The secret garden...

My coffee this morning looked a little like a latte! Yummy! I've been making 8 cups of coffee on Monday mornings and then keeping the leftovers in the fridge and just heating up a cup at a time...this will all change when I get my super cute mini French press.... It's on my wedding registration, hint hint girlfriends.....

After my run this morning, I figured it would be the perfect time to show you some pics of my little garden. The pics are from my blackberry, so they aren't as nice I as I would like them to be, but they will do. Enjoy!

Strawberries - I planted this starter plant last summer, but strawberries take a full year to bear fruit. I CAN'T WAIT!

Sugar snap peas - from seeds. It's an amazing feeling to plant a seed and then watch it grow into nutritious food that tastes amazing!

Radishes!!!!

And my little herb garden - mint (in a bucket because it will take OVER everything) basil and parsley. I also have oregano and rosemary and I need to get thyme. Yay!

Friday Funday....

I guess that supposed to be Sunday Funday, but it's only Friday! And what a Friday! It's in the high 70's here in South Jersey without a cloud in the sky! Doesn't get better than that!

And guess what??? I got up at 5:45am again this morning! And I ran (trotted) for a solid 30 minutes! I need to drive my running route to see how far it is I'm actually jogging. Maybe next week I'll do that because when I leave work today, I'm going straight to the beach! Ahhhh, what a perfect weekend to be at the beach.

On to my eats....

Once again I wasn't that hungry this morning, so I'm continuing to listen to my body and I didn't eat until around noon. I had leftover couscous salad (that's my EPIC couscous...) with some leftover grilled chicken and grilled pork. I got scared that it wouldn't fill me up, but it did the job! I'll be finishing off the rest of the couscous tonight, I love finishing off leftovers! Doesn't make for exciting blogging, but I hate to waste food!

Fun with food pictures....I'm trying to get better at picture taking. It's a long road, I'm afraid..

Also snacked on a sunshine(y) orange for all the glorious sunshine we've had today!

A KIND Starbucks

Usually when I leave work (I leave around 3:30pm, I'm seriously so lucky) I am so ready to rush out the door and get to the gym - only to talk myself out of it before I get there. For whatever reason, I just want to get home. Well, today was a totally different story! I didn't rush out the door exactly at 3:30 and I decided to stop at Starbucks and treat myself. And then I made a leisurely trip out of my long commute. It was a beautiful day after all. I fully believe I was able to enjoy my commute because I ran, I mean trotted, this morning and I wasn't obsessing on getting to the gym. My alarm is already set for 5:45am for Friday!

At Starbs, I got a skinny vanilla iced latte and a Mango Macadamia Kind bar. This may have been one of my favorite eats of late - so so so good! It was a tropical party complete with steel drums in my mouth! You must try!

After some housework (boo) and a little fridge cleaning, a salad was born. I'm headed to the shore for the weekend, so I wanted to get rid of all our fridge stuff. My salad consisted of romaine, broccoli, green peppers, celery, carrots and 2 oz. sirloin with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Very delish.

I am currently sipping some wine with strawberries and trying to motivate myself to pack..... Most of the time I enjoy packing because I know I'm going somewhere fun, but I'm not feeling it tonight...... My fiancee keeps stealing sips of my wine, get your own!

Gotta love the Eagles coaster! :)

A runner I am not

However, I am a good trotter!

My lack of gym-going these days has had me down, so after some soul searching I figured out that I HATE going to the gym after work. I've always hated it. So, why have I been trying now for 6 months to do it everyday? I just don't know.

Remedy?

Set my alarm for 5:45am.

Ouch.

Or so I thought! It wasn't that bad! And it was chilly and light outside. I did not go to the gym, I simply ran in my neighborhood for 25 minutes. Well, I trotted in my neighborhood. It was really nice to be up and out of bed and have my exercise done! Now all day I've been fantasizing what I will do with my afternoon instead of dreading the fact that I still have to go to the gym. What. A. Revelation.

I think I will set my alarm at 5:45am again tomorrow. Life is good!

Despite my exercise this morning, I was not hungry for breakfast, so I listened to my body and I didn't eat until noon. What did I eat, you ask??

This beautiful homemade chicken soup. Nothing but veggies and chicken. Perfection.

Last night after my Maid of Honor and I shopped (found a rehearsal dinner dress! She didn't find the perfect dress yet, but she will!) we head to California Pizza Kitchen. Lots of girl talk, wedding talk and spring rolls! They were awesome!!

I ordered the Mediterranean plate with hummus, Greek salad and feta with some pita points. Perfect portion and delish!

