Grass, and ragweed, and mold…oh my!

My allergy dilemma has been solved – skin testing today revealed major reactions to grass, ragweed, mold, and cat dander and a moderate reaction to dog dander.  So basically I have to stay inside and get rid of my dog – yeah right!  They are going to start me on weekly allergy shots for a year if insurance approves it, and I’ll have to continue the Zyrtec and nasal sprays for now.  I told Jim I have an excuse to not cut the grass for at least a year now…haha.

Breakfast was quick and easy today:

Another breakfast cookie with pbu…

…and cottage cheese with agave nectar & cinnamon.

I wasn’t thrilled with the cottage cheese, but I’m still in love with the breakfast cookie.  My morning snack was skipped since the allergy appointment ran late, which made me late for my first patient, throwing me off schedule until lunch.  I keep forgetting other clinics aren’t as on time as mine.

Lunch was a platter of carrots, zucchini, mini whole wheat pitas (so cute!), and tuna salad with my mother’s homemade pickles.  They were delish!

Mini tuna salad pitas complete with pickle! (Ignore the “man thumb” – should have used some lotion before it’s photo-op)

…and one of these guys for dessert.  I think it might be my last one!

After lunch, I taught one of my introductory nutrition classes.  It was more fun than usual today because one of the patients was quoting this comedian who talks about food & dieting- John Pinette, I think?  I’d never heard of him before but some of the material was hysterical.  I plan on checking it out after posting.

Afternoon Snackies:

Nonfat plain yogurt with homemade strawberry glaze (see recipe page)…

…a spoonful of freshly ground almond butter…

…and Kashi crackers (all eaten around 3pm)  YUM!

I got home around 5:30 and needed a pre-workout “something” to keep me full until dinner at 7.  I settled on TJ’s low calorie bread with light cream cheese.

(recycled picture….sorry)

Jim and I tried out the Kenpo P90X DVD today….basically another term for kickboxing.  It was a lot of punching and kicking, but honestly, I wasn’t that impressed.  I barely broke a sweat – there needed to be more jumping around or something.  I wasn’t super hungry after the workout, so dinner was extremely low-key:

1 cup total of Kashi Go Lean & Go Lean Crunch mixed together, 1 cup of 1% kefir, and a kiwi

Kenan is moping around – perhaps it’s because he knows I’m allergic to him.  That and he’s mad I didn’t give him any of my dinner.  Poor baby.

Busy day and my first Green Monster!

For being slightly hungover this morning, I’m shocked at how productive today turned out to be.  Jim asked me to accompany him to the mall to pick out a present for his grandmother’s birthday, so being the good wife that I am, I happily obliged.  Shopping is a sure-fire way to forget a hangover.  I had a cheese stick in the car since we left at noon and I wasn’t hungry enough for lunch yet.

After browsing for a bit, we settled on Kiehl’s bath stuff.  I might have purchased a body wash for myself as well – gardenia…smells awesome.  After the mall, I had an easy lunch:

Romaine & carrots topped with tuna salad, raisins, and balsamic vinaigrette…

…a slice of rye with Earth Balance margarine…

…and a 100 calorie bag of popcorn because I was feeling munchy.

After lunch and a reading session with SELF magazine, I tidied up around the house and did some laundry.  A hour or so later I was hungry, so I had about 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt with 1/4 cup or so of Kashi GOLEAN Crunch:

Refueled and ready to go!  Jim was gone golfing with Chris, so I set out on a shopping mission at Run for Your Life.  I received some gift certificates for my birthday two months ago but was waiting to use them once my bra size changed again.   Sports bras for the “well-endowed” are not cheap, my friends!  I found one bra for running, one for lower impact stuff, and two sleeveless tanks.  I’m excited about the tanks because now I won’t have tanlines from my T-shirts!

After my shopping spree, I set out to gather the weekly groceries at Target and Trader Joe’s.  I might have thrown another sleeveless tank in the cart at Target as well…must have been the shopping demons taking over my hands (or at least that’s my excuse).  It was 7 by the time I made it home but I wasn’t that hungry and wanted to try out my new workout gear.   I had a piece of rye with ~1 Tbsp pbu to get me through the workout:

(Yes, this is a recycled picture from yesterday – I forgot to snap one…)

I took Kenan on a short run through our neighborhood – about a mile or so, and then did the P90X Shoulders & Arms DVD (~1 hr).  I loved this one – I actually enjoy free weights quite a bit.   They just make you feel strong and empowered!   After shoulders & arms I completed the Ab Ribber workout (~15 min) – it definitely rips your abs apart!  I am going to be so sore tomorrow!!!

I wasn’t really hungry after all the workouts, but knew I needed something substantial for dinner.  So…I tried my first Green Monster!!!

