Short and Sweet...

So I haven't updated since my birthday... whoa. haha I've been super busy getting my classroom ready for September 2nd. AHH! I'm almost there, but it feels like there's still a lot to do. Well, here's my rundown today:

Breakfast: 1 small wheat bagel w/CC
Lunch: Worked through lunch
Dinner: Chicken thigh, asparagus and 1/2 of a baked potato with fake butter. haha

I'll probably have some low- cal ice cream later... or a sugar free pop. mmm

Ok, short and sweet. =) Hope all is well with Danie... ttys

Three things I'm thankful for:

1) Marley...he hurt his poor lil paw today :*(
2) My jobbbbbb!
3) My organizational skills. holler. haha

Uh oh, staying up late again...

So no tae bo... I shoulda seen that coming, but I decided not to hit the treadmill for fear of overworking myself. That's ok, I'm confident I can get back on the right track.

Before I pass out, lemme leave a short entry:

Breakfast was the usual yogurt with banana, and a single nature valley bar. Lunch was leftover spicy veggies over white rice. I snacked on a handful of dry roasted edamame. Dinner was... ok, so sue me... a cheeseburger with mushrooms, onions, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup on a white bun. And lots of salad. I had a tiny sliver of Gi's birthday cake and a cup of coffee for dessert and that's it. Probably should have gone without the white bun, but hey, I only had one burger, and I didn't eat any cheesecake today.

Three things I'm thankful for:

-being able to spend time with Gi on her birthday!
-getting back into the swing of things with ShockWave. I'm getting excited about this year!
-thunderstorms. They make me feel like something extraordinary is about to happen.

Happy Birthday to Me

Hello! I had such a great birthday today... I woke up right after the glass guy came for my windshield. Finally! We went to brunch at the Whitman Diner. When we came home, we spent the day in the pool... and I added a little more to my sunburn/tan. Danie came over, along with some of my dad's side of the family, after dinner. It was really nice. The cake was sinfully delicious. Vanilla Chocolate Chip. Danie stayed to watch The Hangover again... STILL hysterical!!!! No Tae Bo today... ughhhh! TOMORROW!!! =)

Brunch: Cheese steak and fries. Hey, it's my birthday... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Dinner: 1 bite of a chicken leg (it was raw--ew!), string beans and salad.
Dessert: Birthday cake... mmm... it was so bad. haha

Three things I'm thankful for:
1) Amazing family and friends for making my birthday special <3
2) Awesome storms
3) My Lakeshore order is coming tomorrow!

Whoops!

Ok, so I haven't updated in four or five days... whoops. I've been home, I've had a dead computer, and I've been trying to clean up my life before I move back to school. Let's do yesterday's food rundown before I totally forget:

Breakfast: 90 cal yogurt with half a banana and half a pear, 1 nature valley bar (~95 cal)
Lunch: a small salad with ginger dressing, a plain hot dog with no bun, and the other nature valley bar
Dinner: grilled tilapia, grilled veggie salad, and white rice with some soy sauce. Had a small portion of each.
Dessert: a thin slice of my new peach cheesecake. I couldn't resist... the crust is amazing, the consistency is perfect, and the peach sauce I made turned out beautifully.

After dessert I went to Gi's for a nice relaxing yoga session. While some of the poses proved to be a little challenging, I thought it was really nice. I'm thinking about doing a yoga rec class once school starts. We'll see!

So weight update: I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and they weighed me-- I'm down to 167! Slow and steady wins the race baby. By the end of September I'll be back to my high school weight!

I need to do some cardio. Bad. I'll probably hit the treadmill in a half hour or so. :)

Three things I'm thankful for:

-Seeing Gi again! Yay!!
-Getting my exercise ball back. I just like laying back on it and stretching.
-Learning how to make peach sauce. I should start selling my cheesecakes, they just get better and better. :)

=))

Ahh... Just finished a Yoga workout with Danielle. I'll get to that in a sec, just want to update...
Yesterday, I had a looooong day in the pool. We went in around 12 o'clock and swam until 6 o'clock!!! We were all burnt and tired! I didn't have breakfast, nor lunch. For dinner I had pasta with broccoli and a salad. My dad made burgers too, but I didn't have one. Yay!

