Can't Dream Up A Good Title!!!

Today was very dull and dreary weather wise. Thankfully, it wasn’t cold to boot! After a bit of running around making sure that all the bake sale items were labeled and ready to go, I sat down to a hearty bowl of oats.

-1 cup water
-1/2 cup Old Wessex 5 Grain oats
-cinnamon
-1 tbsp PB2
-mashed banana
-palmful of Enjoy Life Foods Mountain Mambo trail mix
I am thoroughly enjoying the PB2 in my oats. I’d buy it again for that reason alone!

I had on hell of a chocolate craving last night and figured there was no better way to cure that than by indulging in a Cravings Macaroon…
These little guys were such a good find!! I got the pineapple cupcakes all iced up last night before going to bed. Here is a picture although I apologize for the crappy shot. With all the fog today, there was no natural light and the flash just made it look like a light bulb!! I’ll try to get some better ones at the sale tonight!!
I may or may not have eaten one of these, too. There’s absolutely no evidence to prove that, though! :)

So, I decided to join the Bikini Challenge over at Oh She Glows. I’ll not likely wear a bikini in public, though! After a few kids my belly looks like a road map!! I would like to tone up a bit and am really bad for doing anything other than cardio so I think this challenge will be the motivation that I need!!! You’ll most likely be hearing about my progress from now until the end of the challenge so I’m determined to pull some good “numbers” for ya! And if you see me slacking, feel free to give me a kick in the butt! :)

Before hitting the gym today I ate a Dempsters cranberry fresh square…
This was the last one. I’ll need to pick some more up soon because DS loves them. He calls them “energy bars”!! If you are Canadian and would like to try the fresh squares for FREE, go here to enter my contest to receive 2 coupons to try them or the Pro Cardio bread at no cost to you!

Speaking of the gym, I busted out 30 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the elliptical. I was initially going for 20 on the elliptical, but ran out of time. Damn lunch hour restrictions!!! :)

Time: 45 minutes
Avg Hr: 172
Max Hr: 183
Calories Burned: 469
Distance (on treadmill): 3.17 miles

Lunch today was a repeat of last night’s dinner, of course! I was looking forward to this the whole time I was at the gym and it did not disappoint!
There was about a third of a cup of rice in there and a cup of chili. I had to use white rice because the store was out of brown and this is the Uncle Ben’s fast cooking rice. Unfortunately, I did not have time to make a pot of my brown rice last night!

**QUESTION** I have a green monster question for ya! Do you think that if I made the monster before work, it would keep in the fridge until lunch without separating? I really want to start incorporating one into my midday meal but don’t want a gross mess when I go to drink it 4-5hrs after it’s been made!! Any advice, experiences, comments would be greatly appreciated!! THANKS!

My “just before leaving work” snack was a juicy blood orange….
And to go with the orange was a few pieces of orange infused dark chocolate that us payroll gals shared....
While I’ve got fruit on my mind, last night I peeled half the bananas that I bought and broke them into pieces for the freezer. The rest are on the counter as I found that most of them weren’t all that ripe….just a little bruised. I have a few recipes that I plan on taking a crack at over the next couple of days so watch out for some yummies!!

In true Sarah fashion (I love that girl!), I rescued some “found” fruit at work today! I love me some melon!!!
This will likely make an appearance in tomorrow’s post!!!

I had parent teacher interviews right after work which went very well. Both the kids have improved their grades from first term and I'm happy with that! We got home at about 5:30 and had to have a quick dinner because DD is manning the bake sale table from 7-8 tonight. I nuked them a burrito each (I know, so healthy) and made sure they had some veggies on the side. Cukes, tomatoes and celery with dip to be exact! I sauteed a few big handfuls of spinach and heated up a Weight Watchers Ravioli Smart One to serve on top. A little dusting of parm finished it off!
I'm always amazed at how much spinach shrinks when cooked!!! My sweet end was a mint chip Cadbury Thin. My fam took care of the box of toffee ones!
DS and I will be staying at the school while DD is there because there is also a book fair going on that he wants to attend. According to his teacher, he has his eye on a few books! All hockey related, of course!! By the time we get home it will be beddy bye time for them and put my feet up time for me! CSI is on tonight! YAY! Gotta go!!!

