This has been a long time coming. The losing weight, the quitting smoking, the baby plans, the blog – I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. While talking with Mr B this morning, the subject of an ovulation predictor kit came up, which got me thinking about how much easier this would be if I just lost some weight. And quit smoking. And maybe did a little exercise.

I’m determined to be successful here. Part of what will help is that we really want a baby. The other part of what will keep me thinking about it and keep me on track is the idea that if I’m absolutely honest on this blog, I’ll be too ashamed to fall back into old habits. This is what I’m banking on, at any rate. I’m even going to pick up a bathroom scale on my way to pick up Mr B from work. I haven’t touched a scale since I ran regularly in university.

What have I done today? Not much. Yikes.

Breakfast:

• 1 cup of premade potato salad, leftover from dinner a few nights back.
• 2 cigarettes.

Exercise:

• Took the dog out for a pee. Ten minute walk. Wasn’t even that brisk. It was more of a dog wander.

Lunch:

• Foot-long tuna sandwich from Subway. Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives, green peppers, onions, mustard, mayo, salt and pepper.
• 1 cup of Arizona Iced Tea. The lemon flavoured stuff.
• 2 cigarettes

I frequents restaurants near the office for healthy-ish food of good quality, fair price and great service.  I say healthy-ish because it depends what you order.  I’ll also tell you the ones that have GIT (Great Iced Tea) because tea has anti-oxidants, my vice of choice.  Want to know the names in no particular order?

I’ve added it as a page to the blog so you don’t have to hunt for this page.

Paco’s : (right next door the office).  Fresh and tasty Mexican and consistent over the years - Paco’s link GIT

Zelo’s just down the road two blocks east) Incredible cornmeal gourmet pizza, handmade salads to order and specials everyday.  Except for my kids every person sent there has LOVED it! - Zelo’s link GIT

Top’s: (On Colorado at the 210 Michillinda Exit and not to be confused with Tops in Pasadena on Walnut)  I get the salads but people love their burgers, huge fries, huge zucchini fries.  The key words would be “quality and consistency”. Try a breakfast burrito. They must weigh over a pound. Top’s link GIT

Matt Denny’s: (Arcadia on Huntington) Again, I get the salads. Love the salmon salad that is not a lunch special.  Lots of burgers – quality and consistency with good service. You can sit in or out under the awning. Matt Denny’s link GIT

The Monrovian: (Monrovia at the corner of Myrtle and Colorado).  Old fashioned coffee shop, but better.  I love the Cobb Salad – very well done.  Special every day.  Monrovian link

Chang Thai Bistro: (on Myrtle in Old Town Monrovia) Consistently good Thai with great ambiance and service.  The sweet rice and mango is a surprisingly good dessert. Chang Thai Bistro link GIT

Panda Inn- Chinese pricier: (on Foothill between Madre and Rosemead.  The one in Ontario is not as good). The best Chinese – period. Being going there since the 70’s – Consistently VERY GOOD.  The Sea Bass steamed with ginger and soy falls apart. Scallops are as tender as marshmallows.  Won Ton Soup is a classic always well done.  The ambiance and private rooms make it a place I always want to go back to.  It’s open later than other restaurants… And the chocolate dipped fortune cookies are a great way to end your meal.  Panda Inn link GIT (2 kinds)

Pei Wei - (Foothill near Madre) Chinese less pricey.  Tasty, quick, quality, affordable. I was told its the baby sister restaurant of PF Changs restaurants which I like but like Panda Inn more. Pei Wei link GIT (2 kinds)

The Peach Cafe (Monrovia at Ivy and Colorado). California fare.  Weekends have a bigger better menu.  Restored building with funky colorful art, homemade baking and consistently good food.  A sense that the servers care about the patrons and food. Peach Cafe link GIT

These are some of my favorites, perhaps you have others that I have not tried.  Feel free to suggest your favorites – Dr. M

I happened upon “The Bonnie Hunt Show” during my business travels last week, and her floor director made a comment that I’m thinking about putting on a t-shirt.

Bonnie was teasing him about the number of cookies he was eating before the show, and he replied, “I’m an adult now. I can eat as many cookies as I want.  I’m in charge of me.”

Damn straight.

