A-Z Survey

I love making lists and I enjoy corky surveys. They make bloggig more fun. I'm sure noone cares about half of the answers but that's alright .. ya that's ok .. cause this is my blog anywayyy (funny? ..I'm laughing)

Anywho, I stole this off of Georgia and decided to give it a go.

Lifeeee

A. Attached or Single? Singleee

B. Best Friend? Goodness, I have quite a few .. and plus, I know everyone wants to be my bestie so I can't go pointing fingas

C. Cake or Pie? Cake

D. Day of choice? Thursday. There's something about thinking 'tomorrow is Friday'

E. Essential item? Earrings. I feel so naked without them. I'm currently obsesssed with my Forever 21 retro earrings :)

F. Favourite color? Salmon? I'd like to say black or charcoal but I know that techically they not considered a color. But salmon probably isn't either.. whatever

G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms

H. Home town? Pouch Cove, NL

I. Favourite indulgence? Dried Mangos (Costco, $11.99, 160-calories/6 pieces .. eek!!) and draft beer. Or any beer.

J. January or July? July - deck beer, sun, Quidi Vidi, Signal Hill, Town Festivals, Tely 10

K. Kids? Jesus, no!

L. Life isn't complete without? Coffee

M. Marriage date? Never? (But I want an engagement ring)

N. Number of brothers/sisters? One sister, Sam-scam!

O. Oranges or apples? Apples for days!

P. Phobias? Living alone/being alone at 35+ - I have serious issues with being the cat lady

Q. Quotes?

"She believed she could, so she did" (125s blog)

"normal is just a button on a washing machine"

"it is what it is" <-- takes the cake as my favourite

So many quotes that I love but I'd be here all day if I told you them all.

R. Reasons to smile? Family, friends, deck beers this summer :)

S. Season of choice? Fall - fall jackets, smell, leaves, temperature, hot coffees .. need I say more?

T. Tag 5 People

1. Samantha Norman
2. Liz Morris
3. Sarah Reddy
4. Tina Haupert
5. Caitlin Boyle

U. Unknown fact about me? I'm a mid-night eater. I generally don't eat in the nighttimes after I workout  and I often find myself waking up at 1-2am, starving... And then I end up snacking on cashews, raisins or some other quick-grab food. Lately, I just down a big glass of water but this still leaves the void in my stomach. I'm working on this though. Promise.

V. Vegetable? Carrots

W. Worst habit? I tend to rub/scratch at my collar bones/ neck area when I'm nervous or frustrated. O, I also am a bad jaw biter.. not nice

X. X-ray or ultrasound? A few x-rays when I was a kid for sprains

Y. Your favourite food? Trail Mix or Granola

Z. Zodiac sign? Taurus

Sunday Activities / Meal Prep / Kale Chips Recipe

So obviously I was super pumped to write a blog update yesterday after the run, and what better place to sit and enjoy myself than at Starbucks (Hi, Allan)! Pretty sure I constantly talk about how I wanna just sit in the Sbux atmosphere to blog and/or read .. well yesterday, I did it. No guilt. I didn't feel like I was 'wasting my life away', as my body was pretty tired anyway. I sat on those comfy couches (actually it was a leather chair) for 2+ hours. I drank a coffee and then a Iced Green Tea Lemonade with a Blueberry Oat Bar (all 370-calories of it). I was super hesistant to get the blueberry bar because 1. as I've mentioned before, I'm trying to limit wheat from my diet and 2. It's so high in calories and sugar. As I hummed and haa'd for a good twenty minutes, I said F-it, because I felt like I derserved to treat myself. :)

After I completed my blog post, I headed to the mall for a small shop. I was looking for a dress for 1/3 nights of George Street Fest and Val had told me that Envy had a massive sale. The only thing I had consumed post-race was the oat bar so ya'kno..I was feeling skinny. Skinny + shopping = major success always, right?

