What does the scale number mean to you?

Hey guys,

Just popping in for a quick hello!

Ok .. vent:

Isn't it crazy how the scale plays such a huge role in how we view ourselves?

A day a go I felt like 2-ton Sal and this morning I was down 4-lbs (because it was obviously water weight yesterday) and then I'm all like "ya..I'm feeling pretty light today. I look pretty decent today. Wow. I can really feel that run. Did I lose weight?" and yesterday morning, I couldn't get far enough to the opposite. I was all like "ya .. I knew I gained weight. Sh!t! Am I getting an extra chin? I probably shouldn't wear those jeans today cause they're probably too tight anyway." LIKE, C'MON! Excuse the language but isn't that Fuc*ed!!!???

Why did I take that scale out again?

Why does it matter? I've been running some lately so who cares. I've been eating clean and healthy for 11 days now (minus 1 - Tuesday) .. so why in the hell does the number matter?

The craziest thing is, if I was the reader behind this rant, and you were the blogger, I'd think you were being/sounding absolutely ridiculous! I'd say "it's only a number. The scale means nothing.." and yet here I sit, typing away and ranting about a topic you probably care so little for that you've already X'd out of my blog (probably not though cause I know you love me forever and always).

Anyways...

Breakfast

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately where the ladies are loving smoothies! I haven't made a smoothie since atleast October. I absolutely love smoothies but I didn't have my magic bullet with me when I left so I kinda just forgot about them. My aunt Kim gave me an Oasis blender for my housewarming and I used it this morning for the first time.

Oh.my.gawd.

1. awesome blender
2. holds so much (oink oink)
3. I made the best smoothie this morning and I didn't do anything fancy!

 

Peanut Butter Berry Smoothie

The Mix

1.5 bananas

3-cups of frozen berries (I used Kirkland)

2 scoops of Combat Chocolate Peanut Butter protein powder

2-cups of unsweetened almond milk

1T of organic peanut butter

1/2C of water

 

Holy hell! I used 2 massive mason jars and took one for myself at breakfast and put one in the fridge so David could have a grab n' go breakfast.

•  this smoothie is super filling and I'm definitely gonna have another tomorrow
• i got a text saying "smoothie was grand. Nice kick start to my day". Bam! <-- lady friend points right there!
• i wouldn't have even made a smoothie but I ran out of egg whites
• so glad I ran out of whites
• it was berry delicious (haha) <--not really though. Well yes really it was delicious. But not really that that was funny
• i'm gonna cut back on the volume of some ingredients and add more water. The smoothie was sooooo satisfyingly sweet, but I'd like to save some fruit calories for throughout the day
• ....which I didn't do today



4 hours later I had my 'second breakfast'.

• 1/2 an orange
• 1/2 apple
• 1/2 banana
• 1 serving of a black bean brownie
• this was all delicious
• it sucks having to eat a little after 4-am. I'm so hungry when I wake up but I consume so so many calories since my day is super long
• i'm going to admit that I actually had the smoothie gone before I left the house. Oops. I was super hungry because last night I:

• ran 4-miles
• walked 1-mile
• worked up a crazy sweat
• ran so fast I thought I might die for real
• felt amazing
• and went home and did not eat a proper post-gym meal
• i ate:

• 1/3C of the Sunny Cranberry trailmix
• the Clif was left for today
• i wish I hated clif bars
• i love clif bars
• clif bars are on sale this week... $1.25

• i'm typing like this cause I'm in a mad rush and I've only had time to pick at it during break times

Moving on in the food department..

Lunch

• what do ya know? Victoria had more fruit
• it's just been one of those days
• ezekiel wrap + 1T of unsweetened granola + 1tsp of organic pb + 1/2 a banana

Other facts of my day

 

•  i had the worst drive everrr this morning
• i've drank 4 XL Tim Horton's coffees today
• i fell asleep at the wheel this morning and got the fright of my life
• i went to bed at 10:15-pm (almost 6-hours sleep which in my eyes, was like GO ME)
• i don't think I'll be making it to the gym tonight
• i think my iron is super duper low again
• if i skip the gym tonight, that means I'll only have gone twice since Sunday (but I'm listening to my body right?)
• i'm crawling into bed as soon as I get home
• i know, I'm super self-absorbed at the moment. Sorry.
• as tired as I was today, I had the most productive day EVER! Probably the best day I've had (work-related) since I switched departments before Christmas
• i told Allan I'd write an email today and didn't (I can't wait to have 7 days with him - I start to miss my AV time when we go long spells without one on one time. Like recently.....)
• ^ not ok
• i'm on an opposite shift from all of the structural team so I get 3 more days of complete silence. Heart!
• i booked a trip to Punta Cana yesterday with co-travelers Allan, David, E (others pending)
• i started using twitter (blog-related, obv) and I'm really not a fan
• i wish I was an instagram lover
• i haven't read my book in a week
• i have the best boyfriend (whoa! big move typing that) everrrrr!! (story to come) <--I guess this post just got sappy didn't it? I know, I know .. but he just deserves so much recognition

 



I'm typing this on my iPhone and my eyes are starting to go trippy so I'm out! (lost misplaced my glasses).

