Cashew Heaven

I am so proud of myself for waking up at 5:30 am to do the P90X Pyelometrics DVD!  This girl does not set her alarm any earlier than 6am…period….except for today.  I felt great for the majority of today, but I’m feeling really drained at the moment.  Probably the combo of less sleep and a semi-slow day at work.  Apparently people don’t like to weigh-in the day after July 4th weekend…surprise, surprise.

Anyways, on to the food:

I had 1/2 slice of whole wheat tuscan pane (unpictured) preworkout, followed by the other half with cashew butter and a green monster post-workout:

Heavenly!

Maybe I should call this a brown monster instead of a green monster?  In the blender – 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen peach, 8 oz skim milk, 1 scoop unflavored whey protein, 2 handfuls spinach, and a PureVia packet.  I liked the PureVia yesterday, but it was a little too sweet with an aftertaste today.  I think I’ll be returning to my agave nectar from now on.

Breakfast lasted me until 10:45, and then I reached for my usual:

Cheese stick!

Lunch was leftover grilled tinfoil vegetables (see recipe page) with 1/4 block of tofu and 1 oz shredded Parmesan cheese:

Yum Yum – cheesy goodness!

I was craving sweets this afternoon, so I opted for a “chocolate peanut dream” flavored protein bar from the office at 3pm:

Not as good as real chocolate and peanut butter, but a decent substitute.  I actually ate a second one at 5pm because I was feeling hungry and knew dinner would be at least another 2 1/2 hours or more.  I’m meeting Renee (another RD at my office) and one of her friends to celebrate her birthday at Zen Asian Fusion tonight.  I have no clue what I’m going to order since I haven’t been there before.  Oh, and I had some grated zucchini just now because I’m still hungry!  Grrrr for late dinners; guess it’s the price of good company.

Better go change – I don’t think scrubs qualify as casual dress….

Sampling Sunday

The husband didn’t feel like P90X today, so I decided to run instead.  I managed 3.5 miles at a slow pace; not bad for post-alcohol.  Post-run I made lunch:

Cereal (what else?) – 1 cup Kashi Go Lean, 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s O’s, 1 cup 1% kefir, and 1/2 oz almonds…

….and some fresh pineapple.  I planned on this being my entire lunch, but I was still hungry 30 minutes later.

I decided a Banana Smoothie would hit the spot.  It contained 1 scoop Unjury unflavored protein powder, 4 oz unsweetened Almond Breeze, frozen medium banana, and 1/2 packet of PureVia (leftover free samples).  It tasted like ice cream with the added stevia!

Obviously (if  you read my earlier post), my afternoon was spent baking zucchini bread/muffins.  I had 1/2 of the following muffin and might have licked a spoonful of batter.

I also made some dark chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for Wednesday’s bible study group.

I let these cook for too long, so the bottoms burnt…boo.  I couldn’t resist trying one, so I took this one with the ooey-gooey Ghirardelli:

Burnt bottoms aside, it was delish!

The cookies used the last of my oats, so I made a trip to Healthy Home Market for some bulk bin goodies – wheatberries, oat bran, rolled oats, and cashews.  I wanted to try my hand at some homemade cashew butter:

6 oz cashew pieces into the mini food processor

5 minutes later

10 minutes later

I thought my poor processor was going to overheat, but it’s still alive.  I sampled a Tbsp to make sure it was edible – and oooh buddy, it’s edible alright!  Can’t wait to use this stuff over the next week!  After all my “samplings” this afternoon, I decided my 30 minute run wasn’t going to cut it.  I hopped on the elliptical for 45 minutes and then showered.  By 7, I still wasn’t hungry but didn’t want delay dinner much longer.  I settled on another banana smoothie (unpictured, since it’s the exact same as earlier) and a plate of leftover grilled tinfoil veggies with Parmesan cheese:

YUM YUM – the Parmesan makes this dish!

Now it’s time for some relaxing with the husband.  Hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th weekend!

July 4th Grill Fest

The husband and I had a low-key July 4th.  We did some gardening, worked out, ran some errands, grilled out, and then watched a movie.  Nothing fancy, but I must say it’s nice to wake up hungover from copious amount of alcohol.  Here was the day in food:

Pre-Workout Lunch

Chopped squash with a cheese stick and balsamic vinaigrette – weird I know (I’m trying to use up the crisper full of squash)

Workout: P90X Shoulders & Back and Ab Ripper DVDs

Post-Workout Lunch

Mexican Egg White Veggie Scramble

(2 HUGE servings)

- 2 cups egg whites

- medium squash

- medium zucchini

- medium onion

- 1/2 cup salsa

- 1/2 cup 2% cheese

- spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika

I sauteed the veggies & spices first (a dash of each) on medium heat.  Then I added salsa and stirred it around, followed by the egg whites:

It was a little watery, so next time I will add the salsa after the eggs are cooked.