Bye for now!!!

Dempster's Giveaway!

I must admit that I was disappointed that the Biggest Loser was on from 9-11pm last night as it made for a late bedtime. My hubby suggested I go to bed at 10:30, but I informed him that the last ½ hour was the best part of the show!! :) At least it was a good one….Go Tara!!!

Needless to say, getting up this morning was a struggle! I made a nice, quick “back to basics” bowl of oats!

-1 cup water
-1/2 cup Old Wessex 5 Grain cereal
-blueberries
-cinnamon
-splash of cinnamon bun coffee creamer
-Sahale Snack mix-walnut (the end of the bag)
This was delicious. I’m sure the fact that it tasted like dessert helped matters! :)

March seems to be the month for contests on Krista’s Kravings!!! Dempsters was kind enough to send me some coupons for a giveaway! Two lucky Canadians will have the chance to win 2 coupons to try Dempsters new pro cardio line of bread and fresh squares for FREE!!!!
Here’s what you have to do to enter…

1) Check out Dempsters website and let me know in the comments below which product you most want to try.
2) Please link back to this post on your blog and let me know that you did in your comment.

That’s all!! Please make sure to let me know in the comment that you are Canadian as the coupons are good in Canada only!!! The contest will be open until Friday at midnight EST. I will use a random number generator to pick the winning numbers and announce the names in my post on Saturday! Happy bread browsing!!!

My daily dose of Parnoosh dates...

I had a few errands to run over my lunch hour so no sweat fest for me today. I think my legs will be happy to have had the break. They’ve been achy this week for some reason! I ate some pineapple before I left;

One of the stores I stopped at was the one called Fresh Market that I’m always raving about. They don’t have a website or I’d link to it. Anyways, they had loads of bananas reduced to clear today so I went a bit wild. Actually, I would’ve gone all out wild if I could’ve fit more into my basket!!
They had bundles of 5-7 naners for $0.79 and I ended up with $4.74 worth. That’s 33 bananas for $.014/ea folks! SCORE! I’ll keep some out for baking and the rest will be peeled, broken into chunks and popped into the freezer for later use. Ahhhh…cheap food makes me happy! :)

I had enough time to go home and whiz up a green monster for my lunch. I made sure to put extra stuff in it to help tide me over longer than a regular one would.
This beauty has kale, spinach, 4 big strawberries, mango, ½ cup silken tofu, 1 tbsp flax seed and water in it. Oh, yeah…that’s what I’m talking about! And it kept me full much longer than I anticipated!

Just before leaving work I ate the last piece of Sweet Potato Oatmeal Bread to tide me over until I got dinner on the table;
I got to come straight home after picking the kids up from the sitter’s. Amen! I had pulled out a smallish pork tenderloin this morning so I made a “kitchen sink” chili with it. Here’s what went into the pot;

-pork tenderloin (obv)

-carrots

-celery

-onion
-green pepper

-chicken stock

-19oz can diced tomatoes with garlic

-can white kidney beans

-cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, salt, pepper

-garlic & ginger

I didn't really measure anything, it just all got tossed into the pot! First I browned the meat, then I took it out of the pot and cooked the veggies for about 10 mins...until soft. After that the meat and the rest of the items went in the pot. After it started boiling, I turned it to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. I served mine with a dollop of plain yogurt on top.
Yes, I mix everything up after I take the picture! This chili was great! Both the kids really enjoyed it, too. I put some aside for lunch tomorrow and I think my hubby will be pleased to have this for his dinner at work tomorrow.

While the chili was doing it's thing on the stove, DD and I got busy making Erica's pineapple cupcakes. There's no photos yet as they are still naked! Once they cool completely, I'll be topping them with the rainbow chip icing that DD picked out. I did let the kids each have one for their sweet end and they both loved them! The bake sale is tomorrow so I will take some picture's of all the goodies to post!