Ps. I love how I said "I'm out". I'm pretty much a true-G!

For real though .. Bye! :)

Questions
1. Are you a lover of smoothies?
2. How many hours of sleep do you need a night?
3. Planning any adventures for 2014?

WIAW - what-i-ate-wednesday

Happy 2nd last day of January, guys!

How's your day going? Are you working? Ugh, me too!

I wanted to do a WIAW post cause 1. I love reading what others ate Wednesday (and every other day) and 2. I needed a quick post to type up before bed and to edit on break at work.

Voila.

Don't mind the 'photo effect' of the pictures I have posted .. little miss 'I-want-cool-photos'. I just hate the pictures that my iPhone takes and I'm still on the hunt for a new camera!

..and I was experimenting with the ol' iPhoto app.

Anyhow, on to a what I ate Wednesday post (cause you're dying to know, right?)



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Breakfast

I didn't eat after the gym Monday night, so when i woke up, I was super hungry!

I had a banana with <1 Tbsp of organic peanut butter a little after 4-am. I hate eating so early but I hate it even more when I'm driving to work and I get so hungry that I'm sick.

Around 7-am, I was starving but had to go directly in the field. I didn't have any time to heat up and enjoy my protein pancake, so I had a small bartlett pear.

Around 8:15, I was still hungry (I know, I know) so I decided to heat up both my coffee and protein pancake and read a few blogs to start my morning.

Lately I've been eliminating the oats and ground flax (I'm feeling a little tubby since I didn't eat too hot on Monday). I made the protein pancake with just 1-C of egg whites and 1-scoop of Combat Peanut Butter & Chocolate protein powder.

Yum :)

Snack
(10:45-am)

I had 4 celery stalks cut up with some organic peanut butter. There was a little under 2 table spoons of this and I ended up leaving a little to go with my afternoon apple!

Lunch

I was on my typical fruit-high, and instead of eating something in the line of vegetables, I went with a banana wrap.

I simply used an ezekiel wrap with some of the peanut butter from above and a half of a banana.

I was kinda let down when I found out that these wraps were not gluten-free. I'm trying to really watch the wheat so I've been doing a lot of label-reading lately.

All the same, this wrap was delicious and it's still: yeast-free, vegan, high in fiber and has sprouted grains. O, and they're sugar free!!

Snack

Around 3ish, I was a little 'peckish', so I went with a gigantor fiji apple (granny smith was my fav .. but fiji is the new thing)

 

Around 5:30, I was still hungry (cause I eat as much as a horse), so I chowed down on a green pepper with hummus, and satisfied my sweet tooth with a Liberte vanilla greek yogurt. 

The drive home took foreverrrr due to the weather.

I had planned on going to the gym but we' had been expecting like 20-cm of snow and the roads were terrible! I didn't end up getting home until after 8-pm and knew if I had of went to the gym, I wouldn't have gotten home until after 10 with the way the snow was falling.

..so I got some Starbucks and drank it before I even Pouch Cove.Though I felt starved, the black coffee definitely curbed my appetite.

When I got home, I showered, did the dishes and experimented with some black bean brownies.

I ate 1/9 of the portion shown below (about 235-calories) but David and I shared it.

 

And I had approx. 1/4C of those no-sugar stevia chocolate chips..and another half of a banana..oops?

Those chips are divineeee!

So ya .. 1735 calories and no workout!

Whatev! ;)

If you haven't read my last WIAW for the last season, check it out here .

Cheers, friends!

Questions

1. What'd you eat Wednesday?
2. How many calories do you consume a day?
3. Are you a counter of calories?



Currently In January :)

Itttt'sssss Wednesday!

How is your morning going? Mine is ok .. had a delicious breakfast and am currently sipping on my classic black coffee! (don't you find your day just doesn't start on the right food without your morning fix? Me too!)

Anyways,

I wanted to do a 'currently' post cause I haven't done one in a while (slash I've only ever done two so it's not like it makes me some regular at this kinda thing).

