Thursday, October 29, 2009

Life Is Like A Bag Of Chocolates

Hey guys!  I’m a little off my blogging schedule – not enough hours in the day, ya know?  I’m faltering with my “to-do list”!  I started off great but, I got side-tracked with other things and now my list is a mile long again.  Pffft!!

The morning began with the growl of my stomach.  That is one annoying alarm clock ;P  Breakfast was definitely in order before gyming it.  I munched down a Thomas’ Light Multigrain English Muffin with homemade almond butter and a pear…

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Almond butter is so good.  And sooo hard to control!  I could eat gobs of it, but I have to keep reminding myself:  A serving is 2 tbsp., a serving is 2 tbsp.  Yes, I chant this as I spread it :)  I have received some requests for this recipe, so here it is…

Homemade Almond Butter

  • 1 cup whole almonds, roasted
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. olive oil (not extra virgin)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 7-10 minutes. Watch closely to not burn.
  2. Place nuts in food processor and pulse until nuts are fully chopped.  Add salt, honey and oil.
  3. Continue to process until creamy;  this may take 5-7 minutes.
  4. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
  5. Try not to eat the whole thing.
  6. Good luck with that :)

Then, I drug myself to the gym.  I know that’s not a word, but it is when you don’t want to go to the gym.  Drug is way worse than dragged ;P  I usually like the gym, but since I’m restricted to the recumbent bike  til this dizziness goes away, I’m less than thrilled.  For some reason, the bike just doesn’t do it for me.  It’s boring and I don’t feel like I’m doing much of anything  for a workout.  I did try to pump up the resistance, which definitely was a challenge, but it’s still just “meh” to me.  Maybe, I’ll learn to like it??

I was ready for lunch after my non-exciting gym experience.  I couldn’t wait to get some food.  It was one of THOSE days.  Lunch was a Health is Wealth Chicken Free Patty on a deli flat with guacamole, chopped tomatoes and spinach.  Some soy crisps and carrots filled up the rest of my plate…

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But not the rest of my stomach!!!  No, really my stomach was full, but my brain did not get that memo.  It was too focused on these Halloween candies…

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My favorite…

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A close second…

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What I thought I should have instead…

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What I did have… all of the above.  And CHEEZ-ITS!  I hate those friggers!

Dinner, as if I needed it, was a delicious bowl of Cheesy Polenta with mushrooms and asparagus…

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I used this Polenta recipe from Everyday Food

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It was a beautiful thing.  So is chocolate.  I know it so well :)

ONE GOOD THING:  I did not eat 105 pieces of chocolate :D

Question of the Day:  What is your favorite exercise machine at the gym/home?

25 comments:

Unknown said...

We all have days like this! You still ate very well - and a little chocolate is good for you, lol!
Thanks for the recipe for the almond butter, I'm definitely going to try it!

Amanda said...

That almond butter recipe seems so good!

My favorite thing to do at the gym is really not the machines at all. I like the step aerobics classes and kickboxing classes the most (with some weights and abs thrown in sometimes). But if I do the machines, I like the ellipical strider thing the best. Sometimes the treadmill.

I really don't like the bike either. It's kind of boring in my opinion. But I do have a bike at home. I only use it very occasionally.

A Daunting Tale of Scale Warfare said...

Emmm almond butter....polenta....I need to eat my lunch so that I dont eat the computer screen!

I've decided to wait until Halloween to buy the candy. If I have it in my house now...well lets just say I'd have to not answer the door, there'd be no candy for the kiddies!

Sunny said...

hahaha!! :D i couldn't have resisted all that chocolate either!!

Di said...

My favorite exer4cie is walking ! I can do it anywhere , at any time, and i never have to wait till someone else is ready to move from where they are/finish what the are doing or anything else. On busy and bad weather days I do The Gerbil in The Habitrail Work Out where I set the time and pace the hallway. Not glamorous, but it gets the job done. Strap on an MP3 player and it is Mommy's Little Vacation. I can almost always get this kind of exercise in on all but my busiest days.

*Irene* said...

I feel the same way about the bike. My favorite machine (some days I hate it because it kicks my ass) is the Precor AMT 100i. It's the yellow looking elliptical. It's pretty much amazing. :)

katherine said...

