Monthly Archives: September 2012

Sep 25 2012

When I Remember

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Happy Wednesday! I am truly happy that it is Wednesday … the week is half over. Hallelujah. I’m wishing for the weekend even more than usual ;)

Thank heavens for What I Ate Wednesday (kudos to Jenn for it). Such a nice lil’ thing in the middle of the week! I’m sticking with the same goal I had all month. Judge me for being boring and predictable, I dare you. I’m still going to pledge to drink more water. I’ve been doing pretty well … let’s see if I can keep it up!

Here’s some sporadic dishes from the last several days. I’ve said it before … I can NEVER remember to photograph an entire day of meals. Sooooo here’s food from when I remember (really setting this up well, aren’t I?).

Salad time! This was chick peas + black beans + edamame + chicken breast + green beans + assorted bell peppers. I topped it with roasted red pepper hummus (my official sponsor) and Greek yogurt (the key ingredient in everything I eat).

That combo made a terrific dressing! I will definitely be repeating that!

I forgot about a container of raspberries I bought at Costco last week (a travesty, right?) and they got really ripe and soft. So I mixed them in with Greek yogurt (whoop, there it is!) and my favorite protein powder, Jillian Michaels chocolate whey. Is there such thing as a chocolate marshmallow? If there is, that’s how I would describe the taste of the powder. I go through it soooo fast. This was a fantastic snack!

Breakfast wrap! A regular thing on YHG. This was two eggs + sliced turkey breast + roasted red pepper hummus (what did I tell you?) in a whole wheat wrap. I think I finished eating this on my way to work. Shocking, I was running late.

Mixed veggies + a baked sweet potato + ground turkey + lots and lots and lots of feta. I thought I might need dressing for this, but the warm potato and turkey made the feta creamy enough that everything had an even salty flavour. Apparently I don’t believe in real dishes this week either. Hello, Tupperware :)

A new addition to my breakfast menu! For the first time in days weeks months, I didn’t have oatmeal or a breakfast wrap. I whipped up a quick protein cake in the microwave and topped each half with Greek yogurt and the aforementioned raspberries. The cake recipe? 1/4 cup of oats + 1 egg + 3/4 scoop chocolate protein powder + splash of water. I microwaved the mug for just over a minute and taaaa daaaah! I rubbed the inside of the mug with coconut oil so it would come out easier :)

And there you go! Have a wonderful Wednesday … let’s hope Friday shows it’s pretty face soon!

Sep 24 2012

Reminded

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I was reminded this weekend how important sleep is. After a successful shopping trip (I got a pretty new dress for a wedding in a couple of weeks), oodles of Thai food for dinner, and the new episode of Saturday Night Live (please tell me you saw the Magic Mike/Joseph Gordon-Levitt monologue) … I got ten hours of sleep on Saturday night.

Awesome.

Since I was so rested, I was able to knock yesterday outta the park. I completed a 2 mile run + 45 flights on the StairMaster + weights for arms at the gym, cleaned my whole apartment (even VACUUMED), watched some football + all of the Emmy red carpet coverage and the entire show itself. Wow! A totally full (and wonderful) day.

Note to self: sleep more often.

What was the best part of your weekend?

Sep 21 2012

I Like This Trend

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Happy Friday!

You know what? I’ve been extraordinarily happy the last couple of days. Remember last Friday’s post? When I was a smiling fool? Yeah, I’m still like that. I like this trend. Not that I’m not usually a happy person … but it seems tough to wipe the smile off of my face :)

Some of the things making me smile lately are totally simple. Simple pleasures > a lot of things. Like:

- Tic Tacs. I bought a container this week. It’s been years. I actually thought “wow I love these” when I popped a few into my mouth. Minty fresh joy.

- Either my headphones magically got better or some shows play louder on Netflix than others. Sometimes I have a rough time watching episodes on my iPhone while running on the treadmill … but NOT WITH MAD ABOUT YOU! Yes, I’m obsessed. I mentioned this the other day. I love how fast my runs fly by when I get to laugh at 90′s sitcoms.