I've been on a blog kick lately and have been picking at random topics and starting drafts. I can't wait for days off so I can plant myself at a coffee shop and just ramble on and on about all of the topics that have been consuming me :)

For now, I give you the post that I've been plugging at it for a week now:

Currently: In January


Current Book: Happier at Home

I'm currently reading Gretchen Ruben's Happier at Home. She's the author of The Happiness Project. I started that book a while back, took a break when life got busy and now someone else has claimed it. And someone else asked for a lend after him.

Ugh. I'm finding work and nights quite busy lately with little breaks/free time so for now, I'm reading my book slow and I'm in no rush to finish.

Ps. a quarter ways in .. the book is great! :)

..if you're into micromanaging list-makers!


Current Music: Songza

Current Guilty Pleasure: cinnamon and granola peanut butter...

Current Nail Color: Red

And hating it. I have been loving having nails (as they make me feel feminine) but I absolutely hate the color. I did like it for 1.2 seconds .. but I quickly got over that. Back to black next time :)

Current Drink: Green Juice

I'm sorry. I just can not get enough of green juice. It makes me feel so nourished and radiant when I drink it in the morning. It's just the perfect combination of ingredients and there are SO many pros to drinking it.


Current Food: Greek Salad

Samantha made a huge bowl of this and we have been chowing down for a couple of days now.
peppers + cucumber + onion + feta + balsamic + olive oil = Delicious!


Current Favorite Show: Extreme Homes on HGTV




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Have you seen Extreme Homes? It's definitely my favourite show. David and I watch it pretty much every time we sit on the couch together!

Current Wish List: I'm only saying this cause I'm super tired .. but I've been wanting a 9-5 job lately. I'm on day 8 of work and the length of each day is really starting to get to me.. My ideal work day you ask? Ok.

wake-up
hot yoga
starbucks
work until noon
lunch date(s)
starbucks
work until 5
gym workout
supper
bake
read/blog
bed at 10-pm

A perfect world, right?

So right.


Current Needs: A leg workout!

I've been neglecting 'legs day' for almost a month now! I know that I work my legs in other ways (lunges, squats, running, walking, etc) but it's just not the same as having a day dedicated to:

• calve raises
• leg press
• dead lifts
• weighted lunges
• weighted squats

Current Triumphs: Ha, sad .. but .. I'm on this 'high' where I'm patting myself on the back for not spending any money in the last 2+ weeks (minus coffee and groceries and I'm thinking of buying a fit bit). Ha.

Current Bane of my Existence: My swollen knees.

Last week I smacked my knees off my desk(twice) and bruised both. They were so sore that I skipped the gym.

Last week, I went heads up on the ice and damaged my right knee..again.

3-weeks a go, I went heads up in the driveway!

u.g.h

Current Celebrity Crush: I don't really have a crush on any celebrities at the moment .. but I guess if I had to pick, I'd go with Lana Del Ray.



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Man! I just recently downloaded some songs I haven't heard before and she is s-e-x-u-a-l! Like .. vulgar!

..but I love it..

And she's sexy as hell!

Current Indulgences: Peanut Butter on apples all-day-every-day

Doubt I even need to explain this one ..


Current phrase: "easy now" ..

Current Outfit: Lulu for days! (literally)

Thee same outfit I wear O so often! I actually wore this two days in a row .. because I was doing a lot of field work and honestly, it's just that comfortable! Go lulu!

Lulu Lemon Run: Swifty Tech Long Sleeve
Lulu Lemon Wunder Under Crop
Wigwam Socks


Current Excitement: MARBLE!

Marble ski trip on the 27th of February, kids! Pumped? Ahh helloooo .. of course! This year there seems to be a bigger crowd than ever so I think it's gonna be such a good weekend filled with deadly food (my friends are amazzzzing cooks - hi Adam & Daniel), deadly booze (literally) and deadly people (cause I have an amazing group of friends)! .. and skiing, obv! ;)

Current Mood: Determination

The spring trip talk has risen and I can notttt wait! I really wanna feel comfortable in my own skin (I have my days) and I really wanna rock a two piece. I haven't been feeling swim suit comfortable lately (or how I picture myself in my head) so this will help in giving myself that 'extra' boost when working out and hopefully, encourage me to make healthier choices!

Current Link:

Clare @ fitting-it-all-in

Davida @ thehealthymaven

Robyn @ thereallife-rd

Kath @ katheats


Uh-oh .. I found moreblogs to add to my morning reads!

