. I felt like I needed a good one. Something to sweat the weekend right out of me!

WORKOUT!

Tricep Pulldown (cable)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Bicep Curls (barbell)
45lb x 15
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
Front Shoulder Raise (barbell)
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
20lb x 15
Hammer Curls (dumbbells)
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Skull Crushers (barbell)
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
Arnold Press (dumbbells)
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
21's (barbell)
30lb x 21
30lb x 21
30lb x 21
Elliptical Cross Trainer
30 minutes, 2.73 miles, levels 6-8

Total time at gym = 1:16
Max HR = 165
Average HR = 142
Total Calories Burned = 625

Afterwards we hustled to Mama and Papa Babushka's house and did the usual ditty. We fed the kitties, got the mail, cleaned up a bit, made sure everything was locked up at least 10x over (to be sure) and called it good.

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:30pm.

I had a Green Goddess Smoothie. Why do people call them monsters? I hardly find spinach to be horrifying. I doubt anyone does except maybe a 5 year old little boy staying with wicked veggie lovin grandma for the weekend. HA! Green Goddess sounds much more appealing to me. This had....

1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
1 very ripe banana
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
3 cups of spinach (not even kidding, I'm on spinach overload today...)
a few pieces of frozen mango (maybe 1/2 cup)

Blended to pure perfection. YUM!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

After cleaning myself up Nick and I invaded the kitchen like famished, enraged maniacs. He decided on leftover spaghetti from Friday. I decided on leftover chicken breast from last night accompanied by a lovely pile of green beans and a teeny tiny spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and cannelloni beans. Yes, I just HAD to have more spinach.

Of course the chicken was smothered in Frank's hot sauce.

And there you have it my gorgeous friends. This concludes another magnificent tutorial of all my meals today. RIVETING wasn't it? HA! So how did I do? It's officially 11:38 and I am done typing. I kept getting distracted by the TV. I shouldn't write in the living room! However, I'm not done yet. Now I must retrieve the pictures from my camera, decide which ones I want to use and upload them to the post. Sometimes this step takes me for EVER! I try to be a picture perfectionist. Let's see how long it takes me. Be back in a flash!

Annnnnd I'm back. Official time is 11:59. Sleep beckons me. Goodnight!!

XOXO
Ildie

I dream of daisies..

2010-05-09T16:39:00.009-04:00

Hey heeeeeeey.... I'm BACK!

This has been one of the nicest, most relaxing and calming Sundays I've had in a really long time. I woke up before Nick as the sun was coming up. I tiptoed around, opened all the blinds and let the sun filter in. I got a head start on Laundry and filled the French Press with delectable coffee. It was a bit chilly today. I wrapped myself in a blanket and read blogs all morning with coffee in hand and a lazy cat rotting beside me. It was brilliant.

Nick woke up a few hours later and I decided to make us a more involved breakfast than usual.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:30am.

For the Mr. I made home fries with red skinned potatoes, onions, butter and olive oil, seasoned with black pepper, sea salt and cayenne. Served with bacon (a bit burned... Whoops...) and wheat toast with butter.

My version was made with sweet potato, onions, spray butter and Pam. I had mine with a Morning Star Farms breakfast patty (crumbled on top) and a slice of wheat toast with Spray Butter.

This was SO good! I don't know why I've never though of sweet potato home fries before. I wish I had bell peppers at home though. That would have made it even more brilliant.

After breakfast the Mr. and I got dressed and went to one of MY ALL TIME FAVORITE PLACES EVER! Dayton Nurseries! He was on a Mother's Day mission. He was having a late lunch with his Mom and some other family members later and in typical man fashion, he hadn't bought her anything yet. :)

We roamed around the place for EVER! At least two hours! We spent the entire time fantasizing about what we would like in a garden, backyard, herb garden etc... We were in landscaping heaven. NOT for the current house we live in. For a future home...eventually...sometime...in...the...future...together... OH MY!

Some of the highlights. We both LOVE funky, unique, sculpturally interesting, wispy trees. My favorite being the Laceleaf Japanese Maple. So delicate, soft and gorgeous!

I also loved this Weeping Pea Tree.

And of course, Perennials galores.

Nick got his mom several different hot pepper plants (LOVED THIS IDEA) because she loves spicy food. He also picked her up "Something Else". I can't elaborate on what else because I may or may not have gotten a certain someone else the exact same thing for Mama's day. :-O Our brilliant minds just worked alike. We both fell in love with it as soon as we saw it.

After our secret garden filled fantasies, Nick dropped me back off at home. He headed over to his grandmothers house to meet his mom and family for a mothers day lunch. I decided to stay home, unwind some more and clean the house up a bit. I want to make sure we leave it in decent condition before we leave at the crack of dawn next Saturday. I DOUBT I'll have time to clean during the week so it's now or never. I'm sure my schedule with work, the gym and the usual will keep me busy enough. I just want to come home to a clean house after vacation. That will make me very happy! :)

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

I sauteed some yellow squash, zucchini and broccoli with Pam, Spray Butter, dill, sea salt and pepper. When the veggies were nice and tender I tossed in some cannelloni beans and sprinkled red pepper flakes on top. YUM! On the side I had a honey wheat FlatOut wrap with peppered turkey and light string cheese. I toasted the wrap in a pan until it was nice and golden and the cheese got all gooey. Freakin amazing! The dill on the veggies just added something special! I love dill!

I watched the FoodNetwork for hours this afternoon. My foodie filled heart was bursting with joy. I never really get to watch TV anymore. Between work, the gym, cooking, blogging, living my life, TV rarely fits in. Even when I do watch something it tends to be from NetFlix or our extensive DVR collection. I RARELY watch TV shows when they are actually on. Sometimes I wonder why I pay and arm and a leg for cable..... I have no answer.....

SNACK (meal #3) at 6:00pm.

I had another cup of coffee with a handful of pretzels that went unphotographed.

DINNER (meal #4) at 9:30pm.

For me: I made baked, breaded, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I had them marinating in a combination of Teriyaki, Franks hot sauce and Sriracha hot sauce all day long. I tossed them in flour, eggs and then a mix of Panko + regular breadcrumbs + basil + Italian seasoning blend + paprika. I placed my two pieces into a PAM sprayed pan and tossed them into the oven.

For the men: I used chicken with skin (two thighs, two drums and one breast) and the same method for breading. However, I pre-fried them in about 1/2 inch of oil for 15 minutes or so before adding them to my already baking chicken breasts. Just to get them nice and golden. Nick begs me to get a deep fryer all the time. I just can't bring myself to do it. It's like dipping things in heart attack juice in my opinion. I never deep fry anything!

We also had roasted brussel sprouts and parsnip fries to go along with the meal. VOILA! This was fantastic.

Nick's brother Dan joined us for dinner tonight. He came over to watch more Rally Racing. Now that I'm done eating, I think I'll head upstairs for some HGTV and Food Network lovin. Looking forward to it. Sometimes there's nothing better than watching TV from bed on a lazy Sunday evening.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.... ;)

Have a great night my friends....
XOXO
Ildie

Girls Just Wanna Have Fu-hun!

2010-05-09T08:40:00.008-04:00

I took relaxation to a whole new level yesterday and decided NOT to post last night. SAY WHAAAA? This is UNHEARD of for me! I just needed a night to myself. One which did not involve opening my shiny, bright, little magical box of electronic laptop wonder. IT FELT GLORIOUS!

My Saturday was glorious and perfect in every way. Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeewind.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

I slept in till 9:00. LOVED it! I celebrated with a lovely cup of coconut macaroon coffee. See me waving? HA!

I also had two open faced spinach, egg white, ham and cheese sandwiches on wheat bread.

After breakfast I changed and met Ann at the gym to get a good workout in. I was craving it bad. I hate missing a day during the week and as you all know I missed Thursdays' workout due to work enslavement. I was ready for a good SWEAT session.

WORKOUT!

Treadmill Warmup
5 minutes, 6 incline, 3.4 speed
Leg Extensions (cable)
100lb x 15
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Seated Leg Curl (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
Reclined Leg Press (plate loaded)
140lb x 15
160lb x 15
180lb x 15
160lb x 15
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
Free Weight Squats (straight bar)
45lb x 15
55lb x 15
55lb x 15
60lb x 15
Conventional Deadlift (straight bar)
45lb x 15
55lb x 15
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
Treadmill
12.49 minutes, 1 mile, speeds 3.2-6.5

Total Time at gym = 1:27
Max HR = 182
Average HR = 136
Calories Burned = 653

After our workout we ran to feed Mama and Papa Babushkas cats and tidied up their house a bit. We're talking cleaning like maniacs. Once we started we just couldn't stop. Papa, if you're reading this, SHHHHHH, don't tell Mama. I want it to be a surprise. HA! :)

I know I said yesterday was relaxing and it seems like all I've done up to this point is workout and clean. Don't worry, it's about to get WAY better. AND I enjoyed my workout and cleaning. SO THERE!!!

SNACK (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

When I got home I had a quick snack of plain Dannon Greek yogurt, Nature's Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise cereal and a drizzle of Kodiak Cakes raspberry syrup. DELICIOUS!

I also took a nice long bubble bath. My leg felt a bit stiff from my little run and the hot bath felt amazing. Afterwards I got ready and left to spend the rest of my afternoon over at Annie-Boos' new apartment. We had planned a serious GIRLIE evening together. It was just what I needed.

The rest of this post is going to be a photo recap of our evening. With a few exclamatory highlights. Enjoy.

Havarti cheese, rosemary + flax crackers + honey wheat pretzels + grapes + wine (AKA meal #3)

SHY little Pepper.

SWEET and delicious red wine. We're talking candy sweet. YUM!

Loved the bottle, did NOT love the wine. Not a fan of Oaky wines. Overall, not bad, but not great...

Notice the BAD KITTY Pajama pants? HA! Ann was hardcore lounging. Naturally, the awesome pants were a present from yours truly! LOVE IT!

The next few SHOCKING photos can not be explained. It's just something we do when we get together.... and wine is involved.... It seems to happen EVERY time! HAHAHAHA!

Our evening ACCIDENTALLY ended at the Mexican restaurant around the corner from Ann's apartment. We had fresh, warm tortilla chips with awesome hot salsa and raspberry lemonade.

And sadly, when our food came out, I was SO EXCITED that I dove right in without even thinking of taking my camera out. :-o

I had what I always have when I find myself being NAUGHTY at a Mexican restaurant. The Chicken Quesadilla Fajita. Ann got 2 chicken and 2 beef Flautas. We split our meals and shared. I ate maybe 60% of everything and felt like I was going to EXPLODE! It hurt so good! The food was delicious!!!

After dinner I dropped Ann back off at her apartment and drove home. I IMMEDIATELY changed into my pajamas and crashed on the couch. Nick and I attempted to watch a movie but I passed out after about 20 minutes. He woke me up and I went straight to bed. It was such a great day!

I'll be back later tonight with a post about today. Enjoy your weekend my lovelies!

ONLY 5 MORE WORK DAYS LEFT BEFORE VACATION! OMG!

HUGS!

Ildie

Steady

2010-05-07T21:23:00.005-04:00

Aaaaaaaaaaand I made it! Sweet, delectable, beautiful, glorious Friday, you're finally mine. I've missed you SO much!

I think we all know how hectic this week has been for me. Saying that I'm glad it's over is an extreme understatement. My brain is tired and I was in desperate need of a break. I plan to spend this weekend focusing on mental recovery and well being. HA! The main goal will be RELAXATION!

Lets talk weight. I'm only down 0.8. Steady as she goes sure has gotten STEADY! Oh well, such is life. Next week is another week. I'm just going to keep going because that's what I do. I go-go-go. Official total weight loss to date is 53.7. ;)

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter, golden/regular raisins and a drizzle of Wildflower honey.)

Uhm, the honey in this was incredible! Sweet, gooey goodness.

Work was busy. Nothing new and exciting to report on that front. I never left for a break. I worked clear through the day to try and get things done. I did manage to stop for lunch though.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I had a salad with Spinach + Black Bean Burger + Corn + Sprouts + 1 egg white + Hummus + another drizzle of honey. I know what you're thinking... Honey? YES! It was delicious!

Workety-----workety-----worky-----work-----work........

Guess what! My afternoon got so crazy again that I forgot to eat my snack at 4:00. That's two days in a row now. NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS! By the time I looked up it was past 5:00 and time to leave work. Sigh.

I got my grocery shopping done and out of the way with right after work. By the time I was done with shopping, driving home, putting things away, emptying dishwasher, reloading dishwasher (exciting) and a few other chores, it was nearing 9:00pm. I STILL HADN'T EATEN! Where DID this day go? I swear it was over in the blink of an eye.

DINNER (meal #3) at 9:30. I only had 3 meals again today. I'm not liking this new pattern of mine! Sigh!!

I was DYING for pasta. I boiled a box of spaghetti (Smart Choice) as instructed.

While the pasta was cooking I sauteed some mushrooms until they got nice, soft and tender. I tossed in a can of Mids (basil, mushroom, garlic) sauce and some precooked turkey meatballs. Yeah, I sort of took the easy way out. So sue me. Long week = EASY Friday night dinner.

Oh yeah, this was amazing. Mids sauce is so amazing. If you can find it. BUY IT!

Yep, that wraps up my MEGA exciting day. I'll give you a minute to recover from how AWESOME it was and how EXCITING this post has been.

There is a crazy thunderstorm outside right now. I think I'll crack a window in the bedroom so I can enjoy the sound of rain and get to bed early tonight. I'm feeling exhausted.

Be back with a more chipp-chippery-chippery-doo-dah post tomorrow. I promise. ;)

XOXO

Ildie

Office Time Travel

2010-05-06T21:40:00.005-04:00

Contrary to popular belief, spending the bulk of your day stuck behind a desk at work is neither enjoyable nor desirable. Especially when it forces you to miss a workout the day before weigh in morning. Grrrrrr! Of course I'm referring to the refreshing 11.5 hours I spent at work today. Holy my goodness! Waaaaaaaaaaaay toooooo long!

