Wednesday's Wishes

We all have wishes, hopes and dreams. I have a couple right now.

• I want the lay off drama to end at work - I'm over it but it's just irritating now.
• I want to go into work (both my full time and part time job) and quit on the spot.
• I want to be working for myself.
• I want to be working out more and enjoying what I love to do.

*sigh* One day. . . . One day. . . . And I am working on putting these dreams (well I can't control #1) into motion.

Yesterday the second half of my day was spend eating on the go. At 3:30 while driving to work to a convention centre two towns over, I munched on some veggies. Red and yellow pepper, baby carrots and celery.

I was a vendor at a local Chamber of Commerce Showcase event for my full time job with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I didn't know how it was going to and what the food situation would be like. Which is why I mowed down on the veggies in the car.

Sadly also I had to buy my dinner at the grocery store in a rush, because we had nothing I could throw together quick enough.

So with only having 1 glass of water and 1 salmon roll, 3 .5 hours later at 7:30, I was back in my car to munch on some dinner while driving home. Nothing very imaginative after my sushi dinner Monday night. Some Californian rolls. They were not very fresh but whatever, they were easy to eat while driving.

As tired as I was and just wanted to go home, we, I desperately needed to get some fresh produce (groceries).

An hour later, I got home and unpacked everything. I also had a bowl of grape nuts. I don't know why I ate those. I know how I feel if I eat cereal late at night. NOT GOOD is how it makes me feel.

I had also bought some new ingredients to make my own healthier less ingredients needed red wine raspberry vinaigrette. Version 1.0 No exact measurements, but 2 parts EVOO, 1 part red wine vinegar, splash of agave nectar and 1/2 pint of raspberries. Throw the raspberries in a food processor first before adding them to the dressing.

This morning I was wanting to go to muscle moves and go hit the pool again. Sadly when I woke up I was defeated. I was going to Hot Yoga tonight and hadn't packed those gym clothes. I went back to bed.

When I did get up, I made myself a green monster.

• 2 cups spinach
• 1 tbsp cashew butter
• 4 large strawberries
• 1 small yellow mango - can't remember the name right now.
• 1 tsp ground flax
• 1 cup almond milk

I was bad too and had a small bowl of sugar crisps. I needed the sugar. My body was clearly craving it (TOM), because mentally I didn't want it. I didn't want to the crash from the sugar that was going to come later. I didn't want the bloated feeling I knew was coming. I know it serves no nutritional value. WHY AM I EATING THIS? To make up for the cereal, I opted to not have a mid morning snack. Turns out I didn't need it either I didn't get hungry.

When lunch time rolled around at noon, however I clearly was hungry. I made a bee line for the fridge and dug out my lunch.

This salad I was excited to try. I had seen a picture somewhere similar and made it my own.

• 1 cup of English cucumber
• 2/3 med size tomato
• 1 yellow pepper
• several thin slices of red onion
• Light feta cheese

Topped with my own balsamic Very low calorie lunch. So delish! I can't wait to have it again and being that I have another whole cucumber at home, that time might come sooner than later.

What wishes do you have for your life? Are you taking the steps needed to realize those wishes? Have you already made your wish, and had it come true?

Friendly skies

Wow! What a difference a bright blue sky makes in the morning when it comes to dragging your butt out of bed at 5am. As we remember yesterday I failed to get up at 5am to make it to the gym for swimming at 6:30. I blamed it on the overcast looking sky. Well as per this mornings results, I do believe that was the true cause ;)

This morning the sky was so bright looking (yes it is looking bright at 5am here now). It looked like it was such nice weather out, how could I stay in bed and not get out to enjoy the day.

More on that later.

Last night I met up with one of my bestest friends Amanda. Amanda and I live a good hour and a half apart (she in Mississauga and I in Bowmanville). But we make efforts to get together as often as possible. Even for dinners after work.

Amanda was great and found this sushi place just off the 401 at Avenue road called Nara Sushi. It is a pretty good half way meeting point for us both, that way one isn't driving further than the other.

Being that it was 7 before we got together we were pretty hungry, though I just didn't know it yet.

We decided to order together and share. Mmmmm so much goodness!
California rolls, spicy crab rolls, and salmon skin rolls. Sashimi and some sushi to boot!

I really love the smiling fish boat it came out on.

Amanda and I spend almost 2 hours at dinner, eating and catching up. With the amount of work that I have been working lately (just in case I had been laid off) and with Amanda's school schedule (finishing up her MBA - 601 class), we had a lot to catch each other up on.

We parted ways and decided we would find more random places to try that are half way for us both every few weeks until our schedules slow down.

So as I said I got up this morning for a bike ride to the swimming pool. I live a 5 minute bike ride to the local pool. But I wasn't going to ride there. PEOPLE I'M TRAINING FOR A TRY-A-TRI! I was going to ride my bike 8k to Newcastle to use the pool there.

