Did Someone Say Soup?

It's been a LOVELY lonnnnnnnnnnnng weekend! I took a couple of days off and it was wonderful. Did some sleeping in, some errands, and some cookin'! Busy busy! Even rented a movie (Get Smart) and played some Wii.

On Friday I went to check out the Whole Foods (one of two in Canada!). It was a bit of a drive away, but I NEEDED to check it out. I've seen it mentioned on a bunch of blogs, so I had to see it for myself. It had a bunch of yummy things, but was quite a bit more expensive than our usual stores. I've heard that the prices are a bit more reasonable in the states, so it could be just higher up here. Anyway, bought four different Larabars and a Greek yogurt!

In order of appearance, Cocoa Coffee, Cocoa Mole, Banana Bread, Cocoa Orange, and Cocoa. The last one was purchased elsewhere and is actually just a wrapper...I ate that one some time last week! It was pretty cocoa-y. Not bad, but could have used a bit more sweetness.

That's the Greek yogurt above. I've had a such a hard time finding Greek yogurt here. Hope this one is good. It's blueberry in the side compartment...I'm going to try it tomorrow for breakfast, so we'll see!

On Saturday I guess I wasn't feeling too spiffy...woke up at 8am or so, but went back to bed after about an hour and a half of checking blogs and such and slept till 2pm! That is so unlike me. Felt really drugged and out of it for the rest of the afternoon. I felt a lot better on Sunday. :-)

Played a bunch of Wii on Sunday! Played some boxing, bowling, and baseball. So much fun! I'm sore today from the boxing...it's quite the cardio workout! Speaking of workout...I went with my better half to her gym this morning and we swam in the pool...it was so nice and warm! Perfect on a chilly day! After some more errands we came home and I had some oatmeal...

I'm sure it looks a bit gross, but it was pretty good. I added some chocolate chips and some cherry craisins. I've heard through the grapevine that I seem to have a theme going for a lot of what I make...a Poop theme, if you will. I'll have you know that it was NOT intentional that this looked like poop! I swear! Also, the pictures of today's soup (further down in this post) do NOT look like poop. Ok, maybe a little... :-P

After my oatmeal settled I went to the gym! I did my usual workout and then weighed myself (since it's Monday and I always try to weigh myself on Mondays). I was 164.6 lbs. Not too shabby, since I've been slacking a bit. Can't wait to see the 150's at some point. I swear, since my better half and I have been together (almost 5 years) I've had such a hard time getting back down to my original weight (130 lbs). I don't know if it's because I'm older and it's harder to lose when you get past your 20's or what. They say the more you gain while in a relationship, the happier you must be...well, it's obvious that we're ecstatic!! :-)

Just for good measure, I'm throwing in a picture of my dummy...I mean my kitten. This is in honor of him getting his manhood taken away from him tomorrow. Poor guy. I must say though...he has the biggest ummm...nads (pardon my French) that I've ever seen on a cat (no picture of that, don't worry...no one needs to see that!)!

He has NO idea it's coming! He loves to sleep with his tail under his chin. He's too cute and he knows it.

OMG, before I forget...I received my wedding present early!! Her present was the Wii, my present is this beauty:

Let me just say...I LOVE this thing!! It's a single cup fancy dancy coffee maker. If I wasn't already taken, I would marry it! I can make a cup of any of those goodies to the left of the machine. I can make coffee, tea, cocoa...even just hot water if I so choose! Ahhh, so much coffee, so little time! :-)

Ok, on to this week's lunch!! Drum roll please!! I would just like to say...I am so very proud of myself, you have no idea. I keep wanting to call my Mom and tell her about this (she passed away in January and would also have been very proud of me and would have loved the items that I made today).

I made Curried Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup and Pumpkin & Prune Bread:

We went out to a fancy Bistro on Friday night and I had an amazing bowl of soup...I knew as soon as I tasted it that I'd have to try and make it. I found a recipe online, tweaked it a smidge, and here is the finished product! It was so freakin' good. I am SOOOO looking forward to lunch tomorrow! YUM!!