After my little mall adventure, I headed to moms for some suppa! She had cooked a pork roast with roasted mixed vegetables (no olive oil) and roasted potato (I skipped on this). I had a big plate and drank about 1/3 of that beer then headed to the spare room for a nap. No sir.. I could not fall asleep. I figured I'd be super exhausted and have no trouble sleeping but I couldn't for the life of me fall pass out so I headed to Dominion and then home to food prep for the week.

Groceries

Grocery List 

• frozen mangos
• frozen blueberries
• frozen superfruit blend 
• 2-lbs of strawberries
• watermelon
• pineapple (not shown)
• snow peas
• edumame salad 
• 4-kg of chicken breast
• 12 pork sirloin chops
• almond butter
• honey
• pure protein bars (yummy)

Meal Plan for the Week (Lunches)

Monday - 1-cup of edumame salad and 1 baked pork sirloin

Tuesday - 1-cup of boiled vegetables, 1/2 cup of edumame salad with a half a chicken breast mixed in

Wednesday - Bbq chicken salad with brussels sprouts as the green

Thursday - pork stir-fry

Friday - Meal replacement smoothie

Saturday - TBD

Meal Prep

I always eye this salad when I'm at Costco, but I never buy it. I was feeling pretty lazy for meal prepping on Sunday so I decided to splurge on the salad and split it up throughout the week (pending if I was a fan or not). My-God! It was sooo delicious! I tried a little on Sunday night and was hooked immediately. I gave my mom a portion, measured out 2 cups in separate containers and left another 2 cups in a separate container to pick at throughout the week. I opted to pass on the dressing as it was some creamy style mayo-base and I'm not a fan of mayo. The edumame has the salad bursting with flavour so I really didn't need any additives. Not kidding guys, this is a must! I will most definitely be picking it up on my next trip to Costco!! AND, it was only $8.99.

Protein
 

$10.50 for 12 chops at Costco. Approx. 300-350 calories / pork chop and they are super big/filling. I baked 6 in the oven to sparse out through the week to put with my meals. I also boiled 2 chicken breast to switch it up throughout the week.

I 'pre-mixed' a batch of Paleo Granola that I plan to bake later on in the week. I was starting to get super tired so I just mixed the dry ingredients and left the liquid ingredients for Wednesday or Thursday. (Recipe coming soon)

I took a trip to Bulk Barn on Friday so I whipped together a little trail mix to pick at throughout the week.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of unsalted almonds
• 1/2 cup of unsalted raw cashews
• 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup of dried dates 

So, my week has started and I have 6 pork loin, 2 boiled chicken breast, trail mix, a huge mixture of strawberries, pineapple and watermelon, edumame salad and 6 hard-boiled eggs. I've been on a smoothie kick lately so I leave frozen fruit, protein powder, ground flax, almond milk and egg whites at work (hence why it isn't included in my meal prep). I don't know what it is about smoothies, but they always make me feel like I started my day off right. They're so delicious and nutritious (given the right ingredients).

After my fridge was stogged and ready to go, I had this weird urge to make kale chips. Karla has been raving about these and makes her own regularly. Recipes are incredibly easy to find on the Internet (i.e. pinterest) and they leave you with the most satisfying feeling of food comfort after you've eaten them. Almost like you just let yourself eat actual chips. Obviously, these are not chips, so don't expect the same taste, but they have a crispy texture and a salty taste. Try it!

Kale Chips
 

Ingredients

• 1 head of Kale (Sobey's or Dominion - Karla informed me that this is locally grown - bonus!)
• 1 tsp of sea salt 
• 1.5 tbsp of olive oil 
• spice of choice (I used Mrs. Dash Chipotle)

Directions

• ensure kale is dry and tear into small tostito size pieces
• place in bowl and add olive oil 
• sprinkle kale with salt and seasoning of choice and mix to make sure all leaves are coated
• spread on baking sheet and place in oven at 350-C for 20-minutes
• Remove, enjoy!

So there it is, folks. That was my happy Sunday. I went to bed feeling a fantastic sense of accomplishment. I ran, shopped, hung out with mom, blogged, prepped, tidied and was in bed by 10:45. I know everyone hates the fact that Sunday marks 'tomorrow is Monday, ugh', but there is no better feeling than being Ms/Mr productive at the start of your week. No ifs, ands or buts! 

