Announcement!

It's up and running.

A month ago I bought my very own domain name.

http://www.mirandasjeans.com/

Well after lots of work, cursing and my (was a nerd in high school) husband Kevin, it has been launched.

I have imported everything from MJ.blogspot.com over to the new site. So all the previous entries and comments are over there.

There is still some work that needs to be done, but it is now to a point where I feel like I can share and start to transition over to using just that one site.

I will keep MJ.blogspot open, so if you don't check in for a little while before seeing this message, you will know where to go to find me.

See you at http://www.mirandasjeans.com/

How's your water?

I am looking back over the last couple of days, and trying to do some positive self talk. Trying not to fall victim to more of what has been going on yesterday & the day before. I see too that I haven't been drinking nearly enough water. Nowhere even close to 8, 8oz glasses of water. More like 1 or 2, for the whole day. So dehydration may be exaggerating the mood swings.

So needless to say, lots of augwa for yours truly today.

I woke up and wanted to get something in me that was going to keep me full for a long time. I had a big morning a head of myself. This called for a protein green monster. This one was so good, it might even be worth submitting to The Green Monster Movement site. Note the spill, not because it's over-flowing, rather I got distracted while pouring and made a mess lol.

Peanut Butter Vanilla Green Monster

• 1 scoop of vanilla Whey protein powder
• 1 whole banana
• 3 cups of spinach
• 1 tbsp Kraft smooth PB - running low on the cashew butter otherwise that would have been used.
• 1 cup of UVAB
• Blend & Serve

After breakfast was over, it was off to get a quick run in before hitting the gym. Cardio Bosu class today. Honestly this class keeps me going all week long. I luuurve it! Here are a few sample pics I found online of what Cardio Bosu is like. We run circuits in the class, it's great!

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I even managed to fit in an hour spin class with my fav instructor Sheena this morning. Ok, ok it's a lot yes, but I was excited and had banked on doing all of this before work this morning.

After class, I went and had a swim in the pool. However not the best of swim, I ended up getting chatty with 2 other swimmers, who also run. So there was much to talk about. I did however manage to get 5 laps, maaaaybe 6 before I had to take off and start working.

Needless to say burning all those calories I needed to refuel before I would have time to get a typical morning snack in. I planned for this and had half my lara-apple-bar.

Once I got back to the office (as I had some out of office work to complete) I was ravenously hungry. I ate my apple so fast, I'm not even sure I saw it. Tupperware lid open, mouth open, apple gonzo! Two of my coworkers have recently asked me what I do to my apples to keep them from getting all brown (as I cut and pack my apple the night before). I haven't been doing anything special, and I've been more aware of this trying to figure out what my secret is. When I cut my apples, it's packing varies from Tupperware to glassware, and it's storage varies from refrigerated to left out on the counter top. Then coworker Kelly and I figured out it might be the type of apples I eat. I eat Royal Gala Apples, which I love because they are almost always firm and crunchy, unlike a soft McIntosh. Could this be the secret to not having uber brown apples?

Remember when I talked about my love for breakfast foods here? Well being in a mopey mood last night I had no grand inspiration for today's lunch. So I went with something comforting and oh-so loveable! Oatmeal! That's right, breakfast for lunch (I swear dinner isn't going to be breakfast food).

I packed my dry ingredients, and tossed some fresh fruit in another Tupperware.
Lunch Time Oats

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of quick oats
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1tbsp chia seeds
• 1tbsp dried goji berries
• 1/2tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4tbsp nutmeg
• 1/3 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 1 banana
• 3 walnut halves

Directions

• See here for standard banana mash
• Add water
• Add all dry ingredients to your banana mash mix (oats, dried fruit, seeds & spices)
• Mix well with a fork to get that banana mash goodness all over
• Cook in the nuker for 2 mins
• Top with fresh fruit and nuts
• Using your fork, mash that fresh fruit to release it's juices into your oatmeal

Manga manga!Just for an update, I have already had 6, 8oz glasses of water today (by 1:00), and I am feeling much better today. Fingers crossed that it stays this way for the rest of the day.

Question: Do you ever do uber long workout sessions? Do you feel like you need to make up for missing one?