This lovely bread recipe I borrowed from Tina at Carrots 'N' Cake. I just substituted pumpkin for squash (since I wasn't able to find squash in a can). The above picture is the mixing part...before I mixed it I was wondering if there would be enough moisture, but as it blended together, the pumpkin handled the job quite nicely! The "batter" was verrrrrrry tasty. I only had a little taste, I swear!

Here is the finished product. I tried a bite and it was delicious! It will go nicely with my soup tomorrow for lunch!

Ok, enough of this blogging nonsense! I need to go dry my hair and get to bed! Have a great week everyone!

Squash, Gym, and Tags, OH MY!

Started the day early for a Sunday...8am. I blame the cat...as usual! The kitten just doesn't want us sleeping if HE isn't sleeping! We really should have gotten a couple of pet rocks.

Went out and did a bit of grocery shopping this morning...it was nice to be at the store when it wasn't too busy. Got my supplies for my lunch item for the week...I made Bacon's Famous Pasta Salad! Ok, it's not famous...I actually just created it yesterday and today was the first time making it. It COULD be famous...someday! Anyway, here's a picture:

Here's what went into the bowl:

• tri-colour pasta


• cucumber


• tomato


• chick peas


• feta


• kalamata olives


• balsamic vinegar


• EVOO

I believe that's all. Tasted pretty good. Hopefully it will be yummy for lunch tomorrow! I packed a few Kashi crackers (which I LOVE with my soups) to add some crunch. This bowl may look like one or two servings, but it's actually a BIG bowl that will get me through the week. I really should have added something to the picture for scale. Oh well!

The other item I made (for supper this time) was some acorn squash. Thank you to Kath for the tutorial on how to cook it! It was pretty yummy (see picture!). I made my better half a grilled cheese sandwich (forgot to take a picture)...she wasn't wanting any part of the acorn squash, lol. I added butter and brown sugar, yum!

Oh yes, I almost forgot...I went to the gym, yay!! I had a pretty good workout! I'd been thinking of trying to run on the treadmill for a good while now, but haven't wanted to do it while many people were there. I used to run quite a bit a few years back, but then I stopped working out, etc. Anyway, in the spring of this year I did something to my knee and haven't even been able to run across the street while trying to catch a light at the crosswalk. It's been quite painful, so that's part of the reason I haven't wanted to even try running on the treadmill. Anyway, the gym was pretty dead, so I gave it a shot! The first little bit hurt, but then I was able to find a rhythm that minimized any discomfort and didn't make me look like I was all gimpy. I only ran for 5 minutes, but I was so proud of myself. The cardio part of it wasn't a problem, since I've been doing the elliptical, so I was able to pay attention to how I was running and making sure my knee didn't do anything weird. Very proud. :-)

So, I have been tagged by Krista at Krista's Kravings!! How exciting! Been a few years since I've played tag...let's see how I do!

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the blog that originally tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Tell your readers 6 random things about you
4. Tag 6 other blogs and link back to their sites
5. Leave a comment on your chosen blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged
6. Let your tagger know when you’ve posted your entry

Here are the "oh so exciting" random things about ME!

1. I have an iPhone and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!
2. My favourite dish in the whole world is something that my Mom used to make. It's called Macaroni and Cheese Casserole. So freakin good!
3. I have several favourite movies (I know this is a random list, not a favourite list...sue me! LOL!) - Office Space, Top Gun, The American President.
4. I have experienced -52 degrees Celsius (that is -62 F)...no one should be THAT cold!
5. I have driven from the top of the USA to the bottom...and would do it again...just for the Cracklins and Boudin!
6. When I was in elementary school, we would take an old knee high or some panty hose, stick a tennis ball in there and bounce it off of the outside of the school. We didn't have video game consoles in those days (OMG, I sound SOOOO freakin old!!).

Ok, I think I am done with the craziness that is me!

Here are my tags (sorry if you've been tagged already!):

• Around the World in 340 Days
• Carrots 'N' Cake
• follow my weigh
• Winning Friends with Salad
• No Book Left Behind
• Kath Eats Real Food

I'm off to bed! My workout and my cooking have made me sleepy! Have a great night all!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!

