Recipes--Berry Nut Scones and Lasagna Rollups

(my additions/subtractions are in purple)
Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna Rollups (from Clean Eating magazine)
Ingredients
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb extra-lean ground white turkey breast (I used sweet turkey italian sausage instead)
3/4 tsp gound cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 28oz can whole tomatoes in juice (I omitted this and instead made my homemade sauce)
1 tsp sea salt
8 sheets dried high protein or whole-wheat lasagna noodles
1 10oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 15oz container low-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg (I omitted this simply because adding an egg seemed weird)
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (I only used about 1/4 cup of cheese)

Directions
1. Cook diced onions on medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Add garlic in next. Then put in ground turkey and cook till no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes with juice and salt.Reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer for 20 min. Stir occasionally to break the tomatoes into pieces. (I changed this step and instead made my homemade sauce as I noted above--you could also easily use a canned sauce.)
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to a box directions. Drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degree. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in a alarge bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg and 1/4 cup of mozzarella chease to bowl. Stir until combined.
4. Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9" x 10" casserole dish. Now lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place rooled pasta, seam side down, into the casserole dish.Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake, covered with foil for 20 min. Rmove foil and broil for 5 min or untill roll-ups are browned and bubbly.Number of Servings: 8

Nutrition Information (per one rollup):
Calories 254.7
Total Fat 6.4 g
Saturated Fat 3.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Cholesterol 74.4 mg
Sodium 857.9 mg
Potassium 126.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 20.3 g
Dietary Fiber 1.2 g
Sugars 7.1 g
Protein 27.4 g

Berry-Nut Scones
I used a recipe for Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones and then made changes based on what I had.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and the rest was Splenda for baking)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter (I used Promise light because it's what I had)
1 3/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I used 1/2 cup of thawed frozen blueberries and 2/3 cup of dried cranberries)
2/3 cup sunflower seeds

Directions
1 Combine first five ingredients in large bowl.
2 Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3 Stir in buttermilk just until moistened; stir in blueberries (and cranberries and sunflower seeds).
4 Turn onto floured surface and gently knead 10 times.
5 Transfer dough to greased baking sheet and pat into 9-inch circle; cut into 12 wedges, but do not separate.
6 Bake scones at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown, and serve warm.

I only got 8 scones (but they're massive) and calculated the calories for each one to be 325.

The Countdown Begins!!

It's official--I got my Canada ticket this morning so I'll be gone on vacation July 24-August 16!! I'm excited!! That means I've got about 3 months to work hard so I look good in my swimsuit!! I'll be in a swimsuit before then but at the cabin you pretty much wear your swimsuit the entire day.

On to other great news, I thoroughly enjoyed my run yesterday at lunch! I ran almost the whole thing but at a slower pace than usual (right now on my 5.5 mile runs I'm averaging about a 12 minute/mile). It was a little chillier than I was expecting too so I kept running so I wouldn't get cold!! I want to complain about the weather but I know we're just a few short weeks away from 100 degree days and sweating milliseconds after being outside so I won't complain about the chillier weather...I'll just try to enjoy right now. I'm thinking that I need to get a hydration belt for those 100 degree days. I didn't have one last year but I wasn't running nearly as far as I'm running now. Being in the heat for at least an hour...I'll definitely need something and carrying a bottle is just awkward to me.

Anyone use a hydration belt or hydration-type equipment and have some suggestions??

I did really well on my food intake yesterday. I did have an unplanned Starbucks espresso truffle after lunch but with the espresso and dark chocolate, one of those is just enough. (And they're not too bad nutritionally-60 calories a piece.) And I actually had a lot of calories left over after dinner last night so I had banana pudding as dessert (1 banana, 1 serving ff sugar free vanilla pudding, and 1/2 serving Annie's Bunny Grahams) and it was delicious!! Today I'm going to follow my eating plan again--I made it yesterday, I can make it through today!!

Breakfast: 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 banana, 2 tbsp flax seeds, 1 tbsp cashew butter, and a ton of cinnamon
Mid-morning Snack: 1 orange, 5 strawberries, 1 cup pineapple
Lunch: Veggie wrap (100 calories Sun Dried Tomato tortilla with mustard, 1 cup spinach, and 1 cup bell peppers), 1/2 cup yogurt with 1 cup Kashi GoLean cereal, espresso truffle?
Afternoon Snack: Clif Z bar
Dinner: Leftovers (haven't decided what I'm in the mood for but we have the lasagna rollups, fajita burgers, and pomengranate and walnut chicken leftover), glass of wine or vodka and diet tonic

I've been craving chocolate donuts (those little ones from Hostess or whoever) so I've told myself that on Friday morning if I still want them, I can have a small package for breakfast. Anyways, I'll try to post the scone and lasagna rollup recipes today for the fantastic Sara!!

Tuesday's Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast: 2 Kashi waffles with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter and 1 banana

Mid-morning Snack: 1 cup pineapple, 1 kiwi and 1 plum

Lunch--huge salad (those yellow pieces are yellow tomato slices) and 1 Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna Roll-up

Close up of my yummy lasagna roll-up!