- Songza. Best app ever. Check it out. Trust me on this one, guys.

- I was walking to the gym yesterday, and an old man was on the sidewalk with a friend of his. He stopped their conversation and waved at me. I waved back, said hello, and asked how he was. He responded with “I like friendly people like you!”. It absolutely made my day.

- I love Glee. We’ve talked about this before, too. I liked every.single.song. on the show last night. Britney 2.0? Genius. I wish Glee clubs existed when I was in high school (I like to think I sound good enough to join one … I do not, but a girl can pretend).

- Someone told me I have a big, warm heart this week. Hearing that made it grow four more sizes.

- I’m going shopping tomorrow with a friend of mine and then for Thai food. And then … the most exciting part of all? I am going to be on my couch in sweatpants by 10PM. Not going to the bar. Not drinking. I’m going to have all of my friends call me super boring, and I’m so incredibly okay with that. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hosting Saturday Night Live. Sign this girl up!

- The trailer for Pitch Perfect. I can’t wait to see this movie!

I love spreading all of my annoying positivity with you at the end of the week ;)  Tell me what has you smiling lately!

Enjoy your weekend!

Sep 20 2012

Feel Better About Life

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I have a very simple recipe for you.

It’s something I like to introduce to my palette after I’ve had a terrible day.

There’s only one ingredient.

It’s exercise.

This happened on Tuesday. I was immensely frustrated with work, so I threw on my shoes and headed to the gym. I ran a bit, biked a bit, and did some weights. I was like a whole different person.

Sometimes, I’ll get a little fancier and add another ingredient or two to the recipe. Also from this week:

(I’m an extreme saver of funny or cute pieces of text conversations. This was with my BFF.)

See? An easy fix. I may not be the most fabulous cook … but this I can do ;)

Sep 18 2012

Am I Greek?

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No, I am not. Although I’d like to have the skin tone. The true question here is … can you ever have too much Greek yogurt?

Apparently, I don’t think so. Today’s What I Ate Wednesday post is 95% filled with the creamy goodness.

Thanks to Jenn for hosting WIAW! I’m still loving the habits/goals theme for this month. I’ve been doing well with drinking more water, so I’m going to stick with it for this week’s goal. I’m sorry I’m boring. Why mess up something good?

I can never seem to remember to take photos of food for an entire day (sometimes I swear I have the focus of a goldfish), so here’s some sporadic food photos from the past several days:

Overnight oats, eaten while catching up on blogs before work. A regular thing. This bowl contained oats, Greek yogurt, milk, chocolate protein powder, and flax seed oil. I topped it with a nectarine, and it kept me full for hours. That’s no small feat.

Subway. This was turkey + swiss + every vegetable they have. I swear I’m having a midlife crisis … I’ve ordered something different the last few times I’ve visited the restaurant. WHO AM I?

Peanut butter + a banana + a nectarine + more Greek yogurt!

This dinner hit the spot … and then made me fall asleep immediately. So it’s officially a winner ;) Haha! This was bulgur (I like the “stick to your ribs” feel) with a grilled chicken breast and black beans/edamame. Delicious!

… and then I added Greek yogurt on top, because that’s just what I do.

This is a new snack for me, and it’s incredibly dangerous delicious. Baked lentil chips + roasted red pepper hummus. I’ve had the hummus oodles of times before, but picked up the chips during a quick trip to Costco this week. Ohhhh mama. They’re incredible. Portioning out is so necessary.

Another yogurt bowl. A nectarine (how many of those have I been eating?!) + chocolate protein powder + peanut butter + the always present Greek yogurt!

There you have it! I just love WIAW. Have wonderful Wednesday :)

Sep 18 2012

Can’t Stop Spilling

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I had a really, really fabulous idea for a post. It came to me just as I was drifting off for a nap yesterday. I woke up, and poof, it was gone.

Whoops. But I needed that nap.

Confession? It was before 6PM and I didn’t wake up until 8PM. This leads me into a quick (and a little bit word vomity) update on my life. I think it’s necessary … I’ve been popping in and out of the blog world quite frequently. I feel like I haven’t let you guys know what’s up!

