Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Day 135

Woke up and went to spin class. I felt so good after the class that I weighed myself at the gym, guess what folks! I have lost another 5 lbs since I started my spin class! That makes a total weight loss of 28 lbs! I feel amazing!

For Breakfast: (before spin class) I had a small cup of organic low fat granola with rice milk. (after spin class) I had a double non-fat vanilla latte.

After my classes I met up with Cassi and we went over to Biosonics, I asked my parents if I could borrow a piece of luggage, I don't have any of my own. Then I took Cassi to Tacos Guaymas for that fantastic taco salad.

For lunch: Salad with lettuce sauteed shrimp, peppers, and onions with guacamole and pico de gallo.

I have to finish up some things before I leave town for the weekend, and I have to pack!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Day 134

I got home early from work tonight. I watched the biggest loser and now I am going to go to bed because I have spin class tomorrow morning!

For Dinner: a bowl of cheerios with rice milk (I had a couple bites of lentil soup tonight at work too)

For Dessert: I nibbled on a few chocolate chips just for something sweet.

Day 134

Well I was a sleepy girl today. I woke up to take Cassi to school and I got right back in bed. I am getting excited for this weekend, I don't know if I have written about it yet but Cassi and I are going to McCall Idaho on Thursday. We are flying into Boise to meet up with her friend Teresa and then Driving to McCall, they tell me it's about two hours away. This time of year, every year they have something called Winter Carnival, it's a festival with snow sculptures and a parade, I'm psyched! We are going to stay in a big condo on a winter lake, and it's going to be like a winter wonderland . . . I hope.

I didn't eat breakfast today, I went to class and then was so hungry! I went into Il Fornaio to say hi to Cassi and ate lunch there. I ended up picking up a shift tonight so I guess I will be raking in a little dough tonight.

For Lunch: Spinach salad with grilled Salmon, mushrooms, walnuts, onions, and avocado with lemon.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Day 133

Spin Class again this morning, I love it! I ate a couple handfuls of cheerios for breakfast.

Cassi and I ended up staying up late last night doing homework so I was super tired this morning. After I got home from class, I ate lunch and then took a nap.

For Lunch: Two eggs and a cup of harvest blend, it's a Trader Joe's Blend of lentils, couscous, and orzo. Not that good for me, but we are down to our last resorts here at our apartment.

I went to work and finally made some money, now I am home and just ate a little bit of dinner and now I am off to bed.

For Dinner: pounded chicken breast cutlets sauteed in Olive oil and then simmered in tomato sauce.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Day 132

Cassi and I had a big day planned out with Spencer, Cassi's 5 year old cousin. It was his turn to have a play date with us so we geared up in the morning and headed out.

For breakfast: cup of Cheerios and a Sot Latte from Vivace, the best.

We picked up Spencer and surprised him by taking him the Chuck E. Cheese's! We got some pizza and some game tokens and we had a blast.

For lunch: A slice of pizza, just olives (Spencer's request) and a salad from the salad bar. ( Romaine with carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, olives, cucumber, and vinaigrette. Iced Tea.

We were there for a couple of hours playing games and collecting tickets, it was insane there! So many kids, and so many adults chasing after the kids, Spencer, Cassi and I were very well behaved.

Then we went back to our apartment and had some relax time, we watched Monster's Inc. And chilled on the couch. By the time it was done it was time for us to go to Cassi's soccer game. We went early and kicked the ball around.

It was raining so hard at the game that Spencer and I had leave. I took Spencer to McDonalds and he got a Happy meal, which indeed made him very happy! I haven't been in a McDonald's for so long I was please to find out that there were some healthier options, Spencer had a cheeseburger with apple slices and apple juice.

After the game, which we won and Cassi had a goal, it was time for us to drop Spencer off. Now we are home and just finished eating dinner. We are so tired from our play date and I am about to hit the hay!

For Dinner: We had another round of Cioppino with Mahi Mahi and Garlic crostinis. This dish is really good!

Spin class tomorrow, Goodnight!

Day 131

We woke up and Cassi got ready for her GRE class. I dropped her off and then I refilled the propane tank for our grill. I was feeling like I needed to do some cooking so I decided to cook up a bag of the dungeness crab we have in our freezer from the Orcas Island trip this summer. I cooked all of the crab and spent the next 3 1/2 hours cleaning it. I watched a couple of shows on the computer and sat there and cleaned 7 crab halves! By the time I was finsihed it was time to get Cassi. We went to the grocery store and got a few things for dinner. With all the crab I cleaned I decided wer were going to have Cioppino tonight!