Summer Challenge!

I joined Carolyn's summer challenge. The two goals I set for myself to accomplish in the next 8 weeks are 1) to exercise 5 times a week and 2) run 7 miles without stopping. I didn't put a weight loss goal because I usually find that when I do that I get disappointed and frustrated. It's taken me 4 months to lose 10 lbs so it's been sloooooooow. But focusing on the exercise and running goals motivates me to keep going. I didn't get my run in yesterday because of the weather but it's bright and sunny today so I'll definitely be doing 5.5 miles today!!

I'm having such a hard time with cravings lately. I don't know what it is but suddenly I want all kinds of sweet, processed stuff. That stuff is so addicting! Once I have a bite, I keep craving it for a long time. I've also let artificial sweeteners creep back into my diet and they always make me crave the sweet stuff!

I've made a commitment to myself that today I will follow my eating plan and won't have any nibbles or straying off the plan. I have to think about it one day at a time. (Plus I always eat healthier on the days I run so it's totally doable.) So, here's today's eating plan--

Breakfast: 2 Kashi waffles, 1 tbsp. peanut butter, 1 banana
Snack #1: 1 plum, 1 kiwi, 1 cup pineapple
Lunch: leftover Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna Rollup, huge salad with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and 1 tbsp. dressing
Snack #2: Clif Z bar
Dinner: Fajita burgers, Rosemary potatoes, peas, salad

This is totally doable! I think I'll have some calories left over so I might have a glass of chocolate milk before bed.

I'm so anxious to go running that I want to go right now and it's 8:30! Must get some work done first!! Running will be my reward! Funny, that I think of running as a reward now instead of a punishment but what can I say...I love to run!!

Weekend and Monday Food Pictures

As promised, here are some pictures. These are flowers that I bought at the grocery store on Friday. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers and these are so pretty with the pink and yellow flowers.

Here is a project I had done for Stephen. It's a map of the chain of lakes that his family's cabin is on along with some pictures from last summer. It was supposed to be a surprise for him but he insisted on working from home the day I took it to the frame shop so he got to help plan out the colors and matting. I got it done for 60% off, it was still over $300, but it looks really nice. I can't imagine paying the full price of almost $800 for it so I'm very happy I went when the sale was going on.

(Sorry it's in the wrong direction.)

Now, here's Monday's breakfast. 2 cups of fresh pineapple (so yummy and I've been craving it like mad lately) with a homemade Whole Wheat Berry Nut scone.

And, a closeup of the scone with its blueberries, cranberries and sunflower seeds. Yummy!!

Monday's mid-morning snack of fruit. Yesterday's mix was 1/2 pear, 1/2 banana, 1/2 mango, and 1/2 cup of strawberries.

And, Monday's lunch. I had carrots and green/red/yellow pepper strips with ranch veggie dip (made with sour cream and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix), 1/2 pita (leftover from Sunday's lunch out), and pumpkin yogurt (1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 2 tbsp. canned pumpkin, and lots of cinnamon). It took me forever to eat all those veggies and they were so delicious!

Sometimes for lunch I like "snacky" type foods instead of a "meal"--this was great yesterday. For a snack yesterday afternoon I had an orange and 1 serving of Annie's Bunny Grahams (no pic). Last night for dinner we had Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups and Roasted Asparagus (no pic but I'm having leftovers for lunch so you'll get a pic tomorrow!).

It's Just Another Rainy Monday.

I had a good weekend. We got a lot of stuff done and did a bunch of running around. On a sad note, my pedometer broke on Saturday evening. I did get in 7766 steps on Friday and Saturday I had 7255 when it fell off (b/c Stephen was goofing around in Target) so I am getting in over 7500 steps a day. So that goal for the week is now gone. I didn't take pictures of my food this weekend but I did take pictures of other things to share with you but I can't upload the pictures at work so I'll have to post them tonight at home. But I am taking pictures of my food today!

The weather was great on Saturday and not so great on Sunday. Saturday we woke up, went to the farmers market where we got some tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers. Then we went to the library book sale and I got 6 books (Julie and Julia, Citizen Girl, and 4 others that I can't remember right now). We also went to the outlet mall. I wasn't going to get anything but I found the cutest summer dress at the Gap Outlet and it was only $4! I also found a cardigan to wear over the dress for $7!! An entire outfit for $11!! How fantastic! We went and saw "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"...I thought it was a pretty funny movie (some parts were much funnier than other parts) but Stephen thought it was really dumb. Then Saturday night it started raining and it's still raining. :( I hope it lets up a bit so I can run at lunch but I'm thinking that may not be possible. We'll see. Sunday we were on a hunt for an umbrella for our balcony. We need a small one (6 feet) and we went to 2 targets and home goods without finding an umbrella. We did find these cute lights at home goods and 3 trips to home depot later (for an extension cord, cable ties, getting longer cable ties, and exchanging the extension cord for a longer cord), the lights are hung! Guess who went to Home Depot 3 times in search for various light hanging necessities? A very frustrated me.

