Friday, February 27, 2015

Got nothing

Having a sad, stressed day.

Scale is down 1.8 pounds for the week, but I'm taking today off posting.

Be well.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Greetings from the great white south!

We got 7 gorgeous inches of big, fluffy, heavy snow!!!  My mom went out first thing and made snow ice cream.  (Don't worry - I only had a bite, as did she.  It's in the freezer for my son.)

After breakfast (burger & green beans), I got out and over the course of a couple of hours cleared off both cars and shoveled the driveway.  (I took breaks).  Then I came in and put Ben Gay on my back (is there anything sexier than smelling like your great grandmother? No, there is not).  So maybe no kettlebells but I promise I got in a good workout!!

AM snack was a deviled egg.  Lunch was a deconstructed tuna melt and tomato soup.  I felt like a hot lunch again!!

I am working at home today.  I'd like to get out & go for a walk after I get off this conference call.  Pictures of the back yard (and grandpuppies):




Let me share with you a greet video - a cover of Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk" (which I love) done by seniors. 

Uptown Funk f. Alex Boye

Never lost your verve!
 
I hope you have a wonderful day!


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

50 ways to eat your burger, well maybe not quite 50...

First of all, I boot scooted to the gym as soon as work was over.  It's funny how somehow you go and it's like "meh" (Monday) and you do the bare minimum.  Other nights it's like total amazeballs.  That was tonight.  I had a super amazing kick ass workout on the elliptical.  I climbed off feeling like a million bucks.  Which is good since we're getting 5-7 inches of snow or snow & sleet tonight.  So tomorrow is an at home workout with the kettlebells.  Did I mention I had a good workout? :-)  Have I mentioned I really love to work out?? ;-)

Today Gwen wrote a post about her breakfast and asked what other folks typically eat for breakfast.  I tend to eat by patterns - not the exact things but general trends.  I like to start the day with a solid protein breakfast.  I also like to eat vegetables at every meal.  And as you all probably know, I prep breakfasts, lunches, & snacks on the weekend for grab and go during the week.

Given those constraints, burgers (or similar) and veggies are eaten most weekdays for breakfast.  The nice thing about being a pretty decent cook is that you can take a common base and come up with loads of variations.  Not because the cooking is hard, but because you know what flavor combinations to use to create something new.

Here's some different things I generally prepare:

Burgers, mini meat loaves, or meat balls - which if you think about it, are really all the same thing: a lump of meat with some items added in (or not) and maybe covered in sauce (or toppings).  From that I create:

southwest (avocado & salsa)
italian (marinara sauce, some mozzarella and/or parm, basil etc)
Greek (seasonings mixed in, then topped with tsaziki, kalamata olives, red onions, tomato, cucumber)
traditional meatloaf - I like a light sauce of bbq sauce and ketchup
traditional burger - cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickled beets
fake salisbury steak  - keep it plain and top with onions, mushrooms, homemade gravy
korean: kim chi, sprouts, a little soy sauce

See what I mean?  Pick a type of food, figure out what defines that flavor for you, and pile it on top a hunk of meat! :-)  I also add veggies alongside - spiralized or sliced zucchini, frozen green beans or broccoli tossed onto a cookie sheet and roasted.

There you have it - 7 different breakfats with a bag of frozen veg and a package of ground meat.  Eggs are okay, but I don't want to take the time to cook them and they don't reheat well. 

Have a good evening!
 

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Evening Update

Okay, workout done at home with kettlebells: 200 swings, 100 clean and presses, 50 squats.

Dinner was the deconstructed reuben with a big ass salad since I ate cooked veggies at lunch.

Snow-prise!! :-O

WELL!

Remember how I said they were predicting snow?  They are - for tomorrow night.  But it came last night as well. Snow-prise!  We didn't get a lot, but the roads weren't salted, people weren't prepared, and the roads this morning were horrendous.  Multiple multiple car accidents - on the interstates.

So.... I am working from home.  I CANNOT skip exercise, so I am shutting the dogs out of the bedroom and doing a kettlebell video.  That's a good weight workout AND an excellent cardio workout as well.

Food has been good today as well, but I changed it up a bit.

