Insane Incline Run + Vote For Me!

Happy Tuesday evening my friends!

I just got home from a fabulous trip to the gym, AND I have a new workout to share with you. Aren’t you psyched? 😉

You may remember, a few weeks back, when I attempted a couple new cardio workouts out of an old Self magazine that I have? Well, today I attempted a different one that was in there…ohhhh myyyyy…

It isn’t so much the speed that makes this workout a challenge, it’s the incline. Talk about insane! So let’s call it…

Insane Incline Run

It’s funny really…if I had done this workout at home, I definitely would have been satisfied with doing those 30 minutes and calling it a day. However, if I trek all the way to the gym, I always feel that I really have to make the most of my time there, so I end up doing more. SO, I hopped on over to the elliptical and did another 30 minutes of intervals.

Considering I had taken the entire weekend off from exercise, plus had a not-so-great workout yesterday morning (didn’t feel well, so ended up doing a Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred video off of Exercise on Demand…wasn’t as great as I remembered?) it felt awesome to get back to a little hardcore sweating. Those feel-good endorphins had been missed! 😯

Let’s rewind quickly to highlight some of today’s eats:

Breakfast

A vanilla flavored Chobani, mixed with about 2 tbsp pumpkin butter, 1/2 a sliced banana, & some Quaker Oatmeal Squares + granola. Totally fantastic along with my mug-o-coffee. 

Lunch

A mixed veggie salad: romaine, carrots, broccoli, grape tomatoes, red peppers, fat-free Mediterranean flavored feta (SO good!), and some dried cranberries.

A little later on, I also munched on a yummy honey crisp apple, some of my cinnamon roasted pumpkin seeds from Sunday, and a dark chocolate Adora disk.

Dinner

Yesterday, I got an email saying that for today only, Brueggers Bagels was offering a free half dozen bagels. No purchase required!! Jay and I decided that our plan would be for him to pick them up after work so we could enjoy them for a casual dinner. Because first of all, Brueggers Bagels are amazing, and second of all, they were free. I’ll never turn down something that’s free! 😉

Well, unfortunately for us, Brueggers closes at 7pm…Jay got there at 7:05. 😳

Since we both already had bagels on the brain, he ended up stopping and grabbing a couple from our local grocery store, which were yummy…just not quite Brueggers.

I had a honey wheat bagel, lightly toasted, and topped “old school” style with the PB & J. 1/2 had PB2 + Raspberry Polaner All Fruit spread, & 1/2 had some Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful + pumpkin butter.

I was definitely beyond hungry by the time Jay got home, so I also decided to have one of my Mini Fiesta Mushroom & Sausage Quiches. It totally hit the spot.

Which reminds me! 😯

**Voting has officially begun for the Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge! Feel free to click here to go and vote for my Mini Fiesta Mushroom & Sausage Quiches! You can even enter to win some great prizes for yourself!

I’m off to go cuddle up on the couch with my fleece blanket and watch some One Tree Hill! Have a great night ya’ll! 🙂

Snooze or Lose

I don’t know what it is about me this week, but I am having the hardest time getting up and out of bed. 😯 Maybe it’s the gloomy morning weather, or maybe it’s the fact that I really need to try a lot harder to get myself to bed earlier!

Whatever the reason, I told myself there was no excuses for not getting up for a workout. After the second hit of the snooze button, it was now or never…and I chose now. 😉

I scurried on out to the living room for some Exercise on Demand. Today’s videos:

• 10lb Slimdown Total Body Blast (24 mins)
• 10lb. Slimdown CORE (22 mins)

It was a good 45 minute workout, but I’ve got to admit…I’m really starting to miss having my treadmill working here at home. We’ve gotta get that thing workin’ ASAP!

Breakfast

I think my stomach might still be a little off from yesterday’s massive veggie consumption, so I really wasn’t craving anything in particular. Luckily, I still have this amazing loaf to keep me happy!

I heated up a slice of my Honey Raisin Banana Pumpkin Bread in the micro for 15 seconds, topped it with about 1/2 tsp. of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light, and “paired it with a pear” 😉

Since it’s a little smaller of a breakfast than I’m used to during the week, I also grabbed a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabar to tackle any mid-morning hunger that may arise. I haven’t tried this kind yet, but hopefully it’s as good as the Cookie Dough!

As always, I’ve got my mug-o-coffee (regular today…had to compromise with the hubby), and I’m headed out the door!

Have a great day!! 🙂

Question for the Morning:

Are you a “snooze button” kind of person, or do you get up right away in the mornings??

Hairy Berries???

It’s another “blah” morning here in Upstate…making it very difficult for me to want to get out of bed this morning. Why is it that my bed always feels a million times comfier when I hear rain pitter-pattering outside my window???

Despite it being a dreary morning, it’s actually quite muggy, which left me craving something cool and creamy for breakfast.

A paired a vanilla flavored Chobani Greek yogurt with some strawberries and blueberries and about 1/4 cup reduced-fat granola.

All with a little sprinkling of cinnamon of course. 😉 I think it kinda makes the berries look like they’re growing hair…what do ya think? 😛

I’ve got myself a mug of regular coffee this morning (!) since hubby’s not a fan of the Pumpkin Spice and I was brewing it for the two of us. But that’s ok…that’s why they make pumpkin pie spice!