Homemade Cioppino with grilled Mahi Mahi
Filet of Mahi Mahi seasoned with a dash of Old Bay Seasoning and sprayed with Olive oil for the grill. ( I grilled this when my soup was almost finished to make sure it was nice and hot!)

For The Soup . . .
1/2 medium onion chopped
1-2 medium carrot chopped
1-2 celery chopped
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 can of whole stewed tomatoes, pureed
1 32oz chicken stock
1 bag of Trader Joe's Seafood Medley (scallops, calamari, and shrimp)
1 1/2 cups of lump crab meat (dungeness: a lot of work!)
1 Tblsp of Olive oil to saute the onions, carrots, and celery.
Old Bay Seaoning, to taste
White Wine just 1/4 cup, maybe a 1/2 cup.
Bay Leaf
Hot Peppery pepper blend: Black, Chili Pepper, and Cayenne.

I made my soup in my cast iron skillet, my big one! I sauteed the Onions Carrots and Celery, then added the seasoning and the white wine. I let that simmer down and then added the tomato puree and the chicken stock and brought everything to a boil. This is when I added the seafood medley and the crab meat and garlic. I let this simmer down until seafood was fully cooked and the broth had slightly thickened. To plate: I ladled the soup into a bowl and placed the freshly grilled Mahi Mahi filet in the middle, then I sprinkled some Fleur de Sel on top and served with grilled crostinis. (Baguette sliced on the diagonal and brushed with olive oil. I grilled the bread on both sides until brown and crispy and right before serving, I rubbed with garlic.) The soup was so good!

After our bellies were filled with that great cioppino we sat down and watched a movie- Traffic. For Dessert we each had a cup of organic applesauce, sprinkled with cinnamon.

It was an awesome night. So nice to just stay at home and relax with one another!

Day 130

Went to my spin class again today, and once again it made me feel AMAZING! It was early, but not too bad.

For Breakfast: Regular cheerios rice milk.

Two years ago today, Cassi and I got together, so . . . it's a special day for us!

After my first class I came home and did my last minute prep for my Focus group. We had our first Taste Test today in class, I had to prep a whole bunch of carrots, that's what we tested. I bought regular old carrots, and then I bought those organic local carrots from the farmer's market. It was awesome. The presentations today were on food Culture, experiencing different cultures, and what our own cultures are. We had such an amazing discussion that lasted the entire 2 hours. I feel like the class has been a huge success so far! I absolutely love it, it makes me feel like I want to teach, probably because I get to walk into a room and do exactly what I want, because I plan the class! The people in the class are really enjoying it too!

After class I came home and relaxed a little before work. I caught up on my TV shows and ate lunch.

For Lunch: two eggs and a whole wheat English muffin.


Then off to work. It was pretty slow again, but better than the last few weeks. After work Cassi and I went out on a date to celebrate our two wonderful years together. We went to Tango, a spanish tapas bar up on Captiol Hill. We had a wonderful dinner and we even celebrated with a glass of wine!


For Dinner: I great glass of red wine, it was a blend, Merlot/Syrah/Cab Sauv. I found the dinner menu online, they are all small plates:

Spanish Olives and Toasted Almonds- Citrus marinated olives, coriander spiced almonds
Green Beans & Harissa- Pan roasted green beans and tomatoes, pinenuts, harissa
Wild Mushrooms & Jamon- Sautéed seasonal mushrooms, Serrano ham and Xeres reduction
Ensalada Verde- Organic mixed greens, tomato, grilled hearts of palm, lemon-pumpkin seed vinaigrette
Gambas Picantes- Chipotle tiger prawns, roasted corn-coconut galletas, pumpkin seed-cilantro pipien

And for dessert, we indulged in the El Diablo, it's actually sinful.
Bittersweet cube of sinfully rich dark chocolate graced with cayenne, spicy almonds, cocoa nibs and burnt meringue finished with a tequila caramel sauce

We had a wonderful night!

Day 129

I went to my Viking class today. I got my map test back, 4.0! After class I came home to do some mondo cleaning. We had people over tonight so I had to make the place look good. I got really into it though and ended up re-organizing the closets and bleaching the sinks etc etc.

For Lunch: Two eggs, and one piece dry toast.

Cassi and I met mom, dad, and my brother Tim for dinner. We went to The Matador, a popular Tex-Mex joint in Ballard.

For Dinner: Grilled Shrimp with a tomatillo salsa with spanish rice and beans. It was good.

After dinner we went home and met a few of our work friends for Game Night. I have never really had a game night so I was skeptical of how it would turn out, but it was a blast. We played catch phrase and pictionary! There were 9 people all together and it was a really relaxed evening.

A snack: a handful of walnuts.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Day 128

Woke up early and went to my first cycling class! It was awesome, and hard! and my butt hurts, I am not used to having bike seat butt!