This post is going to be short and sweet because my brain is tired and I just want to relax for a bit tonight.

Let's back it up a bit.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and a mix of golden and regular raisins.)

I started eating this bowl at 9:30 and was still eating it at 10:30. I kept stopping to answer emails and would forget about it. It got all cold and weird but I still ate it. I HAD to. It was oatmeal!!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

It seemed like lunchtime rolled around in the blink of an eye today. It's that rare phenomenon known as "Office Time Travel".

I had a honey wheat FlatOut wrap with spinach, alfalfa sprouts, peppered turkey and smoked ham. On the side I had some sugar snap peas and a SUPER juicy pear.

It was after lunch that I made the WORST DECISION possible. I decided to leave for a bit of a break and went shopping with Ann and Target. WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?!? Insanity ensued as soon as I got back to the office. I opened my emails and almost passed out.

:-O

I was so engulfed with work that I completely forgot to have my snack at 4:00. INEXCUSABLE! I just had no time. Ann tried to pry me away to go to the gym but I had to pass. I just kept on working... working... working...clear through till almost 8:00pm. Just a lonely little soldier, carrying the email flag for all mankind. HA!

I was STARVING by the time I got home. 8+ hours had passed since my last meal. You all know this is NOT like me. I eat every 3-4 hours on the average. I swear I felt lightheaded.

DINNER (meal #3) at 9:00pm.

I quickly fried (with Pam) up two eggs over easy and also seared some ham lunchmeat in the same pan. I had two open faced lettuce, egg and ham sandwiches on a toasted Ezekiel wheat bun. I need to eat whole eggs more often. I was drooling. These were INCREDIBLE!

On the side I had the snack I was SUPPOSED to have at 4:00. A plain Dannon Greek yogurt with Udi's original granola and some pumpkin butter. Droolworthy. I've never had pumpkin butter with yogurt before. DELICIOUS!

Sadly, this was IT for eats today. I'm super tired (mentally drained) and I think I'm going to call it a night. SORRY IF I HAVEN'T COMMENTED! Trust me, I can't WAIT to get more free time so I can catch up with all of you. Don't you forget about me... Don't...Don't...Don't...Don't...HA!

Tomorrow is Friday. I CAN'T WAIT!

ONE more week before vacation. I CAN DO THIS! ;)

Miss you guys!
XOXOXOXOXO

Ildie

Word To Your Mother!

2010-05-05T21:00:00.008-04:00

Hello lovelies. I'm hope you're all having a fantastically titillating and delicious day. My day was fabulous, with one slight hick-up. The title of today's post is a subtle hint. I'm not going to tell you about it just yet though. I'm going to drag it out and lure you along with promises of humor, shock, reflection, denial, anger and laughter.

Our story begins with a delicious bowl of grandma approved, oat infused goodness.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbs unsweetened dark cocoa
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and a mix of golden and regular raisins.)

I was feeling the work flow today. My nearing deadline of "get crap done before you leave for vacation" has me in super-maximum-mega-warp-speed-overdrive. Ahhh the subtle scent of burnt flesh. Caused by my speed typing which produced sparks and smoke from my fingertips. It's essence was oozing from my office all day today. A rich bodied aroma with hints of Hungarian paprika. Very odd. HAHAHA!

Lunchtime rolled around in what seemed like minutes today. I couldn't wait to dive into my magical polka dot lunch bag. Packed full of nutritious, delicious, scrumptiolicious (yes I just made that word up) goodies.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Miss. Awesomely Amazing Salad. Please give her a warm round of applause. She was loved while she lasted. Though her time in this bowl was limited, she will never be forgotten. Oh Miss. Salad, you had me at first bite.

Spinach
Cherry tomatoes
Sugar Snap Peas
Leftover Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Black Bean Burger
Corn
Alfalfa Sprouts
Spray Butter

I don't know what it was about this combo but I was all sorts of OVER IT. I ate every single last little morsel. No bite gets left behind!!!!

Ann and I went to the grocery store on our break today. It's like my second home. SCARY how much time I spend gazing at fresh produce and perfectly organized isles of packaged goodies. LOVE IT! Sometimes I envision myself dancing, singing and twirling with a basket full of apples in slow motion while hugging boxed cereal. Envision The Sound Of Music if you will. Brilliant right?

It was during our shopping adventure that my one hick-up of the day occurred. We were getting in line to check out when the CLEARLY wise and CLEARLY brilliant (IDIOT) cashier asked us if we were mother and daughter. You know, because we look a like? MY JAW HIT THE FLOOR! You son of a _____! Really???? Sisters doesn't come to mind first? Fifteen months separate Ann and I. IS HE KIDDING? OMG! I'm not sure if you can kill with a look but mine was definitely throwing a full set of rusty knives at this man jugular. Ann kept silent. I think she was fearful of her life and made NO eye contact with me what so ever.

We checked out and got out of there as quickly as humanly possible. You know, before things got ugly and I ended up on Americas Most Wanted for violently attacking and ripping apart a complete stranger. Ann attempted to console me by saying that maybe he thought she was the mom. Then I reminded her that Mr. Charming carded her for her bottle of wine and did NOT card me for mine. HA! I'm pretty sure this points the Mama fingers in my apparently aged direction.

After a while we were laughing at it. Hard. However, I just have to say, HOW RUDE! Ann and I are both in our early 30's. If he saying I look 50? HAHA. I mean seriously. I immediately blamed my new orange glasses. I HAD TO BLAME SOMETHING! :)

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:15pm.

I had a plain 0% Fage with a very ripe pair, Udi's cranberry granola and cinnamon. A tasty, healthy good for you treat that even a MOTHER can appreciate. :-O

After work it was off to the gym.

WORKOUT!

Treadmill
5 minute warmup at 3.4 speed
Seated Leg Curl (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Leg Extensions (cable)
100lb x 15
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
Free Weight Squats (straight bar)
45lb x 15
55lb x 15
55lb x 15
Side Leg Raises
BW x 15
BW x 15
BW x 15
Treadmill
1 mile in 12:17 minutes, Speeds 3.4-6.5, (shaved another 24 seconds off.)
Treadmill
.5 miles, 10 minutes, 10 incline, 3.2 speed (there's gold at the top o' that thur hill.)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
.85 miles, 10 minutes, Level 6

Total Time At Gym = 1:16
Max HR = 180
Average HR = 141
Total Calories Burned = 631

Not bad for a 50 year old if I do say so myself. ;)

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:15pm.

I made a quick shake the second I got home. I just stirred a scoop of chocolate peanut butter whey protein into a glass of 1/2 vanilla Almond breeze and 1/2 water. I added some ice and cinnamon to make it perfect. Tasty tasty... I'm pretty sure that cinnamon is my favorite spice of all time!! Cayenne being the close second!

After cleaning my sweaty self up, I started prepping dinner. All I wanted for dinner was soup and salad. A thunderstorm hit shortly after I got home and soup just sounded SO good.

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

For the sandwich I pan seared some peppered turkey and smoked ham in a pan with a bit of spray butter for just a few seconds. I added them to two slices of wheat bread with a slice of Munster cheese. I had already sprayed the outside of each slice with a bit more spray butter. I tossed the sandwich into the same pan and toasted the outsides until they were nice and golden. When it was done, I peeled it apart and added some crisp, cool lettuce for a bit of a crunch. This was delicious!

For the soup, I made one of my favorite little packets. Thai Kitchen, Bangkok Curry. Not the GREATEST ingredients, I know, but it's freakin delicious. Calorie wise it's only 170 so not TOO bad. I followed the microwave directions and added some red pepper flakes and fresh green onions on top. LOVED IT!

Yeah, it was sort of a lazy attempt at dinner but it was super tasty. I used to make sandwiches like this all the time. MAKE ONE, they are tasty! Trust me, this "Mom" knows what she is talking about, for I am wise. As wise as a 50 year old apparently. HAHAHAHA!

Okay, ENOUGH already. I must get over it and MOVE on.

Before I forget, I have not FORGOTTEN about you. If I haven't commented it's because I'm STILL behind on reading blogs. FORGIVE ME! My days have just been so busy! Like right now, it's past midnight and I'm just now about to hit publish. I'm also about to pass out so I need to take my sassy butt to bed. OH, I better remember to take my dentures out first so I don't choke on them while I sleep.

I had to sneak another OLD mama joke in there. Sorry! HAHAHA! I'm done now... I promise...

XOXOXO

Ildie (aka,Mad Mama.) :-O

Veggie-Hulk-Dafied.

2010-05-04T20:50:00.005-04:00

Don't hug or squeeze me. I may just sweat vegetable juice all over you. I can't get enough lately! It's Tuesday night and I've eaten most of the veggies in my fridge already. I'm not sure if I can make it till Friday, which is when I usually do my grocery shopping. I swear my skin has a slight green glow to it. I've been Veggie-Hulk-Dafied. HA! ROOOOAR!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups water
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and organic raisins.)

Work was steady today. Not WILD and CRAZY (thank goodness) but steady. It made the hours fly by. Weeeeeeeeeeeee.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I couldn't get yesterdays salad out of my head so I had the same thing today, in a wrap. I stuffed a multi grain FlatOut with cool, crisp spinach and hot Acorn squash. That's it. Simple and delicious!

I also had some sugar snap peas, a kiwi and a sugar free peach fruit cup on the side.

We ran to Ann's apartment on our break today. She made us some coffee (which I forgot to take a picture of) and we hung out with this little furry lady. PEPPER, you're so cute! Now if only you'd sit the heck still! "Phantom Kittieeeee"...

And then it was back to work. My afternoon was a bit more hectic than my morning but still manageable. I'm working really hard to try and get some things wrapped up before vacation. In all honesty though, it's not something I have a whole lot of control over. Things are due when they are due and deadlines come and go all the time. I can only do so much with my current projects. Acceptance is the first step right? Or is that the second? In any event, I must STOP obsessing about things that I cannot control. :)

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:15pm.

A plain Dannon Greek yogurt with Udi's cranberry granola and some cinnamon. I was going to add an apple to the mix but decided against it. I wasn't craving it.

In all honesty, I wasn't craving a workout today either. As always though, I found myself heading to the gym after work.

WORKOUT!

Lat Pulldown with straight bar (cable)
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
Seated Chest Press (plate loaded)
60lb x 15
60lb x 14
60lb x 13
Low Row (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
60lb x 14.5
50lb x 12
50lb x 10
Dumbbell Fly
15lb x 15
12lb x 15
12lb x 15
Dumbbell Row
20lb x 15
20lb x 15
20lb x 15
Treadmill
1 mile, 12:26 minutes, 1 minuter intervals of 3.4 - 6.5

It was basically at this point that I decided I was ready to go. It felt glorious to leave a little bit earlier than usual. I still had a great workout. I just decided to skip the alluring call of the Elliptical. I left about 20 minutes before I usually do. I'M SUCH A REBEL!

Total Time at Gym = 1 hour exactly
Max HR = 185
Average HR = 135
Total Calories Burned = 400

SNACK (meal #4) at 6:45pm.

I made an oddly colored Green Monster Smoothie. I think the cherries took it from vibrant green to greyish, greenish purple in a matter of seconds. No matter, it was still delicious.

1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
10 frozen cherries
5-6 small chunks of frozen pineapple
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
2 cups spinach
1 cup ice

I collapsed on the couch and watched a few episodes of Say Yes To The Dress while sipping my power cocktail. I LOVE that show! I love all things wedding. Wedding dresses, veils, cakes, receptions, pictures, dancing, romance, cries, laughter, flowers etc... I just love, love. What I would also love is to have a reason to shop for a wedding dress. OH NO SHE DIDN'T!

Oh yes, yes I did! :-O

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

It was another vegetable extravaganza this evening. I roasted some brussel sprouts, broccoli and sweet potato slices in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. I just seasoned them with salt, pepper and oregano and sprayed the cookie sheet with Pam. Easy peasy. I also tossed in a smoked turkey sausage to have with the veggies. When it was all done, I piled the veggies into my bowl, sliced the sausage on top and added a few cherry tomatoes. Twas delicious!

Nick just got home. I think I'll go cuddle on the couch for a bit and then call it a night.

Ta taaaaaaaa...
XOXO

Ildie

270 hours and counting!

2010-05-03T22:06:00.008-04:00

Why hello my little bloggettes.

To start this post off right, let us discuss my impending and brilliant vacation. We officially leave in 11.5 days (9 of which are working days), which also translates to a grand total of 270 hours. Obsess much? Why yes... Yes I do. Thanks for noticing. How can I not? I'm SO excited. My list making is completely and hopelessly out of control. I've already started buying and packing a few MUST HAVE necessities. Toothbrushes, soap, butter pretzels, bottles of wine, oatmeal, peanut butter and shot glasses etc... I would HATE to forget something critically important. Groceries on the island will be limited and I MUST BE PREPARED! HA!

Ocracoke island is super small, quaint, low key, relaxing and laid back. This map is all there is. LOVE it. See that green square on the right. That's our rental house. :)

I've been to the Island before and I loved it. So peaceful.

OKAY, I'm veering off topic here... MUST FOCUS!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbs unsweetened dark cocoa
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and organic raisins.)

Eaten while I worked. La La La, La La, La Laaaaaaaa...

I wish I could get this excited about work. HA! :)

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30.

A simple salad of spinach + tomatoes + sugar snap peas + acorn squash + spray butter. The combo of cold spinach and hot, sweet acorn squash is ridiculous. SO good!

I managed to sneak in a break today and left the office for a bit to get gas (EXCITING I know!!) and to pick up the cheapest, fitted, king sized sheets I could find. The rental house comes with everything EXCEPT linens. Sort of annoying but what can you do? I know, you can put on your brave face, go to Walmart and leave a bit of your soul behind while you spend your hard earned money in evil land. HA! Now I can cross sheets off of my list. EXCITING!

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:15pm.

The very predictable bowl of yogurty goodness. A plain Dannon Greek yogurt, a juicy red pear and a sprinkle of Udi's cranberry granola and cinnamon.

And then, like a sneaky, stealthy falcon, 5:00 o'clock swept through the land and it was time for the gym.