We didn't go to the wine festival. We could've gone on Saturday but the weather people kept saying that the rain was coming (and it did come, but 6 hours later!!). No big deal though, we had lots of other errands and stuff we were doing.

We didn't go on a bike ride either so I didn't get any exercise in on Saturday and Sunday. My eating was pretty good on Friday but Saturday and Sunday I didn't do so well. Definitely no pedicure for me this week. I'm back on track today with my eating and hopefully I'll get a run in at lunch.

Well, I should get to work now and get some things accomplished today.

Skiing Picture!

I finally got some pictures of us skiing three weeks ago. (We had all kinds of camera problems...don't ask...so we only have about 5 pictures total from the trip.)

Here's Stephen and I about halfway down the mountain:

It's Friday!!

Today's Weigh In: 178.6
Last Week's Weigh In: 180.2
Change: -1.6

I lost what I gained last week and am back to where I was 3 weeks ago before we went skiing! I'm happy about the loss but I've been doing some self-sabotaging lately. I don't know why other than 178 is where I was when I met Stephen. I'm working on listening to my body and eating what it wants which, most of the time, is healthy, whole foods and using running to channel my emotions. I'm going to take some time this weekend and really think about why I've been sabotaging myself and what's going on there.

I'm changing things up a bit this week and I'm going to have some different goals than I usually do. Just for something a little different and something to focus on a bit more than just calories eaten and miles ran. This week's goals:
1) Wear pedometer every day. Aim for 7500 steps a day.
2) Track calories and macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) on SparkPeople. I haven't done this in a while and like to do it every now and then to make sure I'm eating enough protein and fat to be healthy. I'm also a little concerned about my sodium intake. I don't know if I'm getting enough for the amount of running I'm doing. Any of you runners know anything about sodium intake and running?
3) Photograph meals and put up on blog. And, wouldn't you know, I forgot my camera this morning so you'll have to wait until tonight's dinner or tomorrow's breakfast for pictures.
4) Follow workout and eating plan. If I meet 12/14 goals then my reward will be a pedicure next weekend.
Workout and Eating Plan--Week of April 25, 2008
Friday: 1800 calories, Run at lunch--5.5 miles
Saturday: 2000 calories, Bike Ride
Sunday: 2000 calories, Bike Ride or Apartment Gym
Monday: 1800 calories, Run at lunch--5.5 miles, supposed to have softball practice but I'm not including it in my goals just b/c its dependent on other people and may fall through
Tuesday: 1800 calories, Run at lunch--7 miles
Wednesday: 1800 calories, Run at lunch--5.5 miles
Thursday: 1800 calories, Run at lunch--5.5 miles

So yesterday when I was running at lunch it was pretty warm outside, close to 80 degrees. About 1/2 through my 5.5 miles I thought I was going to pass out. I got really lightheaded and then felt like throwing up. I immediately stopped running and walked the rest of the way. I felt much better after walking for a bit. I think what happened is that I was pushing myself pretty hard. I was alternating walking and running sprints. When I was running my heart rate was close to 180 bpm which is over 90% of my maximum. I just think it was too much in the warmer weather. Today I'm going again but I will definitely be keeping my heart rate lower. (And I think having twice as much coffee yesterday morning may have dehydrated me a bit.)

Alright so my weekend is still undecided. We've got several things we'd like to do but depending on the weather (there's a chance of rain tomorrow AND Sunday) we may not do all or any of them. I want to hit up the farmers market--I'm dying for some fresh, good produce. The library is also having a book sale and I want to go and browse for cookbooks or other cheap finds. Then there's a wine festival pretty close to where we live and we'd like to go and sample wines from the Virginia vineyards we haven't visited. I've also got to take my bike in and have them check the wires and so forth. There's nothing wrong with it but the bike shop likes for you to bring in your bike after the first 20 hours of riding so they can make sure everything is wearing right and head off potential problems. We'll see if the weather cooperates but I sure hope it does! Most of the stuff we want to do is outside!

Have a great weekend!!

I've had too much caffeine this morning!!

Something kind of strange keeps happening today...people keep commenting on my hair. I've had 3 people say something about cutting my hair off and it being short. They're all good comments but comments like they just noticed my hair is 14 inches shorter than it was. Strange because my hair's been this length for 2 months now. Maybe it's because I've got my bangs pulled back? I don't know but definitely a little strange. Oh well...

Anyways, so I left early yesterday and it was fantastic!! I went and browsed around Trader Joe's but didn't find anything I couldn't live without and picked up my new glasses (pics to come!). I then went home and watched the 2 episodes of "The Office" I've missed while being in class. Shhhh...don't tell Stephen I did that...he thinks we're waiting until the 4th season comes out on DVD to get caught up. I could watch episodes of "The Office" over and over and over again...love that show!! Then I cleaned the apartment, read in some magazines and my book ("Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult...so, so, so good!), watched the Food Network, painted my nails, and just generally was a bit lazy. I didn't do any work or didn't go for a bike ride but that's okay. I still got to enjoy the weather while I was hanging out in the apartment with the patio door open. I don't get to be home very much by myself so I just wanted to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it...know what I'm saying? And it was great!! I needed a bit of a break and relaxation time.