Breakfast: turkey burger with spinach again, but added brussel sprouts, (no sugar) marinara, and 1/8 cup of mozzarella.
Snack; deviled egg
Lunch: brussel sprouts, green beans, and 3 campari tomatoes all diced up with a chopped up chicken thigh and some homemade curry sauce.  It was a HUGE plate of food and the leftovers will be my afternoon snack.
Dinner: deconstructed reuben with some vegetable alongside.
Snack: 3 T hummus and cucumber.

For me, it's a lot easier to stay on track if I keep my veggie consumption high.  Besides feeling better because I'm eating nutrient dense food, I'm more satisfied.

Another thing that helps me a lot is that I make my own sauces.  Barbeque, ketchup, salad dressings, marinades - I make my own for the most part.  Not only is it A LOT cheaper, but I get exactly what I want and the quality I want.

Anyway, I thought I would go ahead & post since I am here at the house. 

Have a good day!! :-)

Monday, February 23, 2015

Mischief managed :-)

Okay, after work I ate supper and went to the Y.  It was hardly my finest workout, but I went.  Naturally they are calling for more snow. :-(

Food has been good today!

Breakfast: turkey burger with avocado and salsa
Snack: deviled egg
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken and homemade vinaigrette
Snack: banana and 12 almonds
Dinner: Mexican casserole (with homemade polenta) and brussel sprouts
Snack: 3 T hummus and cucumber

I put everything in Spark People, so I'm tracking again.  No change on the scale this morning from Friday.

Hopefully my son will get everything wrapped up this week as far as the move.  He plans to come up here on Friday - Saturday is his birthday.

I'm off to get cleaned up, watch a little tv, and hit the sack so I can do it again tomorrow.

Have a good evening!


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Back home

Back home safe and sound!

It's tiring to drive down and back in a single weekend.  But I didn't have any time off and we wanted to go - it's been since early December since we visited.  Thankfully the weather was good (warmer and sunny) and we were able to have a really nice time.

She's doing well - a little slower, a little more forgetful, but still healthy and doing well.

I got home and knocked out the food prep, doing laundry, unpacked, and ready for another day tomorrow.  We may have some snow showers tomorrow morning. :-(  I didn't bring my work computer home - so hopefully the roads will be okay!

Alright, I'm off to enjoy some down time and check out the class schedule at the Y!

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Hello from warm(er) Georgia!

Good evening!

So I am down here near Lagrange Ga, visiting with my great aunt.  For those of you that haven't been reading a long time:  this is where my mom grew up.  My grandmother's last remaining sibling (and closest sister) still lives here in an assisted living facility.  We come down every 3 months or so for a visit.  We were here in December, and have booked a long weekend in May for a cabin by the lake.

We got up at 5 to get here by lunch.  We took her out for lunch and I had a nice meal (beef tips, green beans, turnip greens).  We hit the thrift shop that benefits the Humane Society, went by the country store for jelly, put flowers at the cemetery, went by the grocery for fresh fruit, gassed up the car, and finally supper (catfish, slaw, a couple of fries).

Now we're in the hotel, Alma has had a nice bath (dead lifted her out!), and we are relaxing.  Tomorrow we are driving by to NC so I can go back to reality!

Today I am grateful for the fact that I have good genes.  I come from 2 families where the women live to be well into their 90s with their minds in good shape (for most of them).  It's no guarantee, but hey - it helps!

Have a great evening.  I may or may not post depending on what time we get home.

Have a good weekend! :-)

Friday, February 20, 2015

Touching base

I'm packing to head to Georgia in the morning.  I'm taking my computer with me and plan to post while I'm there.

It's been a yucko week here - just like most of the rest of the country.  I've been sitting around at home since the roads are icy after dark, half heartedly doing exercise videos and half heartedly staying out of the kitchen, for the lose.

Goals for next week: stay away from sugar & flour, go to the gym (at least twice), track food, get on scale. 

After that, I need to work on a plan for building gratitude.

Have a good evening! :-)

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Good morning

I am heading in to the office in a couple of hours.  The roads were pretty frozen this morning, so I opted to wait until the sun is up before going in.

Not much to say.  I'm here, doing .. eh, okay.  Just kinda .. eh today.

Take care!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Snow day!