Today:
Breakfast: Wheat bagel w/CC
Lunch: Leftover pasta (about 1/2 cup), mint chocolate chip weight watcher's ice cream
Dinner: 2 pieces of pizza... I know, I know =(

After dinner, as I mentioned, Danielle and I worked out again. This time we tried Yoga. It was very frustrating since I couldn't tell if I was doing it correctly since I don't have mirrors and also, because some of the moves were straining on certain body parts. I think I could learn to really enjoy it. As I told Danielle, my goal is to workout everyday from now until September first!!

Tomorrow we are going to try Billy Blank's Tae Bo.... I'm excited for this just because it's so different from Yoga. I feel like I didn't even workout tonight! But who knows what I'll feel tomorrow... which is my birthday =)

Three things I'm thankful for:

1) Being 22
2) My family and friends for all watching the clock ;) haha
3) The sun 8)

Busy, Busy

I have been running around for the past two days. Yesterday, one of my three pregnant friends had her baby at 3:44am. I got up bright and early, did laundry, got a shower, picked up my check, went to hallmark and then to the hospital. Let me just say, she beautiful and just perfect! After that, I came home for dinner and then went in the pool with my mom. Ahh. It was wonderful.
Breakfast: Wheat bagel with cream cheese.
Lunch: None
Dinner: Chicken cutlets, half of a baked potato and salad.
After dinner I had a fruit bar.

Today I woke up and did some more laundry, cleaned my room, gathered most of the things that I need to take to work with me and a few other things. By then it was around 4 o'clock and I realized I hadn't eaten so I made a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat. I got in the shower and got ready to go to dinner over my mom's friend's house. We spent most of the night there, and now I am pretty tired!! Here is the breakdown.

Breakfast: None
Lunch: None
Snack: PB&J on wheat
Dinner: 2 small boneless chicken thighs, 1 rib, corn on the cob, baked beans and salad. It was delicious!!
Dessert: UGHHH!!!!!! I was craving a McFlurry........ so I shared one with Sport. =( Dammit.

Three things I am thankful for:

1) April Marie <3
2) Pool days... awww
3) Dinner at Kathie's... mmm

Olé!

How did it get so late? Guess our 9pm dinner at the Mexican place followed by mariachi set my schedule back a bit...

Ok, let me cut to the chase then get straight to bed:

Breakfast: steel-cut oatmeal with skim milk, agave, and blueberries
Lunch: tuna with artichoke antipasti spread on a whole wheat wrap served with tomato, and coconut soy pudding (it was more delicious than it sounds)
Dinner: chicken fajitas at the most Mexican restaurant ever. I only ate 2/3 of it... but then we split some flan. Whoops. It was WORTH it!

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-I'm going home tomorrow! Yay!!!
-not wearing any makeup for the past week. It's been pretty liberating.
-Mexican food. Mmmmm.

I miss the baby...

I think I sat in front of this godforsaken computer screen for at least twelve cumulative hours today. My aunt should be lucky I don't have a time card... at this point she'd owe me almost a grand for my labor. Of course I'm not going to complain if she only gives me a hundred... she's my aunt, I love her, I'm happy to help her, I'm having fun, and I'm learning so much valuable information from this experience that I feel she doesn't really have to pay me at all.

So I'm saving the bitch work for last, of course. I really don't want to reorganize her author files into excel spreadsheets (TOTAL BS intern/secretary/busy work), and I don't want to waste time taking attractive photos of random junk to sell on ebay... not to mention taking the time to set up the ebay account, the paypal account, writing descriptions, etc. Ugh. Ebay is SO much unnecessary work. But because I saved the crap for last, I have to do it all in one day. Greeeaaaat. I might find myself back here after I move into RU, mostly to stay away from drama and live in this nice simple world here in Bayville. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong, TWP... I miss you terribly. I miss eating meat. I miss having real milk. I miss my sugary flavored coffee cream. I miss my family. I miss Gina. I miss the gym. I miss our basement workouts. I miss the PUPPY. I feel like I left the country or something.

