Say What You Need To Say

2010-03-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I am about to say this, but for about the 100th time this year, I am sick…AGAIN!

It looks like I've picked up a touch of some kind of flu. More on that in a second.

Rewinding to the weekend…..

Saturday night, we did indeed make it out to dinner with our friends.

It had been months since we've been out and even though I wasn't feeling 100%, I was determined to get out and enjoy a real date with good friends.

We went to an awesome little Tapas bar downtown, Suba. It was wonderful. We spent hours there, talking, eating and living up a Saturday night on the town.

Jill and I

Our friends, Chris and Jill

Stomach wise, I did okay. The medicine seemed to do the trick and it wasn't until the next morning when I started to feel pretty lousy.

I thought it was just a combo of the food and being out later than normal, and I figured I would start to feel better as the day went on.

Toly made breakfast but I just wasn't hungry. I continued on with my day, shopping, cleaning and eventually tried to eat in the afternoon.

It's so odd what I crave these days, but I definitely channeled my inner child for this one.

Snack plate with Cheetas, "Chicken" fingers, carrots, grapes and ranch dressing

The star here was these….

Meat-free crispy tenders. Hmmm, sounds interesting right? Looks pretty good. I had a coupon to try one of their meat-free products and chose these.

OMG you guys, these "chicken" fingers ROCK! I really think they tasted even better than the "real" thing. But if you ask me, those tyson chicken fingers are no where near real, so I guess these would be the best option.

Another new product that I literally can not stop eating.

HOLY CRAP THIS STUFF IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

There is not one single thing about this that would ever make me believe it was dairy free. It tastes unreal! Gooey, creamy carmel swimming throughout a smooth and dreamy vanilla with huge chunks of chocolate covered praline pieces.

I tried to refrain from eating the entire pint but it was rough.

So the rest of the afternoon, I was just feeling off. But these days, I'm always feeling off, so I didn't really think much of it.

It was so gorgeous out yesterday, and I really didn't want to miss the opportunity to get outside, so I decided to go on an easy 3 mile run. I SHOULD have listened to that little voice inside me, but I figured the run would make me feel better.

ummmm…. wrong!!!

This was the worst 3 miles I have ever ran of my life! I was pushing so hard and kept thinking to myself, "what is wrong with me? I run 30 miles a week and I can't even do a measly 3 miles on a beautiful day?" I pushed and pushed and when I got home, I nearly collapsed. I couldn't breath, I couldn't move and I knew something was wrong.

I felt like crap the rest of the night. Shame because I ended up making a killer dinner that I just couldn't eat.

His/Hers Stuffed Shells

These were so good, but sadly I could only force down a few bites.

I did however have ample room for more ice cream. Ice cream always makes you feel better, doesn't it?

I went to bed last night at 7:30pm, was up all night with chills, a fever, and in the bathroom. Obviously, I've picked up some kind of flu bug, which really doesn't surprise me. Praying that it's a 24 hour thing and nothing that a day devoted to 100% rest won't cure.

My body is falling apart. I really just need to take care of myself and recover. Maybe I have been pushing myself too hard, but relaxing is such a hard thing for me to do. I live in such a fast paced mindset and tend to overwhelm myself. Now that I have been diagnosed with several illnesses and a full blown disease, I think its time for me to take a break!

I want to write more on this soon, but for now, I need to rest. ;)

Oatmeal Breakfast with my Bestest

2010-03-06T15:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday! Hope it's as beautiful where you are as it is here. Sunny, mild and 50's! Such a nice treat from the crazy winter we endured.

This morning, I had plans with Jen for an oatmeal breakfast and Body Pump class. I wasn't quite sure if I was going to make either of these things. Last night was rather rough (guess that immodium wore off and my stomach caught up with me from the day) so I woke up feeling awful and tired. I was determined to get past it though and convinced myself to just give it a little while and see how I felt. As I was getting things ready, I realized that my free passes to the gym had expired. So, no body pump! :( That was probably for the best seeing as how lousy I was feeling. I called Jen and we contemplated canceling the whole thing, but decided that we always had time for oatmeal and good company. So we stuck with the oatmeal breakfast. So happy we did!

Now I have been talking my oats up to Jen for quite some time. This girl loves oatmeal (naturally or why else would I be friends with her ;) but I boastfully told her she hasn't really had oatmeal until she has tasted one of my bowls.

It took me awhile to decide on the final flavor but I think I came up with a winner in the end.

Whipped Banana Cherry Almond Oats

This was a good batch! Thank goodness! I think Jen was rather impressed.

However, Toly thought that his breakfast was more impressive.

He made his famous scrambled eggs and mac and cheese with the leftovers from last night's dinner.

Quite intrigued, he allowed Jen to experience the first bite….

Good, but I think I won.

Jen and I ended up sitting over breakfast for 3 hours talking. We probably wouldn't have even made it to Boby Pump anyways. There was just too much to catch up on.

I spent a few hours cleaning, still not feeling quite right. I knew I was pretty dehydrated and just feel weak. I wasn't really hungry 5 hours later, but I knew I should eat. Nothing sounded good to me except one thing and one thing only!

A smoothie!

But I didn't want to make one. I asked my wonderful hubby to run to the coffee shop down the road and get me one. He's so sweet!

Simple Strawberry Banana Smoothie with added protein. Perfect! I also knew I should probably consume something a little more substantial so I put together a quick salad with veggies and hummus. It was the ideal lunch.

Now, we are just relaxing before we get ready to go out for the night. Yep, that's right, we are going out for the first time in months!!! I don't think I can take one more Saturday night at home but since I've been sick, going out just hasn't been an option.

Not tonight though. I've got new meds and I'm ready for anything! :) Okay maybe not anything but I'm seriously crossing my fingers that I'll get through.

We are looking at a house and then meeting our friends for a fancy dinner downtown.

Can not wait to feel normal again!

Hope the day is great so far.

Tummy Updates

2010-03-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

When you wake up in the morning to find this waiting for you in your cupboard, you know it's going to be a good day.

The star of the show, a near empty jar of White Chocolate Wonderful PB. Thank you for giving me hope for a glorious Friday Mr. PB jar!

I whipped up a quick batch of pumpkin oats, added a banana, some cranberries and a dab of pumpkin butter and the rest was history.

Does anyone else get really excited when they get to the end of this? Usually, I get really sad when my oatmeal bowls are nearing the end, but when I know there is a heavy layer of warm peanut butter in the last few bites, my sadness turns to joy.

I actually got my dad hooked on OIAJ. I had an empty jar of Jiff and since I don't eat Jiff, I thought I would let me experience the wonder. He loved it! I new he would obviously.

After I savored quickly tried to enjoy this, I rushed off to my 7:45am doctor's appointment.

The appointment was okay. I told him how things were going, which to be honest, haven't been so wonderful. He concluded that he feels I have extremely active IBS on top of the Ulcerative Colitis, which is why I have been having so much distress lately. IBS is not new to me. I actually battled with this a few years ago. IBS is what stemmed an unfortunate cycle of problems in my past. I defeated it all (or so I thought) but here I am, 5 years later, reliving the same nightmare. The one thing that was my saving grace with IBS was a magical little pill call Immodium. I asked the doctor if it would be okay for me to take this when I needed and he agreed that it might help. Especially since my symptoms are so acute at the present time.

Well, there's more. He actually hopes that my symptoms are just IBS because apparently its nearly impossible to detect the symptoms of IBS and an active disease unless they "look." He doesn't want to have to do another colonoscopy, but he said if my symptoms don't improve in 2 weeks, he wants to check again for more disease. If that's the case, he would want to put me on high dosages of steroids and other scary drugs. UGH, no bueno!

So please pray that my symptoms improve. I have to tell you, as soon as the appointment ended, I rushed over to the drug store and got the biggest badest bottle of Immodium I could find. Popped one right away, and have been feeling good ever since. Seriously, this is probably the best I have felt in weeks. Immodium, please be my life saver again!

I was actually really hungry for lunch today. Love that my hunger is coming back! Toly was working from home today, so I swung by Subway and picked up lunch to bring home.

Have you tried Subway's new flatbreads? They are awesome! Soft, chewy and delicious. Especially when you add your own hummus. Note to Subway- please add hummus to your menu. If you are going to offer a delicious pita, it's kind of pointless to not have hummus to accompany it. Duh!

Veggies Galore with extra pickles of course!

Pretzel snaps, grapes and cara orange split

Totally loved this lunch. What I loved even more is that I actually was able to digest it peacefully. Immodium? Digestive Enzymes? Something must be working, right?

I went back to work and got everything that I needed to do done. Good way to start the weekend.

When I came home, this huge box was waiting for me…..

Can not wait to test this baby out! Review to come soon!

Since it's practically spring here in PA, meaning above freezing, I thought it would be nice to get outside and some fresh air after work.

I ended up walking Sammy for a good 45 minutes and then came back to a delightful 30 min Yoga sculpt. Wow, what a refreshing way to end the week.

Dinner was next on my mind.

I have no idea where this craving suddenly came from but suddenly, like a 12 year old boy, I wanted a big bowl of mac and cheese. The kind from the box. I'm not even that crazy for mac and cheese. Not being a huge pasta fan and cheese doesn't really do anything for me unless its goat cheese, it just never really had a huge effect for me. But tonight, it's all I wanted.

Okay, so maybe it was more like all I wanted was a huge bowl of roasted veggies with a side of mac and cheese.

Roasted Broccoli, Brussles, Mushrooms and Annies Mac and Cheese over spinach with goat cheese, honey mustard and hot sauce

Man I sure do love my condiments. This dinner was especially tasty and the Annie's Mac and Cheese is probably some of the best boxed mac I have ever had. Love!

I am very excited to sleep in tomorrow. Jen is coming over for an oatmeal breakfast and then we are going to take a Body Pump Class afterwards. Can't wait!

Have a good evening guys!