I soooo admire all of you who blog every day! I am just so tired during the week, I just can't seem to do it. Work's been crazy and I've been working late fairly often, so by the time I get home, have some supper, organize my lunch and snacks for the next day, and have a shower, I'm super tired! I think I'm going to challenge myself to blog at least once during the week (in addition to my at least once on the weekend post).

I WENT TO THE GYM TODAY, YAY!!! I've been MIA from the gym for at least a week or two, so I'm so glad I finally went. It felt really good. :-)

At the gym (pronounced "guy-m" for those of you who enjoy the Simpsons...which are on right now, incidentally), I did:

• 5 minute walking warm-up on the treadmill
• 15 minutes on the elliptical - alternating my speed each minute between normal and fast
• 10 minutes walking on a 3.5 incline on the treadmill
• 30 minutes of weight machines and free weights

Food today included the following:

• tomato, feta, mushroom omelet, a couple of bites of potatoes, and a 1.5 slices of whole wheat toast with a bit of jam
• apple
• almond butter
• shake n' bake porkchop with herb and garlic roasted potatoes

On weekends I seem to forget to eat fruit, but today I was able to fit in most of an apple...my better half ate part of one and gave me the rest. Win win situation!

I keep forgetting to mention...I tried the Coconut Cream Pie LaraBar and I LOVED it! It was so very tasty! I'll buy that one again, for sure! I also tried the Cashew Cookie LaraBar...it was actually a bit dry for my tastes. It only had cashews and dates, so that could be why. All of the other ones that I've tried so far have had a bit more moisture to them. This is the first one that I've had with only two ingredients...the rest have had three or four. I have several more LaraBars that are sitting in the pantry that I need to try...I think the next one I'm going for has something to do with cocoa...anything with cocoa can't be all THAT bad, so I'm hopeful!

On a non-food related note...we got a Wii!!!!! YAY!!! We have Wii Play, Wii Sports, and the Wii Fit...all pretty fun! I just finished the running portion on the Wii Fit...we did the 2 person run, so we had a laughing good time doing that...passing each other AND cheating may have been involved. I wasn't the cheater...guess who it was! LOL! In all fairness, I had been sitting on the couch for about 15 minutes watching her do the other things like balance, yoga, strengthening, etc. So, I was nice and fresh when we started our "run"...so, while I was running, she was standing in place, moving the Wii remote up and down to make it THINK she was running! I know...cheater!

I seem to have quite a bit to say...I really should try to blog more often!

Ok, I've been meaning to post pictures of the damn animals...I say damn because they are all pains in the butt, but are also all damn cute...it's a love/hate relationship really. Ok, mostly love.

Ok, I really need to take the dog out, so I can come back in and sit on the couch again! Night all!

Poop Soup

I went to the gym today, yay!! I'm proud of myself...I almost talked myself out of going! We had a very busy day today. I took the day off, so we could go meet the minister and see the chapel where we will be having our upcoming nuptials. Very exciting! It's a little place (seats 20-ish people), but it is cute and cozy. Perfect for us. :-) Now, if only the rings we ordered would come in!


After checking out the chapel, we went and browsed a factory outlet place and then headed to IHOP for some lunch. I had a really tasty Garden Scramble (scrambled eggs with veggies) and I had most of one pancake. It was all very yummy. Then we headed back home for me to get a haircut, go to the gym, and go to the vet's to get the kitten his last shots. He was not very happy with the shot OR the thermometer up his butt! It's all good...he's been running around like nothing happened tonight, so it must not have bothered him too much.

This evening it took FOREVER, but I finally got all of my food items ready for work tomorrow. I cut up my watermelon for the rest of the week, cut up my strawberries, and grabbed my grapes. I also made something I like to call...Poop Soup. No, it's not made of poop, but it DOES LOOK like poop. Mmmmmm, pooooop. It is a Black Bean and Salsa soup. It looks gross, but it tastes pretty good! (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-and-Salsa-Soup/Detail.aspx)

Here is a picture:



Poop...or...soup? You decide. Almost looks like chocolate. Mmmmm, chocolate.

