Easter Saturday…

…is the new Easter Sunday   This year, my Uncle didn’t have his kids on Sunday, so we improvised and had our Easter festivities the day before.  It actually worked out because then, we got to spend the day with my Dad’s side of the family on the actual holiday.  But don’t let me get ahead of myself…

Saturday morning began with a yummy breakfast, courtesy of Baker Street Bread!

Raisin Walnut Whole Wheat bread warmed in the microwave and drizzled with sugar free maple syrup <3  This stuff was fresh, and tasted as if it had just been baked in the oven!

Plus a mint chocolate chip green monster bowl for protein! 1/2 C. fat free milk, 5 ice cubes, handfuls of baby spinach, 1 tbsp. unsweet dark cocoa powder, sugar-free vanilla Torani, 2 drops peppermint extract, a pinch xanthan gum, and 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder.

I went to another ZUMBA class with the beautiful Toni, and had a good time.  I’m still not completely caught on to all the dances, but it was only my second time, so I’m okay with that.  After Zumba, it was straight for basketball!  Both the class and basketball were at the YMCA, so I just wasted time between the two. I packed a peanut flour & sugar-free blueberry jam sammie on whole grain bread for in between + some baby carrots [unpictured]

When I got home, the family had already arrived and the Easter shtuff began. 

There were eggs to be hunted and a pinata to be broken.  There were kids of all ages and sizes…we even had some first timers on our hands!

Doesn’t Bo make the CUTEST little bunny that you ever saw?!  If you look closely, you can see his little tail on the back of the outfit!  Haha.

It was a gorgeous day, too, unlike what the weather folks predicted, we didn’t have a spot of rain all day!

I just love Spring in general…it’s such a cool thing to see all the “new life” coming about around you!

Poppa FF, the charmer that he is, brought home a seasonal potted bunch of tulips for the Momma.  Isn’t he sweet? 

When the party came began to wind down, I started getting ready to go out.  One of the guys I play basketball with on Mondays and Wednesdays invited me to a movie! 

 

We decided on Scream 4, which turned out to be pretty good!  An unexpected twist at the end was something I definitely didn’t see coming!  We had an awesome time

XO.

Sleep = Success!

It is crazy what an impact a good night’s sleep has on a person.  I slept like a baby last night, and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I didn’t do ANYTHING exercise-wise after work, for once, so I wasn’t revv’d up before bed.

Breakfast tasted extra creamy & cookie dough-like.

(1/3 C. oat bran, 1 small banana, 1 1/2 c. water, sugar free vanilla syrup, pinch of salt)

I think it was probably because I used SO much water and the oat bran really plumped up in the refrigerator overnight! 

I washed it down with a shamrock shake pepperminty green monster.

(2 handfuls of baby spinach, 3/4 C. unsweet vanilla almond milk, 1 scant scoop optimum nutrition vanilla whey, 5 ice cubes, a little splash of water, and sugar free vanilla syrup + peppermint extract)

I drank this baby on the way to work, and made sure to wipe off my green mustache before I arrived at my building

So, instead of showing you the rest of my meals for the day, I’m going to get into some other, more exciting things!

Like the giveaway I won from one of my favorite NY bloggers, Katie! Woo hoo for free Oikos & Crofter’s jam!  Not to mention the organic soap, face care, lip balm, and tea! Thanks, girl!

Orrr maybe the fact that I had an appointment to do a walk through of a potential new home last night?!

 

Isn’t it cute?  A perfect little starter home.

I could see a lot of potential, as we walked through each room.  The kitchen was my favorite room, which is totally important!

I love the cabinetry and the fact that all of the appliances were included in the price!  Not to mention, they were Kenmore brand (which, I’ve known to last forEVER).

The one bathroom was pretty basic, but nice as well.  The sink and toilet were new.  My only complaint was that the “tile” in the shower was plastic.  That would definitely have to be changed, eventually.

There are tenants renting it now, so if you’re wondering why it’s furnished, you have your answer.  Another thing that I’d replace was the carpet.  Everything was very BASIC. 

I can’t wait to have my own space to decorate!  I love getting creative with interior design, so I think it was fun for me just to walk through and picture what it COULD look like with a little bit of personal touch

I ended the night with a Skype date when I got home!  My friend Casey (from California) OFFICIALLY booked his trip to PA to see me! :)  I’m so excited!!

XOXO.

BLACKout.

