In a Funk???

Sorry I was not blogging earlier. My boss is out on vacation and I am super busy at work. That and I am afraid I am getting into a FUNK! I tend to get like this when I am injured and feel sidelined. This morning I slept in till 7 am because I was planning on staying home until I took my dog to the vet. Unfortunately my remote access on my work computer was not working so I had to go in. Sorry puggy! Maybe tomorrow..... Poor little guy, he is itching like crazy everywhere.

I took a motrin 800 this morning and it seemed to take the edge off. My lower back on the left side is giving me 'Fits".

Breakfast today was something new and yummy..... Nature Path Flax and Granola Clusters cereal with 1% milk. I also had an egg fried in Pam. Are you surprised? LOL! Gotta get that protien in...

Snack was an apple with the last of my almond butter. Lunch was leftover eggplant parm. Soo good but I ate to much of it. No late day snack, too much parm!

I also have heard a rumor that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks starting today. Hummmm, I may have to check it out tomorrow. That is definately a habit I don't need to get into right now. Not the best for you and expensive but oh so good. The latte will make a nice treat for the weekends.

Dinner tonight is pork tenderloined seasoned with a dijon glaze and steamed brocolli. I love the glaze because it is sweet.....

Tomorrow is my first visit with my new trainer Jolene. She will be getting Ana and myself ready for the fitness competition we are planning on doing in March. Not sure what to expect, I will let you know though! She is going to size us up......... A bit nerve racking.

Here is to hoping this FUNK goes away.

A few more snacks yesterday

Yesterday did not plan well and needed to add in a few extra snacks. The chicken I made for lunch was good but I microwaved it too long so it was tough.

The extra snacks were a Fage 2% Greek yogurt with cherry, a pink lady apple and a handful of unsalted almonds.

The Eggplant Parmesan I made for dinner was great! I could not even tell it was low fat / baked. I had two servings.......... Oink, oink...

Crabby on Tuesday

This morning I woke in a foul mood. Chris kept me up late then we got into a fight about me picking him up from the game. I slept till 5:30 am then headed downstairs for pre-workout breakfast. I did my usual a hard boiled egg with some Lawery's seasoning.

I decided to switch up my lifting days and do legs earlier in the week. So this morning I did a 10 min warm up and stretch then off to the machines. I am feeling tight in my hamstrings and get a burning sensation when I lift heavy weights on my legs. Also my lower back is acting up. I feel like I am 80 some days.....

Post workout breakfast was 1/2 cup of oatmeal with strawberrys and blueberrys + one egg fried in Pam. Snack today was a Pure bar + mixed nuts. Lunch will be a frozen chili seared chicken breast and some frozen veggies. Late day snack will be an apple and almond butter.

Hopefully a better mood is on the horizon!

Welcome back Monday

Morning! Today I woke up at my usual 5:15am and headed downstairs for the usual pre-run breakfast. A banana and lots of water. I am out of bagels which I am thinking is a good thing. I am finding I really can't control myself around bagels and other baked goods. It's better to save them for really long runs and not have them in the house. I am already dreaming of my next one, I am going to go for a chocolate chip bagel....... mmmmm......

Hills workout today was a toughie. We did a warm up for about 20 mins then we did 3 miles on a negative split. A negative split is getting faster and faster each mile. It's tough to do when you are chatting with a friend. Monday's workouts are always a medium effort. You can't go "hard" all week. This past SaturdayI did 7 miles on a negative split so I need to run easy. I ended up doing 3.25 miles of hills and 1.8 miles to and from base to my house. Not bad for a Monday.

Post workout breakfast was two eggs fried in Pam and two slices of turkey bacon.

Snack today will be mixed nuts with sea salt and Fage 2% yogurt with strawberrys and blueberrys.

Lunch today is going to be at a resturant. We are taste testing for our annual sales meeting. I am going to try and limit my intake. Last time I way overdid it by mistake. Too much tasting....... Lots of stuff I don't usually eat, DESSERTS. The resturant today is a seafood place so I am hoping for some lighter fare. Wish me luck.

Dinner tonight will be leftovers from last night. Grilled turkey tenderlion with BBQ sauce, 1/2 of a sweet potatoe with cinnamon and 4 asparagus spears.