Top with cheese and enjoy!

I also had two clementines:

One was perfectly sweet and one was just okay.

Afternoon Snack

An end slice of whole wheat tuscan pane with light cream cheese

Dinner

Grilled Tinfoil Vegetables

- medium onion

- large squash

- large zucchini

- handful baby carrots

- dash of dill

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Place a double layer of heavy duty foil on counter.  Fill with chopped vegetables; top with olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.  Close vegetables tightly into long foil package.  Grill for 30 minutes or until desired consistency, then top with Parmesan cheese.

We also grilled corn and burgers (96/4).  Jim put cheese in the middle of his, and I added onions & garlic powder to mine.  The corn was delish and super easy.  All you do is pull back the husks, remove the silk, coat with butter and salt (we used spray butter), replace the husks, and then grill for 10-20 minutes (turn regularly).  While everything was grilling, I enjoyed one of these:

Kenan might have enjoyed a few sips of Jim’s:

He’s almost 21 in dog years, so I let it slide

My plate – I finished everything but was stuffed afterward! Must be the beer appetizer!

I had another beer while we watched the movie (Pursuit of Happiness) and 1/2 cup of Edy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream:

We opted for the “real deal” instead of the light – those 30 extra calories are worth it!

Breakfast today was the leftover Mexican Egg White Veggie Scramble…

…and a piece of whole wheat tuscan pane with almond butter & apple butter:

YUM!

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda today besides a workout and tidying up around the house.  Hope everyone else is enjoying this beautiful Sunday!  Oh, and don’t forget to check out Angie’s Trader Joe’s Giveaway! 

Still working on getting caught up…

Playing catch up again…

Friday

Breakfast

1/2 cup oats with drizzle of maple syrup/agave nectar blend, 1 Tbsp pbu, and a mini box of raisins

Physical Activity: 5 mile run in about 1 hour, which should probably be called a jog.  I felt like I could have gone farther, but I don’t want to increase my mileage too quickly and risk injury.  I think I’m going to try and increase by 1 mile each weekend.

Lunch

Green Monster!

Frozen fruit (medium peach, small banana, 1/2 cup pineapple), 1/2 cup 1% kefir, 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt, splash of skim milk, and two handfuls of spinach all blended to perfection!  Very refreshing after a hot run, but I wanted some substance as well…

Enter mini whole wheat pitas with fresh ground almond butter and apple butter…

YUMMY!!!!

Afternoon Snack

The last of my cottage cheese (~ 1/3 cup) and a chopped golden tomato from my grandparents

I met my sister-in-law for coffee around 5 and had an iced tall skinny latte.  We ended up talking until 8:45 – whoa!  Needless to say, I was quite ravenous when I got home.  “Dinner” was on the table in two minutes flat:

Kashi Go Lean and Mighty Bites with skim milk…

…and a 100-calorie bag of popcorn, which I cooked a few seconds too long.  I was too hungry to care though!

It was so nice to have the day off, even though I didn’t do too much relaxing.  Jim and I turned in around 10:30 after watching a King of the Hill episode.  It was the one with the organic food co-op, so I actually found it to be entertaining…especially when they talk about how the organic tomatoes taste like “heaven balls.”  That’s what I thought with my homegrown tomato this afternoon!

Okay, on to today…

I was craving cereal when I woke up (imagine that…me craving cereal?), so I decided to go for it….

1 cup Kashi Go Lean, 1/2 cup Kashi Mighty Bites, 1/2 oz almonds, and 1 cup skim milk

Jim and I did some gardening this morning, and now we are going to do the P90X Back & Shoulders DVD.  I still haven’t gotten around to reading everyone else’s posts but I promise I will get caught up within the next day or so.  I don’t see how those of you with huge readerships keep up with it all – it really is a part-time job in itself!  Not that I’m complaining one bit, because I am starting to feel like a part of the blog community.  Thanks for the love!

Wednesday/Thursday Catch up!

