Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween

I am not a big halloween person for lots of reasons. I grew up outside the U.S. so I never really went out trick or treating and the one time I did when I was living in the states, I fell and injured myself. So, not a big fan. As far as I can tell it involves lots of screaming children and massive amounts of candy. I have had zero candy, I left all of it at work and I am leaving my lights off to avoid kids tonight. Yep, I am the original halloween grinch. We had lots of kids in the office today trick or treating and it left me with a blinding headache. So, I came home, lifted weights and now I am going to curl up in front of the t.v. So, one more day where I am on track with food and exercise and no candy which is good news.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Is it the weekend yet?

I have a nasty morning hearing tomorrow which I am not look forward to in any way, shape, or form. Plus, I am tired and grouchy. My legs were exhausted this morning and I am really glad that I only have to work out twice more this week and then I have a day off to rest. I am still on track with food and getting all my water as well. I am just working on balance and moderation in my eating so that I do not feel deprived or that I am missing out on anything. So far, so good. I think overall the fact I really like cooking is a huge help, it allows me to try new dishes and not feel constrained to things I already know how to cook. Plus, I actually really like vegetables and that helps since I know a lot of people do not like to eat veggies. Anyway, I am tired so I am going to go watch television now and head to bed.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Oww

Okay, three days of running in a row is clearly my limit right now. I developed a minor shin splint today which is fortunately fading away as the day progresses. Still, it is a reminder that I can only push my body so far in any given week and I still need to add in some rest time. I also should have worn flats to work but hindsight is 20/20 and I didn't realize how much my leg was aching until I walked on it on the way into work. Everything else is on track, I even avoided the candy bowl when I went to court. I was amused that I spent lunch talking to CA who was ordering a hamburger on her way to a school presentation while I was sitting there eating carrots and hummus. However, I am taking extra hummus to work for her tomorrow because in proof we were separated at birth (of which there are many examples, we even drive the same car) she loves homemade hummus with the same abiding passion that I do and will appreciate it. Anyway, I am off to feed the cats and make lunch for tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Running and other thoughts

I have nothing new to report today. I am swamped at work, super important hearing on Friday on a case and so I have just been working on that all week. I am totally on track with food (probably because I like what I am eating) and exercise as well. I am back to having the ability to run a 12 minute mile and now I will begin increasing the amount of time I am running at that speed. I run really slowly anyway but I would like to be running three times a week for at least 20 minutes a day, right now I am only at about 10 minutes. My office is starting to fill with halloween candy for all the children who will be visiting on Friday (we have trick or treating in the office) I am avoiding the candy including the bags in my office. So far, pretending the candy does not exist is working swimmingly and I am not going to bring any of it home with me. Halloween is pretty much just a preview for the rest of the holiday season but my plan is to take one meal off at Christmas and one meal off at Thanksgiving and eat healthy the rest of the time. In the spirit of the holidays, I made myself a low calorie pumpkin smoothie today, it needs to be tweaked but has some serious potential as a tasty low calorie treat ( I think I can get it down to about 100 calories if I try). I am down to one cup of coffee a day and I have replace my need for caffeine with about 3-4 cups of black unsweetened chai tea which has also cut down calories. So, I am happy with where I am today. This is a picture of my furry children (the kitten just walked on my head by the way).

Monday, October 27, 2008

That is a meal not an appetizer

Apparently there was eggnog in the office today. I say apparently because I never saw it other than in a cup on one of my coworker's desks. Thus, I avoided it without even knowing it was there in the first place. I actually went out to lunch today at PF Chang where I had their chicken lettuce wraps which they technically define as an appetizer. I looked up the calories and it works out to about 510 calories total (I had about 2/3). This strikes me as a meal and not as something which proceeds the main course. Most of my meals work out to about 400-450 calories and they involve a fair amount of vegetables and protein. I can only assume in this case that the calories come from the sauce which the chicken is doused in and which is admittedly very tasty. I had a small dinner as a result which seems logical given the calories that I ate at lunch. Other than that, it was a very quiet monday.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Bathing in hummus