If you want inspiration, motivation and to follow a regular Joe just like you and I, you'll enjoy those blogs!


And that's January, folks!

For other 'Current Posts':
September
October

Weekly Workout Summary + Morning Protein Pick-Me-Ups

Hey guys,

Just dropping in at lunch to share a few unexciting 'goings on'.

First off, my Sunday.

Breakfast

I switched it up this morning and decided to have a 'treat' by scrapping the keurig and bringing on the tassimo!

I tried the cappuccino rather than coffee, and boy did it give me a boost! My sister just moved in with me and she has a lot of pretty deadly kitchen thangs .. including the tassimo. My god, you should see our coffee / tea cupboard! Crazy!

I was actually SO hungry when I woke up today, so I went with a small apple (knowing I'd be eating more than one before the day was out. ugh) <-- ha, I say 'ugh' as if I have no control over the amount of apples I consume .. worst

For breakfast, I went with some plain greek yogurt with a pinch of stevia (natural sweetener)! I tried this last night for the first time (seeing how I had an abundance of plain greek yogurt in the fridge and everyone knows it tastes gross alone) and it was absolutely delicious! It reminded me of vanilla greek yogurt. Yum!

I also had a banana oat square.

Around 9-am, the hunger pains started to roar and I ended up eating another apple and some celery with all-natural peanut butter.

..and then by 11 .. I was snacky again!

I sat at my desk and munched on some peppers.

My phone died after that so I didn't snap anymore pictures.

I did however, make sure I ate: hummus, spaghetti squash, carrots, more celery :)

Note: Feeling great today :)


Last Workout of the Week

I hate how the gym closes at 8-pm on weekends cause I don't make it back to the city until after 7! Last night, I got to the gym at 7 on the nose. I chatted with Rob as he was leaving and then punched out a 3-mile run. I ran fast and I felt amazing afterwards.

I was a little uncomfortable for the first mile because I was starving, but this soon passed as I worked up a sweat!

selfie queen there
..such an unflattering photo.. it's just my proof ;)

When I got home around 8:30, I was as hungry as a horse. It was another 'get food in me now' moment and I ended up having an apple with all-natural peanut butter (though I already had an apple(s) Saturday). Yup. Hold the judgement.


I didn't give the apple enough time to set in and ended up going straight for one of Samantha's greek yogurts. I tried to minimize the bottom of the yogurt as that's the area with all the sugars.

..I obviously ate some of the bottom part though.

After my little greek yogurt kick, I was fiending for the stuff. I took some plain greek, added a tiny portion of stevia and 2T of unsweetened shredded coconut.

oh.my.god.

again.

This was fantastic! I ate sooo many calories  post-gym but I guarantee I could have put down another serving of yogurt.

After my little binge, I showered up, relaxed and tried to be in bed for 10. I passed out and woke up around 10:30 when David strolled in.

We relaxed and told stories and were up super late being chatty Miss Cathys (hence why I'm running on almost 2L of coffee today). Now that deserves an 'UGH'.


Last Week Workouts

Last week went exceptionally well with workouts! Well, in regards to 'listen to your body'.

I didn't workout too hard yet I still managed to make it to the gym 5 times. I'm working an 18-day shift right now (today was day 6) so I'm trying to make good decisions in the evenings. I really don't wanna burn myself out.



Anyways, the whole reason I stopped in was to share a recipe with you guys (and the calorie count for this one).

Morning Protein Wake-Me-Ups

Serving - 4 balls

Ingredients 

Dry

1/2 cup rolled oats 

2T ground flax 

1/4 scoop of chocolate peanut butter protein powder 

2T of unsweetened shredded coconut

2T coffee

Wet

1tsp vanilla extract

2.25tsp agave 

1/4C of all-natural peanut butter 

Directions
1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Mix wet ingredients
3. Combine both dry and wet ingredients
4. Roll mixture into balls
5. Let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours
6. Serve and enjoy your delicious protein snack


Nutritional Break-down

So these worked out to be a little over 250-calories for one. That might seem like quite a bit for a 'snack',  but they are o so filling!

They're a delicious quick grab n' go and they're perfect if your sweet tooth kicks in during the day. Yum!

Between Samantha and I, those bad boys were demolished in 2 days :)

ALERT: I actually ate an entire wake-me-up before they even made it the fridge.
Note to self: When baking, never lick the spoon..

Anyhow, I hope you all had a great weekend and now I'm off to drink some evening Starbucks and enjoy some quality time with Samantha and David!

