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Second Breakfast

August 15, 2009 by

Well, I’m feeling better today, but still not the greatest. I did not go to yoga because I just didn’t want to push it. Instead, I slept in until about 8 AM, although I didn’t sleep very well the whole night. When I did finally get up, I had more energy than the day before, which was a good sign. I was really hungry for some reason too, so I grabbed breakfast right away…

8.15 breakfast2

I made a mix of cheerios and Kashi Go Lean Crunch with a few strawberries. It was a little rough on my sore throat but I managed. 

Then I had a very nice surprise. My father and mother-in-law came over and brought a chocolate covered coffee cake! So, of course, I had a second breakfast…

8.15 breakfast3

Hmm…so incredibly yummy! I had this slice of cake with a cup of Tazo Awake tea, which my throat desperately needed.

My husband and his father worked on our front porch for most of the morning, and then we all broke for lunch. I ran up to a local and very popular diner for hot dogs and Chicago-style Italian beef.

8.15 lunch

I had an original all-beef hot dog with all the fixings – hot peppers, onions, tomatoes, relish, and a huge pickle. I also had a few crinkle-cut fries on the side. Very good – but again, not as good as it could have been if I wasn’t sick.

Now, I’m soo tired that I’m contemplating a nap. See you all tonight!

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The Runner's Headache

August 14, 2009 by

Hey everyone. I’m not having the greatest day today. I went to bed with headache, woke up at 5:30 AM with a headache, and still have one now. I did end up going running though and it was really rough. It almost felt like I was drained/dehydrated, but I don’t think I was. This feeling of having a dull (sometimes throbbing), constant headache, is what I refer to as The Runner’s Headache. This is because it always seems to start after a run and then continue on for days.

After my not so great run, I made a huge bowl of energizing oatmeal.

8.14 breakfast

I started with 1/2 cup rolled oats (not the quick kind) and added 1 cup of skim milk. I popped that in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes then added 2 big strawberries and a dollop of all-natural creamy peanut butter. I think this was the first time I’ve added peanut butter to oatmeal and it was awesome. I am so glad that peanut butter is good for you because I absolutely love the stuff.

After my hearty, fiber- and protein-filled breakfast, I ran a few errands. The whole time, I still could not shake the headache, even though I drank at least 2 water bottles full of water. I thought a little caffeine might help, so I stopped at Starbuck’s for a mocha frap. It tasted great, but still did nothing for my headache.

I headed home and contemplated lunch. I really wasn’t that hungry because I didn’t feel well, but I knew I had to eat something. I pulled out some of the homemade split-pea soup I made a few weeks ago ….

8.14 lunch

My husband questioned whether or not the soup would really taste good after being frozen, but honestly, it tasted like it was just made today!

Now I’m off to take a nap, which I rarely do (only when I’m sick). But, I’m hoping it will do the trick to zap my headache away. See you all at dinner.

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Birthday breakfast at the office

August 13, 2009 by

Hello everyone! I had a great start to my morning. Just as I was getting ready to start my run, I ran into my dog-loving neighbor. She was walking a new puppy (she was just puppy sitting) and it was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – my absolute favorite dog! Oh, I just wanted to take him home, but then reality set in. With my husband’s and my schedule, we just can’t fit in a dog right now. 

After an awesome run I quickly got ready for work. I didn’t eat breakfast before I left because we were having a little b-day party for a coworker – breakfast included. Check out the goods…

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We had fresh pastries from a very popular local bakery. I’m only showing photos of the mini donuts because the other pics didn’t turn out. Aside from the donuts, there was also a lemon ring cake and a chocolate chip pecan coffee cake.

8.13 breakfast2

I had a chocolate covered mini cake donut (about 2 1/2 inches) and a small piece of the chocolate coffee cake. I don’t normally eat donuts – I’ve just never been much of a donut fan, but these looked so cute and were just the right size for a taste. I had my pastries with a cup of steaming Tazo Awake – which really hit the spot!

After our little gathering, it was off to a nearly 2-hour meeting for me. It was a super productive meeting – a super productive morning all around. So productive that I decided to take the afternoon off to see Julie & Julia – yeah! I’m so excited to see it. 

But, before heading out for the day, I took the b-day girl out for lunch at a little Italian bistro near where I work.

8.13 lunch1

I had the veggie sandwich – full of grilled carrots, peppers, and mushrooms in a ciabatta roll. It also came with a small side salad and great-tasting seasoned French fries. Yum!

All right – I’m off to the movies. My husband is actually meeting me there. He said this is my one “girl movie” that he will see with me. Can’t wait!