What wasn't so great yesterday? My food. I was so snacky yesterday...but no biggie. I'm over it and I'm on to today! I have class tonight so I have lots of snacks planned. We only get a 15 minute break in class and it's not really long enough to eat a meal. I could eat before but I'm never hungry enough so what I do is eat a snack before class, a snack during our break, and then a snack on the Metro ride home. I don't want to eat a full meal when I got home from class b/c it's usually close to 10 and I weigh-in on Fridays.

Sorry for the hyper post...I had twice as much coffee this morning as I normally do. Speaking of which, here's a bit of a rant against Starbucks. I ordered an iced coffee because I assumed it was just an iced coffee...no sweeteners, no added milk. When I got back to my desk, I looked up the nutrition info just to be sure (and also my coffee tasted pretty darn sweet) and Starbucks iced coffee has sweeteners added to it!! Grrrr! That's so frustrating! Now I know I have to tell them I want an unsweetened iced coffee. I wish they would put that on the menu...instead of calling it an iced coffee, call it a sweetened iced coffee so I know it comes sweetened. They're the same way about their iced teas...you have to specifically request an unsweetened iced tea. At least I know now but it's still annoying!!

Yea! It's Humpday!

So glad it's Wednesday. I just haven't been "feeling" work lately, actually I haven't "felt" work in a couple of years...I've got to get out of here! Speaking of exit plans, I found out yesterday that I did not get into the school where I interviewed at last week. I was a little disappointed but to be honest, that's what I was expecting so I can't say I'm surprised. I was hoping for a different outcome but wasn't expecting it (know what I'm trying to say?).

Yesterday I went for a 5.5 mile run and it was fantastic! I'm so addicted to running, it's great! I was planning on going again today but I'm also thinking about leaving work early (like in an hour) and getting in a bike ride instead. It's so gorgeous outside. Plus I need to pick up my new glasses at the eye doctors and I'd like to go to Trader Joe's and just browse. When Stephen and I go together, he just wants to go in and out...no real looking around which is good for the pocketbook but disappointing for my curiousity. Plus I can take my work home with me and work from home with the patio door open and enjoy the sun! Alright, it's decided...I'm leaving early to do all the above things!!

Food yesterday was good. Dinner was a bit weird...not the actual food but the way we ate. We decided to have pork chops and corn on the grill and a salad. Well, our grill is so tiny that it took forever to cook the chops and corn. We sliced up the pork chops so they would cook faster. We ate our salads around 6 and starting at about 6:30 we ate a piece of pork chop every few minutes. They all got done at different times. We didn't finish eating until almost 7:15! That's definitely one way to eat slower...cook your food so it's all done at different times and you're forced to slow down!

Talk to you all later!!

I fought the cookie monster and I won!!

So no run for me yesterday. Everytime I looked out the window from 11 am to 1:30 pm it was a downpour out there. And as much as I'm hard core and run when it's sprinkling or drizzling...if it's a downpour, I'm not going! Even though it's cloudy and gray today, it's not raining so that means I'm definitely hitting the pavement around lunchtime! I'm excited! I miss running after just a couple of days. And it's been about a week since I've been.

I did really well yesterday on my food intake. I made a super yummy and filling dinner ("Brown and Wild Rice Chicken Salad") and then two hours later I wanted something sweet and I still had some calories I needed to eat so I had an oatmeal cookie (that I made for Stephen on Sunday). After I had my cookie, I still wanted another one. I wasn't hungry but the cookie was good and it was a boredom thing I think. I just kept talking to myself (silently, of course, although Stephen has caught me talking to myself out loud before) and telling myself how great I would feel in the morning if I stayed within my calories...if I had another cookie, I would've been over. I also reminded myself that the cookies would be there tomorrow so if I wanted one tomorrow night and I had the calories for it, I could have it. And it worked!! I didn't go back for that second cookie! Way to go me!! I love it when I can show restraint and work on having a normal relationship with food!

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Oatmeal pancake, 1/2 banana, smoothie
Snack #1: Fruit--today's mix is mango, strawberries, raspberries, and pear
Lunch: 2 sandwiches on mini whole wheat potato buns with 1 laughing cow light wedge and cucumbers and spinach, veggies (peppers, tomatoes, carrots), plum
Snack #2: Clif Z bar chocolate chip flavor
Dinner: Pork chops, rosemary potatoes, salad, fresh green beans OR if it's nice enough outside we'll have pork ribs and corn cooked on the grill with salad and green beans

I'm planning to start taking some pictures of my food and posting them. I think I'll start that next week. Also, next week I want to wear my pedometer and get an idea of how many steps I'm walking a day.

