If ya like it then you better put a ring on it..

Hey Hey!

I've broken down this post into sections!  Have fun!

Workout:

So...very productive day!  As I previously stated...my clothes have been feeling tight..so I decided to go for a nice hilly run. O.M.G. So.Hard.

I have run these hills (florida hills lol) before and part of my half marathon ran over these "inclines".  But seriously...I don't know if it's Jillian or what but my legs were hating me.  I ran about .75 miles..yes POINT 75...and had to stop and stretch.  Then at about 3.3 I had to stop again after conquering a huge hill to stretch.  THEN at 4.0 I had to stop and walk .1 and then ran the rest of the .6 home.  Needless to say..I feel great HAHA!

I was really slow though but oh well.

Run

Time- 49:02

Distance- 4.66 miles

I have so much respect for you hilly runners.

NOSH:

Before I ran I had half a whole wheat bagel.  When I got back I had some gatorade (I was out of coco water!!) the other half of the bagel with egg whites, 1/2 slice of gouda and a banana.  YUM.

Snack:

about 10 almonds

Lunch:

Oh lunch.  I love fish.  I could never eat meat again as long as I had fish.  So..I made a fish taco with

• tilapia baked in the oven
• 1/4 mashed avocado
• red onion
• tomato
• lettuce
• whole grain wrap
• 

with some Vanilla Okios and strawberries.  SO FILLING.

Kind of looks like frosting...or ice cream...or whipped cream...alas, it's yogurt..

As you all know, everyone in my life is getting in engaged.  Tonight was my friend Beka's engagement dinner (not a real one, just a "i want to try on your ring, tell me the story again and again" one).  So before dinner I held myself over with a nice ApplePie Larabar...and for dinner we went to 

SWAMP.  If you have ever been to Gainesville, you have been here.  New menu...still good.

I got the shrimp salad with:

• grilled shrimp ( kinda measly.. but tasty)
• roasted red peppers
• corn
• black beans
• mixed cheese

honestly, it didn't even need dressing. I also stole a few sweet potato fries..that counts as healthy..right?

Starving after dinner.  Apparently I had a black hole for stomach so I had some flax cereal, raisins and skim milk :)  Heaven.

FRIENDS:

Here is the Bride to Be!  Doesn't she look so happy! Don't I look so jealous?!

The Girlies.

GOSSIP/ENTERTAINMENT

Did anyone hear that LuAnn from Real Housewives was getting divorced?!!?  Keep your ears open...pretty sure the Countess just lost her title!!

Other Bloggers:

Also, head over to Ryan's site...she is hosting a vegan challange for the month of April!  I am going to try to do a few days of vegan eating this month.  I'll let you know when!

Hi Friends!

Hi everyone!  I am soo happy to be back!

So here's the deal...we have a wireless router that isn't secured (oops!) and someone had downloaded "Flight of the Concord"..illegally.  So they shut us down! They are hardcore..they went as far as to reprimand me...I didn't even do it!!  

Needless to say....I'm Back..and ready to RUMBLEEEEE...

Here's a quick update on my food life the past few days:

1. I tried the Soy Jerkey Primal Strip...YUM?!?!!?  It was like the filet mignon of beef jerkey. I got mine at Mother Earth.

2. I tried Oikos Vanilla Yogurt...I like it better than Vanilla Chobs.  I have been mixing it with strawberries and granola as either dessert or a nice snack.  

3. I need to run more...my clothes are feeling tight :(

4. Choppini is my new fave thing (fisherman's soup)

5. Tried the Kashi Meals for the first time... VERY IMPRESSED.  The veggies were crisp and nothing tasted soggy..like most frozen meals do. I tried the Lemongrass coconut chicken.

6. Made an amazing homemade pizza with mozz cheese, spinach, mushrooms, basil, organic sauce

Sunday Run

Distance: 7.00 miles

Time: 1hour 10min 53sec

**RACE ALERT!!!!  If you live near Gainesville, Fl..here is a great race!**

It's called Climbing for Cancer.  It supports cancer research as well as the families of those with cancer.

