Whats been on my plate lately?

Haven't posted ina while, been a little busy here and trying to keep up with life and all of its demands but have been keeping up with my nutrition goals! Thought I would share with you a few things that have made its way onto my menu lately!  Yum Yum!

The above is ingredients for the below photos!

Scoop of choc pp

sprinkle of instant coffee grains

baking powder/ baking soda

wet ingrediants are water and egg whites

mix up

put in oven at 350 for 15 mins or until sides pull away from greased bowls edges

turns out looking like the above, but wait! we aren't done yet!

added some greek yogurt mixed with a packed of splenda, pb2 and then natty almond butter on top!!!

DELICIOUS!

Though I know I started with a delicious snack, supper was pretty awesome too! I cooked this up for my Mum and I. I stayed at my parents place for the weekend and made sure I stayed in charge of meals (I could get in my proper macros and Mum got a break from cooking, win win!)

The above dish is shrimp and beans with a few baby carrots thrown in. Stirfried it all with some Coconut oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, lime juice and thai seasoning, finger licking good!! Even Mum cleaned her plate!

This dish is a mix of canned tuna, spinach, red peppers, spices and Shirataki noodles. Not sure if any of you have had them but this was my first time trying them and I have to say I am impressed! I don't think that they ever could replace pasta noodles but think they fit in asian dishes quite nice!

I had Miracle Noodle brand, a package I picked up in Calgary when I was there but found these ones at my local Asian store

Think I am going to give them a try some time soon to see how they compare :)

This is an awesome find that I recently discovered as well! HOT HOT HOT mustard that tastes great for dipping my chicken in....almost like hot wings....but not lol

And lastly, here is one thing that I did NOT eat, but def wanted to, my decade old niece's Birthday cake!

The Butterflies were made out of chocolate by my sister and my niece......they looked soooooo Yummy!

Happy belated St Patricks Day (written yesterday, posted late)

My roommate is a young Irish lad ( people always laugh when I use that word but somehow it's made its way into my vocabulary) and this is his first St. Patrick’s Day in Canada! He immigrated here in August and has lived with me since December. Great guy, accent is a bit thick at times but pretty much one of the best roommates a girl can ask for. I wanted to make him feel more at home so I when I was leaving for my spin class this morning at 6am, I snuck a few St. Patrick Day surprises by his door. When he saw the beer, in typical Irish fashion, he asked, is there only one?


Spin class this morning was awesome, new instructor, new music – different routines. I do spin class twice a week so getting a switch up is awesome. Kinda revives the interest and makes you work that much harder. I have been going to spin class now for approximately 2 years and still love it. It’s partly the organization of it; I have a hard time doing cardio on my own so being in a class holds me accountable. When I am not there, it’s noticed and other classmates ask me where I was. It’s also a timed event, so I am sure to get in a certain amount of exercise. I find I can talk myself out of Cardio pretty quickly if I let myself, even if I get to the gym. How many of you are enrolled in some classes that your gym offers? Are your reasons similar?


Tonight I am heading back to the gym for my weights work out. This is not the usual but I have decided to head to my parents place for the weekend and although I can do cardio out there, sprints or running, there is no gym to get my weight routine in. I don’t feel right about not doing it so I figure this is the best option. I find it tough to make it back once I have already been there for the day but know I will feel accomplished once I get it all done!

No Body's Happy til Momma's Happy

How true is that? If you are not happy with things such as your life, your job, your friends, your workouts, your hobbies etc, then how can the people around you be? If you don’t truly know yourself and love yourself, then how can anyone else? Many people that I know, get in to a cycle of trying to find happiness in other things or people and rely on them to be happy that they don’t truly know what they like or what they are interested in. I have been there, guilty as the rest as I spent many years of my life trying to ‘fit’ in. But do you know where that got me...no where!

I am not sure what changed or when it changed. There is no specific time that I can pinpoint and say, “This is when I started being me”. Nope, I think I just evolved. But there is one thing that I do know. I started to evolve when I started taking care of me first. When I started going to the gym, working out, eating better, caring how I looked AND felt. The gym adds strength not only to the body but to a person’s character. I am a prime example of this and a firm believer. If you don’t like something, CHANGE IT!

I know that many people think that I go to the gym to work on my body, to lose weight, to work on my vanity....but these are the people that don’t really know me. Do I care what they think? Nope! I may have gone to the gym and eaten better in the past for these reasons but now it’s more about the whole package. Not only is it about looking better it’s about feeling better. It’s about caring for my body, both inside and out. It’s about making sure that my mind is active – I read and research various theories of thought; it’s about making sure that I stay positive - If I don’t get in regular exercise, I notice drastic changes in my moods (and not for the better); It’s about making me strong, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well; it’s about making sure that I take ME time out of each and every day and that is essential to living a long and health life. There are so many positives of caring for one’s self that I struggle to see the negatives.