Even at my age, I am asked time and time again to explain my behavior, simply because it goes against some preconceived societal norm.  The one that irks me the most?

“You don’t want wine with dinner?  Everyone else is having a glass.”

I am so tired of answering this question.  Why should my not drinking alcohol ever be an issue?  But for some reason, it is.  And I find myself explaining, again and again.

Do I ever make people explain why they choose beer…or wine…or a mixed drink?  No.  Because I don’t care what they drink.  It doesn’t affect my enjoyment of what I’m drinking or eating, so why should my decision to drink iced tea affect theirs?

Heck, iced tea looks like liquor — a darn big glass of it — so by all appearances, I’m drinking.  And if you’ve hung around with me, you know iced tea makes me very, very happy, and when I’m happy, I’m very, very social.

Yes, this is a pet peeve.  But I feel better having vented. Thanks for listening.  Heck, let’s all go grab a cookie…or two…or five.

We’re all adults here, right?

Did you know that bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s? Bubble tea comes generally in two types: milk tea and fruit-flavored tea. While I have not had a bubble tea that I enjoyed, I surfed over to Lollicup’s website to see what they offered, and stumbled upon something that interested me.

“Lollicup has launched two delightful new flavors of milk teas and slush – Caramel and Hazelnut Milk Tea and Caramel and Hazelnut Milk Tea Slush. These fresh and tasty flavors, before only offered in Asia, are now available at participating Lollicup Coffee and Tea locations nationwide.

The Caramel Milk Tea infuses Lollicup’s signature iced milk tea with creamy caramel into a smooth concoction, which is then topped with an exquisite layer of frothy milk foam and swirls of caramel sauce. If one prefers a blended drink, this is also offered as slush by simply blending the same ingredients with ice.

Hazelnut Milk Tea merges Lollicup’s signature iced milk tea and scrumptious hazelnut flavor into a velvety drink, which is then covered with a creamy layer of milk foam and accented with chocolate powder. This is also available in slush form.”

Photo courtesy of Lollicup’s website.

Thai food will forever remind me of the first apartment I had as a college student in Illinois.  We lived in a great apartment that included a balcony that looked out onto the chaotic bar crowds of the campus town of the University of Illinois.

Panang Chicken

Naturally, I have been looking for a great Thai place in North Carolina that could hold candle to this my former Thai food Mecca, and it was with much hope that we went into Champa Thai and Sushi (8521 Brier Creek Pkwy Raleigh, NC). My favorite Thai dish, Panang Chicken, which is chicken plus a curry sauce, coconut milk and chopped green peppers. I ordered this at Champa and it had the great combination of spicy curry and sweet coconut milk that I always loved. I also had a super sweet milky Thai iced tea which was great, but after having glass refilled like 4 times, I nearly went into diabetic shock. Julia chose the firecracker tuna roll and several unagi (eel) rolls. She seemed to really enjoy the tuna roll but the thai chillis that were inside it proved to be too spicy for her to handle. As we have mentioned before,we are both huge fans of unagi, but this time it proved to be a bit on the dry side.

Champa lived up to my hopes for a good Raleigh Thai place but unfortunately the sushi just didn’t live up to our standards. So, I would say iif you are looking for some decentThai you should check this place out, but really you should stay away from the sushi.

__TONY__

Image via FFFFound!

(And no, I am not procrastinating on Novel already; Husband is having to install Microsoft Office on my laptop which I thought we already had done. Whoops!)

It’s a Sunday evening, and I’m at home. Didn’t have any plans to go out, then again, I didn’t have enough cash to back up any plans to go out either.

I woke up late today..I believe I woke up around 3.30pm..Well, I freshened up and had my bath, then I went to the nearest mamak stall and had Maggi Goreng with Telur Mata (Fried ‘Maggi‘ Instant Noodles with Fried Eggs, a common local dish in KL) along with a glass of Teh Ais (Iced Tea with Sweet Milk).

After, the 1st meal of the day, I called my mother just to check on my family back home. 15 minutes later, I went home (I’m renting a room). So here I’am now, posting this in my blog. I planned to watch some of the new episodes of a few TV Shows that I’m currently keeping track on which includes FRINGE, FLASHFORWARD, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, BORED TO DEATH and STARGATE UNIVERSE.