Today's RAOK

It was my co-worker's birthday today, so after my appointment, I ran to the store to get her some flowers. Nothing spectacular, but I think she was totally blown away by this. No one even remembered it was her birthday so just the fact that someone remembered to do something a little special for her made her entire day. Love making people smile! :)

Appetite? Is That You?

2010-03-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

Can I get an amen that tomorrow is Friday? AMEN!!!

Even though this week has been progressing rather quickly, for some reason, Friday can not come soon enough this week.

It's been rather unsettled.

I woke up feeling ready to run. I really do love running first thing in the morning. I've tried so many times to run at other times during the day, but my body just does not seem to work well any other time than in the early morning hours. Thank goodness almost all races start early or else I would be in trouble.

6 miles done!

Came home, did the usual shower, groom, dress thing and then proceeded on to breakfast.

1/2 C Kashi H2H, Peach Stonyfield Yogurt, 1/2 Peach, Blackberries, Honey PB, Blackberry Jam, Sprinkles! (Chia)

1/2 slice of Millet Bread with Cottage Cheese and Jam and a few berries because the plate looked rather lonely without them.

Have you tried Millet bread yet? I first saw this on Gina's blog awhile ago and have been searching the store for it ever since. Millet bread is Gluten and Wheat Free and sweetened by all natural fruit juice.

Here are some more cool facts…

Millet is highly nutritious, non-glutinous and like buckwheat and quinoa, is not an acid forming food so is soothing and easy to digest. In fact, it is considered to be one of the least allergenic and most digestible grains available and it is a warming grain so will help to heat the body in cold or rainy seasons and climates.
Today millet ranks as the sixth most important grain in the world, sustains 1/3 of the world’s population and is a significant part of the diet in northern China, Japan, Manchuria and various areas of the former Soviet Union, Africa, India, and Egypt.
Millet is tasty, with a mildly sweet, nut-like flavor and contains a myriad of beneficial nutrients. It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is particularly high in the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium.
The seeds are also rich in phytochemicals, including Phytic acid, which is believed to lower cholesterol, and Phytate, which is associated with reduced cancer risk.

source

So basically, Millet bread ROCKS! Wow, I think I have found a new found love of carbs with this bread. I've really been trying to decrease my gluten and wheat as much as I can, so subbing gluten free bread products is one way I've been doing this. I don't eat a ton of bread to begin with, but every so often, I really enjoy a piece of toast with cottage cheese, especially as a post fuel food after running. I believe the combination of protein and carbs are excellent for recovery.

Anyways, if you have not tried this bread yet, please do. You will love it. It's so hearty, sweet and nutty but completely dense and chewy. One of the reasons I'm not a big bread fan is because I don't think there is much to it. It's like eating air. But millet bread is nothing like that.

Okay, I'm done.

Moving on….

I taught for the morning and made it home in time for lunch.

Anyone else love leftover salads? Because I think they are just about the best thing on this earth.

Romaine, Radish, Zucchini, Leftover Salmon, Leftover Roasted Veggies, the other 1/2 of my peach from breakfast, avocado, goat cheese

1/2 of a leftover grapefruit, 1/2 of a leftover container of peach yogurt (from breakfast) with blueberries and some Kashi Crunch

I think every aspect of this meal included something that was leftover from a previous meal. Hey, at least I'm not wasting. Right Lynn? ;)

I ate this entire meal and then something amazing occurred.

I didn't get sick!!!! What? This was unreal!!!

Usually, the afternoons are the hardest for me and I spend the last few hours of work with every ounce of hope that I can just make it through. Well, today, during the time when I would normally be in miserable pain and discomfort, I wasn't the slightest! I was actually HUNGRY!!! OMG, I think I had forgotten what it was like to have an appetite. It was glorious.

I am not sure if this has anything to do with it, but I started taking Digestive Enzymes with each meal after my doctor told me it could help. I just started taking them a few days ago, but each day is getting better. Crossing my fingers these are what is helping. I see the GI doctor tomorrow morning for the first time since my colonoscopy, so I should be able to find out how things are healing. Good thoughts and hopes for the best!

Toly worked late again tonight, but I was able to have dinner ready for him shortly after he got home. Such a good little wife, I know.

This was his bowl…..

Parmesan Risotto with Peas, Sausage and Bacon

And this was my bowl….

Broccoli, Mushroom and BN Squash in Garlic, Balsamic, Dijon Sauce over spinach with a little risotto

Definitely got my veggie quota in for the day. It feels good to be able to eat real food and not just rely on cereal because I know its the only thing that won't upset my stomach.

But who am I kidding, I'll always be eating cereal! Hopefully, I can just eat it on top of everything else.

Okay, I hear Grey's is new tonight. Thank God for DVR!

Have a lovely evening.

Today's RAOK

I spent 10 minutes trying to convince my coworker how beautiful she was. She always gets discouraged because she thinks she needs to loose weight (and she TOTALLY Doesn't!) I actually have been getting kind of annoyed because she constantly comes to me (like every single day) to tell me how fat she looks or how bad she feels about eating that cookie. But today, I realized where all of her disordered obsession is coming from. There is always more to something than on the surface and once you actually realize this about other people, you start to see things entirely differently. I realized that today, she comes to me because she actually values my healthy outlook and rather than brush her off (as I have been doing) I spent a few minutes talking to her about it all. It was very eyeopening and made me appreciate her so much more.

Hump Day Happiness

2010-03-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Hump Day!

Everyone seems to be saying this today. I never really liked this phrase, but for some reason, I just felt like it fit to start tonight's post.

Well, I am happy to report that today's run went much better than yesterday. It's so odd how some days are bodies are just physically off. No point in trying to comprehend, just move forward to the next day right?

Anyways, back to the run…..I did the 3…2….1 Treadmill Workout as mentioned by Kristin the other day.

Here is a run down….

Minutes 1-5 6.5 incline 0

Minutes 6-9 6.8 incline 1

Minutes 10-12 6.9 incline 2

Minutes 13-14 7.0 incline 3

Minutes 15-18 6.8 incline 1

Minutes 19-21 6.9 incline 2

Minutes 22-23 7.0 incline 3

Minutes 24-27 6.8 incline 1

Minutes 28-30 6.9 incline 2

Minutes 31-31 7.0 incline 3

Minutes 32-33 7.2 incline 4

Minutes 33-35 6.5 incline 0

This was a great run! Very challenging but the time fly by!

After 4 miles, I finished with some lifting. Now I am pretty sore. I realized I haven't lifted in awhile and my muscles always seem to remind me of these little hiatuses.

After a much better workout, I celebrated with a fabulous breakfast of course.

Are you getting sick of seeing this? Because I'm sure not!

Diced Warm Pear with Cinnamon, Applesauce, Kashi Go Lean, Carmel Okios, Sprinkle of Granola and Almond Butter sauce

I used Kath's method to make the AB sauce by mixing a teaspoon on almond butter with a pinch of water, warming in the microwave and stir like crazy until you get a creamy sauce.

Love this method; however, as I was eating this, I saw a on Ashley's blog that she made her PB sauce with coconut butter! Ummmmm….yeah, I'm pretty sure that would be amazing. Why have I not thought of this? Well, thank you Ashely, I will be channeling you next time I make some nut butter sauce.

So the rest of breakfast looked like this…

Coffee and fruit for good measure.

Delightful way to start my day.

The morning flew by because I was incredibly busy catching up at work. I haven't been at my desk much all week and there were a ton of emails, voicemails and other things to tend to.

I skedattled for lunch around noon.

So, I must admit, I am NOT a soda drinker. I never really was. I drink H20 about 90% of the time, with the occasional seltzer or green tea. But lately, plain old water has been making me rather nauseous. I have been finding that carbonation is soothing on my stomach and doesn't make me want to puke, so I've been rolling with it. Hope this doesn't develop into a nasty little habit.

I was sent these Zevia's months ago to review. Literally, I think I've had them since last spring and I have only had 1 so far. Yeah, that kind of explains how much I drink soda.

Today, I tried the Ginger Ale. I was impressed. It didn't really have any artificial or weird taste and I was impressed at how natural this "soda" claims to be.

Tasted just like the real thing. But then, I don't really consider soda to be a real food, so I guess it's quite the oxymoron.

Anyways, the rest of my lunch was just spectacular!

I took my leftover coconut tofu last night and made the most sensational wrap…...

Flat out, Coconut Tofu, Spinach, Spicy Hummus, Raw Asparagus, Avocado, and TJ's Peanut Sauce

I ate this glorious thing with a little side salad and some grapes. Wonderful lunch. So balanced and delicious! I wish I could make this again, but it's not very often that I have leftover coconut tofu lying around. Oh well, I savored it.

The rest of work was quick. 2 hour meetings will do that to your day. When I got home, I was suddenly exhausted. It was so weird. I'm usually not tired at all after work and try to get in a little workout, either with yoga or lifting, but today, I sat down on the couch and actually drifted off for a 1/2 hour. WEIRD!!! I NEVER take naps. It was actually quite amazing.

Toly worked late, and I slept, but when he got home, and I awoke, I made some dinner for us.

And do you know what tonight was?

If you guessed BFD in this casa, you are entirely correct.

Egg Sammies!

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin, Spinach, Egg Whites, Morning Star Maple "Sausage", mustard and tomatoes

With some roasted squash and brussels

Devoured this! I never really realize how hungry I am these days until I actually start eating. Suddenly my appetite appears as soon as food touches my lips. I just have to keep remembering this because I feel like I am not eating enough these days. Regardless, much of this I can do nothing about, but I hate feeling like I am not nourishing correctly. I do the best I can given the situation so all I can do is just hope it gets better soon.

Okay everyone, I feel like I've been typing for too long, so time to say goodnight!

Random Act of Kindness

One of my coworkers was having a bad day today. While she was at lunch, I put a few chocolates on her chair. I know this doesn't seem like much, but I think it made her smile! :) I didn't reveal to her that I did it, so hopefully she just thinks it was because someone cares.

Is It All In My Head?

2010-03-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

I slept better last night than I have been for the past few days and when my alarm went off this morning, I was not exactly jumping out of bed.