Ok, so let me get to the point. Breakfast was some fruit and greek yogurt, and copious cups of tea. Lunch was a sort of whole wheat quesadilla with those amazing tomatoes, fresh mozarella, fresh basil, and hummus inside... served with what was left of the roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Friggin delicious. I was talked into a single square of dark chocolate as a snack, but even now I regret it. Dinner was a plain slice of pizza (I resisted the leftovers!), lots of salad, and more tomatoes. We had company, one of my aunt's bandmates, and we couldn't pass up serving him some homemade cheesecake... so I had a half a slice with everyone.

I do feel like I'm eating too much here, but when I compare my diet over the past month to the diet I used to have, I think I've literally cut my food intake by 40%. I keep thinking about one of my aunt's friends, Gail, a yoga and meditation instructor, and she firmly believes in The Secret and asking the Universe for the things you want in your life. I feel like I've asked the Universe to give me a glimpse into the world of singing and songwriting... and here it is. In one week I've learned the tricks of the trade. I guess the question is... am I going to do something with it?

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-fresh basil. Nothing like it.
-the rain for cooling the air down. It's been hot as all hell.
-music. Just... in general.

hola

Who knew this blog would be tough to keep up with. There's not enough hours in the day! So here's the breakdown for today:
Breakfast:a cup of peaches in their own juice
Snack: 3/4 cup Reeses Puffs. Don't ask haha
Dinner: one chicken cutlet with broc and salad. Mmm.
Snack: sunflower seeds

Today was good. I didn't workout, again. Dammit. Come home Danie! I have seperation anxiety! Lol

Three things I'm thankful for:

1) Marley
2)That today was my last day as an assistant!
3) Peaches ;)

Reporting from my crackberry...peace out.

Soup Heaven

So there's supposedly a meteor shower tonight, but there are strips of clouds over the Long Island sky tonight. No meteors for me I guess. :(

I'm exhausted (from doing more of nothing, of course)... but let me give you the run down:

Breakfast was shredded wheat cereal with soy milk and blueberries, and a soft-boiled egg. Lunch was leftover felafel on whole wheat pita with lettuce, those Jesus tomatoes, and the yogurt-cucumber sauce... as well as quite possibly the most amazing soup I have ever devoured. It's roasted red pepper tomato soup... and I swear to God, the minute I am blessed with a food processor in my own kitchen, I will make it one winter afternoon with gourmet grilled cheese. Mark my words!! Dinner was cut-up salmon burgers over salad with lots of other veggies and blueberries and walnuts. Delicious. We also had sweet potato fries (a form of kryptonite for me) and string beans. And of course, for dessert, I had a slice of my light blueberry cheesecake. So sue me. It's made with soy milk people!

I come home on Friday, it's been decided. I was supposed to come home tomorrow, but I really think we need the extra two days. I still have to write her a cover letter, polish her bio, take pictures of some random crap to sell on ebay, compile a list of local press to mail her cover letters to, put together a list of internet and satellite radio stations to write to, put together an EPK, organize her author visit info into a gigantic spreadsheet, and start plotting a road map for her future website. Whew. I'm gonna have a long ass day tomorrow!

Things I'm thankful for today:

-reading on the beach. Nothing like it, really.
-roasted red pepper tomato soup. I think I died and went to heaven momentarily while eating it.
-Sigur Ros. An indie film on Sundance we happened to flip on featured my favorite song by them. It nearly brought me to tears... as usual.