At the same time, I am very much looking forward to see my family and my (soon to be wife) girlfriend on the end of October. They will be flying to KL from Kuching on October 31st and will be here for a couple of days. I had already submitted by working leave to spend time with them as I miss all of them very much. My mother, my sister, her husband, her two kids and my girlfriend will be on the trip to KL. I was hoping that my brother would come along to visit me but he couldn’t get off work. Anyways,i can’t wait to hold my Baby in my arms again.

Well, tomorrow is Monday and it’s back to work for me. I’ll just focus on work at the mean time.

by William I. Lengeman III

There’s plenty of compelling evidence these days to support the notion that drinking tea can confer health benefits upon the consumer. But what about iced and bottled teas and tea-based beverages? How do they stack up in terms of health benefits against a plain old cup of hot tea?

A study by researchers at the Los Angeles-based David Geffen School of Medicine compared the antioxidant content of fruit juices, red wine, and several iced tea beverages, including those made with black, green and white tea. Pomegranate juice and red wine ranked highest. All of the other fruit juices, except apple, ranked higher than the iced tea.

In another study, the results of which were published in 2000, researchers in The Netherlands discovered that infusions of black tea contained high levels of catechins, but “low to negligible amounts were found in white wine, commercially available fruit juices, iced tea, and chocolate milk.”

In 2005, researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University noted that some bottled teas have considerably lower levels of polyphenols and antioxidants than freshly brewed tea. One researcher compared some bottled teas on the market to “diluted sugar water.” However it’s important to note that in recent years some vendors have begun rolling out bottled tea products that are lightly sweetened or unsweetened.

In 2002, a Prevention magazine study arrived at similar conclusions. But researchers noted that antioxidant levels in bottled tea can vary between batches and discovered that “some convenience iced teas still retained spectacular antioxidant levels.” Also worth mentioning, even some low scoring teas ranked favorably against such foods as strawberries and spinach.

Researchers have also found that the high concentrations of oxalate found in iced tea may contribute to the formation of kidney stones, though apparently only in people who are prone to this disorder.

By some accounts as much as 80 percent of the tea consumed in the United States – or nearly two billion gallons annually – is iced. While it appears that the maximum health benefits come from freshly brewed hot tea there doesn’t seem to be any reason not to reach for a glass of the cold stuff now and then.

Check out William’s blog, Tea Guy Speaks, for more great articles!

collected on Wednesday, January 24, 2007

If it wasn’t THE first, it was AMONG the first, times I had dined at this particular Red Lobster. Located along Route 202 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (a short distance north of the popular mall bearing its name), the Red Lobster became a popular spot for my money and I once I moved into Phoenixville with Dud, as it was one of her favorite restaurants.

Dud had had a bad day at work (she complained to a manager about problems she was having with a co-worker and was actually reprimanded herself), so since I apparently cared for her a little bit back then, I took her to Red Lobster to calm her nerves. Often, I’d merely kiss her good-bye in the parking lot while her roommate (who also worked alongside she and I) waited impatiently in the car.

During our meal, another table behind us had some drinks served in plastic cups bearing the chain’s logo. Thus, I had the clever idea of asking our server for an order of iced tea (which I had drunk throughout our meal) “to go,” effectively getting a cup. I now had a new weapon in my cup collecting arsenal: asking for a refill of my drink “to go.”

Iced tea is a beverage that is very common, and has been with society since the ancient times. Yet there is another type of iced tea that has been rising in popularity lately, and that tea is known as long island iced tea.

Despite the fact that this drink really has only little in common with the typical ice tea, the identity is derived and attributable to the well liked variation of mixes, one of which is the ice tea itself.

It began nearly thirty years past, when a bartender at the Oak Beach Inn waterfront nightclub, Chris Bendicksen, tried an experiment with a mixture of unique cocktails. The reason why this drink was labeled long island ice tea was due to the fact that the waterfront nightclub was situated in Babylon on Long Island, New York.

How is it Made?