Once again it is Sunday and I am trying to get everything made and assembled for the week ahead of me. I am eating some of the same things as last week because I never got around to making them during the week and I had the food in the house. So, I am eating the following. Oatmeal with splenda and cinnamon Blueberry and Mango Smoothies Chicken Stir Fry in a Light Coconut Curry Chicken Cutlets with Orange Apricot Relish Roast Chicken Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (homemade) Carrots Baked Sweet potato fries Pears and bananas I always forget how much better homemade hummus is than what you can buy in the store. Plus it is really easy to make and it keeps for a whole week. I made hummus this afternoon and I would seriously bathe in it if that was presented as an option. It is flavorful, no bitter aftertaste and a much smoother texture than store bought hummus. The hummus is for lunch with the carrots and sweet potato fries everyday. So yummy and it only took five minutes to make. I also baked the sweet potato fries (they are seasoned with cinnamon, garlic powder, and salt. Then I tossed them in olive oil and baked them) and cut up chicken for the stir fry so all that I have to do is toss the chicken in the pan later in the week. I am making the chicken cutlets for dinner and I expect it will last me until midweek when I will make the stir fry. This should be plenty of food for the week and mostly vegetables and protein which is always my goal. I am off to make dinner now.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Finally Friday

I do enjoy fridays and to top everything off, today is pay day and we got our 4 percent increase for the year. I put it directly into my savings account which means I finally have three months of expenses saved in my emergency fund. I will be happier when I have a year saved away but I think that is probably going to take another year for me to get there. My theory on pay raises is basically that all the additional money goes into savings of some sort and I am continuing to live below my means as a result. I spent the last year paying off debt and I am working on avoiding going back there at all costs. Anyway, I am still on track with all my diet and exercise stuff as well, and tomorrow is the last day this week that I actually have to workout. Plus, I get to sleep in until about 7:30 (an extra 2.5 hours) which is very exciting. I have a ton of errands to run this weekend but it is nice to have two days off from work to relax.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

No news is good news

I was exhausted this morning but still went to the gym and worked out. I am still totally on plan. I had forgotten how easy this can be sometimes, I just remembered the days where it was difficult. Working out has been a pain this week but it is still getting done and I suppose that is good news. At least tomorrow is Friday, I need it to be the weekend already so I can catch up on my sleep and get organized for next week. I have lots of things that have to get done this weekend and not least is cleaning up my fridge which is pretty messy right now. Anyway, I am off to organize things for tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Random musings

My legs are still tired. Tired enough that after a morning of running around like a crazy person I switched over to a pair of flats for the afternoon. I still worked out this morning anyway and I felt much better for the rest of the day as a result. If I can just make it through this week, I think next week will be better in terms of workouts because I will have a real day of rest on Sunday. Well, other than the mad dash I am going to do to the mall this weekend to buy CA's 31st birthday present (I have no idea what I am buying her) before her actual birthday on Monday. This happens every year because I am a slacker on the buying of birthday and christmas presents. In my defense, I know what part of the gift is going to be but I am not sure about the rest of the present. Food and water are still fine by the way, no changes there in anyway. So, I keep on pushing through and so far everything is okay and I actually feel much better overall which is good news. Well, other than my legs.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Ah, afternoon exercise

I hate working out at night. Hate it. I am tired and all I want to do is curl up in front of the tv and chill after a long day. However, I had no choice today because my apartment complex's gym was locked when I went to workout this morning at 4:30 am. Fortunately I got out of court early and as soon as I got home I dragged myself over to the gym. It was an okay but not great workout and it was not helped by the fact that the gym was boiling hot for some reason. Still, I am glad that I did not give into the numerous excuses I came up with over the course of the day to not workout. This is the other reason I exercise in the morning, it is a lot harder to avoid and it gets easier as the day goes along. My legs are still tired but that was not a good reason to skip exercising and they were okay once I got on the machines and warmed up. Anyway, food is totally on plan and I did not feel hungry today, the banana made a big difference in terms of fullness which was good to know when I am planning my lunch.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Long Days Journey

