Monday, November 29, 2010

Sleep walking

I am so tired today. At work for my lunch shift I literally felt like I was sleep walking. My feet felt heavy. I have been putting in a lot of hours at work and it has paid off but I sure could use a nap. Lunch was slow today and I just took the bus home. I have plenty of errands to run, but I am having and hard time finding the motivation to pick myself off the couch. I have to go to target, we are out of toilet paper again and I'm getting tired of using napkins. Ya know what I mean . . . right?

Today when I got to work I ate some family food.

For Lunch: Some chicken and veggie soup the cooks made, it had some rice, lots of different vegetables and chicken breast, it was good and spicy too. I love spicy!

Jenna told me yesterday that she isn't going to be able to help out with the community kitchens this week. It's fine but I think I am going to hold off on our plan to do vegan/gluten free sugar cookies to decorate with the kids. Instead I believe I will do some kind of wintery/ holiday craft or maybe some other kind of cookie, who knows. I need to brainstorm ideas, after all the kitchen is two days away . . . I am the champion of procrastination!

Sunday, Sunday.

Well I was supposed to work a double yesterday, but when I got there it wasn't busy enough for them to use me, so I offered to come in and close instead of making one of the other servers who had been there all day stay and close up too. So that's what I did, I walked around with Cassi downtown for a bit and then worked.

For Lunch: Grilled salmon with a lemon and artichoke piccata sauce with sauteed broccolini and carrots. It was amazing. When I got to work and they didn't need me I decided to eat. They owed me a meal, so I splurged and got the salmon.

I didn't eat again until after work at around 10, I went to the condo to pick up Cassi who was there hanging out with my family. Mom had brought down lots of pie from thanksgiving.

For Dessert: I had a piece of Pecan pie that Ally had made. It was delish.

Cassi and I came home and went to bed pretty quick.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Work it.

Wow! It was busy yesterday. I worked another 11 1/2 hour day and literally was on my feet the entire day. I didn't sit or eat all day because I honestly just didn't have time to. I made great money and grabbed some food after my shift (finally)

First of all, when I got to work at 10 am I starting set up for the day and ate some family food.

For Breakfast/Lunch: I had a salad, mixed greens, carrots, onions, toasted walnuts, house vinaigrette.

For Dinner: At around 11pm  Cassi and I met Ainslie and Derrick at Pazzo's on Eastlake. It's right by our house. I had a small caesar salad with no cheese and a grilled chicken sandwich with pesto, onion and roma tomato. I stayed healthy as Cassi sat and devoured a calzone that looked like a little pillow of heaven.

So tired, got home and went right to bed. I woke up this morning and I felt so good because I got to sleep in a bit. Only because I start at 12 today instead of 10. I am about to head out the door for another double, with all my favorite people there to work by my side. One thing I will say is that I love the people I work with! :)

Friday, November 26, 2010

Hittin' the Hay

Cassi and I woke up early to head back to Seattle for work. Black Friday is always said to be one of the busiest days of the year. We both worked over 11 hours today and made decent money. Honestly, it wasn't as mad-house busy as I hoped it would be.

For Breakfast: I snagged a bit of Apple crisp on my way out the door in Arlington.

For Lunch: Ziro, one of the cooks at work, made an amazing salad for the staff meal. Mixed greens, with pear, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, toasted walnuts with a balsamic vinaigrette, it was refreshing and delish.

For Dinner: I had the Dorato risotto made completely vegan just for me. Simmered in a saffron stock with butternut squash, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, and artichokes. Love it and it gave me the energy I needed to start my dinner shift.

Cassi and I got home and she is already in bed, I am staying up only to write on the blog and as soon as I am done I am hittin' the hay, we both work doubles again tomorrow! Can't wait!

Night, Night!

Thankful for the Rhythm

Oh my goodness! We had the best Thanksgiving. We finally got up to Arlington and it was truly a wintery wonderland up there and Dad had the place already decorated for the holidays. we crashed pretty quick so we could wake up early and start cooking!

For Breakfast: We had some of Mom's homemade bread, some scrambled eggs and some thinly sliced and sauteed ham, made by Ally, and coffee, lot's of coffee!

We truly did cook all day. I chopped, sauteed, mixed, tossed, baked, seasoned, and sliced all darn day, and we had a great time doing it.

This Year's Thanksgiving Day Menu:

First a relish tray that Cassi and I contributed: Assorted olives, dolmas, pickled asparagus, local, organic pickled jalapeƱos, spicy dill pickles, sweet gherkins, pickled veggie medley, etc.

Annie, Josh's girlfriend brought artichoke dip, and we munched on that as we made our main dinner.

We roasted a whole turkey, first by injecting it with melted herb butter, and it turned out amazing.