I guess it’s time to show you guys some of my meals as of lately, since it’s been awhile since I’ve done a regular post.  Breakfasts have been quick and easy, mostly things like Kashi 7 grain waffles and green monsters.

These babies are perfect for optomizing sleep time.  They literally take about 2 minutes to prepare…if that.  150 calories + the sugar free syrup.

Handful of ice, 3/4 C. unsweet vanilla almond milk, supercharge vanilla whey, lots of spinach, and a few blueberries. BAM protein powerhouse.

I realized while I got ready for work the other day that I wear a TON of black clothing.  It’s weird, because I love color…I just always choose a black base and then use colors as accents for some reason?  Is there a specific color that you tend to see as the majority of your wardrobe? 

It is pretty versatile, so I can easily mix and match it with a lot of different things…

Speaking of color, the flower guy that I bought Momma FF’s birthday flowers from put together quite a beautiful arrangement if you ask me!

She absolutely loved them   Maybe that’s where I get it… I am a total sucker for flowers. Roses are probably my favorite…completely classic.  I guess I’m a bit old school.  Lilies are pretty gorgeous, too.

Lunches have looked a lot like this:

Seasoned black beans, baby spinach, and forty spices hummus on Nature’s Own Double Fiber Whole Wheat bread.  Can you believe 1 slice has just 50 calories and 5g of fiber?!

Afternoon snackage:

Blackberries are in season!  I’m getting excited.  This means Spring/Summer MUST be close. 

After work, there have been NUMEROUS different forms of exercise to fill my basketball season void.

Ab ripper X : this guy is just as much of a tool as what he looks like here…BUT his workouts are pretty swell.

Then, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to strength training and conditioning with a bunch of guys from school.  Their coach runs them, and is a great motivator. 

Last night afterward, I had class so I had some leftover SOCCA pizza, which I made the night before, courtesy of Chelsey’s recipe, which rocked.

Socca crust (made with garbanzo bean flour), light ragu sauce, cooked mushrooms & onions, spinach, and nutritional yeast for cheese

She was right, it was SUPER easy to make.

It really filled me up after a two-hour workout, too.  I had never tried garbanzo bean flour before. It was a personal pan size, and the whole thing only ran at about 250 calories.

 And thennnnn in Nutrition class, a bit later, our “protein groups” for the healthy recipe assignment project had to do their presentations, leading up to a tasting of all the dishes.

Three bean salad, tofu confetti chili, honey balsamic bean salad, and protein pancakes.  This photo is a little deceiving since the plate was only about the size of my hand.  Haha. It was perfect for tasting a tiny bit of each thing.  I think my fave was the chili!

Afteward, we moved on to the next chapter, water soluable Vitamins

I think that this one should be fairly simple to understand…there really isn’t much to know about the composition, yet.  More so, the function, absorbtion, and benefits of the body from the vitamins.  Simple.

Well, that’s all I’ve got today. Ta ta for now, loves!

XO.

First Day Alone.

Pretty soon, you’re going to be tired of seeing the same old combination for breakfast.  I’ll apologize ahead of time, because I just can’t foresee anything looking more appealing to me in the morning than this combination.

(1/3 C. oats, 1 mashed banana, sugar-free vanilla Torani, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and 1/4 C. peanut flour)

The thing is, I learned something.  You MUST add a hint of salt to the peanut butter mix.  It takes things to a whole new level, which makes sense, since the best peanut butters I’ve ever tasted have a little added salt.  I used my Nutrasalt, which was the perfect addition.

I ate 1/2 of the mix at home and saved 1/2 for when I got to work…kind of glad I did since the lighting is so much better

I got a text from D with a timestamp of 7:43AM:

“Hey gorgeous, I’m at the airport, all settled in to wait.  I’ll text when I get to my connection.   Thanks for coming over last night”

It’s amazing what kind of comfort a text message can provide.  A little while later, around 10:30, I got a message from him again letting me know he made it to Charlotte.

4 meatless Quorn meatballs, 1 tbsp. Cedar’s garlic lovers hummus, & light ragu.  The huge side salad had a base of steamed kale, sliced yellow peppers, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes and peach balsamic glaze for dressing

Digging into lunch around 12PM was the only thing keeping me sane.  While in Germany, D won’t be able to use his phone, so communication will be limited.  He will, however have his computer.  I’m hoping for a Skype date this weekend…I’d like to see him on Valentine’s Day, but I don’t know how that will work, if at all, since the time difference is six hours.