This well liked mixture is derived from the variation of rum, vodka, tequila, gin, triple sec, and specific amounts of sour mix with a splash of cola or other mixtures, such as lemon juice of the primary ice tea itself. The majority of the time, this type of drink is served up with a slice of lemon so that it will heighten the likeness of a non-alcoholic drink, which was an additional reason this beverage was supposedly invented in various civilizations. Additionally, Long island ice tea is likened to ice tea because it also has in common the corresponding smooth taste of the tea itself.

One element that sets apart this beverage from different types of cocktails is that of the amount of alcohol, which is much greater in this beverage compared to numerous other types. The majority of long island ice tea variations contain at a minimum 28 percent alcohol within them, and this is because of the proportionally minor quantity of mixer that is applied to the beverage.

It needs to be recognized nonetheless that this situation is not a similar case in all regions. In spite of most expectations, numerous countries alter this alcohol level, and the majority of them have a varied mixture as well. In addition, numerous regions simply use liquors and cola by itself, without the sour mix so that they can make this long island ice tea drink, and on specific social occasions, lemon or lime juice or even lime liqueur can be supplemented to it.

Professional long island ice tea manufacturers, when inquired on the matter, will ordinarily tell you that the mixture is one of the simplest to mix up, as long as you recall from memory the right proportion of the mixture and the right mixture ingredients as well. There are only a few basic steps, which would be “to pour all the ingredients or mixture in to a highball glass filled with ice, and add cola for the color. For decorative purpose, add a slice of lemon to it”.

For our first courtyard assignment, Rick suggested Casa Garden Restaurant. Open for 35 years, and focusing on fusion cuisine and a California take on classic dishes, their menu changes weekly and features fresh and local seasonal ingredients. One of the best things about Casa Garden is that all profits and 100% of gratuities go to support the Sacramento Children’s Home, one of the oldest children’s homes in California.

Here’s what we loved:

Maria – Their weekly menu is short, but not short on flavor. I ordered the Sesame Thai Beef Salad, which was fresh and flavorful. I noticed their wine list, too, but it was a working lunch after all – so I stuck to the iced tea! We all loved meeting Assistant Chef Tommy Moreno who gave us a peek inside what makes Casa Garden. I can see how their beautiful courtyard would be perfect for a wedding or other special event.

Vanessa – The wait staff at Casa Garden are all volunteers donating their time for the good of the children’s home. Our waitress was a Paula Deen look-alike with a similar smile and gracious charm! I ordered the chicken and spinach crepes, baked with the perfect combination of meaty-, creamy-, cheesy-goodness. It was paired with mixed greens in a light olive oil and vinegar dressing and a sourdough roll.

Christine – The food is great, but what is even better the feeling you get just by dining at Casa Garden. Since ALL profits and gratuities go to the Children’s Home, it is clear that everyone, and everything, in the restaurant is there for good reason.  Assistant Chef Tommy Moreno explained that even the art on the walls and the chairs we were sitting on were donated to benefit the Children’s Home.

Liz – I love a good lunch outing and Casa Garden was no exception. I ordered the cheesy chicken and spinach crepes and was very surprised when Chef Tommy explained that he actually tries to “lighten up” his recipes because it didn’t taste light to me and I mean that in a good way! We all shared a slice of the Heavenly Raspberry Pie for dessert – I loved the surprise of it being served cold – perfect for the hot day.

Cecily  – You can’t help but notice the pretty scenery when you walk into the Casa Garden courtyard.  We walked through a freshly groomed garden courtyard to reach the front door where we were greeted by a type of friendly staff you don’t get at all restaurants.  What really blew me away was when I found out that everyone from the chef to the gardener is a volunteer.  It’s hard not to walk away from lunch at Casa Garden with a little inspirational bounce in your step.

Casa Garden Restaurant
2760 Sutterville Road
Sacramento, CA
(916) 452-2809

The folks and I watched the first part of Ken Burns’ super slo-mo National Park documentary on PBS, and to entertain ourselves during its numerous, languid exhortations, we started a John Muir drinking game.  Each time one of the assorted historians said ‘John Muir’ or ‘Muir’, we each had to take a swig of our beverage of choice.

Dad ran out of iced tea with about 45 minutes left in the show, Mom blanked out and missed about 15 Muirs worth of water, while I just kept on chugging the breast milk!