WORKOUT!

Tricep Pulldown Machine (cable)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Bicep Curls (barbell)
45lb x 12 9I need some manly wrist wraps, these REALLY hurt my wrists!!)
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
Front Shoulder Raise (barbell)
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
20lb x 15
Tricep Bench Dips
Bodyweight x 15 (3 sets)
Hammer Curls (dumbbell)
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Bicep Machine (cable)
15lb x 15 (this thing was ODDLY heavy)
15lb x 11
15lb x 10
Overhead Shoulder Press (dumbbell)
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
Treadmill
I was trying to surpass my last 13 min. mile. I did 1 mile in 12:41. Not bad, not great. I'll take it. I've only been running 2 weeks. I did intervals between 3.2 and 7.0.
Elliptical
15 minutes, 1.3 miles, level 6

Total Time at gym = 1:22
Max HR = 186
Average HR = 143
Total Calories Burned = 686

WHOOOOOPED!

We ran to feed the Babushka family kitties afterwards and then I hustled home to prep a quick protein shake.

SNACK (meal #4 at 7:30pm.

I just made a fast shake with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and 1 scoop of chocolate peanut butter whey protein. I shook it.... I shook it like a polaroid picture. :)

I was a nasty HOT mess after the workout. I cleaned my sweaty self up after the shake session and started prepping dinner.

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

TACO SALAD TIME YALL! Did you miss it? I sure did! I followed the usual recipe (you can view it ***HERE***) but added a bit more corn and left out the beans. It was tasty. I had it with blue corn chips as well. I was craving something salty and crunchy.

And this makes us current. It's nearing 11:45 and my eyes are feeling heavy. I would love to catch up on some blogs but time has run out on me today. Perhaps tomorrow will be less crazy at work and I can catch up with all of you brilliant beauties then. Until tomorrow my lovelies. Until tomorrow......

XOXO
TRILLIONS OF HUGS!

Ildie

Cauliflower Power...

2010-05-02T13:07:00.033-04:00

Little Miss. Sneaky Sunshine is hiding from me again. It's another grey, damp and gloomy day here in fabulous and exciting Ohio. I'm stuck inside with no plans, no tasks and no real ambition to do much of anything. On one had this is magnificent. On the other hand, I'm also trapped with Monster Hunter.

(proof.... he had no idea I was taking pictures.... I'm so sneaky....)

The Mr. has been playing it nonstop. Granted that I play on the computer all day, but somehow, that's just different. You guys feel me right? Watching him all day is like a slow and agonizing eternity spent in sword yielding hell. Someone come and rescue me. Take me away from all of this senseless dragon murder. HA!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 11:00am. (I slept in and LOVED it!!)

I had the tastiest little breakfast wrap. I stuffed a multi grain FlatOut with spinach, sprouts, 4 egg whites (seasoned with S+P), hummus and Sriracha. Seriously messy and seriously delicious.

Enjoyed with my new favorite coffee, Archer Farms coconut macaroon. It's AMAZING people. Go get some!

And yes, it was a doggy-dog kind of day. This cup just seemed perfect. Makes me laugh every time I drink out of it. I don't even know why I got it. I'm a cat person. I haven't owned a dog since I was like 6. HA! ????

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

I had an eggplant sandwich on toasted wheat bread with mozarella and spinach. On the side I had some acorn squash, sugar snap peas and tomatoes.

Delicious! Yeah!

The rest of my afternoon was spent being lazy. Lounging on the couch. Reading blogs. Playing on Facebook. Sipping on way too many cup of delicious coffee. You know, really serious and important business! ;)

SNACK (meal #3) at 6:00pm.

I was craving something sweet and this strawberry Dannon yogurt was on its last leg. I HAD TO RESCUE IT! Enjoyed with banana slices and a sprinkle of Udi's granola and cinnamon.

DINNER (meal #4) at 8:30pm.

NEW TO ME RECIPE! I came across this in BlogLand and immediately became intrigued. Mock pizza crust made with cauliflower and fat free Mozarella cheese? YES PLEASE!

The steps seemed easy enough. Add a head of raw cauliflower into the food processor using the shredder blade. It should somewhat resemble the size of "rice". Microwave the shredded cauliflower (I covered my bowl with a barely damp paper towel) for 5 minutes. Stir with 1 cup of fat free Mozarella cheese, 1 egg, one wedge of light Laughing Cow Cheese and season with garlic salt, pepper, Italian seasoning blend and oregano.

I sprayed a cookie sheet with Pam and formed the mixture into a "pizza crust". I baked it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Once the crust looked nice and golden, I topped it with a bit of Bertolli Arrabbiata red sauce mixed with tomato paste, onion, yellow, orange and red tomato slices, eggplant, green olives and acorn squash. I topped it all with a bit more Mozarella, red pepper flakes and Parmesan. I popped it back into the oven for maybe 10 more minutes. Just until everything heated through and cheese got nice and bubbly. (Sorry for the bad pictures. Nighttime lighting in the house sucks a whole lot...)

AHHHHHHHH! SUPER TASTY! My life is complete now. I can have "pretend" pizza again. With no guilt. Granted the texture and flavor wasn't ANYTHING like real pizza, but it was damn delicious! I love you BlogLand. I love you so much!

We're about to watch Red Cliff. I love Asian movies and I love John Woo. This one looks amazing. Very visual. Have a great night. It's back to the grind tomorrow. BAH!

XOXO
Ildie

Charcoal and Couscous...

2010-05-01T16:16:00.009-04:00

Severe thunderstorms all day today aye? Where are they at already? Those perky little liars on the weather channel are full of poop man. POOP! It's barely drizzled all day. I was looking forward to a good, gloomy, grey, rain scented downpour. I love the smell of a good storm. And yes, sometimes I crave bad weather when I'm at home in the cozy comfort of my house. It's soothing.

Soooooooo, I woke up SUPER thirsty with a slight headache this morning. BAD ILDIE! BAD! I immediately chugged a 24 oz bottle of water. I was like a sponge. I also woke up starving. Why is it that when you have a few drinks the day before you wake up starving? Does that happen to everyone or am I just special?

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

I immediately started prepping a warm bowl of heart healthy goodness.

1/2 cup oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
1/2 water
1tsp cinnamon
1 ripe banana, torn into chunks (manhandled)
(Cooked on low heat for about 15-20 minutes and topped with 1tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and a few raisins.)

I was completely out of sugar free coffee creamer. THE HORROR! I'm not one of those people that can substitute milk for creamer. I NEED ME SOME CREAM! I opted to skip coffee instead of drinking something I didn't like. I was sad. So, so very sad.

After breakfast I forcefully changed for the gym (all I wanted to do was get back in bed and do nothing) and met Ann for a workout at 10:30. I was hoping to sweat the "Friday night induced funk" right out of me.

WORKOUT!

Leg Extensions (cable)
100lb x 15
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Seated Leg Curls (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
Conventional Deadlift (with straight bar)
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
Hack Squat Machine (plate loaded)
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
Free Weight Squat (with straight bar)
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
Treadmill (13 min. 1 mile)
I did 1 min. intervals of 3.2 walking and anywhere from 5.5-7.0 sprints. I thought I was going to fly off and die at the 7.0 speed. HOW DO YOU RUNNERS DO IT!? Good grief. I bow to you all. I'm going to keep pushing though. As long as my right leg can keep up.
Elliptical (10 min.)
Resistance level 6. I was going to go for 20 minutes but got a cramp in my left side. I took that as a sign and called it quits.

Total time at gym = 1:25
Max HR = 188
Average HR = 138
Total Calories Burned = 683

I can officially report that working out did NOT sweat the Friday night shenanigans out of me. BAH! And I was still soaking up all the water that I was drinking like a sponge. Scary!!

After the gym, Ann and I ran to feed Mama and Papa Babushkas kitties. The folks are doing great by the way and having a blast with all of our family in Hungary. :) I miss them already!! HI PAPA!!!!!!

After the feeding frenzy, I ran to the grocery store with Ann (both of us looking like sweaty, red faced beasts) to pick up some sugar free coffee creamer, Greek yogurt and a head of Cauliflower. Such random purchases. HA! I plan to attempt "pizza crust" made with cauliflower tomorrow. CAN'T WAIT! Another amazing recipe found in BlogLand. I LOVE YOU BLOGLAND!

When I got home, I did two things immediately. Chugged another bottle of water and made a pot of French Press coffee. I NEEDED my caffeine (with cream of course) ASAP! I found some Archer Farms brand Coconut Macaroon ground coffee at Target yesterday. GO GET SOME! It's absolutely delicious!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

I prepped an acorn squash and a small eggplant for baking. I seasoned both with salt and pepper. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the squash. I baked them in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes (flipping once halfway through). I sipped on my delicious coffee while they were perfecting their tenderness and got caught up on some blog reading. I was SUPER excited to hear the timer go off though. I was RAVENOUS! This called for a mega salad!

Spinach
Cherry Tomatoes
Yellow Tomatoes
Cucumber
Baked Acorn Squash
Baked Eggplant
Sprouts
Hummus

TO DIE FOR! I was going to eat these two Wheat Thin Flatbreads with the salad but after placing them next to me, I forgot about them. No matter, the salad was perfect without them.

We watched a recorded episode of The Office while I ate. Will poor, pathetic Michael ever find love? That crazy little man. LOVE that show!

I spent the next few hours drawing. It's something I love doing but never seem to have any time for. Sad really. I set up in the dinning room and had a blast. I even blogged a bit and listened to music. It was such a perfect afternoon.

Charcoal is SO messy. I love drawing with it though.

SNACKAGE (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I also snacked (while drawing) on a 0% Fage yogurt, an apple and the wheat thin flatbreads that I forgot about earlier. I had one flatbread with apricot jam and the other with raspberry. :)

After a few artsy projects, I cleaned up the mess I made and started prepping dinner. I completely lost track of the time and I was starving. I was drawing for like 4 hours. :-O

DINNER (meal #4) at 9:00pm.

I wanted try Couscous. Can you believe I've NEVER had it? Insanity! I made a box of Basil & Herb large pearl Couscous as directed. To go with the Couscous, I sauteed some broccoli, portobello mushrooms and leeks. I seasoned the veggies with salt, pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. And finally for a bit of protein, I baked nick a Polska Kielbasa sausage and I had a smoke turkey sausage instead.

I would like to officially declare that I am in love with this Couscous. The flavor of the basil and herb sauce was incredible! This dinner was absolute perfection. Nick loved it too. Win-win.

I think we're about to watch a movie so I'm going to call it a night. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

HUGS!!!!

Ildie

Pictorial Perfection...

2010-04-30T21:13:00.006-04:00

I magically find myself short on time today. Signs of a perfect Friday off form work, worry and stress. To make up for my lack of verbal stimulation, I present you with my first ever PHOTO Friday. Enjoy my lovelies. I'll be back with a full post tomorrow. LOVE YOU!!

First let me recap my weekly battle with Mr. Scale. I'm down 1.8 pounds for a total of 52.9. YEAH! I will update the "weight lost to date" photos on the blog when I get a moment. For now, the info will be out of date for a day or two. BUSY BEE OVER HERE!!!!

As you know, I was off today. LOVED IT! Here are some pictures that capture this day in all its glory perfectly! :) No words are necessary....

After breakfast I went shopping, spent a small fortune and then ACCIDENTALLY ended up at the winery with Annie-Boo. GLORIOUS DAY!

Quick note. These crackers from Target rocked my socks off. I'm just saying....

I caught a black lipped BEAST! Oliver Doppelganger. HA!

After our winery shenanigans, Ann and I parted ways. I came home and Nick and I decided to meet his younger brother Scotty and his girlfriend Amanda for dinner at the Geisen Haus in Canton. I never got around to taking pictures though. :-O

I had a grilled chicken cajun sandwich and 1/2 of my fries. YES, I was naughty. I'm okay with that. I'm never naughty. Today has been glorious. And now I am tired. My bed beckons me. Goodnight dah-lings.. :)

XOXO

Ildie

Amazing Deals and what not...

2010-04-29T23:59:00.012-04:00

It's quite possible that in my half asleep, delirious and frazzled state of mind (it just turned midnight) I may start to ramble uncontrollably. It's very possible that this post will lose all meaning, sense and direction. Please bare with me my lovelies. I MUST post for you no matter the time. I think I have a writing addiction problem. :)

My three day weekend is officially here and I'm overwhelmed with joy. I WELCOME THEE! BRING IT ON BABY! Weekends rejuvenate my spirit. I need them in my life like bloggers need their camera. That should sum it up for you quite nicely.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

A teeny tiny twist on the usual.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter and 20g of organic raisins.)

Good GRIEF. WHY did it take me so long to combine raisins and PB in hot, creamy oatmeal? I wept. Yeah, it was THAT good!

Am I the only one that finds it annoying when you have things at home for MONTHS that you never think to use? Such as raisins! Then one day you dig around, try something and immediately feel like a BLIND FOOL for not thinking of it before. I plan to dig around in my cabinets some more this weekend. Who knows what else my cabinet jungle is hiding. I bet it's full of brilliant treats, flavors, combinations and goodies yet to be discovered. Just waiting on my clammy little hands to find them. CHOMP!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I had a spinach salad topped with leftover peas and green beans from last night. I also added a sliced kumato, sprouted sunflower seeds and a Morning Star Farms black bean burger for some protein kick. It was amazing. Hot, spicy and flavorful. :)

Our break away from the office involved a VERY IMPORTANT MISSION! Jean shopping extravaganza #2 for the week. I would very HAPPILY like to announce that operation "locate magical sized jeans" was a complete success. I found a pair that were NOT too long and realized that I dropped yet another size. Yep. Life is good.

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I contemplated not boring you with the repetitive tasty mess that has been my snack all week but here it is anyways. Go ahead, take it all in. Enjoy the view..... I took the picture in front of the VERY classy picture of Nick and I in our Redneck gear for a Halloween in August party last year. HA! (I am NOT meant to be a blonde, good grief, I love that stupid wig!!) And yes, I keep this on my desk. No shame! Gotta stay classy!