A Rainy Monday

My weekend was good. I'm definitely not ready for it to be Monday though. Friday I went to my hair appointment and ran some errands. Saturday we went to the picnic with the alumni association...we rode our bikes to the picnic and after the picnic, we rode to the Metro and metro-ed the rest of the way home. But we ended up riding about 18 miles on Saturday!! Way to go us! Saturday night we went and saw "88 Minutes" which was okay...Stephen liked it more than I did. After the movie, we went to Macaroni Grill and shared some dinner. Sunday it rained like crazy here! We did our usual errands and relaxed at home, watching TV and Netflix last night. I got my reading for class done so I don't have to worry about it this week. I made a new running mix for my MP3 player (mainly 90s pop stuff) and ordered new tanks and shorts to run in so I'm ready to run today....except, it's raining outside!! Grrr! I'm hoping it lets up for just a bit so I can get in a quick run. Even if it's sprinkling, I'm still going. Because I'm a hard-core runner like that.

Well, I don't have much else to say today. How was everyone else's weekends?

Friday Weigh-In

Today's Weigh In: 180.2
Last Week's Weight: 178.8
Change from previous week: +1.4

I totally deserve this. I knew it was going to happen...my eating the last three days has been horrible. Yesterday was not a better day, eating wise. By the time I had my blood drawn and peed in a cup, I was so weak and tired from not eating all morning. I had pizza and then laid down on my office floor for about 30 minutes. After that, I felt much better. Having my blood drawn actually went really well. I didn't watch and didn't look back over at my arm until the nurse told me she was done...that seemed to help the weakness and nausea I usually get when my blood is drawn. My pulse was 64 beats per minute (which is low according to the nurse but very likely for me considering all the running I do) and my blood pressure was 100/68. She actually measured my height (which I haven't had done since I was in the second grade...I always just randomly guess that I'm about 5'8") and I was 5 feet, 7.5 inches.

Anyways, back to my weigh in. I knew I was going to gain and as much as I did not want to get on the scale this morning, I made myself do it so I would see the consequences of my actions. My plan for this week is to write everything down that I eat (I stopped on Tuesday of this week) and get in my runs and exercise as planned. I'm overeating because I'm worried about my interview when what I really need to do is hit the pavement and run. That always releases my stress and anxiety.

I finished "Remember Me?" by Sophie Kinsella on Tuesday while I was travelling. It was a pretty good book...pretty predictable but sometimes you need a "fluffier" book that doesn't make you contemplate too deeply. Now I'm on to "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult. She is my absolute favorite author and I love her books! This is her most recent book and so far it's interesting (I haven't quite figured out everything that's going on but that just makes me want to read more!). She always has some great surprises that I never see coming in her books so I can't wait to see what they are in this book. I know that totegirl has read some of Jodi Picoult's books before so I'll be sure to give a thorough report when I'm finished!

Well, plans for today...I'm at home right now. I have eaten breakfast, gotten ready for the day, done the dishes, have candles lit, and am enjoying the warmer weather and sunshine with the patio door open. Today's my AWS day and I've got a haircut this morning plus a few other errands to run. I need to do my reading for next week's class but other than that, nothing that must be done today. It's supposed to up near 80 degrees today so I'm thinking that a walk this afternoon would be lovely. I am also going to make a new running mix for my MP3 player...anyone have some great fast-paced songs they love to work out to?

Tomorrow we've got a picnic/cook-out thing with the OSU alumni association group. Tomorrow will be the 7 year anniversary of the 10 members of the OSU family killed in a plane crash in Colorado and since most of our alumni group were students at the time, we're having a "Remember the 10" picnic. It's supposed to be nice weather and we're bringing our frisbee as well as some great food (Tomato and Mozzarella sandwiches, veggies with dip, and homemade, lower cal trail mix). We're also riding our bikes to where the picnic is so we'll get in a good bike ride in the morning. Sunday we don't have any plans but we'll probably do our usual grocery store, Target, running around, and maybe a movie? I really want to see "Leatherheads" but Stephen doesn't (and it's a football movie for goodness sakes!!) and there's a new movie coming out, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", that look hilarious.

Well, it's time to get off this computer and go enjoy this weather!! I can guarantee you I'll be doing my reading for next week's class out on the balcony later today! Have a great weekend everyone!

Today will be a better day!!

I have to admit that yesterday didn't end up being the great food day I had planned. I ate my breakfast as planned but about 10:30 got the urge to eat cookies. (As a little background, my mom sent me several boxes of girl scout cookies and Stephen insisted I bring them to work since he didn't want them at home. So I brought them to work and have kept them in a locked cabinet. I haven't had too many problems with them being here until yesterday.) I literally ate almost an entire box of the peanut butter sandwich cookies. I just could not stop eating them. After scarfing down the cookies, I thought, "no big deal. I'll just watch my calories the rest of the day." I was determined that the peanut butter cookie incident would not derail my day! Well, I didn't get to go for my run at lunch...beautiful weather but I feel so behind at work which is a total excuse but I didn't go. In the middle of the afternoon I started thinking about those stupid cookies again and what did I do? I proceeded to eat almost an entire box of chocolate chip cookies! Finally, I thought about how ridiculous this was. I wasn't hungry, I was just bored at work, wanting to procrastinate on a project, worried about the decision from my interview. I was eating to numb myself, not for any other reason. So I promptly sent an email to some people at work in charge of organizing social events and donated the remaining boxes of cookies to their events. I got rid of the cookies so no more temptation sitting right in my office anymore!! I still have moments when I'm too weak and I'll give in. Lesson learned: none of that stuff in my office. Only healthy, low-calorie snacks. After the chocolate chip cookie incident (it's majorly pathetic that I had 2 cookie incidents yesterday and have to identify which one I'm talking about), it just went further downhill. It was a total f-it attitude. On the way home from work (I walked again b/c Stephen was working late and I needed to be outside) I stopped at the grocery store to get some more fruit and picked up a bottle of wine. While I was waiting on Stephen to get home, I kept snacking. Again, I wasn't hungry, I was just bored. And I also proceeded to drink the entire bottle of wine last night! Grrrr! I'm so frustrated with myself but I haven't had a falling off the wagon for a while now. Oh well, live and learn. I'm putting it behind me and I'm not dwelling on it anymore.