Winner: Max!

Something about a hot cup of tea on a hot afternoon. Ok, well that’s not necessarily a big seller.

When you pull into the parking lot and step out of the car ~ and the back of your shirt is stuck to the seat like tape, and somehow stuck to your back at the same time ~ a cooler beverage might be on your mind instead of hot tea.

Luckily, Matcha Green Tea does not have to be brewed. It comes in a powdered form. How about a refreshing, polar-cold, arctic-iced, frost-chilled, mouth-refreshing tumbler full of … green tea!

Matcha GT, the powder that you can store at room temperature regardless the temperature of your day. You don’t have to pull a bottled soda out of the cooler on a hot afternoon. Grab something energizing and nutritious. You’ll be surprised how kids and adults alike will feel a lot more refreshed after a cool gulp of … well here’s a few recipes to try out.

Matcha GT Energy Shot 4 oz

• For every 4 ounces of milk (soy, vanilla soy, 2% etc,)
• add 1 scoop Matcha GT
• and about 4 ounces of  ice
• Shake in bar shaker and let’s talk about that flavor!

Double Matcha GT Energy Shot 4 oz

Same as above but put in 2 scoops of Matcha Green Tea powder !!

Orange Twist Matcha GT Energy Shot 4 oz

• 2 oz milk (soy, vanilla soy, 2% etc,)
• 2 oz orange juice
• 1 scoop Matcha GT
• 4 oz ice
• Shake in bar shaker

The Orange Twist is my favorite ~ kind of like an orange cream soda ~ without the soda.

Love it!!

http://matchagt.com/
http://www.smoothieessentials.com/
http://matchagt.blogspot.com/
http://smoothieessentials.blogspot.com/
http://matchagt.wordpress.com/

I had drawing projects that I wanted to complete recently, but this last week I have had no energy. It’s very hard for me to get out of bed or even go outside of my home. Today I figured out what the problem might be- I had recently stopped drinking Sweet Tea/Iced Tea. Not for good, but I wanted to take a break and see how long I could go without sweet tea. I really wanted to stop feeling the need to drink tea everyday and decrease my high sugar consumption.

The problem is that not only do I lose the energy from sugar but, more importantly, I lose the caffeine boost. You would not think black tea had enough caffeine to even matter. However, I brewed some tea today (unsweet) and after consuming most of it, I felt a lot better and instantly regained my energy. I’m still trying to cut back on sugar, so I will have to suffer through unsweet for awhile. It’s either drink unsweet tea or feel tired all the time and never get around to completing any of my artwork. And I’m pretty slow with my drawing even with the tea, so meh.

Good thing about drinking sweet tea all the time- I almost never desire cookies, cake, or other types of sweets.  They still taste good, but I don’t have a craving for them. When I don’t drink sweet tea for awhile, the cravings come back.  I don’t know if I should rely on pure willpower and consume very little of either one, or decide which is the lesser of two evils.

Iced tea got warm is drinkable, whereas hot tea gone cold is not.

Or, more precisely, but simultaneously less:

iced tea got warm is not undrinkable, whereas hot tea gone cold is.

courtesy of wallse.com

One of my girlfriends took me to a hidden gem today, so shhhhhh, she would kill me for putting it on a blog, but when I get excited about a place, I have to share it. On the ground level of the Neue Galerie is a fantastic German and Austrian based eaterie called Cafe Sabarsky. The decor is very sleek and elegant with rich wood walls and tall windows that fill the room with just the right amount of sunlight. The menu has a wide range of prices with drinks starting at $3.50, so feel free to sit with a good book and enjoy a seltzer sweetened with fresh elderflower syrup, or maybe a mango-ginger iced tea is more your speed? Some of the coffee drinks are more on the expensive side, but they’re delicious and you can get them with ice cream or whipped cream, yum! Today I went savory, while my girlfriend went sweet. I ordered a Schinkenfleckerl mit Emmentaler und Salat because I got off my juice fast this afternoon and wanted something filling. For those of you who can’t read German, it was pasta with Bavarian ham, cream, grated Emmentaler (cheese) and came with lovely breads and a side salad with a mustard dressing. I know I usually go to Italian restaurants for my pasta, but I think I’m going to have to start going to German ones. It was delicious, wonderfully balanced yet full of flavor. I was able to taste each component separately and together with each chew. Oh that’s nice pasta…ohhh there comes the cheese….ohhhh the cream is luscious, you get the drift. My girlfriend opted for the sachertore, which is a Viennese dark chocolate cake with house made apricot confiture (which tasted like a jam/syrup) and coated in a chocolate shell. I was expecting something really heavy (which isn’t bad depending on the dish), but it wasn’t. The texture was nice and dense, but the flavors weren’t overpowering at all. Once again, a well-balanced dish. Overall, the food and drinks were very impressive, very rarely am I so pleased with both the savory and sweet dishes a restaurant has to offer, kudos to Chef and and Owner Kurt Guttenbrunner, I look forward to going to his other restaurants.