For Breakfast: High Fiber O's with rice milk. After my class, at about 8:30 I had a nonfat latte.

I went to my classes today, and felt awesome, I can tell that by the end of the cycling class, I am going to be one fit little woman!

For Lunch: Went home and warmed up some bean and chicken soup.

For Dinner: Dinner salad at work and a cup of the cream of tomato. The dinner salad has mixed greens, shaved fennel, white beans, carrots and vinaigrette.

Now I am home, and I am tired! I have a few crucial school things that need to be done, like for my focus group, other than that, my bed is calling out to me! Goodnight!

Day 127

For Dinner: two eggs over easy. Nonfat Vanilla yogurt. I know it's not creative, but I am tired

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Day 127

For Breakfast: High Fiber O's with rice milk, and an apple.

For Lunch: a bowl of the 17 bean soup with chicken, and a whole wheat english muffin.

Afternoon snack: I reheated some of my sauteed veggies. Zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms.

I have been organizing and cleaning all day. I have a major headache from smelling bleach, so I decided to take a break and update the blog. I haven't had any coffee today, which may also be contributing to my headache. Tomorrow I have my first day of cycling! I did my yoga for abs this morning and that really wore me out. I hope I do okay in the cycling class tomorrow, it's going to be so intense!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Day 126

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Among the many great things he did, he also gave us a day off from school! I slept in until about 9.

For Breakfast: Coffee. Whole Wheat english Muffin and two eggs over medium.

I spent the entire day doing laundry, and cooking. I loved it! That may sound sarcastic but absolutely love the feeling of having all of my laundry clean, and being able to pick from a fully stocked closet! I made soup today, and also prepped raw carrots and celery, and made some sauteed veggies for this week. I Sauteed carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms in my cast iron pan and set saved them in the fridge to eat later. I love having chilled, grilled or sauteed veggies, you can eat them hot or cold.

For lunch: I munched on veggies.

17 bean soup with Chicken.

1 package of Trader Joe's 17 bean medley.
1 onion
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
chicken, shredded. I actually used the chicken I had left over from the beer can chicken. I rendered it to make my own stock and then used the left over meat in the soup. This is a great way to save money, and also makes your chicken stock so much better then just using a boxed kind, but if you don't have a chicken dinner a couple of nights before then, you can just used store bought chicken stock and a couple of chicken breasts, diced and pre-cooked.
Salt
Pepper
Parsley
Rosemary
Thyme
Savory
Bay Leaf
all to taste.

I diced the veggies, and soaked the beans. I started my soup pot with the onions and celery and carrots, let them cook down and sweat. Then I added my cooked chicken and the seasonings. After that, the bean medley and then that amazing homemade chicken broth. I brought it up to a boil, then into the crock pot for a few hours on high!

After the soup was going, I played my guitar with Tim, and we had our own little jam session. Unfortunately I had to go to work tonight, it was slow. Now I am home and getting ready for school tomorrow.

For Dinner: A bowl of my 17 Bean Soup with Chicken and Veggies.

I am going to the gym tomorrow, and I am starting my cycling class on Wednesday, I am so excited!

Late night Snack: Non-fat vanilla Yogurt.

Day 125 (Sun. 17th)

We all slept in today from our late night.

For Breakfast: Coffee.

For Lunch: a couple of mom's homemade meatballs with tomato sauce. I made cassi a huge meatball sandwich, I decided to have a couple on the side, they looked so good!

Cassi and I lounged around my parents house for a while, and hung out with Tim and Katie, and the rest of them. It was Katie's last day here, so she and Time were headed down to Seattle to do a little more sight seeing. later on, we gave Josh a ride to the bus station downtown and Cassi and I went to a movie . . . we saw "It's Complicated" it was really funny. I had popcorn! No butter, but I did have the popcorn. I regret it because it made me feel awful. I won't do that again.

After the movie we went straight home and went to bed.

Day 124 (Sat. 16th)

Woke up this morning and got ready. Cassi and I went to the market. I bought some gorgeous organic carrots. I tasted some that were out on display, so good. You can taste how, fresh and organic they are.

For Breakfast: Coffee, part of an apple. I wasn't very hungry this morning.

I dropped Cassi off at her GRE prep class and I went home to clean up, do laundry and crochet a scarf. I love to crochet, it's a stress reliever. I picked Cassi up from her class and headed straight up to my parents house.

Tonight we went to watch Kyle Erickson play at the White Horse in Arlington. It was like an Arlington Reunion. I saw so many people their from high school! I was the designated driver for everyone, and of course I stuck to my water all night. They have a real lengthy shuffle board table there, as it turns out, I'm not too bad! Kyle was great, he always is. We all had a great time, it was nice having Cassi there to introduce to all of my old friends.