Well, it's that time where homework needs to be done and lunches made! Not sure what else is on the agenda for the night. I don't think there's much on TV tonight so I may get tuck in with my book. Catch you all tomorrow!!

Bye for now!

Another One Bites The Dust

Well, here’s another day practically gone! I guess that means we’re one step closer to Friday, right? I started out my day with pretty much the same breakfast; I just switched up the grain!

-1.25 cups water
-3 tbsp cream of wheat
-cinnamon
-1 Tbsp PB2
-mashed banana
-maple flakes

The PB2 & banana combo kept me full for so long yesterday that I just had to eat it again today! I added maple flakes instead of pecans today. Once the flakes melt they form a bit of a crust that is SO tasty! :)

I had a crappy headache last night and couldn't bare the thought of a cold green monster so I made a mug of chamomile tea with 4 dates and homemade almond butter...

Work was slow this morning. That leads to boredom and me thinking I am hungry when I’m really not! I nibbled on some dates for which I’ll spare you a yet another picture and sucked on a few mints to keep my mouth/brain occupied.

Before going to the gym I did eat ½ a piece of sweet potato oatmeal bread with a cup of cantaloupe.

I think part of the reason my run felt so laborious yesterday was that I’m on 12:30 lunch this week and didn’t eat a snack to power me through the workout.

Since my legs were pretty tired form yesterday’s run and Pilate’s (we really worked our legs last night!) I decided to jump on the elliptical for 45 minutes.

Time: 45 minutes
Avg Hr: 160
Max Hr: 176
Calories Burned: 424

I could tell right away that my legs would not have appreciated a run! All in all, it was another nice, sweaty workout under my belt!

I made a monster salad for lunch today! Seriously, this was in an actual salad bowl!
This is most of a head of iceberg lettuce that had to be used up, cukes, tomato, celery & broccoli. Aside from the tomatoes, I would say I got some greens into me!! I dressed it up with some strawberry pomegranate dressing. I was missing protein, though. Man, I’m bad for that!!! But…..look what I found in the staff kitchen!

There were some lavash crackers set out in the kitchen and I scored one of the single servings of Kraft PB. Hey! It was a little bit of protein! The PB was actually icky and I only used maybe a tsp of it. I’ve never been fond of PB, but love nut butters. I think the difference with the PB is that I’ve always been exposed to stuff like Kraft, Jiffy, Peter Pan, etc and not the “just peanuts” butter. I prefer the unsweetened stuff MUCH more!

Back to the salad…it took me over an hour, but I ate it all! Not sure how so many veggies can make you feel so full. Must be all the water in them! DS had his last power skating lesson tonight at 4:50. I worked until 4:30. Rush, rush. On the drive over to the rink, I ate an orange.

We got home shortly after 6pm and found that my hubby had pizza ready to be heated up for the kids. In my quest to find something for myself, I discovered a few more servings of vegan chili in the freezer! Hot Damn! I thought I had eaten the last one so this was a great find! I promptly nuked some up and de-veganized it by adding a dollop of plain yogurt on top.
My sweet end was a Cravings Cherry cheesecake...
It was still a bit frozen so it was kinda like eating cheesecake ice cream. Can't go wrong there!

Before you shut your computer down for the night, click on over to Julie GoLean for an awesome giveaway of her favourite things!!! It's totally worth your time, I promise!!!

It's just about 7:30pm here and I'm off to shower the kids, get lunches ready and settle in for another episode of The Biggest Loser. Enjoy the evening, everyone!!!

Bye for now!!

Speedy Monday

I surprisingly had no trouble getting out of bed this morning! I was a little worried because it was after midnight before I fell asleep. I got up just before 7am and it was already light outside. This is making me ponder the idea of getting up earlier and heading out for a morning run seeing as my hubby is on afternoons for the next 2 weeks. I ran that route I did twice last week through Map My Run again and it came up as 2.5 miles this time. I didn’t think it was 3 miles! I must’ve hit a wrong button last time I tracked it. I’m thinking that if I do that first thing, then another 3 miles or so at the gym I would have some time left over to devote to some much needed strength training. We’ll see! Anyways, here’s my eats!!