I probably should have stayed in bed, because my run this morning was just off. Not terrible but not good. Just had one of those "bad" runs. It was so odd. I didn't even have any stomach problems today, but I was just not feeling it the entire time. Usually, I can push through this feeling but today, I was dragging for the entire 5 miles. So many times I just wanted to push the stop button, but out of my own stubbornness, I finished 5 miles. I had to stop and walk a bunch of times, which is something I never do. After I finished, I kept thinking how was I so disappointed in the quality of it all. I mean, sure I forced myself to finish what I had set out for, but then I was thinking, was it really worth it if I felt so bad about it all?

Has this happened to any of you before? It got me thinking that there are some days when our bodies just don't operate to their full potential. Is it worth it to push ourselves during this? I find this topic a difficult one because I know that there are so many times when I feel like just not doing it, but then after I spend a few minutes working up my endorphins, I am so happy I did. My body suddenly comes alive and I feel so happy that I didn't give in right away. So is there an unwritten rule that says we are supposed to know when it's our mind talking to us or our bodies? I'm not sure, but today, I think it was my body so I probably should have listened. Oh well.

I decided that since I was less than satisfied with my run, I would try to make up for it with a bowl of oatmeal.

This bowl had the usual whipped banana base with a diced peach mixed in. Topped with Blackberries, Almond Butter and Cottage Cheese.

I adore cottage cheese. Before I knew of Greek Yogurt, this was my ultimate source of protein in the morning. I use to eat it every single day at breakfast but I have strayed away ever since I've been digging the Greek Yogurt love. But I must say, cottage cheese mixed in hot oats is just as amazing as yogurt mixed in hot oats. Just sayin'.

Moving forward, today was not the best of days. I actually don't even want to talk about it or think about it, so I'm just going to leave it behind me, but let's just say, I encountered an awful and humiliating experience that left me in shambles. I had to repeat my mantra just a few dozen times but I won't lie, there were some tears shed.

I wasn't in the mood to cook and was happy to have a container of leftover Coconut Curry Stew from the weekend.

But once I started, I realized that cooking made me feel better and threw together just a few things to accent the leftover stew.

Coconut tofu and roasted butternut squash

I made Coconut Shrimp and Roasted Potatoes for Toly

With Naan and hummus

Wow, this was like an entirely new meal. Everything tasted wonderful together.

Time to relax. Night guys!

****Random Act of Kindness*****

Today, I attended an event for work where I was able to mentor two high school girls. It was such an awesome experience. I talked with them for hours and felt so great about being able to share some of my experiences with girls that are hoping to do something wonderful with their lives. Not only humbling for me, but also an entirely enlightening experience.

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." ~Albert Einstein

2010-03-01T20:01:00.001-05:00

"Things will get better, they have to get better, I will be strong."

This has been my mantra for the past few months. As many of you know, I have not had the best year last year, and 2010 did not start off on such a great foot. With a plethora of heath problems that took me by storm, I have been feeling as though all I've been doing is venting, feeling frustrated, and letting it all out. The hardest part about everything is that I have just not felt myself. My body is out of control, my attitude is rather cynical, and my life is pretty at the mercy of the illnesses. And even though there may be many things I do not have control over, I've come to the realization that I've had enough!

It's a new month and I am determined to get back to normal. I know that the process of healing is a long and hard one, but that doesn't mean I have to sit back and feel bad about it in the meantime. I can still live my life, I can still be myself and I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL for the amazing blessings that I do have.

So, that leads me to my new March Mantra….

“To look up and not down,

To look forward and not back,

To look out and not in, and

To lend a hand.”

~Edward Everett Hale

I love this quote because it not only provides hope, it gives inspiration to go beyond pity and find peace in helping others. What a fantastic idea! I don't think there is any better way to feel better than to give back to others who are in worse situations that I will ever conceive.

Now, I know I can't change the world, but I do vow to make a difference.

Here is my challenge this month….

Every day, I am going to make it a point to go out of my ordinary realm and do something kind for someone else. Wether it be a complete stranger, a friend, a co-worker… I am going to make sure that I spend at least a minute thinking of someone else.

It's not only for others but good for my soul as well.

Anyone else care to join me in this monthly challenge? How awesome would it be if we could all share out daily acts of kindness each day. Think of how uplifting it will be to hear how others are making a difference.

At the end of every post, I plan to share my daily act. I want to keep myself accountable and I figure this is the best way.

Okay, but enough of the "We Are the World" speech, I have to share with you all the most amazing salad I made for dinner. I think it had just almost every single one of my favorite foods!

Grilled Salmon Salad. Let's see if I can remember the list….

Honey Glazed BBQ Salmon
Roasted Asparagus
Cucumber
Red Cabbage and Romaine
Radish
Strawberries
Mandrin Oranges
Edamame
Avocado
Goat Cheese
White Basil Hummus
Pecans

Talk about a huge plate of healthy fats and Omega 3's! Wow, my body thanked me for this. I haven't been doing so hot with getting all of my nutrients, especially those healthy fatty acids, so this was not only amazingly delicious, but needed!

Okay, I've already TV-o'd The Bachelor. No way I am making it until 11pm, but I do hope to catch the first hour or so.

Night!

*****Today's Random Act of Kindness******

This is kind of a surprise for someone that I know is reading, so I can't really reveal. I know, what a way to start off my challenge, but I promise, I did do something for someone else today! You'll see soon enough! :)

Happy Birthday Mama P

2010-02-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

And so ends another weekend. Wow, that was a quick one, anyone else?

I slept a little better last night, but I was up a handful of times.

I eventually pulled myself out of bed after a half hour of lying or so and figured I might as well start the day at 6am.

An hour workout was a nice way to start my Sunday. 30 min on the ET followed by 20 min of Abs and 10 min of Pushup/Sit-up Challenge.

By 8am, Toly woke and I started breakfast.

2 Natures Path Waffles with Pomegranate Yogurt, Bananas, Blueberries, Pecans and flax

Sunday Breakfast Scene (Toly and I always drink out of our Mr. and Mrs. mugs on Sunday's because its the only day of the week that we have breakfast together…..corny I know)

The store was next on my list and I leisurely spent the next 2 hours stocking up the kitchen for the week.

When I got home, I threw together this Cous Cous Veggie Salad for my MIL's birthday dinner before we got ready to go to Toly's parent's house.

And then, it was time to celebrate this wonderful woman.

Today, was my MIL's birthday so we all got together in honor.

We drank…..

We ate…..

We peed!

Okay, so maybe not all of us on this last one, but Conner sure did put on a show with his newly learned potty training skills.

It's always such a fun time to get together with Toly's family. Never a dull moment with a room full of loving Russians. :)

Time to get to bed. Yes, it's only 8pm, but with my recent sleep patterns, 8pm is a very reasonable bedtime for this old lady.

Night!

Seeing Stars

2010-02-27T20:43:00.000-05:00

This was such a fast Saturday, but it was a good one!

It started with a stellar bowl of Pumpkin Oats.

These were Pumpkin Maple Oats with some of my homemade Pumpkin Granola on top. The inspiration for this batch came from this recent buy….

Stonyfield's newest seasonal flavor, Maple Vanilla. I added a little on top of the oat hots and it was an unbelievable experience. Wow, this flavor is awesome. Definitely liking it more than the pumpkin!

Toly and I spent the entire day at a Charity Basketball game for my work. Toly was reffing and I attempted to keep my sanity as score keeper. Wow, these guys were intense. Almost as intense as the NBA finals, even though it was all for charity.

But the coolest part of the day was meeting this guy!

LeSean McCoy, the newest and hottest Eagle's running back. He actually is from our area and played on one of the teams. Toly was overjoyed to get his autograph and hang out with him all day. He now believes they are BFF's and will be hanging out on a regular basis. Haha, I'm sure LeSean feels the same. :)

It was a long and tiring day but great fun. I did manage to run home quickly to take my meds and eat a quick but tasty lunch.

Dr. Preager's Sweet Potato Cake with Cinnamon Pears, Apple Sauce, Crofter's Fruit Spread, and Dijon on top of spinach

With massaged kale salad of grapefruit, avocado, and hummus

After spending all day on the courts, I was happy to come home to have dinner waiting. I threw together Coconut Curry Chili in the crock pot so that it would cook all day.

It was delicious!

And even more delicious with a slice of TJ's Naan and hummus.

I can't believe how tired I am. Wait no I can believe it. With a combination of my awful night's sleep and a long and eventful day, I foresee an early bedtime tonight.

Hope you all enjoyed your Saturday!

My Chipotle Bowl

2010-02-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I only wanted one thing…..Chipotle!

But since the nearest Chipotle is across the river and making the trip during rush hour on a Friday turns into a 3 hour tour, I decided to spare myself the chaos and simply make my own for dinner.

So easy and quite possible just as good. (Okay, it was close!)

My "Chipotle" Veggie Burrito Bowl

1/2 Chopped Red Pepper
1/2 Chopped Yellow Pepper
1/2 Chopped Zucchini
1/2 Cup of Black Beans
1 TBL canned Pumpkin
2 TBL TJ's Enchilada Sauce
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Chili Powder, Lime Juice

Sauté the pepper and zucchini in a hot skillet. Add the garlic, black beans. After a few minutes, add the pumpkin, sauce and the seasonings. Cook everything for 10 minutes on low until all of the flavors combine.

Serve on top of spinach or greens and add generous amounts of guac, salsa, and plain greek yogurt. Don't forget the hot sauce and chips for scooping!

Perfect fix for my Chipotle craving!

No Show Snow

2010-02-25T19:22:00.001-05:00

We were supposed to be expecting another blizzard today; however, this time, Mr. Weatherman guessed incorrectly.

Can't say I was too disappointed with his error, but we aren't out of the water quite yet. Snow is expected tonight with hurricane winds. Never two words you like to hear in the same sentence. We'll see…I have heard anywhere from 1 in to 3 feet, so not really sure where that puts us for tomorrow's plans.