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Gourmet food on a plastic plate is still gourmet

August 12, 2009 by

Ahh, it’s nice to be home, winding down for the night. I was in joint business meeting today, which I was thrilled to be a part of. I was also thrilled that it ended at 1:30 PM instead of 4:30 PM – Yeah! Thankfully, during these long business meetings my company also springs for lunch and today it was semi-gourmet….

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Wow – get a load of this fancy food! There were so many choices from our lunch buffet that it was hard to decide. I went with bunless broasted chicken sandwich with tomatoes and a small slice of cheddar. Then I added about 2/3 of a plate of roasted veggies – mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, squash, and jicama, with a little roasted red pepper dip on the side.

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It was unbelievable, especially for a working lunch served on a plastic plate. But hey, it’s still gourmet. I didn’t stuff myself at all, but I was pleasingly full after lunch. However, since it was served at 11:15 AM – when I don’t usually eat until around 1 PM – I was a little hungry around 4 PM. Luckily, I snagged a snack from our “business” treats basket…

true delights1

A Quaker True Delights granola bar. It’s made with honey roasted cashews and mixed cherries and cranberries. It’s NOT as all-natural as I thought – the packaging is kind of deceiving. But, it was still a nice pick-me-up in the later afternoon.

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On my way home, I did a little summer clothes shopping. I must have been about 2 weeks too late because all of the sale summer clothes were picked over. Bummer, guess I’ll just have to wait until March for the new summer line – he he!

By the time I arrived home, my husband had dinner almost ready. I just love a man who can cook!

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He made mesquite chicken on the grill, homemade parmesan risotto, and green beans. It was ALL so yummy, especially the risotto – it had an awesome flavor. I really wanted to eat more, but I opted to save the leftovers for lunch on Friday (tomorrow I’m headed out for lunch!).

After dinner and cleaning up, we headed out to do a little more shopping. My husband was VERY tempted to stop and get a custard at Culver’s but I talked him out of it. Instead, he made a homemade strawberry shake and I had…

8.12 dessert

A watermelon and vanilla ice cream parfait! I used about 2/3 cup of Breyer’s all-natural vanilla bean ice cream, about a 1/2 cup of watermelon chunks, and 1 tpsp of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Outstanding, once again!

Tomorrow’s a running day so I need to hit the sack. I’m still debating on whether or not to leave work early to take in the new Julie & Julia movie. Any thoughts – is it worth taking a 1/2 vacation day to see it?

Take care everyone and have a great night.

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Meetings, Meetings, and Food

August 11, 2009 by

What a long day! I worked for 11 hours today and spent most of the time in meetings.  Now I’m soooo tired. 

Before all of the craziness started at 1 PM, I had a little lunch…

8.11 lunch

I had a salami and Swiss cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread. I also had a big handful of super bright red grape tomatoes.

8.11 tomatoes

Just look at how bright they are!

During my very long meeting, I desperately needed a pick-me-up to stop from falling asleep. I snagged a big chocolate chip cookie from the back of the room.

8.11 treat

Holy cookie! It tasted so good, although after I ate it I felt cookie remorse. We continued with the meeting until about 5 PM. The group wasn’t meeting at the restaurant until 6:30 PM so I just hung around the office and worked until it was time to leave.

As I mentioned earlier today, I was not able to take pictures of my dinner for fear of the strange looks I might get from my dinner companions. I will try to describe it in as much detail as possible though.

Dinner was held at a local and very trendy winery. When I arrived about 15 minutes early, there were already a few of my colleagues and business associates enjoying drinks in the lounge. I had a beautiful glass of chardonnay. It had hints of melon, apple, lime, and butterscotch, which made for a mighty taste drink!

For my entree, I enjoyed the linguini pasta tossed in a parmesan broth and mixed with chicken breast, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and cream. Amazing! I ate about 3/4 of the dish and now I’m so stuffed and it’s been nearly 3 hours since I’m eaten! I am very glad that I do not go to these “business” dinner very often or else I would weigh a ton. But then again, business dinners are typically free so they are had to pass up.

I think I will pass on dessert tonight, especially because I have a full-day meeting tomorrow with a catered breakfast and lunch! 

Stay tuned to see if I can sneak a few food pics in tomorrow.

Take care everyone!

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Sweet Endings…

August 10, 2009 by

Hello everyone. I am soo tired right now, but I still wanted to write a quick post before going to bed.

As I mentioned earlier, the house was pretty bare in the grocery department this morning, so for lunch, I made a run to the local Italian eatery for a cup of minestrone soup.

8.10 lunch

Don’t let the picture fool you – It was really just a cup! But, with a ton of parmesan cheese..hmmm. Not only does minestrone soup taste good, but it is a surefire way to get in at least a serving of vegetables in each cup. 

The afternoon flew by once more. Before I knew it, I was headed out the door, laptop in hand. Luckily, my husband had a huge Mexican fiesta prepared at our house. He even made his own super secret salsa…

8.10 salsa

So thick it stays on the chip! 