On the way home we stopped a got some chippies. Tim's Original and Jalapeno, simply the best! So good, and they did indeed prove to be irresistible, I indulged, whoops!

We stayed up real late, about 3:30 playing rockband, and hanging out, a lot of people came back to the house!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Day 123

For Breakfast: High Fiber O's with rice milk.

I had my class today. I was great. We had an awesome discussion about childhood food. I asked the students to think about what they ate when they were kids, and the who, what, where, when, and why of it all. I was a little nervous about the time, two hours is a lot of time to plan for, but it was perfect.

For Lunch: I had some yogurt and a slice of oat bran toast with organic peanut butter. It wasn't much but it did the trick.

I went to work, and once again it was slow, so so slow. The good part was that Cassi and I worked together, so at least we were hanging out.

For Dinner: Cup of lentil soup, and when I got home I had a scoop of frozen yogurt with boysenberry jam, yum.

When I got home tonight I checked my email and there was a notice from the soccer team. It is time to decide whether Cassi and I would be going to Las Vegas again for the soccer tournament. It's at the end of April and we both want to go, but it's so expensive, it's just not in the cards for us this year. I wish I could play though, I didn't get to last year because in the first game I blew out my knee. :( I wish I could go back and prove myself but, it's probably not a good idea, so I guess it's a blessing in disguise that it's too pricy.

I feel super good about getting back to school and getting back into my routine. I have lost any weight that I gained over the holidays and I am ready to lose another 25 lbs, bring it on! I'm feeling good!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Day 122

Got up extra early today to take Cassi to school. I went to the gym, third time this week! I'm doing pretty well and have already lost the pounds that I put on over the holidays. I didn't eat breakfast, but I did have a latte from Vivace. I have been drinking a lot of coffee lately, I guess it's become the thing that I let myself indulge in. I need to cut back, I am becoming so dependent on the caffeine, it's bad news.

I had a map test today in my Vikings class. I am almost positive I got 100%, I won't know until I get it back though. After class got out I hopped on a bus downtown to meet up with Katie and Tim, and Matt at Pike Place market, it's so fun down there. I don' really by anything there, because the prices are so hiked up for the tourists, but I do love to walk around and take a look.

Later today Cassi and I went to see Avatar, it really is amazing! Then we went out to dinner with Suzie, Cassi's best friend from high school. She drove up from Portland for the long weekend. We went to wild ginger and sat in the lounge, just a soda water for me though. We split a few things, it was really good, and not too expensive.

For Dinner: Buddha Vegetable Spring rolls, Shrimp Wonton Soup, Kung Pao Chicken and a Tofu and Eggplant that rocked my world.

After dinner we called it a night and home and to bed!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Day 121

I am so sore today from working out. It feels good, but not that good. I have a big map test tomorrow . . . all of Scandinavia for my Viking's class. I am studying right now like I good girl, but I am so tired. I don't think Cassi and I are used to getting up at 6:30 yet.

For Breakfast: High Fiber O's with rice milk.

For Lunch: Chicken breast leftover from the chicken I made last night, steamed broccoli and a half of a banana. I also had some dried cranberries and some hot tea later on.

I got called off from work tonight so I went to dinner with mom, dad, Tim and Katie Sue. That's Tim's girlfriend, she just flew in today from Virginia.

For Dinner: Grilled salmon with steamed broccoli with a piccata sauce (artichoke, lemon, caper sauce) I had a cappuccino and later tonight I had another scoop of my non-fat plain frozen yogurt.

Now . . . back to studying!

Day 120

I made dinner tonight for some friends. It was Me, Cassi, Tim, Kyle, Juliette, and Geri. I made a couple of Beer can chickens with roasted potatoes and steamed green beans. It was so good!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Day 120

For breakfast: high Fiber O's. These are so good!

I went to the gym early and had a great workout! Then to class, I had a Non-fat latte after my workout, Ally said it would be a good time of day, right after I work out, for a latte with non-fat milk, for the calcium and protein.

After school I came home and got ready and Tim and I went to lunch, just the two of us.

For Lunch: Sushi role with seaweed raw tuna and avocado, with cucumber and white rice. With miso soup and hot tea.

Day 119

For Breakfast: Trader Joe's Organic High Fiber O's

Went to class, then to the gym, but before I worked out a had a sandwich!

For Pre-Workout: Peanut butter and banana sandwich on toasted oat bran bread.

I got home and took care of the christmas tree that was still up in our living room. That was a lot of work needles went everywhere!

For Lunch: Romaine tossed with black beans, lime juice and salsa with tortilla chips, kind of a taco salad minus a couple of ingredients. It's all I had!