My dear friend, Rosalynn Rose Rivas, fought a courageous battle with brain cancer.  She passed away at the mere age of 22.  This is near and dear to my heart and I will forever support cancer research.

There are 4 races to choose from:

5k walk

5k run

10k run

15k run...I am doing this one :)!!

Hopefully I will see some of you at the race, April 25th.  Go to www.cfc-foundation.org for more info

Eatsssss

I have been great today...trying to watch what I eat a bit since things feel snug.

Here's a pic of din:

Tilapia sauteed in EVOO with some Sweet Chili Thai Sauce (SPICY!) with a sweet potato, broccoli and a cucumber, tomato, basil, onion and organic dressing salad.  YUM!

I love sweet potatoes because you can microwave them in about 5min!  They are so nutritious and provide a nice carb to the dinner.

Oh and PS, ANOTHER friend got engaged! YAY!! When her now fiance asked her out on a date for the first time..she laughed and thought her brother-in-law was playing a joke on her. now they are engaged.

*Moral of the Story*- laugh in boy's faces when they like you and you will get married.

So..sorry this is so long, I'm just excited to be back.  Does anyone watch the show DEA on Spike?  Because I'm obsessed.  It's about the Drug Enforcement Agency (duh)...omg it's honestly the best show.  I've decided I need a manly man like those on the show.  My current crushes are "Sammy", "Kevin", "Chris".  Hope their wives aren't reading this blog....

ALSO, Has anyone hear Jon and Kate Plus 8 are getting divorced?!  Poor Babies if true..I LOVE Colin.  

INTERNET AGAIn!!

So after spending some time (1.5hours) on the phone with my cox and linksys friendssss... I HAVE INTERNET!!

Check back later for some juicy posts...

ARG INTERNET!

Hi friends!! My internet isn't working!! It's been down for 2 days :(

So....I am going to try and get it fixed tomorrow and if I can't...I'll post from a different location
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Keep Checking Back!!

Sweet Dreams!

Mother Earth!

I ended up running

• 4.51miles
• 45min 01sec

I thought it was a little overcast today...WRONG. It was soo hot and I was super sweaty when I got home so I refueled with some coconut water.  To be honest...I don't LOVE the taste of coconut water but I like how it makes me feel post run.  It isn't super sugary like some drinks and I actually feel good when I drink it.  Try it!

I hate waking up late because then I end up skipping a snack.  When I got back from my run..it was around 12 and I had to go to work around 2 today...so...I had lunch.

Sorry about this pic..not the most appetizing  but it was delish.

• slice of whole wheat toast with stone ground mustard
• bison frank
• carrots and bean dip
• Pacific Tomato Soup

For a snack I packed some whole grain crackers, a banana with barney butter and a salad made from 

• cucumbers
• tomato
• onion
• olive oil
• lemon 
• salt and pepper

I ate about 1/2 the salad.

I was STILL hungry despite the large snack.  That's what happens to me when I skip my mid-morn snack.  I get uncontrolably hungry.  I don't mean to skip snacks..it's just hard because I have to eat lunch by 2:30..when you wake up at 9:30 (like I did today!! SO LATEE I KNOW!!)..its hard.

For din, I stopped at Mother Earth...the hot bar was more than lacking.  All the good stuff was gone! I saw some sort of spinach lasagna thing and got all excited...only to find the little thing empty. UGH!!  So..I went to their Macro/Vegan stuff and got:

• Thai Dumplings (really good...the filling was like a vegetarian egg roll filling)
• Sesame Noodles (just had a few..but really good)
• BBQ Tofu.  I decided I just dont like this..too chewy. cool, just wasted $5
• Salad (that I topped with some smoked salmon...a tiny piece)

This is a pic of the dumplings and the sesame noodles.

ate about 1/2 the salad.

I felt snacky post dinner so I had a few Stacy's Bare Naked Pita Chips (about 4), a Cliff Nectar Cacao Bar (this was for dessert) and a small bowl of Flax Cereal with Skim Milk.