Have a great Monday, run easy~

Low Fat Eggplant Parm!

Hey Everyone!

I found this recipe on Zesty Cook and thought I would share it. I can't wait to try it out!!


Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is rich and decadent… it makes 8 huge servings for under 300 calories each! I paired this recipe with a simple salad, and even my meat-obsessed husband thought he had died and gone to heaven…

Ingredients

2 (1-pound) eggplants
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
2.5 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 jar of your favorite pasta/marinara sauce

Directions

Slice eggplant crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
Place eggplant slices in a large bowl and add water to cover. Let stand 30 minutes.
Drain well, and blot eggplant dry with paper towels.
Combine 1/4 cup water and egg whites in a shallow bowl.
Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese; stir well.
Dip eggplant in the egg white mixture, and then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture.
Place the eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes on each side (or until browned).
Spread marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13X9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Arrange eggplant over sauce; top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes (or until bubbly). Serves 8.

Next time you’re tempted to go out for Italian, try making this dish at home instead! The average restaurant dishes up eggplant parmesan with a calorie count of 1270 and 69 grams of fat! Ouch! This version of the Italian staple clocks in at under 300 calories and 8.5 grams of fat – that’s a savings of almost 1000 calories!

(recipe adapted from www.cookinglight.com)

Enjoy....

Happy Friday!

Last night we had dinner as planned, individual pizzas on whole wheat pita bread. Finding a good bread is hard to do these days. If you look at the ingredient lists they are pretty scary. Who knows what all that stuff is right? The pitas we went with only had 4 ingredients, and I was able to pronounce all 4. I ended up putting turkey pepperoni and chopped green peppers on my pizza. Chris had all pepperoni of course. We didn't plan on having dessert (never do) but Chris was in the mood to make cupcakes for a co-workers birthday. So he pulled out his Martha Stewart cupcake book and our Kitchen Aide mixer and got to work on some Buttermilk Cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting. I am married to a regular Rachel Ray here. I was able to sample the dough before bed and it was great! Not to sweet......... I was sleeping by the time they were done.

This morning I woke refreshed (went to bed at 9:00pm) and headed downstairs for pre-workout breakfast. I ate a hard boiled egg and 1/2 of a cupcake. The cupcakes were staring at me, I couldn't help it..........

My workout today was lower body weights to keep my legs in good running shape. The PT must be doing some good because I am feeling very strong and no pain. I did 10 mins warm up on the eliptical and 50 mins weights, and 10 mins abs. I really need to get a good ab workout in soon. When you leave abs to the end you tend to skimp on them. There is a 5:00 shadow of a 6 pack on my stomache. Almost there. I have to remember though, abs are made in the kitchen. There is your tidbit for the day. LOL!

Post breakfast today was the rest of my cupcake, 1/2 cup rolled oats with strawberrys and blueberrys and 1 egg + 2 egg whites. Oh and of course some hot sauce.

Snack today will be sea salted mixed nuts. I also have more vanilla Greek yougurt but I think I have had enough sugar for the day. One cup has 20 grams. I may nuke some crab dumplings later for my 3:30pm snack. I am playing it by ear. I brought the remaining cupcakes to work so I won't be tempted later.

Lunch today will be more leftover chicken fajitas with low fat sour cream and hot sauce. It's Friday and our kitchen is empty. I am trying to eat all the leftovers.

I am thinking Greek food for dinner. Possibly a Greek salad with chicken.

TGIF!

Good Start Thursday

This moring I was able to wake easy and head out to the park for some running. Pre-workout breakfast was 1/2 an Ezekiel cinnamon rasin english muffin topped with reduced sugar Jiff.

The temperature out this morning was very pleasant so I enjoyed my 5 mile run this morning. I planned on meeting up with two friends from my running group but I did not see them when I arrived. I needed to get moving so I could get home on time to eat and get to work so I missed them. My legs are really feeling good today, I am so surprised. The stretching must have really helped last night. Tomorrow I am planning on going to the gym for some weights.

Post workout breakfast was 2 eggs fried in Pam + one homemade whole wheat banana blueberry muffin. I am down to the last two! Ohhh they are good.