I worked tonight and it was again, painfully slow. I had a cup of our vegan lentil soup while I was there.

When I got home Cassi had brought home a peice of her salmon her aunt cooked and sent home for me, it was really good. And for dessert I had some non-fat plain frozen yogurt with bubbling peach sauce. (I have some peaches in the freezer from when they were in season.)

Monday, January 11, 2010

Day 118

Ally, Cassi, and I woke up and got ready to go to a one year old's birthday party. A friend of ours from high school has an adorable son, and daughter, it was his birthday. Other friends brought their babies, it was a baby party, so cute! On the way their we stopped to grab something to eat.

For Breakfast: a Croissant.

After the party we drove down to seattle and met up with Tim, Mom, and Dad on the boat! we cruised around for a while, while munching on carrots, and chips. It was fun. After that, back to the condo and we relaxed a little before we went out to grab a bite. We went to Snoose Junction, which is right in Ballard. I am not positive, but I am pretty sure that this is the place that was opened by a couple that fell in love . . . She was traveling around and keeping a blog of her food adventures and a guy was a following her blog, they met fell in love and opened up a pizza shop!

I had pizza, for the first time in months, since before I started this blog, it was quite good, I don't regret it, but it did make my stomach hurt.

For Dinner: Pizza with onions, mushrooms, olives, roasted bell peppers, and roasted garlic. It was good! I also decided to cheers Ally's last day here, with a half of a Mac and Jack's beer. Just half! I also had a salad with a really good vinaigrette, I would likt to figure out the recipe, because it was awesome. I really liked the place, I give it a 9.5. Very good.

I had to say goodbye to Ally, she leaves in the morning. We had such a good time having her home, I really don't want to go. Her and Cassi and I had so much fun, and it was so nice to have her and my mom and I together too, just us girls! I can't wait for us to live in the same city again, don't really know when that'll happen though.

Day 117

For Breakfast: Coffee.

Woke up in Arlington and we all decided what we wanted to do today. Tim was up in Bellingham so Dad, Mom, Ally and I went and ran some errands. First, to Costco, then to Lunch and Bob's Burger and Brew.

For Lunch: Chicken breast with a green salad and italian dressing on the side. It was pretty good, not great.

Tim met up with us for lunch when he was on his way home, and took Dad home, and the girls went to the outlet mall! We spent such a long time their, and we were very successful. I wasn't really looking for anything but when we walked into the Lucky Brand Jeans store Ally and Mom convinced me I should try on some jeans! This was a big deal. I haven't gone pants shopping since I started this blog and I had no idea what to expect, I was pretty scared. I grabbed my regular sizes and was excited that they fell right off of me! After trying on at least 20 pairs of jeans in excitement I am thrilled to report that I am in a size 8! It has been a long time since I have worn a size 8, maybe 4 years. Wahoo!!!!

I also got new gym shoes, which are super nice and I cant wait to try out! We went home and by that time Cassi was there, and I was excited to tell her about my fancy new jeans!

For Dinner: Dungeness crab, and sauteed prawns, with green salad and steamed broccoli. We still have a lot of crab from the San juan Island trip during the summer, we caught sooo many!

After Dinner us girls and time all got ready to go out to the dance club at the casino! Tulalip Casino is this huge casino up in Marysville, it's about 25 minutes from Mom and Dad's house. We heard it had a great dance club and we thought it'd be fun to see what it was all about. None of us are casino goers. I was the designated driver and we all had a blast!

After we were content with our dancing experience we decided it would be a fantastic idea to go to our local Denny's for some wholesome food, ugh.

Cassi, Ally, and I indulged, we split a milkshake 3 ways, which was not worth it! Yuck. and I had two eggs and some wheat toast. Nothing like horrible food at 2 am to wind down the night.

Day 116

Well I woke up and got ready for school. Ally spent the night and came to campus with me. I made zucchini banana bread for my class that I taught today. I needed to bring in a snack and I figured i would make something instead of picking it up at the store.

For Breakfast: Cassi, Ally, and I taste tested the banana bread. Coffee.

Went to my first class then I met Ally at a library to print some things out for my class. This ended up taking a while and I just about got into a fight with the printer.

For Lunch: Salad from the school's salad bar. Romaine, red bell peppers, garbanzo beans, egg, carrots, and sunflower seeds, with a balsamic vinaigrette.

I taught my class today, there are 19 people in it and I think it's going to be really interesting. I was pretty nervous before the class, but I calmed down during it. And people loved my banana bread. Here's the recipe!

Zucchini Banana Bread
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup grated zucchini
2 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.


The original recipe is off of a website, I modified it, with adding apple sauce and a couple other little changes, this is my modified version!