Anyway! On top of each serving in a bowl will be some sour cream and some green onions. I'll report tomorrow on if it was as yummy as it looks, lol.

Food for the day:

• All-Bran Strawberry Bites w/ milk
• Garden Scramble and one pancake from IHOP
• chicken caesar salad

Wow, doesn't seem like I ate a whole lot today, but it was a few things that were high-ish in calories, so it added up.

Anyway, must head to the couch...this "vacation" day WORE ME OUT! LOL!

YAY!

Been a LITTLE bit lax with my posting on here...no real excuses except for lack of motivation. Just didn't feel like it and just didn't have anything good to say. However, I HAVE done quite well with my eating, so that's a good thing! I've been successfully avoiding bad stuff and eating mostly good stuff.

Last week I made an amazing navy bean soup in the crockpot...it was sooooo good! I was very impressed with myself. Tomorrow I'm going to make a black bean soup (on the stove, not in the crockpot), so hopefully that will turn out nice.

Tonight is either going to be shake n' bake pork chops and stove top stuffing or chicken caesar salad. Either way...yum.

Food for the rest of the day:

• spinach and cheddar crepe-omelet (from a really good place called Cora's) - I had the other half of what I had yesterday when we went there
• a couple of strawberries
• toast (one piece) with almond butter (I've been wanting to try it and it was pretty good on toast!)
• raspberry smoothie

I'll probably have a snack at some point...perhaps a banana. Not sure yet.

Went to the gym yesterday AND today! YAY!!! I wasn't going to weigh myself today, but I was really curious, so I did...I have actually lost a bit! I'm down to 169.8 lbs. I was impressed, since I haven't really been getting much exercise...all I've really been doing is eating healthy. I guess it has helped. :-) Earlier in the week I went for a 40 minute walk outside before I went to work. At least it was something. My mom and I used to walk a bunch when I was younger...helped me lose weight back then, so I figured it was worth a shot now.

Ohhh, had an AMAZING nap yesterday! We laid down around 5:30pm and woke up around 9:30pm!! Ran out to grab some McDonald's (I had grilled chicken wraps) and then came home, laid around for awhile and went to bed again around 1am. Got up around 10am this morning. What a lot of sleep! It was nice.

Ok, one final thing...just wanted to add the little weight ticker, since there was a little change.

Almost the Weekend!

It's Thursday, which means it's almost Friday, which means it's almost the September long weekend! YAY!! So excited...nothing big planned, but after getting up early a few times this week, I'm very much looking forward to sleep!

May go to the drive-in on the weekend. It's an all-nighter, with 3 movies, so we'll see. Otherwise, just going to sleep, play, read, workout, etc.

Went to the gym this morning. I was the only one there for the first half hour. I love small gyms.

Food for the day:

• oatmeal
• watermelon
• chicken fried rice
• grapes
• egg salad sandwich

Pretty good day. I think blogging is helping me stay away from snacking in the evenings. I'm so busy doing this and entering my food and excercise for the day into The Daily Plate website, I don't have TIME to snack! LOL!

Ok, off to the couch I go. Need to lay down before I pass out!

Twice? In ONE Day??

Yes, I managed to go to the gym not once, but TWICE in one day! YAY! I was too sleepy to get my lazy butt out of bed yesterday morning, but got up today to go. Then, after supper, I went again with my woman. I just did a light workout, but it was nice. :-) I was very annoyed with myself yesterday for not going to the gym, so I'm very proud of myself for going this morning and then again this evening.

I had a very yummy lunch today. Wheatberry salad and a Campbell's Healthy Request soup bowl. Very good and pretty healthy. Then, for supper we had Subway. I love Subway. So good! I've been eating strawberries this week for my mid-morning snack and then grapes for my mid-afternoon snack. Tonight I cut up a watermelon, so that will be my mid-morning snack for the rest of the week. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

I know this is a short entry today, but I'm freakin' sleepy! Sometimes the early mornings kick my ass. Anyway, going to lay on the couch to watch/listen to my girl play guitar hero.