Maternity Leave- Day 1

Yay! I’m on maternity leave! Can I please burn the black maternity pants I’ve been wearing 4 days a week for the past month? (You think I’m kidding, but I’m not.)

 

I know that some women feel that they would go nuts being home all the time waiting for the baby to come, but I’m the opposite. I’m really happy to have this extra time at home and I’ll take whatever days I can get. I’m just soaking up the relaxation and flexibility that I have right now. I know I will meet my little girl soon and I am not trying to rush anything. So you won’t hear about me eating habanero peppers or bouncing on a trampoline to induce labor before it’s time.

 

What I’ve done is to schedule a few small activities for each day this week and leisurely get around to doing them. I also plan to cook nice dinners for Joe and try and keep the house neat.

 

Today’s agenda items we’re:

1. To go to the mall to return a sweater for Joe before the receipt expired and use a $10 rewards card at Pottery Barn Kids that also expires this weekend.

2. To hit up Trader Joe’s for some food and dinner ingredients.

 

Mission accomplished!

 

At Pottery Barn Kids I was excited to find these pacifier holders on sale from $8.99 to $5.99 each. I bought two and they cost me only $2.70.

At Trader Joe’s I picked up a whole bunch of things (and subsequently needed 10 bags to make sure they were light enough).

 

Produce

Snacks

(These I actually got a the regular store yesterday- I’m looking forward to trying the new flavors)

 

Something new

And I also got dinner ingredients. Tonight I’m making turkey tacos and Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salad on the side.

 

I’m about to sit down and eat some lunch now- a spinach salad topped with lots of goat cheese. I got this 11oz. log at TJ’s for only $4.79. I thought it was a pretty good deal.

I’m also going to have a piece of toast on the side. Have you guys tried this bread? It’s delicious and makes the best toast.

Come to think of it, I’ll be surprised if I even end up with a salad and not just bread and cheese. But we’ll see…

 

Hope you are all enjoying your day! I will be back later with another post. I want to share with you a recipe that we tried last night for dinner that was a real winner!

Read Full Post »

Rush

This afternoon was crazy. The time just kept slipping through my fingers. 

I blame the weather for taking me so long to get everywhere. I’m such a slow driver when there is precipitation on the road.

 

After a few errands I flew in the door, and then back out the door to the gym.

 

I started with speed intervals on the treadmill. I would run 0.25 miles at 6.0 (10 /mi)and then 0.25 at 7.0 (8:35 /mi). I continued this for 3 miles with a short walking break for about 2 minutes.

 

It wasn’t really that fun.

After that I did some ellipticalling while reading magazines and watching TV for about 15 minutes. Now that was fun.

 

I came home and realized I had about 40 minutes or less to shower, eat, and get out the door for student teaching orientation.

 

Food was prepared on the fly and scarfed in a hurry.

I nuked a tortilla with apple and cheddar and on the side had a pomegranate chobani.

The wrap was okay, but the yogurt stole the show. This is my fav flavor.

It’s official.

 

Student teaching orientation was okay, I got to meet my supervisor and it was nice to mingle with other people who are just as nervous as I am!

 

What’s your favorite yogurt flavor?

Don’t forget to enter my Multigrain Cheerios giveaway! I’ll be picking a winner later tonight.

Read Full Post »

Testing my Patience

Although I don’t have to take my second test until tomorrow, I figured I might as well have some fun testing my own patience this morning.

 

Test #1: Making wheatberries for breakfast

 

I have had this huge bag of wheatberries in the pantry for months (maybe even a year by now). I made them a while ago for a wheatberry salad that I just didn’t like. So after that, I stored them and forgot about them.

 

This morning when I was craving some kind of grain (not oatmeal) for breakfast I dug them out of the pantry.  I kind of forgot that they take at least an hour to cook.

To quiet my hunger while I waited, I ate a banana and sipped on coffee.

 

I cooked the wheatberries in almond milk with a little salt, vanilla, and cinnamon

 

They kind of look like popcorn kernals

Topped with Blueberry Chobani and some fresh strawberries

Mixed up with a little maple syrup on top.

 

Was it worth the wait? Yea! They were great!

 

Test #2: Figuring out my new ipod

My awesome sister got me an ipod shuffle for X-mas but I hadn’t used it yet. This is such a great gift for a runner because it is easy to clip to your pants or top and it doesn’t require an armband.

The ipod armband I wore during my half marathon caused such bad chafing I swore I’d never wear it again.

 

I don’t know about you guys, but working with itunes is such a nightmare for me. I want to copy my songs from my old ipod to my new one and no, i don’t want to lose anything on either.