In the blender:

- 1/2 cup 1% Keifer

- 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt

- 1 scoop unflavored whey protein

- 2 big handfuls baby spinach

- 1 frozen peach

- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries

It turned out almost brown, but it was delish!   I was able to get away without adding agave nectar since the dairy was lowfat instead of fat free.   I also had another piece of rye with pbu on the side, but I didn’t take a picture since it would just be a repeat of earlier.

Fatigue is finally starting to set in after my jam-packed day, so I believe I will be heading to bed shortly.  I’ll try and post before seeing my dad in the morning, but if not, expect some flying pictures tomorrow night!

Beware: Watching The Hangover = Slight Hangover

Last night’s dinner & movie outing was a blast, but I’m feeling the effects today -  let’s back up about 16 hours or so…

I knew we weren’t eating last night until 8pm or later (much later than usual for me), so I snacked more than usual over the course of the afternoon:

whole wheat bread with light cream cheese around 3:30pm before I left for the Farmer’s Market

I decided on the Charlotte Regional Farmer’s Market since the King’s Street Market closes at 3.  The regional one is a bit farther for me, but has a bigger selection.  Not nearly as big as the market in Raleigh I frequented during college, but local farmers nonetheless.  I came home with this bounty for less than $10:

And of course, I had to incorporate one of those peaches into my snack at 4:30pm:

One slices peach and ~1/2 cup cottage cheese – I was a bit let down; the peach was a little mealy and not sweet enough!  I can always freeze them for smoothies if none of them meet my standards, so it won’t be a total loss.  After my snack, I completed the weekly grocery run.  I opted for Harris Teeter and Earthfare this week and am excited to try apple butter from Earthfare.  Expect to see it sometime soon!  I also purchased some fresh local bread – I thought it was whole wheat, but turns out I grabbed rye.  Once returning home around 7 with a headache and hungry, I decided to try a piece of the rye with a smear of Earth Balance margarine heated in the microwave:

Usually I don’t like rye, but the carraway seeds weren’t overpowering – nice for a change of pace.  And I couldn’t resist a spoon of the fresh ground almond butter I picked up:

So much tastier than normal jarred nut butter!

We finally left to pick up Donna for dinner at 7:30, but it took us 45 minutes instead of 15 to drive downtown and find a parking spot!  Phantom of the Opera was playing and there was a “Dubs Show” as well – I can’t believe they have entire shows dedicated to car rims, but whatever floats your boat I guess.   Donna and I might see Phantom in the next week or so if we can find decent priced tickets though.

We decided on Harper’s Grill for dinner.  Surprisingly, it was basically empty and we were seated immediately.  I tried to order a glass of Pinot Grigio, but they were out!  The waitress talked me into a glass of sparkling wine instead (forgive me – I’m no wine connoisseur and can’t recall the name) – she said it wasn’t champagne, but it tasted like it to me!  I had two glasses throughout the meal.  I started with a house salad with light oriental dressing and chose the special as my entree – Mahi Mahi over a bed of garlic grits.  I asked for asparagus instead of the grits, but they brought out both – so of course, I had to try them…okay, so I ate most of them.  They were so good!   Since it was Donna’s birthday, the waitress also brought us a complimentary brownie – I had about three bites.

Sorry there aren’t any pictures – I just don’t feel comfortable telling everyone I’m doing this yet.  To you seasoned bloggers, how long did it take before you started taking pictures in public?   Any suggestions on how to get over my insecurities about it?

After dinner, we walked the two or three blocks to the 21+ theater at Epicenter.   The Hangover was hysterical – I haven’t laughed that much at a movie in a long time.  I’m sure the two Miller Lites I had helped, but I think it would have been just as funny sober!  After the movie, we walked back to Donna’s place and chated for a bit before heading home.  Jim and I went to bed at 1am – late for us “old married folks.”

I woke up this morning at 6 with a slight headache and achy stomach, so I took two Ibuprofen with a huge glass of water and slice of rye toast.  Then I went back to sleep…until 10am!  Half my day is gone now, oh well – at least my headache feels better.

Breakfast (or should I say brunch?) was a bowl of cereal and coffee:

1 cup Kashi GOLEAN, 1/2 cup Kashi Mighty Bites, and 1 cup 1% milk

I’m on my second cup now – both with a splash of 1% milk.

Kenan appears to be feeling better.   He didn’t throw up last night and so far, has kept down a cup of normal dog food.  He’s probably disappointed he won’t be eating couscous and chicken breast every day!

Today should be a pretty relaxing day – I have nothing on the agenda besides a workout and cleaning up around the house.  Donna said there was a big sale at Anthropologie, so I might hit that up later if I feel up to getting dressed in real clothes…haha.

