Finishing It Off

Hey Bloggies, I’m back again to finish off the day. I didn’t do much this afternoon except browse the latest issues of Eating Well & Best Health magazines. Sad, I know. I wish I was on a true vacation so that I could be all fun and active. Best Health magazine is really neat though, and initially caught my eye because it’s a Canadian publication. (!!!) It’s very Self-like, with sections on Looking Great, Getting Healthy, Eating Well & Embracing Life. I really like the fact that all the products referenced I can actually find around here. Plus it’s full of quality content and reasonably priced!

While browsing the mags, I did enjoy a 1/2c of Bay of Fundy Mudslide ice cream that my Dad was awesome enough to drop off yesterday. I am so spoiled. Actually, just pretty damn lucky enough to have parents that will drive an hour out of their way just to bring me tylenol, ice cream & OJ. :) This stuff is seriously yummy, won’t last long in the freezer!

”For the adventurous ice cream lover, explore a sweet assortment of decadent flavours including a thick tide of caramel surrounding chunks of chocolate-covered peanut butter cups, atop a blanket of rich chocolate ice cream”

Around 5ish, I decided to make a smoothie/slushie since my throat was killing and the belly was growling! Into the blender went – 1c strawberries, 1/2c blueberries, 1/2c unsweetened vanilla almond breeze & 1c water. Gave it a whirl…

Came out rather slushie-like. Plus it’s low in cals, around 125 for this entire huge glass! Just look at all those crunchy seeds, they totally made it awesome! I know, I’m weird – who likes the seeds? LOL

When J got home we went up to the bank, dropped off a perscription and then headed over to the Superstore to pick up a few things that I’d missed this morning. IE: the 50lb box of cat litter. ;)

*Insert Rant*
Ever since Angie posted about the Lobster Sub’s big return I have been wanting one. I made up my mind to try and have some solid food for Supper. Got to Subway and they have all the lobster meat but aren’t allowed to actually make the sandwich because they don’t have their promo posters up yet. WTF????? I was sooooooo disappointed and pretty much let the worker know that. Why would you even bother to tell me that you had the meat if you couldn’t serve it to me? I was a bit caught off guard so I went for the Roast Chicken Breast instead. Was not that same and totally sucked. Gah. Oh well, we’re probably going to head into the city tomorrow and I will get one then.
*End Rant*

6” Roast Chicken Breast on whole wheat w/ jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, green peppers, banana peppers, a bit of mayo & chipotle sauce.

Along with 3/4 bag of French Onion Sun chips

I shoulda just had the rest of my soup and some yogourt. Oh well. So this is me on track, 1500 calories and not a bite more!

J is now officially on vacation so we’re going to watch a movie tonight. Haha, we’ll see how long I make it.

Food Health - Natal Day Happenings

Evening everyone, hope you’ve all enjoyed this wonderful holiday weekend! What a great day I had with the fam celebrating my Dad’s B-day. We made some travel plans for next Summer that are going to be a blast, more on that later. ;)

Started out the day with a pot of yummy oats. Organic oats made with almond breeze, sliced banana and flax seed. Topped with more sliced nanner, hulled hemp seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, mini chocolate chips, a few goji berries, a spoonful of peanut butter & a drizzle of maple syrup.

We spent the morning in cleaning mode – kitchen was sparkling, all floors done, bathroom tidied and laundry done. Plus prepped the veggies and set out the table.

It was quite humid here, so I opted to wear a skirt and flowly top. Was nice to dress up a bit, even if we were just staying home.

Food Health-Biting The Bullet

This post could be negative, going over my failures at recent weight loss attempts. Instead, I’m choosing to make it positive.  I rock because:

No matter what, I NEVER give up. I’ve lost over 95 lbs by making lifestyles changes that have stuck.  Going back to the “old” me just isn’t an option because I don’t know that girl anymore.  The new, improved me is educated, knows what she wants and is doing what it takes to reach her goal.

That being said, the mojo just isn’t what it used to be.  Life happens, weight loss stalls.  Sometimes I feel like I’m too “into” it all.  Calories, sodium levels, exercise.  On occasion there’s enough going on inside my poor head to make the world spin.