Ahhhhhhh. I love yogurt!!! Here we have a plain Dannon Greek Yogurt topped with two mini chocolate protein muffins and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

As I was enjoying my little afternoon treat, I slowly began to realize that leaving work at 5:00 was not going to happen today. In a way I dealt with it and just decided to stay over and get some things done. Part of me found it hard to walk away because I knew I wouldn't be in tomorrow. Annie-Boo was semi upset with me I think. (I LOVE YOU ANN). She sat around in her gym clothes waiting for me, but alas, it wasn't meant to be today. I skipped my workout. :-O

Honestly, I wasn't feeling it. It was getting late, I was mentally exhausted and my leg still felt a bit "off". I wasn't in pain or anything. I could just tell that something wasn't right. So I took a day off. BIG WHOOP! I think this is maybe the 5th or 6th workout I've missed in the last 9 months. I TELL NO LIES! (pssst, I just lied right there...) Okay, I do lie sometimes. You know, to be polite and what not. I'm serious about the workouts though. I hardly ever miss them.

I decided to go grocery shopping instead. Oh to fill a cart with healthy goodies (and wine) makes me so happy. It was nice today, not rushing around the store. I took my time wandering every single isle, slowly, taking it all in. I enjoy shopping for food. I really do. Though I will admit, the longer I'm there the more I spend. YOWZA!

After putting my groceries away, I made myself a nice cup of coffee to take the edge off. Coffee calms me. Sweet, soothing cup of Joe, I love you. Why is it Joe by the way? Why not Jill or Jan?

IN OTHER NEWS! have you ever heard of Zeni Optical? No? Well if you wear glases GET HIP! The site is amazing. I have a SLIGHT (severe) obsession with glasses. I think I currently own 10 pair. Seven of them are from Zeni. :-O

I ordered three more about a week and half ago. I paid $35 dollars for all three!!! This INCLUDES prescription lenses AND shipping. HOLLA!

I love the orange pair. I think they really make my green eyes pop. :)

SHHHH, do you hear that??? That's the sound of an AMAZING DEAL! I love this pair too!

AWE SNAP. Shady Shades...... I ordered these lenses with 80% grey shading. I picked the largest, bulkiest frames I could find to get that very fashionable BUG EYED look that all the cool kids are wearing. HA!

Nick called these grandma shades. You know, the ones that old ladies wear OVER their glasses while driving. PLEASE TELL ME IT ISN'T TRUE! I haven't owned shades in years because I'm blind without glasses and prescription shades are EXPENSIVE! When I realized that I could add shading to any pair of glasses for $5 I thought I would give it a try. I think they look pretty good. However, I think 80% shading might be a bit TOO dark. I won't know for sure until I can test them outside on a sunny day. TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! Be honest. I'm not trying to look like a crazy grandmother! HA!

DINNER (meal #4) 9:30pm.

We kept it simple tonight. Tomato soup....

And Grilled cheese on wheat with fat free cheddar slices and bread and butter pickle rounds. Trust me, the pickles go GREAT with the hot melted cheese.

Wow, it's only 1:05. I can't believe I typed this up so fast. TRUST ME! 1 hour is just shy of a MIRACLE for me. Somehow most blog posts take me at least 2 hours every night. Well, they take that long when you factor in the downloading, uploading and inserting of the photos as well. That and I tend to walk away from it and then finish it later. I get distracted easily.

Tomorrow morning is weigh in Friday. I'll let you know how it goes. EEEK! (Stupid, STUPID Mr. Scale. You evil little thing you.... I can't resist you....)

Be back tomorrow... Must...Go...To...Bed...

XOXO
Ildie

Save me...

2010-04-28T16:23:00.011-04:00

Save me from myself. For I have lost... myself, somewhere, over there, in my dimly lit flickering office, in the corner, underneath a pile of paper, file folders and unprocessed documents. Will you come and dig me out, dust me off and play with me? Help me regain my joy and remind me how to smile again? I have forgotten how to curl my lips upward. They seem stuck in a forever frown. With coffee breath rampant, I run around all day on a caffeine high. The constant GO-GO-GO is like a needle repetitively poking me in my eyes.

But this, this moment right here, it helps. It makes the noises more dull and the murmurs of my stressed out brain a bit more bearable. Typing these words to you every day is like having a long distance therapist. Many of them. Do I need more than one? Either way, I know you are listening. I know you care. And I know you know that I'm crazy, and that you accept it. HA!

LOVE YOU GUYS! Clearly, today was another fun filled adventure in cubicle, florescent paradise. BUT I MADE IT! I'm that much closer to my 3 day weekend and I seriously can't wait. I consider taking this Friday off to be perfect timing. My head throbs everyday, screaming for a bit of freedom. We're almost there baby, we're almost there!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.......

BREAKFAST of champion lunatics (meal #1) at 9:15am.

1/2 old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax, 1 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves, more cinnamon and 2 tbs pumpkin butter.)

This was so good. I forgot how much I like pumpkin butter in warm oats. YUM-YUMMERS!

Shhhhhhhh, do you hear that? That weak whimper? It's me. HA! We had a mandatory meeting at noon today. It involved more fun and exciting work for my position that I'll have to make some miracle time for and pizza, which of course I couldn't eat. Good times..... Good times......

LUNCH (meal #2) at 1:00pm.

I whipped my healthy lunch together as soon as the meeting was over. All my greasy lipped coworkers watched in awe and horror as I plated up my leftover asparagus, mushrooms and broccoli over a bed of spinach. Yeah, that's right. I love my body and feed it accordingly. Take that pepperoni breath! I topped off my veggies with roasted red pepper hummus and Sriracha and also had a toasted english muffin on the side (which I forgot to take a picture of).

To put it simply, this was incredible! :)

A little while later Ann and I escaped for a bit and ran to Barnes and Nobles to take a breather. I enjoyed some African Autumn tea and browsed through a few cooking and fitness magazines. It was SO nice to get away from my computer screen. :)

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

A repeat of yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. What can I say. I take comfort in the familiar. I had a plain Dannon Greek yogurt with 2 chocolate protein muffins.

After work I ran.... I literally RAN out of the office (with the biggest smile on my face) and went to the gym to get my sweat on.

WORKOUT!

Seated Leg Curls (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
Leg Extensions (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
Reclined Leg Press (plate loaded)
140lb x 15
140lb x 15
140lb x 15
Free Weight Squat with straight bar
45lb x 15
55lb x 15
45lb x 15
Elliptical Cross Trainer
20 minutes, 1 min. intervals of levels 6, 8 & 10, 1.6 miles
Treadmill
10 minutes
min. 1 (3.2 walk)
min. 2 (5.5 run)
min. 3 (3.2 walk)
min. 4 (5.5 run)
min. 5 (3.2 walk)
min. 6 (5.5 run) Back of left thigh started to feel funky, so I stopped running.
min. 7-10 (3.2 walk at 8 incline)

Total time at gym = 1:19
Max HR = 178
Average HR = 138
Total Calories Burned = 626

After the gym we did the usual feeding of the kitties at Mama and Papa's house and then I hustled home. I had brilliant plans tonight for some palate pleasing goodies!

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:45pm.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I recently started seeing no bake "cookie" concoctions in BlogLand and I thought I would give them a try tonight. In a small bowl combined the following. DON'T ASK QUESTIONS! Just do it!

1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter
1 tbs (and a splash, JUST a splash) of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

Stir the HECK out of this gooey and sticky mixture until it's nice, thick and pasty. Next, take a piece of foil (or a plate) and sprinkle it with sweetened coconut flakes, scoop 3 servings of the sticky mixtures and roll it in the coconuts. They will start out as balls and flatten as they sit. I popped hem into the freezer for 10-15 minutes and VOILA, they were PERFECT!! Like cold, chewy, rich no bake chocolate cookies.

Here is a picture of something TRAGIC! An empty plate. I WANT MORE!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

I sauteed some green beans and frozen peas with soy sauce, spicy Thai chili paste and minced garlic. I piled them on top of spinach for a warm salad of sorts. I also had a Morning Star Farms black bean burger on an Ezekiel wheat bun with spinach, low carb ketchup and spicy mustard. I loved the green bean and peas combo! It was excellent.

The TV and my couch beckon me to come hither. I think I'll call it a night and relax with the Mr. for a bit. Time to UNWIND!

Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week. YAY! I..CAN..NOT..WAIT..FOR..5:00pm!!

NIGHT NIGHT!
XOXO
Ildie

Slow Running Machine

2010-04-27T19:34:00.013-04:00

Hello my little bloggeties.

As I sit here right now, typing these very words, a calm sweeps over me. Or maybe that's a premature hot flash. HA! In any event, I feel at peace right now. Without dwelling too much on the details, lets just say that work was rough and mega stressful today. I'm SO HAPPY to be home and relaxing on the couch. Currently sipping on some honey green tea and all is well with the world. I'm also watching What Not To Wear and crying uncontrollably like a lunatic. :)

Reeeeeeeeeewind to this morning. Before my peaceful frame of mind was turned upside down.

BREAKFAST (meal #1)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/8 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
1 tbs unsweetened dark cocoa
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter + 1 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves.)

work...drama...work....drama....work...

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

It was a vegetable EXPLOSION in my office today. I had a veggie wrap in a wheat FlatOut with bean sprouts, spinach, roasted red pepper hummus and kumato slices.

On the side I had more kumato wedges, baby bell peppers, leftover brussel sprouts and more hummus. Soooooo good!

Consumed in my office while I worked. Nothing exciting I know. I apologize. I didn't leave work for a break today either. There was NO way that I could allow it. I just had too much going on. :(

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I'm still going through those protein muffins I baked on Saturday. I WILL EAT THEM ALL DAMN IT! I crumbled two of them into a cup of plain Dannon Greek yogurt and sprinkled cinnamon on top. LOVED it.

Somehow, by some miracle, the clouds parted, the sun came out, the emails stopped, the phone wasn't ringing and I was actually able to leave work on time. SAY WHAT?!?!

WORKOUT!

Lat Pulldown with rope grip (cable)
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
60lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 12
Face Pull with rope grip (cable)
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
Modular Chest Press (cable)
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
50lb x 15
Bent Over Barbell Row
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
35lb x 15
Dumbbell Fly
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Elliptical Cross Trainer
15 minutes, 1 minute intervals of levels 6, 8 & 10, 1.35 miles
Treadmill
15 minutes, 1 minute intervals of walking at 3.2 and running at 5.5, 1.07 miles

I uped the running speed to 5.5 today and did okay. Who knew? Still following the "steady as she goes" method. We'll see where it gets me. The leg has been feeling fine. YAY! Project "Running Machine" is in full "slow" effect. HA! ;)

Total time at gym = 1:13
Max HR = 182
Average HR = 136
Calories Burned = 566

After the gym we did the now daily ritualistic feeding of the beasts at Mama and Papa Babushkas house. I think the cats hate us. They hide as soon as we show up and refuse to show themselves. It's like they know that I just want to hold them and love on them. MY LITTLE FUR BABIES! DON'T HIDE FROM ME! MAMA LOVES YOU!

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:15pm.

When I came home I whipped together a tasty little protein packed treat. I wasn't in the mood for a cold smoothie so I tried something new instead. I took one scoop of chocolate peanut butter whey protein powder and stirred in 4 tbs of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze. It turned into a nice little pasty, protein packed pudding. I had it with a 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese and topped it all with a sprinkle of Udi's original granola.

I loved it. It was sticky, ooey, gooey, creamy, crunchy and filling all at the same time. I'll be making this again for sure! :)

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

I was craving two things, roasted veggies and cheese. I can't explain it but I HAD to have it. I tossed some broccoli, mushrooms and asparagus (seasoned with pink sea salt, black pepper, rosemary and garlic powder) into a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. When the veggies were nice and golden I tossed them into an oven safe bowl, topped them with a slice of Munster cheese, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a 1/4 cup of Bertolli Arrabiata sauce. To make it perfect, I popped the bowl under the broiler for 3 minutes until the cheese got all nice and melted.

I had it with a toasted Thomas's English muffin with spray butter.

SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!! I could cry it was so good!

Time to say goodnight now. I think we're going to pick a movie to watch or something. Not sure I can make it through a movie though. Pretty sleepy!

XOXO
Ildie

Babies and Brussel Sprouts

2010-04-26T16:23:00.014-04:00

I went a little crah-zee last night with the "fun having" and stayed out way past my bedtime. (BAD ILDIE!!) I didn't even get home until after 1:00am. There was much fun to be had though. Too much in fact! I accidentally drank wine..... Way more than I should have...... IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST! It innocently started with chatting and catching up while holding and ooing and cooing over baby Benjamin. HE IS INSANELY ADORABLE PEOPLE! I held him for about 30 minutes and didn't want to give him back. Not in a creepy way. I'm just saying! (Pictures of baby Ben will not be posted, sorry... I promised mommy... He's just not ready to make his photographic debut yet...) Then the wine and the boardgames made an appearance. This is where it all went downhill. So much for being 100% perfect and good with no slacking off this week. I'm off to a great start right? HA!

Needless to say, waking up today was a bit rough. Thus making the usual Monday hustle that much more "enjoyable".

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

This sat in my stomach like a gooey brick. No idea why. I eat this all the time and never have any problems. I was uncomfortably FULL today though. Maybe I should cut my portion size back a bit? I shall test this tomorrow and see what happens.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 1 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter.)

The day flew by at work today. Probably because I was super busy and super tired. Makes for the perfect time warp/blackout combo!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I had a tasty wheat FlatOut + Spinach + Bean Sprouts + Smoke Turkey + Sriracha wrap. It was so good and spicy. I LOVE Sriracha. I swear it makes everything better!

I also had a banana. It's been so long since I've just eaten a banana. Not IN anything or ON anything. Just eaten as is. It really is the perfect fruit!