Snack today will be the vanilla Okios Greek yougurt I didn't eat yesterday topped with my Moja Mix. Lunch will be leftover chicken fajitas, Mexican brown rice and reduced fat sour cream + hot sauce.

Dinner tonight will be personal pizzas made on whole wheat pitas and turkey pepperoni. I am going to stop at the grocery store on lunch today since we are totally out of fruit and veggies. I will get some peppers to add to my pizza. I prefer veggie pizza to meat pizzas.....

Hump Day Dinner

Last night for dinner Chris made chicken fajitas and Mexican brown rice. We skipped the tortillas since I had 4 tortillas with my taco lunch. I have noticed that when you are at a resturant and order corn tortillas they tend to double them up. I suppose corn tortillas break apart easier so it makes sense.

Chris cut boneless/skinless chicken breasts into strips then satued them in a bit of olive oil on a non-stick pan. He threw in 2 sliced green peppers, 1 red pepper,1 jalepeno and 1 onion along with a McCormick seasoning packet. I am not a fan of the pre-marinated faijta meat, something in the marinade makes me sick........ I rather we do the extra work and create our own.

The Mexican rice was quite tasty for brown rice, you could not tell the difference. Chris adds 1/2 a bottle of Pace salsa and chopped peppers and jalepenos to the rice. I added some spark to my fajitas with reduced fat sour cream (gotta have it) and some hot sauce of course.

I was able to get in some good stretching and a epsom salt bath last night too.

Poor Planning Leads to Off Day....

This morning I was feeling super tired (and sore from yesterday) so I decided to take my "off day" really early this week. I have worked out 4 days in a row so I should not feel guilty but, I DO! I have been going to bed way to late all week, 10:30pm or so. Not good for early morning workouts.

I am off of PT for the week because I am short on cash right now. I have to come up with $40 out of pocket every visit and that has gotten expensive. I really thought I would be done with therapy by now.

Breakfast today was a 1 cup of Multi-grain Cheereos with light vanilla soymilk topped with a banana and one egg fried in Pam. I try not to eat cereal but it sounded good today.

I missed my usual snack time today do to a work commitment but I managed to eat an apple on the way out the door to lunch at 1pm.

Lunch today was 2 grilled fish tacos from Berry Hill. I also munched on some chips with salsa and a white creamy dip. I should have skipped the creamy dip but my willpower is weak today. :)

I don't think I will have another snack today since I ate lunch late and I am feeling pretty full. If I do decide to snack it will be Okios Vanilla Greek yogurt topped with my custom Mojo Mix.

Dinner tonight? Who knows, I will have to ask Mr. Foodie. LOL!!

Well it's Tuesday!!???!

Sorry I have been out of pocket for a few meals. There has been a bit of a shake-up at work and I have not been able to get to the business of blogging!

Pre-workout breakfast was the usual, a hard boiled egg with Lawreys seasoning salt.

Today I woke at 5:15 am and headed out to the gym. I did a quick 10 min warm up on the elpitical then it was off to the weight room for upper body moves. I am discovering that my right side (dominate side) is stronger than the left. I am not quite sure what to do about it...... I did 50 mins of free weights then a quick 10 mins of abs.

After workout breakfast was an egg fried in Pam + 2 strips of turkey bacon. I also munched on a few blueberrys as I made my lunch to take with me. When I got to work I scarfed down a whole wheat banana blueberry muffin (homemade). Not so much that I was hungry but they taste so much better when they are really fresh. I just made them on Sunday.

Snack today at 10:30 am was a pink lady apple with almond butter. Lunch was a mixed greens salad with seeds trail mix (pumpkin, sunflower, almonds and dried fruits), cucumbers, 2 strips of shreaded turkey bacon and watermelon vinegrette. I was super excited about the vinegrette at the store when I sampled it. When I actually ate it today it was tasting super sweet to me. The dressing is fat free but has 20 grams of sugar in 2T. So I think I will save the rest for when we have company over. I also warmed up two Quorn veggie chicken cutlets. Pick some of these up if you see them in your grocery store freezer. They are soy and meat free and have a chicken-like texture. Pretty tasty with sweet and sour dip or BBQ sauce.

