Tag Archives: wakeup call challenge

Oat Bran Primavera

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Well, folks, it’s like they say – “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.”

I waited 2 weeks to share my Yellowstone news because I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen or not, and then the day I posted it, the plans fell through. Eh, c’est la vie. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

Yesterday was a pretty good Monday. I think my proactivity helped. Lunch was lentil soup with diced avocado, which I’ll be having again today so prepare to be bored tomorrow.

lentil soup with avocado

For lunch dessert I had some fresh strawberries. Nature’s candy.

strawberries

I worked at the part-time job after I left the full-time job, so while there I munched on a mini clif bar.

mini clif bar

Work was good, but kind of a boy’s club. I mostly just cleaned and played with my phone. Tonight we’re having a sports bra clinic for the ladies, so I’ll be in the majority once again ;)

I didn’t go to the gym last night. I’m cutting it dangerously close as far as meeting my 25 days goal, but I was too dang tired. I’ve also been nursing a mild migraine for the past two days and I just didn’t have the energy to workout through the pain.

Instead I had some Oat Bran Primavera.

super savory oats

This meal kind of just happened. I normally plan my dinners before I eat lunch, but today I was too busy and when I got home I just set into action before forming any idea of what I wanted.

It turned out great though. I stir-fried some yellow squash, broccolini and grape tomatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Then I added a splash of balsamic and let everything reduce.

While that was happening I cooked up some oatbran and added 2 tablespoons 2% shredded cheddar cheese and a light Laughing Cow cheese wedge and stirred until it was all melty and cheesy.

Then I combined the two.

savory oat primavera

And in case you’re wondering, yes I do fear that I’m going to turn into broccolini soon. I can’t stop eating it.

Much to my embarassment, I watched the premier of The Bachelorette last night. I have two things to say about it:

1. Can I have Phil?

2. The drama is getting way too redundant. I think I would be MORE interested if they’d cut all the staged controversy out for once.

Really, I just watch for the eye candy.

Wakeup Call Challenge Update: I keep forgetting to mention when I do my morning plyos. I also think I’ve somehow been removed from the email thread? Janetha?

Anyways, I haven’t been too consistent about doing them every morning but I’m currently at 115 minutes for the month.

Well, I’m off to greet the day. Enjoy your Tuesdays everyone.

Mid-May Update

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We’re a little over halfway through the month of May. That means that there is less than half a month until it’s June, which is the middle of the year. Frightening.

Anyhow, I figured now would be a grand time to check in on my May goals and challenges.

I made it a goal to go the gym 25 days this month. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of this. I didn’t go either day this weekend, but that was kind of unavoidable. There just wasn’t time, and the gym’s hours are reduced over the weekend.

So far this month, I’ve gone to the gym 12 days. I can still easily meet my goal as long as I only take two more days off from going. I think I can do it!

I also joined Janetha’s Wakeup Call Challenge this month. I’m doing well with that also. I am currently sitting at 88 minutes of morning plyos completed. I have missed several days, but I’ve been pretty consistent with it.

Since I’ve been kicking ass and taking names with my current goals, I’ve decided to implement one more for the second half of the month.

It’s an easy one. I want to spend more time here:

bed

And less time here:

living room

Since I have to be up between 5:30 and 6 every morning, I ideally try to be in bed between 9 and 10 at night. Lately, however, I haven’t been turning in nearly as early as I should be. I blame all the season finales on TV right now, but I digress.

The lack of sleep is really starting to get to me. I’ve been completely devoid of energy during the day and . I usually get a burst right before bed, which is an endlessly frustrating characteristic of insomnia.

I’ve got to start making a solid effort at getting more sleep, so the goal is to be in bed by 9:30 every week night for the rest of the month.

In theory, this shouldn’t be too difficult, but for a natural-born night owl such as myself it will be easier said than done I’m afraid.

We’ll see how it goes.

Did you set any goals for yourself this month? How are they going?

Are you a night owl or morning person?

Quick Corn Dip

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Good morning! I’m happy to report I that I slept much better last night and I’m feeling quite spunky this morning, despite the nasty, nasty weather outside.

Yesterday was a struggle though. I was so tired that it hurt.

Breakfast was a lovely bowl of overnight oats. I was out of spinach, so I needed another quick breakfast I could take to work with me.

This contained probably close to 3/4 cup oats (I eyeballed it), some Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breez and a large dollop of 0% plain Fage. I topped all that with peanut butter and a banana.

overnight oats

Wakeup Call Challenge Update: Wednesday and Thursday morning I was not feeling the plyos. Wednesday I think I did one minute before throwing in the towel, and yesterday I did zero minutes. Today however, I came back with a vengeance – knocking out 10 minutes!

Remember, with exercise (and life in general) it’s not all or nothing. If  you fall off the horse, you just have to get back on and ride your heart out the next time.

After breakfast was consumed, I pried my eyelids open and worked for a few hours before hitting up the dentist’s office for a nice teeth cleaning.

I left with significantly less plaque and an hour less of my life lost. I get really impatient at doctor’s appointments. Go figure.

Lunch was leftover Coronado pasta from Cheever’s.

leftover Cheever's Coronado pasta

After lunch I finished up my deadline and before I knew it, it was time to leave! I was still exhausted, but I didn’t want to miss Body Pump. I’m pretty much addicted to it now.

I ran home to change, and noticed the beeping was still going on. So I had to deal with that right quick, causing me to be a little late to class. It was a great class though!

When I got home, I had a protein shake and attempted to vacuum.