On our break today, Ann and I invaded CVS and I spent a small fortune on new makeup. WHY must it be so expensive? WHY must I be a sucker and buy it? WHY can't I just be blessed with naturally flawless skin? WHY???? On a serious note, I LOVE makeup!! I'm a girly girl I guess! But you know, with a rugged and tough side! ROAR!

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:15pm.

The usual with some muffin lovin. A plain Dannon Greek yogurt with strawberries and 2 of the mini chocolate protein muffins I made on Saturday. Topped off with cinnamon. YUM!

I inhaled this, changed for the gym and got the hot heck out of work at 5:00 on the dot.

WORKOUT!

The gym was INSANELY busy today. The rain and grey skies brought all the crazies out. They were everywhere! Grunting, flexing and hogging up weights and machines all over the place. It was rough but somehow Ann and I worked around them. It definitely slowed us down a bit. BAH!

Bicep Curl (barbell)
45lb x 15
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
35lb x 15
Front Shoulder Raise (barbell)
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
25lb x 15
25lb x 15
Tricep Pulldown (cable machine)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
Hammer Curls (dumbbells)
20lb x 12
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Skull Crushers (barbell)
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
21's (barbell)
30lb x 21
30lb x 21

At this point Ann and I were at our LIMIT with the overcrowded factor in the free weight room so we called it quits and went upstairs to do cardio.

Ladies, does anyone else ever feel like having breasts makes you less accepted, or in a word "invisible" in the free weight room (also known as MAN land)? Sometimes I could just scream, but I refrain. Instead I hold my ground, get my workout done and feel all the better for it. I will not move for you! I will not shy away! I will not rush my sets because you have no manners! I deserve to be here just as much as you! SO TAKE THAT GRUNTING BEASTS! Take that and love it! ;)

Treadmill - 20 minutes
1.4 miles, 1 minute intervals at levels 3.2 (walking) and 5.0 (running).

Elliptical Cross Trainer - 10 minutes
1 mile, 1 minute intervals at levels 6, 8 and 10.

Total time at the gym = 1:15
Max HR = 181
Average HR = 150
Total Calories burned = 687

We left the gym feeling energized, empowered, strong and unfortunately, soaking wet and stinky. We quickly ran to Mama and Papa Babushka's house to fee the kitties and then I hustled home.

SNACK (meal #4) at 8:00pm.

I made a tasty smoothie.

1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 frozen banana
10 frozen cherries
1 cup ice

I was freezing but had a craving for this bad boy anyways. It took me for EVER to finish it all. Sooooo coooooold!

DINNER (meal #5) at 10:00pm.

I hate having dinner this late but time just sort of got away from me today. I was craving brussel sprouts like MAD! I tossed some on a cookie sheet with red potatoes and sweet potatoes for a nice and easy meal. I seasoned it all with sea salt + black pepper + garlic powder and baked it at 425 for 30 minutes. Flipping everything just once about halfway through. I also tossed in a smoke bratwurst for Nick to have with dinner. I just had my serving with a leftover chicken breast from last nights dinner.

Simple and delicious! Of course I also had some low carb ketchup on the side. I LOVE KETCHUP!

Alright my lovelies. I'm a tired mess. I must get some sleep tonight! Last night is definitely catching up to me!

I adore you all!
XOXO
Ildie

My Ildie-ism for the day --- Though chickens can't fly, they still enjoy buying the ticket. HA!

Size "magical"

2010-04-25T18:44:00.003-04:00

So I attempted to shop for clothes today and it was a COMPLETE failure. I tried on not one, not two, not even three, but 16 (YES, six-teeeeeeen) pairs of jeans today. How many did I buy you ask? NONE! Apparently I'm an original, one of kind, they don't make pants in this particular shape, magical size. I'm all for being unique but come on. Talk about frustrating. I was in the dressing room sweating like a furious psychopath. All the jeans were either too big, too small, too snug (in a VERY non flattering way) and of course my favorite, too long. Even the petite jeans were too long. Am I shrinking? :(

I did pick up a cute little shirt and necklace to make up for all the dressing room trauma. It helped, but only a little. :)

Enough complaining. Lets discuss food now. Glorious and amazing food. (my favorite!)

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:00am.

I had a handful of grapes with strawberries, cottage cheese with Splenda and cinnamon and a Thomas's English muffin with sugar free strawberry jam on one side and spray butter and cinnamon on the other. And a lovely cup of coffee of course!

An odd mix of delicious.

After I ate I met Ann at Mama and Papa Babushka's house to feed the beasts and then we "attempted" shopping. We all know how that went, sadly. After 2 hours I gave up and came home.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

I had a wrap in a wheat FlatOut which I stuffed with leftover eggplant, spinach, cucumber and a drizzle of Sriracha.

On the side I had a juicy Macintosh apple with pumpkin butter. Who knew this would be such a good combo! I loved it!

After lunch Nick and I decided to watch an awesomely bad (which equals good, naturally) movie about Nazi Zombies called Dead Snow. It was Norwegian. And AWESOME! :)

SNACK (meal #3) at 5:00pm.

I snacked on some butter pretzels, Wheat Thins and 2 dark cocoa protein muffins during the movie. I also had a cup of coffee. :-O

Later in the afternoon we got a call from Nick's friends who just had a baby and we decided to FINALLY visit to see the little one. This meant an earlier dinner than expected.

DINNER (meal #4) at 7:45pm.

I quickly sauteed up some skinless boneless chicken breasts in Pam (seasoned with pink salt, black pepper and garlic powder) and made Nick and I some tasty salads. They contained spinach + kumato + baby orange pepper + bean sprouts and of course, the chicken. I just drizzle a bit of spray butter on mine. YUM!

Now I have to run so I can hold an adorable baby for a few hours (fantasize) and play some board games. Wine was mentioned. Uh oh. Perhaps wine will be Snack, meal #5? AWE SNAP!!!! :)

XOXO
-Ildie

"P" is for Productive!

2010-04-24T15:49:00.016-04:00

I'm having one of those days where I feel a bit "aged". Like a fine bottle wine, without the fine part. I'm sore, achy, semi tired and physically drained. Perhaps I overdid it at the gym? Perhaps I shouldn't have cleaned the house for 1.5 hours right before heading to the gym? Perhaps it's just the sad and dreary weather outside bumming me out? Or perhaps it's a combination of all of the above AND the fact that I AM "aged"? HA!

Anyway you look at it, I've had one heck of a productive day. Remember that to do list from last night? Let's check in with it shall we?

Clean house - DONE
Laundry - DONE
Empty and load up dishwasher - DONE
Run to Pharmacy - DONE
Morning workout - TACKLED
Feed Mama and Papas' fur babies - DONE
Attempt to bake muffins - I DID IT! (weeeeee)
Make Bomb Dinner & prove that I am a domestic goddess - YOU KNOW IT!
Clean & Organize SCARY closet - DONE (good grief, this was INVOLVED!!!)
Catch up on Blogs & write mine - CLEARLY done. :)

Awe yeah. Just call me the Tackler!!!

First, let's backtrack a bit. I woke up at 8:00 and immediately began to clean the house. I was in one of those moods where I actually wanted to clean. The smell of Pledge makes me happy. Yes, I am crazy, thanks for asking. I cleaned my little heart out (laundry, dishes, dusting, organizing, vacuuming etc...) for over an hour and a half. While listening to music on my MP3 player of course. Music makes everything more fun! My stomach started SCREAMING at me sometime past 9:30 and there was no shutting her up. Time to feed the beast.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:45am.

I had a cup of coffee in my lovely new cup from Miss. SweetLife. (thanks again)....

And a breakfast sandwich made with a toasted Thomas's everything Bagel Thin + spinach + 3 egg whites (cooked with Pam) + turkey lunch meat (slightly seared in the same pan). I also had a few strawberries on the side.

After feasting I changed for the gym, made a quick trip to the pharmacy and met Ann for a workout at 10:45.

WORKOUT!

Treadmill Warmup
5 min., 5 incline, 3.2 speed
Leg Extensions (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Seated Leg Curls (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
Hack Squat Machine (plate loaded)
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
60lb x 15
Squats With Straight Bar
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
55lb x 15
Conventional Deadlifts
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
Treadmill, 20 minutes, 1.4 miles
I switched it up from walking at 3.2 & running at 5.0. I ran 11 of the 20 minutes. Leg felt okay. I hope I can say the same tomorrow!!
Elliptical Cross Trainer, 11 minutes, 1 mile
I kept it at level 8 the whole time.

Total time at gym = 1:38
Max HR = 183
Average HR = 143
Total Calories Burned = 826 (whoah....)

I got one word for ya. D.R.A.I.N.E.D. What does that spell? Ildie! I was whooped. I had to sit down for a bit before leaving the gym to catch my breath. WHEW!

Afterwards Ann and I ran to feed Mama and Papas' cats and played with their litter box. Good times! Then I dragged my tired butt home and curled up on the couch with a lovely little snackeroo.

SNACK (meal #2) at 1:45pm.

This bowl of yumminess contained plain Dannon Greek yogurt + 5 strawberries + 1/2 banana + a small handful of Udi's original granola. Just what I was craving!

I read a few blogs and perused the wonders of the internet while enjoying this treat. Sitting on the couch just felt so, so right! I had a hard time peeling myself away! When I finally did, MAD baking adventures ensued! MUWAHAHAHAHA!

I decided to attempt protein muffins and I followed ***This*** lovely recipe from Naomi over at One Fit Foodie almost exactly. I added a 1/8 cup of crushed walnuts and I made sure to use 3 tbs of dark cacao per her suggestion. I also used 1tsp cinnamon and 1tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of 1tbs cinnamon. Oh, and I also added 3tbs of Splenda sugar substitute and used chocolate protein powder. Everything else was the same though, I promise! (I used 1 whole egg by the way...)

The recipe was enough for 30 mini muffins. I baked them for 12 minutes EXACTLY in a preheated 350 degree oven. THEN I found out that Nick was not at all interested in "healthy" protein muffins. What the HECK am I going to do with 30 muffins??? HA! Aren't they adorable? Mama feels proud!

While baking, I also made a mega salad for a mega late lunch.

LUNCH (meal #3) at 5:00pm.

This bad boy contained Spinach + Cucumbers + Bean Sprouts + Kumato (certain type of tomato) + Mini Yellow & Red Peppers + Roasted Red Pepper Hummus + Morning Star Farms Black Bean Burger + Green Onions.

Seriously delicious! I barely took breaths between bites.

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:00pm.

Naturally I had to TASTE the mini muffins to be sure that they were acceptable! The verdict? I'M A BAKING GENIUS! So in other words, I can read and follow a recipe and know how to use measuring tools. HA! Well whatever! They were tasty. I had three of them with a warm cup of coffee. It was the perfect snack.

(Nutritional Stats: 32 calories, 3 grams of protein, .6 grams fiber & .8 grams fat in each muffin.)

After powering up on protein, I hesitantly ventured upstairs to tackle my horrific mess of a closet. DA DA DAAAAAAA! Be scared! Be VERY scared!!!

I know I shouldn't show you but....here it is.... :-O Real classy of me to be too lazy to remove the old wallpaper right? I've painted the bedroom 3x now since I've lived here but have yet to redo the closet. I HATE WALLPAPER! I just shut the doors and forget it. CLEARLY! HA! (what you can't see in this picture is the THICK layer of clothes lining the bottom of my closet floor!!! It was BAD!)

I'm such an organized and clean person. I can't explain this closet. Seriously. I just can't!

And here it is after tossing out two full bags of clothes that were UN-saveable and stuffing two boxes and another bag full of clothes that I will be donating. GOOD GRIEF!! How could I let it get so bad? Ridiculous! See the sexy wallpaper? Very sexy grandma right? HA!

After my clothestastic adventure, I started prepping dinner. All of a sudden I was starving.

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

I cut an eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rings, sprayed them with Pam and seasoned them with garlic powder + black pepper + cayenne. I baked them at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes (flipping them once) and they were perfect. I topped two of the slices with Munster cheese and made the tastiest sandwich. Ezekiel wheat bun + fat free Miracle Whip + 2 cheesy eggplant slices + spinach + thin slices of cucumber + a slice of a kumato.

I also had some roasted red pepper hummus on the side with more cucumbers and two mini peppers.

This dinner was amazing. The sandwich was a drippy, sloppy, messy perfectly tasty blend of flavors. I have several more slices of eggplant leftover. I can't wait to do something with them tomorrow!

With a full tummy, tired eyes and an exhausted body, I must now bid you goodnight. I'm only capable of two things right now. (a) laying down... (b) nothing... As you can see, blogging doesn't fit into either of those two categories. Sleeeeepy... :)

XoXo

Ildie

Mr. Scale and Mr. Rummy

2010-04-23T20:05:00.013-04:00

I looked that son of a **bleep** square in the face and curled my lip aggressively to show him I meant business. I ain't afraid of no flat, gutless, soulless electronic wannabe super scale. Feeling good about my food choices and sweat sessions at the gym last week, I stepped on Mr. Filthy Scale feeling confident. All that came CRASHING DOWN in a matter of seconds. I looked down only to realize that I weighed exactly the same as I did last Friday. We're talking down to the 0.0 amount. A slew of profanity proceeded to pour out of my mouth.

My mind raced. What do I blame it on? Too much repetition at the gym? Not drinking enough water? Too many carbs last week? The fact that I'm bloated and PMS'ing like a violent woman on the verge of a full on crazy attack?

But alas, I shall blame it on nothing. Weight loss is a journey. If it were EASY, everyone would be thin and healthy and the diet industry wouldn't exist. Let alone be full of lying, leeching and conniving millionaires.

Okay, enough with the sass talk. Moving on.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:00am.

Yeah, I said 10:00am. THE HORROR!! I got stuck at my desk again and just couldn't pry myself away to make breakfast. I paid the price for leaving work early yesterday. I came in to a ton of fan mail (email). All demanding my time, attention, amazing detective skills and uncanny ability to respond politely no matter my frustrations. I should've become an actress! Yeah, I'm THAT GOOD!

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbs unsweetened dark cacao
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 1 tbs sugar free strawberry jam + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter.)