Late day snack today was 1/2 of an Ezekiel english muffin (cinnamon rasin) topped with almond butter and a banana. Our toaster at work stinks so I won't be bringing any more english muffins to toast!

Dinner tonight (the plan anyways) is whole wheat spaggetti mixed with regular spaggetti topped with grain fed ground beef and organic tomatoe sauce. I love this organic sauce from HEB/Central Market. The tomatoe basil is so fresh tasting..... I like it so much I don't want to try any other flavors.

The Hills are Alive!!

This morning I got off to a slow start since I was sleeping so well and did not want to get up. I don't have anymore bagels handy so I had a banana for pre-run breakfast. I started getting a sour stomache yesterday afternoon and I was feeling queezy when I woke up this morning.

I ran to base as part of my warmup (0.80 mile) and then did some running drills for about 15 mins. Our hills training today was again broken into groups according to how fast we run. I am pretty slow so I went with the 26-29 min group (5K time) which was hill #1. We did 800 meters at a medium effort then walked down a hill, an easy jog for another 800 meters then back to the starting cone. Repeat that over and over for 20 mins and that was hills today. We of course did stretches and abs then it was a walk back to the house. I didn't dare run it. My stomache was really bothering me and I thought I might puke. No such luck.......

After-run breakfast was a handful of blueberrys, 1/2 of a cinnamon rasin Ezekeil english muffin with almond butter and 1 egg fried in Pam. Tasty! My stomache felt slightly better.

Snack today will be 1/2 of a Trio bar. I am trying to save my appetite for lunch plus I still don't feel that great. We will be taste testing at Vargos for our annual kickoff meeting in January. The food is supposed to be great so hopefully I will be feeling better by then. Today of all days to have a stomache ache!

Taste testing results later..........

Saturday Recovery Run

This morning I was a bit groggy since my pugs kept waking me up all night. I was out of bed by 5:15 am and headed down for pre-run breakfast. I had the rest of the bagel from Panera, cinnamon rasin topped with light whipped cream cheese. Somehow only 1/2 of a bagel was left this morning. OOpps! I was munching on it here and there yesterday because it was soo soo good.

The run today was quick and short since we are doing a recovery run. We can't add and add miles every week to our long run. Once in a while you have to cut it back and rest your body. After the run myself and a few running friends decided to do breakfast next weekend after our run. Should be interesting with all that sweat and B.O.

I ran back home and ate one fried egg in pam and one hard boiled egg. We are out of eggs now, time for grocery shopping! At about 11am I had a handful of blueberrys and some rasberrys.

Now I am off for a haircut. More later...

Friday Night Dinner

Last night I was feeling a bit blahh after PT. It was raining out really hard and there was thunder and lightning so we decided to go out for pizza. What better then pizza to perk up a dark evening? I had a personal 6 inch veggie pizza with tomatoes, onions, green peppers, olives, and a olive oil sauce. The marinara there is not very good, it is not thick enough. I decided to add grilled chicken to add some protien to the meal. I also brought some Chipolte Tobasco from home to spice it up. Love the spice, can't get enough of it..... I must have damaged my taste buds somewhere along the way. LOL! I only ate 1/2 the pizza, I was trying to not be a pig since I really was not that hungry. I am still daydreaming about a cupcake though...

Fought the good fight, and WON!

On lunch today I stopped by Panera bread to pick up a bagel for my pre-run breakfast tomorrow. I was eyeing a chocolate chipper and considering a "muffie" but was able to resist both! I got my cinnamon rasin swirl bagel and got the heck out of dodge. I knew if I gave in I would just feel bad about it later. I am saving myself for a cheat this weekend. I am thinking a cupcake (or two) mmmmmm...

Lunch went as planned, leftover chicken lettuce wraps. No sweets for this Foodie. :)

Some like it plain ~ Friday

Today is Friday and I am taking the day off from working out. I will do some stretching late night but other than that I feel like I need to get some R&R before tomorrows big run. This morning I tired out a "raw" oatmeal recipie that I got off another food blog I read. You soak 1/2 cup of whole oats overnight in a nut milk like soy or almond. The next day you add in Greek yogurt, nut butter, one banana, and some agave nectar. I didn't care for it much and threw it away to start over. I made my ususal of 1/2 cup oatmeal with water topped with flax seed, strawberrys and a drizzle of vanilla agave nectar. Of course I also had 1 egg fried in Pam. Eggs are great in the AM, what can I say?