Today was a long day in terms of staying on plan (which I managed by the way). I was starving for no apparent reason, even with my nice 10 am snack and a good sized lunch. I think I may not have had enough food reserves to draw on from Sunday when I did not eat enough food over the course of the day. It could of course be totally unrelated to that and be just my body acting up, really I have no idea. Still, I made it through and no random cookies or cake snuck in to my mouth. Actually, what I really wanted was a piece of fruit and I had left the banana I meant to bring for my afternoon snack at home. Le sigh. I think tomorrow will probably be better, then again this may just be optimism speaking and not reality. My legs are tired today and I think it is because I do not really do a lot of hill work in my regular workouts. Still, I lifted weights, worked out on the eliptical trainer, and did all of my exercise this morning. I figure days like today are just a reminder that this is never going to be easy and I need to keep on pushing through the bad days to get back to the good ones.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Tired as tired can be

I am exhausted and it is Sunday. Partly, I think it is related to the two hours I spent getting to CA's house last night thanks to a major traffic accident on the freeway. Secondly. it is probably related to the hour long hilly walk I did this morning with some people from my office. It was a walk to bring visibility to victims of Domestic Violence but I had not quite anticipated the entire walk being uphill. Still, I know it was good for me and since I am required to do community service, good for that as well. After that I ran to the store and grocery shopped even though I had forgotten my list. That brings me to the list of things I am eating this week: Oatmeal with splenda and cinnamon Blueberry and Mango Smoothies Chicken Curry Stir Fry (made this tonight it is a litte too hot I am hoping it mellow a bit overnight) Chicken Cutlets with Orange Apricot Relish Roast Chicken Corn Sauteed mushrooms Sauteed green beans Mashed Sweet Potatoes Pears I am trying to finish off some food from last week (hence the mashed sweet potatoes) and once again varying my vegetables. The corn was only 69 cents per ear, too good to pass up. I have additional vegetables as well in case I get bored with these options for some unknown reason. I continue to make progress weight wise and I am still making all my workouts so that is the good news. I also notice that I am not trying to eat everything which is not nailed down so I think that is progress as well.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday Check-In

This morning when I headed to the gym, I discovered that my apartment complex had put up caution tape. I considered not messing with it but then I realized someone else was already using the gym so I just ducked under the tape and headed inside. It was nice to feel like the excuse was less important than the exercise. There was more cake at work today, I avoided it again. CA and I spent most of the afternoon hanging halloween decorations and not doing work. Then again no one in my division got any work done today, well except for the people who had to pick a jury. I'm still totally on plan with my eating and I am getting enough water as well. First thing tomorrow I am going to go work out and get it over so that I am done for the week. I might go do a walk for crime victims on Sunday so that will be extra exercise if I make it there early Sunday morning. We will see how the weekend goes overall.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A minefield of food

Work was a minefield of food today. It was boss's day so all of the support staff and secretaries brought food to work. There was everything from chocolate cake to queso and chips. I had a pear which was yummy. My staff made sure they brought fruit because they know I am not eating sugar or bread right now. My secretary brought me this beautiful bouquet of pink rose which I left in my office only because I know the cats would try and eat it. I have to say, there is a lot to be said for not eating any of the office goodies, I did not end up with guilt or a tummy ache (the usually result of such events). Really, I can be very zen about food when I am on track and happy with my food. I came home and had a low cal blueberry smoothie (soy milk, blueberries, splenda, and 6 oz of low fat yogurt) for desert along with my pork chop and was perfectly satisfied. I think that basically as long as I don't start eating bad food I will be fine. I am going to CA's on saturday and she is making chicken fajitas so that I can skip the tortillas and just have the veggies and chicken. I am not against ever eating bread products but I know it is a real trigger for me and leads to the eating of lots of bad stuff so I am avoiding it as much as possible. So, today was a good day.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Happiness is a warm kitten

