The HDMI scam

Well I am very angry at Time Warner Cable!! They have finagled me into getting an HD box with no HDMI input!!! I don't really get the whole dilemma all I know is with my new HD TV I needed a new HD box, so I drove to TWC to get the new box and when I set it up at home it was not working! So Sean called TWC and they said that the HDMI cable did not come with the box so we need to BUY one and then it should work. So Sean brought the cable home tonight and the when we looked at the box I picked up doesn't have a hook up for an HDMI cable~ ANYWAYS~ besides the point sorry to vent I am just livid. GRRRR.... but lets move on to the good stuff!

Bfast: Cereal with a small sliced banana and a shot of Craisins with a small orange on the side and hot water: Lunch today was simple; an Almond Butter and jelly sandwich on WW (I pressed it at work, I am obsessed) with a small apple and sugar free 90 calorie rice pudding:
When I got home from work I saw Sean left his dinner leftovers out....at first I was mad cause I hate when he doesn't clean up after himself. But then I decided he left me my afternoon snack! 2 lil slices of TJ's Margarita Pizza!

It was delicious! I haven't had pizza for a while and boy oh boy it was good!

For dinner I was not sure what I wanted to make. I have a lot of choices in the cupboards and fridge, but I ended up making the thing I was most craving....PASTA! I made some WW Angel Hair and then Steam fried some kale with garlic and topped it with Marinara sauce and sauteed onions. For an extra veggie I added a sliced beet! On top is a sprinkle of Parmesan!

It was also delicious and very filling. I love WW pasta! I love how much it sticks to my ribs and how much more texture and flavor it has!

I finished my laundry from yesterday and now Sean is home so I will prepare his plate of Pasta sans the onions, he dislikes them very much unless he can't tell they are there :)

For dessert I made a lil plate of raisins, Craisins and raw Almonds:

Well that's it for me today, no Shred, my cramps are killing me so I think I will cozy up with a tea and my heating pad and call it a night! I will do double Shred to make up for today on Friday. Tomorrow is Friday!!! Anybody have V-Day plans for Saturday? Sean and I are going to a Double Feature of "From Here To Eternity" and Casablanca" YEA! I love old flicks! Then we are going to dinner at a romantic restaurant! More on V-Day plans later. Good night!

C

Hello To Do list

Well another day another dollar I say! I am exhausted!!! Today I conquered my To Do list of cleaning, phone calls, emails, and bills! Not to mention work and a work out! Fewww! I want to start with a recap of last nights eats!

It was Sean and my 1 year anniversary (since we got back together, we broke up for a 6 month period but total it's been 4 years, I will not bore you with details of relationship drama. I'll just say this, no one cheated and no one moved we just had some figuring out to do and we are happy as clams now:) So we celebrated with going to Sushi! We tried a new place in our neighborhood; Beacon. It was a wonderful place! I love when an Asian fusion place serves up good sushi! We started with Edemame, of course! Sorry for some blurry pics the mood lighting doesn't help with my blog pictures:
The plates were so cute!

We shared the Spicy Tuna, no mayo thank goodness, and I had 2 pieces:

I had a Miso soup:

And the Chinese Broccoli with Tofu and Garlic:

I also had the Yellowtail roll with Scallions:

It was so refreshing! Sean had the "Fish and Chips" The fish was a Tempura batter with a side of Yam fries!!! I had one lil guy:

Moving on to bfast this morning I had Blueberry oats with a shot of cereal, a spoon of Fage 0%, a shot of raisins, a small banana and a shot of Bear Naked Granola:

For my mid morning snack I had half this bag of Cheddar Bunnies and Gram Bunnies and 11 Almonds:

I had the other half throughout the day. For lunchies I had half this Almond Butter and Jelly WW sandwich and the orange. I grilled the sandwich again and oh my lordy it was even better this time!!!

When I got home I wasn't too hungry but wanted to have a snack so I wouldn't make a poor choice for dinner. So I had this Blueberry Crisp Cliff bar:

And later this lil apple:

For dinner I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for so I heated up some TJ's Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup and had a 1/2 turkey sandwich and a small salad with beets and red onion. It was quite filling and I am happy it was so colorful!

For dessert I had a lil Marzipan but no pic cause the thought to take the pic happened after it entered my mouth! I am off to finish the laundry and watch BIG LOVE on Netflix with the boy!