We did a turkey breast roulade that really stole the show. We pounded the turkey breasts out flat then did a layer of raw spinach, brown rice with cranberries, almonds, seasoning, and celery, parsley, and onion, that had been sauteed.  We rolled it tight and tied with kitchen string and into the oven.

Jenna brought a field roast that was fantastic, I don't really know how to explain it but it was amazing, and you shouldn't shy away from awesome vegan delicacies like this.

Homemade mashed potatoes, need I say more?

Peas, Corn, 

Three different kinds of homemade bread,

Amazing cranberry sauce made by mom

Roasted veggies: butternut squash, sweet potatoes and yams, onion, carrots, and zucchini.

Amazing stuffing with cranberries, almonds, onion, parsley, celery, pork sausage with sage, and chestnuts, hand peeled by mom the day before!

Roasted Brussel sprouts with pecans, a favorite from last year.

I think that's it. . . .

Dessert consisted of . . .
Vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies,
Coconut chocolate gooey morsels that Annie made (awesome)
4 Funny Cakes
2 Pecan pies
1 Pumpkin pie tart
1 Chocolate fudge pie
1 Large Apple Crisp.

Wow woo wee woo!

We ate dinner at around 4 and then had a serious spur of the moment dance party and really took the night to a new level. Later on after dessert I ended up playing my guitar and we sang for a long time. We went to bed fairly early and extremely exhausted!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Gotta Get Get

All I want is get home to Arlington. I got called in tonight to work, which ruined my plans to go up early and help Mom and Ally with the baking, only to have three tables and get phased at 7:30. Genius. Totally a ridiculous decision on behalf of the management. Now I am home and waiting for Tim to get off so we can pick him up, snag Jenna and get on our way up home.

The beginning part of my day was better, I slept in a bit and woke up and packed for Arlington. Then went to the grocery store to get some things for the relish tray.

For Breakfast: Coffee, and two eggs and one piece of multi-grain toast.

For Lunch: Sauteed tofu and couscous. Honestly it's the only thing we have in our apartment, but it was okay, I guess.

I haven't eaten dinner yet and this late in the evening, it's hard to say whether or not dinner is going to happen. I wasn't tempted by anything at work, but I did steal a green olive from the bar. No bread, no pasta, no pizza.

It has been so so so long since Cassi and I have been up to Arlington, and I just gotta get home.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

(Re)Dedication

I am starting over. Today is November 23rd and I am so sick of not being on top of things. Last week I was awesome, and I remember being so excited about my awesomeness. But I have been terribly inconsistent. I totally need to rededicate myself to this blog. I have been really busy at work and haven't been to the gym in a week or so and it has been so cold out that I haven't been riding my bike. I don't know if you live here or not but Seattle just got hit with this wacky bought of cold weather and we basically had a blizzard last night, seriously. It's 15 degrees outside and that is crazy, especially for this early in the season. I need to get back on track and today is the day I quit the bullshit and just do it. It's late at night and I just got home from work. I had a conversation with a guy who works in the kitchen at Il Fornaio and I told him all about my blog.  What I did and the book that came about from it and how I cooked and worked my way to phyiscal and all-around health. I even showed him the before and after pictures, the same pictures that are on my book.

And then it happened, there in a split second I got the push I needed to rededicate myself. It's why I am here frantically typing and bearing my soul once again here on this blog. Ernesto, the cook, looked at my pictures and was astounded by how awesome the pictures were and there in a moment of complete honesty and a true moment of innocence, he said, as he looked at me, "So what happened?"

He quickly tried to correct himself, rewind his words to seem less blunt. But I knew what he meant. The ten pounds that I have gained back are obvious and my "I can conquer the world" attitude is a bit faded since last May. It has been hard, but I haven't been trying. I need to go back to what worked for me. The blog, the format, the honesty, the accountability that helped me the first time, as I (re)habbed, (re)shaped, (re)built my life.

So......

For Breakfast: I didn't eat anything until I got into work, simply because I woke up too late to make myself something at home and we are low on groceries. When I got to work "family food" was ready: Chicken soup with vegetables and rice in a tomato chicken broth, I also had some avocado, and a slice of ciabatta. These are the kinds of meals I have been eating and not thinking about, exactly how I gained weight the first time around.

For Lunch: Cassi and I went up to NORDSTROM'S and ate at the cafe. I had the Salmon Nicoise Salad. It has mixed greens, herb roasted salmon, green beans, potatoes, egg, capers, olives, and onion in a balsamic vinaigrette.

For Dinner: I was on a double so family food came around the second time. I had a portion of capellini pasta with marinara and tomatoes and basil and a small caesar salad. The me a year ago never would have made these foul decisions. And the me for the last couple months has made these decisions and not put them on the blog. Not okay.