My MOH ordered the roasted red pepper and goat cheese pizza on honey wheat crust - holy yum! I had a small piece - I could have eaten the whole thing! Is it weird that I have never ordered a pizza from here? I usually get their salads, but I will order this pizza next time!

We also had 2 glasses of wine and a great time!

Right now I'm picturing a grande iced caramel latte in my head..... maybe that dream will come true this afternoon....

Tata!

Down a pound!

Finally I am down a pound! Woo Hoo! I didn't think I would have a loss this week, but I did! Maybe it's all those salads :)

Those salads that I have NOT wanted to eat lately. We went out last night and I ended up ordering a Greek salad wrap that unfortunately was not even worthy of a picture. Sad. But it was salad, does that count for the "Salad Challenge"? I guess it's my game so I can make the rules! I say YES!

Breakfast this morning was a very satisfying bowl of oatmeal.

1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup water
pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp. almond butter
1 tsp. strawberry jam
handful of blackberries

Before -

And after -

Purple oats!

Lunch today was eaten during a meeting, so sorry no picture. It was a 6 inch Subway turkey on whole wheat. And I nabbed a cookie.....yummy.

Going out to dinner AGAIN tonight! One would think that I make millions....alas, I do not. But my Maid of Honor and I are going dress shopping! For her, not me, already ordered that dress! ;) My bridesmaids can whatever kind of dress they want, as long as it's black. So, tonight will be full of girl talk, dress shopping, and possibly sushi???? That sounds good! But I can't see myself justifying a salad with sushi.... Tata!

jkjkjkjkjkjkjkj

Sometimes a title is just better left as nonsense.....

Monday night was an event for the radio station that we've planning for quite some time. It was a lot of fun and a huge success, even if my eats weren't as successful... ;) More on that in a bit.

Today??? The return of yogurt for breakfast!!! Strawberry Chobani to be precise and some fresh strawberries. Last night, I noticed that this container of yogurt was all the way in the back of the fridge, consequently, it was a little frozen. (the back of the fridge is the coldest part) So I left it up front last night and all was thawed this morning, but the yogurt itself was a little grainy and not as thick. Hmmm... I hope it was still ok to eat because I did! It tasted fine, just not as creamy.....oh well....

I also noticed that when I eat oatmeal for breakfast, my hungry stays away a lot longer than when I eat yogurt. Makes sense, but I like to have the dairy and calcium in the AM. I don't eat a lot of dairy in the afternoon or evening. Anyway - just an observation.

Lunch was a blurry portion of my EPIC couscous salad, warmed just a bit for maximum gooieness (for sure a word) from the cheese....I dream of this salad.

And an open face steak sammy! I ended up eating the lettuce off and then the sandwich! On one half of a bagel thin with a Laughing Cow wedge (obviously, I think I might be somewhat addicted to these...) and 2 oz of leftover sirloin. All on top of a very classy paper towel. that's just how I roll.

Like my ring??? Me too! My good friend Andrea gave it to me! Sometimes I think that I'm a rock star..

I have this apple here that I am ready to devour as soon as my lip gloss wears off.

What?

You don't purposely put on lip gloss so you don't down all of the cookies in the break room at work, so as not to mess up said lip gloss? Oh maybe it's just me.

I definitely need to work on my picture taking skills! Everything is blurry!

Monday's eats -

coffee and blueberry oatmeal (1/4 cup oats, 1/2 water, blueberries and a teaspoon of almond butter)

More couscous salad for lunch and a grilled chicken sandwich. Nothing exciting except that couscous....it's really THAT good!

Dinner at the event was a cheeseburger and some cheesy poofs. I could eat an entire bag of cheesy poofs all by my lonesome. Easily. Last night, however, I had about 6 little poofs. Good willpower, good.

EPIC Couscous salad

Sunday night I wanted to make something for my work week lunches that wasn't the typical green lettuce salad with dressing. That can get VERY boring (coming from someone who's currently undergoing a salad challenge...). So, I came up with this simple and delish couscous salad loaded with veggies! You can add anything you want and I bet it will still taste amazing.

I started with this Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil whole wheat couscous, I followed the directions on the box, however, I used chicken stock instead of water... yummy.

In the meantime, I chopped all of my veggies. I didn't cook these veggies in any way. When the couscous was finished, I fluffed with a fork and dumped my veg in. Simple. Here is what I included -

1 small green pepper
1 celery stalk
6 mixed olives
6 grape tomatoes
15 baby carrots
1/2 cucumber

I ended up adding some mozzarella cheese after the mixture cooled down a bit. I also sprinkled some olive oil and some lime juice. Results??? Fan-freaking-tastic.

