Rainy Day Blues & The Baby Food Diet?!

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day (preferably when I can sleep in, thanks).

This pouring rain is not conducive to my productivity today.  At all.  Since my attitude is crappy, I knew I needed something really yummy for breakfast:

The answer was a yogurt mess with vanilla Greek yogurt, a crushed-up chocolate wafer, a banana, and some coconut.  For some reason, I do not like my bananas cold, and I left my banana in my lunchbox in the fridge for too long L  When it’s cold, it gets too mushy, and it makes me think of baby food.  Not appetizing.  It’s okay if I cut it up and mix it into yogurt or oatmeal though.

Speaking of baby food, have you heard about this new baby food diet craze?  Supposedly it’s the newest “rage” among the Hollywood Starlets dying to be thin.  Creator Tracey Anderson claims this “cleanse” allows the crash dieter to lose 5lbs in a week without “suffering”.  I guess it all depends on your definition of suffering. While I love oatmeal, fruit smoothies, sweet potatoes and bananas, eating them in a pureed form a la Gerber is vomit inducing at best.  One of the suspected followers, Jennifer Aniston, released a statement regarding the rumors:

“I’ve been asked lately, ‘Jen, what’s this baby food diet all about?’ I kept thinking, ‘That’s the strangest question ever.’ Sorry, but the last time I had baby food, I believe I was one. I’ve been on solids for about 40 years now.” (Source)

Keep in mind, this diet was created by Gwyneth Paltrow’s trainer – the same woman who believes women should never use more than 3lb weights. I would definitely take it with a grain of salt.

Would you try the baby food diet?  What crazy fad diets have you tried in the past?

I considered the Master Cleanse before the wedding…. But then I remembered: I like food.

Drama Llama

Yesterday was ridiculously hectic. We started the day meeting with our builder, and it felt like I never got a break after that.  The meeting was really exciting, and I’ll be posting a bunch of new pictures later this evening.

For breakfast, I had an old friend – oatmeal and almond butter:

So simple, yet so delicious.

Lunch consisted of 1/2 a pita, a few slices of turkey, and the leftovers of an apple gorgonzola salad I made for a family BBQ on Sunday:

Rocked. My. World.

Then my world went to shit.

I’ve heard mummers over the past few days that USDA is out of funding.  Not good because we’re supposed to buy our house with a USDA Rural Development loan.   I finally got the loan officer to call me back, and the conversation did not go well.  At all.  He confirmed my fears, and basically offered a less than stellar solution.  I ended up very, very upset.

After I unloaded all the bad news on the Hubs, he decided that it was necessary to unwind.  And there’s no better way to unwind than with a Guinness:

*sigh*
I’ve been on the phone all day with our Realtor, The USDA office, and our loan officer. We still have yet to come to a solution. Sadly, there seems to be a miscommunication between the USDA office and the loan officer. I’m really tired of playing liaison.  I’m calling loan officer and our Realtor as soon as I get off work, so let’s pray for good news!

Don’t Judge

My inner Twi-hard is going apeshit today (Don’t judge me).  The Eclipse trailer has been released.  I mistakenly thought it was going to be released at 6 am Eastern time, so when I woke up this morning, I immediately opened my Macbook to watch it.  I was really disappointed to find out it was 6 am Pacific time.  Lame.  I’ve only been able to watch it without sound thus far (my lame work computer doesn’t have speakers), but I am beyond excited for Eclipse.   I’m also beyond embarrassed with my Twilight obsession.  Its sad.

I know it’s only day 3, but I really like Weight Watchers.  I’m attempting to take a little more of a cleaning eating/natural approach towards the plan and avoiding the WW-branded preservative-filled foods.   This morning for breakfast, I had a banana and a whole-wheat waffle slathered in almond butter:

Has anyone noticed that almond butter with honey gets stuck in your mouth like its peanut butter and super glue?!  While I love it, I don’t love the overwhelming urge to scrub my teeth afterward.

Surprisingly enough, I’m actually not sore from doing p90x’s Ab Ripper X last night.  I figured I’d at least be a little sore.  Looks like the abbies are in better shape than I thought!  Don’t ya love it when you surprise yourself with how in-shape you really are?  It’s a great feeling!