Poor Kenan…

Kenan has thrown up twice again today – I wish I knew what was wrong with my baby!  He’s been eating grass, which I’ve heard dogs do to induce vomiting when they don’t feel well.  Jim googled it this morning, and some of the sites said we should give him boiled chicken breast and white rice.  I only had brown rice on hand, so I figured couscous would be less fibrous and easier on his stomach:

Best darn meal he’s ever eaten I bet…

It was gone in less than 30 seconds!

Since I already had the couscous cooked, I decided to pair it with leftovers from last night:

Salmon, veggies with slivered almonds, and couscous with a pat of Earth Balance margarine

Just as good reheated as it was last night!  Kenan barked at me several times during my meal; apparently, he wanted seconds on the couscous.  It would have been better cooked in low sodium chicken broth, but I was trying to keep it plain for his sake.

I had a side of fresh pineapple for dessert – by far my favorite fruit!  This one was cut at the peak of ripeness, too!

…and now I’m sipping on some coffee with a splash of 1% milk.

I think I’m going to go to the Farmer’s Market on Kings Street after I shower, and then I’ll make the usual Target/Trader Joe’s run.  Might stop by Harris Teeter as well since they have milk, eggs, and Kashi GOLEAN on sale this week.  Better get showered up, I think I still smell from this morning’s excursion!

Fish-y Day!

Finished 45 minutes on the elliptical, but then my appetite got the best of me – I bailed on strength training.  Jim grilled chicken for himself and salmon for me. It’s been a fish-y day today – tuna for lunch and salmon for dinner, with leftovers to spare (Jim made an extra unpictured fillet)!

I coated the top with a mixture of low sodium soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, then Jim grilled it on a cedar plank for 15-20 minutes.  While he grilled, I sauteed some onions, frozen veggies, and roasted red peppers in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder.  I added a sprinkle of sliced almonds at the end, too.

Whoops….made too many veggies….

I saved the remains for later, so I could have room for dessert:

Fresh pineapple…

…and a small bowl of Kashi Mighty Bites and Peanut Butter Bumpers cereal with 1% milk.

I really am obsessed with cereal, I think….

Catch up…

I didn’t have time last night to post dinner – after running my errands, Jim and I decided to watch the Carolina/Arizona baseball game downtown.  I grabbed a super quick bite to eat – leftovers…

Panini with tofu, hummus, and mozarella cheese along side sauteed green beans in olive oil and balsmic vinegar.

We met up with his best friend and girlfriend (Chris and Donna from the wedding last weekend) at none other than…Hooters.  Classy, right?  I had two Miller Lite draft beers.  The alcohol spurred my hunger, but I resisted the appetizer temptations and ordered carrots with light ranch dressing instead.  Decided I’d be better off with that and a small snack when I got home.   The game ended up being a blow out, so we left during the 7th inning.  Thank goodness, because it was already 10:30 by then and way past my bedtime.  I ate this once we made it home and was in bed by 11pm.

1/2 slice whole wheat Tuscan Pane bread and ~1 Tbsp light whipped cream cheese

I hate getting in bed that late when I know I have to be up at 6am.  Not only was it a late bedtime, but Kenan woke up four times throwing up during the night.  He’s fine now, but needless to say, I’m feeling pretty tired today.  So tired in fact, that I made my breakfast this morning while drinking a glass of 1% milk….

…but forgot to put it in my bag after I took a picture!  This is what I had planned on eating:

Overnight oatmeal with almond breeze/yogurt base topped with almonds and Kashi Go Lean….looks good, right?  Well, that didn’t quite happen. I realized it when I got to work – luckily, I keep a stash of stuff there, so this was what I had instead:

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, drizzle of agave nectar, 1/2 cup Kashi GOLEAN and a Kashi Honey Almond Flax bar at 7am, followed by a snack at 10am:

Coffee with ~2 oz skim milk (caffeine jolt!) and a cheese stick

I went for a 25 minute walk at noon and then had lunch:

1 can chunk light tuna, ~1 Tbsp reduced fat mayo, ~1 Tbsp TJ’s relish, and a small chopped apple

Leftover veggies from the party on Wednesday – I didn’t eat the tomatoes because the first one was mushy and had that nasty off taste.  I was planning on eating my other Kashi bar as dessert, but I was too full off the veggies and tuna.  It ended up being a snack at 2pm:

and I had the rest of my carrots in the car on the way home at 3:45:

…followed by a dinner appetizer at 4:20

whole wheat Tuscan Pane bread and light cream cheese

I’m not sure what we’re going to do about dinner tonight.  Both of us are beat from the interrupted sleep, but grilled salmon sounds really good to me.  I’d like to get in a workout before then, at least some strength training since I never got around to it yesterday.

Tuesday Bites & Curried Tuna Salad

Needed a caffeine jolt once I got to work:

~6 oz coffee with 2 oz 1% milk

Morning Snack

1 oz mozzarella cheese – quick and easy

Lunch

Curried Tuna Salad

- 1 can ( 6 oz) chunk light tuna

- 1 Tbsp light mayonnaise

- 1 mini box raisins

- curry powder to taste

Mix and enjoy.  How easy is that?