After class got out I went home a basically had to get ready to go right away for work. Work was terribly slow, which is disappointing because I haven't made any money all week, I was hoping friday night would bring in some cash.

Ally, Mom, and Tim were downtown shopping and picked me up from work so we could head up to Arlington. I had Mauricio from work make me a little something to take with me . . .

For Dinner: Steamed Broccoli, with spicy sauce on the side. My work makes this sauce that I love and I put it on a lot of different things, I will have to find out what the ingredients are. I think it's basically just pureed hot peppers with Olive oil, but I am not sure.

Up to Arlington!

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Day 115

For Lunch: Salad with romaine, salmon, shrimp, and avocado with a tarragon dressing.

Middle of the day latte, from Vivace. It's simply the best.

For Dinner: Taco salad with romaine, spicy chicken breast, sauteed peppers and onions, and black beans with salsa and tortilla chips.

For Dessert: Non-fat plain Frozen yogurt with frozen berries.

I am officially ready for my focus group. I made zucchini banana bread for class tomorrow, yum.

Day 115

I have my meeting with Christina, my thesis advisor today about my focus group. I worked out my outline a lot last night and am excited to sift through my ideas with her.

For Breakfast: Coffee. Oatmeal, with a dash of special maple sugar that Aunt Lisa sent me.

Pictures

I just posted a few more pictures of the holiday on both of the slideshows. Check it out!

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Day 114

For Dinner: Polipo Con Potate from our restaurant. Octopus, potatoes, celery and onions with lemon and olive oil, and a cup of our tomato soup.

Work was painfully slow tonight, I have to finish up my class outline for my focus group. I am getting a little nervous, I have never taught a class before, I think it will go well though.

Cassi and I are relaxing, we're tired already and it's only the 3rd day of class.

Day 114

Woke up today and made coffee and breakfast for Cassi and I. Yesterday Ally gave me some great suggestions on my diet plan. She definitely knows what she's talking about. One thing she talked to me about was peanut butter . . .

For Breakfast: Peanut butter and banana sandwich with oat bran toast (this bread is something new I tried from Trader Joes, I love it) Coffee.

When Cassi Left for school I laid out my new Yoga mat that mom got me for christmas and did a Yoga lesson, a dvd mom gave me for "Abs" It was great, but kinds hard.

I went to school early and registered for a cycling class. starting on the 20th I will have an hour long cycling class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! It's going to be so great, and really help me on my goal to lose weight, oh yeah and its at 7 in the morning!

Came home and made lunch for Myself and Cassi and Ally.

For Lunch: Sauteed veggies, zucchini and mushrooms. Romaine salad with toasted slivered almonds, apple, dried cranberries and cucumbers with a homemade honey dijon vinaigrette.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Day 113

For Breakfast: Half a Banana and One egg. Market Spice tea.

Went to the gym early today and got in a great workout. An hour on the elliptical and a full weight circuit. After that, to class and then Casssi and I met up with Shay and Ally. We got coffee and then met Mom and Dad for lunch. We went to Chilli's paste, a thai place in fremont.

For Lunch: Vegetable soup and Mixed vegetables and prawns in a light oyster sauce with brown rice.

I made dinner for The four of us tonight, Cassi, Ally, Shay and me.

For Dinner: Baked Sole filet with brussel sprouts and a fresh green salad with romaine, mushrooms, carrots and cucumbers. Coffee after Dinner.

I cant already feel that I am going to be sore tomorrow!

Monday, January 04, 2010

Day 112

I went to work and it was SO slow. I polished every piece of silverware we had, and folded lots of napkins! I also had a little afternoon snack at work.

Work Snack: One scoop of salad with romaine, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, and mushrooms in a lemon dressing and a hard boiled egg. I also made myself a coffee, I am trying to cut back, it's not working very well.

I got home from work and made dinner for Cassi Aunt Andi, Skyler, and myself.

For Dinner: Roasted fingerling potatoes and brussel sprouts and chicken breast, cooked on my grill pan. It was great and easy!

We just watched the Bachelor and now we are going to bed, school tomorrow morning!

Day 112

For Breakfast: Two eggs, one piece dry toast. One cup of Coffee.

First day of the winter quarter. Cassi has class at eight so I got up a little earlier too and went to go get my books for school. The books look really interesting for both my classes and not nearly as much reading as last quarter. My first class is at 9:30 in the morning Monday, wednesday, and friday, It is a geography class called "Immigrant America" and the professor is an English guy with McDreamy hair. I think it's going to be a really interesting class. My second class is at 10:30 monday thru thursday and it's called the "History of the Vikings" and is taught by a big scandinavian guy who seems like a real jokester.