Weenie Prayers

I’m having a really sad day so far. Hubby texted me this morning to tell me that our doxie, Kayne, had another seizure this morning. If you remember, about a month ago, Kayne had his first seizure in the middle of the night, scaring us half to death. We’ve been told by our vet there’s nothing they can do until he’s having cluster seizures or has 3 within 6 weeks.

Kayne would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Last night, we ate some homemade soup and watched The Hangover:

The soup was just what I needed for my rapidly developing sore throat. I cannot get sick this week. I cannot get sick this week. I cannot get sick this week. Who knows? Maybe my mantra will work!

For breakfast, I had oatmeal and crack (a.k.a. almond butter with honey):

And a ginormous Starbucks non-fat misto:

I’m feeling really depressed today. I know its completely and totally my worrying about Kayne, but I can’t help it. I’m one of those people that loves my pets as if they were my children, and Kayne is definitely about as spoiled as they come. And I know I’ll feel better as soon as I can see him and hug him. I’m just a mama worried about her baby. *sigh*

I Don’t Like Bridges

Good afternoon! It is an absolutely beautiful day outside, and I’m really glad I got to spend part of it running downtown. I love running along the river.

But first: For those who asked me to report back, The Invention of Lying was excellent! Definitely one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Hubby and I both have an odd sense of humor, so keep that in mind. If you like sarcasm and dry humor, you will really enjoy it.

For breakfast, I fueled up with a small glass of OJ and a waffle & almond butter sandwich:

This was the first time I’ve ever used Blue Diamond Almond Butter with Honey:

Goodness gracious, I think its my new crack. Its that good. If you haven’t tried it before, I think you need to stop whatever you’re doing and go to the store and buy some. For real.

After breakfast, we headed downtown to get in a good bridge run.  I haven’t run a bridge since I moved up here from Melbourne, and that was back in August.  Am I ashamed of myself?  A little.  So let’s not bring that up again.  The first bridge of the River Run is the Main Street Bridge:

It’s just a wee-little guy compared to the rest of the bridges downtown. The River Run course also crosses the Hart Bridge (also known as “Hartbreak Bridge)” towards the end of the race. Its just beyond the Main Street Bridge in that photo.  Since it is not pedestrian friendly, we had run the Acosta Bridge (a.k.a. my new personal nemesis) instead:

The Acosta Bridge is KILLER. Our route took us over the Main Street Bridge three times, and the Acosta once. It totaled 4.34 miles of pure torture:

• Mile 1 11:22
• Mile 2 11:35
• Mile 3 12:31
• Mile 4 12:35
• .34 Cool down: 5:35

Tired is all I can say.  We came home and ate leftovers for lunch:

And now I’m off to organize our filing cabinet and do a bunch of cleaning.  See ya!

Falafel Porn

Pita Pit last night was EPIC. Epic, I tell ya! Oh, sweet fried chick pea goodness, how I’ve missed thee:

I chose a falafel whole wheat pita stuffed with lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, feta cheese, and a little bit of ranch. Completely and totally worth the 45 minute drive in rush-hour traffic. Before we hit up Pita Pit, we went to the Ryland design center to take a look at cabinets, counter tops, and tile, oh my! Our picks:

Going into the design center is really overwhelming.  There are so many options to choose from.  Because we’re trying to avoid any additional costs, we’ve decided to just stick with what’s included in our base price.  Thankfully, Ryland was AWESOME about free upgrades when we signed our contract:

• Upgraded to Level 2 Silestone
• Upgraded to Level 1 Maple cabinets with crown molding
• Upgraded to Level 1 ceramic tile in the wet areas
• Upgraded to a separate shower (which we’re having tiled) and garden tub
• Upgraded to a covered lanai
• Upgraded to recessed lighting in the kitchen

The list goes on.  I was shocked about how much they threw into the deal.  We ended up designing on the lighter color of silestone.  Our final design meeting will be on March 15.  I am so excited!  Who cares if I have to get up at the butt-crack of dawn to drive all the way across town!

And this morning I munched on a big ol’ yogurt mess:

Apples and yogurt and a granola bar: Yum!