Note: if you think my planning/groceries are boring this week, know that I have apples and oranges at work, peppers and celery left from last week and tons of hummus that is still eatable! Kale chips and hummus perhaps? ahh helloooo experiment time :)

Chow chow, friends!

Have any good recipes?

Any tips on how YOU plan for your week?

My 2nd Tely 10

Yayyy, today was race day! I woke this morning and my bad nerves had subsided. I had pure excitement! I didn't sleep much last night due to being anxious and my warm house but I was up at 5am and jumping around like a youngster on Christmas :)  I sat on my bed googling 'what to eat before a 10-mile run', 'should you drink coffee a few hours before a 10-mile run' and couldn't find anything worth talking about. I settled on eating a protein bar and a mango smoothie. The protein bar wasn't great as it had a chocolate coating which wasn't enticing so early in the morning. The smoothie tasted great but I was lacking an appetite as it was so early. I got 2/3 through it, and called it quits. I drank a litre of water and passed on the coffee (which I later regretted).

Mango Smoothie: 3/4 cup of frozen mangos, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp of almond butter, 1 tsp of cocoa and 1 cup of Almond Breeze

I left the house at around 6:15 and met Karla at the buses to mentally prepare for the run. We were on the bus on the way to the start when the bus literally started rumbling haha I was sure we were gonna have to pull over and the thing was gonna catch on fire. It also smelled of smoke which was a little sketchy. I was a little worried as I knew we'd miss the run but I was a little relieved thinking that I'd get to skip the race since the anxious feelings started rising.

Upon arriving in Paradise, I drank my last sip of water and headed for the washrooms (nothing worse than running and having to p-double-e)

About 15 minutes before start time, I met up with Steph and her mom, Glenda. It was their first time running the race and they have been preparing for the past few months. They were both super excited as Steph has been working her ass off since January. The girl has lost like 30-lbs and continues to train! She's a real gem and I'm so glad I saw her before the race.

And then I ran into Aunt Kim and Tish. They too, have been training for some time now. Aunt Kim was an avid runner when she used to train like a ninja in the military. She and Tish run multiple miles, weekly. They both completed the Tely in 97-minutes and were so beyond pleased. Upon starting, they said that they would be happy with 2-hours. They chatted and ran and I ended up meeting up with them both at the 6-mile marker.

And then there was Tony. Tony is one of the foreman I work with and he was who I signed up with. We have been annoying the hell out of the guys for MONTHS with our 'tely talk'. He ended up with the flu just days before the race and booted it back to Glovertown to get mediciation to ensure he made the race. And that he did (finishing in 85-minutes). It was his first time running the Tely and it was a mark on his Bucket List. Check!!

I'm so surprised that I ended up running into familiar faces pre-race. There are generally so many people there that it's hard to find anyone. It worked out well cause everyone was able to get pumped together :)



The Run - Bullet Style

• It was hotter than I had expected. I woke to a cool breeze but the sun came out and the forecasted rain was absent
• Miles 1-3 flew. I actually think I started too fast and ended up beating myself out a little
• Miles 4-6 were ran at a chill pace. I eyed a runner from the CBS fire dept. who looked like he was going at a decent speed and made sure that I stayed on his back right to the end 
• Miles 6-8 were the absolute worst!!! I struggled like a mother fuc*ker. My legs felt like sand bags and I coughed up pretty nasty 'flu-ish' material (enough said. Ha!)
• Miles 8-9 came out of nowhere! I couldn't believe there was only 2-miles left to run. It seemed like the time flew by
• The last mile was probably my fastest. I got this second wind and booted it with everything I had.  I sprinted the whole thing and passed a lot of people who had been ahead of me the entire race. I knew it was almost over so I had no excuses
•  Crossing the finish line was the best feeling ever. I had goosebumps with all the screaming people! I looked like an angry bird but I felt like a happy duck (I get this stern face when I jog/run - I've been told I look like I wanna murder someone)
• I finished in 100-minutes. I wasn't overly impressed with my time but given the past few weeks training schedule and the ups and downs, I'll take it. I'll just have to beat it next year and go about my training in a different manor
• I loved how people were out spraying the runners 
• I loved how there were 70+ year olds running the race
• I loved how there were 12- year olds running the race 
• I found it was harder to get around people this year
• I drank at every water station
• I got very irritable upon finishing because I was tired and there people were scrambling around Bannerman Park like sardenes 
• I am over-joyed that I ran the Tely 10 and plan to skip running for atleast 3 days :) Yayy