1 slice Arnold 10 grain bread + 1 sonoma jack’s light pepperjack cheese wedge & sugar free apricot jam

Work dragged on as usual, and by the time 4PM rolled around, I was more than ready to get my butt in gear to hit the gym. 

Exercise is such a release for me, so I was really looking forward to meeting up with a girl on my team in the fitness center before practice at 5PM.

Dethawed, frozen pineapple pre-gym was necessary for a little natural sugar boost.  I also picked up some cherries walking back to my car from work since I go right past the farmers’ market.

Just as I finished up my 20 minute quickie on the Cross Ramp, my phone lit up…not that I was staring at it the entire time…:)  At 4:45PM, I got a text that read:

“Hey baby, I’m gonna get on the plane to Germany in a minute.  I’ll talk to you as soon as I can, honey.  I miss you already! Good luck this week with your games!”

My heart totally melted and I felt a sense of total peace after I said a prayer asking God to keep him safe.  He just has a way with me… I don’t know how else to describe it.

By the time practice was over, I’m pretty sure I had the whole team saying a prayer for his trip   Oh yeah, and I had burned 870 calories.  As soon as I got home, I was craving something cool and refreshing.

(1 handful frozen spinach, 2/3 C. almond breeze, 3/4 C. canned pumpkin, sugar-free vanilla Torani, 1 scoop vanilla whey)

You see, dinners for me consist of a mish-mosh of different cravings.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  While my veggies were roasting in the oven, I nuked a little cheesecake oat muffin.

(1/3 C. oats, 1 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese +1 tsp. peanut flour+sugar-free vanilla Torani)

I actually ate a spoonful of fat-free chocolate fro-yo with this and it was like chocolate cheesecake!  It held me over quite nicely until the rest of my meal was ready to eat!  One thing I realized, is that I can really make a mess in the kitchen.  I re-use as many dishes as I can while I’m preparing things, but I ended up with a lot of clean-up!

Totally worth it, though, am I right?!

2 Parsnips, green beans, baby bella mushrooms, sliced zucchini, and broccoli with a little dipping trio on the side of light ragu, Cedar’s cucumber & garlic Tzatziki, and Cedar’s garlic lovers hummus

A good old veggie roast was just what the doctor ordered to replenish my body …in fact, a food baby was born.

Don’t worry, though, there’s still room for dessert…especially on my first night alone :-/  Chocolate was definitely in order.

Now that I was aware of how vital salt is in my peanut butter creations with peanut flour, I couldn’t wait to try out some more.  It makes a WORLD of difference, I’m telling you.

I made little peanut butter/chocolate sammies, which were divinee <3  Check out the little flax seeds in the chocolate!  Outstanding.  Newtree Belgian Biscuit chocolate + Peanut flour paste (made the same way as in my breakfast bowl) is my favorite dessert.  It even overrides Arctic Zero ice cream.

I think my first night on my own wasn’t too bad.  I was happy with the way we left things.  We had an awesome night together before he left.  I completely adore his family and cannot wait to visit them again…oh yeah…and to visit him!  Only a couple of months and I’ll be on a plane to Denmark!

Thanks so much for all of your supportive comments and prayers for D.  I appreciate them more than you can imagine!  Blog friends are best friends, and I love each and every one of you 

XOXO.

Dippy.

I found myself belting out this song on my way to work today   Whether it was because I got a full 9 hours of sleep last night (after being deprived for the past three nights), or the fact that I was juiced up on a bangin’ breakfast, I don’t know, but here it is…

“You are strength in my weakness and you are the refuge I seek,
You are everything in my time of need, You are everything,
You are everything I need”

-Kutless

Yesterday, however was a different story.  There was no belting…I had NO energy.  As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, I really enjoy two part breakfasts.  Getting the best of both worlds is always a WIN in my book.

(1/3 C. oats, 1 mashed banana, 1/4 C. peanut flour, sugar-free vanilla Torani)

That’s not all!  I went to bed last night without much in my belly, mainly because I was too tired to put any effort into a well rounded meal.  Since I had already burned a good 800 calories (probably more, but that’s I have on record from my HR monitor), I couldn’t stay full for long.  There were many mini meals eaten throughout the day to keep my metabolism pumpin’.

Breakfast part II was a handful of Quaker caramel corn cakes dipped in Honey-nana Kids’ Chobani! 

Mmm.

 Being a walking zombie is no fun…let alone trying to get through a 2 hour basketball practice feeling like one.