After Cassi finished her classes she went to pick up Skyler. Last night at dinner we made plans to hang out, so Cassi and Skyler picked me up from school and we went back to the apartment for lunch and a Barbie Movie!

For Lunch: I had Leftovers from the Nacoise Salad I made a couple days go. Ahi Tuna with green beans, and potatoes, with a dijon sauce. Cassi and Skyler had alphabet noodles with butter, something I probably ate a lot as a three year old too!

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Christmas Vacation

I had a wonderful time this break but it was hard to stay on my health kick. I felt like we were s busy the entire time and it was impossible to stick to the routine. I don't feel guilty about what I ate, but I know I splurged and did some delicious indulging. I ate cookies, and drank margaritas, I had beer and enjoyed chocolate. I did not cut myself off from the holiday experiences, but I am glad to be done. I miss my routine, I miss feeling healthy. I can't wait to go to the gym tomorrow!!! I haven't been able to workout for weeks and I am ready to get back into serious health mode.

It was so hard to keep up with my blog and I definitely learned my lesson on waiting to blog. Along with my reinforced Health Kick I will make sure to keep up on here, it's hard catching up when you're behind!

I am super excited for my classes tomorrow, and am ready for another great quarter. my focus Group is filled to the max, with 18 people signed up and today alone I had 3 people asking if there was any room even though it was closed for registration. I'm a little nervous, but confident it will go well! Goodnight!

Day 111 (Jan 3rd)

Being that we stayed up until 4 in the morning, we were all pretty tired this morning. I woke up early to take Ally into town, she had plans with some friends. While I was out I made a grocery run and got the basics, eggs, bread, english muffins, our usual.

For breakfast: two eggs, and one piece dry toast. Coffee.

We didn't eat until after noon and by the time we were finished and were relaxing on the couch, Cassi and I had to get ready to go. We went to Aunt Andi and Brooks' house for dinner tonight. We drove down straight from Arlington. We played with the kids and caught up with Andrea, and had a lovely dinner.

For Dinner: Roast Beef, with Carrots and Potatoes, with Broccoli and a lovely green salad. I had about a half of a glass of wine and simply couldn't do much more.

So tired, and can't believe we have school tomorrow, it went by too fast!

Day 110 (Jan 2nd)

I forgot to mention that we watched a movie last night with everybody and we munched. Candy, Kettle Corn, and some chocolate. ugh.

Woke up this morning and got some coffee.

For Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, and wheat toast

Ally, Cassi and I made a run to the store to get some ingredients for the Dinner, we had the Erickson family over all, 7, or 8 including Cael, he's 3 months old! Geez, what a cutie!

We spent all day prepping, slicing, chopping, marinating.

For Dinner: Fajita, and Taco Bar with Char-grilled chicken (by the grill masters, Dad and me) with Grilled Onions and Bell Peppers, with slow cooked pinto and black beans (cooked with V8, amazing) we had homemade spanish rice, Cassi's guacamole, La Hacienda chips and salsa. Pico De Gallo. It was the works! Not to mention, Mom's signature Margaritas and a back up Corona. Everything turned out amazing, it was delicious, and because it was set up like a "make your own" type buffet style, I could choose what I wanted. I chose almost everything.

We stayed up half the night playing catch phrase with everyone and jammin out, it was a great night.

Day 109 (Jan 1st)

We met Ally and Shay for Breakfast today at Portage Bay Cafe. This place is awesome. Sustainable, organic, local ingredients made up into some darn good breakfast chow!

For Breakfast: Crab Cake Benedict, with fresh fruit, and the hollandaise on the side. Coffee. It was great, and I'm sure fattening enough to put back a few pounds, along with a lot of the stuff I have eaten this break.

Cassi and I both got scheduled to work a double today. It was so, slow, I got phased after having just two tables. January is always slow. I got called off for dinner, and Cassi and I were out of there by 7:30.

For Dinner: Insalata Del Fattore: Romaine, radicchio, cannellini beans, cucumber, tomato, and avocado, with a fresh vinaigrette, and a grilled chicken breast.

Shay and Ally picked us up and we headed straight up to Arlington!

Day 108 (Dec 31st)

Cassi worked during the morning and I decided it was time to go grocery shopping and get the house back in order before schools starts up again. I met dad for lunch, which is again, the first thing I ate.

For Lunch: a Grilled Shrimp Taco salad from Tacos Guaymas. So good.

I went to work and Cassi let me be first off so I could go meet up with Ally and Shay for New Years eve. Cassi ended up being done only 20 minutes after me. At work we toasted with champagne, it was fun, it's a tradition!