-1 cup water

-1/2 cup Old Wessex 5 Grain cereal (my last tin)
-mashed banana
-1 tbsp PB2
-sprinkle of chopped pecans

Nothing like a good ole bowl of PB and banana to feed my empty tummy!!! I really liked the PB2 mixed in the oats rather then in a glob on top. :)

The morning flew by at mock speed! Monday’s are usually the fastest day of the week for me, but coming back after a week off made it that much quicker! I nibbled on these Parnoosh dates throughout the morning. Not because I was hungry, I just needed something to chew on and I figure they’ve got to be better than candy (even though they taste like it!)

I’m on 12:30 lunch this week and was very eager to get back in the gym. I good run was definitely in order today! Stats;

Time: 45 minutes
Avg Hr: 174
Max Hr: 184
Calories Burned: 493
Distance: 4.73 miles

Phew! Today’s run was T-O-U-G-H!!!! I’m still not 100% sure why, but probably because I was only out running 3 times last week. I almost went sown to a walk a few times, but managed to trick myself in to running the whole thing! I should mention that I always do a 2 minutes warm up walk and 1 minute cool down walk with my runs.

I brought a container of leftover butter chicken and veggies for my lunch today. This was such a simple, flavourful dish! I’m glad I made it!!

I was thinking as I was eating this today that you could turn it into a great vegetarian dish by using vegetable stock and chickpeas. Hmmm…I think I’m gonna try that! :) I also ate some pineapple and strawberries for lunch.

When I announced the winner's of the baking contest, I didn't link to Sarah's blog! Here is her site... Running For Chocolate.com! Sarah's winning recipe was the Black & White Chipper's and they have been a HUGE hit! I brought 16 to work today and "sold" them for $0.25/each. They were gone in an hour!! I bet she'd be happy to share the recipe with anyone wanting it! :)

After Pilate's, but before picking the kids up and getting gas, I snacked on a blood orange and a piece of sweet potato oatmeal bread. I ate the bread while driving, so no photo!
While paying for gas I noticed they had a 7-11-like coffee bar set up so I sauntered over to check it out. I ended up walking out with a small (12oz) 1/2 decaf, 1/2 caramel cup cocoa.
This ended up being my sweet end. Back tracking a bit to dinner, I made my old stand by egg beaters-laughing cow cheese wedge-Sabra hummus on a Pita Break thin sandwich. On the side was some steamed broccoli with a bit of salt on it.
I wasn't exactly hungry. I pretty much spoiled my dinner with my snacking, but at least they were healthy snacks!! I had to get something in my belly, though or I'd pay for it later with a bit of binge eating. I know me well....hehe!! :)

Well, lovelies, I'm off to prepare lunches/back packs for the morning and help DS with his reading. Next will be beddy bye time for the kidlets and relaxing time for mama bear! I'm debating on what to pack for my lunch tomorrow. Maybe a big salad to use up some "on their last legs" veggies. Sounds good to me!! Hope you all enjoy the evening...

Bye for now!!

Kickin Back Again

I enjoyed another very relaxing day today...the last day of my vacay! I "forced" myself to get out of bed a little earlier than I have been so tomorrow morning isn't torturous. Plus, I'd been dreaming of my oats all night so I was eager to get into the kitchen and start creating! I bought 5 apples at reduced price ($0.99) that had some blemishes on the skin. I decided to peel one up today, whirl it around the magic bullet and stir it into my oats. When I peeled it, the flesh underneath was in perfect condition! Here's my version on stove top apple pie oatmeal...
-1/2 cup water, soy milk, flax seed porridge
-1 apple, pureed
-generous dashes of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
-raisins
-International Delights French vanilla coffee creamer
-cinnamon sprinkles
The made one honkin' bowl of deliciousness!