(2 slices Arnold 10grain bread with 1 egg+1white and Forty Spice Hummus)

 It helped a little bit that I was properly fueled, though, for sure.  If I learned anything today, it’s the fact that the “dippy” part of the egg is highly UNDERRATED.  I know a lot of people get grossed out because it’s gooey and slimy, but the yolk taste MADE this sammie…it’s also got a lot of nutrients!

(Romaine shreds, broccoli, cucumbers, orange pepper, shroomies and Mardona cherry balsamic glaze)

And you know I had to have some greens on the side.

I don’t even remember what else I accomplished at work.  Honestly, everything is so hazy from exhaustion…and to think at this point, my day wasn’t even close to over yet.

Before practice, I had some Chocolate & Banana Nut Cheerios mixed (1/2 C. of each).  Sure there’s a bit of sugar in the ingredients, but I love dry cereal…I figure if that’s the worst thing I eat during the day, I’m doing alright

I also munched on some frozen grapes…because everyone knows the cure to tiredness is sugar, right!?

Turns out I had enough left in me to put out 738 calories at practice!  I did a little bit of ab work with my friend, Steph in the gym beforehand, too.  *Mental note: trying to take a snapshot of your heart rate monitor while you’re in your car leaving the parking lot will get you a few funny glances.

(Handful frozen spinach, 3/4 C. Almond Breeze, 1/8C. peanut flour, sugar-free Vanilla Torani)

When I got home, I just wanted to crash…but I knew I’d hate myself in the morning if I didn’t eat anything for dinner, and soon my appetite caught up to me, giving me all the motivation I needed to throw some things together.

I roasted parsnips, yellow pepper, butternut squash, and baby bellas at 420° for 17 minutes (all except the bnut was sprinkled with Nutrasalt & pepper.  Bnut was splenda & cinnamon) with reduced sugar ketchup for dipping.

Dessert was after cleanup (meaning my shower & dishes).

(1/4 C. peanut flour, 1/3 C. oats, 1/4 C. Udi’s cranberry granola, sugar free vanilla Torani to taste, cinnamon, 1/4 C. fat free cottage cheese)

It seriously tasted like peanut butter cheesecake!  <3  NOM.

Lots of you are asking me about what I will do with the TJ’s peanut flour being discontinued…Truth be told, I live no where near a Trader Joe’s, unfortunately, and have been ordering mine online from Southern Grace Farms!  Check it out!  I’ve found these to be the best prices with shipping taken into account. 

What do YOU do with your peanut flour?  I like to use mine for peanut flour pancakes and peanut paste!  I have yet to try baking with it, but I can’t wait to experiment!

Any exciting plans this weekend?  I will be spending most of my time with D, hopefully!  Class and practice on Saturday and church & Superbowl on Sunday! Who are you cheering for?! My Daddy is a STEELERS fanatic, so I will be in black & gold!

XO.

Excitement.

If I haven’t told you yet, there’s a bit of excitement in my life as of lately.

Yeah, I get excited about wholesome, healthy food like my breakfast this morning in green monster form

(3/4 C. unsweet vanilla almond breeze, 1/2 C. canned pumpkin, 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1 handful baby spinach, 3 ice cubes, sugar free Torani syrup, & cinnamon)

I slurped this down in all of it’s Shrek colored glory and contemplated leaving my seafoam mustache for the entertainment of my co-workers.

Instead, I swiped a towel along my lips and packed up some twiggy cereal (Fiber Select) for munching on at my desk, mid-morning.

But hey, back to the excitement.  Remember back when I was torn about the fact that a guy I really cared about was leaving for Airborne school and immediately following, Germany?  Guess what? He’s got three weeks leave.  And he’s already made his way to see me.  We’re getting together this weekend, too. :):)

On a very opposite end of the spectrum, some of you have asked for MORE pictures of me on the blog.  Not sure why, exactly, but ask and you shall receive.  Soooo this is me, unexcited…at my desk, staring down a huge pile of work.  Note: I like to match my cardigan to my morning smoothie…Ha.

That’s what I do.  Process paperwork.  All.Day.Long.  It’s not so bad, actually.  I’m being dramatic.  Love my co-workers, though.  Recently, one of them sent me an email asking me about my blog!  She apparently loves food blogs and came across mine in her readings!  How cool, right?  Hi Michelle

Lunch was a fabulous spread of leftovers from the dinner party.  I packed a hugeee salad with greens (spinach, lettuce, romaine), tomato, mushroom, cucumber, broccoli, and cauliflower topped with a naked chicken breast and MarDona Cherry Balsamic Glaze. 