I'm not going to watch the presidential debate tonight, I've already made up my mind and I would much rather sit here with the kitten sleeping next to me on my printer (much less stressful). The kitten loves the computer more than anything else in the apartment. I am on track with food again and exercise. I am working my way back to running at full speed (which for me is about a 11 minute mile, I am at a 12.5 minute mile right now) and for an extended period of time. It is nice to feel like I am making progress and not feeling tempted by sugar or bad dietary food and sugars. I am not missing bread at all and I feel like I am eating a lot of healthy tasty food. So, all things considered I am doing well and at peace with my decisions. I feel no need tonight to mess that up by obsessing about the state of our country.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The dreaded Green Tea Frappuccino

So, CA totally had a momentary brain lapse today and brought me a grande Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino after lunch today. I told her that much as I loved her it was not on my diet and then after she left the room I chucked in in the trash. I just looked it up now and that sucker was 490 calories, which is 70 calories more than I just ate for dinner. Good lord, no wonder I've gained weight and for that matter most Americans are overweight. These are the calories no one ever really thinks about because they are hidden in a drink. Now, I am not against the occasional frappucino providing you have it is lieu of a meal but that was not an option for me because I had already eaten lunch. Besides, I gave up sugar on a pretty much permanent basis unless I am using it to cook something and then only in small quantities. I will never be able to really add it back into my diet on a permanent basis because I am not good at limiting it when I do eat it (this is the same problem I have with bread products). I feel guilty that CA spent the money but ultimately I cannot really control what other people do or what food they offer me, only my reaction to it. I also avoided the cinnamon bun I was offered this morning by the court staff when I was over doing hearings. I've said this before, but I really don't think people mind if you say no and that it is not on your diet. The longer I do this, the easier it gets and I just have to remember that fact. Besides, willpower only has to exist in small amounts, if I say no in the moment and get rid of the food and move on, I do not have a problem and I avoid the guilt of having eating the food later. It helps that I am eating really good tasty food this time around and I do not feel deprived, I think that has made a huge difference overall in my ability to stay on track.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Why Mondays suck and other thoughts

So, last night at about 2:30 am, an ambulance decided to sit itself right outside my apartment complex for 10 minutes or so. Okay it probably was not 10 minutes but you get the point. When you know you are getting up in approximately 2 hours, it makes it impossible to fall back to sleep. Needless to say I was not a happy camper when I hauled my rear out of bed and headed for the gym. I did have a decent workout which is a bonus, a rather unexpected one at that given my exhaustion. However, I can feel the sleepiness setting in already and it is on 6:45 p.m. I will be lucky if I make it to 8 p.m. tonight. It was not helped by a long day at work and the fact that I knew I had to come home, lift weights, and actually cook dinner. I made my pork chop dish which is quite tasty, I like it. I did however have to cut about a third off my pork chop because it was clearly more than one serving. I desperately need a food scale but for now I am estimating with the palm of my hand which is about the right size for a piece of protein. I have enough pork chops for the entire week but I will probably mix it up with a stir fry about midweek so that I have a good variety of dishes. It is a good thing that my parents taught me how to cook well or I don't know how I would manage to eat healthy on a regular basis.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Sunday Menu

As per my routine, I am checking in with the menu for the week. I tried to buy less food then last week but I do not think I really succeeded in that regard. I ended up throwing out leftovers before I went to the store this morning (chicken and tomato soup to be precise) because they smelled a little bit off. Anyway, all my precooking for the week is done. I am eating the following: Oatmeal with light soy milk, cinnamon, and splenda Chicken and vegetable stir fry in light coconut curry sauce Pork chops in light apple cream sauce Green beans with garlic and lemon sauce Light Mashed sweet potatoes with ginger Brown rice Chicken lettuce wraps Blueberry and Mango smoothies Assorted fresh fruit Roast chicken The mashed sweet potatoes and green beans are my lunch vegetables, I take them along with a piece of roast chicken and fruit for snacks. My goal is to eat at least one different vegetable every week so I do not get bored. Since the only vegetable I really have issues with is eggplant (I do not like the texture) that leaves a broad range to sample from in the grocery store. I have to say, the green beans and mashed sweet potatoes were super easy to make, less than an hour for both. I am hopeful that the pork chops will also be fast to cook tomorrow night. I was thinking today, that it is funny how much I can cook with relatively minimal equipment. In my kitchen I have the following: 1 big pot, 1 medium size pot, 2 small ones, 1 large sauce pan, 1 small saucepan, a garlic press, 3 knives, measuring spoons and cups, a blender, a food processor, and a can opener. Oh, and some cookie sheets, a spatula, 1 wooden spoon, and a medium sized mixing bowl. Nine times out of ten that is more than enough to make anything I want to cook for myself. I should probably invest in a good thermometer but I have never gotten around to it. I probably make most meals using one pot and a knife, so really you do not need a lot of equipment to make a good meal. All you need is the time and energy to prepare it which is why I do so much cooking on Sunday when I have both in abundance.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Saturday Report