Review:

Not that great.  It was fine...but I much perfer the reg Cliff Bars.  This bar reminded me of the Cliff Z bars...but I like the Z bars better.  I don't think i'll buy them again although reg Cliff bars (along with Larabars) are my absolute faves.

Now, I am going to go be a boy and watch the Gator Game on ESPN..then watch some girly shows like real housewives and such.  Oh and maybe i'll get around the reading.  

Engagements Galore

Seriously...every person I know is getting engaged.  It's like flu season...only people are happy.  It all started in November when one of my best friend's from high school got engaged..and then another on Jan 1st, and then 2 girls in my former sorority, and then a girl from high school....

First, I need to find a man to be engaged too...then I can get in on the action.

But on a serious note, Congrats to all!!  Very exciting!

Today was supposed to start my 24hours facebook free since I am always lurking on facebook.. but I OBVIOUSLY had to ring stalk the two girls that just got engaged so...those 24hours will just have to wait.

For din last night, I made a really good chicken quesidilla

• whole wheat wrap
• chicken breast
• mushrooms
• fresh sauteed spinach
• skim mozz cheese
• red peppers

with a side of Pacific tomato soup and some Veggie Fat Free Refried beans (sooo gooddddd).

and half a cup of Stonyfield AfterDark Fro-Yo.  YUM.

Breakfast this morning was completely pathetic.  It was so sad and I am embarrased to even post it (just because it was lacking..no offense to Cream of Wheat)

I had pre-packaged Maple Brown Sugar Cream of Wheat...it really lived up to it's name of Maple and Sugar.  I reallyyyy need to hit up the grocery store.  Plus a few mission figgys.

I might go for a run in a bit...we shall seee...but I am def running today..probably around 5m...nice and slow.

I leave you with pictures of my boyfriends...

My true love is Chuck Bass...aka Ed Westwick.  Can you tell I have a type?

QUESTION????: Do you have a certain look you always go for?

Manic Mondayte

HI friends!

Happy Monday.  It was so nasty outside..that I did nothing.  except for facebook all day and go to the mall and boarders.  I got the new Jodi Picoult book.  She always cooks up a good novel...I somehow always end up crying and become more knowledgable on topics such as:

• teen suicide
• heart disease in children
• Eskimos
• leukemia
• school shooting

wow. thats so depressing.

We tried to take our Kitty to the mall today..but she really wasn't having it.

my roomie and kitty

Breakfast was PB and J Oats!

• 1/2c oatmeal dry
• 1 scoop almond butter
• 1 scoop all natural  jelly
• sprinkle of trail  mix
• banana
• to.die.for.

Jelly made it sweet and delicious. (the pic won't load..argggg)

Grabbed Subway at the mall..had a turkey on honey oat w/all veggies and some oil and vin. Plus a water :)

Snacked on Mary's Crackers, Figs and a Peach Chobani.

So, while at boarders, my roomates and I stumbled across this little proclamation:

"How Jessica Simpson Lost 10lbs in 5 days" plastered all over a mag cover

Then these two pics were side by side:

Two things to be learned from the mag cover:

1. Lay off J-Simp.  Nick Lachey has been happily ever after post-divorce...she on the other hand as run around with the Jackass guy, John Mayer, Tony Romo..leave.her.alone.  Also, sorry she isn't anorexic anymore.   SORRY SHE DECIDED TO START EATING AGAIN.

2.  However...

Try this little trick.  Wear your most unflattering, heinous, awkward outfit in your closet (should resemble this high waisted jean mess).

Then...a few days later (like 5..to  make it somewhat realistic)...wear something that is slighty less heinous and unflattering (perhaps a corset like top).  I bet people'll be sayin you lost 10lbs too.  

Or just don't wear things that make you look fat...when you're not...

OFF to SHRED with JILL!

Go Gators!

Basket.Is.Amazing.