I've been hitting all of my miles this week for the first time in a very long time. As most of you know, due to a severely inflamed colon, I have not been able to run very long in the past few months. Slowly, getting more and more running time in each day, which has been an exciting improvement. I love my morning runs, but running on a destructive stomach is NOT FUN. I know I'll get back to my 100% soon enough. I'd better, because race season is right around the corner and my 10 mile Cherry Blossom Race is about 6 weeks away! This race, 4 5K's, a 10K, and 2 half's…I've got quite the schedule ahead of me so I need to get better asap.

Breakfast this morning was so good!

I pored Kashi Cinnamon H2H in the bowl, added a little soy milk, peach Stonyfield yogurt, diced peach, blackberries, chia seeds, and drizzle of White Chocolate PB.

This bowl was fabulous!

I had an early lunch with a co-worker friend of mine at Panera and tried their new Trail Mix Bagel. Very good, but as I was getting ready to pull of my handy travel packet of almond butter (because I always have a supply of this in my purse…who doesn't?) I asked her if she wanted to try some. She willingly complied, but then told me that she really didn't like peanut butter. I didn't really think there were people like this that existed. I mean I've heard of them, but to see a PB hater right in front of me…it was unreal! When I told her that I had peanut butter on my peach yogurt this morning, I think she was a little freaked out. You all understand though, I'm sure!

After work, I really didn't know what to make for dinner. Odd because I almost always have a plan in mind. I had it narrowed down to two choices but I gave the winning vote to Toly. And the winner was….

Tofu Ravioli with roasted broccoli over spinach in TJ's Rustica sauce with a little goat cheese and a side salad.

(Toly had cheese ravioli with meatballs though)

I recently picked up a new salad dressing at the store. I usually don't prefer bottled salad dressings and tend to enjoy simple balsamic on my greens, but I must say, these dressings are some of the best bottled dressing I have ever had…

The smoked Tomato was delicious. Bold and smoky but delicately creamy. I also bought the Rosemary Balsamic which is equally fantastic. They are so thick and hearty and would make an excellent marinade as well.

Sorry this post is short, but I'm out of words and pictures. I broke the memory card on the camera so I'm not able to take more than 3 pictures at a time. Very annoying, but a new card is on the way, so it won't be for long.

Hope you enjoyed today.

TGIF!

Something New, Something Simple, Something Semi-Homemade

2010-02-23T19:15:00.001-05:00

Good evening fine friends.

Unfortunately, the rain did not subside today, but my spirits were a bit higher. Not much sadly. I was hoping I was just having "one of those day" but I fear that it's simply amounting into "one of those weeks." Oh well, I guess we all have them.

I can't seem to get a good handle on my appetite lately. It's been missing apparently, which is very unusual for me. I've just been feeling off, recovering from my sinus infection and the stomach has been worse than normal, so I guess my not so enthusiastic feeling for food has something to do with that.

But I promise you I've been trying my best to stimulate it with nothing less than tantalizing eats….

One of my favorite weekday breakfasts. Warm Diced Pear, Applesauce, Kashi Go Lean Crunch, Yogurt, Flax, Granola and Almond Butter Drizzle (using Kath's recent method of suacing the AB)

The highlight of this was something I have been longing for ever since I heard it came out on the market.

Finally, I found it!! And it was everything I heard it was and more. Love this new flavor!!!

It was the perfect accompaniment to my pear and granola bowl.

I was teaching all afternoon and had to be at school by 12:30. I wasn't really hungry beforehand, but I knew I should probably eat something to get me through the afternoon.

I came home for a light lunch around 11:30.

My favorite toast….Almond Butter, Pumpkin Putter and mashed melted Banana with Cinnamon

With some fruit and Zoe's Granola

Like I said, I wasn't very hungry, but this was good and a good source of fuel to get me through hours of teaching. I intend on having something later, but I just couldn't eat anything all day. What is going on with me?!?!?

I finally started to get a little hungry later and decided on an early dinner.

Still not feeling 100%, all I wanted was a big bowl of soup.

I channeled my inner Sandra Lee and pulled a semi-homemade recipe.

Butternut Squash, Apple, and Kale Soup

Two key ingredients into make this soup shine….

The cashew carrot ginger by Pacific is a fabulous base and I finally caved and bought the coconut oil after months of eyeing it. I convinced myself that the overwhelming reviews of taste and nutritional value were worth the price.

I sauteed diced apple in the coconut oil and cinnamon.

Then added the soup…

While this was cooking, I was roasting cubed butternut squash seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary. After about 20 min of roasting, I added the sauce to the pot.

I added a few more seasonings; paprika, cocoa powder, vanilla, chili powder, and curry (sound weird but it totally worked!) and let these cook into the soup for a few minutes. Lastly, I blended for a few seconds, added a splash of vanilla soy milk, and threw in a mound of chopped Kale.

The Kale cooked down in a few minutes and then my bowl was ready for toppings…

Roasted Walnuts, Shredded Coconut and Plain Okios. Unbelievable bowl of soup!

Along with a hunk of the chewy warm Wegmans bread and sweet red grapes, this turned into a fantastic meal. Perfectly balanced with warm and sweet flavors.

My only complaint about this dinner was the hazardous process of blending. You see, my blender has pretty much gone kaputz and it's quite a hassle to use it anymore. Luckily, the soup was easy to puree, but most other things stand no chance in this ancient machine any more.

Fortunately for me, the kitchen appliance gods must have heard my cries, because I contacted about receiving and reviewing a new blender. I was thrilled, I almost feel off from one of the kitchen barstools when I got the news. Thank goodness, smoothies will reconvene in my life soon enough!

I will have a full review on the Klaorik 50 oz Stainless Steel Blender in a few weeks, so stay tuned! :)

Hope your day was grand. Until tomorrow.

Rainbows in my Rainy Day

2010-02-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

I was definitely suffering from a case of the Mondays today. I was just feeling like yuck all day. Even though my sinus infection is better, I'm still feeling leftover crud in my chest. I also woke up feeling like a balloon and I'm thinking all of the sodium that I consumed from last nights dinner had something to do with that. Regardless, I was determined to start this week off on a good note with an easy 5 mile run. Since being sick for SOOOOOOOO long, my running has not exactly been where I want it to be. I told myself that this is a new week and I'm going to make my way back into my routine eventually.

The 5 miles were okay. Not necessarily a great run but not a bad one either. Just okay. I didn't want to push myself so I kept it pretty easy.

I bought a new cereal yesterday and since I can't wait longer than a day to open a new product when I buy one, I had it today for breakfast.

I think Nature's Path is my favorite brand for cereals. Not only are they outstanding nutritional wise, gluten free, vegan and organic….every single kind I have tired I am in love with!

The Blueberry Cinnamon Optimum was delicious! I also bought the instant oatmeal in this and I am planning on trying it this week as well. Anyone try this? Thoughts?

I didn't have the greatest day at work either. Nothing terrible but just one of those days.

My lunch meeting got cancelled and now I am actually happy that it did because I came home at made this AMAZING salad!!!

The salad I had last night was so good that I wanted to recreate a larger version today for lunch….

Romaine, Cabbage, Beets, Quinoa, Asparagus, Tomatoes, Roasted Brussels and Squash, hummus and balsamic

Isn't it beautiful?

Then, when I mixed it all up, it only got more beautiful, so I couldn't help but take another picture. Usually after I mix up my bowls, they look like a big ugly mess, but this one only got better.

This salad made me very happy and very full. So full that I couldn't even think about food for the rest of the afternoon. Very very unlike me!

I finally started to think about food again when I realized what I had planned for dinner.

A few weeks ago, Toly requested that I make him Buffalo Chicken Nachos to curb his craving.

He asked and I delivered….

Toly's nachos were a bed of tortilla chips, buffalo chicken dip, black beans and corn, lots of cheese….

My nachos were a bit different and I think much better in many ways; appearance, taste, ect. But I guess that is all in the eye of the beholder….

Bed of tortilla with spinach, sautéed zucchini, red pepper, black beans, broccoli, corn, and feta

Then I added mango, avocado, yogurt and salsa

So so so good! But I was only able to eat about half of these. Man, I think I'm still full from that salad. I have a feeling a snack will be needed during the Bachelor tonight.

Well, despite the rain and my "rainy day" attitude, my colorful eats sure did brighten things up. Food is always so reliable. Never fails to change my mood! :)

Tomorrow I am going to be so much more upbeat, I promise!

Night!

Breaking Out From Hibernation

2010-02-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

Hey there!

Quite the weekend was had. I think we were making up for being held hostage indoors for so long with all of the illnesses and snow storms. By Friday, Toly and I were both screaming to get out.

We enjoyed a casual date night with dinner and a movie.

Dinner was at a local Mexican spot that I have been meaning to try for ages now. You see, we have our equivalent of a "Chipotle"that people have braved to tell me they actually think it's better. Naturally, I had to test this theory with my humble opinion.

I ordered the Burrito Bowl, sans rice with Black Bean Hummus, Veggies, Guac, and hot sauce with their salsa of the day. (can't remember what exactly it was now but it sounded good at the time)

Okay so how did it compare?

Chipolte The Contender

The winner here is obviously Chipotle. Sorry skezy knock off Mexican joint, you were good, but you were no Chipotle.

After our dinner, we saw Valentines Day. Very cute and pretty entertaining. The movie was packed and rightfully so, as I imagine it's going to take a lot of ticket sales to pay that all star cast.

Saturday, I woke up bright and early and met my Dad and my sister for our monthly Father/Daughter Breakfast. I did not have my camera because I was going right to the gym afterwards for a Zumba class.

Zumba was epic. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Zumba, but my last experience was a bit uneasy due to a crazy neurotic instructor. Thankfully, the gym I now go to has an awesome instructor. After an hour of shaking my booty and a pitiful 2 mile run (yeah I was still feeling pretty sick), I came home, showered and ran some errands with Toly.

Later that night, my parents came over for dinner. Toly (aka the family accountant) was doing their taxes, so we had them over while he worked.

I made quite the spread….