 

I attempted to try a few things with my ipod and now it’s not even registering on itunes. So I ended up going to the Apple store which was a total madhouse and waiting 45 minutes for a 2 second fix.

 

I just got home and plugged in the shuffle and it’s still not recognizing it.

Was it worth the wait? NOOOOOOOOOOooooo and now i have more work to do on this.

(updated to add…turns out i just needed the newest version of itunes. woops)

 

What is testing your patience today?

Read Full Post »

Keepin it Simple

This morning started out with a simple breakfast

Vanilla chobani with blackberries and mango

Bagel thin with cream cheese

Black coffee

 

After breakfast I got started on my to-do list. Paying bills online, updating my grocery budget, and looking online for some belated holiday gifts.

 

My Dad’s family doesn’t get together until after the holidays are over so I still need to finalize their gifts.

 

Normally, it’s nice to be able to shop when the holiday rush is over and I can usually get really good stuff on sale.

 

This year though, I’ve decided to keep it simple and go with gift cards.

I always thought that gift cards are kind of impersonal and don’t show that much creativity. But at the same time, I LOVE GETTING THEM! I’m taking time to carefully select them for each person, and I feel really good about it.

 

My plans for the rest of the day are pretty simple too.

A run

Some studying

Quick trip to the mall

 

How do you feel about gift cards? Impersonal? Or the perfect gift?

Read Full Post »

Daily Digest

Finally! I’m back!

It’s been a long but very productive day.

 

It was actually kind of nice to not have access to the computer for the first part of the day. It cut into my "sitting around and drinking coffee while reading blogs time" and helped to get my butt out the door for a run.

 

AND I NEEDED THIS RUN.

 

Here’s WHY:

Last night I realized that I registered for the wrong Praxis test that I need to take in January for teaching certification. I was trying to change it online and because I’m impulsive and was not thinking clearly, I ended up cancelling the test by accident. I should have just waited until today when I could talk to a representative. BUT NO. I  was panicking and felt that I needed to do it IMMEDIATELY.

So now the website tells me that I will only get back $30 of the $120 I spent to register.

I called today but they can’t see it in their system yet, so I need to stew over my stupidity for another few days.

There was crying.

And pillow punching.

I just threw $90 into the toilet. Great.

I really have an issue with being 5 steps ahead of myself sometimes and not being able to see the bigger picture. I felt totally overwhelmed when I realized I registered for the wrong test, that I honed in on that and couldn’t think straight. Lesson learned. I just really hope they will be understanding enough to give me more than the $30 refund. (Since I will be rescheduling a test on the SAME day and SAME time).

 

Run was good- 5 miles/49 minutes.

 

After my run, I hit up Trader Joe’s for a few things. Including some corn on the cob which was rotten and I need to take it back. Gross!

 

Lunch was a loaded sweet potato with black beans, cheese, corn and bean salsa, and greek yogurt.

 

Pre salsa & yogurt

With all the fixins

Dinner was turkey burgers w/pepperjack cheese (grilled the outside in the cold and rain but it was worth it) along with zucchini fries, carrot sticks, and one of those little persian cucumbers. 

Side Note: This picture only shows a small portion of the zucchini fries that I actually consumed. SO ADDICTING AND DELICIOUS!

Now I’m going to unwind a little and catch up on some blog reading!

 

Are you impulsive when you are feeling anxious?
Have you ever lost money on something stupid and just felt sick over it?

Do you grill in the winter?

Read Full Post »

How to cut a butternut squash and still have 10 fingers

As I’m writing this, I’m finishing up a delicious post workout snack.

Honey flavored Chobani with Mariani Cinnamon Raisin Bread flavored raisins. I got these as a free sample, and they are incredibly delicious!

 

Oh and yes, I did workout today! 35 easy minutes on the elliptical and 10 solid minutes of stretching. My muscles feel loose and I feel refreshed.

I also just spent some time in the kitchen prepping some veggies for roasting. And I thought it might be a good idea to show you my favorite way to prep butternut squash. These things are tricky to cut, and hopefully this will simplify things.

 

First things first. You will need:

A cutting board

A big knife

Start by washing the squash. You are going to keep the skin on, so it needs to be cleaned. I did eventually remove the produce sticker as well.

 

Cut the ends off the squash. You don’t want to eat these, and this will also help you maintain a sturdy cutting surface.

 

Now cut the squash in half. Not down the middle (that’s dangerous), just cut at the narrowest part of the neck, so you’re separating the neck and the bulb. Then cut the bulb in half.