So, I’m taking a step back and trying not to put so much focus on it all.  I already make healthy choices the majority of the time and I enjoy exercise, so there really shouldn’t be a problem.  I will succeed, and you know what? There is no deadline.  No deadline means nothing to worry about, nothing to stress over.   

Simplicity.  Which is why I re-activated my Weight Watches Online account this morning.  I need to give myself a break, see how far I’ve come and finish what I started at a pace that I enjoy.
 

This morning when I woke up, the sun was shining and I could feel the cool breeze coming from the patio doors.  Definitely has a Fall feel to it.  My favourite season is fast approaching! I love the cooler weather with beautiful sun, the crisp brightly colored leaves, apples, pumpkins & squash and Thanksgiving.  I’m hoping that next Fall we can take a road trip down through New England. 

Breaky was an opened-face egg sandwhich.


One egg fried in a tsp of olive oil on a slice of Ezekiel toast, organic baby spinach and topped with 10g of melted old cheddar & sliced tomato.


Along with some lovely Just Us (with organic sugar & splash of organic milk) and a juicy peach.



Didn’t get a chance to blog last night because I was too busy making these sinful treats for a wedding shower that I’m attending.


Chocolate Skor Cupcakes.  Recipe compliments of ZestyCook.  I admit to having a taste last night and they are heavenly!  According to my math they clock in around 300 calories each.  Good thing they are leaving my house today! ;)


 

Oh and I got our Supper prepped in the fridge.  I used this Balsamic Maple Pork recipe as the marinade (instead of cooking as the recipe directed) and am going to let the pork loin soak all day.  Going to be awesome grilled!

 
I’m off to tidy the house and get ready for the Wedding Shower.  Later!

Food Health-Organized

Morning Bloggies.  What a productive Sunday we had.  The house is de-cluttered, re-arranged and all nice and tidy!  We spent the majority of our day working on that with a little bit of reading/tv breaks in between.

For Breaky I had some delicious whole wheat blueberry pancakes. Used this recipe from Allrecipes.com with a few modifications. (Subing egg whites, almond breeze etc.)  They were awesome with some Nova Scotia Maple Syrup. Mmmm mmm.

 
Tea this morning instead of coffee.

 
I managed to cook us a few meals for the week in between the cleaning.  J has a big dish of spicy beans & rice and I boiled up a few eggs for some egg salad sammies pour moi.  Had one for lunch too, along with a peach.  Was on 2 slices of ezekiel bread with some organic baby spinach.



I took a break mid-afternoon to relax on the deck with my book before mowing the lawn.  Munched on a plate of organic granny smith slices and some cheddar cheese.  I had a little furry visitor on the arm of my chair. Hehe. I’m not one for bugs but caterpillars are okay in my books.

Food Health-Shower Fun

Evenin’ everyone.  Just relaxing for the night now, what a terrific day!  When I last left off, I was tidying up and had to get ready for Holly’s Bridal Shower.  Knowing that there would be tons of yummy temptations at the Shower, I planned to have a really filling meal before hand. 

Lunch consisted of 2 very tiny baked potatoes with 1 cup of steamed broccoli topped with homemade cheese sauce.  My belly was almost too full after this.

Shortly after, Holly arrived to drop her fiancé off to hang out with J while we spent the afternoon with all the ladies.  Posed for a quick pic before heading out.  All prettied up! ;)

Food Health-Travel Talk

Morning Bloggies!  Just getting into settled into my lovely long weekend, couldn’t sleep in this morning of course but guess it gives me a bit more time to catch up with all of you.

First off, going to ask for all your help!  We’re in the midst of planning a trip to the Dominican Republic for this coming March.  I know many of you have vacationed there, so please, please share your resort recommendations and any other tips etc.  We’re looking for all inclusive & beach front.

I’m thinking of doing a 30 Day Shred challenge with myself for the month of August.  I want to keep my fitness level up and this seems like the perfect way because it’s high intensity but not too long of a work out.  Might be a fun experiment, what do ya think? Anyone interested in doing it with me?