Apple, Walnut, Cranberry Salad

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Garlic Potatoes

Pecan Encrusted Tilapia with a Dijon Creme Sauce

Everything was glorious!

My Plate

Dad felt as though the world was aligned once again with the company of his two favorite people creatures by his side.

It turned out to be a lovely evening.

This morning, I was up earlier than I had anticipated. Instead of lying in anger that I was not sleeping in on a Sunday morning, I got my behind out of bed and had a pretty great workout. 45 min on the ET followed with 30 min of Billy Blanks. It was quite wonderful actually.

A few hours later (yes, I was up THAT early) I was so ready for breakfast.

Mostly because I have been dreaming of this for a few days….

That would be Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast

So what exactly went into this baby?

Well allow me to show you…

Mine is on the right and had Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Butter and Banana Slices with Cinnamon. Toly (left) asked for Strawberry Stuffed which was cream cheese, jam, and strawberries.

I dipped the sandwich in bath of soy milk, egg whites, and cinnamon and cooked until it all melted into one heavenly creation. Then, I topped it with the rest of the banana, Vanilla Okios, and Pumpkin Spice Granola.

I LOVE Sunday morning breakfasts!

I did the usual Sunday routine, grocery shopping, prepping, cleaning. Is it odd that I live for this stuff? I was so excited to go to Wegmans this morning. I actually enjoy going there more than I do the mall. Weird? To some maybe, but I know most of you understand.

Lunch was also quite sensational today.

Salad with Mango, Zucchini, Avocado, Quinoa, TJ's Masala Burger, Hummus and Mango Chutney

With a fruit plate to share on the side

The weather was unheard of today. It felt like summer. I guess when you have been immersed in sub zero temps and catastrophic blizzards all month, 40* feels like July.

Regardless, we didn't want to waste this rare occurrence, so Toly and I took Sammy for a nice walk in the afternoon.

When we got back, I realized it's been far too long since I've stretched so I did a quick 20 min yoga sesh followed by The 100 Day Challenge.

So, I haven't announced this yet, but last week, Toly and I started our own Challenge. With everyone giving up things for Lent and making new commitments to themselves, I often feel the need to add some kind of goal around this time. We are not Catholic, and even though I don't think one necessarily needs to follow a certain religion to participate in the act of sacrificing for good reasons, I personally find it more humbling to prove to yourself that you are able to obtain something rather than to sacrifice something.

That is where the 100 Day Challenge comes in. Notice this is not the 40 Day Challenge. We make our own rules. For 100 Days, Toly and I are going to be doing 100 pushups and 100 crunches everyday. Okay, this was a bit ambitious and we quickly realized that starting off with 100 pushups was unrealistic for us. So it's going more like this……

75 crunches, 50 pushups and each week we intend to add a little more until we get to 100.

It's definitely challenging but its fun to have this to look forward to everyday. (Or dread on some days)

The rest of the afternoon was spent vegging with our DVR. Since we're 80 years old and go to bed at 7pm, we have to record the prime time shows and watch them on a Sunday afternoon. Wow, we are such geezers!

Greys and Private Practice were good ones though.

Dinner was such a delight because it incorporated so many of my favorite things.

Wine, Soup, Salad and Bread.

This bread is from Wegmans and it's unbelievable! If I am going to eat White Refined Carbs, it will be soft, warm, sweet and used to dip in creamy soup.

Salad was also unbelievable. Roasted Butternut Squash, Brussels, Dried Cherries, Feta, and Apple in a Maple Balsamic Dijon. LOVE!

And that creamy soup. Wegman's Lobster Bisque. I am such a sucker for anything in the hot food section of Wegmans, especially their soups. The Lobster Bisque is one that I have been meaning to try for a long time now. I added Kale (to make it healthy of course).

Amazing guys! The best part was taking the warm bread and dunking it into the creamy bowl of bisque. Kind of reminded me of fondue but even better. Then, washing each bite down with some Sauvignon Blanc…magnificent!

Well that was quite a lot but like I said, there was quite a lot to tell.

Hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

Who Is This Girl?

2010-02-18T19:23:00.002-05:00

Look at me, posting twice in one day! I'm fully convinced that if I quit my job and stayed home all day, I could quite possibly become a full time blogger.

As much as I would enjoy that, I can't stay that my hobby would suffice as a reliable source of income. Oh well, a girl can dream!

I spent 90% of my day lying on the couch. I really did think about moving a few times (it is extremely hard for me to sit still for more than 20 min). I thought, perhaps some refreshing yoga would make me feel better? But after standing, I quickly realized that I would not be able to hold myself up for long, let alone try to practice balancing with yoga. I have a feeling my downward dog would end up more like a dead cow (pretty much the equivalent of how I feel).

I had to convince myself that doing absolutely nothing was exactly what my body needed.

What else does my body need when I am sick….food apparently, and lots of it.

My appetite has been off the wall for the past few days. I'm not really sure why because you would assume that one would loose this function during illness; however, quite the contrary has occurred. I am STARVING all the time. And it's not just like I'm bored and want to eat kind of hungry, it's the legitimate stomach grumbling hungry. Weird. But I'll roll with it because the body knows what it wants…amen?

This body has been craving carbs, but I know in that sensible little head of mine that protein would be the better choice since lately I've been downing bowls of cereal like its my job.

Lunch was tuna salad on top of a bigger salad. The tuna came out a tad watery. I blame this on the spinach I added which was not fully drained before adding. I always make my own tuna salad because one. I HATE mayo with an utter passion and two. I usually only crave it on a blue moon.

My tuna salad recipe is a winner though….(No measuring required)

1 can chunk lite white albacore tuna
Handful of chopped baby spinach
Balsamic
Dijon
Plain Greek Yogurt
Capers
Salt and Pepper
Lemon Juice

Served on top of a large salad filled with various veggies, a few Rosemary Triscuts (totally forgot I had these and I really can't remember why because I usually don't buy processed snacks but I was happy at the time because they were tasty) and a side of cantaloupe with a touch of blueberry yogurt.

Refreshing.

I'm surprised this held me over considering my ravishing stomach. Oh wait. I did inhale an orange an hour later. Wow, did that ever taste good. Something about Vitamin C when you are sick is just glorious.

Okay, then I was content for a few hours. But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to start on dinner.

When I am sick, I crave comfort foods. Anyone else?

Veggie Burger with BBQ sauce and honey mustard, sprouts and pickles. Roasted Squash and Broccoli.

And just so you can all see that I do get credit for being a considerate wife and serving my husband red meat from time to time….

A REAL beef burger with turkey bacon and cheese. Although, I do seem to overcook red meat. I guess when you are not use to cooking something, it's easy to screw it up. Like eggs, I'm the worst egg maker, but Toly on the other hand, is the egg pro! Hmmm, maybe he should start to cook his own meat?!?!

Well, I'm hoping I'm better by tomorrow. I'm just going to play it by ear but hopefully, a day of rest was just what I needed.

Night everyone!

There Once Was a Time….

2010-02-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

There once was a time when I lived a fully healthy and vibrant life. Never broke a bone, never had an hospital visits, hardly ever was in the doctor's office. I attribute most of my health to the fact that I have treated my body well for most of my life. I exercise regularly, I eat the right things, I am sure to get all of my nutrients, I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I get plenty of rest. So, essentially, I did everything right.

Well, guess what my friends….

Doing the "right" thing doesn't come with a 100% guarantee.

I feel like all you hear from me these days is how I am fighting one problem after another. As unfortunate as that may be, I really do try to keep my spirits up, so if I at all seem miserable, please accept my apologies in advance.

So, what am I getting at with this drawn out introduction?

I'm SICK! Surprise surprise, right? Figures, the moment I start to finally feel better with one problem (the stomach issues) I get knocked down HARD with a full blown sinus infection. Oh this thing has hit me hard- fever, chills, body aches, severe migranes…etc. And since I am not able to take antibiotics, I'm just going to have to tough it out.

Fortunately, I am able to work from home today. I went in this morning for a meeting and my boss took one look at me and sent me home. I don't think she appreciated me spreading my infection throughout the close confines of our department wing. Understandable. I had no problem with going home, putting on PJ's, heavily medicating myself and passing out.

So, I'm home today attempting to use my "natural" remedy approaches in healing. So far, it's included ample doses of Vitamin C and probiotics with the so called powers of some Amazing Grass.

My shot of wheat grass, spinach, blueberries and Kefir

If anyone has any ideas for cures, I would love to hear them. I'm hoping a good day of rest and lots of liquids will do the trick. We FINALLY have plans to go out this weekend (we have not been out in MONTHS) and come hell or high waters I WILL be having a much needed date night with my husband.

Even though my taste buds haven't been very alive, my appetite has been out of control. Why is it that I get super hungry when I am sick? I can't smell or taste anything, so it's not even enjoyable, but yet I am always hungry. Oh well, food is always good, even if I can only taste about 50% of it.

Like last night's BFD…..

Breakfast Pizza

My side was sauce, spinach, eggs, red pepper, and goat cheese. Toly had sauce, cheddar, bacon, eggs, and mozzarella.

Served with a fruit salad (Spinach, Red Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes and Cinnamon Agave Almonds with feta)

(Pizza out of the oven)

My slice topped with diced avocado and lots of hot sauce

This pizza was delicious! A nice change from our usual BFD menus. I make pizza all the time and I make BFD every week, so why not combine these two wonderful things? Why have I not done this before? No idea. But I'm glad I finally did because it was awesome.

Okay, off to rest before my afternoon conference call.

Be back later.

48 Hours Ago….

2010-02-16T19:45:00.000-05:00

I feel like so much has occurred in the past 48 hours. I have lots to share with you so I'll just get right to it.

Yesterday, I was fortunate to fall into the "federally appreciated" organizations and had the day off from work. Never will complain over a free holiday, especially on a Monday.

I woke up determined to get in my longest run in months. I have been feeling better, thanks to the medication, and felt ambitious to tackle 7 miles.

Happy to report, the run was excellent! The 7 miles flew by and I didn't have any issues. Thank goodness, I'm slowly getting back into the swing.