Tonight, I’m hoping to get in a short run with some abs.  I have some quick errands to run after work, so hopefully I won’t be too exhausted when I get home.  I hate when life gets in the way of my workouts!  But its just so hard to conjure up the energy to exercise after a 35 minute drive home, stopping at the pet store for dog food, picking up the dry cleaning, figuring out what’s for dinner, and packing to house sit for mom…. all while knowing you have to get up early the next day to drop the dogs off at mom’s house before work.  I’m exhausted just thinking about it.  I really don’t want to wimp out of a workout, but I’m thinking I might.  Geez.

How often does life get in the way of YOUR workouts?!

Super Sore Thighs

Goooooooooooooodnesss.  My thighs are so sore from the gazillion lunges and squats I did on Tuesday night.  I can barely walk! I can’t remember the last time I was this sore.  Sometimes the 2nd day soreness is so much worse than the day after.  How on Earth am I going to run 4 miles tonight?  I’m sure I’ll manage somehow.

Today is day 2 on my pseudo-Weight Watchers plan. To be more specific, I’m following the WW Points principle but not going to meetings or anything.

For breakfast, I had one of those fake-McMuffins from Jimmy Dean.

Full of preservatives I’m sure, but really satisfying for 230 calories. Too bad its kinda heavy on the points at 5.

For lunch, I chopped up some leftover rotisserie chicken and threw it on a salad:

Rotisserie chicken is my favorite kind of chicken. Its so juicy and flavorful. Since my salad wasn’t very big, I supplemented my meal with some animal crackers (they’re what I had in my desk):

I’m such a 5 year-old.  What little kid foods do you love?

Tonight, I’ll be hoofing it for 4 miles on the dreadmill. Lucky me.

Thanksgiving in February

Good evening, y’all!

Its been awhile since I’ve done food posts! I decided to kinda do Weight Watchers with a friend who is starting. I’d really like to lose this extra 10lbs I’m carrying around, and I think WW is a fantastic program. Its great because it doesn’t say anything is off limits and it preaches portion size.

For breakfast, I had key lime yogurt, granola, and an apple:

For lunch, I had Thanksgiving in February – green beans, 1/2 a sweet potato with butter and cinnamon, and some sliced turkey:

I swear this can of Diet Coke was made for me:

I skipped working out tonight. My stomach has been bothering me all day, despite downing 1/2 a bottle of Pepto Bismol at lunch 😦

Breakfastgasm

You have GOT to try this shit.

Ths? Is unfreakingreal. I mean really, have I ever lead you astray before? I think not.

I introduce to you, the VitaTop Breakfast Sundae:

1 Double Chocolate vitatop warmed up in the microwave for 15 seconds

1 serving of vanilla yogurt (can be greek or regular, you decide)

1 tablespoon of coconut

Enjoy 🙂

Starbucks In Bed

Let me start with this:

I have the best husband EVER.

This man totally and 100% knows the way to my heart. And last night, the way to my heart included a 6-er of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and bratwursts off the grill:

You may think its weird to eat a bratwurst with a side salad, but I was craving some leafy greens. Mmm. In case you didn’t know, I don’t eat many condiments. Mayo? Heck no. Ketchup? I have nightmares about it. Mustard? Forgetaboutit. A1? Why would you ruin a steak like that?! Its probably for the best because a lot of condiments are loaded with unnecessary calories and fat.

After dinner, we went with my father-in-law to get some stuff from Lowe’s, and drove through Starbucks. When we got home, it was so cold that I felt it necessary to curl up in bed with my non-fat misto:

Can you blame me? Starbucks + Bed = Heaven

In a stroke of genius this morning, I used a leftover brat, some scrambled eggs and shredded cheese and wrapped it up in a burrito:

It was KICKIN’. Afterwards, I got dressed to head out for a 7-miler. My foot was pretty ouchy from slipping and smacking it on the bathtub last night, but I didn’t think it was a big deal. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I made it about a quarter of a mile down the road and knew that the run just wasn’t going to happen. I decided I’d rather take the day off than hurt myself more than I already have. Boo.

I actually braved the grocery store this afternoon, and loaded up with goodies for the Super Bowl tonight. Last night, the in-laws came home with a new keg for our Beertender. Ruh-roh. Looks like we’ll be having a fun Super Bowl Sunday!

What are your big plans and who are you rooting for?!

I’ll be rooting for the New Orleans Saints!!!