I finished the chocolate covered pretzels.  They were divine.  I loved them.  The Lindt truffles are also amazing.  I act like I have never had them before haha.

Oy. The weather was beautiful...so I layed out at the pool and got Pita Pit.  I had:

• hummus
• tiziki 
• cucumbers
• spinach
• tomato
• pickles
• green peppers

Then I went to the University of Florida baseball game. SO FUN.  UF's my alma mater (I sound soo mature and old), I still live in Gainesville and I have never been to a game.  Sad I know.  Today was my first and it was really fun.  We beat Tennessee 10 to 0 (when I left).

Check out these pho-tos:

Albert and me...what what

I moonlight at a baseball player...with out a neck...

Had a Kashi Bar and a bite of a fried oreo (eh...not that great...to0 fried tasting for me...I like me some regular or-e-os)

Dinner was a delicious chicken parm and some pasta...so full off all the sweets...

Tomorrow!  I am going to do a super sprint triathlon for fun so:

• 250m swim
• 4mile bike
• 1.5 mile run

I am pretty excited about this because it will be a nice change up of my normal workouts.  Should make the time go quickly!  Plus I need to "work off" the basket I just consumed so I 

look more like this:

and not this:

HOLY COW

THIS JUST CAME TO ME FROM FED EX (i am actually friends with the delivery guy).

FEAST. YOUR. EYES.  It's called the VIP..naturally.  

BEST PARENTS EVER.

I'm probably going to be a giant whale after this...but. o.m.g.  I just devoured the chocolate covered pretzels and sampled a few other goodies.  

I'll report back later...with my other eats (which will hopefully be healthier)

TGIF.  This week was killer.  The kiddos were pretty good today...I played soccer with them, I was team France ( obviously)...I got one goal. ONE.  They are so cute, they kept kicking it to me to score (they honestly kicked it to me about 1000 times) and they would scream Go MS.MEGHAN!!..and I just couldn't.  I felt like a loser.  Haha.  I couldn't tell if they were laughing at me or with me...whateves.  It was fun!

Eating today was fun.  As it is everyday.  Nothing special though. Just a smoothie in the morning, cereal for a mid morning snack but I did use my bean dip on a sandwich with avocado, tomato and chicken.  Sometimes I feel so crafty in the kitchen :)

Din was JAMBALAYA BABY!  I added a Bison Frank to it for kicks.  So good.  These franks are all natural so none of that scary stuff in pork franks...and each link (they were a nice size) was 140cals and 8fat.  Not too shabby.  

Um, then my raging hunger kicked in again. Why am I the most ravenous person on Earth?  So, I had half of a sweet potato.  I am still kind of hungry..but I am going out in a bit and planning on a few drinks sooo I'll have to suck it up.  Not to mention, I am pretty sure I am bored-hungry, although how could I be bored when I am watching...

TAKING THE STAGE!  SO here's a tid bit about me... I LOVE REALITY SHOWS ABOUT PEOPLE MY AGE.  I don't like those Tila Tequila ones or Gs to gents...I like 

• The Hills
• Two A Days (old school)
• The City
• The Bachelor
• TAKING THE STAGE

I get so into their lives haha.  It's kind of sad actually.  I feel like I know these teenagers.  I really do get so involved with their lives.  WEIRD, I know.  If you are weird too, here is the link to the show.  These kids are SO talented!!

So, I'm lame. Not going to upload pics.  I'll make up for it tomorrow and post TONS!!

Jambalaya part deux

O.M.G. I work with middle schoolers, as y'all know.  Honestly, I hope I wasn't this "trying" as a child as these ones are.  I spent one hour talking to three different boys about their behavior.  The hardest part is, they all listen and respect me. It is the other staff members they treat terribly.   Despite it all, I still love it.  I love working with them and trying to help them better themselves.  I really care about them all and can't wait to have my own class.

Anyway, as I was trying to guide them in the right direction, I ate a Cliff Raisin Maple Oatmeal bar.  I love this one.  It is so gooey and chewy and keeps me fullll

Went for a run after work.  Felt prettyyyy greatttt.  Although Jillian is killing me with these leg lefts/squats/jumps/whatever else she makes us do.