Since I have worked so hard, and become so involved in fitness, I have decided to become a personal trainer. I help and assist majority of people that I know already, whether it be with diet or exercise, people come to me with questions all the time and so many people ask me why I haven’t’ done it already. Well, I can’t answer that question, I guess like everything else timing has to be right and it is now. This is for me. Not for anyone else. Just me. And you know what? I am perfectly happy about that

Getting to know who YOU are

The last couple of weeks have been long and hectic. Have been in 4 different provinces in the past 2 weeks for a variety of reasons. But between work and a mum and me trip, I have spent a lot of time planning, organising and figuring out my workouts (when and where to fit them in), my food (What and how to take it), and my life (making sure the necessary stuff got done). I have spent a ton of time with people that I didn't know and some that I know well. And one person that I thought I knew best....Me.
In all my travels, my constant companion was myself. Its crazy how time to yourself really makes you think and figure out what is important to you and why. I have spent a lot of time in the last couple of weeks thinking about my life, who is in it, what's in it, what I want and where I want to be in the future. I thought about why I do what I do and why I continue on. My answers changed everyday of why I do my workouts and follow my nutritious way of eating. But there was something in common with all of my answers and it all came back to me.

I do this because I like to, I want to have a passion and a goal, I do better in all other areas of my life when I get up and work out compared to 5 years ago when I didn't. I am a  happier person all the way around and actually a lot more pleasant and positive *smile* to be around when I eat right and get in a good good good workout.

I bought a car when in Calgary so my mum and I drove back following each other in separate cars, and we were texting back and forth (shhhhhh). She said something to me that stuck after I told her that I had been thinking about things. She said in life, the most important thing, is liking yourself.

You know what? I absolutely love myself, faults and imperfections and all :)

For all the Picture Whores!

Well its been a really good day, busy but good! 2 of my best friends are getting married.....to each other which I am so happy about! They each have such unique qualities about them that make them so special and to have to only go to visit 2 of my favorite people at the same house is a timesaving bonus jk :P

I am a part of the wedding party and today was the day of the shower. Life is sooo busy sometimes, from the conference last week, working OT all day yesterday (and apparently every sat in March), and the wedding shower(s) today, its tough to ensure that life stays on track sometimes. But well if ya know me, I am huge on planning and staying on course with my program, so while the guests munched on .....

I dug into my own bit of deliciousness :) :)

and no, the wine on the right isnt mine....but the 1.5L of water on the left is :) hehehe I have such good friends, my girlfriend, the one getting married, whispers to me....'you brought your own food again didn't you :)'

She has one more shower tonight...ya, I know, 2 showers and on the same day yet! So while they are munching on cake, pie and chili, Ill be having walnut crusted salmon and veggies. No pics yet!

For those of you that asked about what meals I took with me on my trip here is a snap shot of the goods :)

And the following pics are a week old but the newest that I have of my progress :) Stomach is getting smaller :) Slowly but Surely !




left side








Bum!





Front



Judging a Book by it's Cover

Finally home time!!!

I have been at a conference away from home for the past six days and its been rough. The content was tough. The people were new and I don't feel connected to them. Many meals were served to me and many problems arose with this way of doing things. The gym was weak and things were generally uncomfortable.....

What did I take away from this......

I learned that life is not easy (well I already knew this but it was a good reminder!!)

I learned that my lifestyle demands planning. The program insisted on served buffet meals, this wasn't going to work for me. I planned, planned and planned some more on how to make my time there easier. I packed snacks, lunches, suppers and breakfasts. ALL MEALS. I used the old Murphy's Law rule, if something can go wrong it will go wrong.

I learned to McGyver. I went to the local gym and saw the lack of equipment and the faulty death trap stuff. What did I do? Did I turn around and go home? Did I just do cardio instead? NO! I tied bands together, I changed the set up of the moveable equipment, I got the job done!

I learned that tv is not what I remember it to be. I spent time in front of it, switched the channels, and took advantage but I soon found out I had gotten over my burning urge to see what was on. Instead, by day 2, I decided that making use of the buildings 19 flights of stairs was more fun. I climbed and climbed and rode the elevator down and did it all again..and again.....and again..... :)

I learned that family and their support are missed when not around. I like to hear their words of encouragement. It keeps me going and propells me further.

I learned that sometimes the words 'what is that??? What are you eating???' is not always necessarily a bad thing. Smetimes people just want to know, they don't know what is healthy and they WANT to learn. This was a great way to meet people. Many of them wanted to know why I ate differently. Although I know I didn't reach everyone, I know I know I reached a few. Going to be mailing out a few more recipes to a few more people :)

I noticed that my dedication to my sport is recognized and makes me a much better person. Every morning I was at that gym, working out, pushing hard, leaving sweaty, and eager to come back and do it again. And those who saw me were encouraged. Those that didn't heard about it from those that had and had questions on how they should start.

All in all, even though it may not have been the best week, you can't judge a book by its cover. I learned so much from this week that it makes it all worth while :)

Still not missing TV

A little fact about me is that in my home I don't have tv. Wait, thats wrong. I have a tv BUT I do not subscribe to cable, sati-light or even get farmer vision. I made the decision 3years ago when I bought my home to domthe Internet thing and get tv once I was caughtnup with the adjustment of all the payments that would occur.
Well I got adjusted a long time ago and yet don't have tv. It kills my boyfriend. He has often said to me "why can't you be like everyone else and just get it?" and when my dad visits (once a year) he complains the whole time. My mum visits but she also has dropped a hint here and there about getting it. A couple weeks back I was even contemplating getting it as I was getting a bit tired of hearing it all the time....
This week at the hotel has been a real eye opener for me. I still DO NOT want it! I found that I wasted many hours in front of it, nothing really stood out and I could have been doing something better with my time...like getting in a workout!!! I guess I have become so comfortable with myself that spending hours alone, with out the jibber jabber of the noise in the back ground, doesn't bother me in the least. I wonder if thats why people get it to begin with?