In other news, I have my blood work later this morning. I haven't been able to eat since last night which bums me out b/c I love breakfast! I'm one of those people who gets really hungry in the mornings...I usually eat two breakfasts. One when I first get to work and then a much smaller, snack-like one about an hour before I run. I hate having blood work done. Needles don't particularly bother me but it's when they put it in my arm, I instantly feel very weak. But it'll be over with quickly. I'm looking forward to hearing the results for my cholesterol and so forth. There's a lot of heart problems in my family so I want to verify that my usual healthy eating and running practices are doing great things for me.

And, on that note, it's time for me to head to the health unit!

My 7 random facts about me

I was tagged by the wonderful Jen (over at "La Vita Bella") to write 7 random facts about me.

Here are the rules of the game...1) Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.4) Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1-I am ambidextrous. I was actually taught to write with my right hand in elementary school but when I started playing sports I learned my natural inclination was my left hand so I switched the hand I wrote with. I still use my right hand for everything else besides writing and playing sports.

2-I do a weird thing with consonants and vowels. I prefer words that have more vowels than consonants. I have this "game" I play in my head where I see how many consonants vs. vowels a word has. There's rules about consonants and vowels that appear more than once and being able to use "y" as a vowel but I won't try to explain the entire thing to you...just suffice it to say, I do this all the time without thinking about it. I started doing it when I first learned to read and now I do it without being conscious of it.

3-I do a similar thing with numbers. I prefer numbers that are divisible by 6 (meaning they are divisible by both 2 and 3). Again, there's rules about adding and multiplying numbers together and it gets complicated to explain. I started doing this when I was about 10 and again, I do it without thinking about it! When I'm driving down the road, I'm always adding up numbers from license plates in my head. I think I do this to help me remember numbers since I sometimes mix up numbers in my head (like dyslexia but with numbers, not letters). My old office number was 4263 and I could easily remember it b/c 42+63=105; my new office number is 4210 which I can never remember--I always have to look.

4-In order for me to go to sleep at night I have to rub my foot along the mattress. I'll be laying in bed, head on pillows, body under the covers and I'll rub my foot back and forth. I'll keep rubbing my foot until I go to sleep. Stephen says that I do it even when I'm sleeping. I have no idea when or why I started doing this.

5-Out of all the people in my family, I'm most like my stepdad. We both like to read, watch the same kind of movies, have similar viewpoints on a lot of issues, and are the most laid back people in my family. A little weird considering he's not biologically related to me but it just means he was meant to be my stepdad!

6-I really like planning things. So much so that sometimes I wonder if I should be an event planner. I've planned one conference at work (and am in the process of planning another one) and I love doing it! But I don't think I would like doing it all the time. And it's just the planning I like, not necessarily the execution of the plan.

7-I write my grandma at least once a week--the snail mail kind of letters. We started sending each other letters when I moved to DC and now that my grandpa's gone, I try to write her a couple of times a week because I know she's lonely. Usually they're just letters about what's going on in my life and so forth and she'll write me about what's going on in her life or what's on her mind. She also sends me sudoku puzzles and comics.

Well, I don't know who to tag b/c I think almost everyone has done this.

I could never live the jet-setter life!

My interview went really well!! I should find out by next Friday if I'm in or if I'm still on the waitlist. It was a crazy day though...I'm definitely not used to hopping on planes and flying places in one day. I was really surprised with myself because about an hour before my interview I started getting nervous but by the time my interview started, I wasn't nervous at all!! I know what to expect in the interviews now and there weren't any big surprises as far as questions go. I did mess up one question (Tell me about a recent time you've set a goal for yourself and you've achieved that goal). I started talking about training for a marathon and then realized I haven't completed that goal yet so I kind of laughed it off and said "well, let me tell you about a goal I've actually achieved. I'm just so excited about running a marathon that I like to talk about it a lot." and then I started talking about a goal that I've completed. So, all in all, a good interview. But I don't want to think about it too much b/c then I'll get excited about possibly going to school there.