Last night we met with friends downtown for some yummy Dinner at the Mongolie Grill.  It was a beautiful evening to be out, lots of sun and a warm breeze.  The Monoglie is such a fun place to go because you get to pick everything that goes into your stir-fry.  They have huge veggie, meat & sauce stations set up and you get a bowl to go crazy with.  After you make your selections they have a huge open grill in the middle and you can watch your meal being made if you want. So neat and easy to make healthy choices! I think all the Halibloggers should go there for our next gathering. :)

My first course was this very spicy hot & sour soup.

 

My stir-fry was SO freaking good!!  I chose a mix of carrots, snow peas, bean sprouts, red cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, a couple scallops, a spoonful of baby shrimpies, some shanghai noodles and topped with a combo of curry & mongolie sauces.

I left the restaurant nicely full. :)  The four of us headed back to the house, started talking about our trip to the Dominican Republic this coming March! (Just looking at the pics online made me so giddy and it’s 7 months away, lol!)  We’re going to talk to a travel agent before booking anything but I appreciate all your recommendations!   I sipped on a nice mug of coffee while browsing the pics.

 
We spent the rest of the evening watching the movie 12 Rounds, which I thought was awesome, very action packed!  And, I wasn’t the first person to fall asleep, hehe!!!  Actually made it through the entire thing.  Must have been due to all the rest I got in the afternoon.

Guess I should go back and re-cap the rest of the day. Was really nothing special though…Breaky was a bowl of Kashi Organic Cinnamon Harvest cereal with a bit of icy milk. Some how my fridge temperature settings got turned WAY low and a lot of my produce and milk froze. Not Cool. :(  Glass of organic OJ too.

 
I spent 2 hours at the hospital waiting to get blood work and then stopped for a few groceries.  On the way out picked up Subway for lunch. My dreams of getting another lobster sandwich were just that, dreams.  Boo.  Instead, I had an old favourite, the Club.  Not as good as I remembered.  Processed meat just does nothing for me anymore, oh expect cause extreme bloat.  I got in 4L of h20 yesterday and am still majorly bloated this morning.  6” club on whole wheat w/ jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, pickles and a bit of mayo.

 
It was hot out, so I indulged in a small Moon Mist cone. (They were all out of cotton candy.)  Ice cream and I are getting along quite well this summer.. haha, I only stop for one every other day. ;)


Spent the afternoon in bed until I had to get up to tidy up the house and prep for our night out. 

Alright, that’s it… I’m off.  Please remember to leave your DR travel recommendations! Thx.

Fodd Health-Wonderful Warehouse…

We started out with the Hummus - House-made puree of Chickpea, Tahini and Olive Oil with Warm Marinated Olives and Pita.

 

It was SOOOO good!  Totally hit the spot too, since we were late eating.

I chose a light main course, the Warm Mushroom - Roasted Mushrooms, Baby Spinach, Pancetta Crisps, Feta, with a Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette. Terrific and just the prefect amount!


 

The rest of my day was pretty normal, except for one thing.  I was busy and found that my meals held me over well so there was no snacking.  Weird huh?

Wanted to share this pic of the beautiful roses on my desk – aren’t they just gorgeous? Love the colors.

 
So, food…
Thursdays I always have Subway for lunch.  My standard 6” Veggie on whole wheat w/ cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, banana peppers, a small squire of chipotle sauce and pepper.


Breaky was 2 slices of Ezekiel toast with organic peanut butter and Nova Scotia honey. 


Side of fresh Nova Scotia Blueberries.  These babies were fantastic!! Mmm, love fresh berries.

  
So that’s all I got for ya! I know I’m in desperate need of a good long catch up session on all of your blogs and I will definitely get to it soon.  I’ve been reading though, just haven’t had the chance to post comments.

Food Health-Natural Routine…

Apparently there are some routines that my body won’t let go of, even on weekends.  The 5:15 internal alarm clock being one of them. Guess it gives me time to blog, get caught up and then prepare for the day.

Today is the big community event my work is co-sponsoring.  I spent a lot of time getting stuff prepped and running around yesterday.  Looks like everything should go off without a hitch.  I’ll let you know how it all goes!