Things I wish I had done differently 

• I wish I had eaten more last night as I felt a little weak pretty early on
• I wish  hadn't of work shorts because I'm very used to running in Lulu leggings so the leg rubbing and shorts riding up got a little very annoying
• I wish I had double-knotted my sneakers as I had to stop and tie them on mltiple occasions
• I wish I had used iTunes for music. I used iTube and it kept shutting down while running. I had to continuously keep taking off my arm band to open the program. This was beyond distracting and I'm pretty sure I almost walked into a curb once or twice
• I wish I had purchased a garmin. I had nothing to show me my pace
• jesussss I wish I had stretched more. I figured my groind would kill but it was my back
• I wish I hadn't of drank gatorade at the water stations. The sugar didn't sit well in my stomach
• I wish I had drank more water the day before because the sun had me dehydrated in no time

I wish, I wish, I wish .. these things will be tackled differently next year, and regardless of what I say was a con to this run, there were definitely 10x more pros :) (does that sentence even make sense? Probably not)

Post-Run Pictures 

one sweaty mama

Bennettt :)

Uncle Scott & I 

My awesome family :)

Finished with love

Congratulations to everyone who enrolled and followed through with the 86th Annual Tely 10! We're definitely all winners! :) It was great. You did great. You are great! 

Cheers to that, friends!

Last night before the Tely 10

...And my nerves are shot. I am so beyond nervous for tomorrow that I actually have mad anxiety. From the moment I woke up this morning, I was trembling. I have no idea why? I mean, I ran it last year and did fine. I don't even think I had bad nerves. Today has been like a roller coaster of emotions. I think it has a lot to do with trying to relax and not stress my body on the day before the race. I also really missed having Tiffany to get excited with (Hi, Tiffany).

I woke up this morning at 9am and was beside myself. I prayed it would be disgusting outside so I could justify not kicking it to Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi or the gym. I rolled around in bed and read my book until 11 though it looked lovely out. Regardless of the weather, I knew I couldn't be physically active with the fear of risking an injury or simply making my muscles ache before the run tomorrow.

I wasn't out of bed for 5-minutes when I could feel the anxiety roll over my body. I generally wake up on my days off and am 'go-go-go'. I needed to relax today but had such a hard time doing so. I jumped in the shower and pretty much kept talking to myself .. telling myself I had nothing to worry about. To just my errands and relax so that I could thank myself tomorrow. After I showered I decided to grab my classic Saturday/everyday Ice Americano and head to Costco for some groceries. I figured I'd be lazy tomorrow so why not get it over with today (grocery list to follow - a little different than last weeks). After Costco, I met Val for some Boston Pizza. I had a beer to calm my nerves and then we just chatted and ate. The rest of my day consisted of: Home, Future Shop, Mama-Bears, Home, Starbucks, Bulk Barn, Boston Pizza (don't give me the look..), Home and then Starbucks (where I am currently sitting).

To be quite honest, I have no idea why I'm writing this post. I think I needed to vent about my nerves. It's a feeling I have NOT got in such a long time. I was so excited these past few months and then BOOM, I started getting continuously anxious. I honestly believe had I not have gotten strep throat (twice - guess it never really left), that I wouldn't feel the way I feel tonight. My training was going  well and then as soon as I got hit with the flu, it all went down hill. Starting to jog after taking a few days off had been like starting from scratch. I know, I know, I'm being a drama mama but I just can't help it. I've been being dramatic all day. I was short with my mother earlier, I was snappy via text earlier with a "Goodbye" when a friend was just trying to send some moral support, yet I still can't shake the feeling.