What wasn't good yesterday was my eating. I'm blaming it on waking up at 4am. It's like I couldn't eat enough food yesterday. But I'm back on track today and back to eating well. I did have a NSV yesterday...since I was gone for my interview all day, I didn't have time to workout or run but yesterday when I got to the subway stop closest to my house, instead of taking the shuttle, I walked! Way to go me! So I still got some activity in yesterday even if my eating was a bit off. And I got my chapters read for class on Thursday while I was travelling so I feel prepared.

Well tomorrow morning I have blood tests and a physical here at work (we can have one free blood work and physical screening a year). I haven't had my cholesterol tested in about 10 years (and considering my family history, that's not good!) so I'm looking forward to seeing what those numbers are. Alright, I'm off...I'll catch up with you lovely ladies later!!

Weekend Report

So my weekend was good. Friday I went to the eye doctor (went really well...my eyes have gotten better so my prescription for contacts and glasses changed), ran a bunch of errands, and then went to the psychiatrist where I was extremely disappointed. Just not a personality match, I didn't think his office was professional at all (as just one example, when I went to pay I asked the receptionist how much my co-pay was and she said "oh, there usually about $15." Ooookay, do you not know how much my co-pay is?), and I wasn't impressed with his demeanor and the questions he asked. We went on a bike ride Friday afternoon and I'm so glad we did since it rained all day Saturday and yesterday was pretty cold. We went to see "21" yesterday--good movie but the book is better. Speaking of books, I picked up some new books at the library this weekend and have started reading "Remember Me?" by Sophie Kinsella. I love her books! I can't wait to finish reading this book!!

Eating this weekend was okay. We ate a lot which I hate (mental note: I need to talk to Stephen about this...we've been spending too much money and calories eating out the last month or so). I didn't keep track of my calories but I was good about stopping when I was full and trying to get in my veggies and fruit. I've started taking pictures of my meals just to show you all...I'm thinking I might do this for a week or so just as a way to shake up the usual posts.

Well, I'm off to go on my lunchtime run. I'll be gone to Boston tomorrow for a school interview (I'm leaving my house at 4:45 AM...mind you, leaving at that time...I'll have to be up at least 45 minutes before then) but I'll be back on Wednesday with a post. Wish me luck for my interview!!

Weigh In Friday

Today's Weight: 178.8
3/28 Weight: 178.6

Only a gain of .2 lbs while being on vacation...I'll take it!!

Just a quick note since I'm rushing out the door to head to the eye doctor. I actually had class last night! I think it'll be a good class. We have an interesting project to do that's worth 50% of our grade but I'm excited about doing it (yes, I'm a nerd, I know). Stephen informed me last night at 10:30 that he was working from home today. Sigh, I was really looking forward to having some quiet time and doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it and having the computer when I wanted it. I just need some alone time, you know. But anyways, it's going to be pretty nice outside today so we might do a bike ride or walk later this afternoon. But now I'm headed off to the eye doctor where I will have to take out and put in my contacts about 15 times before I leave. And then I have my first appointment with the therapist around lunch.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

So glad it's Thursday!!

I could get used to weeks like this...yesterday was my Monday and today's my Friday! If only I didn't have actual work to get done. :(

I forgot to mention yesterday that I have another school interview next week. It's at one of the schools I was waitlisted at so it means I'm being considered for an open spot! I'm excited but stressed out about trying to get prepared. I literally do not remember very much about this school so I'll have to do a bunch of research before I go.

Also forgot to mention yesterday (hmm, let's see...what did I write about yesterday?) that last Wednesday, I ran the entire 5.5 miles course I've been doing lately! I was so excited! It was a goal of mine for March and I hit it 2 days late but I'm not complaining! Awesomeness! Now for April I want to run 7 miles. I'm about 90% sure I'm going to do a half-marathon in November but with the knee problems I sometimes have, I'll have to slowly build up my mileage.

Last night I went to my class and the scheduled night had changed. When I signed up for these classes one was on Wednesday and one was on Thursday. Well, the one for Wednesday changed to Thursday and obviously, I can't be in two places at once. But no one notified me of the day change so I showed up last night and eventually with the help of three staff people, figured out what happened. I was a little ticked that no one notified me but the staff people were so apologetic and nice about it that I couldn't be mad. So I called today and dropped one of the classes. It's actually okay with me b/c now that my workload has picked up, I don't have the time at work to devote to studying so just being in one class will be a lot better for my stress level. Although I wish the class was on Wednesday since new episodes of "The Office" are back on starting tonight! I'll just have to watch it tomorrow!!

My 100th post!

Hey, it's my 100th post! That's cool. I read a lot of blogs for several months before I had the courage to start my own and now look at me...100 posts later!

Alright, well, the ski trip was excellent! Thursday we got in to Denver, stopped at Wal-Mart and got groceries/necessities, then headed out to Keystone. On the way to Keystone, on I-70, there's about a 6 miles long tunnel that goes through several mountains and somewhere in the middle of the tunnel is actually where you cross the continental divide. But anyways, on our way out to Keystone, there was a horrible accident(s) inside the tunnel. We were about 1/2 a mile from the tunnel when traffic just stopped. We sat in the car for an hour and a half! We finally broke out the laptop and watched CSI while we were waiting. Eventually, Stephen called his mom and had her look up alternate directions to Keystone. Once we had those, we turned around in the median, and ended up in Keystone 20 minutes later. But not too big of a deal, although we did eat an entire vegetable tray while we were waiting in traffice...we were hungry and hadn't had supper yet.