Run:

4.5 miles

Time:

42 min 53 sec

Here is the link to this awesome workout schedule that Evan Longoria (sexy man) does. This came my way via Chad...who has a man crush on Evan.  I personally LOVE Men's Health. You can take a lot of the info and tweek it for women.  Check it out!

Made my JAMBALAYA (in a accent of course)..just a good as before.  Although, I used a little less spice and decided I def like more.  I am defrosting some Bison Franks so I am going to add them to the mix for din tomorrow.  Gettin' fancy.

Ingredients:

• brown rice
• chicken stock
• red pepper and green pepper
• garlic and onion
• cajun spices
• red pepper flakes
• shrimp
• diced canned tomato

 

Then I needed an orange.  It was a monster. 

Now I'm hangin' out with the Doc of Grey's Anatomy.  I just looked up and they were holding a face.  Looks like it's going to be a good episode...

Beans Beans the magical fruit...

Happy Thursday everyone!

I honestly had the weirdest night's sleep.  The power went out inexplicably in the middle of the night and I was so confused as to what was going on.  It woke me up, but not enough to really care so I went back to sleep.  Then my precious cat, Kitty, was rumaging through a plastic container that was on the floor at 5:00am.  WHY?!  I tried to wait it out, but I was so irritated that I got up and moved the stupid thing.

Here she is causing problems..as per usual. In a eco-friendly bag.

Morning fuel:

I made my oatmeal pancakes this morning (no pic...couldn't find my camera it was hiding under a blanket on the couch?)

• dry rolled oats about 2/3c
• milk, about 1/4c
• egg whites, 2
• cinnamon, sprinkle
• vanilla, about 1 tsp
• baking soda
• 5 walnuts
• blend blend blend

I topped them with organic honey about 1/2tbsp of all natural pb

Made a Publix run for green peppers which magically turned into many other items including this gem:

Bean Dip!  So Good.  I normally don't search for the lowest cal item or lowest fat since mosst things I eat are quite healthy.  I thought this looked really intriguing and then I saw that it was only 25cals and no fat per 2tbsp..so I had to buy it!

It is all natural with a nice spice- not too spicy at all...less spicy than a medium salsa.  It is creamy and would be the perfect salad "dressing" for a taco salad..or just with chips/crackers/veggies/eggs.

I snacked on some figs in the car on the way home from the store.

Lunch!

I made a HUGE salad with

• 1/2 small sweet potato
• strawberries
• 1 black bean and chipotle veggie burger
• 1/2 a small avocado
• a few walnuts (couldn't even tast them..kind of a waste)
• a drizzle of organic Provence des Herbs dressing...pretty good

I also had to pair it with about 3tbsp of my black bean dip with carrots and Mary's original crackers.  Great combo!  I could have used the dip as a dressing too since it would have gone well with the burger.

I got a great link from my friend Chad that has the workout plan of Evan Longoria (Ray's Third Baseman).  Chad's OBSESSED to say the least with sports..so thanks for the link!  I'll post it later..maybe we can all get shredded with the combined efforts of Jillian and Evan. Sweet.

Lie to meee...

So, I love the show Lie to Me.  It is the first really interesting TV show.  It is about these human lie detectors and they show real people's facial expressions when lying..like Bill Clinton.  So Good.

 I did my shreds.  I am still sweating up a storm.  And just when I think I am getting better at the v flys with chair squats, I look in the mirror and realize my arms aren't quite so "v" shaped.  

Din:

•  1/2c whole wheat pasta (dry)
  
• 1.5 tsp olive oil
• 2 big slices of eggplant diced
• zucchini
• onions
• red peppers
• canned diced tomatos
• a sprinkle of part skim cheese

Tip:

  If you love pasta, like me, cook a reasonable portion such as 1/2c-3/4c dry (about 1c cooked) and then load it up with veggies, chicken sausage, lean ground beef, lean ground turkey ect.  This way you feel like you are eating more and it isn't a measly 1c of pasta with sauce.