Yep, working in my fleecies! :-)


I am working and listening to a documentary on guys competing for Mr. Olympia.  It's pretty good. Doing a workout video before lunch. Not my favorite thing to do.  Honestly, I'm not sure if the benefit isn't more mental than physical, but movement is movement.

My son is heading back to Wilmington tomorrow.  They have a lot to do as far as moving his grandpa's boat, his trailer & little boat, then his houseboat.

We may get more snow/stuff tomorrow, and they are saying we may get more this weekend.  Mom and I were planning to go to Georgia this weekend, but she is thinking we may need to cancel.  We'll see.

I am very thankful for this day or so at home, even if I am working.  Stuff down at the beach is VERY stressful.  I don't want to go into too many details, but there was a very bad fight between my stepbrother and everyone else (my son, his grandpa & grandpa's wife).  It was very ugly.  The boy was counting on his uncle to help him move stuff and now that isn't an option.

I definitely got off track.  I'm doing MUCH better, still not where I want to be, but much, much better.

Even though I am right here by the fridge, the mental break outweighs that.  I don't feel particularly tempted by the proximity of food.  Right now wanting to feel good, to feel the way I do when I'm exercising & sleeping well & eating right FAR outweighs the taste of anything that might be in the fridge.

Take care & have a wonderful day!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Preparing for snowmageddonapocolyse

Here's the thing:  snow in the south works a little like dog years.  So, 3 inches in NC = 3 feet in Boston. :-)

It's not that we're wussies who can't drive in the snow, although no we don't have a lot of experience driving in the snow.  That's like me calling someone stupid if they can't speak Russian.  That's probably not a skill a lot of folks use. Same thing.

Also, we simply don't have all the plows & stuff - it doesn't make fiscal sense.  We have some of course, but not many.

And lastly and the main point: we rarely get pure snow.  It's usually mixed with sleet or freezing rain.  Sometimes we just get straight up ice.  This is snow & sleet that we're getting now.  So I'm working at home in PJs tomorrow.  Woo hoo!

I am going to do a workout video here at the house tonight.  Dinner is in the oven and I'm already in my fleecies - I'll switch to workout clothes when we do a video.

Have a good evening!


Sunday, February 15, 2015

Preparing for a storm

Good morning!

I hope you are having a nice weekend.  Mine is going well.  Yesterday I was very busy with food prep.  Today I am doing laundry and some sewing on my son's curtains.

Speaking of which, my son is coming up today to spend a few days here.

We are supposed to have a winter storm Monday night and Tuesday.  We really haven't had much of anything yet, so I am looking forward to it.  We frequently get sleet or freezing rain rather than snow.  I'm hoping for some pretty snow.  Inclement weather is the only reason we can work from home, and I am looking forward to a couple of snowbound days at home with my family - even if I am working!

Still lots of stress, but I've pretty well pulled out of my overwhelmed funk.

My month of yoga is up.  I've enjoyed it, but I think yoga is something I want to do a couple of times per week.  I've missed swimming and even the elliptical! :-)

So anyway, that's what going on with me.

Take care, have a great rest of the weekend!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

On the mend

Just a quick note.  It was a good day.  Got a nap, and I was feeling better after that.  Took care of the laundry, checkbook, paid a couple of bills.  Took a nice walk in the park and worked on the curtains for my son's boat.

Tonight I am playing around with making pincushions, like this:
I feel much, much better.

Take care!

Taking it back

When you wake up at 2 AM and are awake until 5 AM stressed about your stress?  Something's gotta give.

Our son has to move by the end of the month - so there's a lot of logistics to work out around that.  And MIL is manufacturing drama, for which I have zero tolerance.

Work is crazy - I had 9 meetings yesterday.  I have more to do than I have time.  So I'm trying to manage that.

So yeah, Sunday I went to the grocery for treats.  I went to the cross fit gym Monday evening to check it out, then came home & had snacks.  I still packed my healthy food for work, and have every day.  But snacks Monday and more snacks Tuesday evening.  I didn't even want what I was eating, I just wanted my stress to go away.

That's when I got on here and posted.  Because somehow sharing it makes the food less powerful.

I called in sick today.  I didn't sleep well and I have a lousy headache.  I ate my normal breakfast that I would have packed for work (baked swai and zucchini).