Tomatoes

Tonight I saw Julie & Julia with my aunt and her friends... and it further helped me realize my undying love for food and my slowly growing love for cooking. Honestly, the way I write about food here, you'd think I was an aspiring food critic. I love all the small sensory details about food, I love every aspect of the experience. "Food, just everyday food, is a gift," Mary Ellen said today. I can more than wholeheartedly agree. All in all it was an adorable movie, and of course Meryl Streep was miraculous as Julia Child. Maybe one day I'll get my hands on a copy of her cookbook. :)

Today for breakfast I had steel-cut oatmeal (my FAVE) with soy milk, brown sugar, and blueberries. For lunch we had... literally, I cannot even exaggerate this.... THE BEST TOMATOES I HAVE EVER CONSUMED. They were from a neighbor's garden, and I swear to God, they were so red I thought they were made of blood, they were so juicy I thought they were about to explode, and they had so much flavor I thought they had been secretly seasoned. I had them in a simple sandwich on rye with a bit of hummus, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil from the garden, and homemade roasted red peppers. Holy. Mother. Of. God. I am taking home three pounds of tomatoes, whether my aunt likes it or not. They are nothing short of DIVINE. For dinner I had mostly salad, and a delicious Asian-inspired chicken salad we concocted with chunks of mango, rice vinegar, orange-infused olive oil, sesame ginger salad dressing, and scallions. Mmmm. We had such a late dinner and went to such a late movie that we didn't have time for dessert. Thank God.

My aunt's friends make me feel young. They make me feel like I am extraordinary and I have much to show for myself already, even though I'm only 22. They are extraordinary women too, in that they're all extremely unconventional. I noticed a common thread among them: none of them, including my aunt, have children. Perhaps it's a fact they've been able to bond over, since it's a choice such few women make. I have trouble understanding, but I respect them. It's their choice, and they seem happy.

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-My battery almost running out, forcing me to go to sleep after this. My charger is downstairs.
-THOSE TOMATOES. I may or may not dream about them tonight.
-Girl's night out at the movies. Always a good time :)

Still doing nothing all day

I'm so busy doing nothing here! I can't stop chit chatting with the old biddies that come in and out of this house! Ok, they're not exactly old biddies, but then again, I never thought I'd get along with my aunt and her friends so well... and they're all fifty-somethings.

So far this experience has helped me realize how much work goes into self-promotion as an independent musician. It's SO much work, it's almost impossible to do by yourself, and even more impossible if you're not internet-savvy. Besides having accounts on millions of sites like facebook, myspace, youtube, amazon, twitter, broadjam, reverbnation, and ilike (and constantly updating them all with pics, videos, streaming mp3s, upcoming gigs, blogs, etc), you need to put together press kits, mail out submissions like crazy, research and contact local venues, reach out to local newspapers/magazines/radio stations/djs, post flyers in public places, collect fans, find new forums to promote/sell/publicize, and still somehow have time to practice and create new music. Wtf. It's exhausting... but actually a lot of fun! Right now we're working on a press kit, coming up with a polished bio and a definitive image, trying to reach out to a specific subset of potential fans.

So, let's see, what did I eat today? For breakfast I had loads of fresh fruit, a single whole wheat blueberry pancake with a tiny bit of maple syrup, and an over easy egg. Lunch was basically just little snacks since breakfast was so late... I had some hummus with baby carrots, whole wheat crackers with brie cheese and roasted red peppers, some tuna spread on pita chips, a sugarplum, and of course cherries. Dinner was a homegrown salad from the neighbors, a salmon burger (on a potato roll, ugh) with ketchup and coleslaw on it, and spoonful or two of orzo artichoke salad.

I couldn't pass up dessert... it was my very first blueberry cheesecake. I swear to God it looked just like that picture I found. Even though I still used a cup and a half of white sugar, I made it with light sour cream, reduced fat cream cheese, and soy milk... it's a miracle it actually baked. I thought it was going to taste like mild play dough, but it was actually pretty good! I was happy to make a light cheesecake that retained a dense, creamy texture and smooth flavor with half the fat! The blueberry topping wasn't too sweet, it was the perfect consistency, and it made you forget about that hint of soy milk in the cheesecake. Overall, I was pleased. I prefer the original cream cheese and regular milk, but it's nice to know that a lighter version is always possible.

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-the company... who knew fifty-somethings would be so much fun
-this change of pace from being at home. I think I needed a break from my family.
-my love for food. I know I'm making a conscious effort to have less of it, but I'm proud to be a real foodie. I think I've learned I can still savor, appreciate, and love food without gorging myself.

