new theme!

Got bored and switched up the theme. I LOVE the new look! Hope it doesn’t confuse everyone

late

Sorry this is kind of late, but I wanted to get all my snacking in and photographed before I threw this baby up on the Internet and I ate dinner later than usual.

Let’s see… Ah! This afternoon. Nothing was accomplished (typical). I did attempt to bake flour-less carrot cupcakes, but they definitely need flour. I compiled a few recipes I found online and the taste was great, but the texture was off. They came out of the oven fluffy and by the time I ate one (almost 5 hours later) they were more like thick cookies. Still tasty, but maybe they needed more baking powder (that is a leavener, right?). Also my folded egg whites weren’t as fluffy as I would have liked because I did it by hand and got tired. Too stubborn to get out the mixer and dirty all the parts when a bowl and a whisk were easier to clean! Rookie mistake.

This afternoon I snacked on a bag of popcorn. I didn’t eat this all in one sitting but picked at it in two shifts over the course of the day.

94% Fat Free Smart Pop

Then around 5:30pm when my cupcake things were baking away, I was hungry but not hungry enough for dinner. Attempting to whip those egg whites gave me an arm work out I had some toast which kept me full until 8pm! Miracle snack!

Pepperidge Farm Multigrain Small Loaf w/ 1/2 tbsp apricot jam

When Mona got home, she brought the puppy back into my life! I had a puppy-free day as Mona worked from the house this morning while I was in the office, then when I got off early, Mona went into the office and took Sophie into the groomer. Now she has a beautiful haircut and is worn out from playing with the other dogs all afternoon! Mona made some amazing artichoke and leek soup that she blended with one of those immersion blenders. I seriously need one when I (finally) move into an apartment in the fall!!! Mona and Jeff had chicken breast to go along with the soup, but I am still debating about the vegetarian thing so I am trying to limit my intake. I’ll probably end up eating it at my mom’s house this weekend, so since I wasn’t dying for it, I passed. Instead I had some yummy olives and a sandwich flat with hummus.

1 cup artichoke & leek soup w/ 1 tbsp fat free sour cream; 1 Arnold sandwich thin w/ 1 tbsp roasted red pepper hummus; random olives

I was super full until American Idol started (I’m not normally into this show but since Mona and Jeff watch it, I sort of pay attention). I decided to treat myself to one of my carrot cupcake-cookie hybrids and some REAL ice cream (none of that Weight Watchers fakey stuff). I really want to find good dairy-free alternatives, but I haven’t gone to the specialty grocery stores around here yet to look.

1 Flour-less carrot cake thing; 1/2 cup vanilla bean ice cream

It was a nice treat and I will admit to singing happy birthday to my Daddy in my head as I scooped the ice cream. And I most certainly got teary. I’ve only cried a few times today, I’d say I’m holding it together quite well!

So happy birthday Dad <3. I miss you!

emotions

My emotions are in 100 places today. It is my dad’s birthday, he would be 47 today. This is his second birthday since he passed away and I just can’t wait for this day to get easier. I’m obviously still very sad and still grieving, but I’m trying to stay positive because I know he wouldn’t have wanted me to be sad. But I’m trying to find ways to honor his memory today, and one will be making a birthday cake. One of his favorite cakes was carrot cake (the other, key lime cheesecake!) so I figure of the two it can be made the healthiest. I’ve looked up a few modified recipes and I might try one later. Can’t bake now, the water is off for my bathroom renovation and I won’t be able to do much in the kitchen.

That aside, I have some new resolve today. Last night I started thinking about how much I’ve been snacking lately. And not even big snacks, but like I get bored and dip my spoon in the PB jar! So I’ve decided to be more conscious about documenting my snacking, too. So last night after dinner I had this:

An orange & some 60% dark chocolate chips

I woke up feeling 94% better today, so I jumped out of bed for the gym. I slept relatively well last night, only waking up a few times. Before the gym, I had half of a Fiber One bar and a small smear (~1 tsp) of natural PB. It was my last FiberOne bar of the box and now I’m on the hunt for a new kind. Any bar suggestions? At the gym I did some moderate biking for 15 minutes, 15 minutes hard resistance on the elliptical, abs, and weights. Then I headed to work for (less liquidy) overnight oats! I stirred in pumpkin and ate them cold. I made sure to use less liquid and they were a better consistency. I also put some honey in it to sweeten it — tasted like pumpkin pie!

Half FiberOne bar w/ ~1 tsp. natural PB

Overnight Pumpkin Oats

I ate breakfast at my desk, as per usual this week, and let me just say I cannot wait for the bathroom renovations to end. I love going to the gym, coming home to make breakfast, getting ready for work, and then going to work. It might cost me a bit of time and a few extra miles of gas in the car, but it is totally worth it to have a relaxing breakfast at home! But thankfully I am so efficient at my job that I finished my task 3 hours early and I got the afternoon off! So I took my packed lunch home and ate it on the coffee table in front of the tv instead of my desk

Sweet potato w/ vegetarian baked beans & some fresh cut veggies

Now I’m hanging around. If the work upstairs gets too loud I might go to the library, but for now I can handle it. I want to get some reading done. I’d love to do laundry, but since the bathroom is being extended into the laundry room, there are no walls and the machines aren’t hooked up. Solution: take laundry to mom!!! Yes, I am going to my mom’s house for a long weekend. I have to pick up my bridesmaid dress at 5:30pm in Richmond on the way TOMORROW, so I’m not heading out until tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll have all of Friday & Saturday with my mom before heading back for the 3 hour drive on Sunday. Ew.

Breakfast:
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup skim milk
~1 tbsp raisins
~1 tsp honey
cinnamon, nutmeg
2 tbsp canned pumpkin

Lunch:
1 small sweet potato
1/2 cup vegetarian baked beans
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup baby carrots

Nothing green in the house, seriously!! But I believe a grocery run is on the agenda for Mona and/or Jeff tonight, so things shall be replenished