I’ve been going out a lot lately. I’m not particularly happy with myself over this. I went out Friday night for one of my best friend’s birthday. I could have controlled myself. I didn’t. Went to bed at 3AM, and was way less than productive the next day. Saturday night? I went out again. I’m never a double whammy weekend kind of girl. That night? Went to bed at 5AM. Not cool.

Enough is enough. For the next little while, if I go out, I’m drinking very little. Or (more likely) not at all. I know I’m young and should be having fun and blah blah blah … but I also enjoy feeling healthy. And I don’t the morning after. And sometimes, for a few days (hello, my elderly lady status 6PM nap yesterday). BALANCE IS NECESSARY HERE.

I will be going to a charity dinner this Friday – not a bar. I’m going shopping on Saturday + out for Thai food with a very good friend … and then I’d really like to be asleep by 10PM ;) Like, really really really want to be.

Hmm, what else is new? Work is fantastic. I’m working my tail off. We’re short staffed, so the workload has become even larger. Sometimes that’s frustrating, of course. But overall, I really am still loving what I do. Talk to me again next week when I’m up to my neck in stacks of tapes and am working serious overtime to get a large chunk of the post-production of my new show done. But for now … I’m good :)

I paid off my credit card. Great feeling (the words keep spilling out of my mouth onto the screen today).

Speaking of credit cards, I’m buying myself this sweater:

I don’t remember subscribing to the Victoria’s Secret catalogue. But it comes to my apartment (with my name on it, not just randomly). This month, I’m happy I get it. Can’t wait to wear that sweater.

I’ve been dating quite a bit lately. Like, more than one person at a time. I realized the other day that I don’t really like any of them and I’m tired of forced conversations. I have ended/am ending them all (#sorrynotsorry). Maybe I’ll start dating again when something happens with the guy I’m actually into? Otherwise it’s just exhausting. Also, am I on Dr. Phil all of a sudden? I’ve never talked about my romantic life on the blog before. SO. MUCH. WORD. VOMIT. TODAY.

Survivor starts tomorrow. Yessss.

Guess who has been having repeated Mad About You marathons? Thanks, Netflix. I forgot how much I love that sitcom. I want to be in that marriage.

I have to end this post. The chaos is probably a) driving you crazy or b) exhausting you or c) making you really want to watch Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt get into an argument over what’s for dinner/their new couch/her parents.

Have a wonderful day!

Sep 14 2012

Huge Smile

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Hey guys! I’m just super duper fantastically happy today. And have been the last couple of days. I’m not totally sure why, but I’m thinking maybe it’s because Glee is back?

Or because there was a pot luck at work yesterday where the main theme was carbohydrates (this girl likes her pasta). I brought a salad. It was the only veggie on the table ;) Balance is key, am I right?

Or maybe because it’s Friday?

Or … possibly because I had a kick ass day at work yesterday with an overwhelmingly positive evaluation from my manager? Like, awesome.

I don’t know the reason. But I know I LIKE IT. I’m outta here, with a huge smile on my face :) Enjoy your day and your weekend!

Sep 11 2012

I’d Never Miss It

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Well look at that.

I’ve fallen off of the blogging map again. Jeez Louise. I’m sorry (pretend you missed me, alright?). Life has been a little bit crazy. Blah blah blah, you’ve heard it all before. I know.

There’s no way I could miss a What I Ate Wednesday, though! Jenn always hosts such a cool party, it would just be a sin.

I’m happy to report that my goal from last week went well. Yay! I drank more water (and oodles of tea) last week. I’m going to set the same goal this week. More water = happier me. Plus it makes me feel less tired. Necessary.

Here’s some eats from the past couple of days:

A weird new favorite of mine. This is a mahi mahi burger, topped with an incredibly loosey goosey egg. Some may think it’s a strange combo. I like it. I had this for lunch on Monday, with some carrots, edamame, watermelon, and a banana. Of course, I didn’t take pictures of the wonderfully colorful food ;) yeesh.