Anyhow, I'm gonna shut up now because I'm rambling and it's almost 10 and I still have to update my iPod.

Lastly, I'll leave you with my pre-Tely eats for the day

umm hmm

Boston Pizza Steak Salad 

Peanut Butter Pure Protein Bar 

Banana

Venti Black Pike Coffee

1/3 of a BP Fettuccine Alfredo (I got sick off this)

Venti Ice Black Tea 

And that was what I consumed today. The pasta is a MAJOR MAJOR regret. I've been living a low wheat lifestyle these past few months but I was at a loss when I trie figuring out what to fuel up on. I ordered this as take-out and came home feeling very hesitant before I threw my fork in. Ya, I should have went with my gut. I got ill. And that was the end.

Now, I am closing my computer and heading home to sleep my nerves off and wake with excitement and run a great run! I'm gonna do everything in my power to stay positive and stop stressing about my time.

Good night, friends!

Good luck to all the Tely participants out there! You've we've got this! :) :)

Sweet & Salty Nut Cookies

So I found this recipe on CNC and kind of tweaked it a little to suit my own taste buds.

Not sure if you're more of a salt person or have a sweet tooth? Well if you want a combination of both, this is your cookie!

It's quick, easy and it has SO much flavor! Also, it uses all natural ingredients :)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup of almond flour (called ground almond at Bulk Barn)
• 1 cup of mixed nuts (almonds, cashews & peanuts - or anything you'd like)
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup of almond butter
• 2/3 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 HEAPING spoon of vanilla extract
• 1 HEAPING spoon of ground flax (not shown in picture as I randomly added it at the end)
• pinch of salt 

Directions

• Grind mixed nuts in a food processor (or magic bullet - I used a big steel spoon)
• Melt coconut oil in microwave for 1-minute
• Combine all ingredients
• Using your hands, create cookie shaped figures and place on parchment paper on a plate
• Place cookies in fridge and let sit for 2-3 hours (1-hour minimum)

Combine all ingredients

The worst thing I could have done was taste this mixture ... I was hooked after the first bite

Roll into cookie shapes

Note: all of the ingredients became very runny when I tried to flatten them into cookie form due to the temperature of the kitchen. It was pretty much a sauna. If I had to do this again under non-ideal conditions, I'd probably just add an extra 1/4-1/3 of a cup of almond flour.

Voila!

These were absolutely delicious and I probably ate more than I should have ..
They have a brittle texture that melts in your mouth! They're sweet and salty and taste similar to the Nature Valley Sweet & Salty bars. I think these cookies would be fun if you tried different additives - all-natural dried fruits, raisins, pecans, pine nuts etc.

I will most definitely be making another batch of these cookies in the near future (perhaps this weekend? yumm)

Have any cookie recipes?
Anything quick and easy? All natural?

Bad/Good Tuesday

• I have strep throat again
• I ate clean all day
• I felt energized all day
• I made another amazing smoothie
• I worked exceptionally efficient at work
• I crossed so many things off my list
• I sweat buckets running around the building
• I ruined my mood when I ate 2 3 golden oreos (was so hungry and ran out of snacks at the end of the day)
• I tried to stay positive and went to Bulk Barn to stock up on 'healthy treat' ingredients
• I went to the gym and ran 5-miles
• I did a deadly upper body workout
• I rubbed my feet a little raw
• I was in bed by 10:30
• I slept deadly
• I woke up feeling like a million bucks
• Tuesday was a good day. Screw the oreos
• Smiling :) :)
• That is all

Guest Post

This week I was thrilled when Victoria offered me the opportunity to guest contribute to the Minus Thirty Three blog. Ever since she asked me (yesterday) my mind has been spinning with different ideas, potential themes, and I realized I was clearly getting a little ahead of myself.  I figured I should just keep it simple, and give everyone a glimpse inside a day in the life of me, without any embellishment.  Who knows, she might invite me back in the future for another one? We’ll have to see!