I rewarded my success with a commendable bowl of oats….

Banana Cheese Cake Oats

I added a few Tbl of cottage cheese at the end but I'm still not sure how I feel about adding cottage cheese in my oats. It definitely didn't compare to my favorite pumpkin, but I always feel that the texture is just slightly off when I add cottage cheese? Am I using the wrong kind? Too many curds? Should I try whipped? How do you all get your cheesecake like consistency? I'm lost!

Regardless, the oats were mighty tasty. Especially when the toppings were added…

Blackberries, Graham Crackers, Almonds, and I promise you there was an ample spoonful of Almond Butter underneath there

After these digested a bit, I ran some errands and then proceeded to my next big and exciting event of the day.

I met up with Erin from I Walk in This World for coffee. Erin and her husband moved here a few months ago, and we have been determined to meet ever since. We both finally had a free day to make this happen after months of trying to connect. Erin is such a doll! We had a blast chatting and getting to know each other over a delightful latte. Unfortunately, we got so engulfed in our conversation that I completely forgot to take a picture. Bad blogger, I know.

After a wonderful morning visit with Erin, I braced the grocery store and eventually made my way home for lunch.

Beautiful Salad Creation

With fries (acorn squash with ketchup)

Some other things I've been up to these days….

I made a batch of Allie's Pumpkin Coconut Granola. This stuff is CRAZY good!

Especially when you eat it with Okios, Pumpkin and Cinnamon.

New recipes I have been trying…

Baked Butternut Squash Risotto with Goat Cheese

Cranberry BBQ Slow Cooked Tempeh

I've also been on cloud nine from all of the wonderful friends I have.

Dottie, from Foodcent's Blog sent me the sweetest care package. We have been chatting for a few weeks now over similar tummy issues, and she was so kind to lend me some of her books that helped her when she was going through what I have been. She also threw in a few extra goodies. Chocolate and granola…the true way to my heart! :)

Thank you Dottie! :)

I also got this adorable Valentines Day card from my girl Emily at The Experimentarian. This card totally made me smile. How sweet is Emily! :) Love this girl.

I have also been trying all sorts of new products. This stuff really does excite me. I guess that is how you know your a foodie! ;)

Yogi Walnut Spice Crunch for Digestive Health

So anything with the words walnut and crunch in the title immediately lured me in, but the added bonus of helping to support a healthy digestive track was the real selling point. I was sent a coupon for a free sample and out of all of the flavors, this is the one I was intrigued to try first.

I mixed the Yogi with Flax Flakes, blueberries, dried cherries and vanilla soy milk. Delicious! This cereal rocks!!! Sweet, crunchy, full of bold flavor…I am in love.

Next, Amy's Bowls, Brown Rice Black Eyed Peas with Veggies

This was new to me, but I don't think it's necessarily a new product. I really enjoyed my last Amy's Bowl, much like I have enjoyed every single Amy's product I have tired. This one was just as good. I loved the flavor of the Black Eyed Peas and the subtle sauce was an excellent touch. My only complaint, which is my usual compliant when it comes to frozen entrees, is that a few more veggies wouldn't have hurt. Maybe I am just veggie obsessed, but if I would have been at home, I definitely would have thrown in a few more broccoli crowns. Just sayin'.

Moving on to the next one…

Quorn Cranberry Goat Cheese "Chicken" Cutlet

I usually shy away from the faux meats because I feel like if I wanted to eat chicken, I would just eat chicken; however, I have heard such good things about the Quorn products and was very impressed with this one. It honestly tasted just like chicken. No weird texture, no odd flavor. It very tasty. I don't usually opt for a frozen product as a main meal, but I always like to have them on hand for when you are in a pinch or just don't feel like cooking. Great buy!

I fancied the cutlet up by serving it over sauteed Kale and alongside roasted brussels with cranberries and goat cheese.

A hearty and delicious meal in less than 20 min….I'll take it!

As wonderful as things have been this week, I am sad to say that I have also picked up a nasty little sinus infection along the way. Figures, just as I start to feel much better, my immune system knocks me down once again. Le Sigh. I will feel 100% again someday. I will.

Okay folks, wishing you all the best.

"Ya tebya liubliu"

2010-02-14T17:10:00.001-05:00

"Ya tebya liubliu" means "I love you" in Russian, in case you were wondering. This was one of the first things that Toly ever spoke to me in Russian. I remember it like it was yesterday…..we were on one of our first dates at Dukes. It was a warm summer evening and as we sat on the deck on top of the beautiful Susquehanna River enjoying our dinner, I continually nagged Toly to say something to me in Russian. His fluent tongue in a foreign language was quite a turn on you see. He bashfully hesitated for awhile, but finally gave into my overpowering nagging. Toly looked me straight in the eyes with the most serious face and said "Ya tebya liubliu."

I almost fell off my chair. I think that was the first moment when I knew I was falling in love with this boy. Now, nearly 7 years later, we celebrated our 6th Valentines Day together.

Last year, Toly outdid himself. You can read about that here if you wish….

Valentines Day 2009

This year, we decided not to change too much of a good thing. The only difference was instead of Toly cooking a romantic dinner by himself, we wanted to stir up some romance in the kitchen together.

But, from the beginning…..

It began with presents and pancakes for my man.

I did pretty well in the gift department this year. A gift certificate to get his car detailed, a bottle of his favorite whiskey, some lotto tickets, and his favorite chocolate. Oh and a holiday inspired decadent breakfast….Chocolate Chip Cherry Pancakes. (Topped with coconut, hazelnuts, nutella, and white chocolate chips)

I attempted to make these into heart shapes for the sake of being cheesy; however, the heart shapes were just too small and I didn't make enough pancakes to sacrifice, so they were more like heart indented. Still full of love mind you!

Served with strawberries and yogurt and coffee in our appropriate Mr. and Mrs. mugs.

Toly gave me my gift after breakfast. A massage! Okay, he didn't actually perform the massage, but he informed me that I had an appointment at the message for an hour Therapeutic Massage. Yes, this is what he got me last year, and if he got me this gift for every single Valentines Day, I would NEVER complain. It's EXACTLY what I wanted and EXACTLY what I needed.

The massage was glorious. It was a bit different than other massages I have had, in that it was intended to serve as a form of therapy. So rather than being entirely relaxing, the woman had me doing all kinds of stretches and breathing to relieve all of my pressure points. She kept telling me how tight I was and how my one side was shorter than the other. Not really sure what that means, but regardless, the experience was definitely therapeutic. Probably similar to a trip to the Chiropractor. I felt as though I was readjusted when it was all over. Amazing none the less.

After my spa trip, Toly picked me up and took me to lunch.

Being the two mushy people that we are, we both sat on the same side of the booth.

Okay, not really, but we did to take this picture.

I ordered the Bella Salad for lunch, which had porto shrooms, walnuts, cranberries, goat cheese and I asked them to add shrimp because I was feeling the lack of protein.

It turned out to be an awesome salad. I'm usually skeptical about ordering salads in restaurants anymore. They are either loaded with fried stuff and dressing or pathetically lacking volume and flavor. This was was neither and very delicious!

We headed to Wegmans after lunch to pick up the ingredients for our romantic dinner.

On the menu:

Baked King Crab Legs

Cream of Crab Soup

Roasted Broccoli

Salad

Tuscan Bread

First things first…..

The cooking process always begins with a bit of fuel for the chefs.

Much better, now on to the crab….

These legs were massive. Just think of the crab that these babies came off of.

But just think of the meat that these suckers held….

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Juice, baked a 375 for 10 min. Easiest method of making crab legs and by far the very best!

Taking a moment for sappy photos...

Taking a moment for a little bow chika wow wow!! :)

(Come on kids, this is a PG Blog, you didn't really think I would show too much inappropriate content)

Cream of Crab Soup (from Wegmans)

Baked Crab Leg, Roasted Broccoli, Salad

Romantic Table for Two

Diggin' for Crab

Everything was mindblowing. The crab was some of the best crab legs we had ever had. Toly and I kept making moaning noises throughout the entire dinner, and not just because we were that hot for each other. Trust me, it was all attributed to the food.

Our Valentines Day was perfect. We tried to go back through every one over dinner, but we were only able to remember 4 out of the 6. It's times like these when I wish I had a blog my entire life so that I would always be able to remember these moments.

No matter if you celebrated with your true love, your best friend, your family, or your lovely self, hope that your Valentines Day was sweet as can be.

XoXo

How to Have a Proper Girls Night

2010-02-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

Before I disclose the above mentioned topic, I need to take a moment to share the most exciting surprise that was waiting for me on my doorstep yesterday afternoon.

My Secret Valentine arrived from the beautiful and amazing Shelly of Finding Happiness and Health. How freaking cute is Shelly and her adorable care package filled with some fantastic goodies. Lets see, heart shaped wheat cookies, green tea pink lemonade, carmel apple pie popcorn, a Raw Revolution bar, heart shaped soap, a cute bowl, and some homemade chocolate peanut butter. I can not wait to dig into this stuff. I'm actually surprised I had enough self control not to rip into that bag of popcorn or have some peanut butter fingers right from the container; however, I managed to keep myself constrained because I had BIG plans for dinner.
Thank you Shelly for this fantastic package of love. You are such a sweetheart! :)

Well, last night was a complete blast! Jen and I have been anxiously in need of a girls night after we had to postpone a few times this month. We do our best to schedule these at least once a month, but with busy schedules, two kids, and snow storms, it doesn't always happen as much as we wish. Last night, however, it was GIRL TIME….no exceptions!

To begin, you must come dressed in the appropriate attire. Sweat pants and comfy sweatshirts are a must.

And then, you must be equipped with the essentials…

Call me crazy, call me insane, but I was determined to bring Chipotle to this occasion, so the 2 1/2 hour trip across the river during rush hour on a Friday night didn't bother me in the least. Jen had never had Chipotle and after hearing me one too many times rave about this mexican fare obsession of mine, she wanted to partake naturally. Smart girl. Chipotle is about a 20-25 min drive; however, as I mentioned, the entire trip took over 2 hours. Traffic was CRAZY!!!!! But, every bite of this…..

was so worth it. Just look at that masterpiece. Salad with beans, veggies, extra guac, tomato and corn salsa. Calling this delicious would be offensive.

