>Mrs. Crankypants

>Ahhh, a day off. Finally. I need it. Mentally. Physically. My poor feet. Ok enough whining..

Yesterday I hit the gym with the Manfriend for a spinning sesh. Since I was feeling devoid of all energy, I decided a class where someone forces tells me what to do, would be better for my current mental state. I don’t know about you but it’s much easier to follow along to someone else’s commands than to motivate myself to the same degree. And me + machines don’t mix all that well <—-snooze.

I was actually getting excited for the class until we realized the instructor was a no-show. Thanks for nothin’. Considering I prepared for a class, I purposely left my ipod at home. Treadmill ADD + no music = not a productive combo. I’ll admit, I’ve been skimping on weights this week so I did my best at a full-body (BodyPump inspired) weights workout. Twas ok, but I probably should have stayed on the couch. Just one of dem days…

For lunch, I wanted complex carbs (and COFFEE) to pump up my energy for a long night at work. Similar to last week’s PB and sweet potato combo, I made a protein-ified (nice word, eh?) version using Greek yogurt.

Salty & Sweet perfection: Baked sweet potato with peanut butter Greek yogurt (FF gr yogurt, peanut flour, sea salt, stevia) and a drizzle of organic maple syrup.

* * *

Work was fine. I really do love the time I spend on the unit. I am so fortunate to have an incredibly rewarding job. I was however, hurting last night. My feet that is. I need to remember to wear these bad boys every shift..

source

By the time I got home and showered (hospitals are dirty, y’all), I was hungry, tired, cranky, and it was 12:00am. Eeeek, there goes the whining again. I had been slacking on my veggies. Aaaand they’re on their way out (nothing irks me more than throwing out fresh fruits/veggies).

Spinach, cherry tomatoes, cukes, fat-free cottage cheese 

With a 1:1 mixture of Goddess dressing and balsamic vinegar <—-Best dressing

And some more unpictured veggies dipped in my favorite hummus…

Trader Joe’s Jalapeno & Cilantro

Note: My sister hates cilantro in almost anything, but love this stuff…

Aaaand some unpictured hot tea and dark chocolate in bed 😉

* * *

This morning I woke around 9am and made breakfast for me and our friend Cory that’s staying with us..

Blueberry Protein Pancakes (recipe here)

* * *

I have a confession: It’s now 4:45pm, and I’m still in my fleece pj’s. I’ve spent my day off cooking (dinner is in the crock pot!), playing with the pup, catching up on the news, recipe reading, and straight up reeeelaxing.

Tonight’s agenda? Yoga then dinner/wine partay to celebrate Kelsey’s (sister) last day of work. Now that’s a perfect day off in my eyes!

~ What’s your idea of a perfect day off? ~ 

>Goodbye summer nights

>Hope you’re all having a wonderful Monday. If the weather where you are is anything like DC, fall is definitely in the air. And I love it.

Last night the I made taco salad and enjoyed it on the deck with my sister and Manfriend. The weather was too good to pass up so we enjoyed the meal by candlelight with some country music playing in the background. Ahhhh. If only all dinners could be that enjoyable.

On the menu:

Ground lean turkey breast cooked in 1 cup H20, 1/2 cup chipotle salsa, 1 T cumin, 2-3 T chili powder, 1/2 tsp lime juice, sea salt & pepper

Fixings:

Iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, diced avocado, and our *special sauce. Served with Trader Joe’s Spicy Veggie and Flax Seed chips & Lite Mexican blend cheese

*The sauce is the best part: 3/4 cup FF Greek Yogurt with 1/4 cup chipotle salsa (add more to taste), 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 T chili powder, teeeeeny bit of lime juice

And voila!

Healthy. Hearty. And comforting.

——

This morning I woke earlier than Seth so I decided to be an extra nice girlfriend and make him a breakfast of champions:

3 egg omelet w/ ham, spinach, cheddar cheese. Side of whole grain toast and OJ. Seth, life doesn’t get much better than this….wink wink.

I enjoyed Tropical Chia Oats I threw together the night before:

I was craving it since the purchase of these two important items:

Coconut milk kefir (kefir is like a drinkable yogurt, containing healthy fat and probiotics) + FF Greek Yogurt

Directions (night before, combine and mix): 

1/3 cup oats

1/2 cup FF Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup kefir

1/4 cup frozen mango

1 T raw chia seeds

1 T red. fat unsweetened coconut

Pinch sea salt

Stevia to taste (keep in mind mango/banana will also sweeten)

Next morning:

Add splash milk (soy/almond) if desire  thinner consistency (I don’t do this) 

Top with 1/2 sliced banana

Savor.

——

Agenda for rest of the day:

– Bikram yoga (stretch out legs from yesterday’s half marathon)

– Enjoy this delicious salad I packed:

Spinach, diced chicken breast, black beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and hummus. 

Hummus (instead of salad dressing) is a delicious spin on a tradional salad, try it!

Trader Joe’s Spicy hummus is amazing.

– Then head to work! 

——-

Have a fantastic rest of your day! And don’t forget to enter my BEDDING MAKEOVER GIVEAWAY! The fastest way to makeover a room is new bedding! Aaaand I’m announcing the winner tonight!

——-

Something to consider….

(Snapped this pic from this month’s Women’s Health magazine)

I’ll be the first to admit – when I’m cramped, tired, stressed, etc., I  feel like the last thing I want to do on Earth is exercise. But over time, I’ve learned that it does help – A LOT! Sometimes you need to not think about it (aka don’t make excuses), throw on gym clothes and get moving. You WILL feel better. And you will never regret a workout. Even if it was just a light exercise to get yourself moving.