About me

I am one of Vic’s best friends, and have known her virtually all of my life. I’m from the same town, we went to the same schools and hang out with the same friends.  I currently work in marketing at a local software company, and balance a lifestyle of work, being active, and enjoying a solid social life. My goals aren’t quite as rigid as Vic’s (perhaps they should be?)….essentially I try to be active enough to be healthy and to keep the gick (ie gunt) at bay! I believe in moderation, that treating yourself from time to time will not be the end of the world, or the end of your fitness goals and that working out is a part of an overall lifestyle choice, and not a diet or fad. It needs to be enjoyable for you, while still sacrificing something in the attempt to lead a healthy life.

In this post I will walk you through a random day (Monday, July 22), and my attempt at providing the best snapshot of a regular day as possible (ie…not deliberately going out of my way to do things to add to this article). Here goes….

 

Monday morning

So I had all intents and purpose to go to Moksha hot yoga Monday morning with my usual yoga partner Daniel, but myself and Vic did a class (or practiced) on Sunday, and I think I may have overdid it! I really didn't prepare like I usually do (drink gallons of water beforehand) and I felt quite ill afterwards on Sunday, so I opted to skip, sleep in a little and better prepared for each morning yoga on Wednesday.

 

I “woke up to love” (mine and Vic’s saying by the way) Monday morning with a bowl of Greek yogurt (great source of calcium, protein), strawberries (vitamin C) and homemade (made by yours truly on Saturday) granola….recipe in which I stole from a previous Minus Thirty Three blog post. I made it to work, and started off the day with my usual Ice Americano (water, espresso, and ice).. which I had throughout the day to keep me going. Pretty much my summer obsession.

 

Mid-morning snack

So I’m clearly new to the blog scene, seeing how my slice of Nutella toast was almost gone before I realized I needed to take a pic!

 

Lunch

My co-worker, Jen, invited me over for lunch Monday to show off her new house, and treat me to a feed. We had homemade pulled pork sandwiches (pulled pork on ciabatta bun and cheese), "pregnancy soup" which Jen's husband makes for her which is pureed tomatoes, broccoli, celery, peppers, with herbs and spices, and garden salad with balsamic. I also had a chance to meet her dog, Abby, whom I fell in love with!

 

 

Mid-afternoon snacks

In the afternoon, I had an orange, apple and banana. I brought 2 hermit cookies, but gave one to Jen, and a yogurt (not shown), along with another Ice Americano I'm sure and water in between.

 

Supper

I had intended to get to the gym after work, but I honestly wasn't feeling it today, and even the looming blog article wasn't motivating me, so I opted not to....whatever! Skipping a day won't hurt...but a week, probably so! Back at it tomorrow! Anyway, I headed home for a meal with the parents as mom was cooking fish stew (classic NL dish). I couldn't resist it as it brings back memories of being a kid running around a campground with my cousins. Fish stew is comprised of fresh cod, potato, onion, pork fatback (not good but needed apparently), and savory/spices. It was delish, I even resisted the fresh rolls mom brought home to accompany....OK maybe I had half of one. I could probably plow through a full loaf of bread and tub of butter if I wanted to, but know better....I feel Vic can provide commentary on that with her new read Wheat Belly, in posts to come.

 

Evening

I needed SOME kind of activity today, so Monday evening I headed to Signal Hill trail. Was a great night to be out as it was warm and not too many people on the trail. After the hike, and conquering the stairs, which never seem to get easier...I had a strawberry smoothie with skin milk, vanilla whey protein powder, bananas and strawberries. Great source of protein, calcium, magnesium maybe...and other things I'm not sure of right off hand.

So that was my day, and that was also my first blog post ever....the rest of my week is looking pretty full, tomorrow is definitely going to be a gym day, as will Wednesday, and yoga again on Wednesday morning and maybe Friday....hoping to get a run in down at the lake. Feel free to let me know your thoughts, as they would be much appreciated.

                                                                                                                                                                                        -A