Ann took the day off from work today. For reasons I cannot explain (please assume that we are obsessed with each other) it made work SUCK even more than usual. I missed you Annie-Boo. Your sweet, psychotic face gives me solace at work. Your concerned and wrinkled little forehead staring back at me while I vent uncontrollably gives me peace. HAHAHA!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:00pm.

It was a tasty one. I had a sweet Fuji apple with cinnamon.

A toasted Thomas's everything Bagel Thin with spinach and oven roasted turkey breast.

And a fuzzy little Kiwi.

It was right after feasting on this meal that Ann finally called to let me know that Mama and Papa Babushka had made it safely home to the sacred land (Hungary) and all was well. They were supposed to call her first thing in the morning. The excuse they gave for calling so late you ask? They forgot about us!! SAY WHAT LOL? How can you ever forget about THIS? Your perfect, flawless, chipper, amazing, brilliant, funny one of a kind first born perfect daughter? RIDICULOUS! I guess I can allow it just this one time though. They were jet lagged, starving, tired, delirious and surrounded by tons of family they hadn't seen in 25 years. It better NEVER happen again though!

While chatting, I decided that I had to see Ann. I HAD TO! HA! I had nowhere special to go on my break anyways and she offered to make me a cup of coffee. SOLD! I drove to her apartment and we chatted for a bit.

SNACK (meal #3) at 1:30pm.

We discussed how much I hated her for being off today over a lovely cup coffee and some pretzels.

And then it was back to work.

At 5:00 I got the hot heck out of the office and proceeded to spend a small fortune at the grocery store. I asked them if they accepted kidneys as payment. The look on the cashiers face quickly made me reach for my debit card though. The nerve!

I came home, put all the groceries away, emptied the dishwasher, gave the beast some kitty treats, tossed in a load of laundry, tidied up the house and then finally sat down for a bit.

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:00pm.

Accompanying me on the couch was my new best friend. May I present to you Mr. Rummy Coke Zero...

Yes, it WAS necessary! It's been a long (and special) week and I deserved a little cocktail. I tossed in fresh lemon and lime slices for good measure. Hey, it had fruit in it. HA!

I also consumed a handful (or two or three) of these tasty little reduced fat Wheat Thins.

I sipped on my drink and munched away while catching up on Blog Land. Ahhhhhh Friday evenings.... You complete me!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

Nick was having leftovers so I decided to make a quick and tasty little treat. Not sure what to call it. Fruit Quesadilla? Just follow these easy steps.

I sliced a Fuji apple into thin slices, sprinkled them with cinnamon and microwaved them for 2 minutes until they became nice and tender.

I smeared a wedge of light Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese on half of a wheat FlatOut and layered the apples on top.

I mashed up a very ripe banana and scooped that on top of the apple layer and added a bit more cinnamon.

I folded the FlatOut in half and toasted it in a frying pan sprayed with Pam on both sides until nice and golden.
I cut it in half and drizzled wildflower honey over the top.

Enjoyed with a few strawberries on the side. This was incredible. Like having dessert for dinner. The wildflower honey was excellent with the warm apple and mushy bananas. MMMMM! HEAVEN!

It's getting late, and because I'm a lame wimp, going to bed early tonight just sounds amazing. I would FOR ONCE like to wake up early and get a nice head start on my day. There's a lot I want to do tomorrow! I need my beauty/energy sleep!

Hit the gym.
Feed Mama and Papas' cats.
Make a run to the pharmacy.
Clean the house.
Organize closet. (scared of this one...)
Attempt making protein mini muffins. (even more scared. I'm NOT known having baking skills...)
Cook a tasty dinner. (I've been craving eggplant...)
Probably some more laundry. (It's like a never ending pile of joy and wonder...)
Catch up on blogs and write mine at the same time.

Weeeeeeeeeeeee.

Goodnight!!
XOXO

Ildie

Jet Setters

2010-04-22T15:48:00.012-04:00

Ohhh, so close to Friday that I can taste it but it's not quite here yet. Today started out a bit hectic. I was only working until 11:30 and work was craaaaaaazy busy. I could barely pull myself away long enough to make breakfast, which by the way was inhaled in a matter of minutes.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 2 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter.)

Work. Work. Work. Weeeeeee...

I don't know how I managed to but I turned the computer off, pushed my chair in and slithered out of the office just a few minutes past 11:30 like originally planned. I do... I DO believe in miracles!

Ann and I drove to Mama and Papa Babushka's house to hang out with them for a bit. As you know, they're leaving for Hungary today. There's LOTS of excitement in the air!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:15pm.

While there, I whipped together a quick lunch. I was STARVING! I made a wrap with 4 egg whites + roasted garlic hummus + spinach + Sriracha.

I also had some red grapes on the side.

After eating, we made sure that they were all packed up and ready to go. They were so happy, nervous, fidgety and ready for their Jet Setting adventure. The original plan was to drive them to the airport and drop them off. However, they made a last minute decision to drive themselves. Those crazy critters. We hugged it out, said our goodbyes and they were off. :)

Afterwards, Ann and I went straight to the gym to get our sweat on.

WORKOUT!

Tricep Pushdown Machine (cable)
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
Bicep Curls (barbell)
45lb x 12
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
Shoulder Front Raise (barbell)
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
20lb x 15
Skull Crushers (barbell)
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
Hammer Curls (dumbbell)
20lb x 11 (whew)
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Standing Military Press (barbell)
45lb x 15
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
21's (barbell)
30lb x 21
30lb x 21
30lb x 21
Elliptical Cross Trainer
30 minutes, 2.67 miles, 2 minute intervals at levels 6 & 8

Total time at the gym = 1:13
Max HR = 163
Average HR = 135
Total Calories Burned = 557

After the gym I came home and found a lovely box waiting for me from Sonia at Master Of Her Romaine. AWE SNAP. It's nutritional yeast party time. I finally get to try it. Of course that Miss Sonia went above and beyond and sent me more that agreed upon. Thanks so much Sonia. You're the sweetest! I got some of her favorite tea, a gorgeous little makeup bag, a packet of Jay Robb whey protein, the nutritional yeast (of course), a Kind Bar and a makeup sampler from Mary Kay. THANKS LADY! I love it all.

SNACK (meal #3) at 3:30pm.

I immediately put Mr. Jay Robb to work and made an amazing smoothie.

1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
1 packet of Jay Robb Chocolate whey protein powder
1 tbs sugar free coconut Torani syrup
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1 frozen banana (frozen in chunks so as to not murder my blender)
1 cup ice

Oh man, this smoothie was a good one. Thick too. I was sipping on it for close to 45 minutes. While watching my last recorded episode of Millionaire Matchmaker.

I would like to declare something. Being at home with my remote and my smoothie with a workout already under my belt is so much better than still being at work. I wish I could leave work early every day!!

I grabbed a quick bath and cleaned my messy self up before Nick even got home from work. GLORIOUS! While waiting on him to come home, I contemplated hiding his Wii controllers or perhaps disconnecting something behind the TV to mess with him. In the end I decided that it was probably a bad idea and resisted. Though it would have been amusing to watch him flip out. :)

By the time I came down from my bath, Nick was already positioned on the couch, controller in hand and consumed with the television. HA! He was only going to be home for a bit though. He was meeting his dad and his two younger brothers for dinner to celebrate his brothers Birthdays. They were both born in April. I thought about going as well but in the end, decided against it. The bar food and beer was tempting but I need to be GOOD! Tomorrow is weigh in morning and vacation is right around the corner. Must.....Be.....Good.....

SNACK (meal #4) at 6:00pm.

I had a delicious Fuji apple...

And a cup of coconut mango oolong tea courtesy of the lovely Sonia. YUM! This tea is delicious and smells heavenly! It was so good in fact that I forgot to take a picture of my cup. I'll make up for that by showing you the wrapper. ;)

When Nick took off I dove deep into DVR recorded paradise. I curled up on the couch and watched two episodes of What Not To Wear. Love that show! Makes me cry every time. I'm such a wimp!

DINNER (meal #5) at 8:30pm.

I wanted roasted veggies so I sprayed my trusty cookie sheet with Pam and loaded her up with broccoli and white mushrooms.

At first I had no idea what to actually have with the veggies and then it came to me. I topped the roasted veggies with 1 tbs of nutritional yeast (thanks again and again Sonia), 1/4 cup of Bertoli Arrabiata sauce and a Morning Star Farms black bean burger.

Let me tell you what, this worked BEAUTIFULLY! I devoured my plate. YUM-YUMMERS!

Nick is still gone so I'm going to enjoy some more TV freedom while I still have a chance. I hope the folks are doing okay. They should be well above the Atlantic by now. :)

Have a great night! TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! YAY!

XOXO

Ildie

Christmas in April!

2010-04-21T12:17:00.021-04:00

HI! DID YOU MISS ME? You better have!!! :)

First of all, I would like to start today off with a mini celebratory hip-hopin-Ildie-style-smooth-jerk-your-shoulder-infused-jive. We'll call it the Ildie-Hop for short. I'm not sore today from running yesterday and this makes me SO happy! In fact, even though I felt like my leg was going to explode and fall off during my pathetic 15 minute mile yesterday, today I feel great. I've discovered that I'm a HEAVY runner. I land hard and in no way shape or form look attractive. There will be NO slow motion Baywatch beach running in my near future that's for sure.

HA! :-O

I'm actually swaying back and forth as I type these words while humming some random tune that's stuck in my head? Why? NO idea. Maybe it's the sunshine! Maybe it's the fact that this week is halfway over! Maybe it just because I'm crazy! In the wise words of Papa Babushka, I'll lovingly blame it on my "European Design"!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

It rocked as usual. Nothing new to report. Same old bowl of creamy perfection. Why mess with a good thing?

1/2 cup of old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1/12 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 2 tbs sugar free strawberry jam (which I also microwaved and poured on, MM) + 2 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter.)

For those of you who asked, I microwave the above mixture for 2 minutes, stir and then microwave again for another 30 seconds to 1 min. KEEP AN EYE ON IT! I've had explosions at work before and they are not fun to clean up. And yes, this is long enough to cook the oats thoroughly.

We had an office meeting at 11:00am today to discuss how last quarter was and to discuss the outlook for the rest of the year. In other words Blah Blah Blah, we can still do better (amazing isn't it?), let's keep it up, Blah Blah Blah, push for perfection, Blah Blah Blah, give me your souls MUWAHAHAHA, Blah Blah!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

Lunchtime, crunchtime, munchtime. YEAH! I refueled my will to smile after said meeting with an awesome wrap. Wheat FlatOut + turkey lunch eat + spinach + homemade onion hummus + tomato.

Enjoyed with a few more slices of tomato and some Saaaaxy Waaaaxy beans, sprayed with Spray Butter of course.

Lunch was Duh-Li-Ci-Oh-Soooo-Good!

Ann and I busted out of work for some fresh air on our break today and accidentally ended up at Old Navy. Someone please explain to me what has happened to that store! I used to adore their clothes. Today I wandered aimlessly trying to find at least one thing I liked. Everything looked poorly made, homely, wrinkled and ragged. ???? I don't get it. Naturally I still managed to find ONE $6 clearance item and bought it. Yes, I admit that I have a problem and NO I'm not seeking help for it. It was the one cute thing they had, I swear it. I just HAD to rescue it from that zoo of horribly sad clothing.

SNACKEROO (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I had "The Stuff" again. The blueberry Dannon Greek crack variety this time. Sprinkled with Udi's cranberry granola for some crunch.

The last hour whizzed by at work and then we were off to the gym. I was feeling it today and had a great workout. I can tell because it looked like I took a bath by the time I left. Gross? Sorry. I speak the truth! :)

WORKOUT!

Leg Extensions (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
Seated Leg Curls (cable)
100lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
85lb x 15
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
75lb x 15
Squats
Body Weight x 15 (3 sets)
Squats With Straight Bar
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
45lb x 15
Conventional Deadlifts With Straight Bar
45lb x 15
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
Treadmill
10 minutes, 1 min. intervals of walking at 3.2 & running at 5.0, .65 miles
(BAH! My leg started hurting 8 minutes in so I walked the last two. BAH! The pain was pretty rough. Here I was bragging earlier about not being sore. I bet I'm singing another song tomorrow.)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
20 minutes, 2 min. intervals of levels 6 & 8. 1.75 miles.
(Yes, I ellipticaled like a fool after the treadmill. I felt okay. Not great but not bad enough that I couldn't do it. Please don't follow my lead on this one. If you feel pain. STOP. I'm known for being stubborn!)

Total Time at gym = 1:17
Max HR = 177
Average HR = 137
Total Calories Burned = 604

WOOOOOOOT! Feeling energized. Weeeeeeeeeeee!

I ran to Mama and Papa Babushka's house after the gym to hang out for a bit. They leave for Hungary tomorrow so I just felt like visiting for a bit. We helped them wrap up some last minute details and then I rushed home. Nick was already hunting in the living room. Joy of all joyous joys!! I bit my tongue, kissed him on the cheek and went to soak in a nice hot bath. As with all things "Man Toy", this too shall pass. One thing's for sure, we better watch the recorded episode of Lost later if he knows what's good for him!!!!!

I skipped the protein shake tonight. It was nearing 8:00pm by the time I got home and I just wasn't feeling it.

After my bath, Nick presented me with a box that arrived for me today. I LOVE MAIL! It was from Bonnie at SweetlifeBake. I won her giveaway a few days ago and I've been looking very forward to this little box of wonder. And full of wonder it was. Lady, you're crazy sweet.

She lovingly wrapped each and every single thing in the box and tied it with a ribbon and even added cute little notes. I felt so special. Like it was Christmas in April. LOVED IT!

Oliver loved it too. Well the empty box anyways. OHH, AN ADVENTURE!

My wild little hands tore (delicately) at the packages and I was amazed at all of the thoughtful goodies.

I received some wonderful teas.

Organic, whole bean coffee, local wildflower honey and this adorable mug. I LOVE MUGS! It's an obsession really.

