Way Back Play Back

Huge THANKS to all for the positive feedback on the vlog I did the other day!  That’s something I would definitely like to do more of.  :)  I decided to get retro with this post by going back to my original format of daily eats and activities.  It’s been a really long time since I’ve done that and felt like switching it up.  Not that I’ll be going that route permanently…just here and there.  Let’s begin;
It’s been really tough getting out of bed this week!  I’m thinking the dreary weather has quite a bit to do with that.  Never the less, my hubby prepared the kids sandwiches so I had time to make some stovetop oats.  Due to the cold temps my coconut butter is solid and won’t “melt” properly.  One way I’ve gotten around this is by “digging” at it with a butter knife then dumping the scrapings into the boiling water just before adding my oats.  Works like a charm to distribute the coconutty goodness!  I added my (frozen) blueberries right at the end to warm through then topped the loveliness off with some granola that I whipped up last night.
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup Quaker oats
-1-ish tbsp coconut butter
-cinnamon
-1/2 cup frozen blueberries & 2 tbsp granola My morning snack has typically been a Lara Bar; varied flavours.  Today was a PB Chocolate chip:

This one is a fave along with key lime pie and chocolate chip.  I’d love to get my grubby paws on the new blueberry muffin & carrot cake flavours!
In the gym I’ve been rocking either the elliptical or treadmill.  I’m slowly getting back into running.  I find at this point that any more than once a week and my joints start to ache so I’m being mindful there.  Today I felt like zoning out so I jumped on the elliptical with my headphones and watched some home reno shows.

Time: 45 minutes
Avg HR: 141
Max Hr: 156
Calories Torched: 372
Distance: 4.6 miles
Lunch was a massive salad!  I used these Jalapeno pretzel sticks that I received as a free sample as “croutons”   In the salad was spring mix, cherry tomatoes, blackberries and baked tofu.  I topped it off with mango chipotle dressing: My afternoon snack was a pint of raspberries:
YUM!!
Dinner was a quick pasta dish which included grilled yellow bell peppers and zucchini.  I simply added some EVOO and freshly grated parmesan. 
As soon as dinner was done we were out the door.  Imagine that, eh?  LOL!  Noah had a soccer practice that we had to be at.
When we got home I couldn’t resist this bag of cinnamon sugar kettle corn:

At only 140 calories for 2 cups I dug right in!
SO GOOD!!
As I mentioned in the vlog, I had some ripe bananas that I wanted to use in some baking.  I did manage to find the time; first thing…even before breakfast….Sunday morning.  All the following photos were taken with the Rebel.  I was just shooting away from different angels and distances.     
The recipe is from my Eat, Shrink & Be Merry cookbook and includes walnuts and dark chocolate chips.  They’ve made for great snacks this week so far!!
Welp!  That’s all for now.  I’m off to watch some Vampire Dairies!!!  :)
Bye for now!!

My First Vlog!!

Happy weekend, all!  I tried my hand at a vlog for you all today!  A little nerve wracking….and I’m pretty sure I got my sport venues mixed up, but it was super fun to do! It basically covers our new toy, eats and exercise.  I kept it short, too.  Do tell if you enjoy it and/or want to see me do more!!

Thanks to You Tube for the flattering still!!  LOL  As mentioned in the video, here are a few random photos from the new Canon T2i!
Yes, my not quite 12yr old is taller than me….and I’m 5"’7”!! My plan is to let my hubby figure it all out.  That way he can teach me all the tricks.  HAHA!
Well, hope you enjoyed this!  Enjoy the rest of the weekend, folks!
Bye for now!!

Taking Care of Myself (Or Not)

Hello!  Long time no “see”, eh?  My life got a little out of control there for a week or two, which I admit is totally my fault.  I let myself get stressed out about something I have no control over and as a result haven’t been paying enough attention to “ME”.   April is an extremely hectic month because Noah’s (yes, I’ll be using their “real” names now) soccer and hockey overlap.  We are in the midst of hockey tryouts for next season and his soccer team is ramping up for their season which starts May 1.  I’ve either been here: He’s the one with the orange cleats.  Or I’ve been here: He’s on the right.  While I LOVE watching him play, both sports are rather cold at this point which doesn’t help matters!  HA!  There hasn’t been near enough of this: RELAXATION!!  Although, Noah has no interest in chilling out.  He’s quite the energetic kid which is why we put him into sports.  The extra activity has done wonders for him.  I, on the other hand, need a sense of “balance” in my life and running from rink to soccer field 6 days a week, having zero time to clean my house, sacrificing my gym time over my lunch hour to run home and get something done at the house, meals on the go, not getting enough water into me and not getting enough sleep due to worrying about everything that’s NOT getting done has (had) me feeling anything but.  Thankfully, hockey will be done until September by this time next week.  That and I gave myself a real kick in the ass Wednesday night for not dealing better.  So even though we had a soccer game last night I committed myself to drinking lots of lemon water, preparing a decent meal for everyone and turning a blind eye to the house.  And you know what?  I slept GREAT last night!  And it’s great to be home today for Good Friday with everything closed because it forced me to just sit for a few hours.  Between my hubby and I, the laundry has been done, bedding is changed, the dishwasher has been run.  Vacuuming will wait until tomorrow.  This afternoon we left the kids at home and walked down to our favourite “hotspot”, The Red Brick Cafe: It’s a 3 mile walk, round trip with loads of hills….AKA, just what the doctor ordered!    My hubby got his standard; a vanilla latte and I rolled with a soy chai tea latte: We stopped atop a bridge to take a few pictures of ourselves…..so vain, I know!  :) Even though I look exhausted, the fresh air felt so. damn. good!  And I know it did me good, too!  I took a few more pics along the way to test out my point and shoot camera, a Canon Power Shot SD980 IS Elph.  We may have bought a new little surprise that I hope to share with you all very soon!  PURDY!!!  :)
And now for some eats.  These are pretty much all a week old b/c as I said, I haven’t been eating well the past 5 days or so…. That pancake was GOOD!  It was from last Friday morning.  The kids had asked for pancakes for breakfast so I decided to get decadent with mine.  It’s topped with whipped cream cheese, dark chocolate chunks and agave ample syrup.  Looking at this makes me really want another!
The above stir fry was today’s lunch.  I tossed together cooked wild rice, broccoli, avocado and tofu then mixed in some mango chipotle dressing and this Tabasco that I’m addicted to these days:
As the commercial goes; “I put that sh*t on EVERYTHING”!!!!!  Has anyone tried this??    
I haven’t really been eating a lot of oats for breakfast lately.  Instead, I’ve been inhaling this cereal like it’s my job: LURVE!!!  One lunch I did enjoy last week was one with my hubby.  We met at another Red Brick location closer to our jobs one day and I ordered a roasted red pepper and goat cheese panini with a side salad: And my hubby had a salami/provolone/apple panini with a pasta salad: We both enjoyed French vanilla coffees on the side: AND, we blew through a pack of this gum in no time at all! Well, I think that’s all I’ve got for now.  Thanks for letting me vent!!  I’m positive things are on an upward swing so I expect life to settle down somewhat sooner rather than later.  In the meantime, what are your top 3 stress busting “do’s”??  I’ll sign off with a photo that never fails to make me smile.  Pepper LOVES chasing leaves out on the deck and insists on trying to bring them in the house once he catches them. BABY!!!
Bye for now!!