You thought I was kidding about a HUGE salad?  You should know, I don’t kid about the size of my salad

Then for whole grains I had a slice of 10 grain bread with 1 tbsp. fat-free strawberry cream cheese and a fuji apple for dessert.

After walking back to my car in the frigid 9 degree weather yesterday, I snacked on this Granola Gourmet bar on my way to the gym.  Ultimate Mocha Fudge was fantastic!  This company just started making individually wrapped bars which are totally convenient.  Thanks, Nancy! LOVED this flavor.

At the fitness center, I ellipticalled for about 20 minutes before some ab work.  Then practice began at 5, just as usual and 2 hours and 48 minutes later and I was down 839 calories with an average heart rate of 111. 

When I got home it was already time for girls’ night and the Bachelor!  Everyone was noshing on chips, cookies, and pretzels, but since it was at my house and I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, I rounded up some post workout refueling goodies.

A slice of 10 grain toast with Sonoma Jack’s light pepperjack cheese + sugar free polaner apricot jam <3

A huge plate of roasted kale chips and some of their shroomy baked friends.

A buncha egg whites swiped in some Forty Spices Tribe hummus and a few others filled with light Ragu.

I think that this episode of the Bachelor just verified what the girls and I had been talking about since the season started.  The producers are REALLY playing up the details of each girls’ fears, past experiences, and trouble areas.  For example, they survey the girls to find out their biggest fears and base the dates around them for optimal entertainment.  Biggest fear: heights = a date repelling down a sky scraper. Biggest fear: open water = a date scuba diving. 

 I guess that’s what you get for going on reality TV to find a husband!

I also had a big bowl of this cereal + unsweet vanilla almond breeze between commercials. 

Not a fan of the fact that sugar was second on the ingredient list for this stuff, but you win some, you lose some, right?

  Betcha can’t guess what was for dessert!

A few blocks of my favorite chocolate barrrrr.  NewTree Belgian Biscuit Dark Chocolate.

Swoon.

PERFECT ending to my night…Along with the fact that I received a pretty sweet goodnight message from D. <3

Did you watch the Bachelor last night?!  What do you think of Michelle?!

Xo.

Fact or Fiction Friday.

Fact: Being a child of God is the most rewarding action you could ever take.

Fiction:  God expects you to be the perfect example.

Fact:  The creator of the Green Monster was an absolute genius.  Breakfast will never be the same thanks to Angela & her beautiful creations.

Fiction:  You can’t mix kale, pumpkin, Vanilla Chai Amazing Grass, and Unsweet Almond Breeze with sugar-free coconut Artista syrup & expect it to taste good.

Fact: I probably should’ve kept blending a bit further to reduce the kale chunkage.

Fiction:  That’s what stopped me from licking every single inch around the rim of the blender cup.

Fact:  I love Janetha G. because she comes up with things like fat-free cottage cheese mixed with 1 tsp. of ranch seasoning & garbanzo beans for atop a cucumber kale salad.  WEIRD that she had the same(ish) thing for lunch yesterday after not making it forEVER.

Fiction: I should probably go eat more sodium now.

Fact:  A bottle of Garlic Gold is kept in my desk drawer at all times for emergencies

Fiction:  I always stay completely on task at work and never surf blogs.

Fact:  I’m probably going to look as though I’ve got Jondis due to the copious amounts of squash, pumpkin, and carrots in my diet. 

Fiction:  I can cure the discoloration with some Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB, a la HEAB, right? 

(She told me just to smear a little nut butter on the squash butt, and I’m SO glad she did )

Fact:  Before this kick-butt session of basketball open gym, I downed a red pear that went unpictured.

Fiction:  I was thrilled about the fact that we got kicked out a little early because the volleyball players needed the gym.  6:30PM start time supposedly means 6PM set up.

Fact:  This view on my drive home distracted me from my hunger (along with a HUGE bottle of water that I chugged)

Fiction:  My parents would proudly support this picture taken while driving Peter’s Mountain…

Fact:  Golden Corn Vitatops are just as delicious straight from the freezer as they are warmed up.

Fiction: I knew exactly what I wanted to make for dinner.

Fact:  I decided I was in the mood for some quick and easy protein in the form of egg beaters with sugar-free coconut Artista syrup & cinnamon.  Ya know, like the lazy girl’s, coconut version of Danica’s Mock French Toast.

Fiction: Patience is a strength of mine, making it easy for me to occupy my time while these were cooking up in the microwave.