Answer: Me? Why did I workout so much today? Because I felt like I had to? No! Did I feel like I had to make up for missing yesterday? In a way, kind of. However I didn't do all that I did this morning because I felt like I had to. I did it because this was something I was looking forwards to. I had fun doing it and seeing if I could push myself and make it through it all. I never feel like I must workout. I do get the feeling of having to, but let me explain that more. Being that I work so much and have such a busy schedule because of work, the times that I am not working, I feel like I have to workout, because I know that I won't get the chance to later, so it's a now or not today. So I have to grab the opportunities that I have otherwise it would be way too easy for me to say, I work 2 regular jobs and 1 casual, I don't have time to workout. So If I want to,I have to!

Keep on tracking

Well I need to go get my agenda and make some notes. I am totally down in the dumps again. Ugh! Set off by what? Well I'm not getting any exercise today at all. I woke up pretty sore in the calves (nix the am run), and my upper back and shoulders were sore, so, no 30 Day Shred in the wee hours.

I had planned on going out for a nice rain run late in the afternoon/early evening, before hot yoga. Kevin however said that lately all the time we are able to spend together is spent exercising, he misses watching tv and cuddling. So I emailed and cancelled my spot at hot yoga, and put off running.

I had nothing planned for dinner, and remembered that Kevin had said a few weeks ago how he would like to have some real pasta sometime soon. So I thought we'd go pick up some Olivieri pasta and make a ravioli bake and some side salad. So that is what we did (keep reading below for dinner pics).

It's terrible that lack of exercise and carb heavy foods bring me down so. I think a lot if it has to do with my own body image issues I have going on right now.

I've gained the weight back again. The same weight I've lots and regained 2times now since Jan. I can't seem to stay focused and get what I deem to be a good workout in because I am so busy with work, and the stress that I feel from work.

My body imagine is as a result of the 10 lbs in the pits. Sure on the outside I look no different, but, my clothes are feeling too tight, the definition I was gaining, has returned to mush and muffin top. I am currently waiting for my cousin and her boyfriend to arrive to hang out in our hot tub, and am literally dreading having to put a bathing suit on. Mainly because I feel that they will look at me and see the weight that I've put back on. I shouldn't feel this way, maybe it's that hormonal issue I was talking about the other day (here).

My morning snack, which I thought would have been my afternoon snack, but I was feeling something chewy.

Thought I loved this flavour when I first tried it, however today, all I could taste was salt. I didn't enjoy it. Hmmm. Maybe this one was just from a bad batch.

My coworker was running out to Tim Hortons, and as usual he asked everyone if they wanted anything. Normally I say no, but today, I thought I would get something. Something like a Med Iced Capp.

I've been reading on a few blogs that May is National Salad Month. Well I guess it's a good thing that I love salads! Today I made a fruit and nut salad.

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup romaine
• 2 extra large strawberries
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 1tbsp slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashew, walnuts and unsweetened coconut

One thing I love about this kind of salad, is that even when I get a piece of salad with each bite of greenery, there is still a nice combination of toppings left over once the greens are all gone.
When I got home, I grabbed my new mug and some granola with dried fruit. Sadly the fruit was so tart it totally wrecked the flavours. But hey check out my awesome mug. It's totally me. Kevin agrees.
Dinner, as I mentioned was pasta for Kevin, with a salad on the side for me. Kevin also got himself some Texas toast cheesy garlic bread as you can see.Whole wheat basil and three cheese ravioli, with tomato sauce and button mushrooms, baked with a sprinkling of old cheddar cheese. With a veggie salad. Very simple salad. 10 cherry tomatoes, 1/6th orange and yellow pepper, some red onion, 1tbsp light feta. Topped with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Question: How do you feel if you miss a workout session?

Oatmeal

Breakfast is one of my most favourite meals of the day. I could honestly eat breakfast foods all day long! Just picture it, GM for breakfast, Oatmeal for lunch, and pancakes for dinner. Or, Oatmeal for breakfast, scrambled eggs for lunch and french toast for dinner. Oh I could go on forever with an all day breakfast meal plan.