We made our way out to the farm for our weekly visit. It was dreary and cold when we set out, but by the time we left the sun was shining and it had warmed p considerably. I ate 3 Lifestyles blueberry flax cookies with my coffee. No camera, so no picture, though! They were tasty, but too addictive to be in my cupboards! :)

I wasn't really hungry for lunch so I decided to make a green monster with the addition of kale this time! I finally remembered to buy some Friday. This one has 4 smallish leaves of kale, 2 big handfuls of spinach, frozen strawberries and mango, flax seed and 1/2 cup soy milk. I let it go for a bit in the magic bullet, but made sure there was still a little chew from the kale.
Out on the deck in all it's glory! I enjoyed the addition of kale to the drink. Like I said, there was some texture to it that really appeals to my senses! I also ate some celery sticks with homemade almond butter...
Celery is probably my least favorite of veggies, but I don't mind it with a little somethin somethin on it. Some raisins would have been a nice touch but I was to lazy to get up for them! *wink*

After lunch I made a big chamomile tea and brought it out to the deck with my book.
I sat out there reading for almost an hour before I realized that I needed to get some more baking done for the bake sale! I opted to make Sarah's Black & White Chipper's and leave the pineapple cupcakes for the night before so they stay fresh and moist. Let me tall ya....it's been a LONG while since I made die hard cookies! Butter, sugar, more sugar, chocolate.....oh, yeah...these are GOOD cookies!!!

I got 51 cookies out of this recipe. Odd number, I know! I'm thinking I'll send half to the bake sale, keep a few kicking around here and bring some to work tomorrow to see if I can score some "donations" which I will then pass along to DD's teacher. I'm tossing around the idea of leaving a note with a plate of cookies in the staff kitchen saying that they are to help raise funds for a school trip, so any donation would be helpful but not necessary. We'll see what happens!!

Here are some shots of Marianne's Mars Bar Squares which also turned out fabulous!!

The recipe said 36 pieces, but I cut them into 16 so the pieces were a nice size for the sale. I think they'll be a hit, too!! :)

Wouldn't you know that I got an award today!!! Cate over at Cate's Plate gave me a Kreativ Blogger's Award!!! I'm suppose to name 7 things that I love and pass it along. I think this had made its way around blogland, so I won't pass it out but please feel free to continue the award along on your blog and remember to tell us 7 things that you love! Here's my list;

1. I love my family
2. I love my cats
3. I love shopping for food/food related items
4. I love how I feel after a good run
5. I love reading
6. I love cooking/baking
7. I love the sunshine

There you have it, lovelies!!

I made an awesome dinner if I do say so myself! I whipped up a batch of Eat, Shrink & Be Merry's Butter Chicken. A-MAZING! I know it's "suppose" to be served over rice, but DS doesn't like rice so they had theirs over WW pasta and I spooned my serving over a good cup's worth of steamed veggies.

So good! I put one serving in the freezer and another aside for tomorrow's lunch, plus DS has some packed away in his thermos for his lunch. This batch made six 1 cup servings. I pretty much followed the recipe, but did change a few minor things. I used half the amount of butter and sliced cooked chicken breast instead of thighs. I also didn't marinate the meat ahead of time, just added it plain at the end to heat through. Oh! And instead of sour cream I used plain yogurt and my homemade almond butter. All in all, it was a big hit!!

After dinner we went to my parents house where I gobbled up 4 (yes, 4) chocolate chip cookies! I did refrain from eating any of the ones that I made, though!! I'll be watching the Amazing Race soon but first I have to prepare for the morning. A few bonuses are that with my hubby on afternoon's, he'll be taking the kids to school and it's my week to start at 8:30 so I'm sliding back into work a bit spoiled! The end of the day will be a challenge, though because I work until 4:30, then I have to pick DD up from my parents, take her to dance, go to Pilate's, pick up DS from my parents, pick up DD from dance and arrive home at about 6:45 for dinner. Yikes! I better not think about that part anymore...I may wind up with hives! :) Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!

Bye for now!!