I’ve got myself a full day of work + a trip to the gym later on…I better get crackin’ on this mug of coffee! 😯

Question for the Morning:

Do you have a favorite flavor of coffee or are you more of a “Plain Jane”? 😉

A Roaring’ Friday Night

Last night, I don’t think anything could have sounded better than some take-out, a glass of wine, my comfy sweats, and a big ‘ol spot on the couch. 😉 Yes my friends, it may not have been a roaring’ Friday night, but it was exactly what I needed.

Very rarely do I crave Mexican, but for some reason, I was really in the mood for it last night! So we ordered from Pancho’s, a local Mexican restaurant that has two different locations around our area.

First, a little vino, of course. 😉

Some Spinach Dip + chips

The spinach dip was alright…a little runny for my liking. Jay, however, had no problem enjoying dominating it.  I enjoyed dominated the chips.

I ordered the “Fajitas Vegetariana” which was broccoli, carrots and cauliflower cooked with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes.  Served with Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole salad, sour cream, pico de gallo and three tortillas.

To say the least, I was a little SHOCKED when I saw just how much food I got! 😯 But then again, I forgot how much “stuff” you get when you order fajitas.

Look at all those veggies…YUMMM.

All my “sides” – the beans and guac were fantastic!

Tortillas

I ended up eating 2 filled tortillas, pretty much all the sides (minus the sour cream) and about 1/2 the veggies. I saved them though…I’m thinking I’ll be able to incorporate them into a killer salad or sandwich this weekend!

It was a perfect, relaxing night, and we were even able to catch up on some of our DVR’d shows…hellooooo Jersey Shore! 😀

Workout

This morning, I was up bright and early since I have a lot that I want to accomplish today. I attempted one of my favorite Exercise on Demand videos: Rock Hard Total Body Workout, and was able to do probably 98% of it with no problems for the foot. It’s been feeling so much better lately, so hopefully I’ll be back to 100% soon.

After working up a sweat with the TV, it was time to work up a little more sweat with some cleaning. This house definitely needs a FULL CLEAN, so I’m working on that today. Thankfully my least favorite part is done…I can’t stand dusting! BLECK. 🙄

I took a little coffee break mid-cleaning…

…and now it’s time to go figure out what I want for breakfast. 🙂

**I’m waiting until later this afternoon to choose a winner for my CSN Stores Giveaway, so if you haven’t entered yet, don’t miss out on your chance!**

Question for the Morning:

What’s your least favorite household chore??

Craving the Sweat & Intensity

Ok, so for the past week or so, I’ve been going a little “stir crazy” a good, hot, sweaty workout. I had good intentions for while we were away (I packed my running sneakers + 3 days worth of workout gear!) but unfortunately that never happened. And then after injuring the foot, things were put on the back burner once again.

Well last night going to bed, I was definitely feeling a little “BLAH.” We all know the feeling: lazy, sluggish, just plain old yuck. I mean, it’s not like I’ve been totally sedentary; I did some extreme amounts of walking last week, and I’ve also done some great core and yoga videos on Exercise TV since I’ve been home (just haven’t posted ‘em…). But even still, I was craving the sweat, the intensity, the smelly mess I become. 😉

I set my alarm nice and early for the gym, determined to take on this foot once and for all and see what it could handle.

The Workout:

I started with the elliptical: Set for 30 mins on the Interval Course. As soon as I approached minute 24, the foot was not happy with me…so I stopped.

Next move – the spinning bike: Set for 15 mins on the Interval Course. I completed all 15 minutes with zero foot pain. I was a-drippin’, and I was lovin’ it. 🙂

Last stop – Stair Climber: Set for 10 mins on the Fat Burner Mode. I completed all 10 minutes, with minimal foot pain.

My sweaty, smelly, intense cardio workout was achieved! I listened to my body, and made sure not to over exert myself. If the pain got intense, I stopped and moved on. I plan on icing it in a little bit and then try to take it easy on it for the rest of the day.

Breakfast

When I got back from the gym, the coffee pot was hot and had some delicious post-workout fuel waiting for me. I poured a mug before even showering. Mmmmm, tastes so good. And I just love this Anthropologie mug! 🙂

After getting “so fresh & so clean” I toasted up a whole wheat Arnold Sandwich Thin and topped it with some Maple PB & banana slices.

Oh how I love you PB + B. You will never get old in my book. 😉

It’s been quite a while since I’ve broken out the Maple PB; I’ve actually polished off 2 jars of Blizzard Butter while this has still been sitting in the cupboard.

It ended up leaking a lot of the oil one day after being tipped over (hence the dark oil stains all over the label) so the remaining PB is pretty stiff. I debated on tossing it, but then came to my senses…nobody should ever waste peanut butter. Ever.

Luckily, it actually tasted quite AMAZING with my banana today, so I have a feeling it won’t take too much longer for this jar to be OIAJ eligible. 😉

I’m off to work on the classroom a little more, followed by some errands, and hopefully some pool time. I’ll be back later today!

Question for the Morning:

A simple one: Favorite form of cardio??