Tea. All kinds of tea. This was blueberry, sipped on while I edited video at work. Oh, and that mug? It’s like the size of my head. That’s why I need two bags. I make less trips for refills that way.

I had a busy night on Monday. There was a big crisis where I live and I wanted to be on the ball with updating our work’s Twitter account throughout the evening. I was glued to my computer, and forgot about eating until 7:00 (I know … how did I DO THAT?). I quickly grilled a chicken breast, added an entire raw yellow bell pepper and some roasted red pepper/feta dressing. I’m sure it was delicious, but I ate it so fast that I don’t remember tasting it.

Then I mauled like 30 mini carrots. That happens regularly.

This happened yesterday:

Yes, that’s a lap filled with cheese. For the new TV series I’m working on, I was required to do a shoot at a local cheese factory (an incredibly cool experience, by the way). They sent my camera person and I home with five different types of gouda + two types of feta. And that is one of the many reasons why I love my job.

… I also ate a whole bunch of gouda back at the office. Gave me a tummy ache. WORTH IT.

Happy Wednesday!

Sep 10 2012

Listening

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I’m a very good listener. #brag

It seems as though my friends tend to choose me to tell their problems to and ask me for advice. My living room has seen a lot of boy drama discussions and bottles of wine (or vodka).

I love that my friends come to me for stuff like that (and I do my fair share of complaining and bitching to them, believe me!). I like listening to them.

Recently, I’ve taken listening to a different level. My iPhone still goes off consistently with texts from my girlfriends (and the occasional lost guy friend), and I listen away. But lately … I’ve been listening more carefully to my body, too.

I’m usually pretty good at that. But I just feel like I’ve been more in tune lately. Does that make sense? My body is running the show.

I know this because … I didn’t set my alarm on the weekend. And slept until 11AM on Saturday and 11:30AM on Sunday. Granted, I had later nights. But I usually force myself to get out of bed and get the day started, regardless of what time I hit the pillow. My body wanted more sleep, I gave it more sleep. And you know what? I still got everything accomplished that I wanted to.

I know this because … I’ve been hopping on the treadmill and just going until I want to stop. I never do that. I’ve been pushing myself all over the gym, because my legs just want to keep running and my arms want to keep lifting. Feels great.

I know this because … my chin is covered in acne. Yes, my body truly is in control ;) ugh.

Sep 4 2012

First Fall WIAW

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Hello, fall! And all you Yellow Haired Girl readers, of course ;)

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

I’m loving this month’s theme. Jenn, you rock. All the WIAW posts for September (and there’s gonna be a lot of ‘em!) are going to be focussed on making goals. The one I chose to tackle this week: drink more water. I made this goal last month, and sucked. Biiiiiig time. But maybe if I take it a week at a time I’ll see better success? I’ll let you know how I did next Wednesday :)

Now, onto the food! Here’s some of the goodies I’ve been chowing down on lately:

Two eggs + half of a red bell pepper + whole wheat tortilla. Bam! Easy breakfast.

I’m getting back into the habit of drinking hot coffee … I guess that’ll happen when fall shows it’s face, hey?

Inhaled at 11PM, after a long (but fabulous) holiday Monday. Blueberries, Greek yogurt, crumbs from various granola bags, and organic crunchy peanut butter.

Mexican, anyone? Vegetarian enchilada in a whole wheat tortilla, paired with rice and black beans. And that salad? That’s cilantro ranch on there. Delicious.

Pancake breakfast at work for the win. I don’t know what coworker brought blueberries in for the occasion, but I love them.

This is a new favorite of mine! I’ve been eating it all the time. There’s a mashed yam underneath all of that yolky goodness. I put two loosey goosey eggs on top of the yam, messed it all up, and squirted some hot sauce all over it. Excellent combination.

I miss going back to school (read: huge nerd), and consoled myself on Tuesday by preparing a very “school-y” lunch. That’s tuna salad (canned tuna + Greek yogurt) with two pickles on top, in between two pieces of 12 grain bread. And a boatload of grapes on the side.

Aaaaaaand … break! Happy WIAW!