I really liked the diced tomatos as a sauce because they were slightly sweet and added a nice flavor.

Dessert:

1/2c stonyfield dark chocolate nonfat frozen yogurt..uh..yum? I probably could have polished off the entire pint.  Good thing I somehow managed to muster up self control and stop at 1/2c.  I am amazed.

Now I am going to watch the ridiculous lives of the Real Housewives.

St. Patty's Recap

So last night's festivities were FANTASTIC.  We had some delicious green beverages..green cupcakes (so cute) and just a lot of fun in general.  Here are some pics:

Yesterday's eating was SO WEIRD.  I don't know what my problem is but I just didn't want anything to eat...but wanted to eat. Weird? Yes.

I ending up eating cereal, some toast with peanut butter and jelly, some TCBY, a cookie, some crackers and hummus, some green cupcakes...all SO random.  Luckily, I swam and ran last night, 2.38miles in 22:36min..so hopefully that did something haha

Does anyone else feel like they are STARVING all of a sudden?  Is it spring...there must be a reason other than the fact that I love food and to eat.

This morning I made my normal bowl of oats:

and then honestly, an hour and a half later I was hungry!  WHY?!?!

So, I ate the rest of my delicious Quinoa Salad with some canned salmon on top and a handful of Mary's crackers.

I bought Chipotle Black Bean veggie burgers...YUM!  Pretty good stats and GREAT TASTE.  They are frozen so you don't have to gobble them up as quickly as the nonfrozen brands (Garden of Eating makes them).  I paired them with my Jalapeno Cheese and it had a really nice flavor.  Plus some tasty Pacific organic Roasted red pepper and tomato soup.

I was hungry again!  Out of control appetite.  I am like a sumo wrestler.  So, I had an apple...then a yogurt for my afternoon snack..then a bowl of flax cereal and granola after that!!!  

I was going to ride my bike, but it is looking like it's going to rain cats and dogs..so I think i'll just Shred instead :)  I think I can see some shredded muscles in my arms, like Sarah Jessica, so I am pretty pumped! Ok actually, I take that back.  Those are bazookas..I just want water guns.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!

I am currently blogging in my "Kiss me I'm Irish" shirt.  I want to wear it to work  but I work with middle schoolers so I feel like the whole, "kiss me" part might cause some problems.  Some of my friends are having a party later to celebrate this joyous day so hopefully I will have some green beer later! WAHO!

Break:

• flax cereal
• shredded wheat n bran
• banana granola
• skim milk

I then went and swam.  The weather was kind of in between today but sunny enough!

Swim workout (about 40min) in meters

700 free

100 back

50 breast

200 kick

(2) 100 free fast as possible (under 1m45s)

(2) 100 back fast as possible (under 2m)

(2) 50 free as fast as possible

(2) 50 back 

100 cool down

Post work out snack:

  I bought Jalapeno Monetary Jack cheese and really wanted to use it haha soo...I made a nice post workout snack of scrambled egg whites with one slice of the cheese and a handful of Mary's crackers

I ran to Mother Earth (like Whole Foods) and stocked up on some goodies including:

• Boomi Bars (probably have one for a snack!)
• Wraps
• Quinoa Salad
• Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt
• Mary's crackers
• Coconut Water

I bought Quinoa Salad with walnuts, cranberries, herbs, Walnut Oil, Tamari- honestly, SO GOOD.  I was freaking out at how good it was.  

I put the salad in a wrap with 

• canned salmon ( I love this stuff, great time saver!)
• cucumber
• tomato

I had it with organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup...also so good. I like how the sweet salad contrasted with the salty salmon and the soup was the perfect hint of sweetness as well.  

and an apple :)

Off to wizz-ork.  If it doesn't POUR, going for a run after work, just  a light run maybe 2 or 3 miles.  Can't wait to try a Boomi Bar for a snack..