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…

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…

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…

My favorite…

A close second…

What I thought I should have instead…

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…

I used this Polenta recipe from Everyday Food …

 

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?

Crankin’ It Out

I am on a roll crankin’ out my list of  things “to do”!  It feels so great to cross those suckers off as I go through the day.  Why have I not done this before??  Apparently, I’ve tried.  I came across a list of “to do” in a notebook that I had written in the summer.  Whoops!  Funny, many of the items I had written then, ended up on my current list!  At least, I remembered them :)

I took the day off from official exercising , but I made sure to huff it as I was tackling the list, so at least “movement” was involved.  I decided on a long lasting breakfast on Green Eggs and Ham – egg whites, diced ham, baby spinach and a slice of asiago cheese…

It was good, however, I made the GIANT mistake of eating it while watching my boyfriend talk about hemorrhoids.   I almost barfed.  I might have to break up with him, now.  It was very bad, but an excellent appetite suppressant at the time.

I made it all the way to lunch with no problems.  Visuals of roids helped:) I chose to go with a wrap made with turkey, Laughing Cow Light cheese, Wasabi mustard (love), lettuce and roasted pepper rolled in a Joseph’s Lavash Bread.  So fab with a super sweet fuji apple…

I spent the afternoon crossing more stuff off the list and unfortunately did some digging in the pantry.  Crap!  I’m not sure what was up with that;  I tried to detect the feeling, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was causing this mini-binge.  Looking back, I guess it was a variety of a couple things – anxiety and frustration probably being the main players.  Anyway, it involved sweet potato tortilla chips, string cheese and a BIG handful of nuts.  I felt badly for a minute after chowing this stuff, but then, I tried to find some good.  I’ll leave that for ya at the end :)

I had a PLAN for dinner!  Getting my dinner making mojo back!  I was inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light for Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce.  I changed it up a bit by using more wine and adding baby bella mushrooms…

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• s+p
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 container (think it’s 10 or 12 oz.) fresh baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• 1/4 c. pitted kalamata olives

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  In a large pan (dutch oven), heat oil  and add to pan.  Brown on both sides.  Remove chicken to a warm plate and set aside.
2. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.  Slowly add the wine, while scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits.  Add in the tomatoes, mushrooms and olives.  Return the chicken to the pan, along with any juices from the plate.
3. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.

The end result was deliciously moist chicken with a rich tasting sauce.  Little daughter :  Mom, this chicken is good.  YES!  She said that!  And she wasn’t even trying to hit me up for something!  I swear, the band started to play and confetti fell from the sky!  This one goes in the keeper file :)

I served it with a green salad and whole wheat naan.  Good stuff…

I ended the night with a dose of antioxidants ;P

ONE GOOD THING:  Although, I wasn’t able to pin down the feeling that was running my mini-binge this afternoon so that I could try to stop it, the foods that I overate were very different than what I would have chosen in the past.  Normally, it would have been lots and lots of sweets(cookies, chocolate, brownies), then change over to lots and lots of salty( pretzels, cheeses, Doritos, fast food);  those type of things.  But this time, I chose sweet potato tortilla chips, a light string cheese and mixed nuts.  Although I ate a lot of the chips and a lot of the nuts, it was a different eating experience.  I didn’t feel like total crap afterward from the bad fats and loads of sugar.   Basically, what I ate was considered “healthy”, it was just too much of it.  Too much of anything isn’t good and the fact remains that I overate ,ate when I wasn’t hungry and was using food as a crutch.  But, I liked being able to acknowledge that the food choices changed and hopefully, that is a another sign of a step in the right direction :)

Question(s) of the Day:  Are you a “to do” list maker?  Do you find you accomplish more with a list?