8.5 out of 10

1048 5th ave. (on the corner of 86th str.)
New York, NY 10028
Inside the Neue Galerie

-Juice

Agave-Sweetened Orange-Orange Pekoe Tea - Vegan Soul Kitchen

If you’re looking at this picture right now, I know you must be dying for an ice-cold glass of sweet tea .  The Vegan Soul Food version punches up this classic with just the right amount of cinnamon, lemon and orange flavors.   On top of that, the tea is sweetened with agave, so you get all the sweetness you need, without the insulin spike.  All my husband had to say after drinking this was “More, please!”

I’ve always thought that the day I ran 6 miles would be the day I finally became a “real” runner.

When my alarm went off at 8, my mind was filled with that excited dread that often comes with the first day of school and first dates.  Since my day is already jam-packed today, I’d written out a list of everything I would do, from waking up to going to work, with corresponding times.  This type of thing doesn’t usually work for me, but I really wasn’t even able to include a margin of error.

Still, I puttered around, wasting time… I checked on the laundry (three times), I did the dishes, I checked the weather (chance of rain)… I was nervous, and I wanted to prolong the run for as long as possible.  But, I was also excited, and had a good feeling.  I knew I could do it!

I quickly put together a no-fail playlist.  These are all songs I’ve run to over and over again, and I know they keep my legs running.

Before I left, I had half a cup of coffee, half a Luna Bar, and a lot of water.

I debated whether or not to run with a water bottle, but I didn’t want the extra awkward weight to sabotage my run. Instead I kept running back to the kitchen for more water, just to be safe.  I should probably invest in a CamelBak sometime soon…

This was my first time running with snacks.I stuffed my baggie of gummies (who needs Shot Bloks?) into the waistband of my running pants.  I’m sure there was a better option… I tried to put it in the side of my sports bra, as I’ve heard other runners do, but it was really uncomfortable.    Where do you stash your mid-exercise snacks?

Finally I set off, with a not-so-brave face.

I’d promised myself I was going to run at a slow, easy pace… it was more important for me to log miles than go for speed. I’m not racing against anyone! To achieve the 6 mile run, I’d planned on fusing together my go to 4.5 mile and 2.0 mile runs.  It started to rain as I passed the 2-mile point, but I powered through it.  At almost the same time as the first raindrop hit my face, I got a stitch in my right side… the same spot I’ve been getting them for the past week or so. I tried some breathing techniques, but mostly just told myself to ignore it… and it worked!

After I finished my 4.5 mile loop, I stopped and ate half of my gummies.  Then I picked the pace right back up again.  I felt as though my legs were carrying me through, and the only thing I had to do was stay awake for it.  I expected to be sore, but I didn’t think that I’d be so mentally tired! But I powered on.  I stopped and ate the last of the gummies during the final mile.

I got home, stretched and calculated my total distance: 6.4 miles!!!

Total distance: 6.4 miles

Total time: 1:10:27

Maximum heart rate: 177 (89%)

Average heart rate: 166 (83%)

Calories burned: 739

For a few minutes, I felt a little nauseous and not very hungry.  I couldn’t decide what I wanted for breakfast, and puttered around for a little.  Then all of a sudden… WHAMO! I made the quickest bowl of oatmeal you’ve ever seen, just so I wouldn’t eat my own arm.

