Getting All the Bad Stuff Out of the Way

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Hello from Boston!  Sorry I didn’t check in yesterday, it ended up being kind of an insane day.  I’ll keep this post short too, because there is vacation fun to be had outside!

The morning was spent packing (sort of, I kind of just throw stuff into a suitcase and hope for the best) and we piled into the car around noon.  Adam took his last final of the 1st year of medical school in the morning, everyone say “congrats, Adam!”

I ate a 2% Fage with Strawberry once we got on the road.

As well as a half serving of Guylian shells.

Adam drove the first half and by the time we stopped somewhere that had actual food it was my turn to drive.  I did the best I could with “lunch” at Starbucks.

Chocolate Banana smoothie with skim milk and whey protein.

Not good.  But I gagged my way through 2/3 of it because I was hungry.

It was so exciting to see Nikki!  We spent forever finding parking for the car and ended up at Coolidge Corner for drinks.  I got a Woodchuck Cider.

When our friend Ian arrived we headed across the street for sushi.  I was starving (all I had eaten all day was a yogurt and part of a smoothie) so I went with something that sounded big, The Volcano Roll.

Plus it sounded neat, which it was –

It was a great mix of textures and flavors (spicy!) and a lot of fun to eat.  The mushrooms were delicious.  Everyone at the table had their chopsticks in it.

It was also super filling so I only had about 2/3 of it.  If only I had known…..

We walked down to Sunset Bar next, Adam and my favorite place to visit because of their awesome beer selection.  I was thrilled to see 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon on the menu.

Perhaps you remember it from the Foodbuzz Festival?  I also got super excited about the watermelon theme and ordered a housemade watermelon soda.

Yummy, but I’m not really a sugar soda gal so I took a few sips and shared the rest.

A couple notes here – I had two drinks.  I was not drunk.  I only took a few small sips of my sweet soda.  My meal was rich but I didn’t eat that much because I shared.

I came home and got so sick!  Like insane, projectile, whimpering sick.  It was a bit ridiculous.  I’ve had bad reactions to random foods before and this felt like a similar experience so I can only assume that there was something in the sushi my body didn’t like.  I felt a lot better when I was done throwing up but the whole experience was so frustrating!

But I’m feeling better now, so it’s time to get out a conquer the world! (and get some coffee)

Have you ever gotten sick on a vacation?  I have terrible luck with vacation sickness, I’ve thrown up in more airport terminals than I can count!

Like Peppermint Patty Loves Lucy

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Fill in the blank:  Today I                                                                                        .

a) was homesick; b) was craving peppermint; c) ate too much sugar; or d) all of the above.

It’s no secret that I like sugar (there’s a reason “sweet” is the biggest word in my cloud tag and apparently my eating habits even piss some people off), but did you know that my favorite kind of candy is peppermints?  I like Jr. Mints and York Patties, but actual peppermint hard candy is the best.  And the ultimate best is West Indian peppermint candy.  It’s similar to the starlight mints but always homemade and comes in a variety of shapes.  The texture is different too; harder but more aerated.  Like this lollipop I pulled out the back of my cabinet –

Sadly, the stick went all the way to the top of the candy (gag) so I had to abandon it two bites in.

Thankfully the twist my parents sent from Carnival last month did the trick.

My very favorite is actually a soft peppermint bar, the texture is similar to hard packed raw sugar and when you chew it it’s almost like the grit from toothpaste at the dentist (it’s better than it sounds).  Unfortunately my parents didn’t send any of that though (ahem).

I worked on my binder and before I knew it it was time for dinner, my last serving of salsa verde chicken bake.

I also had a half serving of Guylian shells for dessert.

The other thing on the agenda for today is packing, because……. we are heading to Boston tomorrow!  Two of our very best friends both live in Boston and we are getting so excited to go see them!  We’ve managed to visit every year since our wedding, and they were in fact IN the wedding –

Last year’s visit –

I’m so excited to see them!

Do you still keep in touch with any of your high school friends?

Attitude Adjustment

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Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.  ~ Yogi Berra

Baseball, running, swimming, whatever your physical activity of choice, I’m convinced that Yogi had it right.  Proper fueling aside, the success of any given workout really comes down to your attitude.  Today’s swim, for example, had all the makings of a bad workout.  I had to share my lane for a while and I felt really slow and cumbersome.  But today was the very last time I’ll have access to the UB pool and I wanted to make the best of it.

55minutes later I had swam 60lengths and I felt great.  Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

It’s a little less exciting when you realize that 60lengths is still only 4500feet.  I swam for almost an hour and I still didn’t finish a mile?!?  Once I see the pool at Buffalo State if I decide to keep up my pool work outs I think some swimming lessons are in order 😉

I told myself I could get an iced coffee if I stayed in the pool for an hour (sometimes bribing works too!) so I stopped into Dunkin Donuts on the way home.