I figured about 4 points if I make it last as 4 portions. Can't beat that. Along side some soup or a sammy for lunch, this might be the perfect lunch combo. OOOh, imagine some grilled chicken on top??? And I think you could eat this hot or cold. I prefer it warm, the cheese gets a little melty and that, my friends, is good food.

Paper makes everything better!

As in paper plates!

Saturday morning was a little rough thanks a few too many glasses of wine....ooops... Ya know the best way to get rid of a little hangover? Get outside and get moving! The fiancee and I planted 1000 plugs of grass in our yard. Lots and lots of squats! Sunday was a little more laid back, we still had some grass plugs to put in the yard, but we weren't in such a hurry. Breakfast on Sunday was really an early lunch. I wasn't hungry until around 11am, so I went with a Morningstar Farms Chix Patty on a bagel thin with a laughing cow wedge and some romaine. All served on a very classy paper plate. :) Very satisfying for some more squats!

We squatted and dug and planted and plugged for a good 2 hours. All done! It feels good to know our grass (or the weeds...) will soon be a green, lush carpet of grassiness. Definitely a word...

We ran to Kmart for solar lights and then to the grocery store for some weekly staples. I'm making a couscous salad that will appear in my lunch posts throughout the week. I'll post the recipe tomorrow.

Dinner was slow grilled and smoked pork loin with steamed broccoli (I added a laughing cow wedge) and some leftover sweet potato fries. Yummy. Oh yeah, and a huge dollop of bbq sauce. It wasn't as big as it looks in the picture!

I'm currently sipping on some tea and waiting for my laundry to finish. Tomorrow I have to stay at work late for an event, so I don't think I will get a workout in. I wrestled with the idea of going to the gym at 530am and showering and then heading to work. However, I feel a little anxious about showering and getting ready at the gym. I don't know why, but I find the gym to be very intimidating. It shouldn't, but I always want to get in and get out as quickly as I can. Maybe one day I will try out the shower, but tomorrow, I think I will sleep in. ;)

A rough coouple of days...

So, in my efforts to mix up my eats a little bit, on Friday for breakfast I had oatmeal. It was really good, I forget sometimes how much I enjoy it. I mixed in blueberries and strawberries and some coffee. Delightful. I can't wait until I have strawberries from my garden! I already have flowers on the plant, so I hope we have a good harvest!

Now to the rough part.....

Friday afternoon a funk came across me. Don't know where it came from or what may have sparked it, but I felt like I could cry at the drop of a hat. I welled up with tears several times! And I was at work! How embarrassing... Anyway, I don't know what the heck happened, but it was a rough Friday. Very strange because I didn't get any bad news, I didn't get punched in the face by a coworker, I just felt sad. So I cried the whole way home! (that's an hour commute!!!) And then I felt 100% better! I think sometimes a girl just needs a good cry! I'm glad that I feel better, but in the moment I ate 2 chocolate chip cookies, an entire bag of M&M's and a bag of Twizzlers. No joke. That's not a lie. Needless to say I didn't feel good and didn't document any of my breakdown! I'm much better today and I'm feeling good, so all will be back to normal for dinner. Well kind of. I'm not eating salad for dinner, I figured I needed a night off. Pizza it is! Can't wait, I'll post the pics later. Thanks for listening to my emotional breakdown! Sometimes you just need to shed a tear and devour some M&M's. I'm over it, move up and move on. Nuff said!

No yogurt tonight in my coffee....

"No sugar tonight in my coffee no sugar tonight in my tea no sugar to stand beside me no sugar to run with me...." The Guess Who

He he he! ;)

I decided that I needed to change things up a little bit this morning. My old routine of yogurt and fruit in the AM is becoming exactly that - OLD! So, this morning I opted for some sprouted whole wheat toast, almond butter and strawberry jam ("and it has to be jam, f0r jelly is FAR to gelatinous for me" - Pierre Robert :) with some fresh strawberries on top. Of course, paired with coffee, for one delightful breakfast. Do you think I will bring back the yogurt tomorrow?? Only time will tell...


However, for lunch, the "same" bug got me - I ended up finishing the fava beans and pasta. I didn't take a picture because it's really ugly and you've seen it. At least 4 times!

Here is my problem....I am the only one who eats leftovers - the fiancee doesn't eat them, so instead of wasting them, I eat them! It just happens to get boring and a little old for the bloggy blog.... So here is a pic of the carrots, tomatoes and strawberries I snacked on after the pasta! Interestingly enough, I had the same thing yesterday as a side with my lunch. Oh bother....maybe I need some help!

I guess last night's dinner was a little bit of a change.... the fiancee made tacos and I had some of the fixin's on a bed of romaine lettuce, twas delish!