This was made with:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup water
• splash of skim milk
• cinnamon
• 1 banana
• brown sugar
• scoop of peanut butter

After showering, I slathered on a generous helping of Bengay and promptly burned the bejeezus out of my glutes.  I also got so cold that I had to pile on Ari’s sweats (shh!) and climb under the covers.  I guess “everything in moderation” doesn’t only apply to food…

I took a bottle of POMx Pomegrante Wildberry Light White Tea to keep me hydrated on my subway ride across the boroughs.

FYI: I will be posting a POMx review once I’ve tasted all of the flavors.

I needed to pick some things up chez maman et papa, so I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up lunch to eat at home.  It was, sadly, my quickest in-and-out trip to the store.

When I got home, there were two exciting packages waiting for me! First… my RoadID came! I wish I could show it to you, but my Photoshop program isn’t working and I can’t edit out my personal information.  It’s very cool, though!

I also received the Kay’s Naturals package I won from Jenny’s giveaway.

With lunch, I snacked on some Crispy Parmesan Protein Chips.

They look like baby Sun Chips!

And, unlike other brands, this one was filled with chips! Don’t you hate when you buy something and realize you’ve paid for mostly air? They were pretty good… they had the consistency of Soy Crisps.

My Whole Foods lunch was filled with greens, Israeli salad, grape leaves, vegan chicken salad (LOVE THIS), lemon tempeh, glazed tofu, crunch sprout salad, and a farro/wheatberry pilaf.

While I was home, Charley and I played dress-up…

He’s joined the ranks and is now an Upwelling Dog.

I was still snacky, so I ate a raisin walnut roll on the subway on the way to work.

Business at the restaurant was non-existent, so I went home at 7. Wahoo!  I took a salad to go, but decided to save that for lunch the next day and stopped instead at the Japanese mart on my walk to the subway.  I’ve always been curious about these seasoned “wildweeds”:

Unfortunately, I really didn’t care for them at all.  Something about the taste, and the brown weeds (which reminded me of Distric 9… sorry for that gross tidbit!) really turned my stomach and I only ate half.  This looks deceptively small… but as the above photo shows, it weighed 18 ounces!

The brown rice tuna and avocado sushi, however, was just right.  I should have just gotten more sushi!

The weeds left a taste in my mouth that wouldn’t go away, so I had a glass of Pinot Grigio to usher it out.

I hadn’t had a dessert plate in a while, so I helped myself to dried fruit, Israeli pop-rocks chocolate, and almond butter.  MMM!

hey there bloggarionos! i am going to make this one snappier than snap from the famous rice krispie trio of snap, crackle and pop himself!

why you ask? i have got loads to do before my early morning flight to seattle!  i am, of course, the biggest procrastination station on the planet and so i still have to pack.

speaking of packing, big ups on all the methods you guys mentioned! sounds like a lot of you are like me.. last minute packers.. but i do think i got some good tips on how to cram it all in (TWSS)!

i am just going to cut right to the chase…

meal 1: waffles for waffle wednesday! yayer! @ 8:30 AM

it was my typical protein waffle that i cooked up.. but something made this dude a little more special than all the last…

dessert hummus!!

remember when the radtastic emily gave me 6 different flavas of crazy camel dessert hummus? well what better way to try out the sweet beany creation than on a waffle??  and this goes right along with sarah’s smilie plan of trying something new on wednesdays.. check!

i sampled three of the six varieties..

maple walnut:

pumpkin:

toasted almond:

while i definitely enjoyed all 3 flavors to the fullest extent of hummus loving capabilities, i gotta say the one that paired best with the waffles was the maple walnut.  maybe that is why maple syrup is so popular with the breakfast breads? i think they are onto something here people!  i enjoyed the rest of my waffles with the maple walnut hummus.

i will be testing out the other 3 flavors in the near future.  that stuff is seriously amaaazing! thanks em!

meal 2: chicken+dijon+cottage cheese & green beans & 1 mini pita @ 12:30 PM

yeah, same as yesterday, it was delicious and nutritious and i am using up the supplies since i am out the door tomorrow!

insert MASS amounts of work here, it is hard to prepare to go out of town and it is usually a disaster upon returning.. lots of things to factor into this whole out of town business.  oh well, it will SO be worth it

after work i was STILL full from my lunch, which was weird.. but i went to the gym to work out before meal 3.

it was lower body workout today!