Love and sweet dreams

C

Rainy Friday

Yes it is raining cats and dogs here in LaLa Land. I am loving it up too! I love curling up by the TV and watching Gilmore Girl re-runs with Ella and my slippers!!! But before I could do all that I had a full day to fulfill!
This morning I had a wonderful bfast that held me for ever it felt like! I had a WW Light Thomas English Muffin with a spoon of Almond Butter and a small banana sliced on top. On the side I had a small orange and a small apple:
Yummy yummy! For my mid morning snack I had 2 servings of Annie's Honey Bunnies and 14 raw almonds. This snack was a great change from my usual bar or similar type "fast" snack. I counted and bagged my little treats the night before and to my surprise they held me better than a bar ever does!

For lunch I brought tofu, veggies and a beet:

I was satisfied all day long! When I got home from job #1 I wanted a lil something to keep me going for job #2 (today I did returns for both gigs I've been working) so I grabbed this new product:

Hello this stuff is sooooo good! Not too sweet and very good texture! I love Rice Pudding and Tapioca and this lil container has only 90 calories! I paired it with about 15 almonds and it made for a wonderful compliment!

Even Ella wanted to get in on the action:

She followed me the whole time I was eating this so I let her lick the container:

I know it's not good for her but I NEVER give her human food, except the occasional bite of salmon, so I thought she should get a treat too!

I did as I said and got down to business with my work out!!!!! I did the Level 1 of Jillian's 30 day shred. This was great, I probably could have done a higher level or done it twice but I am taking it slow so I don't get too sore to do round 2 on day 2 tomorrow! I love work out DVD's, especially on a rainy day like this! My living room is my own personal gym with Jillian as my own personal trainer! Man Anita on the DVD has some killer Abs!!!

For dinner I made just what I was craving; a turkey sandwich on WW double fiber bread. I put inside; spinach, red cabbage, turkey, red onion and spicy Dijon mustard. On the side I had some broccoli with Woodstock dressing, baby carrots, grape tomatoes and cucumber:

I loved the sandwich, but it was a bit dry. Any tips on condiments for sandwiches???? I sometimes use hummus and love that but I am looking for a Mayo replacement!!! Please let me know what you like!

For dessert I had a 1/3serving of Honey Bunnies and a few dried apricots. I also had a couple pieces of chocolate but gulped those down too fast to snap a pic.

I later went back for more sweets; a Coconut date roll!!!!

Ok I am now going back to the couch with my Ella and some rainy day movie. Maybe Singing in the Rain, or Breakfast at Tiffany's or Knocked Up, can't decide yet:)

Happy Friday and see you tomorrow or Sunday!!

C

Calorie Burning Monday

This day has been very productive for me! I slept in a bit -8:30- but it felt so nice and I am not ashamed :) When I got out of bed I had a stretch and went straight to the kitchen to make a bit pot of oats! I made 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, dash of Cinnamon, 1 shot Craisins, 1 shot raisins, 1/2 handful of Quaker Oatmeal Squares and 1/2 shot sliced almonds:
I also had a cup-o-coffee not pictured. I showered, cleaned up bfast dishes and got dressed for work. I am having a hard time adjusting my lunch meal around my 11PM shift. I don't know whether to eat before I leave or at my 3PM break or what! So even though I was still quite satisfied from bfast I forced down a snack to hold me or possibly replace my lunch. I had a big red delicious some Mrs. May's and a Cliff bar:

At work I was glad I had a snack because I didn't end up taking my break until 4:30PM! I had a couple cups of Mogicha Tea and I made the Perfect Non-fat Vanilla Latte! My first officially "good foam" added to 2 shots Espresso and a shot of sugar free vanilla-yummmm! Sorry no pic, I can't even bust out my phone at work so a camera as of now if off limits.

I wore my HRM during my shift today to see how it compares with a day of sitting on my butt and working on set. This is the first test and here are the results:

Time: 5 hours

Calories: 900-whoop whoop!

I then walked to Albertson's to get ingredients for dinner. That burned 40 more calories! Can you believe 940 calories with no intended work out! I am curious to see what the totals are tomorrow where I will be wrapping the set I built on Saturday, and on Thursday where I will be in Traffic School-bummer I know. I think this is the ultimate experiment- variables included!

When I returned home I was pretty tired and needed some fuel for cooking so I snacked on this and read my new magazines. Eggplant Hummus with carrots and edemame:

So lately I have been craving an old time favorite of mine that I am surprised I haven't made sooner; Kale and Tofu with brown rice!!!!

Kale and Tofu Recipe

It all starts with this:

I have not tried this pre-cut and pre-washed package of kale before but it is a huge time saver and I love the no clean up!