I knew that I was in for a good hour and a half and a lot of burning of calories. So no working out on an empty stomach. I needed something that was going to give me energy, but not be too heavy in my stomach. The last apple Larabar. I don't know why until this morning I didn't fully appreciate the yumminess of this flavour. I kept trying all these other 'exotic' flavours, and didn't like them one bit. But this was just what I needed. While eating I turned on CP24 to catch up on some news, weather and all is going on in the world.

WHOAH! Cam Wolley says that it feels like it's in the minus out this morning! ACK! Good thing I turned on the news.

I grabbed my winter tuque, my mini mitts and fluffed the hood of my sweater around my neck like a scarf to go out on my bike.

Oh boy! It sure was crisp out at 6am this morning. But so calm, peaceful and relaxing. The sun was slowly coming up. This made the ride that much more enjoyable. And I was surprised that the ride wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be (lots of long gradual inclines). I'm kinda proud of myself.

During the 31 minutes I spent in the pool, I went between elation at how quick I went to frustration at my stroke technique. Sadly I felt more the later the majority of the swim. 2 weeks away from the pool clearly effected me. I am def gonna ramp up my swimming because with out the technique I'm not gonna do well in an open body of water with 50+ other swimmers.

I tried to go through my changing quickly to simulate T1 of the Tri. Took me about 8-9 minutes, but I also had to pack up my backpack too, which I won't be doing at the Tri.

The ride home I think was much windier, and really the time difference shows it. It took me 20 minutes to ride to the pool and 23 to ride home. If the wind wasn't blowing at me from my right side, it shifted to blow at me from head on. The best part of the ride home has got to be passing Algoma Orchards. All I could smell was apple pies being baked. The apple cinnamony goodness!

Back home jumped in the shower to wash all the chemicals off me and lotion up so that my skin doesn't dry out. Then true breakfast time.

Here I needed something that was going to sit in my stomach and keep me full until lunch time. Nothing keeps you full like some oatmeal. But not just any kind of oatmeal.

OIAJ!!

Almond butter this time instead of the cashew butter that I had last round.

About 2 tbsp left, perfect amount!

1/3 cup of quick oats.

* Not pictured *

• 1/8 cup of egg whites (1egg white)
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1tbsp chia seeds

Take 1 banana and break it into several pieces. Then I toss it in the microwave to make it easier to mash up. Add some cinnamon and nutmeg (inspiration from the apple pie aroma from earlier) & mash! Toss the banana mixture into the jar and heat for 1.5 mins. Then I mix it up, making sure to get all that nut buttery goodness from the bottom of the jar. Heat for another 30 seconds. Voila! I topped today's OIAJ with some pumpkin seeds for some crunch and some dried blueberries. Mix together and enjoy.All gone! I love OIAJ. They are quite possibly my favourite new food I discovered through following blogs. Do you eat OIAJ? What is your favourite flavour combinations?

Early morning fail

Well last night I packed up my gym bag and everything go get up early to head into the gym. I need so desperately to get back into the routines of getting up at 5am to make it to the gym. My alarm went off and I think because it was so grey out it was just too easy for me to roll over change my alarm and fall back asleep.

*sigh* I especially wanted to get back into the routine today because there was lane swimming at 6:30 and I need to get back in the pool to train for the tri-a-tri.

I need to make sure that tomorrow I do not sleep in and get to a pool. either that or I go tomorrow night after work when Kevin will still be at work himself. Who knows there are a couple of possibilities for getting a swim in tomorrow when I wouldn't normally swim.

As for today, as it stands right now I am not getting a work out in. I do however have some plans to sit by the lake today and read while I wait for time to pass between work and my dinner date with Amanda (~A~) at 7pm. Man that is such a later dinner than I'm used to. I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to space out my meals.

For breakfast I had the same breakfast from Saturday morning, so i just used the picture from Saturday morning.Egg white broccoli scramble.

I also made my morning snack at home. I hoped and crossed my fingers that it would keep better than regular protein shakes do.

• 1/3 cup raspberries
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tsp ground flax
• 2 cups (small cups) baby spinach

Then I threw it into my newest buy. My Blender Bottle. I was hoping that this would be the key in rejuvenating my shake in a few hours.

Luckily it was. See no major separation despite being vigorously shaken (as is the case in a regular bottle). I credit the bottle and the spinach as being key to the success of this re-shaken shake I didn't have my shake until 11am, as I am refocusing on ensure I stay properly hydrated each and ever day. So I wanted to finish my 3.5 glasses of water {it's the size of my water bottle} before I went to snacking.

Sadly I wasn't able to hold out too long for lunch as I was starting to get tired. I ate at 12:45pm.

• 3 slices of turkey deli meat
• 1 Dempters Body Wise small wrap
• 1 cup of sprouts
• 2 slices of tomato
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves

To my would be wrap (it wouldn't close cuz the wrap is so small lol) I ate the second half of my grapefruit from yesterday.

I can't wait for some sushi tonight. Hope you are all getting out and enjoying the weather if it's nice where you live today.