For snack today I will be having a Fage Greek yogurt with strawberry. For lunch more leftover chicken lettuce wraps with a bit of hot sauce, plum sauce and hosin. I decided to play it safe and eat the last of the leftovers instead of heading out. My stomache is sore from the cheese I ate last night. At one point I was totally intolerant of dairy but now I can eat a little and be OK. Last night was over my limit!

PT later today to, hopefully I won't get all sweaty again.......

Thursday' greasy dinner out

For dinner last night both Chris and I were tired so we headed out to a local taco shop El Rey. I decided to do something different and get a shrimp quesadilla and plantains. Not the best idea, the quesadilla was more like cheese and a shell. There was only one small shrimp in each triangle. I ate three pieces then decided to order a grilled fish taco on wheat. Much better, I think I will stick to my tried and true from here on out. My stomache will apreciate that too, it was a bit upset last night and this morning. The plantains were good but a bit too greasy for me.

I was able to get to bed early for a long snooze with the pugs.

Oh so tired this afternoon

I think the week is finally catching up with me. I am really tired right now and sore to boot. I had 1/2 of a milk chocolate Dove bar (3 squares) at Target this afternoon around 1:30pm. I am now sipping on 1/2 a cup of coffee with powdered creamer and a squirt of agave nectar. Hey a girl's gotta DO WORK..........

OK I am starving

Looks like my snack of hummus and raw veggies is not holding me over. Can't wait for lunch! I snacked on my other 1/2 of my Trio bar at about 11:30 am.

Eat That Frog!

This morning I snuggled with my puggie JR till 5:20am and then headed downstairs for a pre-workout snack. Chris decided to join me at the gym today but he had already headed out the door by the time I got downstairs. I toasted 1/2 of an Ezekiel Cinnamon Rasin english muffin and topped it with almond butter and a smear of Nutella. I love Nutella, I wish it was good for you. LOL!

At the gym I tried to focas on my hamstrings and was surprised to see some muscle growth there. I was able to leg curl 60lbs which is 5lbs more than I can usually do on a GOOD day. I did several machines and ventured into the weight room for a few squats and lunges. Those are key for nice legs but are no fun. It is best to do them right away and get them over with. Eat that Frog!

Post workout breakfast was 1 egg fried in Pam (how many eggs can a girl eat right?) and a few rasberrys. When I got to work I also ate 1/2 of a Trio bar.

Snack today will be raw snap peas, cucumbers, and red pepper dipped in hummus. Lunch will be leftover lettuce wraps from last night (3).

Have a good day, more food later.........

Hump Day Dinner

Last night for dinner Chris made us chicken lettuce wraps. Usually we use turkey but ground chicken was on sale over the weekend so Chris was being thrifty. Chris cooked the ground chicken in a non-stick pan then seasoned with Chinease Five Spice, plum sauce, and hosin sauce. A brocolli cole slaw is then stir fried into the mix until tender. There are a few options for the acutal "wrap" part like nappa cabbage or plain iceburg lettuce. We use iceburg because it is cheaper and we can potentially use it with other food. I had two lettuce wraps then added a bit of extra meat on the side. I also like to add some spicy Vietnamese hot sauce on the top too. I like it HOT.


Would you believe that we spent $900 on groceries last month? We are now making an effort to watch it at the store and make sure we are not wasting food. Both of us take our lunch to work at least 4 days a week so that does account for some of the cost. When you think about it $900 is a ton of money to spend on food for two people.....

I got some bad info from my friend and I missed the body building show on E!. I just caught the tail end of it. Hopefully a re-run will be on again soon. The two of us are going to a body building and fitness show next Saturday. Ana was able to score us 3rd row center seats, she has struck up a friendship with a woman who works there. Should be interesting, I will take some pics and post them.

I finished the night up with some new "standing" leg stretches and got to sleep at about 9:30pm.