Ingredients:

• 1 package Kale or 1-2 bunches chopped
• 1 package Tofu
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Hot Sesame Oil or not hot
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 4-6 cloves garlic minced

The brands I use:

This is how I cut my tofu- 12 pieces 1 inch thick. The thinner you slice the tofu the quicker they will brown and they absorb more flavor. Because I use med-firm tofu it falls apart a bit and you can mix it like a hash, but you can use firm tofu and the kale and tofu will stay separated. It is your choice.
Add oils to pan and saute garlic

Add tofu in one layer and add 1 tbsp of soy sauce

Brown Tofu on both sides over Med High heat Mix water, pepper and 2 remaining tbsp of soy sauce. Add whole package of kale to pan on top of tofu. Pour water mix on top and quickly cover pan. Steam fry for 3-5 min until kale stems are soft. I like my kale like I like my broccoli- aldante!

Remove lid and toss gentlyServe with brown rice!

Tonight I am trying a new product from Costco; pre-cooked brown rice! All you do is microwave it!

Here is my plate! I had 2 servings like this!!!! I could really eat the whole pot, but I will savor it and have some tomorrow too! I like to make a lot of this at once and heat it up or eat it cold!

Hope you enjoy my favorite meal! I am off to watch some tube and get a good night's rest- tomorrow I will be doing some serious manual labor!

C

What's With Wanting.....

to SNACK!!!! I got home from my shift at 1PM was procrastinating the things I had to do. Just didn't want to commit yet- does this happen to you? So my belly was full yet I was still snacky! I hate this feeling, a bottomless pit if you will.

I started my day off great with a bowl of cereal like the past few days- I can't get enough! I had: 1 cup Kashi Sunshine, 1 cup Organic Heritage Flakes, 1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 shot Bare Naked Granola, 1 Mission Fig chopped and 1/2 a banana.

I woke super early. Sean had to wake up at 4:45am and once the alarm went off, and my eyes opened I was immediately hungry! So sleeping was no longer an option:) After my bfast and before I left for work I had this yummy Larabar in Peanut Butter Cookie.
At work I had some iced Mugicha (Japanese Barley tea). It is decaffeinated-good thing cause too much makes me so wired! Sorry no pic I was afraid to bust out the camera and explain my blog on day 2. For lunch I ate the wrap I made last night with Tofurky, light Munster and Eggplant hummus with baby carrots. I was very satisfied for a good couple of hours! By the time I got home I wasn't really hungry, but as I said earlier I was distracted and procrastinating... so I ate. Bad I know. It allnstarted with a small innocent orange~

Then I had 4 prunes and a dried tamarind pod~

Then went back for more prunes, tamarind and added a shy spoon of Almond Butter for protein~

Literally 2 hours later I wanted more-hmmmm... I figured I needed some carbs so I had 2 shots of kefir, 1/4 cup of Organic Heritage Flakes, 1/2 shot of raisins, 1/2 shot of sliced almonds. This time I sat down to really enjoy it. The earlier snacks were eaten standing up in the kitchen and thinking of my to do list. I knew this time I needed to process what was going into my mouth!

For dinner I had planned to make King Ranch Chicken (low fat version) so as I prepped I made myself a Faux-tini! What a treat! These are not only fun to make and fun to drink but oh so pretty too!

BlueLime Faux-tini:

• 3-5 limes freshly squeezed = 2 tbsp of lime juice


• 1 shot frozen wild blueberries


• 1/2 cup sparkling lime water


• 1 Splenda pack or 1/2 tbsp of Agave


• 1 cup ice

Add all ingredients except water to a shaker (or a glass will do) and "muttle" (which is to mush or bash) with spoon until blueberries release their color and the lime is mixed up. Add the sparkling water and mix again. Strain into Martini glass and garnish by spooning in bits of blueberries. Drink and enjoy the guilt free delite! This drink is very refreshing, sour and sweet at the same time!

Here is my finished dish of King Ranch Chicken. The left side is my even lighter version with brown rice instead of chips and light Munster instead of Cheddar. The right side is for the boyfriend; full fat and twice the amount, you can see he already dug in before I could snap my pic :)

My plate: this is one large serving, it has a little less than half of the above pictured healthy side. With the last of the bag of baby carrots.

I had some of this as well! My favorite light beer.

I don't foresee any dessert on tonight's menu so I guess that's all for today! I think it's plenty!

Have a happy Friday night ya'll!

C