Fact:  I came to the conclusion that this stuff is delicious with ANYTHING.  The possibilities are endless & I plan on utilizing every last one before the bottle empties

Fiction: There’s no way I could consume an entire butternut squash in one day.

Fact:  I did…in two different sittings, but I did, none-the-less.  “Baked” in the microwave doused in cinnamon & coconut sugar-free syrup, indeed.

Fiction: It was disgusting.

Fact:  In a total turn of events taste, I roasted some broccoli & cauliflower for another dinner side with salt, pepper, and minced garlic.

Fiction:  You probably would want to kiss me after I ate this.

Fact:  I had my second green monster of the day for dessert.  That’s right, proud repeat offender right here.

Fiction: I would never eat two chocolate VITATOPS with cool whip free smooshed between them for dessert #2 and not take a photo for the blog

HAPPY FRIDAY LOVERS!

Tonight consists of a gym session after work, followed by a shower, dinner, & our homecoming football game!  Go Wildcats!  I won’t lie, I’m getting nervous…something about going back to the old “high school scene” makes me nervous…am I ridiculous or what?! 

XOX.

It’s here, it’s here!

Verse of the DAY:

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:”

- Proverbs 31:10, 27-28

Imagine my excitement when I came home to find my camera had come in the mail!!!  I went a little crazy experimenting with all the different settings, but was a little limited on time, considering I had THIS beast of a mess to tackle when I got home from work.

transition from winter/cold to spring/warm clothes!

See, when I do “spring cleaning” in my bedroom, it’s an all or nothing kind of thing.  Something that rarely gets completely finished in just one night.

I tore EVERYthing out of my closet in order to re-arrange.

Tooooo many sweaters, coats, and winter goods taking up precious closet space!

I was pretty proud of the result, but it still isn’t quite finished. 

clean closet! you can see the floor.

 There’s a lot of organizing to be done.  Anyone have suggestions what they do with their shoes to keep them out of the way, but in an organized manner that makes them easily accessible??

Anyway, for dinner, I whipped up some veggies & shiritaki noodles.

veggies & noodles.

I’m not sure how the amazing shiritaki noodles manage to contain just 40 calories per package, but I’m not complaining, that’s for sure!  I melted in a Sonoma Jack’s cheese wedge & topped it off with 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast powder. 

yeasty. haha.

The veggies were just steamed in the microwave.  In the mix, there’s green beans, broccoli, red pepper, onions, and mushrooms.  The sauce I used for veggie dipping was just some reduced sodium soy sauce mixed with SF syrup & chili powder.

steamfreshh.

OH!  Before I forget, I wanted to show you what I got to play with on Sunday night that I forgot about until I was browsing through my pictures:

we just met.

 I was a little shy when she first started snuggling up to me, but eventually we became friends

her name is Lucy.

She was a Ball Python, named Lucy after Lucille Ball…get it?

Anyway, back to the story…

After dinner, I got changed from my grunge cleaning clothes into my jeans & a cute black top to go to the little sister’s band concert at our high school.  She can’t wait to quit band.  She’s getting to the point where the only people in band are “losers” and she swears this was her last year, even though my parents would tell you differently. 

Isn’t she a cutie?

she plays the flute!

She looks entirely too grown up to be 13 years old though, am I right?  I don’t like it.  Not one bit. 

cutest out of the bunch! maybe I'm bias...

Post concert, I went home to a basement full of college kids.  My sister was supposed to be having a campfire at our house before she left for Regionals with the Messiah Softball team, but decided against it since the weather wasn’t really cooperative.  I didn’t want to crash the party, so I kept my distance, finishing up cleaning my room & packing my lunch for today.

I love how easy this Easy Lunch Box System is! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win your very own!

veggies, fat free hot dogs, homemade honey mustard & a flat out with sonoma jacks. TYPICAL.

Okay, so maybe my lunch is getting a little redundant…but I LOVE it and look forward to it everyday at my desk…I know I need to start mixing it up, but it’s got the perfect balance of veggies, protein, whole grains, and low fat dairy   It’s a hard habit to kick!  I guess it could be worse?!

Lemme break it down:

packed!

Veggies: Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, yellow pepper, cherry tomato.

