Wonder Drugs

The weather outside was positively gorgeous today!!! I am SO glad we are done with winter! I’m feeling better today, too which goes a long way towards my cheery manor. It’s amazing how fast medication starts to work once you take it. Here’s my breakfast;

-1 cup water
-1/3 cup Old Wessex 5 Grain cereal
-cinnamon
-banana
-big scoop homemade PB
Mmm! I stirred the PB in after I took the photo and it made the oats so incredibly creamy. This meal kept me satisfied until 1:30!!! I did partake of my usual dates mid morning, but I eat those more to please my sweet tooth than anything else.
The way I look at it, these are better for me than a handful of synthetic sugar!

I felt well enough to go to the gym today for a bit of a workout and I got the OK from my therapist, we’ll call him “A” from now on, to use the elliptical. He gave me a few stretches to do before and after I workout which I made sure to do today!! I ended up doing 30 minutes on the elliptical with the resistance at level3, then I caught myself up on all the BBBC exercises that I haven’t done since May 1. Here’s what I did;

*2 set calf raises (50 each)
*2 set lunges with 5lb weights (25 each)
*1 set of 10 “girly” push ups (I’ll get there one day!)
*2 sets tricep dips (20 each)
*100 bicycle crunches
*side planks, 30 seconds each, both sides

I need to get DD to help me with today's exercise as you need a partner to do it!

Time: 50 minutes
Avg Hr: 156
Max Hr: 177
Calories Burned: 413
Distance (on elliptical) 3.4 miles

I know that my HR was higher than usual today because of the bronchitis. I was pleased that I was able to do what I did, but I won’t lie….I was pooped out afterwards.

Back to my physio, “A” also gave me acupuncture on my feet and lower legs which didn’t seem to do much, but I’ll take a wait and see approach! He set me up with a “foot” doctor so I can get started on some orthotics for my high arches. I go to that appointment May 14 and back to physio next Monday.

I packed leftovers for lunch today and let me tell you, I was NOT feeling it today! Here it is….
I ate it, but it wasn’t at all what I wanted. I don’t really even know what I wanted. I just know it was not this! Thankfully, this doesn’t happen to me very often! I did appease my mouth some with a piece of blueberry almond cornbread which served as my lunch dessert;
Afternoon snack-a-roo was a fan-taste-ic bowl of fruit!
Yumalicious!

As soon as I got home from work I changed into more comfy clothes and relaxed on the deck in the sunshine until it was time to start dinner. I may have even dozed off a little! I pulled chicken breasts out for dinner tonight and my Hubby grilled it up on the BBQ. I let it marinate for a few minutes first with PC Memories of Damascus sauce. I served my 3oz of chicken on top of a HUGE bed of spinach, tomato, cucumber, peppers and asparagus. A wee drizzle of Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola dressing finished off this massive salad.
Doesn't that look AWESOME?! My belly was pretty full after this, but I managed to make a bit of space for a small chunk of halvah....
Plans for tonight? I'm going back on the deck with a magazine while the sun is still out and then I'll be watching The Biggest Loser. I'm eager to see how they did at home for the past "30 days". Have a wonderful evening, all!!

Bye for now!!

Back to the Doctor

Monday, Monday! Man, that weekend just whizzed by, didn’t it?? The power must’ve gone off for a minute or two throughout the night because my alarm didn’t go off and when I woke up (pretty much on time, thankfully) the numbers were flashing. Great way to start the week, eh?! By the time breakfast rolled around, I was a bit behind so while it was delish, I didn’t really have the time to enjoy it.

-1 cup water
-1/3 cup Quaker oats
-cinnamon
-banana
-blueberries
-True North nut “crumbs”
Heads up for all my Canadians readers!! I contacted True North to see if they sell their products in Canada and was told that they just started selling at Walmart, Safeway, Sobeys and Loblaws! Keep your eyes open for them!!

Work was pretty uneventful. I’m still coughing and hacking so I decided it was time to so see the doc again. The only good thing about that is that I left work at 2:30 instead of 4! I did eat some dates mid morning…
So, the doc told me pretty much what I already knew to be true....bronchitis. The upside is that it got caught in the early stages. Bronchitis and I are old friends. From the time I was 14 until my mid twenties, I had it every winter. No joke. This is the third time since 2003. Blah. I got me some drugs, though so I should be up and running soon enough! Needless to say, no gym for me today. Jeez!! I’m a total wreck these days! Instead, I went home and crashed on the deck with my cats and a magazine. It’s was the perfect weather for that.