Sunday Comes TOO Fast

I don't know where the weekend went! Today I got a late start waking up around 12:45!!! Whoops. I had a ham and cheese sandwich on a roll with lettuce... but I didn't have the chips on the side. After that, we went in the pool to vacuum again... it's still a little cloudy but better than before. After vacuuming, I made a whirlpool and then swam around without stopping about three times... I wonder how many times it would take to swim a mile. I got out for a bit to do some weeding and clear the cement, but then jumped right back in... I missed my pool!! It's good to be home. My last day of work is Wednesday, so I'll have about two weeks to be home and enjoy the pool before I start REAL work on September 1st!!!! I'm excited and nervous all at once!!

Ok, enough chit chat on to the food list:
Breakfast: None
Lunch: Ham (2 slices) and cheese (1 slice) on a roll with lettuce (I forgot that I already mentioned this! haha I'm such an awesome blogger!!!)
Dinner: Nasty Hamburger Helper. I only had about a cup of it... uck!
Dessert: We're going to sing happy birthday to my brother's girlfriend... and I'm only going to have a small slice of ice cream cake. UGHHHH!

After dessert, I'll be practicing some more sign language, including brushing up on my letter spelling. When you come home, Dani, we should definitely practice together... I may not be able to speak another language but we could sign! haha

Three things I'm thankful for:

1) THE POOL!
2) My Beanie Baby decor... haha
3) Having a jar full of coins to cash in! =)

Trial...

I'm blogging from my phone tonight since my computer isn't working. We'll see how this works.

Today I had no breakfast, crackers and cream cheese for lunch (we had company and we were just kinda pickin'), for dinner I had a burger on wheat with string beans and potatoes and some baked beans. No dessert. Not too shabby. Okay, my fingers are already hurting... lol... soooo....

Three things I'm thankful for:

1) My crackberry
2) Sign language DVD
3) The pool =)


(This is from yesterday... I posted it to my other account! Whoops!)

More desserts

It's late, I'm tired, I was bad today, didn't work out, ate more ice cream. Here's the rundown:

Breakfast - veggie and feta omelet, rye toast, coffee with soy milk and agave sweetener
Lunch - whole wheat veggie pizza, two coconut shrimp, lemon lime seltzer
Unnecessary Food Intake - ate some cheesecake batter and kept tasting blueberry sauce as I was cooking. Whoops.
Dinner - falafel on whole wheat pita with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber yogurt sauce; two spoonfuls of grain salad, some homemade coleslaw
Dessert - two small scoops of vanilla with some raspberry preserves, chocolate coconut cashew clusters, and tiny bits of dark chocolate (listen, not only was I the only one to only have a tiny bit and not go for seconds, but we're also trying to design a new Ben & Jerry's flavor, we were doing some experimenting before submitting a concrete idea... don't ask, this is what I'm getting paid to do.)

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-my blueberry cheesecake turning out beautifully despite using light sour cream, low fat cream cheese, and soy milk... can't wait to try a spoonful or two tomorrow. sigh.
-spending time with my aunt and her friend... we giggled like caffeinated little girls together all day long.
-my uncle fixing the treadmill for me to use tomorrow morning. Guess I better get some sleep!

Back

I'm back. Last week was very busy. My Pop-Pop passed away last Friday, 7/31. (He's the on in the black shirt in the pic.) We've been back and forth... to and from Philly to be there for my grandmom, making arrangements and then the acutal viewing and funeral. I made some horrible choices in the past week and I'm really regretting it. We had hoagies, cheese steaks, pizza, McDonalds, brownies, cookies, you name it- we were eating it. My mom stayed on track the entire time. She's obviously stronger than me. I guess you live and learn... next week is a new week...

Today was pretty busy in work. We had a "UPS Fun Day" where we had volunteers from UPS come to play music for us, and play games. I did a lot of lifting today... I went in the moonbounce with some of the kids and that was hard work!! haha

Oh yeah, today was my last day for my medicine so hopefully that will decrease my appitite. =) So today I had a wheat bagel and cream cheese from DD... I think it was about 300-400 calories. Whoops. For lunch I had a soft pretzel... and for dinner... *sigh* I had a happy meal.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1) YouTube for having my Pop-Pop's gigs on there =)
2) His Guest Book:
http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=3706687565349&cid=full
3) His music: I don't know exactly when, dear, but I'm sure we'll meet again, dear, and my darling till we do - You are always in my heart. <3

Long Island

How did it become Friday already? Oh I know why, I've been working. Sort of.