We met up with Ally and Shay at Six Arms, a great Brewery and Restaurant on Capitol Hill in Seattle. I had a couple of beers and we ate some great food.

For Dinner: garden burger with a side salad with a raspberry vinaigrette. I don't usually order garden burgers, this was so good and I would recommend it if you're going there! We also had some sweet potato fries for the table. I ate some, this is the first fried food item I have eaten since september, I think. I can't remember if I had, but I am pretty sure that was it. I love sweet potato fries, and these were really good, but a horrible thing for weight loss , as is beer and all that other good stuff!

We walked up to Capitol Club and had a couple more drinks and did some dancing, and after the clock struck midnight, we celebrated and soon after ended up back at our apartment for a round of catchphrase and some market spice tea. Happy New Year!

Day 107 (Dec 30th)

I worked another double today, It was okay, not that busy. Cassi came downtown and met Jesse and Emily for a bite, and when I got off of my first shift I met up with them and then went to Cafe Nordstrom for Lunch.

For Lunch: Salmon Nacoise. I know, how redundant am I? But once you're on a kick, you're on a kick I guess.

The night shift wasn't too busy either. I was tired at the end of the night though. I don't know if it's from working more or what, but after today I knee had hurt quite badly, and is pretty darn swollen. I think I just need some rest, but I hope it feels better soon.

For Dinner: I grabbed my complimentary meal from work, just chicken breast and broccoli, again. It's my safest bet and one of my only choices that isn't pasta, pizza, or risotto.

Day 106 (Dec 29th)

For breakfast: Coffee.

We went over to bellevue to give the kids (Cassi's cousins) their christmas presents. Jesse and Emily were there, and we all hung out with the kids for a little bit, it was nice. On our way back we stopped by Nancy's to say hello. Nancy is a woman that Cassi paints for. I had some hot tea, but still didn't have much of anything to eat.

By the time we got home Cassi had to get ready for work and I decided to cook for myself, it had been a while. I made my very own Nacoise salad.

For Dinner: Ahi Nacoise salad. Ahi steak cooked on my grill pan, with roasted red potatoes, Haricot Vert green beans, tomato, hard boiled egg, capers, and olives. With a homemade Dijon Vinaigrette. This was very good, and very time consuing to make, but worth it, and it was nice to cook myself something at home that was healthy and controlled. Cassi like it too!!!!

Day 105 (Dec 28th)

Today Cassi and I had plans to hang out with her brother and his girlfriend, Emily. We spent the whole day together and it was great! We started at the Pancake Corral (Jesse's favorite breakfast spot, we go every time he's home.

For Breakfast:One egg, one piece of bacon, and 1/2 order of hashbrowns, with wheat toast, this is called the "ladies plate". Coffee.

We went to pike place Market and looked at all of the great produce and fresh fish. It was fun to do some of the more touristy things, Emily had not been to Seattle since she was much younger so we got to tag along as they explored the city. After pike place we went back to the apartment and relaxed for a while. we had some market spice tea and lounged around. It's awesome when Jesse comes up to hang out, he lives in LA and we don't get to see him very often. He is so wonderful and supportive, we love having him around, I wish he were here more often.

After a while we decided to go to dinner at Il Fornaio. We sat in the fancy part and had a wonderful dinner. Cassi and I never eat up there so it wasn't a boring place for us to go, plus it's good to go to a place that will take special requests when you're watching what you're eating.

For Dinner: Kettle Gimlet (vodka and muddled lime Martini) and we started with a caesar salad, for dinner I had a grilled double breasted chicken, grilled on the open flame and served with broccolini and carrots, with a spicy sauce. also, a Doppio espresso.

After dinner we didn't want to say goodbye quite yet, so we went out for another beer at a brewery in Fremont. I had a christmas ale, and it was good, but way too heavy, I almost couldn't finish it. Then to sleep!

Day 104 (Dec 27th)

I worked a double today. I have been so horrible about eating breakfast since I have been on break. My routine has gone out the window. Anyways, I worked all day, and munched at work and then got off in time to meet Cassi, Ally, Tim, and Shay over at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard to watch a friend of Shay's play music. After that we went to happy hour at The Matador, I had the blackened fish tacos, a small dish, and I had a margarita too! At the Tractor Tavern I had two beers, I was feeling pretty good! No drinking alcohol for 3 months and my tolerance was almost gone completely, Cassi too, we're cheap dates.

Day 103 (Dec 26th)

Cassi and I woke up early because Cassi had to go to work, So I drove her down to the Everett Station and she took the bus downtown. I ended up getting called into to work that night and had to head down myself anyways though. I didn't eat too much today because I felt a little nauseous. At work I ordered some food because by the end of the night I was starvin'marvin.

For Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breast and a side of broccoli.