On a non food or workout note, I went out shopping today because I needed a couple of long sleeve shirts now that it is not 103 degrees outside but rather a tolerable 80 degrees. I discovered quickly that the mall was having a fire sale, everywhere was having 50 percent off sales. I managed to get four shirts and a jacket at the Gap for about 80 dollars which given their normal prices is frankly ridiculous. I was quite pleased with myself. Prior to going to the mall I dragged my butt to the gym and did my cardio workout. The problem with the weekend is that I have no real desire to work out or be productive, however I am sticking religiously to working out six days a week so it had to be done. I felt a lot better once I was there and actually working out as is so often the case. I have also done my laundry and a bunch of other stuff because working out makes me far more productive than I would otherwise be on a weekend. I have to figure out what I am eating this week and clean up a bit as well. The weight is coming off again for the first time in a long time, amazing what healthy eating and working out will do for a person. Anyway, I am off to fold the last load of laundry and wash up the dinner dishes ( I had brown rice and stir fry, very tasty).

Friday, October 10, 2008

All kinds of awesomeness

Yes mother, I know awesomeness is not really a correct word but I am using it anyway. So tonight, I made the stir fry that I have put off making all week (mostly because it involved peeling the shells off a lot of shrimp) and it was really good. Broccoli, carrots, snap peas, garlic, and shrimp in a light coconut curry sauce. Yummy, and other than the shrimp incredibly quick to cook. I figure I have enough leftovers for about 2-3 meals this weekend. Then I had a mango smoothie because I had a light lunch (fruit salad and chicken with CA) and had a fair amount of calories left over. CA told me that I was fueling my body not eating a meal although she did not have much room to talk given her meal was a green salad and a piece of fish. I did manage to get in three weight workouts this week and providing I work out tomorrow morning I will have managed six cardio workouts for the week. I have to admit, I am never really going to enjoy getting up at 4:20 a.m. and heading to the gym for 45 minutes but it is my saving grace because that way it is done by the time I get to work in the morning. I would never workout if I went to the gym in the evening because I would just slack off and find excuses to not walk out the door. I am pleased that I have stayed on track for the past three weeks, it is making a real difference in my energy level and mood over all. Exercise and eating right, the best mood altering substance ever invented.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Eating out and saying no

I went out to lunch today with CA and our unit's newest lawyer NA. NA wanted to go to Olive Garden so off we went to eat. After perusing the menu for about 10 minutes, I came to a simple realization. There was one thing on the menu which did not involve pasta or bread. One thing, Venetian Apricot Chicken with vegetables. So, I had that, it was tasty but also slightly frustrating. It is hard to go out and find healthy menu items. As it was, there was far too much sauce on the plate, I could have done with about half as much. It was actually healthy and not terribly caloric but still, only one thing on the menu. NA and CA had pasta, but I was not really interested in eating anything with pasta. This is part of the zen of eating I get into once I detox from sugar and flour, I stop having constant cravings for them. It usually takes between 2 and 3 weeks for that to actually happen and stick. I think my new goal is to not deviate from this eating plan unless it is a major holiday or birthday celebration and maybe not even on those occasions. I have discovered that people do not really mind if you say no and refuse food as long as they understand the reason behind the refusal. There is a lot of understanding for answers like "no I can't eat that, sugar makes me feel bad" as opposed to a straight out no. I am working on saying no more. I also realize that this blog is very much about food, probably because exercise is less of an issue for me, yes I am working out everyday and not slacking but food has always been a much bigger hurdle. I think I am finally begin to learn how to manage it after all this time and that is a good thing in my life.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Midweek checkin