Friday we got up, got our skis (worst ski rental experience of my life!!), and Stephen went to his ski school and I went skiing on my own. At lunch, Stephen decided that ski school was a waste of time and he and I went skiing the rest of the day. I had to show him a few things but he really got the hang of skiing! He did really, really well! Friday night Stephen's mom and friend came in from South Dakota. Stephen and I fixed Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner and we just hung out, talked, and sat in the hot tub.

Saturday Stephen and I went skiing. By the end of the day we were doing the blue courses (medium difficulty) and Stephen was doing great! (He wanted to do a black--the hardest courses--but I refused to go along.) Then Saturday night we made Sun Dried Tomato Burgers, Rosemary Potatoes, and Green Beans and watched basketball.

Sunday we went to Breckenridge (a bigger ski resort that's only 15 minutes from Keystone) and looked at the shops and walked around. Monday we went to Golden to tour the Coors Brewery and Black Hawk to do some gambling (where I lost money and Stephen won some). Then we went back to the condo, packed and watched Kansas win the national championship!!

Yesterday we flew back and got home around 11 pm last night. I was super efficient at unpacking and had showered and was in bed by midnight. It was super hard waking up to come to work today but I have class tonight and I have Friday off for a couple of health-type appointments.

Overall, our trip was good. We spent less money than we'd budgeted (excellent!) and had fun. But it feels good to be back to my routine of running and healthier eating. We did eat pretty healthy on the trip since most meals we made ourselves but I still didn't eat the amount of fruits and veggies that I normally do.

I've got to go do some more prep work for my class tonight!

Wednesday Randomness

Tomorrow we leave to go skiing!! I'm so excited!! It didn't really hit me until this morning on the way to work and now I can't wait! I have to laundry and pack tonight but it's going to be fun (well, not the laundry and packing but the skiing and hanging out)!

No run for me yesterday at lunch. By the time I realized the sky had cleared up, I was in the midst of working on another project and didn't want to ruin the working mojo I had going. But I am going today!! The sun's out and shining and the temp is supposed to be close to 60 degrees. Plus I want to see the famous DC cherry blossoms before they all disappear!

My eating the last couple of days has not been good. I think it was the cold, dreary, rainy weather because today when the sun is shining, I can't imagine not eating healthy! So weird. I have decided for this trip that I'm not counting calories but will focus on eating only when I'm hungry and eating healthy like I usually do. We'll have a birthday cake for Stephen's brother but it's an angel food cake so much healthier than the traditional birthday cake. Stephen and I are on different flights tomorrow (he used some frequent flyer miles to get his ticket free) so I'll bring my own lunch and snacks, instead of relying on the airport (plus it's much cheaper!). I've got almost a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis so I plan on walking a lot in the airport (Minneapolis has a great mall/stores in their airport).

Sorry this post has been all over the place. I'll see you next Wednesday! Have a great week everyone!

My Inner Cookie Monster Rears Her Head and April Goals

Well, stupid rain yesterday didn't let me go for a run at lunch and doesn't look like it's going to let me today either. My eating is so much better when I'm exercising and working out. I've had this attack of the cookie/carb monster the last couple of days and I just ate about 10 Girl Scout cookies instead of fruit for my morning snack. I have not wanted to count my calories at all yesterday or today which isn't really like me...but I just made myself write down what I've eaten so far. Eating wise, I just feel a bit off track like I've already acquired a "vacation" mentality even though I'm not leaving for two more days. It's so weird how sometimes it's harder than other times to make myself eat right and exercise...weight loss is such a mental thing!! Part of it is the fact I've given myself 2000 calories a day. For whatever reason those extra 200 calories make me think I can eat so much more food. For now, I'm going back down to 1800 calories/day. Mentally, that's where I feel like I should be.

I went to the dentist yesterday and it was okay. I haven't been in about 3 years (gross, I know but I didn't have dental insurance until January) so the hygienist cleaned my teeth and I have to go back in a few weeks so she can clean them again. But she did say that for not having been to the dentist in a few years, my teeth don't look too bad. They did a bunch of x-rays and I have a cavity up above a filling so they'll have to take out the old filling and try to refill the tooth...when they do that, my tooth will be most filling so they may have to crown the tooth. My biggest pet peeve about the dentist is when the hygienist is cleaning your teeth with the water sprayer thing and you get water all over your face...I hate that!!

Got in to work at 7 again this morning and already have one part of one project done and will meet to discuss it later (just to verify that I'm on the right track). I'm leaving early today to get a pedicure (reward for putting in 20 miles of running last week) and a bikini wax (gotta get ready for the hot tub at the ski resort).

Alright so time for some April goals:
1) Follow budget! Buying a lot of new clothes has got to stop! Remember grad school and paying off debt.
2) Eat, on average, 1800 calories a day
3) Workout/run 22 times