Protein: 97% Fat Free Hebrew National hot dogs (2 @ 40 calories each & 6g protein, 1g fat)

Whole Grains: Light Flat Out (90 calories, 9g fiber, 9g protein, 2.5g fat)

Low Fat Dairy: Sonoma Jack’s Cheese (25 calories, 1.5g fat, 2g protein)

Dip: 1/8C. SF syrup (10 calories, 0g fat) + French’s mustard (0 calories, 0g fat)

Totals? Approx. 300 calories, 6g fat, 23g protein, 15g fiber

You don’t mess with perfection, folks

I did miss my workout tonight, but I’ll bet I burned some calories running around like a mad person trying to finish my room!  Oh, and I also did 3 sets of 30 “in-and-outs” for my abs, which isn’t much but something is better than nothing, correct?

I treated myself to a Green Monster in a bowl before bed for a job well done.

spinach, diet v8 splash, & some frozen cantaloupe, honeydew, & peaches.

In the words of porky pig….

That’s all, folks!

XO.

Cinco De Mayooo

El verso del día:

“No esté preocupado por nada, pero en todo, por oración y petición, con acción de gracias, presenta sus peticiones a Dios. Y la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa toda la comprensión, protegerá los corazones y sus mentes en Jesucristo”.

- Philippians 4:6-7

Translation:

Verse of the Day:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 4:6-7

I figured I needed a little Mexican flare included in today’s post in honor of Cinco de Mayo  

Yesterday started out with the typical cereal & protein milk breakfast:

It’s like cereal & smoothie combined!

1 scoop Optimum Nutrition cake batter whey + ice + water + frozen strawberries mixed with my Fiber Select.  I’m sorry again, if you’re bored by my breakfast, but I love cereal! <3

Lunch was consumed around 12:15PM at my desk.

Veggie tub.

Carrrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli & cauliflower on the bottom.

Flat Out Light, Sonoma Jacks Light, & honey mustard tuna salad.

For the tuna salad, I mixed 1/8 C. sugar free syrup with mustard, then added some diced orange pepper and about 3/4 can of light chunk tuna.  At my desk, I made a cream cheese roll up with my wedge of Sonoma Jack’s & Splenda. 

When I got home from work, I needed a snacky. 

carb + protein.

This snack has been winning me over these days…Oikos greek yogurt mixed with 1/8 C. sf syrup & cinnamon with a gala apple for dipping….Swoooooon

I would love to say I worked out for the next two hours, but I had bigger plans in mind.  It WAS my Dad’s birthday, and we didn’t get to have his birthday dinner last night since my Mom and sister both had softball games. I sneaked around and got some things done while he thought I was working out, since that’s what I do everyday after work!  I did go down to start biking, so he wouldn’t think anything was up, but as soon as he left to take the little sister to her game and I got to work!

Step 1: Mix the batter – added 3 eggs, 1/2 c. oil, & 1 1/4 c. water.

I also added my own SECRET ingredients!  Don’t worry Dad, I didn’t lie to you, there was no chickpeas, spinach, or hummus involved   (He actually asked me before he ate it to make sure! haha)  Just some Hershey’s chocolate syrup for some extra moisture and a few chunks of Hershey’s chocolate bar stirred into the batter!  I wouldn’t be eating it, needless to say, so I just wanted to make sure it tasted delish for him.  I wasn’t too concerned about making it healthy. 

Icing: 2 c. powdered sugar, 1 tbsp. marshmellow, 1 tbsp. peanut butter, 1 tbsp. crisco, 1 tsp. vanilla, & milk (until reaches desired consistency)

My Daddy loves chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, so that’s exactly what I wanted to give him!  Poor guy didn’t have much of a birthday celebration, since he had to work all day & was running around keeping up with schedules all night .

It was SOOO hard to squeeze the icing through the TINY design tubes!

Thennnnnnn, I cleaned everything up, ran to Giant to pick up his faves: Diet Green Tea, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup ice cream, Riesins, and some sugar free cinnamon rice pudding!

I came home and made some dinner:

Steamed broccoli with Light Ragu for dipping.

I went for quick and easy since I didn’t want to clean up TWICE.   While I was waiting for the broccoli to steam in the microwave, I packed my lunch.

Cinnamon sugar chickpeas.

For protein, I added some chickpeas to a bowl and stirred in some cinnamon & sf syrup. 

Allll together, now.

Dinner is served!

+

this bad boy for good measure

my little orange friend.

After I was finished with clean up, I went downstairs to bike for about an hour and some odd minutes burning about 330 calories, until the family started arriving home.  Then, I showered, and got my gifts together!  We finally got to sit down with my Dad to relax and celebrate! 

We sang “Happy Birthday“

Love ya, Dad!