A tart pan, small loaf pan and two wooden spoons. How did you know I cook with wooden spoons? :)

A bag of pumpkin seeds, dried ancho chiles, Canel's gum and measuring spoons. The measuring spoons say pinch, dash and smidgen. OMG. Adorable!

A SWEET ice tray to properly represent Texas. YEE-HAW!

A pear scented outlet air freshener. It's already plugged in and I love it!

Thanks again! I LOVED EVERYTHING! :)

DINNER (meal #4) at 9:00pm.

I raided my kitchen and came up with a tasty and quick little dinner, done lazy style because I didn't feel like cooking.

I made a small salad with spinach + radishes + bread & butter pickles + pumpkin seeds + spray butter.

I also toasted a Thomas's everything bagel thin and topped it with more spinach + a Morning Star Farms black bean burger + swiss cheese + low car ketchup.

And last but certainly NOT least, I microwaved a tiny little sweet potato, which I sprayed with spray butter and sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice.

SO GOOD!

Alright, it appears as though I won tonight's battle. We're about to watch Lost.

Have a great night! :)
XOXO

Ildie

The Stuff & The Game

2010-04-20T16:02:00.024-04:00

Let me riddle you a story full of food and fury. Set in a land full of obstacles, intrigue, panic attacks, laughter, triumph, failure and above all, undeniable brilliance. A tale of a foodie and fitness loving gal on a lonesome mission of self wellness and satisfaction. Yes, this is my story. And I love sharing it with you amazing lovelies each and every single day. It means so much to me that you keep coming back.

Today was a BUSY one at work. My entire day flew by in the blink of an eye. I did manage to sneak some fabulous meals in though.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:00am. (WAY late, I got stuck at my desk...)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbs unsweetened dark cacao
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter + 2 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves.)

Eaten while I did the dreaded hand tango on my keyboard. It was a violent and drawn out dance today. In the end, I'm not sure who was leading, me or the keyboard.

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

I made a tasty wrap with a wheat FlatOut + homemade onion hummus + 1/2 avocado + spinach + tomato.

On the side I had some roasted brussel sprouts and broccoli courtesy of the lovely Ann. YUM!

I actually managed to escape for a break today and we ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things. It was one of those quick, in and out trips. It still felt nice to get out of my horribly uncomfortable chair for a bit though. My sore ass was enjoying the freedom.

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I had 1/2 cup of strawberries topped with plain Dannon Greek yogurt (mixed with cinnamon) and some Udi's cranberry granola.

I was discussing with Ann how Greek yogurt reminds me of that movie The Stuff. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's a cheesy horror movie from the 80's about some yogurt like substance that everyone became addicted to and it made them CRAZY. HAHAHA! Here's the very classy and awesome trailer.

After work we hit the gym.

WORKOUT!

Lat Pulldown with V-Bar (cable)
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
60lb x 15
Advanced Chest Press (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
40lb x 15
Row Machine (plate loaded)
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
50lb x 15
Seated Chest Press (plate loaded)
70lb x 13
60lb x 13
50lb x 15
Dumbbell Row
20lb x 15
20lb x 15
20lb x 15
Face Pull with rope grip (cable)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Dumbbell Fly
10lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
10lb x 15
Treadmill
15 minutes, 1 minute intervals of 3.2 walking and 5.0 running, 1 mile (I'm pretty sure that almost died...)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
15 minutes, 2 minute intervals of levels 6 & 8, 1.32 miles.

Total time at the gym = 1:19
Max HR = 180
Average HR = 139
Total Calories Burned = 637

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:20pm.

When I got home I whipped up a quick protein shake with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and a packet of Jay Robb Pina Colada whey protein powder. I was hesitant about this flavor so I've been putting off trying it. No idea why because it was absolutely delicious. Jay Robb's got it going on. Seriously! Good stuff!

I watched an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker while I sipped on my shake. I'm addicted to that stupid show. AND THEN I SAW IT! A bag, lurking next to the couch with very scary words "Game Stop" on the side. I peeked inside and THERE IT WAS! THE MONSTER IS HERE! Nick picked up the game (Monster Hunter) after work. He's at his moms right now for dinner but I know what's going down the second he gets home. Nonstop PLAYING till at least 2:00am. Sigh........

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:30pm.

I decided to make pancakes for dinner. It's been FAR too long. I made the usual mix, which I blended in my blender.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
Splash cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
1/4 wheat bran
1 Banana
1 tsp baking powder
3 egg whites
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

This was enough for 3 large pancakes, which I cooked in a frying pan sprayed with Pam. I topped them with Smucker's sugar free blueberry syrup + strawberry preserves (which I microwaved) + sprinkle ground flax + sprinkle of coconut flakes.

Uhm. ____ that was good! I forgot how much I LOVE pancakes. And the kicker, these are healthy! WIN-WIN!

Nick just got home and the game is already on. HELP ME! So much for watching the recorded episode of Lost tonight. The words "but I wanna plaaaaaay, lets watch it tomorrow" were mumbled several times during our debate. I lost this battle. BE DAMNED ELECTRONIC MAN TOYS! Be damned!

I think I'll leave the man with his wicked game and take my trusty laptop to bed. I need to get caught up on all your fabulous blogs anyways. Yeah, that sounds like a brilliant plan!

Have a great night!
XOXO

Ildie

Never Ending Rambler

2010-04-19T23:24:00.007-04:00

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Where the heck did this day go? I just sat down to type up this post and it's already 11:30 at night. Good grief! Getting to bed before midnight now seems completely impossible. Like a forbidden fairytale of fluffy pillows. A slumber story too surreal to be true. Told by crazy womenfolk at night and only spoken in whispers. I'm currently visualizing my soft pillows, fuzzy blankets and the gentle hum of the squeaky ceiling fan as it lulls me to sleep. This post is going to be a quick one. Forgive me.

In typical Monday fashion, I woke up later than I should have, rushed around all morning and just barely made it to work by my usual time. Breakfast was immediately made to "awaken" the senses.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter + 2 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves.)

I also had a cup of coffee in my trusty MEGA cup. Yes, it WAS necessary!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:30pm.

Another stellar salad made its way to my desk today. I'm really loving salads as of late. I find myself eating one every single day.

Spinach
Morning Star Farms black bean burger
Homemade onion hummus
Bread & Butter pickles
Tomato
Broccoli
Sprouted sunflower seeds

I snuck in an unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon as well. Delicious!

After my salad settled, and after getting somewhat caught up at work, I decided to leave the office for a bit of shopping therapy. However, shopping therapy turned into "try on" therapy. I didn't actually buy anything but I tried on a ton of stuff. Comparable to smelling rich chocolate cake without tasting it. You still enjoy the aromatic tease of it.

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:30pm.

The usual trusty container of plain Dannon Greek Yogurt with a sprinkle of Udi's cranberry granola. Nope, I'm still not sick of it.

After work it was off to the gym. I won't lie, I was NOT feeling motivated today. I do what I always do though. I just got it done. As usual, I felt great afterwards and was glad that I did it.

WORKOUT!

Bicep Curls (barbell)
45lb x 10
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
Military Press (barbell)
45lb x 15
40lb x 10
30lb x 15
Tricep Pushdown (cable machine)
80lb x 15
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
Front Shoulder Raise (barbell)
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
20lb x 15
Hammer Curls (dumbbells)
15lb x 15
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
Skull Crushers (barbell)
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
30lb x 15
21's (barbell)
30lb x 21
30lb x 21
30lb x 21
Elliptical Cross Trainer
25 minutes, 2.2 miles, 2 minute intervals at levels 6 & 8

Total time at the gym = 1:06
Max HR = 166
Average HR = 146
Total Calories Burned = 586

I was going to attempt running again for a bit today but to be brutally honest, my body feels like it's breaking apart. HA! My legs feel like someone beat them with a bat. Sadly, I know it's from combining the usual rigorous lower body workout with the running last Saturday. Yes, I know, I only ran 6 minutes and this is silly. It doesn't take much though. My right leg (bum leg as I lovingly call it) is hurting. The other leg is fine. Tomorrow is another day and I'm not giving up!

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:15pm.

I made a super tasty protein smoothie when I got home with 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze+ 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder + 1 frozen banana + 8 frozen cherries + sprinkle of cinnamon. Uhm.... crack in a glass people. SO good!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00.

Dinner on the other hand was NOT crack. It was barely past the so-so stage. So tragic. I sauteed up green peppers + carrots + broccoli + onions + radishes with spicy Szechuan seasoning, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and hot Thai chili paste. It smelled amazing.... but it only tasted good enough for me to eat half of what was on my plate.

I also whipped up a quick spinach, hummus & avocado sandwich on a Thomas's everything bagel thin.

Sort of a throw together dinner if I do say so myself.

I remedied my sauteed veggie fail with a Fuji Apple treat. I love Fuji apples.

My favorite is the Honeycrisp apple but I haven't seen them in stores for over 2 months now. CONSPIRACY!

Well, my quick post turned into a regular, never ending rambler as usual. It's officially midnight and I'm going to bed!

NIGHT NIGHT!
XOXO

Ildie

Kitchen Livin...

2010-04-18T12:19:00.023-04:00

Hello my little bloggeties. I hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday. Mine started off bright and early. For some reason I woke up at 7:30 today. Granted this is not considered early for most people, but for me on a weekend this was unheard of. I tend to sleep in whenever humanly possible. Sundays usually being the day when I stay in bed the longest.

No matter. I celebrated my early awakening with a cup of Kahlua and Cream coffee, topped with fat free whip and cinnamon.

I spent 2 hours (not even kidding) reading blogs. I fell behind and needed to rectify the situation immediately with some sweet bloggy-type therapy! I felt better with each passing droolworthy picture and cleverly written paragraph. You sassy little food vixens never cease to amaze me!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:30am.

I didn't get around to eating until 2.5 hours after waking up. Hey, it happens. I decided to make a MASSIVE sunny side up egg (1 whole egg and 3 egg whites) and a toasted Thomas's everything bagel thin (sprayed with Spray Butter).

I miss runny eggs. Why don't I have them more often? WHY? Sometimes (all the time) I make no sense.

Nick mozzied on down from Slumber Land while I was devouring my plate. His face tattooed with groves from his pillow. He clearly slept well. I love his tired and "tousled" look first thing in the morning. He started eyeing my breakfast and rubbing his stomach. I immediately recognized these ritualistic signs of hunger. I lovingly played my role of WONDERFUL girlfriend and whipped him up some greasy hashbrowns. It's all he wanted. Gross! I'm pretty sure I heard him moan as he ate. Smiling at me with his greasy lips. There was love in them eyes. HA!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 1:30pm.

All I wanted was a salad. I'm on a real salad kick lately. I just CRAVE them all the time. I can't help myself.

Sweet butter lettuce
Spinach
Butter beans
Bread & Butter pickles
Roasted garlic hummus
Sprouted sunflower seeds
Tomato

I love this flavor combo!

I spent the rest of my afternoon being lazy. I played in the kitchen, cuddled with kitty, browsed for recipes online and read some magazines. I adore Sundays!

My kitchen adventures did manifest into creamy, decadent, low calorie hummus brilliance! BEHOLD!!

This contains 4 things. That's IT! 1 can of chick peas + 2 sauteed onions (cooked in spray butter, NO oil) + black pepper + garlic salt. After the onions were tender I tossed all four ingredients into the food processor and let it rip.

This entire pile of goodness is only 370 calories. And if my math skills serve me correctly, each 70 gram serving (which is roughly 4 tbs???) is only 62 calories (give or take). YAY! I'm sure I'll be consuming this crack all week!

SNACK (meal #3) at 5:30pm.

I was feeling snacky this afternoon. I made a big bag of 98% fat free popcorn that I shared with Nick. I jazzed it up with Spray butter, sea salt, Splenda, TONS of cinnamon and a small handful of raisins. Drool!

At this point I was starting to become restless. If it's not one thing it's another. When I have plans all weekend, I wish I didn't so I could relax. When I have no plans at all, I wish I did to avoid boredom. What is wrong with me? Nick and I decided to watch some episodes of Mad Men. That shut me up for a while but didn't keep me interested for long. Before I knew it I was wandering around the house looking for something to do. Somehow I ended up in the kitchen again. SHOCKING right? Wait, it's about to get more intense and mysterious. I DECIDED TO BAKE!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my sad attempt at healthy Maple Banana Raisin Oatmeal Cookies.

1 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
3 mashed bananas
handful of golden raisins
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg white
1 tsp maple extract
5 drops vanilla custard Capella drops

This was enough for roughly 12 cookies. I baked them for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Verdict? Not sure! Not quite a cookie, not quite cake. Perhaps more muffin like? Or a banana bread nibble? Nick and I had one each and then I packed the rest away. We will call that Meal #4 mmmmkay? Trust me, the rest will get eaten as well. Perhaps I need to attempt more baking adventures to "perfect my skills"! :)

DINNER (meal #5) at 10:00pm.

I decided to make a healthified version of Tuna Casserole. I just can't stay out of the kitchen today. Here are the steps.

I boiled the pasta as directed.
For the sauce, instead of cream of mushroom soup, I used 1 cup of 2% milk and 3 wedges of light Laughing Cow Cheese. I cooked them together on low heat until the cheese melted.
I also sliced and sauteed some white mushrooms in garlic powder and Spray Butter.
When the pasta was done I drained it and stirred in the mushrooms, 2 cans of white albacore tuna in water (drained), 1/2 cup frozen peas and the cheese sauce.
I gave it a good stir and poured it into a casserole dish. I popped it into the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
Took it out, gave it a stir and covered it with a mix of crunchy Panko breadcrumbs, garlic salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
I popped it back into the oven for 10 minutes and voila! It was goooooooooood!

Nick's brother Dan is here for the Rally Race and dinner. I think I'll sneak upstairs and unwind with some TV and a magazine before bed. I'll let the brothers "bond". :)

Have a great night my lovelies!
XOXO

Ildie

Steady As She Goes...

2010-04-17T22:06:00.008-04:00

Awe snap. It's 10:30 at night and I just started typing. I sort of lost track of my day today. It happens.