Thank goodness the week is on the downhill slide, it has been crazy busy around here for the past few days. Fortunately, working out and healthy eating has not been a problem. Really, I can do this when I try and pre-plan. It is all about preparation and what is in my house. Tonight's dinner was not that exciting but it was healthy, chicken with a little bit of pesto sauce (about a tablespoon) and a piece of reduced fat cheese and a mango shake. It was sort of an attempt at a chicken pesto sandwich without the bread. I had veggies at lunch so I do not feel guilty about the lack of veggies at dinner. Tomorrow will probably be a stir fry in an attempt to cook the remaining shrimp in my fridge. I am also working out everyday and I've done two out of three strength training workouts for the week. So far so good, hopefully it will translate into some good results on the scale.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Green, green, and more green

I realized after I made dinner tonight that the entire meal was pretty much bright green. Well, except for the shrimp but they were covered in green. I made spinach with a little butter and garlic along with shrimp in a basil pesto sauce. All bright green and extremely tasty. Frankly, I could have probably made the spinach without butter but I did not realize that until after I had cooked it. Still, it fulfilled one of my goals in terms of eating. I am trying to make sure that I eat a lot of vegetable, especially dark leafy green ones (such as spinach). Basically, I am aiming for five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday, and mostly hitting that goal. It goes along with an attempt to stick mostly to proteins such as chicken, seafood, and turkey rather than red meat. I think it will help me have a better diet in the long run. I also managed a good workout this morning so week three is going pretty well.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Keep on keeping on

I am still one hundred percent on plan. It is a bloody miracle. I work in a high stress job and a lot of days get very difficult and draining emotionally. Today was not one of those days but tomorrow probably will be for a lot of different reasons. I have always used food to cope and more and more I am trying to work at finding alternate methods to deal with the stress. I have not been terribly successful but I am trying and working on finding balance. The cats are actually part of that balance, there is a lot to be said to coming home everyday to unconditional love and acceptance. I also think that really working out has been making a real difference with my stress level recently. I have also noticed that cutting out milk, sugar, and bread really seems to help me sleep at night and have more energy. In fact, I have noticed a huge spike in my energy level since I cut out the sugar and bread especially. I am down to two cups of coffee a day, one in the morning and one decaf cup at night and no starbucks on the weekends. I am drinking way more water, between 8 and 12 cups a day which is helping my skin as well. All of this is things that have happened in the past when I ate clean, I have just forgotten what it feels and looks like in reality. The difference this time is that I am really paring it with healthy clean eating rather than extreme portion control. The thing about eating properly and cutting out bread is that you can actually eat a lot of food and not consume a lot of calories. I aim for around 1400-1600 calories a day and a lot of times I end up around 1350 even after having two snacks, a healthy lunch and a healthy dinner. I do not feel deprived and that is really important for my personal sanity given my general work stress level. So, I am doing well and that feels good.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Shopping the perimeter