Jen hated it though.

(***We usually have wine, but last night, it just wasn't an alcohol kind of night. Gasp!! I know. But I was already feeling quite dehydrated so water was the beverage of choice.)

Spend hours over dinner doing much need girl talk. Sometimes, we kid ourselves into thinking that a movie would be a good idea, but I think this has actually happened a total of 2 times in 3 years. We always end up talking well into the night and completely forget about the movie.

Last, and this is one important so pay attention….

ALwAYS, and I mean ALWAYS end with dessert!

Wegmans Carrot Cake rocks my world!!!!

I am so fortunate to have such a good friend to share these nights with. I love our girls nights and after each one ends, we make sure we plan for the next one.

Tomorrow is Valentines Day as I am sure you are all aware, but Toly and I are celebrating today because he has to work tomorrow. I'll be back with a full recap tomorrow.

"Egg"celent Products For Your Reviewing Pleasure

2010-02-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Recently, I have been reaping the bounty of new products to try. Who doesn't love a free sample and better yet, who doesn't love a free sample when it's something you can eat!!!

First Up: Divine Foods Prana Bar and Boomi Bar

You have no idea how many times I came close to buying these at the store; however, every time I remember how many bars I currently have to work through already. I was so happy when Divine Foods asked me if they could send me a sample to try.

The Cashew Almond Boomi Bar was on trial first. First of all, I loved the chewy texture of this. It reminded me of a Kind Bar in that way, but the taste was excellent. Sweet, crunchy and sticky. The huge cashew pieces were a hit and I was very impressed with the ingredient list : Almonds, Cashews, Honey, Dates, Crisp Rice, Amaranth, Salt.

I have not tried the Prana Bar yet, but I intend on it very shortly. Overall, I am a far on the Divine Foods Boomi Bars and would definitely buy them again. Here is what the company states about their product:

"Pranabars Supercharger Pranabars are designed to give you an energy and nutrition boost to power you through your day."

Thank you Divine Foods for the chance to try these!

Next Up: Kikkoman Ponzu Lime Sauce (From FoodBuzz Tastemakers Program)

I love kikkoman marinades and sauces, so when I saw the new Lime flavor, I was thrilled to try it.
I decided to use the sauce as a base for my stir fry. I marinated cubed tofu in the Ponzu and threw together a tofu/veggie stir fry using the sauce as the highlight.

Verdict- Smashing!

Loved the hints of lime and citrus throughout. It wasn't as heavy as some soy sauces can be and loaded down with salt. It had a more clean and fresh feel to it. Loved it!

Last on the List: Egglands Best Eggs (From FoodBuzz Tastemakers Program)

Toly was more excited for this one being the egg lover that he is. We received our free coupon for a dozen of the Egglands Best, so I gave him the task of choosing the carton while at the store. He came back with the biggest smile on his face and said "you mean, we can even get the JUMBO size for free?" Haha, he was so beside himself that these jumbo-sized eggs were free!

Egglands Best eggs claim to be nutritionally superior to all other eggs. They are higher is vitamin A, D, E, B2 and B12. Here is what the company says:

"Eggland’s Best eggs contain ten times more Vitamin E than ordinary eggs, 100 mg of Omega 3, shown to be beneficial to cardiac health, 25% less Saturated Fat, and 200 mcg of Lutein, shown to contribute to eye health. In addition, one Eggland’s Best large white egg contains just 175 mg of Cholesterol compared to 215 mg in an ordinary egg. Proven by clinical studies performed at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and published in the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Applied Nutrition, Eggland’s Best eggs can be part of a cholesterol-reducing diet when eaten in place of more fatty foods."

How appropriate that these came right in time for a BFD night. Naturally, I chose to use them to make Egg Sammies.

Toly's sammie was bacon egg and cheese on an Asagio Bagel. Mine was Spinach, goat cheese, pumpkin butter and rosemary on a Wheat Thin.

So as for the eggs, honestly, I couldn't detect a difference in taste. I mean an egg is an egg; however, I was impressed with the stats behind the egg. And we all know Toly was impressed with the jumbo, so these were a success. Will I buy them again…..?

Sure, if I have a coupon. I really don't eat eggs and Toly doesn't have as much of an appreciation for nutritionally superior foods as I do, so the store brand eggs that cost a whole lot cheaper work just fine for us.

I was grateful for the opportunity to review.

Thank you Foodbuzz for the fun new products!

The Blizzard of 2010

2010-02-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

Since my existence, there has been the Blizzard of 93, 96, 03 (which was more like an ice storm) and now….

The Blizzard of 2010!!!

Practically, the entire state of Pennsylvania has been declared a state of emergency. All major highways are shut down, business are closed, not a soul is to be seen outside.

It's a whiteout!

I got the call this morning at 5:30am that work was closed. It was almost like being a kid again. I was thrilled to have a snow day!

I was not thrilled, however, to not be able to go back to sleep after getting my wake up call. Oh well, I waited awhile and then eventually got hungry.

With my extra time this morning, I decided to not only make oats, but document the step-by-step process for you all.

Step 1- Retrieve the dry ingredients from the pantry. We have Rolled Oats, Oat bran, Chia Seeds, Flax, and the utensils.

Step 2- Measure 1/3 Cup (equal parts Rolled Oats and Oat Bran), 1 tsp flax, 1 tsp chia, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt and place in a sauce pan.

Step 3- Add in the wet, 1/2 ripe banana, 1/3 Cup Almond Milk, 1/3 Cup Water

Step 4- Cook on medium heat until oats are cooked and all liquid is absorbed (about 8 min). Then add 1/4 Cup Canned Pumpkin.

Step 5- Stir and let this heat for another 2 min until the pumpkin melts. Pour into your favorite oatmeal bowl. Lick the spoon!!! (This is optional but I say the doughy goo that sticks to the bottom of the pan is the BEST!)

Step 6- Make sure all of your toppings are ready. Here we have shredded organic coconut, Dark Chocolate Dreams PB, Pom Seeds, Cran Apple Butter, Crumbled Pumpkin Muffin pieces.

Step 7: Add your toppings. I like to insert the Peanut Butter first, so that it melts into the center of the hot oats.

Step 8- DEVOUR!!!

Amazing! There is nothing like warm pumpkin oats on a snowy cold morning. Nothing!

After savoring this bowl of a juicy episode of Gossip Girl, I eventually peeled my behind off the couch with the energy of super hero. I swear oats give me super powers. Or maybe it's the 1200 mg of steroids I am currently taking for my illness. Who knows?!?!

With all of my energy, I managed to have one killer workout. Since the gym is under 12 feet of snow, running was out. I have a feeling running may be out for the next couple of days until they are able to dig out the neighborhood, but it's probably a good thing in my case. My right foot has been bothering me a bit lately. Nothing serious, but noticeable, which makes me think I should stay off of it for a few days.

So the treadmill was out of the question, but thankfully, I do have a faithful alternative in my own home gym…..

Mr. ET. An old reliable friend.

Workout was as follows-

40 Min on ET

30 min of pure Billy Blanks Tae Bo lovin.

Oh how I've missed this joyous man. I love Tae Bo and I use to do it all the time before I started running. Now, it's so nice to have these workouts on hand on days like today. I even pulled an Emeril and kicked it up a notch by doing the entire workout with 5 lb weights. Killer, I tell you!

The day was going wonderfully so far. A nice breakfast, a great workout….and some of Kelsey's homemade Muesli bars.

I had all of the ingredients on hand and decided to give them a whirl.

These were awesome! They smelled like Ikea's Cinnamon Rolls as they baked. Enough said.

As delicious as these are on their own, I pulled yet another Emeril and kicked it up a notch by adding the following….a little applesauce, a little vanilla yogurt and a little almond butter.

A little bowl of heaven is what this was.

If you have not met Kelsey, go to her now. And if you have not made these bars, make them now. You will be so happy that you did both of these things. Promise!

Lunch was eventually consumed and rightfully so.

Leftover BBQ Tofu and Butternut Squash Pizza with salad consisting of grapefruit, avocado, blueberries, flax walnuts, hummus and balsamic. With a few Mary's "crack"ers for measure.

The next fours of my life were spent lying on the couch watching a movie and napping. Yeah, have I mentioned how much I love snow days!

Despite the treacherous conditions, we decided to defy the odds and grill dinner.

Okay, so not really. The salmon was "grilled" on the Grill Pan, but this method works just fine.

My Plate: Grilled Salmon (my secret recipe), Sweet Potato with cinnamon, and roasted asparagus.

Toly's Plate: Salmon, Baked Potato and Peas

While eating this tonight, I realized that we usually don't have these kind of plates too often. Your standard, "meat" "starch" "vegetable" plate does not often visit our dinner table. My cooking tends to be a bit more eccentric, more of a collection of unique ingredients, layered and served in a bowl. I would describe it as abstract eating, so this meal made me feel like I was a kid again. We even spent the majority of our meal time discussing our childhood dinners. Funny how our eating/cooking habits change.

For example Toly said his mom would always make HUGE amounts of one meal that would last them all week and I remembered growing up with the typical "campbell's cookbook" type of dinners. Lots of casseroles covered in cheese, chicken cooked in some kind of soupy mixture, and always a frozen veggie from a bag.

In fact, my favorite dish growing up was my mom's Chicken Casserole. Chicken breast cooked in cream of chicken soup, swiss cheese and stove top. Mmm Mmm good! ;) I bet I could recreate this with tofu, veggie broth and goat cheese? Hmmm???

What were some of your favorite dishes growing up? Any classics that will always remind you of home?

Okay, I'm done rambling. Toly just found out his work is closed again tomorrow. Perhaps another snow day for me as well? We shall see!

Night everyone!

I Survived…AGAIN!