I ate lunch back at work. I brought the last little bit of dinner leftover from Saturday and served it over some WW couscous.
Then I ate a nice big bowl of sweet berries….strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.
I’m so glad that all my favourite fruits are all coming back into season now! After leaving my appointment I ate a piece of Blueberry Almond cornbread that I had packed as a pre gym snack;
I spent more time on the deck in the sunshine when I got back from my appointment. Gotta soak up that vitamin D! The kids were at my parents so I took advantage of the quiet. :) Soon enough I had to go get them to take DD to dance. When DS and I got home I cooked up a cod fillet for dinner along with re-heated roasted potatoes and steamed veggies. I put a dollop of Caramelized Onion Sabra hummus on the plate for dipping purposes.
Then I enjoyed two sweet ends! First up was a Raspberry Cravings cheesecake.
Then I allowed every single bite of this luscious mint chocolate to melt in my mouth...
HEAVEN. I tell ya, Mara is the queen of great treats!! Now I am off to pick DD back up and then I have my first physio appointment at 7:20. I'll be sure to give you an update tomorrow. Enjoy the beautiful weather....if you have it....and have a great night!

Bye for now!!

Name that Baby!

I'm not feeling 100% today but I still wanted to post because I got some really great picture of the baby horse while out at the farm this morning! Now that I've got carob chips back in my pantry I was able to bring back my favourite breakfast combo!!!
-1 cup water
-1/3 cup Old Wessex 5 Grain cereal
-cinnamon
-banana
-2 tbsp PB2
-carob chips
Love it, love it, love it!!!

I found myself itching for a snack last night so I warmed up the last piece of sweet potato bread and spread some cinnamon honey on it..
This ended up being a tasty flavour combo!

After breakfast we made our way to the farm, very excited to meet the newest addition. He hasn't been named yet so if you think you've got a great name for him after you see the picture's, please let me know!!! A few have been batted around....Panda, Kaleidoscope, Pewter....let's see what YOU think!



God...isn't he the CUTEST?! You can see in the picture where my MIL is holding him that he really is the size of a mid to large dog and he is so, so soft! His Mama is in one of the photos, too. She was really good about letting us man handle her baby. He was born on Thursday....

I had a few cookies with my tea at the farm and wasn't very hungry for lunch as a result. I made myself a small treat that included a 1/2 cup of FF cottage cheese, pear ginger jam and a mix of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

I haven't had cottage cheese in so long that I forgot how much I love it!!! I got busy doing yard work in the backyard after eating. After 1.5 hrs I had quite a bit accomplished, but weariness took me over like a slap to the head!! As I mentioned yesterday, I've been battling a cough for the past few days and my body finally gave up the goose. I got cleaned up, made a coffee and grabbed a small piece of Halvah...
then took my book out to the front porch and read for an hour. Just what the doctor ordered!! :) My MIL stopped by later in the day to pick up some perennials that we had for her and before she left we twisted her arm into trying a new ice cream my hubby found yesterday....Banana Cream Pie! I had a small scoop, of course!
This is the Breyers Double Churned brand and it was FABULOUS!!! I'm not an ice cream addict, but I love me a blizzard from DQ and that's what this reminded me of!

I still wasn't too hungry by our usual dinner time. I guess I had too many snacks over the course of the day! DD spent the afternoon at a friends house and ate her dinner there so it was just me and the boys. When I finally decided to eat I felt like soup so I made a can of Amy's lentil soup. The men in my life decided to make "pizza's". All they did was spread tomato sauce on the bread and top it with turkey pepperoni and cheese. Looked pretty decent so I made some for myself, too!
My sweet end was these Parnoosh dates.
My parents are out for dinner tonight so we'll be skipping our weekly visit. Just as well because all I plan on doing tonight is sitting on the couch like a lump. The Race is on tonight which should make for some good TV watching!!! Please enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll catch ya all tomorrow!!

Bye for now!!

Halvah...A Treat Indeed!

Hi! How's every one's weekend going? So far mine is going fast!!! Isn't that the way? I got up this morning and felt like something cold for breakfast. Odd for me, but I went with it! I made a huge bowl of cereal...
-1 cup puffed wheat
-1 cup puffed millet
-1/3 cup 3 Sisters Honey Oaties
-diced strawberries
-1 cup unsweetened almond breeze
This bowl hit the spot! Not to mention that it was HUGE!!!

After a bit of house clean up, a shower and putting my face on, we were off to the rink for ball hockey pictures at 11am. The game followed at noon but there was some time in between so DD and I went and did a little shopping at the "fancy"grocery store. Also known as the one that stocks everything but is clear across town from me! I picked up some more carob chips and Camino dark hot chocolate and some different store made breads that were reduced at 50% off. I also found some turkey pepperoni and raspberries that were on sale! I've had a nagging cough and sore chest for the past few days so before we left I bought myself a large organic mint green tea to try to soothe the irritation.
Worked like a charm. There's just something about a hot drink when you're not feeling up to par.