Kevin has dubbed he and I as a cereal family. And though I do love my cold cereals too, I think we are a breakfast food family.

This morning for breakfast I made oatmeal, and I am going to go through the steps of how I make my oatmeal. Though the toppings might vary, the steps remain the same.

First start off with a half or a whole banana. I bought these from the discounted section for .59cents! Look at them. They just look like the bananas I buy fresh, 3 days later.
Peel open the banana and it's almost in pristine condition. Just a small bruise near the bottom. So next time you see some discounted produce, take a second look, you just might find yourself a steal of a deal.

Take said banana (today I used a whole), and toss it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This will help soften your banana for the mashing process.

Banana-mash.

As for toppings at this stage, I interchange between cinnamon&nutmeg or a nut butter (cashew butter is my fav).

Today, though, cinnamon & nutmeg won.

Now I add 1/3cup of quick oats. With quick oats, you want a 2:1 ratio of wet to dry. Added then to our 1/3cup of quick oats, is 1/3cup of UVAB and 1/3 cup of water.

Next, I added 1tbsp of chia seeds (almost always in each bowl now), and 1tbsp dried blueberries. Fresh fruit can always be substituted here.

Mix together and place in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. Careful your bowl might be hot.

Question: Do you make sure to eat breakfast every morning? Could you eat breakfast foods all day long?

Big night for Montrealers

Well this time last year I was all over the hockey play offs. Rooting for both Pittsburgh and Detroit throughout the semi finals. At heart I am a true Detroit fan at heart though. I'm indifferent with regards to the home team Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dinner from left to right:

• 1/3 of a large sweet potato topped with 1 tbsp cashew butter
• 3 oz of turkey breast
• 1 BBQ roasted orange pepper
• 1/2 sliced BBQed zucchini

Sadly tonight I am conscious that I am falling victim to emotional eating. I knew that if I tried to fight it once I got home, that I would then end up binging on a bunch of foods that wouldn't be satiating my desire to snack.

So with much deliberation and trying to figure out what I would eat as an evening snack, I concluded that I did not want chips or nachos, nothing salty. Rather I wanted something sweet. I narrowed it down to something cakesque. Off to Lawblaws I went, and this is what I found. Some 'golden loaf' and vanilla Greek yogurt matched with 1/2 a banana and strawberries from home. A variation of strawberry short cake.

I enjoyed it, however Kevin wasn't a fan. His critique, the yogurt was too tangy (not sweet like whipped cream), and the loaf was too heavy (not light and airy like angle food cake). But I thought about all this while shopping and was aware of this and thought it would be nice. I enjoyed it.

Good night!

Trying Tabouli

Kevin made it to the office around 9:45 this morning. So happy. The nice thing about having 4 walls and a door in my office is that I'm no in a cubicle where I'd have to whisper to talk to my husband and not disturb my coworkers. We were able to talk at a normal volume. It was great. Kevin stayed for about 15 minutes, and told me that he was going to go back home and rest (*whispering* I think that is code for napping).

As I had already had the magically delicious oatbar from Starbucks, I wasn't too hungry. I held off snacking until about 11:00, which is pretty late in my opinion.

Glassware 1

• 175g plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup blueberries

Glassware 2

• 1/2 apple
• 1/2 banana

Tupperware

• 1/3 cup Post Grape Nuts

Hmmmm... they fill out this container a little too well. This was going to involve some problem solving skills to be able to mix it all up. Enter empty glassware #2. And Shake! Wow! That workout better than I expected and with relatively no mess!

I am eating lunch now as I blog. Held off until 1:30, that was one satiating snack. For lunch I'm trying something new. Something, that up until a couple of days ago, I had never heard of. Tabouli.

What is Tabouli. According to various links that google provided me with, it's a Lebanese/Mediterranean salad. This particular Tabouli that I am having was inspired by the Tabouli I saw on Emily's Blog here. I of course did my own spin on this recipe, just to make it my own.