• 3 minute treadmill warmup

hamstrings: single leg dead lifts with dumbbells

• 12 each leg @ 16#
• 50 ball crunches
• 10 each leg @ 20#
• 50 ball crunches
• 8 each leg @ 24#
• 50 ball crunches
• 6 each leg @ 30#
• 50 ball crunches
• 12 each leg @ 20#

barbell dead lifts

• 15 @ 30#

abs:

• 2 sets of 50 lower ab crunches on decline bench
• 2 sets of 50 oblique twists on decline bench w/ 10# weight
• 2 sets of 30 crunch and twists on decline bench 2/ 10# weight

calves: standing weighted calf raises

• 12 @ 20#
• 20 walking lunges w/ leg raise holding 10# weight and twisting when in lunge position
• 10 @ 40#
• 20 walking lunges w/ leg raise holding 10# weight and twisting when in lunge position
• 8 @ 60#
• 20 walking lunges w/ leg raise holding 10# weight and twisting when in lunge position
• 6 @ 80#
• 20 walking lunges w/ leg raise holding 10# weight and twisting when in lunge position
• 12 @ 20#

single leg calf raises:

• 12 each leg @ body weight

ran 1 mile on treadmill: 8 minutes 17 seconds

quads: dumbbell squats

• 12 @ 35#
• 25 ball crunches
• 15 hip raises w/ feet on bench
• 10 @ 40#
• 25 ball crunches
• 15 hip raises w/ feet on bench
• 8 @ 45#
• 25 ball crunches
• 15 hip raises w/ feet on bench
• 6 @ 50#
• 25 ball crunches
• 15 hip raises w/ feet on bench
• 12 @ 40#

squats against ball against wall holding 5# weight

• 20 reps

lower back: back extensions w/ body weight

• 30 reps

the end!

i bounced out to whole foods to get some post workout nutrish!

meal 3: oikos + z bar @ 6:00 PM

yes, while driving. i fixed it up in the parking lot of whole foods…

and devoured..

had you been driving on i-215 west today around 6:07 PM you would for sure have seen my licking the oikos container.. true story. no shame.

the check out line at whole foods also got the best of me and i was suckered into buying this gem of a beverage:

the straw was made of paper or cardboard or something though, i am sure it is eco-friendly.. but it kept me from chewing on the straw. bad habit.

i then hit up forever 21 again, FOUND A DRESS! and found two shirts, a plaid dress like thing, a sweater vesty thing and a tank top. blast. i shake my fist at forever 21.

i bolted home as fast as possible because janetha b’s bladder was fuuuuuull. just sayin. i was dying.

marshall made me dinner

meal 4: whole wheat rotini with meat sauce & veggies @ 9:00 PM

it was deliciouso! the best part about this meal is that when we were at the grocery store getting the goods for the pasta.. marshall randomly would burst out with italian words with a silly italian accent.. but the words were limited to noodle varieties.. “farfale!”…”rigatoni!”…”spaghetti!”… oh i think he did squeeze in a “mozzerella!”  ok, maybe  you had to be there. i was giggling.

whew. it is 11:15 and i have to pack, shower, get some quality time in with randy and penny (who i am going to miss SO DANG MUCH!!) and somehow fit some sleep in before my 5:15 wake up call. ugh. that is officially in six hours. i better jet.

i am going to be computerless until monday! i was going to take my laptop along with me but then decided it would be too much effort and i probably won’t have much time to be on it anyway.

i am going to miss you guys!! serrrriously. it will be weird to be out of the bloggie loop for 4 days. feel free to email me if anything uber exciting happens, i do have email on my phone

i have some stellar guest posts lined up for while i am gone so make sure to check back here for those!

ok ok, enough stalling.. i am really leaving now. penny is going to miss us..

but randy does not seem to care..

you can’t win them all!

Qs

1. have any bad habits? in addition to chewing on my straws.. i also pop every joint in my body. i don’t think is necessarily a bad habit but a lot of other people do!

2. favorite noodle shape? i cannot pick. i love them all. i know, total cop out!

xo. janetha b.