Nutrition Stats:  ~ 225 calories, 5 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate, 33 g protein

I had some veggies on the side:

fresh zucchini and mushrooms with TJ’s balsamic vinaigrette

Afternoon Snack(s):

Kashi chewy bar around 2 – lunch didn’t quite fill me up.  Went for a quick 25 minute walk with Arielle and Renee at 2:30 since I had a patient cancellation.  I’m really enjoying getting out for a bit during the day, instead of staying holed up in my office.

~1 Tbsp of freshly ground almond butter at 3:30

…and a handful of carrots on the drive home around 6pm.  I find this helps me make better choices at dinner instead of walking through the door ravenous.

Dinner:

Random “Chef Salad”

- 85 g extra firm tofu

- 1 hard boiled egg

- 1/2 oz shredded 2% colby jack

- mixed greens & carrots

- 1.5 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

I usually don’t like un-marinated tofu, but this was pretty decent mixed with the salad dressing.

…and a slice of my homemade pizza.  Still tasted great, but I may have freeze the rest so I’m forced to cook something different before the end of the week.

Macro Setting is Awesome!!!!

As you can tell, I’m a little excited about the macro setting on my camera.  I can’t believe how much better the food pictures came out! See for yourself:

I can actually see the individual flecks of tuna…

…and the specks on my apple peels!

These would have been so blurry before!  Obviously, lunch was a serving Kashi Original Grain crackers, a small apple, and a can of chunk light tuna.  I added about a Tbsp of reduced fat mayo and TJ’s sweet pickle relish to the tuna.  It feels weird not eating vegetables at lunch, but I’m out of fresh stuff and didn’t feel like frozen or canned.

Grocery shopping isn’t going to happen today – I got caught up doing some laundry and dishes before my workout, and I only have an hour before I have to start getting ready for the wedding.  Today’s workout included 45 minutes on my elliptical and one round of the Carolina 200 core routine.  Still trying to go easy on my shin splints; I’m hoping I can start running again by Monday.

Monday Eats

Physical Activity:  Woke up earlier today so I could fit in some strength training before work – spent 20 minutes with upper body weights and then one round of the Carolina workout from my husband.  I had planned on running after work, but it is roasting outside today!  I’ll probably stay indoors with my elliptical (and DVR’d episodes of So You Think You Can Dance) instead.

Breakfast

- Veggie-rific Egg Substitute Casserole

- Overnight Oatmeal Base topped with Kashi Go Lean Crunch & fresh blueberries

I was super pleased with the casserole – plain eggs get old after awhile, plus I enjoy knowing I’ve already eaten vegetables by 8am.    The only down side was that I didn’t microwave it long enough, so the middle bites were a bit cold.

The oatmeal mixture was excellent.  I love the crunchy sweetness of the Kashi, and it’s so much lower calorie than granola.

This combo kept me full until lunch, which is a great thing since I ran over with a few patients today and didn’t have time for a snack.

Lunch

- 1/2 can chunk light tuna with 1/2 Tbsp light mayo

- Creamy Low Fat Cole Slaw

- baby carrots

- cheese stick

- Kashi Original 7 Grain crackers

- kiwi

I’m pumped about my new plate from Target – I got sick of eating my lunch out of  Rubbermaid containers and plastic baggies.  It’s amazing how much more satisfying a meal can be when it’s plated in a decorative manner!

Afternoon Snack:  1 Tbsp freshly ground almond butter on 1 slice sunflower nut bread

You’ll have to use your imagination on this one – still getting used to this whole picture-taking thing and completely forgot.  I didn’t get around to this until 5pm, so really it was more of an appetizer.

Dinner

I have random leftovers in the fridge right now that need to be used – fresh pizza sauce from Earthfare, cooked red kidney beans/black beans, polenta, turkey breast.  Decided the four of those together didn’t sound very appetizer, but I was able to come up with something for two of the four:

Turkey & Pasta Pizzaz – I’m not going to post this on the recipe page because it’s a bit odd…unless other people like weird combos, too.

- 2 oz whole wheat pasta

- 1/2 can diced tomatoes

- about 1/4 cup pizza sauce

- handful frozen asparagus

- 3 oz turkey breast

Boil pasta in salted water.  While pasta is boiled, saute frozen asparagus in skillet sprayed with Pam.  Add tomatoes, pizza sauce, and turkey breast once asparagus has thawed.  Drain pasta; mix all ingredients.

I topped the dish with some grated Parmesan.  This would have been really pizza-ish with turkey pepperoni instead of turkey breast and some mozzarella cheese as well.

My eyes were bigger than my stomach – I left some of the pasta so I could have room for fresh pineapple!

Okay, off for my date with the elliptical…