They were less than pleased with my modified order, which ended up being basically a mash-up of three different drinks.  A medium dark roast iced latte with skim milk, no sweetener, and coconut flavoring.

In the end, the lunch I made once I got home was far more exciting than the coffee.

I swear on a stack of cases of diet coke that there is nothing more tasty than a veggie bowl!  It seems like if it has veggies and is cooked in a skillet it’s going to taste delicious.  Today’s mix was something random from the top of my head and I am a genius, just putting it out there! 

  1. I put 2/3cup frozen peas in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Once they de-iced I removed the peas from the pan and added 2t of evoo.
  3. Then I added 1 small neon eggplant, chopped and a sprinkle of salt.
  4. I let the eggplant cook, cook, cook; 5-7minutes until it the edges were getting nice and burnt.
  5. Meanwhile I whisked together a mixture of ketchup, honey, and oj in a small bowl.  (approx. 3T ketchup, 2T orange juice, and 1T honey)
  6. Finally I reduced the heat to medium-low and poured my sauce over the eggplant.  I gave them a minute to get acquainted before I put the peas back into the mix and gave a few stirs.

Man, oh man, oh man!

The rest of the afternoon looks like a mix of the binder project and my continued swooning over lunch.  Peace!

What helps you to have a really good workout?  Do you have a personal mantra?

Great Greek

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Welcome to Hump Day.  I woke up bright and early (7 is early for me!) because I wanted to work on my binder project before I have to get started errands.  I have barely even made a dent in my huge stack of papers yet!

Upon first step out of bed I realized that my right shin is really hurting.  Such a bummer!  I upped my time more quickly than planned now I’m terrified I did something to hurt myself again.  If you remember, before I broke my left leg I took a mini running hiatus when I had tendonitis in my right leg, eeek!  I am planning on swimming today, strength training tomorrow, and taking the weekend in Boston completely off of exercise (except for lots of walking).  Hopefully that will do the trick.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not freaking out, but breakfast did a pretty good job of distracting me.

On the left: I microwaved a mushy banana for 30seconds and then mashed it with a big shake of cinnamon sugar.  Topped with raspberries.

On the right: Greek Gods Honey Greek Yogurt.

Swoon!  This stuff is soooo thick and the flavor is a perfect balance of sweet and tangy.  Unfortunately Greek Gods doesn’t make low-fat honey flavor or I’d eat it every day!

Gotta go hit the books, binders!

What is your favorite type of yogurt?

I Blame UPS

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My food choices today were craptastic.  Not in the undelicious, unenjoyable kind of way; more in an absolutely no nutritional value kind of way.  It was just one of those days.

A serving of yellow tortilla chips (er, x2).

A serving of Guylian chocolate shells (um, also x2).

Pizza eggs.

Which are so gloriously delicious as to have earned their own recipe page.

A big messy serving of leftover salsa verde chicken bake.

Amid lots of frustrating errands (I HATE UPS!) I also went for a run.  I did the same route as Sunday but shaved two minutes off my time.

  • 5minutes walking
  • 11minutes running
  • 2minutes walking
  • 2minutes running
  • 2minutes walking
  • 2minutes running

In the end it was 2.6miles and 24minutes.  It wasn’t the best run though, my calves are feeling really tight.  Plus I felt thirsty and sluggish.  I wonder if my eats today had anything to do with it?  It is becoming more and more clear to me that I feel better when I fuel myself properly; duh! 

Not to say that the realization stopped me from “letting” the husband buy me a strawberry banana split milkshake later on.

But it had fruit on top, so it was more like a smoothie, right? 😉

Any companies you’d like to flame?  UPS gets the full passion of my hate.  They deliver during business hours only (retarded) and the man who does our route didn’t even ring the doorbell, just stuck a “sorry we missed you” sticker on the door (should be illegal), I was home, he shouldn’t have “missed” me!!!

Hitting the Dessert

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Thanks for all the support on my weight gain post, you guys are the best!  However, not one of you commented on the Cartman tie-in, apparently your senses of humor are a little more mature than mine?

Since today was my last day of volunteering I made full use of my lunch voucher and got a slice of the awesome cafeteria pizza.

I rounded it out with veggies at home.

Kale chips,

and part of a red bell pepper and baby carrots,

dipped into some homemade 1000island dressing (1T miracle whip, 1T ketchup, 2T pickle relish).

It ended up being quite the good lunch.

And a serving of Theo Bread and Chocolate bar for dessert.

I also had a bag of Pretzel M&Ms while I worked on my recipe binder.

Once the husband got home at 7 I got dinner in the oven before heading to the gym.  Note – I did some snacking while I cooked (1handful of chips, 1/2handful of cheese, and 2spoonfuls of filling).

If I’ve said it once I’ll say it a million times (sorry!) being able to move again feels great!  I will never take fitness for granted again.  I had a few twinges in my leg today so I did keep it easy though.  25minutes on the elliptical at level 5.  Followed by 10minutes of arms/abs/stretching when I got home.