Word of caution – this is going to be a long post.  I’ve been out of the loop for two days now and feel so behind!  I’ll give you a recap of Wednesday and Thursday’s bites with minimal explanation, and then I’ll post some pictures and video (if I can figure it out) from flying with my Dad yesterday.

Wednesday

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch, 1% Kefir, banana…

…1 egg & 1/4 cup All Whites

Morning Snack

cheese stick and cucumber slices

Lunch

Tuna salad with homemade pickles, whole wheat mini pitas, carrots, and squash

Afternoon Snack

One of the protein bars we carry at our clinic for our bariatric surgery patients.  Here are the stats:

Not completely natural, but they make a nice treat every now and then.

I also had a spoonful of nut butter and a package of Kashi crackers a few hours later, but forgot to snap a picture.  Dinner was unpictured as well…forgive me.   One of my friends from college is a teacher and in town to visit her family for a few days.  She invited me to eat dinner at her dad’s house.  Dinner was a mexican casserole (refried beans in tortillas topped with enchilada sauce and veggies), a side of rice, and Edy’s ice cream for dessert.  It was excellent!  I didn’t get home until 10:00, so I skipped posting and opted for bed instead.

Thursday

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch with 1% Kefir and a kiwi.

I was planning on doing the P90X shoulders & back DVD, but opted for a run instead.  Being short on time, I kept it to 2.5 miles and then did about 20 minutes of the stretching DVD to cool down.  Lunch had to be quick (and super early…11am!)

Two slices TJ’s low calorie bread with pbu…

…and leftover squash & zucchini (dill, champagne vinegar for flavoring), to which I added tofu and mozzarella cheese.

Luckily, I was able to shower and make it to my dentist appointment on time.   They took impressions for the bite guard, which should be ready in a few weeks.  Following my appointment, I made the 40 minute drive to the regional airport to meet my dad.   I brought some squash to munch on in the car…

Don’t worry – I didn’t eat this straight like an apple.  I had a knife I used to chop it up!

But that didn’t do the trick, so I stopped at a gas station for this:

YUM!

Dad and I flew for an hour or so, and then headed back to my parent’s house for dinner.  My mom made fresh okra, grilled “tin-foil” vegetables (squash, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini with olive oi & spices wrapped in tin foil on the grill for 30 minutes), and teriyaki steak kabobs:

A variety of “salads”:

I wasn’t a huge fan of either cole slaw so I only had one bite of each, but I finished the three bean salad.

…and Breyer’s light cookies & cream ice cream for dessert!  Delish!

We walked to my grandparent’s after dinner and hung out with them for a bit.  They had to show me my grandmother’s “second kitchen” (she started a catering busy at age 60….so cute!), which was formerly part of my grandpa’s workshop.  And we also checked out the  enormous garden…the garden alone is bigger than my backyard!  One of the perks of country life.  After a fun day/night of visiting, it was time to go home.  Dad flew me back to the airport and then I drove the remainder.  I had a quick snack, bath, and then settled into bed around 11pm.

TJ’s low calorie bread with light cream cheese

I think I’m going to save the flying pictures for my next post.  It’s starting to get hot outside and I wanted to get a run in before it’s officially roasting….more to come this afternoon….

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.

Monday’s Bites

Today started with a slice of Trader Joe’s low calorie bread and ~1 Tbsp of light cream cheese before my 6:30am workout:

Jim and I lunged and squatted out way through the P90X Legs & Back DVD (~1 hour) and then completed the 15 minute Ab Ribber segment.  Very intense, but in a good way.  Post-workout, I refueled with a mixed up bowl of cottage cheese, kiwi, sliced almonds, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch cereal:

I love kiwi!

Breakfast lasted me until about 11:30, but I knew I didn’t have time for lunch until 1pm – cheese stick to the rescue!

Lunch was leftover tofu and veggies from last night:

I chopped up a cheese stick for a little more staying power, and also had an apple on the side (unpictured)…

…followed by one of these guys for dessert!

By 5pm, I was starting to feel a tiny bit hungry, but not enough for a real snack.  I settled on raw zucchini:

This held me until dinner at 6:45pm:

Egg & mozzarella panini (TJ’s low calorie bread with a smear of Earth Balance margarine) heated on my panini press.  YUM!  I might have had a piece of bread while this was cooking.  I wasn’t feeling up to veggies due to a rumbly stomach, but wanted something munchy – enter 100 calorie bag of popcorn:

I feel totally satisfied and won’t question my sweet tooth’s current disappearance…I’m sure it will reappear soon enough!  Jim and I might be bowling with friends tonight, but I plan on abstaining from the pitchers of beer that will be floating around.  This girl is too tired for alcohol tonight!  Hope everyone else is doing well and full of energy!