Being back in Long Island is a strange experience... the house here feels like a time capsule from my childhood... literally. All the furniture, the dishes, the smells, and the flowers in the front yard are the same as they were fifteen years ago. Even my aunt and uncle look the same to me. Are they aliens? Maybe not, but they are vegetarians...

Doing work for my aunt makes me feel very appreciated. It's really nice to hear someone be so impressed by my rudimentary computer literacy and internet music knowledge. I've already signed her up for some awesome promotional websites for aspiring artists... and I'm getting excited for her blossoming career as a singer-songwriter. She's really inspiring me to get back on my music, especially now since I'm learning all the tricks of the trade on how to self-promote.

My one and only complaint is the plethora of insanely delicious, healthy, organic vegetarian food (ok, so she's a pescatarian, she'll eat fish and shellfish, but still.) This sounds crazy, but no matter how healthy the food is here, I'm actually overeating. Let's just do this in list form since I have so much to catch up on.

-Wednesday

Breakfast: yogurt, banana, Nature Valley bars
Snack on the train: marshmallow treat (90 cal)
Lunch: falafel on whole wheat pita with cucumber yogurt sauce, grain salads, hummus and baby carrots, fresh fruit
Dinner: shrimp scampi (made with olive oil, not butter), more grain salad, broccoli, salad
Dessert: a plain cup of vanilla maple tea... no sugar, no cream.

-Thursday

Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, and soy milk; fresh fruit
Lunch: quesadillas made with mozzarella and goat cheese, black beans, and guacamole on whole wheat tortilla; watermelon, cherries, hummus and baby carrots
Dinner: pan-seared breaded flounder (only had one piece), leftover broccoli, leftover shrimp, baked sweet potato, salad
Dessert: one tiny square of dark chocolate. I looked at the nutrition info: 50 calories! HOLY CRAP

-Today

Breakfast: fresh fruit with soy yogurt, coffee with soy milk and agave sweetener
Lunch: tuna on whole grain pita with hummus and artichoke spread, more baby carrots, more cherries
Dinner: a single piece of fried chicken (there were SO many leftovers, I felt so guilty... but I couldn't. It was fried chicken for godsakes!), more hummus and carrots, edamame salad, grain salad, homemade low-fat coleslaw
Dessert: a single square of dark chocolate, a few spoonfuls of soy vanilla and mango ice cream, a tiny cardamom star cookie, and a taste of pear ice cream

Holy. Mother. Of. God. I know I'm still eating less than my aunt and uncle and whoever else eats with us because I turn down a lot of dessert and I never go for seconds, but still. Jesus!!!! I need to run on the treadmill tomorrow.

Things I'm thankful for today:

-my aunt for boosting my confidence in myself and teaching me her environmentally-conscious ways
-soy ice cream. Never in my life did I think I would fall in love with such a thing.
-summer outdoor concerts! We went to one tonight, and I got Martha Wash's autograph. Random, I know!!

Case of the Tuesdays?

So I've been in a bad mood all day, though I think it's just the PMS talking. Not only did my treadmill workout get ruined by excruciating cramps after 10 minutes (I literally had to try not to cry, it hurt so bad)... but everyone else in the house was in a bad mood too, for completely separate reasons. Altogether it just created a negative atmosphere. Ugh, I think it's the full moon...