Sunday is always about food for me, always. I am a creature of habit and so on Sunday mornings I get up at about seven a.m. (right now my teenage self is shuddering at the thought) and potter around emptying trash cans and cleaning until about eight a.m. I haul the garbage out to the main dumpster at my apartment complex and I head off to the grocery store. I like shopping early because I avoid the crowds (although you would be surprised at how many people are at the store by then) and can spend my time picking through vegetables and still get home before nine a.m. Now that I am back on my healthy lifestyle I work very hard at only shopping the perimeter of the store. The concept is simple, all fresh products (i.e. veggies, fruit, dairy, and meat) are around the edge of the store while all processed, frozen, and canned foods are generally housed in the central aisles. So, if you stick to the perimeter as a general rule you are buying unprocessed healthy food. I bought a ton of food today, but only managed to spend about eighty five dollars which is really good for me. Mostly I bought produce, red lettuce, onions, yams, asparagus, spinach, stir fry vegetables, garlic, pears, plums, basil, and bananas. This will make a ton of things this week (and yes I eat a lot of yams, they are comfort food while also being really good for you). In terms of other food, I bought parmesan cheese, pine nuts, shrimp, chicken thighs, light coconut milk, oatmeal, light soy milk, and frozen mangos. As you can see, almost everything with the exception of the frozen fruit, coconut milk, and oatmeal came from the perimeter of the store. I did not buy any whole grains because I still have half a bag of brown rice and an entire box of couscous. I also have a ton of tomato soup left from last week which I need to eat this week. Last week, I ate everything I said that I was going to week and still ended up with a lot of food left over. This is a constant problem for me, cooking for one person is a process which tends to create a lot of extra food which I may or may not eat. However, I would rather have options and throw some food away than eat a really limited diet. This week is all about shrimp for dinner, the chicken is for lunch everyday. So I am planning on eating the following depending on my mood. Shrimp with light garlic lemon cream sauce Shrimp with basil pesto Roast yams Roast chicken thighs Roast onions Spinach with garlic Asparagus with garlic lemon cream sauce Shrimp Stir fry with light coconut curry sauce and brown rice Tomato soup Mango smoothies Oatmeal with cinnamon and soy milk (breakfast everyday) So far today, I have roasted the chicken thighs and I still need to do the onions and yams. The yams are already cut up and ready to go when I feel motivated to cook them. When I roast things, whether it is vegetables or meat, I tend to generally just liberally salt and pepper them and avoid a lot of other spices, that way they form a nice base for other dishes. I also roast everything in batches, preferably with similar types of vegetables so that they will cook at the same rate. I find roast vegetables last about a week in the refrigerator and the same is true of roast chicken. The shrimp I will cook in small batches throughout the week (although you can also cook it in advance), because it only takes a couple of minutes to cook. This at least is the plan right now for the week.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

TGIS

Ah, I love the weekend. Thursday was a long day, so much so that I accidentally slept in on Friday morning and ended up running to workout at five am rather than 4:30 am. Still, that was a victory in a small way because for a long time I have been skipping workouts when I oversleep. On Friday afternoon, I ended up leaving work a little early to drive out to my friend's house to pick up my cats. I then had about an hour drive home in rush hour traffic, not pleasant. However, the cats are home and my apartment feels normal again for the first time in a few days. Today, I have been out shopping to buy a pair of sunglasses to replace the ones I broke on Thursday afternoon. After I came home from shopping, I dragged myself over to the gym to workout for about 45 minutes on the treadmill and eliptical machine. I realize some people find it easier to workout on weekends but I have always found it much harder because I do not have a set schedule in which I workout or anyplace that I have to be, so I tend to slack off. However, I have managed it the last two weeks which is good. Now I just have to do laundry and cleanup a bit so my apartment looks neat and tidy right after I finish the awesome blueberry smoothie that I made for lunch with light yogurt and soy milk.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

I hate Wednesday and other thoughts

Wednesday is always the worst day for working out in my opinion. It is dead smack in the middle of the week, you still have three more days to go (in terms of workouts) and your body is tired. I did go this morning and do my 45 minutes on the eliptical but I so did not want to be there and working out. My legs are sore and it is a little bit like moving through sand at this point. I need to lift weights, I can't say it is high on my list of priorities at this precise moment in time but I will get there at some point tonight. I spent all of work today interviewing witnesses for a really big case which may or may not go to trial. My brain hurts and I miss my cats (apparently they are fine other than hissing at CA's cats). The house is really quiet without anybody else here. Fortunately, there is nothing bad to snack on because I removed it from the house last week. Anyway, I am off to muster up the enthusiasm to lift weights and do some core fitness stuff.