May I remind you, but mostly myself:

I HAVE CREATED THIS BLOG TO HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE. IT IS TIME FOR ME TO GET BACK IN SHAPE, AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT MY BODY AGAIN. MY OBJECTIVE IS TO COOK MYSELF HEALTHY MEALS AND NOT SACRIFICE FLAVOR OR CREATIVITY. BY COOKING MY OWN MEALS EVERYDAY, I CAN CONTROL EXACTLY WHAT GOES INTO MY BODY.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Tour de Biker Butt

The last few days have been amazing. Tuesday I went to the gym twice again. We got up early before work and worked out then I went back to the gym after my lunch shift was over. I went home and ate lunch. I made myself an egg sandwich:two scrambled eggs with pesto and and roasted garlic on one of those skinny wheat bagels. I picked up a dinner shift and went back to work and closed. I ate some capellini pasta with tomato sauce while I was there. All in all a long day of working and working out.

Yesterday (wednesday) was amazing!  We woke up and Cassi made coffee while I got ready for Physical Therapy. Ever since I have been working out and really trying to rebuild strength in my knee it has been feeling better. I rode my bike to physical therapy. Mark took me out to the field again and we ran and did some side shuffling and it felt much better than the last time I tried to do that.

Ainslie and Cassi rode down and met me after my session. Cassi brought me a bran muffin. Yum. From UW we set out on the Burke Gilman trail and had plans to ride all the way to Woodinville to the wineries and breweries. It took us about 1 1/2 hours. It was  25 mile ride . . . each way! When we got there we went to the Redhook brewery and ate lunch we were starving!

For Lunch: Wild Salmon sandwich with lettuce and tomato on grilled focaccia bread, with a side salad. It was good.

The girls both had beers but I stuck with water. After out meal with decided to go on the brewery tour, which was great.  did have the beer samples that came along with the tour, I figured, why not? The ride home was more difficult than the ride there. We were tired and the bike butt at that point was substantial. I was definitely feelin' the burn!

I can't believe I did 50 miles on my bike today!!! So proud, so awesome! After we got home we put our suits on and went straight to 24 hour fitness and got in the hot tub, after a ride like that I needed my muscles to turn to mush in the warmth of the sauna, and then the steam room, and the hot tub, after that I literally felt like gumby.

We came home and Cassi helped me make dinner.

For Dinner: Roasted chicken seasoned with the special Gullah seasoning from the low country. We chopped up a huge amount of veggies for roasting, so many the only way I could toss them all in my olive oil and spices was to throw them into a trash bag, my own version of shake 'n' bake! Butternut squash, yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted garlic cloves, sweet onion, I tossed with salt, pepper, dried oregano, mustard seed, and another splash of the Gullah seasoning. I put most of the veggies into ziplocs and into the fridge, and spread some onto the pan and into the oven to roast.  I tried something different with the chicken because part of me can't stand the awkwardness of a whole chicken so I split it right down the middle before I cooked it. I removed the back bone and from there took my sharp knife and split the bird right in-between the breasts. Then laid the chicken down flat on the pan so all the skin was exposed and facing up ready to be browned and crisped. I have never done this before I think I will do this from now on. The chicken was perfectly cooked and delicious, and the dark meat got as much attention as the breast which usually hogs the spotlight and the browned, crisped skin. It was fantastic!!!

We faded pretty quickly after that. Such a wonderful fall day. And man to I feel good about myself again!

Monday, November 08, 2010

It Was A Good Day.

Today is the first day in a long time that I woke up and felt like I was going to be awesome. Back when I was on my blog all the time, I thought I was awesome all the time. The past couple weeks have been pretty dim. But today I woke up and we went to the gym before work, we rode our bikes there. I am liking 24 hour fitness more and more and I am feeling good about working out. We showered and rode to work and put in a couple of hours.  After work I went back to the gym for a couple more hours. I feel amazing after working out for so long today. I did stairs, weights, the elliptical, swam, and not to mention biking to and from all day.

Food: When I got to work I had a bowl of out white bean soup, it was fantastic, I also had a large coffee. After my second time at the gym I had to go fetch the keys from Cassi and I ended up having a salad: Organic spinach onion, walnuts, bacon, mushrooms, avocado, balsamic vinaigrette. Awesome.

Now I am home and just got off the phone with Aunt Lisa. She reminded me that I haven't posted pictures of our halloween costumes. Cassi and I went as Cream and Sugar!



Hand Painted! Notice our favorite brands!! We drank out of coffee cups all night too, get it?

From our pumpkin party.
Jenna's bat pumpkin. Mine is the tree in the middle, Cassi's is the ghost thingy.

Aren't our costumes awesome! They were a big hit. I also made Tim's costume. I hand stitched him a Peter Pan outfit! It was a lot of work but it turned out incredible, unfortunately I don't have a picture.

So glad to be back on the blog.