Thanks for the AB recipe! My favorite thing to do at the gym is usually a class - pilates, kickboxing, cardio, etc. I'll use the treadmill if I have to get a training run in, but I much prefer to run outside!

Joanna Sutter (Fitness & Spice) said...

I like to spin! I have a spinning bike at home now and I actually use it! Otherwise at the gym I like the revolving stair machine! It kicks my...glutes!

bostonred said...

I have to say I do like the recumbent bike! Especially when my knees are bothering me. I use the 'random hills' setting on my gym's recumbent bike and push as hard as I can on the resistance setting. I wind up changing the resistance constantly. The program makes a big difference -- sometimes I can only burn 350 calories or so in an hour, but I did just over 500 the other day on a particularly hilly course!
I don't read or anything while doing it, I just try to keep at at least 80 RPM. I do rock out to my ipod though ;-)
good luck!

Lori said...

I love the free weights! My very favorite equipment :D

I am so in love with homemade nut butters,it isn't funny!

Melissa said...

Thanks for the almond butter recipe!! I'll have to try that!
I was inspired by your pomegranite post yesterday and bought one and got it all prepared and ate it. My first one ever and it was great!!

Psalmist said...

That polenta looked so good...

Oh...

I'm a free weights gal. They are my favorite thing in the gym. For cardio, I am liking "hiking" the treadmill set on a high incline.

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

homemade almond butter-LOVE ITTTT thanks for sharing the recipe, I am always looking for new twists on homemade nut butters!!

my favorite exercise machine at the gym is this lifefitness free cable machine-it is so versitile! you can do everything from squats to back rows, to tricep exerices it works the whole body in one machine! lov eit!

Lillian @ LHGM said...

YUM - I love Polenta and haven't had it in forever - thanks for the inspiration:)

Anonymous said...

I could leave all candy behind, but I cannot have Cheez-Its in the house!

Growing up my Mom ate a small pyrex bowl of Cheez-its every night before bed - my daughter grew up on Cheez-Its, and when money was tight way back when, I tried to bring Cheese Nips into the house - which I was quickly told taste nothing like Cheez-Itz!

Tricia said...

While my favorite exercise is running, I HATE the treadmill. So I would have to say the elliptical.

Yum, the almond butter looks great!

Michelle said...

Hhaha good for you for not eating 100 pieces of chocolate!! I like to save myself for Girardelli’s cuz that’s my favorite brand. SO GOOD. Nice almond butter recipe! That’s really little oil for an AB recipe and your butter looks REALLY good. Thank you for sharing!!!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

Thanks for the almond butter recipe. Once I get a "real" food processor (I have a tiny mini one), I'll give this a try.

I alternate between the treadmill, the elliptical, and the stair climber. Honestly, after a while, I get sick of all of them. But mixing it up does seem to help. I think for me key is to get outdoor cardio sessions in whenever I can (which is unfortunately not very often these days).

Danica's Daily said...

LOVE your title too :D LOL.

I LOVE making my own almond butter too - it's so easy and good and ADDICTING! I have found it helps me keep it in check if I have it twice a day - 1 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp :)

OMG, I could not be left in your house with 105 pieces of chocolate open.

Anonymous said...

I love Halloween--however, I am thankful that I live in Australia to be completely honest. I am not tempted... :) However, try to do some intervals with the biking. 20 sec hard, 30 sec easy..something like that. that always helps me.

Miss Felicity said...

Thank you for sharing your almond butter recipe. And all the marvelous pictures of your lovely snacks and meals. Cant wait till I buy a new camera phone so I can take pictures again and post them on my blog. You look great. Congrats on all your weightloss. I am on day 13 of mine!

Annabel said...

Homemade almond butter?! you are amazing!

MizFit said...

life is like a BAG OF CANDY CORN :)
did you see?
it's national candy corn day.

have a great weekend.

Miz, who loves all things weights and iron.

Marisa @Loser for Life said...

A Daunting Scale - you are brilliant for waiting!!

ISF - LOL @ Gerbil In The Habitrail Workout!

bostonred - thanks! I may try that workout!

Melissa - oooh, glad you tried it and liked it!

biz319 - yeah, Cheese Nips are NOTHING like Cheez-Its - lol! I'm in good company with your MOM!

Unknown said...

I LOVE POLENTA!!!