So this morning I had oatmeal with skim milk, Splenda, and half a banana. After finishing stripping the walls and spackling, I warmed up half of my leftover seafood pasta and had that with a bowl of salad with ginger dressing, and a peach. Then I had a cup of coffee with regular creamer (I know I know, but it's my favorite, and it's delicious! And I only had a small cup, not a regular mug.) For dinner I went out to the Whitman with my dad and my siblings, where I had a seared ahi tuna salad with arugula, corn, tomato, avocado, and balsamic vinegarette. I ate a little over half of it and took the rest to go. It was huge! After dinner we took Renee to pick out a new guitar for her birthday. When I got home I served my parents dessert-- warmed up peach cobbler and ice cream. Just smelling the chocolate ice cream totally set me off. I took a single scoop of chocolate, put it in a tiny bowl, and ate it as slowly as possible. It was worth it.

Tomorrow I'm going back to Long Island for a week to help my aunt out with promoting her band. She's even gonna pay me! I'm afraid to do any cardio for the next few days, I don't think I can endure cramps like that again. I'm just gonna attend my aunt's strength training exercise class with her and and use the exercise ball in her basement until then.

Hopefully I'll be out of my funk tomorrow and ready to take on my new adventure as a temporary publicist/marketing director/personal assistant. This should definitely be interesting...

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-ibuprofen. I've never had such painful cramps in my life, I hope there's nothing wrong!
-Grace for acting like our collective therapy dog today. She made us all feel better.
-arugula. I wish I had it in my salad every day, it's amazing.

Pasta Love

Today was such a nice jam-packed day... I was happy to pick up the pace this summer for once! Usually I just bum around, watch Food Network, play with the puppy, watch a movie... then lather, rinse, repeat. Today I did 30 minutes of cardio at the gym. Later we stripped the wallpaper in my sister's bedroom to the sound of the Ting Tings Pandora station. Then we went for a marvelous lunch at Blue Eyes. Then we made peach cobbler to save for after dinner. Then we kicked a ball around the backyard with the dogs. After dinner, my sis and I walked the dogs around the neighborhood till we were all panting. Whew!

Ok, so the food breakdown: before hitting the gym I had a small bowl of Special K Blueberry with fat free milk, just so I didn't feel light-headed mid-workout. After the gym I had yogurt and some peach slices. After stripping the walls we went out to lunch where I ordered my favorite thing on the menu: a steaming plate of farfalle pasta with lump crabmeat, jumbo shrimp, and scallops in a creamy blush sauce. To. Die. For.

Now listen, I know how fattening that dish probably was, but here's the good news: I ate less than half of it and didn't touch my garlic bread. When we ordered a chocolate mousse for the three of us to split, I had a single spoonful and called it quits. To wake us up out of our food-induced lethargy, we had DnD iced coffee (you guessed it-- I opted for the small blueberry iced with skim milk and Splenda.) I was SO full after our super-late lunch that I barely had any dinner at all! I sipped on Cabernet Sauvignon, had a taste of meatloaf (literally two forkfuls), and two spoonfuls of peas. Later on in the evening I warmed up some broccoli just to satisfy my veggie portion... but I was still full. Still am now. Amazing.

I used to demolish the entire plate of seafood pasta at Blue Eyes, usually followed by creme brulee. In fact, looking back, I cannot even believe the appetite I used to allow myself to have. I literally now eat half of what I used to, easily... and no, I'm not starving myself, I'm just paying attention to serving sizes, proper portion sizes, and how full I feel. I really do feel full after half of my normal intake. I never noticed because I'd mindlessly keep eating until I was near explosion. I don't need to be five minutes from combusting to feel satisfied anymore, I just need to take my time eating and let my stomach tell me when it's happy. I don't need to deny myself my favorite foods to stick to my plan. That seafood pasta was worth every morsel, and I took my time and enjoyed it instead of ravenously shoveling it in.

Tomorrow's another day, another 30 minutes of cardio, another wallpaper-stripping adventure, another dog-walking fiasco, another opportunity to be more active and inch towards my goal weight. I can't wait to step on the scale and be in the 160's for the first time since sophomore year! That'll probably be next week!

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-Pandora.com for making instantly perfect playlists for any occasion. I LOVE the Ting Tings station!
-my ability to resist half a plateful of one of my favorite pasta dishes on earth
-my new earrings from the Berlin auction! I happily wore them all day.