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!

I finally made PBU!

After my late breakfast, I went for a jog/walk – 4 miles in 55 minutes (I think I ran 40 and walked 15 or so).   I wish I’d woken up early because it was really hot by 10am (80-90 degrees?).  I wore sunscreen and a hat and still got burned – my skin is just super fair.  I keep touching my cheeks and they’re still hot 8 hours later….oh well, free blush.  I cooled down while reading blogs, and then fixed myself an early lunch since I had to be at my hair appointment by 12:30.

I was craving fruit, so I made of bowl of lowfat plain yogurt, peaches, banana, almonds, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch cereal.

Up Close

I sat for almost 3 hours this afternoon for my highlights and trim, and then had a handful of almonds in the car on the way to the mall.

My sister-in-law was supposed to meet me, but she never answered her phone.  I perused the sale rack at Anthropologie and tried a few things on, but nothing worked.  I get so frustrated being “well-endowed” and short.  I realize I can have things altered (and nearly every item I buy ends up going to a tailor) but it gets old…and expensive.  I did manage to find a BCBG shirt at Belk for $40 from $138 – gotta love a bargain!

I could get away without altering this one, but it’s sleeveless and an inch off the fabric at the shoulders would make a huge difference.  I’ll probably spend the extra $10 or $15….sigh.  At least I found something fun though!

I worked up an appetite shopping and wanted something quick when I got home.  Decided on a salad with tofu, egg, romaine, carrots, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and TJ’s reduced fat cilantro dressing.

And a slice of rye bread with Earth Balance margarine:

Microwaving it for 30 seconds makes it taste so much better!

Okay, so I’ve been reading a lot about ABU and PBU on various blogs and decided it was time to make some of my own:

1 cup Skippy Natural PB + 2 cups unsweetened almond breeze = PBU

It turned out a little watery, but even watery this stuff is AWESOME!  Emily is a genious!  I had a Tbsp or so straight off the spoon and also used it to make my breakfast cookie for breakfast tomorrow.  I will be dreaming of it tonight for sure.  Oh, and the peanut butter spurred a chocolate craving, so I had a few Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips:

YUM!  I love dark chocolate because just a little bit satisfies.

Kenan just went psycho – the UPS guy dropped off the P90X DVDs my husband ordered.  MAN that was fast!  I have to go check these things out…

MIA and back in action

I know I was MIA yesterday – no excuses really, I just didn’t feel like blogging.  Here’s a recap of Wednesday:

Breakfast

Breakfast cookie made with 1/2 cup oats, splash skim milk, 1 tsp cocoa, 1/2 scoop unflavored whey protein, and 1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/2 cup egg substitute with a bit of sea salt

Morning Snack

cheese stick

Lunch

Green beans, 1/2 cup couscous, 1/4 block tofu, pat Earth Balance margarine, & 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar…

…hard boiled egg…

…and an apple.

Afternoon Snacks

Kashi bar around 2:30pm

Fresh cucumber slices…

…and 1/2 cup yogurt with homemade strawberry glaze around 5pm.

Dinner

carrots and hummus

homemade pizza (see recipe page)

I had good intentions on Wednesday – went for a 45 minute walk during work and planned on working out when I got home, but I talked myself out of it.   I watched DVR’d episodes of The Cleaner instead – slacker.  This was followed by some mindless munching  – Kashi crackers with peanut butter, cereal, Kashi cookies, sunchips, and a few mini Twix bars.   Technically I should say binge instead of munching…munching sounds so much better though.  Moral of the story – I have to blog every day even if I don’t feel like it.  Also, I am allowed to take a day off from working out, but shouldn’t feel guilty and let that turn into eating unnecessary stuff.

Enough about that…today I will not continue yesterday’s cycle.  Wasn’t feeling that hungry because of all the junk last night, so I decided on a light smoothie:

- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

- 1/2 frozen peach

- 1/2 frozen banana

- 8 oz skim milk

- 1 scoop unflavored whey protein

- 1 tsp agave nectar

Very refreshing!

Now I’m ready to take on the day.  Today’s agenda includes working out, a haircut/highlight, hanging out with my sister-in-law, and whatever else I feel like accomplishing.  Glad to be back!

PS – Check out the Real Simple & PURE Bar Giveaway from Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats!