Vegan Fare

BREAKFAST: I've started my pumpkin addiction once again!  I was craving some oats this morning and had some leftover pumpkin from yesterdays shake so I combined them for some pumpkin' lovin' satisfaction.

Yerba Mate Green Tea + Trader Joe's Steel Cut Oatmeal + Canned Pumpkin + 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice + 1/4 tsp vanilla extract + Swirl of Sugar Free Maple Syrup

LUNCH: Had to do laundry so badly today!  The Laundromat is directly behind my house (it's so close I walk there).  A few months ago, a vegan restaurant The Loving Hut opened up in the same shopping center and I've been meaning to try it so I decided to kill two birds with one stone.  While my lights and darks were going through their much needed delousing, I popped over to The Hut to try their meatless, cheeseless fare. 

Jumbo “Chicken” Drumsticks

Made with King & Enoki mushrooms, tofu, soy

ham, w/chef’s special dipping sauce

These were really good however I was a bit disappointed that they were deep fried.  I should have expected it, but my naive mind was under the impression that they were baked.  I might inquire next time if it is possible to get them baked.  The sauce they came with (seen in the top left corner of the next pic) was a light broth.  I should have taken a picture of the inside as this was the most interesting part.  You could actually seen the mushrooms which was kind of cool. 

BBQ Noodle

Rice noodles, BBQ soy protein. Served w/ mints,

bean sprouts, cucumbers & peanuts (crispy roll optional)

My expectations for this dish were rather high then they should of been.  This was good but I really wanted something a bit more complicated and I shouldn't have expected this considering the fact that the description is pretty simple therefore should have know that the dish would be as well.  Pretty plain and filling from a whole bowl or rice noodles.  Don't get me wrong, I like rice noodles but I kind of wanted something more interesting.  The crispy rolls were obviously good, but again, I wish they were baked.  I really don't feel the necessity to fry food.  The BBQ sauce came on the side and I didn't really use that much.  In fact, I took the left over broth from the "chicken fingers" and poured it over this dish. 

So, while I wasn't thrilled with my dishes, I will definitely be returning considering the fact that it is RIGHT behind my house, but I will be sure to inquire about cooking methods before ordering again.

SHAKE:

I was hoping that this would be better then it was.  While it was good, it wasn't excellent.  I threw 1/2 Skinny Cow Mint Truffle Bar in with the usual and it was so-so. 

1/2 Skinny Cow Mint Truffle Bar + 1 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk + 1/2 packet SPIRU-TEIN Cappuccino Flavor + 1 tsp. Hershey's Lite Chocolate Syrup




DINNER:
Was going to eat the same salad I did yesterday (Butternut squash and strawberries with mango dressing) because it was so amazing, but I was rushing around to get to work and I didn't have the time.  Instead, I grabbed one of the Gnu bars I bought the other day at Whole Foods and it was NASTY!  I don't like energy bars.  Cliff Bars gross me out.  I think they are grainy and I can think of a million of other places I'd rather get my calories. 

Lately, I've been expanding my horizons and I discovered there are some foods in bar form that I rather enjoy.  The Mojo Cliff Bars (with pretzels and nuts) are AMAZING!  I think I'm more drawn to the whole foods version of these bars rather then the ground-up, grainy versions. 

SNACK:

Midnight Sea's Gift Sweet Seaweed snack!  LOVE THESE!!!!!

GYM:
No work out today.  I HAD to get my laundry done and I figured I deserved a day off! 

Pumpkin Power

Went to the movies last night to see Iron Man 2 with Boyfriend.  No he did not force me to see it...I actually wanted to.  I thought it was good.  I know this is going to sound very "chick like" but I can't stand when some action movies are 99% fighting, 1% story line.  It drives me crazy!!  This movie had a nice mix and I'd say it was 25% fighting, 75% story line which worked for me! 

I wanted to get some Starbucks before hand.  I was really jonesing for a Vanilla Skinny Latte but the Starbucks employees were messing around in the back and didn't know we were waiting so I decided to nix the Latte.  They did me a favor because I really didn't need the caffeine at 10:30pm.

When we went into the movie theater the smell of popcorn smacked me in the face.  It was so enticing.  Had I not had 2 boxes of popcorn a week prior at the All-You-Can-Eat Padres game, I might have been more tempted.  The movie theater is now listing the calorie contents of the all foods at the concession stand and I about almost fell over!!!!  960 calories in a Cinnamon Pretzel!!!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!  I wonder what the fat content is on that sucker.  That grossed me out and killed any urge I had to eat anything....except for a few Jelly Bellys (Buttered Popcorn flavor!!) that Boyfriend brought.

BREAKFAST:
Very hungry when I woke up so I decided to have a hearty breakfast this morning.  Egg beaters, a few avo slices, my favorite salsa, toast, and Canadian bacon!  While it was good, I was actually disappointed that I didn't go for some oatmeal with fruit when I was done.  How funny considering the fact that 2 months ago, I said that eating oatmeal was like eating paper mache!

1/2 cup Egg Beaters + Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Light Bread + 20 gram Avocado + 2 TBSP El Pinto Medium Chipotle Salsa + 1 slice Farmland Honey Ham + 1 TBSP Ralph's Sugar Free Maple Syrup

Best salsa ever!  One of the only salsas out there that does not contain onions.  I HATE onions.  They are my least favorite food ever.  I once sat down with a bowl or chili and spent 30 minutes picking out all the onions before I would eat it.  It's not the taste (I like onion powder), but the texture.  That crunch in your mouth when you bite down on an onion grosses me out!!!  I'm not alone...I've heard this same complaint from other onion haters!





LUNCH:
I decided to take my fat ride (aka Beach Cruiser) to the gym to day because it's was such a beautiful day here in sunny San Diego.  On the way I stopped at Trader Joe's, Ralph's, and Whole Foods just to check out the merch and bought a few yummies at Whole Foods.

I have never tried these Gnu bars before but their flavors and fiber stats were right up my alley so I thought I'd give them a whirl.

I was feeling a bit hungry because I took WAY longer on my grocery shopping tour so I noshed on a Kashi Go Lean bar, Chocolate Peanut to be exact.  4 stars!!

After my gym fun I made an AMAZING protein shake.  I really think that I could live on protein shakes alone.

1/2 cup Farmer's Market Canned Organic Pumpkin + 1 cup Almond Breeze Almond Milk + 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice + 1/4 tsp vanilla extract + 2 packets Splenda with Fiber + 1/2 scoop Designed Whey Chocolate Protein Powder

DINNER:

I had some of the chicken left that I had cooked with Frank's Red Hot in the slow cooker.  I paired it with a huge salad with sweet fruit, veggie, and dressing.  I also tried that Kale recipe and it was wonderful!!!  Like chips...but not at all:)









The salad turned out amazing!!! 

Mixed Greens + Butternut Squash baked with pumpkin pie spice + Strawberries + 4 TBSP Anne's Fat Free Mango Vinaigrette

GYM:
Still taking it slow but committing to 5k runs for the next week or two.  I will try bumping it up to 5 miles after I'm free of all hip pains.  Did I little light lifting as well but my heart was broking when I discovered the assisted pull up machine was broken!  Hopefully they will fix it by tomorrow.  It's one of my favorites!

"Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint!"

— Jane Austen

5k and Whole Foods

3 Day Diet Menu Plan

First Day of "3 Day Diet"

• Breakfast
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• 1 banana
• 1 slice toast with 1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
• Lunch
• 1/2 Cup of Tuna
• 1 slice toast
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• Dinner
• 2 beef franks or hot dogs
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1 banana
• 1 cup broccoli or cabbage
• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water

Second Day of "3DayDiet"

• Breakfast
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• 1 egg (any style)
• 1/2 Grapefruit or juice
• 1 slice of toast
• Lunch
• 1 hard boiled egg
• 1 slice toast
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• Dinner
• 3 oz. any lean meat
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 medium apple
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water

Third Day of "3 Day Diet"

• Breakfast
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• 5 regular saltine crackers
• 1 oz. (slice) cheddar cheese
• 1 apple
• Lunch
• 1 cup cottage cheese or tuna
• 5 saltine crackers
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• Dinner
• 1 cup tuna
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup cauliflower
• 1 cup melon
• 1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream
• Black coffee or tea (Sweet & Low or Equal) or water
• Drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily

Heard about this "diet" on some MTV True Life program about yo-yo dieting. I'm guessing it's around 500-600 calories.  I'll plug in into The Daily Plate to find out for sure.  CRAZY!!  AND NOT FOR ME!

I also having been reading Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletter GOOP.  She's talked a lot about fasts like The Master Cleanse and whatnot.  I was always under the impression that she was fasting for reasons relating to the mind, but every quote from her about fasting is related to trying to drop a few pounds.  Whatever...


BREAKFAST:
I woke up kind of late today and tried to clean the house before I went to the gym so I just had a cup of Yerba Mate with Green Tea & Peppermint from Whole Foods for breakfast with 2 Splenda with fiber.

Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week because it's the day that all the new sales start at the grocery store and the day that the salad bar at Whole Foods is $2 off a lbs!!!  Boyfriend makes fun of me but I love food and I love a bargain!  It's also double stamp day at Fiji Yogurt and they have WOW which is around 50 calories for a 4 oz. serving of fro-yo!!!   

LUNCH:

I was so excited to see the selection at Whole Foods today.  I saw that they had Kale steamed with lemon juice and sesame seeds.  I have never had Kale and I have heard SOOO many good things about how good it is for you (high in fiber, low in calories).  I was excited to see that the Kale was not cooked with olive oil because most of the time the veggies there are swimming in oil.  Overall I thought the kale was good.  Not excellent, but good.  It was a bit difficult to chew, kind of rough, but to be expected.



I also bought a prepared squid salad from Whole Foods.  This is a nice, light salad that is low in calories and high in satisfaction.  I feel like I'm being naughty eating sushi but I'm not!






DINNER:
DINNER WAS AMAZING!!!!  I had a veggie buffet from Whole Foods that I had bought earlier that day.  Its was so filling.  I was tempted to go get another one for tomorrow but I have to be good and eat the tons of food I have in the house.  Besides, if I started stocking up on my Whole Foods salads, I wouldn't have anything to look forward to on Wednesday anymore!

Herb tofu + Artichoke hearts + Beets + Hearts of Palm + Broccoli + Sprouts + Quinoa + Cabbage + Peas + Hummus Dressing

SNACK:

Whenever the VitaTop website offers free shipping I go crazy and stock up.  I hate paying shipping costs (why I have yet to try PB2...$11 shipping!).  Therefore I have 20 (no lie) of these hanging around in my freezer.  I miked one for like 30 sec. and topped it with Fat Free Reddi Whip.  Pure Perfection!

GYM:

I DID IT!!!!  Granted it was pretty slow, but I did my 5k today and I felt amazing afterwards.  I'm going to start setting workout goals because I think it helps to get me more motivated.  I wanted to quit today after 2 miles but I knew I had a job to do and I did it!!! 

Protein Shake awaited me....(Best reason to work out in my book!)

4 Strawberries + 1/2 Banana + 1 cup Almond Milk + 1/2 scoop Designer Whey Chocolate Protein Powder

When I went to Whole Foods I discovered that today was the first day of a new Farmer's Market on Adams Street in San Diego.  I used to go to the one right down the street from me every Sunday but now that I work Sunday mornings I can never go.  I made Boyfriend go with me today and I was happy to discover that many of the merchants are the same ones that go to my market on Sunday!  I only bought some Kale because I found a recipe for Baked Kale Chips and I'm anxious to try them.  Let you know how it turns out!

So much to do, So much time!!!

I found a new grocery store that I have a crush on.  It's called Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market.  They have stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona. The store is small and their inventory isn't huge, but what that do have is fresh, healthy food which is all I need!  They even have some amazing prepared salads and Ahi dishes that I was drooling over.  I refrained from purchasing though because I still have SOOOO much food in the fridge that I have vowed to finish first before I added to my "food collection".  I did however allow myself one purchase.

It's Lemon Hummus Vinaigrette dressing and the stats are pretty sweet (35 calories per 2 TBSP serving size).  I tasted a bit and while I'm not thrilled yet (I think hummus and water tastes better as a dressing), I won't reach my final verdict until I actually use it on a salad.

BREAKFAST

Woke up this morning and fed Cat with Kitty as usual (refer to previous posts for explanation).  I'm trying to finish some Nature's Path Pumpkin FlaxPlus Granola that I got at Whole Foods so I mixed that with some Almond Milk (sorry so boring), and the usual cup of coffee to start the day.  The coffee was Raspberry Chocolate, which in theory sounds perfect for me, but in reality it has a very strong bite.

I'm not much of a granola person because it's high in calories and not really satisfying to me.  I know that it's "good" for you, but I'd rather eat something else that's equally as good with half the calories.   HOWEVER, I LOVE pumpkin and I actually LOVE this granola!  I trim down the serving size to 1/2 cup which allows me to fill my stomach a bit without feeling bad for eating a 300 calorie breakfast.

LUNCH

 Trader Joe's Acorn Squash and Mango Soup + Cinnamon

 A wanted to change up things a bit today and I decided to make a modified BLT sandwich.

Oroweat Light 100% Whole Wheat Bread + 1 tsp Light Mayo + 3 slices tomato + Alfalfa Sprouts + 1 TSP Bacon Bits

DINNER

Decided on a salad with the Lemon Hummus dressing I bought this morning.  Verdict: It was okay but I definitely like the plain hummus dressing more.  It is nice for a change of pace though.

Spinach + Tofu + Veggie Booty + Lemon Hummus Dressing Vinaigrette

SNACK

M&M pretzels!!!  While I'm not going to claim that they are a good, healthy snack....they are YUMMY and the bag is so small that the calorie count (150) won't ruin your diet for the day if you plan appropriately for this treat.

I'm trying not to drink 4 cups of coffee a day and have been meaning to buy some Green Tea substitute.  Found this (on sale) at Whole Foods and I thought I might give it a try.  I liked it though my throat has been kind of sore tonight so I think some of my tastes are off right now.  Will have to wait until I'm 100% to really make an accurate assessment.

GYM

I was still feeling good from the run yesterday but I decided to hold back today and give my body a chance to rest a bit more.  I did some weight training and a very short 15 min. jog.  I feel good though and that's all that matters.  5k tomorrow!

Amazing Monday!

This weekend was kind of crazy.  Worked a lot, ate a lot, and didn't go to the gym :(

On Saturday I went to a racing area in the desert with Boyfriend and his brother so that they could race their motorcycles on a closed course. 

Brother and Boyfriend

 

(Actual pictures of him racing taken by a professional)

One hour later....

That is what is left of Boyfriend's bike:(  He wasn't hurt at all.  In fact, he didn't even seem to care.  The only thing he was bummed about was that he didn't get to race around the track the rest of the day!!!  Men...I'll never understand them!

BREAKFAST
 Made oatmeal for Boyfriend and I this morning.  A little oats, some almond milk, and some Better 'N Peanut Butter filled me up!!!  I HATED oatmeal until I read about putting peanut butter in it.  I now want to eat oatmeal for lunch, breakfast, and dinner!!!!

Ralph's 100% Whole Grain Oats + Better 'N Peanut Butter + Splenda with Fiber + Almond Breeze Unsweetened Milk

After breakfast I made my triumphant return to the world of CARDIO!!!  I didn't want to push myself too much because my hip is FINALLY starting to feel better.  While it wasn't 100%, is was at about 80% which I will take!  I did a little 2 1/2 mile jog and it felt sooooo good.  I think I'm going to try 4 miles tomorrow based on how I feel when I wake up. 

I WILL NEVER FAIL TO STRETCH BEFORE A RUN AGAIN!!!  I WILL LISTEN TO MY BODY IN THE FUTURE WHEN IT SAYS IT HURTS!!!

LUNCH
I had cooked some chicken breasts in the slow cooker yesterday with some Frank's Red Hot until the chicken crumbled apart.  I used this chicken to make a fun Buffalo chicken wrap with some greens and Laughing Cow Light Swiss.  I'm trying to use up the La Tortilla Factory wraps that I bought last week even though I don't like them.  I really hate wasting food. 

Chicken w/ Frank's Red Hot Sauce + Baby Spinach + Alfalfa Sprouts + Laughing Cow Light Swiss + La Tortilla Factory Wrap

DINNER

Not too exciting at all.  I started feeling really crampy or gassy (sorry but it's true) and I couldn't manage much.  I just had a CP Shrimp Wonton Soup bowl that I got at Costco.  These things are AMAZING and 130 calories!  I also threw a few Trader Joe's Cilantro Chicken Wontons in the soup for even more dumpling goodness!

SNACK
I had some Kombucha which made my stomach feel a bit better so I decided to try to put down an apple.  I sliced it up and put some cinnamon on it with a little Sugar free maple syrup and some fat free Reddi Whip.  I didn't remember to take a picture of it until after I devoured the whole thing.  It was so yummy and perfectly hit the spot!

I Will Survive

I've been dealing with a bit of trauma/drama lately and apparently it's gotten to me a lot more then I've let on because I'm losing all self control when it comes to everything.  I think I have a case of the "Mean Reds" (A la Breakfast at Tiffany's) and I'm DETERMINED not to let it engulf me.

I WILL GET OUT OF BED!

I WILL EAT RIGHT!

I WILL GO TO THE GYM!

I WILL GET A JOB!!!

These are my mantras that I must not forget!!!

So with that in mind...we will forget about the gorging on half a bag of PopChips and a slice of Pepperoni Pizza this morning and start a fresh at a late lunch/early dinner.

SNACK:

I munched on some yummy Blackberries that I had left from the big blowout sale the other day.  I LOVE blackberries.

LUNCH/DINNER:

Some raw broccoli and crab salad (imitation crab w/ Frank's Red Hot) finished out my day.  All-and-all, despite my morning "oops" today was a good day. 

Tomorrow I'm going to some motorcycle racing thing with Boyfriend so all of my meals will be on the go.  I'm HOPING to be able to manage a ginormous salad with some light, healthy snacks.  We'll see...

Oh, and my hip STILL hurts.  While it's been like 2 weeks since I've managed cardio, I have been to a pilates class and a few sessions of weight training.  I'm going to try my first real attempt at some heart pumping, foot pounding action on Monday morning. 

SOUNDTRACK FOR TODAY: Anna Nalick - Breathe

"And breathe... just breathe, Oh breathe, just breathe.
There's a light at each end of this tunnel,

You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around."

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

I've been MIA for a few days.  I was taking pictures and keeping up with my food logging and then bad influences (lol) lead me astray.

Boyfriend bought me flowers yesterday "just cause".  It was so sweet of him (though I have been hinting around that flowers "just cause" are very sweet).

It's Cinco De Mayo and apparently on the west coast its a much bigger deal then on the east coast.  Basically it just entails drinking all day.  Boyfriend and I decided to go to our first (and probably last) Padres game of the season so I spent all day running errands to be ready in time.

I'm embarrassed to admit this but my intake for the day consisted of 1/2 Ciff Mojo Peanut Butter and Jelly bar and a large iced coffee.  That is until dinner....Can you say "All you can eat hot dogs, popcorn, and peanuts!!!"  It's was amazingly gross.  We had soooo much fun!

  

REALLY BIG BEER!!!  (I drank two:)