Food Network junkie

So I don't know if it makes me a dork that I'm excited about the Next Food Network Star winner! Her name is Melissa and she's just a stay at home mom who loves to cook. She's got the most amazing and simple techniques that even I could master from my little college apartment kitchen. I'm telling you, that woman is going to teach me how to cook, one week at a time. SO excited for her!

I want to get an early start tomorrow since it's my mom's day off and I'm trying to spend time with her (and get some time behind the wheel before my test!) So let me get to the point:

I started off today with some yogurt, a banana, and a piece of whole wheat toast with pumpkin butter (sounds a little strange, but I bought it at this farm where we bought our peaches, and it's delicious, not to mention low-cal). Lunch was a small portion of leftover grilled chicken with lettuce tomato and mustard on thin whole wheat sandwich bread, and a handful of those delicious rice cakes. Before dinner I hit the elliptical for half an hour, ended up going 2.75 miles and burning over 300 calories. Sweet! ...Makes me feel less crappy about the 450-cal beer binge, haha! For dinner we had hot dogs and hamburgers... but I only took one hot dog, no condiments, no bun, I warmed up some leftover steamed broccoli, I took half an ear of corn on the cob, and I had some baked beans. Mmmm.

I'm going to the gym with my mom again tomorrow. I should probably do weights too, I haven't done any strength training in a while now. I looked at some pictures of me before I started doing this, and even though I feel like I still look the same, I definitely don't feel the same. I have a lot more energy already and I'm feeling a lot more confident and capable. I think I'm only beginning to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my potential... and it's a really motivating feeling.

Three things I'm thankful for today:

-Melissa for having her first show air on Food Network next week! She's such a talented cook, yay for her!!
-the old home videos my sister and I watched together on today's rainy afternoon. Priceless.
-the accomplished, achy feeling in my muscles right now.

Bud Light Lime x 4

Yesterday started out so well! Aughhh. Let me explain.

Breakfast was a small helping of tomato onion and cheese omelette, a slice of wheat toast, a banana, and half a cup of coffee. Then I went out to practice parallel parking, which I pretty much have down pat. I just want to practice two more times, a half an hour each time... plus practice with driving around town. Lunch was my homemade light cilantro chicken salad on whole wheat with lettuce and tomato and 60 calories worth of rice cake snacks. After lunch I went to the gym to do 30 minutes on the treadmill (I stuck to 4.5 and switched to 4.4 towards the end.) Dinner was grilled chicken, broccoli, grilled fresh corn on the cob, and salad. I had a lot of greens, but I used ginger dressing on my salad which is only 40 calories per tbsp!

I thought I was done with my caloric intake for the day... until I remembered I received a text from Jen earlier and never texted her back. So I called her and found out she had no plans either, so we decided to go out for some drinks. I vowed to stick to light beer (instead of the usual white russians/sugary fruity drinks/tequila shots I've been known for inhaling) and only have one or two... but of course, we ended up barhopping to three different places, and I ran into some old friends who bought us a round. So that was four beers in total, which adds up to 450 calories! This is why I didn't update last night, I was a little tipsy and went straight to bed. I'm going to work my ASS off today... 45 minutes on the treadmill and 15-20 minutes on weights!

I'm gonna try and do cardio every day. It makes me feel amazing... I literally am on a high when I step off the treadmill. I've also found that being more active has made my mind more active as well... I'm feeling very inspired lately and my imagination is on an unusual kick. I don't know how I didn't discover this earlier! As disappointed as I am for giving into four beers last night, I know I'm markedly improved in my drinking habits (my tolerance has gone down since I haven't drank in about a month, and I don't see myself getting blackout wasted every weekend like I used to). These decisions to watch what I eat and be more active have affected so many other aspects of my life. I'm just making healthier choices in general. It feels good.

Three things I was thankful for yesterday:

-waking up early. It felt really good to have a nice long day.
-those little low-cal rice cake snacks! SO much better than chips or crackers...
-the Berlin Auction... we went there yesterday and I bought useless crap-- but it was fun! (Oh and side note: while everyone else was enjoying soft pretzels and churros and Icees... I stuck to a small Diet Coke. Go me.)