Didn’t do anything too crazy last night, just relaxed.  After hearing about Ang & her hubby hitting up the tennis courts, I thought it might be fun to pick up some gear for J & I.  We went up to the courts around 8pm and played for 45 mins or so. The area was lit up but it was getting pretty dark out.  We had a blast and I was sweating like crazy.  (Probably cuz it was still a zillion degrees out!)  We sucked big time though, LOL.  I think we managed to keep the ball going back and forth about 3 or 4 times in total.  The rest of the time we spent running after (and missing) the ball ;)

After tennis I plunked down in front of the TV and watched the movie One Week.  I really like the it, is totally different then anything else that’s out right now. Plus it’s all set right here in beautiful Canada!

”When confronted with his mortality, Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson) impulsively buys a vintage motorcycle and sets off on a road trip that starts in Toronto and ends up on Vancouver Island in the town of Tofino. Humourous, profound and extremely moving, One Week uses the great Canadian landscape as the backdrop to the story of a man and his life’s journey. In the search for himself, he finds out what makes this country, and his life, so beautiful.”
My Weigh-In:
I’m just rocking it since signing up for WWs Online again! This morning Mr. Scale shows me down 3.4 lbs to 189.2 lbs.  I’m almost back to my lowest of 188.8 lbs, should be able to pass that next week!  Oh and lost another point, which puts me at 25 points/day.

Food wise, yesterday was pretty fantastic!  Breaky was a Peachy Parfait. (Another Angie-inspired idea, lol!)   


I picked up a tub of Liberte Svelte Peach Yogourt at Planet Organic the other day.  I’d never seen this flavour before and was excited to taste it!  I had a serving topped with a fresh sliced peach, 1/2c Kashi Go Lean Crunch and 2 tsps of hemp seeds.  Delish!  This combo held me over for 5 hours, impressive.

Late morning I pulled out one of my fav treats of all time to snack on – a Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar!  These are soooo freaking good, I can’t wait for the new PB & Jelly one to arrive in Halifax.


Along with the salad I had some spicy hummus & Flatbread Factory Organic Black Pepper dippers.

 

The afternoon was hectic and crazy hot… by the time I got off work I drove straight for the ice cream stand to indulge in a small cotton candy cone.  Unfortunately, I was hot and irritated (The AC in my car isn’t working at all. :( Any ideas what this could be?) and couldn’t be bothered to snap a pic. 

Supper was a quick and simple veggie omelette with a side of organic whole wheat toast.  Sorry, these pics are oddly dark, not sure what happened.

 

Omelette was made of free range eggs & whites, organic red, green & yellow peppers, organic onion, old cheddar & a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

 
I may have cracked open the bag of Guiltless Gourmet Chipotle Tortillas for an evening munch.  Was my first time having this flavour; I thought they were pretty tasty, quite spicy.  J LOVED em!


Anyways, off to get ready for the day.  COFFEE time. :) Hope all the Halibloggers are enjoying this beautiful sunshine we finally have! Happy weekend everyone!

Food Health-Late Night

I had a simple microwaved egg sammie for break. Two slices of whole wheat toast, egg topped with a bit of melted cheddar, organic baby spinach & tomatoes.


Work was fairly hectic, but I managed to stop for a quick bite – a peanut butter oat cake.  A few of you have asked for the recipe - I will post it over the weekend.


Lunch was all about moderation(and the fact that I need to hit up the grocery store in a major way, LOL).  Another egg sammie, this one was cold with mayo, onions etc.  Along with a side of reduced fat pringles (I know, I know!) and a juicy peach.

Mid afternoon I snacked on a perfectly ripe organic banana.

 

For Supper, we all met up at Subway to grab a bite to take to the theatre.  Lobster subs are still available so I couldn’t resist!  6” whole wheat with double meat, lettuce, tomatoes, green pepper, a few onions & a small squirt of light mayo.  Mmm mmm.

 

I did have a bag of baked Ruffles as welll, but I ate them in the dim theatre and my camera doesn’t “do” dim lighting… :( hint hint hubby. ;)  Chugged my h20 all night, in hopes of flushing all the sodium I consumed today.

Off to get ready for work, Happy Hump Day!!