My plan for today is to take care of myself.  Eat my healthy foods, go to yoga later, and just futz around the house doing a few low key things (like put away my laundry). Things that will help me feel more in control of my life. 

Be well, and take care of yourself!  I will too. :-)  And a special thanks to Gwen.  I stopped.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Whats been going on

This is where I've been since Monday evening:



It's not an utter disaster.  Still packing healthy food.  Still getting on the scale daily.  But evenings are the wild wild west.

I'm working on it.  Right now I'm just wiped.

Sunday, February 08, 2015

Back

Got home at midnight.  No yoga for me.  Doing food prep before my sewing get together this afternoon. 

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Going to the beach

I am busy getting my stuff together.  I am working a half day tomorrow and then we are going to the beach (Wilmington) to visit our son and have dinner with friends.  I am taking my sewing machine to work on curtains for the boat.

My son lives on the Cape Fear river in downtown Wilmington.


I leave you with this thought. :-)

I am NOT taking my computer, so don't expect to hear from me until Sunday!

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Short & sweet

I'm tired, so I'm keeping this short.  Dinner was nice, stuck to my plan.  My friend ordered a really great beer (local, well, from Asheville).  I had a sip, but didn't order my own.

Too much to do tomorrow evening.  Ugh! Workout, pack, plan meals & make grocery list, and shower post yoga of course!  It was terrific to see my friend K, but there is a reason I don't normally do social stuff during the week.

I guess that sounds kinda bad - I do enjoy being social.  I just really like my routines and right now I'm in such a good groove with working out that taking a night off (like tonight) makes me feel "off".  I know I need to get over that - being flexible is a good thing.  I'm just not naturally inclined that way - I thrive on structure and routine.  Hey - I'm a mathematician! :-)

I will leave you with this funny:


Tuesday, February 03, 2015

Improvement!

Tonight I went to Bikram yoga.  I cannot believe how much progress I've made in terms of my flexibility in the 2.5 weeks I've been going.  It's seriously amazing!

Food was fine today.  The usual that I eat every day.  I had a slice of cheese when I got home (before yoga).  I made what I call "eggplant lasagna" - I use baked eggplant in place of lasagna noodles.  It makes it healthier and I really like it.  That was dinner.

Tomorrow night I am meeting a friend for dinner at a bbq place.  My plan is catfish, collards, and brunswick stew. 

Okay, I need a shower.  Have a nice evening!

Monday, February 02, 2015

The Superbowl report

Weight was the same today.  Superbowl strategy success!

I had to work late today.  After work I came home, ate, went to JoAnn (I wanted to pick up a few supplies for my new craft projects).  Came home, did a kettlebell workout here at the house, and now I'm checking in! :-)

Food was good today!

I have to work late 3 days this week.  That's nice because I am leaving work at lunch Friday to go to the beach, but it makes my evenings short on time.  But I plan to work out every night.

Anyway, I'm off to pack tomorrow's food and put away yesterday's clean laundry.  Take care!

Sunday, February 01, 2015

I'm so proud of me!

I went to a house concert at a friend's place last night. Excellent food, beer, open bar, dessert, etc etc.  I ate a healthy meal (chicken, pot roast, green beans) and drank water.  Skipped the rich soup, dessert, and booze.  Yay me!

Weight today was the same.  I am getting ready to go to yoga.  Today's plan is yoga, then going to the antique store with my mom, then sewing.  I am going to watch the Superbowl.  I have 3 homemade jalapeno poppers in the fridge.  These are cheese stuffed in a half jalapeno wrapped with bacon.  So yummy, and no bread or sugar involved.  No beer.

I am making curtains for my son's boat.  His birthday is the 28th, and I would like to have them finished for his birthday.  So I am going to start working on them if not today, then next weekend.  Our local medieval group is having a sewing get together the next 2 Sunday afternoons, and have reserved a big room at the university.  So I plan to get with friends and work on curtains while they are all working on viking!  I have a lot of viking costumes - it's one of my favorite medieval periods to wear.  Even women got practical, comfy clothes back then! :-)  But I don't need any more, so curtains for me! Ha ha.

Hope you all enjoy your day!