Last night rounded out a full 7 days on the "Salad Challenge". I feel really good, I think I look pretty good, but that mean scale has other things to say.... I'm not down any lb's, but I can totally tell a difference. So, I think I will continue the salad challenge as long as I can stand it. Only one time have I felt like I couldn't bare to take another bite of lettuce.

I found some extra motivation when I randomly came across a picture of the fiancee and I (pre ring days) in bathing suits! In a picture! I would die if someone tried to take a picture of me in a bathing suit today! It was quite eye-opening. I want to look like that on my honeymoon!

And btw, we booked 2 whole weeks in Hawaii last night!!! I can't believe I will be married and in paradise in a little over 4 months......ahhhh I can taste the Mai Tai's now........

I will definitely try to add a little variety in my diet, but I refuse to throw away food! I hate to do it! I'll take some tips from Loser for Life! Check out her post on adding a little variety...and cooking 2 meals!

Yogurt, yogurt, yogurt, I love (Greek) yogurt....kinda like scotch, scotch, scotch....

Will I ever get tired of yogurt for breakfast? I'm sure that I will, but it's a good way for me to get my calcium in and have a small(ish) breakfast for not a lot of calories. The pineapple will always be my favorite! Add some coffee and this was the perfect breakfast. Yumm.

I snacked on some strawberries and blueberries before lunch, I needed fruit in my life today. So thirst quenching.

Lunch was a simple ham and cheese sandwich and some carrots and tomatoes. Sometimes you just need to keep it simple, stupid......

Bagel thin love....

Can you believe that I had yogurt for breakfast on Tuesday??? OMG. I can't even imagine it.... (and an apple)

Leftover favas and pasta - really ugly dish, but so good. I should learn this recipe from my MIL. She cooks with great REAL ingredients. She's awesome. I mean it, she really is. Also had an orange and a mini Coke Zero - so cute!

Dinner was out at a bar while the fiancee and I watched the Flyers playoff game (and the Phillies...) I had the buffalo chicken salad (surprise...) and ranch dressing on the side. I also had a few beers, so instead of weighing in today, I'm putting it off until tomorrow.....The beer will be out of mu system by then! Do you feel bloated after a night out with a few adult beverages?? I do!

However, I'm feeling strong and a little bit leaner despite what that mean old scale is going to say! I'll find out tomorrow.... Also, the fiancee said that he can see a difference in my body and my face looks slimmer! Score! As long as he thinks I look good - that is motivation enough to keep the salad challenge going. Tonight I think he's grilling up something spectacular on the grill (depending on the thunderstorms) and I will promptly put it on top of a large salad.

I haven't been going to the gym regularly lately because I was doing so much exercise with the mulch, but today I'm headed back to the dreaded elliptical machine. It's time that we become friends again....

No more mulch monster

Finally we finished the 10 yards of mulch that was such an eyesore in our driveway! But after 7 days, several sore muscles and a lot of Advil, our whole yard is mulched and looking fabulous!! Before we tackled the rest of the yard work I had a bagel thin with ham, swiss and dijon mustard. Yummy. And some coffee.

After 4 and 1/2 hours, the bushes are in and the garden is ready! I planted radishes, lettuce, English peas and sugar snap peas (all from seeds) and I trimmed up the rosemary and mint. I'll have to get new basil, parsley, thyme and oregano plants. It's going to be a great harvest!

For dinner - a huge steak salad! Loads of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, grilled asparagus and 3 ounces of filet mignon. I mixed up some more low fat blue cheese dressing to go with it, total refreshment and satisfaction after a hard day of yard work!

I slept like a baby Sunday night after watching the ACM Awards (that's the Academy of Country Music) and slept in just a bit on Monday morning :) Breakfast was blueberry Chobani and some strawberries that I got on sale - buy one get one free!

Lunch was a buffalo chicken salad....now, I didn't plan on eating salad for lunch AND dinner with my salad challenge.... however, we just happened to have the perfect portion leftover from dinner last night, so I made a salad for lunch. I kind of didn't want to eat it... Too many salads! It was good, but I definitely didn't want another salad for dinner.....

I compensated with some Dove dark chocolate eggs :)

I was on my own for dinner because I was headed to the doctor's office. Nothing wrong, just a physical and to schedule some routine blood work. I can't tell you the last time I had my cholesterol checked...

Since I didn't really want a salad, I compromised with lettuce cups! Grilled chicken, carrots, cucumber on romaine lettuce with a drizzle of TraderJoe's Soyaki. Very good and filling!

Currently, I'm watching Anthony Bourdain and getting ready for some shut eye. Tata for now!