Lunch was a little later seeing as we didn't get home until 1:30. I made myself a toasted WW bagel with a LC wedge, slice of deli turkey and egg whites. On the side I had a sliced yellow tomato and the green beans leftover form dinner the other night.
I was full when this was all gone but not full enough to try a piece or Mara's Halvah that she sent me!
I've never, ever had this before so just decided to go for it and cut a hunk off. SO GOOD! It starts off a bit crumbly, but quickly turns creamy once in your mouth. The sesame taste is subtle and smooth. As I was eating it I was thinking that it would be great over some oats. Must put on the "to try" list!
The weather was up and down all day today and DD went to visit a friend for the afternoon. The boys were watching hockey so I decided to go for a LONG overdue pedicure. The place I go to gives you a nice foot massage while they're at it. Here's my toes!
This was just what I needed to put a smile on my face!

Once home I got started on dinner. I made pasta with meat sauce for the fam and I had a vegetarian version with Shiritaki noodles.
For my sauce, sauteed some mushrooms and carrots in broth with oregano, basil, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper. When that was all cooked down I added some spinach and maybe a 1/3 of a cup of tomato sauce. Then the noodles went in to get themselves all coated!
I wasn't able to finish all of it! There's maybe a half cup left. In the old days I would've just eaten it, regardless of my hunger level. Now, I know to listen to my body better! After cleaning up and found a wee bit of room for another small chunk of Havlah. Then I hid the rest on myself!

My parents have come and gone and I'm in the process of showering the kids. I've got a few magazine's to catch up on tonight and there may be a movie later as well. Hope you're all having a great Saturday!!

Bye for now!!

A New Month

It’s May! I love May because to me it signifies the true start to the nice weather. It’s the month where all my flowers and veggies get planted and I start to spend much more time outside. It’s also a busy month! May 10 is Mother’s Day and my brother’s birthday. This May 16 will be our 11 year wedding anniversary and on May 20 DD will be hitting double digits turning 10! I have a feeling the month will go by very fast!

I enjoyed a most delicious breakfast this morning! It tasted like pudding posing as oats!
-1 cup water
-1/3 cup Quaker oats
-1 Tbsp Carnation powdered vanilla coffee mate
-banana
-2 Tbsp dried fruit
Oh, did I ever savour every last bite of this meal!!!

The morning started out overcast but by mid morning the sun broke through and brightened everything up! Nothing like a ray of sunshine to put you in a good mood! Just before going to the gym I ate a piece of Blueberry Almond Cornbread.
This is so good with fruit in it that I think I’m going to try fresh strawberries next!

I hopped on the stationary bike for a 45 minute ride at lunch today. I cranked up the resistance and speed and turned it into a real sweat fest! No magazine reading for me today!!!

Time: 45 minutes
Avg Hr: 141
Max Hr: 162
Calories Burned: 346
Distance: 5.77 miles

I was very excited to break into lunch today because it was something I haven’t had in ages! Tuna salad! I mixed a can of tuna with mayo, Dijon mustard, dill pickle, salt and pepper. Then I split it with my hubby. When lunch time came I assembled my sandwich with an Ezekiel 4:9 English muffin, a LC wedge, the tuna and spinach. On the side I ate the rest of the leftover brussel sprouts from the other night.
YUM!
Over the course of the afternoon I also ate this fruit salad that I made;
Cantaloupe, strawberries and blackberries. Need I say more?

Tonight was Pilates at 5:30 and right after I made my way across town to watch DS’s ball hockey game. So as not to have a super full belly for class, I made myself a delicious green monster.
This had lots of spinach, strawberries, flax seed and ½ cup almond breeze with a splash of water. This held me over well through class and to the rink. Once settled at the game I pulled out part 2 of my dinner….a Black Cherry Almond Clif Bar.
This is now one of my favourite Clif flavours! Holy yum! Now, I know this was not a balanced meal what so ever, but I don’t make a habit of it. At least I got lots of greens in!! And to be quite honest, dessert came first tonight! I opened the package of these beauties that Mara sent me...
These are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies that I have had in a LONG time! I scarfed back 2 then had to leave the kitchen.
After the game DD and I went to get the groceries done. By the time we got home it was past 9pm and I was so hungry that I ended up with a bad case of heartburn. Does that happen to anyone else if they get too hungry? That's always been an issue with me! I slammed back some TUMS and got a snack ready. So, as I finish typing this out I'm eating a bowl of oats....1/3 cup Old Wessex 5 Grain, cinnamon and a big scoop of homemade PB and cinnamon honey.
So good and best of all it coated my belly nicely! I hope everyone is enjoying the start of their weekend. I'm off to catch up on some blog reading!!!

Bye for now!!