By the time I got out of the shower dinner was looking pretty darn tasty.

The recipe comes from Everyday with Rachael Ray, Chicken Salsa Verde Bake.  It is definitely NOT terribly healthy, but it’s the last thing I’ll cook before Vegan Month so I went all out for the husband.  You can click the link (recipe name) for the recipe but here were my changes –

  • I boiled the chicken instead of pan cooking it
  • I used 1.5lbs of meat and subbed in a 15oz can of black beans to fill in the rest of the protein
  • I used low-sodium beans
  • I subbed in shalots for the onion
  • I used low-fat sour cream

It’s calorie-dense, but very filling and delicious.  A good mix of creamy yet crunchy and tangy and spicy yet creamy.

I ate half a red pear alongside my portion.

Dinner = done.

Hope everyone else is having a *sweet* start to their week!

What is your favorite South Park episode?

Weight Gain 4000, Beefcake!!!

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It’s no secret that I’ve gained weight since moving to Buffalo.  And as I mentioned yesterday, most of my pants no longer fit.  Most of my button up tops don’t fit either, but Adam is so thrilled about my ginormous boobs that I’m not allowed to complain about that issue.  It is time to face the facts stats though:

  1. I’ve gained almost 15lbs in the year since we’ve moved.
  2. I’ve gone up not one, but two pants sizes.

15lbs in a year is a lot in general, but on my small frame it’s a LOT.  While I’m still in the middle of the healthy bmi range for my height this is not a weight at which my body is happy.  I don’t look or feel the way I think I “should” at almost 25-years old.

While I’m not happy about the weight gain, I am a lot more zen than I would have ever expected to be.  For someone who struggled with body image issues growing up, I’ve faced a large weight gain with a shocking amount of maturity and humor.  Adam and I are able to laugh about it in a way that is hilarious rather than toxic.  I’m not beating myself up or feeling ashamed or embarrassed. 

I know that “fat talk” is an issue for a lot of people so I wish I was able to explain more clearly why I’m able to take this in stride.  I would love to be able to give my readers tips to having a healthy attitude about weight gain, but honestly I’m not sure what they’d be.  There are a couple of (seemingly contrary) factors that have made this easier for me –

  • Gaining weight this year was inevitable.  When we lived in NYC I could walk everywhere.  And as a teacher in a difficult school I was on my feet for 7hours a day.  I was moving a minimum of 6miles everyday even before exercise.  Since we moved to Buffalo in August, there have been 4months where I was trying to move as little as possible because of my surgery and/or injury.  Going from one extreme to the other – energizer bunny to high intensity couch potato – there was no way my weight wasn’t going to fluctuate in the transition.
  • Gaining weight this year was in my own hands, it was the direct result of my own choices.  It’s a lot harder to accept something if you feel like it’s been done to you.  When there’s a sense of “why me?” it can be hard to move forward.  Even though being relegated to the couch was out of my control, I choose not to do pilates or yoga.  I choose to have poor sleep habits.  And you know what, I ate a TON of jalapeno nachos, and they were damn tasty!

I’m also trying to look at the positives; just because my literal glass shouldn’t be filled so often doesn’t mean I can’t be a glass-half-full girl figuratively.  I will never take running for granted again.  I know that my husband truly does love me (and find me attractive) at any many sizes.  I now know that I am the type of person who can gain so weight without acting like the whole world is ending.  I have a goal to work towards.  It always kind of irritated me that there was no reward for being hot and staying hot.  Now that I have weight to lose maybe someday I can be a success story in a fitness magazine!

I’m not going to make some grand plan for weight loss.  I’m going to Boston this weekend and there’s no way I’m not eating chowder and bubble tea.  I would like to eat more cleanly in generally because it makes me feel better, but Vegan Month in June will be an easy start to that.  I am betting that as I slowly work back into running and working out regularly the weight will gradually drop off.  I will stay zen.

Have you ever gained or lost a significant amount of weight?  How did it affect you emotionally?

Hitting the Desert

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Rub your eyes and grab some coffee, it’s Monday!  I can’t believe that in a week I’ll start 5x per week summer school and Mondays will actually mean something to me again.  We are making the most of the end of freedom and heading to Boston to visit our best friends later this week.

Breakfast this morning was a simple yogurt bowl; Stonyfield Fat Free Plain with raspberries and a little bit of clover creme honey.

The spoon went all Moses and parted the Raspberry Sea to lead the honey across.

Berry tasty, I love summer produce.

I’ve got to get dressed and head to the hospital for my last session of volunteering.  Now that I have a real person schedule (and we’re moving across town) it doesn’t fit any more.  I might be back to do some work with a dietician though, we’ll see.

Be on the lookout later for a post discussing the pants issue.