8.10 salsa chip

I think what makes this salsa so great is that he uses all fresh ingredients, which are mainly vegetables. It’s also very low in calories, which is a huge bonus. He sometimes makes his salsa too spicy, but this time if was very mild – and soo good. He also made one of his signature dishes – chicken fajitas.

8.10 fajitas

I loaded my whole-wheat tortilla with fajita meat, grilled peppers, lettuce, mushrooms, monterrey jack cheese, and guac. It pretty much goes without saying that I overloaded my tortilla – so much that I was eating the contents of my fajita with a fork after two bites. Fajitas are still awesome no matter how you eat them!

I waited a while after dinner to decide if I wanted dessert. I was craving something cold and sweet. My husband opted for a huge root beer float, but I chose to have this…

8.10 ice cream

Breyers All-Natural Vanilla Bean ice cream (1/2 cup) with a tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a bunch of watermelon. Oh, it was so what I needed! If you’ve never had watermelon with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, I highly recommend it.

I’m off to bed. Chat with you all in the morning.

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A Family and Food-Focused Weekend

August 9, 2009 by

Hey all! Sorry I’m posting so late. I’m just now winding down from a full weekend of family and food-focused activities. To recap, we had dinner with my sis on Friday night, a family portrait and birthday bbq on Saturday, and today we had a family breakfast and huge family picnic at a park. Do you think that’s enough family and food for one weekend? Also, why is it that whenever I get around family, everything seems to center around food? I’m not even Italian! Does anyone else ever have that issue?

Anyway, my day began with a 5-mile run which felt GREAT, especially after all of the food I’ve been eating. Then it was on to another family breakfast at the Ritz Carlton. The food was, once again, fabulous and the service was top-notch. I decided that I wanted to take my breakfast in courses today. So, I started with a 4 tablespoons of strawberry yogurt with a few fresh berries and about 2 tbsp granola.

8.9 yogurt

Next, I tried something I’ve never eaten before….

8.9 muesli

A very small bowl of Muesli! I know it probably looks like yogurt, but it’s actually a cereal-based dish that’s very popular in Europe. It has a base of uncooked rolled oats (soaked in water or milk overnight) mixed with dried fruit and nuts. Mine had dried currants and figs (I think) and a mix of cashews, walnuts, and almonds. Once I got past the “cold oatmeal” taste, it was actually quite good. I think I’ll try whipping up my own version at home.

Next was a small plate of some other hot and cold breakfast items….

8.9 breakfast

I had one small slice of havarti cheese, sauteed peppers and a few potatoes, with one slice of bacon. It was just enough of the “hot” breakfast to keep me satisfied. 

I also had a very small portion of a blueberry muffin.8.9 muffin2

I seriously only had 2 bites of this because it was very dry and had a very strong “cake batter” taste, like it had too much flour.

Finally, I had my own pot of English Breakfast tea -Yeah! This time, I had Taylors of Harrogate tea and it was just lovely. 8.9 tea

Although that was the end to my very hearty but balanced breakfast, I did have a sip of some hot chocolate that someone else from my table ordered. Although the hot chocolate just tasted average, the presentation was so cool. Take a look…8.9 hot chocolate

It was brought out with little marshmallows and a silver spoon dipped in dark and white chocolate.

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Way cool – makes me wish I had ordered it!

After our amazing breakfast, we headed out to pick up a few more picnic things. We arrived at the picnic around 12:30 PM and visited with all of our “lost lost” relatives, which was so fun! I was still full from breakfast so I only picked at some of the food that was there – had a little potato salad, a small scoop of cheesy potatoes, and a scoop of my cousin’s ramen noodle salad (my portions were not even enough to take a decent picture). All of it was very tasty, but it would have been even better if I was actually hungry. It was also about 95 degrees outside which didn’t help my appetite.

Now we’re heading home and I am sooo tired. After this weekend’s eating fest, it will be so nice to get back into my regular eating pattern and eating home-cooked meals!

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A "Ritzy" Breakfast

August 8, 2009 by

Afternoon everyone! I’ve had a whirlwind morning so far. Between breakfast, a family photo, visiting, and lunch, I’m wiped out. But, I always find time for blogging!

Prior to our family photo at 9 AM, we had a little breakfast. It was a semi-snazzy affair at the Ritz Carlton with the family. I just love the buffet breakfast at the RC. They offer the right amount of choices, many of which are healthy, like yogurt, fruit, muesli, and egg white omelettes.

8.8 breakfast

Wanting to go the lighter route, I chose to have a little fruit, one piece of bacon, and a few breakfast potatoes. I also had one of my favorites…

8.8 yogurt

Yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. I started with some strawberry yogurt and then layered a little granola with a few raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. So heavenly! I also had a huge pot of Tea Forte English Breakfast tea all to myself – it was so relaxing!