2010-02-08T14:54:00.001-05:00

I feel like I am saying this phrase way to often, but I guess it's better than the alternative statement. ;)

Well, today was the most anticipated day of my colonoscopy. I will admit, the whole experience was not exactly a joy; however, it wasn't the worst thing in the world either. I knew I needed to do it and now that I did, I am so happy I went through everything.

2 days of not eating and an entire day of "cleansing" really starts to get to a person. I think that hardest part was the not eating, but once I started forcing 8 billion gallons of liquids in my stomach, I sort of forgot about food.

Okay, but now for the important part…the results.

As soon as I woke up from the procedure, the doctor took me and Toly into a room and told us that he had found some things. I was actually hoping he would say this because I knew there was something, I just wanted to know exactly what that something was.

Good News: My colon looks good!!!

Bad News: The lower lining of my large intensive (aka rectum) is positively a mess.

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Proctits which is an IBD that causes inflammation and damage to the lining of the rectum. Basically, Colitis affects the colon and Proctits affects the rectum. Proctitis is much more treatable and manageable than Colitis and has a significantly less chance of spreading or developing into something more serious.

It is something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life, however. Any IBD is really not fully curable, rather more or less treatable. I'm actually not very surprised because I feel as thought I've been dealing with an IBD for most of my life.

The doctor prescribed me some medicine that he said will help me feel better within a week! Thank goodness!!!! From here on out, it's going to be one of those things I will just have to monitor and learn how to live with. Thankfully, I already eat a well balanced and healthy diet, and the things that I have already eliminated or decreased from my diet years ago are the main components that trigger symptoms of an IBD (such as dairy, meat, processed foods…etc.) So, really it's not going to be a HUGE life change, but I may need to be a bit more in tune with my diet and intakes to make sure that I am not triggering any more attacks. For example, I think I will start watching my intake of gluten because gluten is another culprit that is found to be directly related to any IBD disorder.

Wow, such a relief! When I got home this afternoon, I was famished, naturally. But, still feeling rather crampy and bloated. It was like my stomach was so sore and empty that it was at the point of hunger pains, but the thought of putting anything heavy into it make me sick.

The only thing in the world I wanted…...

Big bowl of cereal (puffins and oatmeal squares) with bananas, blueberries, and almond milk and whole wheat bagel 1/2 with Peanut Butter and banana. Along with a massive cup of coffee to nurse the MAJOR caffeine headache I've had for the past 2 days.

Amazing! Food never tasted so good!

I'm taking it easy for the rest of the day. Apparently, I am not supposed to make any important decisions, drive, exercise, or operate heavy machinery. I guess the snow plowing will have to wait! :)

Thank you all for your well wishes and sweet support! :)

You guys are the best and I love you all!

April 10th DC Blogger Meet-up (SAVE THE DATE)

2010-02-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

Since today's eats and activities will not exactly be noteworthy, nor something I wish to remember, I am going to spare us all and take a break from the normal posting.

Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to announce an upcoming event that I have been working with Anne P. over at Fannetastic Food to put together.

On Saturday, April 10th, we are planning a Blogger Luncheon in the DC area. I am running in the Cherry Blossom 10 mile race the next day, and when I found out that Anne was doing this race as well, I knew we needed to jump on the opportunity for a fabulous meet up event.

Not only does this day happen to be a wonderful time of year, it also happens to be the birthday of yours truly! :) I couldn't think of a more perfect way to celebrate! :)

Okay, so here are the details……

SAVE THE DATE!!!!

When: Saturday, April 10th (Time, TBD)
Where: Toscana Grill, Arlington VA
http://www.toscanagrill.com/
Who: Anyone! Please email me to let me know if you are interested and think you can join. I am collecting a list of ladies and hope to get a good turn out.

I will have more details closer to the event, but if you live near the DC area, or will be in town during this weekend, or are running in the race, this will be a great way to connect with some fellow bloggers and meet some fabulous new friends.

Baby Food

2010-02-06T15:09:00.000-05:00

We woke up this morning to just about 2 feet of snow!

I couldn't even open the front door.

They warned us that a few feet were in our future. Thankfully, it's stopped and we are now enjoying the white mountains for all of their beauty.

Another thing I am thankful for, is a husband who has no complaints when it comes to shoveling. Not sure if you know this about me, but any activity snow related I despise. Shoveling, Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowmen making…etc.

Bottom line….

I HATE BEING COLD, thus playing in the snow has absolutely no appeal to me.

When I lived with my roommate, I use to shovel our massive drive way because I had, but one of the many reasons I chose to marry the man I did, is so that I would never have to shovel snow ever again! It was in our vows. ;)

So today, is the day before my "prep" and I have been told to keep it easy as far as eating goes. Soft foods and nothing heavy.

Not a problem. Oatmeal and smoothies are two things I adore.

So for breakfast, it was oatmeal

Banana Oats topped with Pom, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cran Apple Butter and a few raw almonds.

I don't really think I am supposed to be eating nuts, however, and realized this halfway eating it, so I ended up taking them out. Nuts don't pass easily through the stomach when you are trying to clean it out.

Lunch was a smoothie…

Considering I am keeping a light diet for the next few days, I have been trying to find alternatives that will keep me full and happy without making me sick.

This stuff is awesome! Love that it's vegan and love the sweet vanilla taste. It made the smoothie taste pop!

My lunch was a blend of 1/2 frozen banana, frozen mango, 2 cups of spinach, OJ, Protein Powder topped with some granola.

Served with class in a large wine glass of course. They may take away my wine, but they will never take away my feeling of sophisticated eating. ;)

A little later I was really hungry and ate some applesauce with a big spoon of almond butter. It was heavenly!

So, I hate to admit this, but as dull and nutritionally lacking as this type of diet may be, I have not felt this good in months. My stomach has actually felt NORMAL today. I haven't been running to the bathroom every 5 minutes and I haven't had one episode of intense excruciating abdominal pain.

This really makes me think that the doctor is going to prescribe this kind of diet for awhile until I get my colon healed. As sad as it makes me, I know it's not forever and I know that I need to heal everything before I am able to continue a healthy whole diet. This may also mean that I need to back off from the intensity of my training schedule. If I am not able to properly fuel myself with the right foods and nutrients, then there is no way I would want to attempt to run 30 miles a week. That is an injury just waiting to happen!

So, I will know a lot more on Monday after the procedure, but until then, it's bland mush and liquids. Kind of makes you feel like a baby again, but I'll take an infants diet over a colon disease any day!

More rest is in store for the rest of the day and possibly some mushy cereal for dinner. As odd as it sounds, I'm actually really looking forward to it. ;) Good thing my taste in food is already a bit eccentric.

Hope you are having a good Saturday and if you are snowed in like me, you are probably still in your PJ's. It's fabulous! :)

Snowed In

2010-02-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

If you have been paying attention to the world news, you might be aware the east coast is expecting a major white hurricane this weekend. Apparently, we are supposed to be getting anywhere from 2-2 billion feet. Haha, I just love how specific these weathermen are.

No matter, we really were not planning on doing much of anything this weekend, so I guess it's just as well that a blizzard enforces my orders to stay in and rest.

It was so convenient that today was a "jeans, sneakers, and jersey" day in honor of the Superbowl.

I did not have a jersey, but I did find one of Toly's big comfy PSU sweat shirts.

Oh sweet comfort. If I could dress like this everyday, work would be so relaxing. I guess my level of professionalism would be compromised, but at least I would cozy.

I woke up wide awake. I thought about running, because I felt good, but I knew after 5 straight days, my legs needed a break. 40 min on my ET and 20 min of a yoga stretch was a more sensible option indeed.

Breakfast was lovely.

In the bowl we have, 1/3 Cup Natures Path Pumpkin Raisin Bran, 1/4 Cup Oatmeal Squares, Spoon of Mighty Maple, Blueberries, Bananas, and pumpkin Yogurt

Pineapple and strawberries with cottage cheese and apricots

With coffee

I took a 1/2 day today, so I was able to come home for lunch. I was actually feeling pretty bad today, but I blame most of this on stress. I am starting to get really nervous and feeling quite anxious. I don't think it helped that I talked to 3 different people who all told me stories of their loved ones who have been diagnosed with colon cancer or who had to have their entire stomach removed. Yeah, that's something a girl who is about to go into a colonoscopy wants to hear.

Anyways, despite feeling sick, I knew I needed to eat. Eating helps, even when I think it won't, but it is just a matter of eating the right things to make me feel better.

Since raw veggies are not digesting well, I have resorted to cooked veggies.

Roasted Squash with Ketchup and Roasted Brussels with Hummus

Cooked veggies work! Thank goodness, because I don't think I could give up veggies. No more raw carrots for awhile. These are a nightmare on my tummy.

I spent most of the day on my behind. Just feeling quite off today, so I knew my body needed the rest.

To spice up the night a bit, I wanted to make something fun and exciting for dinner.

Fun and exciting most definitely equates to pizza in our home and this could quite possibly be one of the best this year!

BBQ Tofu, Butternut Squash, Pineapple, Spinach and Red Onion

A few weeks ago, the most fabulous present arrived on my door step.

Lovely miss Allie totally hooked me up. You see, this is by far, my most favorite BBQ in the entire world. I have such a hard time finding it in PA but since it is made in NC and the beautiful and wonderful Allie happens to live there, she was so gracious to send me a few jars. What an angel!

So the pizza was insane. I first cubed and roasted the squash and tofu and then tossed in the BBQ sauce. On the crust, I layered a thin amount of pizza sauce, spinach, diced pineapple, red onion, tofu and the squash. Lastly, a tiny sprinkle of feta.

Toly's side (on the left) had BBQ chicken, bacon, cheddar, and feta.

A side salad with the squash that didn't fit on the pizza, diced apple, dried cherries, and radish.

Up close and personal….

Wonderful! Amazing! Better than any take out pizza I have ever had.

Well, the snow is falling and won't cease until tomorrow night. Funny how ever single snow storm this year has occurred on a weekend. Oh well, c'est la vie!

Talk to you tomorrow!