First of all, I enjoyed ten ridiculously fabulous hours of sleep last night. (insert happy song here). I haven't slept this many hours in weeks! Months even! I felt like a new woman when I woke up.

I celebrated with a cup of Dulche De Leche coffee and a tasty, sweet little treat.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 10:30am.

I thinly sliced a braeburn apple, sprinkled it with Splenda and cinnamon and then microwaved it for 2 minutes until the apples became warm and tender.

I place them into a wheat flat out which I smeared with a wedge of light Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese.

I sliced it into 3 pieces and devoured it. It was ridiculous. I felt like I was having dessert for breakfast.

WORKOUT!

I met Ann at the gym at noon to delicately murder my legs, a$$ and get as sweaty as humanly possible without passing out. I love Saturday workouts! It's when I feel like I have the most time to really give it my all!

Speaking of giving it my all, I have decided to give running another try. Figures right? I openly blog about NOT being a runner ALL the time and blame my right leg (injured when I was 9, I had a broken femur and didn't walk for over 6 months) as the reason for not running. Well, I've thought about it. How can I know for SURE that I can't run without trying? Why do I assume that I'm not capable without making sure? Not every runner is a perfectly built running machine! I by no means LOVE it or ENJOY it. As with all things exercise related, you just have to DO IT! So today, I did it. Steady as she goes my friends. Steady as she goes.

Treadmill Warmup
5 min. at 3.2 speed and a 1.5 min. run at 5.0 speed (this is fast for me, I'm 5.2 if I stand on my tiptoes)
Leg Extension (cable)
100lb x 10
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Seated Leg Curl (cable)
100lb x 10
90lb x 15
90lb x 15
80lb x 15
Reclined Leg Press (plate loaded)
140lb x 15
160lb x 15
180lb x 15
Outer Thigh Machine (cable)
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
85lb x 20
Inner Thigh Machine (cable)
75lb x 20
75lb x 20
65lb x 20
Conventional Deadlifts (straight bar)
45lb x 15
65lb x 15
65lb x 15
Squats
Body Weight x 15 (3 sets)
Treadmill
10 minutes total, 0.7 miles,
1 minute intervals of 3.2 walking and 5.0 running (not bad, not bad at all)
Elliptical Cross Trainer
20 minutes, 1.78 miles
2 minute intervals at levels 6 & 8

Total time at gym = 1:40
Max HR = 180 (running, weeeeeee)
Average HR = 139
Total Calories Burned = 806

After the gym I took my sweaty self to visit the Babushka Family for lunch. I was seriously starving!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 2:00pm.

I had a super tasty salad with spinach + radishes + green peppers + artichoke hearts + sugar snap peas + green onions + sunflower seeds + Morning Star Farms black bean burger + spray butter.

Enjoyed with a cup of mint green tea. I'm going try to go back to one cup of coffee a day. WISH ME LUCK!

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

We were playing some GRUELING sessions of Yahtzee and Sorry and all the competition made me hungry again. I remedied this with yogurt perfection.

Plain Dannon Greek yogurt + kiwi + strawberry + papaya + cinnamon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting. The folks are a bit worried about their flight home to Hungary which is happening in the very near future. I'm sure you've all heard about the volcano that erupted in Iceland. Well, as luck would have it, flights to and from Europe are being cancelled left and right. I hope it works out for them and they get to go home. To be honest, I'm pretty pissed off about the whole situation. I mean SERIOUSLY, they waited 25+ years to go back. What are the odds of this happening right NOW!? BAH! Send some well wishes their way would ya? Some magical voodoo!

When I got home I unwound in a nice warm bath. So warm in fact that I felt like I was having a heat stroke when I got out. Good grief. I laid under the ceiling fan for almost 15 minutes trying to cool myself down. After my "steamy" adventure, Nick and relaxed on the couch and watched One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I've only seen bits and pieces of it and finally decided to watch the whole thing. What a great movie! Loved it!!

SNACK (meal #4) at 8:30pm.

I also snacked one some pretzels during the movie and a packet of cocoa covered almonds. I forgot to take pictures though. I was too consumed with the movie. :-O

DINNER (meal #5) at 10:15pm.

It was late by the time the movie ended and I was NOT in the mood for cooking. I dug DEEP in my freezer and found my very last container of vegetarian chili. Dinner has been SOLVED!

I topped it with fat free shredded cheddar cheese and enjoyed it with low fat blue corn tortilla chips. A perfectly dippable dinner. YUM!

I'm going to call it a night now my lovelies. I'm going to enjoy a bit more quality R&R with the Mr. and then get lost in my fluffy bed. Have a great night!!

HUGS!!!
Ildie

Nearing 100%

2010-04-16T19:23:00.021-04:00

Friday, hay haaaaay! You're finally here. I love you and I want to stay with you for ever and ever and ever until the end of all time. Never leave me again!

I woke up feeling "funky" yet again. I wish I knew what this was so I could make it go away. Sigh...

I shuffled slowly (while rubbing my belly) into the evil room where Mr. Scale was hiding. We tangoed, we swooned, we danced and we battled. I WON! I'm down 2.1 pounds from last Friday. That would basically mean only a 1.1 pound loss since I gained 1 last week but still, very good! I've felt bloated and horrible all weak. I was sure the news wouldn't be good. YAY! Total weight loss to date is 51.1.

I threw some clothes on, pigtailed it (Friday is casual day right?) and drove my accomplished a$$ to work.

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:00am.

I was sitting in my office sweating for no reason. Joy. I got nauseous and hot and was having all sorts of problems. I was hopeful that a bowl of sweet oatmeal magic would cure my woes. Look, I even made it smile (sort of).

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved & topped with 1 tbs ground flax, 2 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter & 2 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves.)

After eating I felt even worse. Stomach flu maybe? Who knows. I suffered through the discomfort for maybe another hour and then it started to get better. By lunchtime I was feeling like myself again. Not 100% but close to 80%. At this point, I'll happily take 80!!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:15pm.

You can call this a lazy attempt at nourishment. As luck would have it, it actually turned out to be quite delicious! I stuffed a wheat FlatOut with 1/4 cup fat free refried beans + 2 slices of fat free cheddar cheese + a drizzle of Sriracha hot sauce. I cut it into three wedges and microwaved them for 30 seconds. Just long enough to melt the cheese.

I also had a Fuji apple on the side sprinkled with cinnamon. Twas delicious!

I knew a thunderstorm was coming later this afternoon so I decided to do all of my grocery shopping during my break. It's sort of annoying because I have to haul all of the perishables into the office and find magical space for them in the fridge. However, I LOVE being able to go home straight after work on Fridays. No gym, no groceries, no errands, no plans. I just get the unwind and relax. I NEEDED IT!

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:30pm.

I tried one of the Nature's Path organic granola bars I was sent a while ago to sample. It was the Mmmaple flavor. Seriously! It was ridiculous. Amazing! Sweet (if you don't like sweet, don't get it), maple-y, moist and decadent. SO, so good. It made me think of Janetha because I know she loves anything maple flavored. I give it a 10 out 10. No doubt!

When I got home from work I found the Mr. in the living room screaming at the TV. He was at WAR again. Hahahaha! To deal with this RAW, AGGRESSIVE and MANLY extracurricular activity, I did the only thing that made sense. I changed into my pajamas, poured myself a glass of wine and curled up with my laptop. I was focusing on tuning it out but it was hard. Just look at him. He was so into it. INTENSE! HAHA! :)

A coworker gave me this little bag of roasted peas to try. (Rockin the fuzzy polka dot pajama pants, YEAH)

I have no idea of the nutritional stats because they weren't written in English. However, the bag was super tiny so I'm sure it wasn't anything crazy. They were delicious. Salty, crunchy with a great flavor. YUM! I wish the bag was bigger. I guess you can call this and the glass of wine I had Snack #4? Yeah, sure, why not. I also snuck in some pretzel sticks which went un-photographed. :-O

I forgot to mention this earlier. On the way home from work I was chatting with Mama and Papa Babushka about my upset stomach and overall funky feeling. They blamed it on stress and we came to the conclusion that maybe it was/is an ulcer. The symptoms fit perfectly! I hope our assessment is wrong because that would be horrible. I'll admit it, I stress out easily and work has been tough lately. I wish I wouldn't and I know I need to work on it. It's in my genes though. I'm a MAD Hungarian crazy lady. Sometimes I have to remind myself to just BREATHE Ildie! JUST BREATHE! (made me think of this song...) :)

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

I was craving roasted veggies. SHOCKER right? I could live off the stuff I swear. I baked up some brussel sprouts along with sweet potatoes for me and red skinned potatoes for Nick.

I also baked a smoke turkey sausage for myself and a smoked bratwurst for Nick.

Dinner was absolutely without a doubt fabulous. Probably because I was finally feeling good (nearing 100%), because it was Friday, and because wine makes me HUNGRY (and happy). Weeeeeeeeee...

Time to go cuddle with my Mr. and the remote. I'm feeling super sleepy right now. It's been a long week so I'm not at all surprised. I bet I pass out within the next hour and start drooling on myself on the couch. HA!

Have a great night my lovelies.
XOXO

Ildie

The stuff of nightmares!

2010-04-15T11:02:00.020-04:00

Why hello there. I'm so glad that you've ventured back to replenish your need for my mad ramblings yet again. (You're addicted, don't lie....) I was hoping that I didn't scare you off with my "realizations" post yesterday. HA!

I have GOT TO share my dream from last night with you. It was insanely ridiculous! I purchased a house in the ghetto somewhere. I distinctly remember feeling severe fear when I arrived with the keys to check the place out. I remember standing in the middle of the FILTHY living room and staring at the torn, red curtains that were halfway attached to the window. I left and came back again with my sister and parents to show them my sweet, sweet new pad. Only something was different. The curtains were no longer torn and they were hanging perfectly from the window. The place looked spotless and someone was taking a shower. I remember feeling so much fear. Then suddenly the bathroom door opened and my X (whom I hate more than words can describe) comes prancing out in a full biochem suit (headgear & all) carrying a Siamese Fighting Fish in a ziplock bag full of water. He sets it on the kitchen counter and says "yeah, this will look perfect riiiiight here".

That's it. I woke up. WHAT THE HECK!?!? Sooooo strange!

BREAKFAST (meal #1) at 9:15am.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 wheat bran
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt
Splenda
(Microwaved and topped with 1 tbs ground flax + 2 tbs sugar free strawberry preserves + 1 tbs Better N' Peanut Butter.)

I've felt a bit "off" somehow all day today. It started right before breakfast. My stomach just felt "not right". I don't know how else to describe it. It wasn't nausea or heartburn or anything like that. It just felt uncomfortable. Breakfast didn't help it either like I had hoped. BAH! Oddly enough, I was a productive little critter today. I got a TON of work done and I can actually see the top of my desk again! Ahhhhhhhhh!

LUNCH (meal #2) at 12:15pm.

I had the salad of all salads today. Some might call it protein packed perfection.

Romaine
1 whole hard boiled egg, 2 hard boiled egg whites
Roasted garlic hummus
2 artichoke hearts
Sugar Snap Peas
Yellow and green bell pepper
Tomato
Radishes
Drizzle of Spray Butter

BEHOLD! For this is no mere "salad" before you. This is perfect nutrition in its most purest form. I devoured this. It was freakin amazing!

I had the MOST exciting break away from the office today. Are you ready for it? Okay, here we go. I drove ALL THE WAY HOME to pick up my MP3 player, which was still being charged. I completely forgot it this morning and I NEED it for the gym. While there, I harassed Kitty, emptied the dishwasher, packed up breakfast for tomorrow and made the bed. Why? Why not! I was there and I had the time. Now I'll have that much less to do when I get home from the gym later. YAY! :)

SNACK (meal #3) at 4:00pm.

I had a plain Dannon Greek yogurt with Udi's original granola. The bag of this granola is almost gone. I'm loving it!

At 5:00 on the dot it was off to the gym. Last chance workout before the highly feared battle with Mr. Scale tomorrow morning. :-O

WORKOUT!

Tricep Pushdown Machine (cable)
80lb x 15
70lb x 15
70lb x 15
Bicep Curls (barbell)
45lb x 10
40lb x 15
35lb x 15
Front Shoulder Raise (barbell)
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
20lb x 15
Hammer Curls (dumbbell)
15lb x 15
12.5lb x 15
10lb x 15
Skull Crushers (barbell)
25lb x 15 (3 sets)
Military Press (barbell)
35lb x 15
30lb x 15
25lb x 15
21's (barbell)
30lb x 21
25lb x 21
25lb x 21
Elliptical Cross Trainer
30 minutes, 2.58 miles, Interval levels of 6 & 8

Total time at gym = 1:06
Max HR = 170
Average HR = 150
Calories burned = 615

SNACK (meal #4) at 7:15pm.

I made the same mix I had yesterday because I really enjoyed it. 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze + 1 cup water + 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter whey protein + 1 tbs sugar free chocolate Torani syrup + 1 tbs sugar free coconut Torany syrup + ice + cinnamon. YUMMY!

It was such a lovely day today. I opened all the windows as soon as I got home. I think it was something absurd like 80+ degrees out and sunny. I LOVE IT! Felt like those good old HOT Summer days I adore so much! Give me sweat over freezing cold weather any day!

DINNER (meal #5) at 9:00pm.

My stomach was still feeling icky so I kept dinner on the light side. BOOOOO!

I had tomato soup with tons of black pepper and different take on a grilled cheese sandwich. I stuffed a FlatOut with low fat shredded cheddar cheese and bread & butter pickle slices. I folded it over and toasted both sides. This hit the spot perfectly.

Wow, I am completely exhausted. I really hope I'm not coming down with something. I think I'll go to bed early tonight.

BUT before I go, I would like to send a quick YOU'RE AWESOME "blog"out to Sonia over at Master Of Her Romaine. She's going to hook me up with some nutritional yeast. I can't find that stuff anywhere and I've been dying to try it. Thanks Sonia! You're too sweet.

Well, that's it folks. Time for bed. I'm hoping to sleep this "funky" feeling off. :)

XOXO

Ildie