8.8 teapot

Next on the agenda for today was the family photo. Between my mother and father, brothers and sisters, spouses, and grandchildren, there were 17 people in the photo. It was a little crazy but somehow we managed to be done in about 30 minutes. 

After visiting with the family for a little while, we decided to head to a kid-friendly place for lunch – Red Robin. The sandwich/hamburger chain is great for kids because they have so many things for kids to look at, it’s rather noisy, so it’s ok if the kids are not quiet, and they give away balloons.

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As you can see, my lunch was not as healthy as breakfast. I split a plain chicken sandwich with my sister-in-law and had a few fries on the side. My father also bought the whole table a tower of onion rings…8.8 onion rings

I had one and it was very tasty. Sorry the picture was out of focus. I only had time to take one and this is what I got.

Now, we’re resting a little before heading to the birthday/anniversary party tonight. It’s a BBQ and I know it’s going to be a blast. I’ll fill you in the details later.

Enjoy your evening everyone!

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A Good Start, But Then…

August 7, 2009 by

I had a good start to the day with a brisk 4-mile run, followed by a hearty and healthy breakfast. But it was all downhill from there!

After my run, my awesome husband made me a yummy omelette for breakfast:

8.7 breakfast

The omelette was made with 1 egg and 1 egg white, with a little cheddar cheese, mushrooms, broccoli, and pieces of all-natural (nitrate-free) bacon. It was so tasty and such a change from what I usually eat in the morning.

He also made me my favorite morning tea…

8.7 tea

Tazo Awake tea! He’s so thoughtful.

The rest of our day was spent running errands, visiting family, and getting ready for the big day tomorrow. There will actually be three events taking place tomorrow – a huge family portrait at a studio, a lunch with the family, and a birthday party for my nephew/anniversary party for my parents. Whew, that’s a lot to do in one day!

I actually started feeling a little sick in the car, so I munched on an emergency snack:

8.7 crackers

That’s right, goldfish crackers. I seriously do NOT eat these crackers on a regular basis – maybe twice a year. But today, I am so glad they were in the car.

Our errands took us all over the place so we weren’t near our house around lunchtime. So, we headed to Chili’s:

8.7 lunch

I had a bowl of potato soup and it was very tasty. I do prefer Corner Bakery’s baked potato soup over all others, but Chili’s has a nice recipe as well.

After more running around, we dropped into Panera very quickly to pick up an ice tea (for my hubby) and 2 giant cookies -1 double chocolate and a new kind – toffee. 8.7 snack

Here’s what’s left of my cookie after about 2 minutes! I told you it was going downhill…

We headed over to my sister’s house late in the day to discuss plans for tomorrow. She was nice enough to order pizza and salad for us, knowing how tired we were from running around all day.

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I had one piece of pepperoni pizza, a little antipasto salad, a roll, and a piece of cheesy bread (not pictured). I was pretty full after that, but couldn’t resist a little moose-tracks ice cream, because I very rarely eat that flavor.

8.7 dessert

I honestly only had one small scoop, and that was enough for me.

So, as you can see, today was a complete eating fest for me. Although I try to make healthy choices when I’m out and about, sometimes my hunger and my stomach take over and get the better of me.

I plan to eat lighter tomorrow, without a doubt. Now, I’m off to bed to, hopefully, get a good night’s sleep before the big day!

Night all!

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A Well "Balanced" Lunch

August 6, 2009 by

Hi all! It’s been a great morning so far, although I have been in meetings for a total of about 2 1/2 hours. Luckily it has not been one straight meeting, because I tend to zone out after an hour or so.

After my great run this morning, I munched on more crunchy cereal…

8.6 ceral1

It was my standard mix of Kashi Go Lean Crunch and cheerios.

On my way to work, I heard Starbucks calling my name so I stopped to get a tall mocha frap with light whip cream. Bummer that it nearly melted completed before I was able to drink it. I don’t like taking “frozen drinks” into business meetings. Even though it’s technically coffee, it somehow screams “spring break” and I don’t like to give that impression. Any hoo, the drink just sat there lonely on my desk, developing condensation. I came back to a melted drink and a wet desk. No fun…but the drink was still good.

Because a girl can’t live on frozen coffee alone – although I’m sure some girls think they can! – I made sure to eat a healthy lunch. It’s all about balance, ladies!

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I had a 1/2 turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with three-layer Trader Joe’s hummus and a little feta cheese. Hmm…good! I also had a side of carrots and a few pretzel “chips”.

Now, I think I’m all set for the afternoon.

We have a big day planned for tomorrow and the whole weekend. More details to follow tonight!

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