Miranda's Quinoa Tabouli (individual serving sized)

Ingredients

• 10 decent sized grape tomatoes
• 1/2 English cucumber
• 6 black olives
• 4 artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup cooked quinoa
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 4-6 drops of lemon juice
• 3-5 drops of lime juice
• 1 pinch of oregano and thyme

Directions

1. Cook your quinoa according to the directions on the box. I personally cook 1/4cup of dried quinoa with 1/2 cup of water (it's always a 2:1 ratio), and serve myself 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa. Quinoa is a great gluten free alternative to rice.
2. Chop your tomatoes into small cubes. Yes this will be difficult as they are so small but the idea here is to chop them up small.
3. Take your cucumber, and length wise, into quarters. Then chop those quarters into small pieces.
4. Chop your black (or purple) olives and artichoke hearts.
5. Mix together your olive oil, lemon and lime juice together with herbs. If you are not serving this right away, do not mix in your dressing, as it will cause everything to get too soggy.
6. I made this several days in advance, and kept it stored in the fridge. When I was ready to eat my Tabouli, I warmed it in the microwave not to heat it, but rather so it wasn't right out of the fridge cold.
7. Top and mix in the dressing.

Serve & Enjoy!
This is a very low calorie meal. Because of that, I am also eating a grapefruit (yes strange combination, but I love grapefruit) at lunch time.

Happy Hump Day!

Hormones - Sheesh!

Seriously. Hormones SUCK! I deeply apologize to my male readers - I know you're there ;-)

But seriously, the last 6 months or so, poor Kevin has been subjected to some pretty dramatic mood swings. I go from my normal happy go lucky positive outlook-self to overly clingy, to crying (I cried at a RADIO news report this morning about the poor family from Montreal that died when their house was swallowed up in a muddy sink hole the other day - see here -), to extreme bitchy. So last month I actually started marking these dramatic shifts in my agenda.

Well today after my workout, I started to feel really depressed that I didn't workout harder and longer. Rationally I know that after doing a 2 hour 1235calorie burning workout yesterday warrants a more relaxed less strenuous 1.15 min 350 calorie burning kind of day. I know my body needs to rest.

So I got to work and I marked it in my agenda. Then I looked back to last month. Hmm... Started to feel the same way last month on the 16th. 3.5wks ago. Hmm... Might be starting to see the starting of a pattern here. Time will tell. And if it does tell, I will be asking my OBGYN to change me to a new birth control pill to help regulate this.

Before the gym at the early hours of 5:10am, I made myself some scrambled eggs. Funny how I miss scrambled eggs in the morning. They just take so much more time I find than an GM or oatmeal.

• 3 Egg whites
• 1 whole large egg
• 4 grape tomatoes
• about 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup UVAB

* the 3 egg whites are from the liquid, boxed, egg whites. On the box it says 1/4 cup is about 2 egg whites. Well I have a 1/8cup measuring cup, so I just used 3 of those to make up 3 egg whites.

At the gym, Kevin and I did a muscle moves class. It's all weights or rather strength training. Today we didn't use the free weights at all. We all did strength training using a floor mat, a stability ball and our own bodies. Lots of ab work, which what woman doesn't love to work her abs to get that 6-pack going?!

Once muscle moves finished I hit the pool. OMG my arms and shoulders are tired today after yesterdays double Jillian workout vids. I did a measly 6 laps of the pool, and they were brutal formed laps. lol.

After showering, while Kevin and I walked to our cars (yes we both drove. Only because he went home and I went right to work from the gym, which is a 10 min drive from home), I realized that I left my lunch at home. And being that today is Wednesday, that means I go from one job to the other, so lunch isn't just lunch, it's, am snack, lunch, pm snack and dinner.

Kevin being the amazing husband that he is, reassured me that he would go home, unpack our gym bags, grab my lunch and bring it to me at work. What a great guy.

However being that I was feeling down in the dumps this morning, I thought that I would treat myself to some Starbucks to try and boost my spirits. In my own tumbler (to save the enviro and .10cents) Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte & an oatbar.

Seriously I have never had any foods from Starbucks before other than their fruit parfaits. This thing is De-lish! I think there might have been some nut butter in it somewheres. Mmmm dangerously tasty.

Question: Do you find that you have a lot of mood swings? Have you ever tracked them from week to week or month to month?