De-seed the squash. I like to use an ice cream scoop.

Now flip the bulb over and cut into half moons. When you’re done, cut the neck in half and slice the same way.

There you have it! All about the same size/thickness, all fingers in tact.

 

Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast at 425 for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

Have you tried butternut squash with the skin on? – Best thing ever!
What are your favorite kitchen tools?- I love my big knives and kitchen scissors are great too!

Read Full Post »

Chobani, how do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.

 

For those of you that read my blog, you know I have a love affair with greek yogurt, but more specifically, Chobani.

 

That is why I was THRILLED when Emily from Chobani contacted me and asked if I’d like a few to try and chat about on the blog. Um, yes please!

 

For some reason the first package didn’t arrive when it was supposed to, and I was out of all of my chobani. I tried to hold out, but I ended up stocking up on Monday. Then yesterday, I opened my door and there was my package. (Thanks Shari!)

My fridge is now a greek yogurt explosion. And I love it.

 

I often eat the plain 0% version and doctor it up with PB flour, or cinnamon, or I use it as a sour cream/mayo sub in tuna salad or on tacos.

I was excited to see some fancy flavors in the package that I had never tried.

 

I decided to go for the Strawberry/Banana 2% this morning.

Alongside was a bagel thin, egg whites, and cheese sandwich. And of course coffee.

The yogurt is rich and creamy and the banana flavor is subtle. It’s not fake tasting at all. And the strawberry isn’t overly sweet either.

Mmm Mmm good!

 

Now that I am loaded up on calcium and protein, I need to get my day started. No sitting around all day like I did yesterday.

 

See you this afternoon!

 

* The chobani was given to me free by the company. However, all reviews are my own opinions.

Read Full Post »

Nerves vs. Excitement

Do you ever find it hard to distinguish the two?

 

Sometimes I do, but usually I can tell the difference. I’ve been nervous about my upcoming race, but finally this morning I started to feel the excitement. Hooray!

 

When I’m nervous I feel: nauseous, heart pounding, can’t eat, can’t sleep, constantly making lists, prefer to be alone, need quiet

 

When I’m excited I feel: lighthearted, energetic, eat more, still can’t sleep,  chatty, a little jittery, love music and dancing around

 

I do struggle with my nerves often. I would consider myself a high anxiety person.  I’m also a planner and a communicator.

I don’t do well without a schedule and I’m the person that always wants to make sure "we’re on the same page"

 

Another thing I was excited about this morning was my breakfast.  Starting the day with peanut butter and chocolate will have that effect on you.

 

1 cup chobani plain + 15g peanut flour + 2 splendas (optional)

Topped with 1 warmed deep chocolate vitatop

A great way to start the day.

 

Tell me more about you.

Are you a nervous person or more laid back?

How does being anxious affect you?

What are you excited about today?

Read Full Post »

Playlist Help

Hi everyone, happy Monday!

 

How was the rest of your weekend? Mine was good despite the disgusting Steelers loss last night.

 

So yesterday I went for a quick 3 mile run yesterday and realized, I need some new tunes.

 

Do you guys any good suggestions for songs? I’d like to create a new playlist before the 1/2 marathon on Sunday.

 

Breakfast this morning was simple. Just a bagel thin and some plain chobani with peanut flour. I’m really obsessed with this peanut flour.

 

 

On the agenda for today?

• Lesson Plans/Homework
• Library
• Costco
• Trader Joe’s
• Regular Grocery Store
• CVS to pick up a prescription

Please share your playlists and song suggestions with me!!

What’s on your agenda today?

Read Full Post »

Dirty Chili and a Jar of Juice

When I wrote my first post on this blog I told you that there were some things that I just wouldn’t do. Here’s #6 on that list.

 

6.) Create pretty meals even if it meant running late, eating too much, going insane

 

Tonight I will certainly be following through.

And now, without further ado, I present you:

Dirty chili

And a jar of juice

The chili was from the freezer, leftovers of my turkey chili recipe. You can find the recipe here.

 

When I reheated my chili, it splattered all over the bowl as it often does. As much as I wanted to clean it for you, I was just too tired. I plopped some greek yogurt on top, a splash of hot sauce, a few raw onions, and that was that.

The jar of juice was created earlier today when I needed a small bottle for water to bring on my run. I dumped out a little bottle of lite cranberry in the closest container I could grab (this mason jar). It was ice cold and ready for drinking with dinner.

 

Juice in a jar- has a ring to it, doesn’t it?

 

Was your dinner ugly or pretty?

Read Full Post »