Gave him his gifts:

new sneaks!

From my Mom, he got these New Balance sneakers along with a new gold cross pendant for his chain that had been broken. 

Here’s my card

This was the funny/cute one that I got, but I also gave him a more sentimental one that I’m not going to share on the blog.  I couldn’t decide between the two, so I got them both!

Anyway, I was so excited to give him his gift from me, and I was so glad he loved it!

Our seats!

He’s a huge Steelers fan, so I got us tickets to go to one of the pre-season games in September against the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field.  We actually went to one last year (my Father’s Day present to him!) and had a blast together.  I never really get time with him the way I’d like to, so this was kind of a selfish gift, but I know he’ll have a blast, too!

The night was finished off with cake & ice cream for the family, and this beauty for me:

love this psu mug!

It had Diet V8, frozen fruit, & spinach in the mix.  YUM-O.

Happy Cinco De Mayo, errbody!

And On The 7th Day…I Rested :)

Here are some more photos that my sister just sent me from her camera the night of the Ball!

gorgeous decorations.

being goofy pre-dancing.

My sister and I in our aviators

more decorations.

my dancing partner & I.

The dance was awesome, actually.  The first 2 hours, there was a live jazz band that played swing music and we were actually able to learn some dance moves!  I had it down pat by the end of the night!   The second half of the dance, they played music up through each decade, which was also really neat.  We loved the old school, “Eye of the Tiger”, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, but got even more excited when teenie bopper songs from back in the day came on from the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and N’Sync!  Haha.  It was a blast.  Eventually, they were playing current day music too, but that was probably the LEAST fun!

Seester FF and I were exhausted, but I had a blast spending the night at school with her.  I even got to stay with her in the dorm since her roommate was away!  Thanks for sharing your bed with me, Sarah! 

ohhh, the joys of college life.

 We got up around 9:30 AM to start getting ready for church.  Our friend, Hainey was coming to pick us up at 10:30 for the 11AM service.  She calls herself our surrogate mom.  Momma Hainey is awesome.  She’s been there to support all three of us girls in sporting events over the years and we met her through our Mom, since they had been co-workers for years. 

 After getting ready, I made my breakfast around 10AM.  I had my greek yogurt + Fiber Select that was packed up in my cooler.  I knew I wanted some additional flavor in the yogurt, so I nosed around the dorm until I found something I could use in the tea stash that the sister kept.  I was thinking key lime pie sounded like a yummy breakfast, no? 

True Lime + Equal to the rescue!

Allll mixxxed up 

cute striped sheets!

This was surprisingly tasty! 

chomp, chomp, chomp.

It held me a good four hours until after church & until we made it home!  Momma & sister FF had a bridal shower to go to at 2PM, so when I arrived, I made some lunch. 

1 can french cut green beans + ff hot dog sandwich with reduced sugar ketchup & mustard on a light whole grain english muffin.

These Hebrew National hot dogs amaze me.  SO good, and only 40 calories each!  

savory.

There’s something about plain canned green beans that I just crave sometimes?  Maybe it’s all the sodium…haha.  1 can=65 calories.

wholeee bowl.

After lunch, I brewed another pot of coffee for icing refrigerating.

the brew.

I was excited to find that the necklace that my parents gave me for my 21st birthday (back in August) was finally finished and back from being engraved!  Apparently there were a few issues about it being so tiny.

it reads, "Sami 21".

I got some housekeeping stuff done, uploaded my photos, & relaxed for awhile.  I tried to get my prescription refilled since I was out, but apparently I’m due back for another testing before they’ll write me a new one!  Which ultimately means….moreeeee bloodwork  Ugh.  I hateeeeee needles.

When the rest of the family got home, we watched “Remember Me” (or part of it) on my laptop, but everyone kind of dispursed in the middle.  Momma FF stopped at McDonald’s on the way home, so the family had that for dinner, while I cooked up a box of my Fiber Gourmet to be included in dinner.

rationed out.

It says there are four servings per box, but I divided into three’s.

Along with one of these containers for dinner, I drank a green monsta.

spinach, apple, diet v8, & some SF raspberry syrup.

I had a handful of almonds & pitted dates for dessert that went unpictured, too.

You better believe that I was in bed by 8PM.  Haha, any denture soaking tips, Whit? I felt like a grandma, too!  I don’t know how the college kids keep up with that kind of lifestyle on a daily basis!  I’d be DEAD!

On that note, Happy Monday!  Hope all your weekends were hoppin’