EAS protein shake

But my vacuum apparently doesn’t function when you go a year without cleaning out the filter. I had to rinse that sucker off and it takes 12 hours to dry, so no vacuuming for me. I wasn’t heartbroken.

Then, I whipped up a quick corn dip for the potluck today at work. I usually like to make something fancy schmancy to impress everyone, but I just didn’t have it in me. Plus, while not the healthiest thing in the world, this dip is fabulously delicious. I think people will like it.

corn dip

Corn Dip:

  • 2 cans Mexicorn
  • 1 can chopped green chilis
  • 1.5 cups shredded cheddar (I used 2%)
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream
  • 1/2 cup light mayo
  • 1 tbsp. seasoned salt
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • cayenne to taste (omit if you don’t like spicy food)

Drain the corn, then dump everything into a bowl and mix. I topped it with some red pepper flakes for flair, but that’s optional. So easy! I bought baked tortilla chips to go with it.

After that was done, I whipped up some dinner. I roasted some more yellow squash and asparagus and had a roasted veggie salad with a sprinkle of goat cheese and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

roasted veggie salad

I also had a roasted veggie pizza. I don’t want all my pitas going to waste.

roasted veggie pizza

I’m scheduled to work all day tomorrow at the part-timer, so I had to do a lot of my Saturday chores last night such as laundry, dusting, mopping etc. I got everything done except the aforementioned vacuuming, which I’ll hopefully knock out tonight.

Today will be busy but fun. We’ve got the potluck at lunch today, then I work this afternoon at the part-time job. Gotta get a workout in and swing by the library also. It’s a good thing I’m full of energy!

What is your least favorite household chore? Mine is vacuuming, hands down.

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Happy Birthday

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First up this morning, I need to say Happy Birthday to Low… and Behold! My little blog turned ONE today.

I don’t really have any big celebration shenanigans planned, because it really kind of snuck up on me. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I started blogging.

It feels like it was just yesterday that I put up my first post, but at the same time I’ve changed so much since I started blogging that it seems like I’ve been at it forever.

In the year that I’ve been writing about what I eat and how I attempt to stay in shape, I’ve never once regretted starting this blog. The only thing I’ve ever regretted is that I didn’t start sooner. It can be a lot of work, and not everyone in my life has understood it (or even knows about it), but I love blogging, plain and simple.

I hope I keep it up for years to come!

And that’s really all I’ve got to say about that. It is exciting, but definitely not a national holiday (though maybe it should be). So let’s move on to the normal ramblings.

I didn’t blog last night because work yesterday was, to put it bluntly… a bitch. I could vent, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll just talk food.

I finished off the rest of the pasta salad for lunch.pesto pasta saladMy gym challenge is really working for me. I totally wouldn’t have gone to the gym today if it weren’t for the challenge. I worked late again and I was totally pissed off for several reasons. All I really wanted to do was stew in my anger. And it was an incredibly hot summer day, so I really wanted to go lay by the pool.Still, I forged on and changed into by gym clothes.

Before I went, I stared longingly out the window at the people hanging out at the pool while eating a banana.bananaI hit up body pump again today. I love the Thursday night instructor, she’s so fun and motivating. My bi’s and tri’s are killing me today, which is amazing. I usually have a hard time really working those muscle groups fully.

When I got home I was starvin marvin, and wanted something with protein and carbs, so I had a small snack bowl of Uncle Sam cereal with 1% organic cow’s milk.uncle sam cereal

Later on I whipped up a quick dinner of couscous, black beans, garbanzos and diced tomatoes. Simple, tasty and nutritious.couscous

I stayed up late again last night reading on the elliptical at home and watching TV. It’s hard for me to go to bed early when the sun is up until almost 9 p.m. I’m not complaining about that though. I love the ample sunlight!

I woke up begrudgingly this morning and did six minutes of plyos. It gets a little hard for me to be enthusiastic about waking up early on Friday, but I’m sticking with it for now. I love a good challenge!

Today should be busy in the morning and then hopefully we’ll finish our project and be able to breathe for a few days. Hopefully.

Have an absolutely fabulous Friday!!

Up and at ‘em

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I’m so tired right now. I was up too late last night dealing with family stuff, but I still managed to get up and at ‘em and do the Wakeup Call Challenge this morning. I was actually surprised at how easily I got up, but now I’m exhausted. Yawn.

However, looking back on my luscious dinner from last night makes me excited. It was a return to an old faithful.For those of you who don’t know, I have a somewhat unnatural love for fake chicken, and my fake chicken of choice Morningstar Farms Buffalo Chik’n nuggets. Love them.

I had my salad with some homemade “healthy” ranch dressing (0% Fage, Ranch seasoning and a splash of milk), an orange pepper, and copious amounts of hot sauce.

My pepper had a secret.orange pepperI was freaked out when I sliced into this guy because I thought there was a creature inside, but it turned out to just be another pepper. That was a relief. Still kind of weird though.

My mouth was on fire after eating my spicy salad, so I had a few dried apricots to cool it off. dried apricotsWord to the wise: off-brand dried apricots kind of suck. I recommend spending the extra 40 cents for the branded ones. I know I will next time.

After eating this, the family stuff had to be addressed, which resulted in much less reading time than I had anticipated and a much, much later bedtime. But it’s okay, I’ll get some more rest tonight.

Work looks to be pretty busy yet again, but after this week it should slow down (how many times have I said that?). I really think it might be true this time though. I’m crossing my fingers!

Have a great Tuesday!