Ps. There is a big ol' cookie in that bag .. it's a surprise for David since he pretty much cleaned my entire upstairs today when I left for work (some boyyyy). . . but you can bet that I was eyeing it the entire drive home . . somethings never change :)

Ok, for real .. byeeeee!

Questions
1. What did you get up too on this windy Sunday?
2. Have any new recipes to share?
3. Will coffee after 8-pm keep you awake? <-- I love it

Desert for Breakfast & 3-miles

Quick pop in as it's approaching 11-pm and I have an early rise.

I have nothing interesting to say so I figured I'd settle for a little summary and a delicious recipe! Sha-bam!

Today

I started my morning with a breakfast switch-up. In an attempt to limit my calories (for once), I opted out of the protein pancake and went with two eggs done with spinach and a delicious herb and tomato spice!

And a half of a banana, obv!

I'm absolutely addicted to green juice lately and I had one jar left so I downed this around 10-am.

The color doesn't look too appetizing but that's just because this particular recipe called for carrots. Looks like swamp water, hey?

Did I mention how addicted I am to peanut butter and almond butter? Ha, how about in every post ..

In an attempt to do the whole 'moderation' thing you guys talk about, I put 2T in a little container and left the tub at home.

I put that sh!t on everything, and since I'm trying to cut back on my sugar intake (kind of), I ate every last dip with celery.

An interesting life I lead .. don't ya think?

Weird Night 

I was all amped to the hit the gym tonight (I worked out Monday,Tuesday and Thursday thus far) but as soon as I got to town, I had that 'listen to your body.. you should relax' moment so I headed home.

Wait! I got a Tim Horton's XL black coffee and then I headed home.

I then whipped up some protein balls and a new recipe I took from a blog I recently started following.

I sat down, picked at my blog and at around 9-pm I had the 'you should exercise' moment. . . so I jumped in the car and headed back to town and got a short sweat session in.

3 miles, baby!

a sweaty salted hat

a make-up free rough looking face

and a body soaked in sweat!

horrayyy!

And then the gym closed at 10 so I booked it home .. and now I sit in bed, wired from my treadmill high.

Life :)

Moving on..

Ok, first off, not sure if you guys saw a post called "Currently in January" .. but if you did . I apologize as it was worked on today at lunch and not yet finished. Ugh. I went in to check out the ol' blog and noticed it said 'published' .. and that it was viewed. Worst.

Anyways, moving on..again..

I just wanted to stop in and share two recipes that are KILLER delicious!! (and yes, I say that everything I make is deadly .. but to me, it is! I doubt I'd post it if it wasn't worth trying..seriously).

First off, I'll start by telling you that I can't take credit for this one. I recently stumbled upon a new blog and I'm absolutely obsessed with the recipes she has posted! My god! Every time I get a free moment at work, I find myself gawking at the food-porn and then clicking the ol' copy/paste to Microsoft Word. O classy recipe sheets of mine.

If you're interested in some sweet treat recipes, check out Kath @ katheats.com

She's phenomenal.

Anyway .. the recipe ..

Baked Banana Oatmeal

Dry Ingredients
2 cups of rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp of sea salt

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
1 mashed banana
1.5 cups vanilla almond breeze
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
1. Combine wet ingredients
2. Combine dry ingredients
3. Add wet ingredients to dry. Mix thoroughly

4. Line an 8" pan with parchment paper (I bet greasing it with coconut oil would be out of this world!)
5. Pour the mix in the pan and bake on 350 for 25-minutes

6. Remove the pan, sprinkle some stevia and a handful of sliced almonds and place pan back in ovne on broil
7. Broil for 3-4 minutes
8. Serve & Enjoy! :)

Note
Kat used vs I used
kosher salt vs sea salt
2 bananas vs 1 banana
1 egg vs 2 eggs
1.5 cups of skim milk vs 1.5 cups almond milk

Note II
please try smothering this in almond butter?
I think the recipe would have been better if I had of used cinnamon
I'm also gonna try to post the calorie count (if you're interested) in the near future

post-gym ;)

So ya, I altered it how I thought would suit my taste buds best, but I'm sure her recipe is far tastier to most!

Kat slices a banana, uses some brown sugar and then layers it on top before entering the oven. I used a little stevia (natural sweetener) and some sliced almonds (unsalted) instead.

Anyhow, it was divine and I have zero complaints. O, and Samantha had a tastearoo and approves :)


Now it's the time when I close my eyes and count backwards from 100! I have to be up in less than 5-hours and I have a feeling that tomorrow will be a 2 coffee kinda morning <-- love/hate relationship with those mornings!

Night, lovers!