Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Stupid Chocolate

So, my sign hasn't been working the last few days :(  and I have eaten lots of chocolates, sob sob.  The more I eat, the more I want.  Alas, I am making Ryan take them to work so they are not in the house with me! 

In other, slightly better news, I have gotten back to cooking! Yes!  As well, I cleaned our whole first floor of the house which, if you have ever seen it in its original state, would know that this is quite a feat. 
                                          House clean? Internet Down?
The reason why I bring this up is because I believe that a clean home is just good for the soul.  I am the type of person to just let things spiral out of control due to my procrastination behavior and since I moved in with Ryan, his house was a typical bachelor house and I just piled my mess on top of his mess and we have pretty much been coping with that since March.  Due in part to the fact that I have been busy, bopping off from one place to the next, but more in part due to my need to do things that are much more fun!  That being said, I had had enough of living in what looked like a hoarder's house and finally set aside a whole day and got EVERYTHING cleaned and picked up.  Now I am like the house nazi, wherein if someone *ahem, Ryan ahem* leaves a plate in the living room, or a cup on his desk or clothes on the floor I will literally flip out.  But once I saw this place looking like a normal housing unit, I want to make sure it stays like this as long as possible.

BEFORE

AFTER

I have no excuse for the first picture.  I have no children, not even ones that come to visit (probably just as well, there were so many small bits on the floor that it would definitely be a choking hazard)  I was excited to see the floor again and be able to vacuum.  Yes, I literally got excited about the ability to vacuum.  No, I will not come to your house to do it.  
But when my house was a true mess I was feeling claustrophobic, in a tight space and frustrated because I didn't even know where to start.  As soon as I took the time to clean the whole place in one shot I could breathe again.  I didn't mind walking through the front door to the home.  It makes a difference with the balance in my life.  Plus, it is probably healthier..the amount of dust on things, YIKES!
Anyhow, enough about my house cleaning adventures, let us move on to cooking as I have 2 stellar recipes for you!  First, last night I cooked up Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts which were basically like a combination of chicken + apple pie!  You can find the recipe here.

 Because my tray of chicken was 8 breasts, but there is only Ryan and myself and I neglected to separate it before it was frozen, so I unthawed it all together and needed to cook it up.  So, the second 4-some of chicken that I made was honey balsamic chicken, which smelled great, but is for supper tonight!  I like to peruse SparkPeople for healthy recipes and it is a great support system for weight loss or health matters in general.  There is a food tracker, so you can put your daily food intake in and see how many calories you are consuming and where they come from!  There is also an app for your phone that makes it easier!
  So, yes, as far as progress is concerned, I am still working my way backwards from our trip which kind of sucks and for that reason, I am a little concerned about our 3 week trip coming up in November.  I plan to walk a ton and workout if I can.  But the food...oooooh, the food.

Date: October 30, 2013!
Current weight: 240
Goal for the day: walking walking walking ballet practice
What is your plan for food today? 
ryall pizza at pizzeria gusto
chocolates :(
chicken and salad for supper!
Planned water intake: 108 oz (5 water bottles full)

Friday, October 25, 2013

What's the Damage?

Up 5lbs to be exact.  #sadface.  We have arrived home from our lovely week long stint in the beautiful British Columbia and I knew the results were not going to be pretty.  How could they be?  Some days I ate bread X 6 pieces in a day.  It was just....bad.  The trip itself, however? AMAZING!
   Traveling is a bit of  a tricky spot when it comes to clean eating and being healthy.  When we attended restaurants it is always more satisfying to get a hunk of meat with sweet potato fries or cheesy risotto than the thought of ordering a salad (though the one time I DID order a salad, it was amazing!)  I just have to get over the thought that salads are boring, because standardly when they come from a restaurant they are quite delightful.
So many of the restaurants in Vancouver know how to do breakfast in an amazing way, but usually that consisted of at least 1 slice of sourdough bread.  Sure, I could have asked for no bread, but where is the fun in that?  Especially when I see the cushy lovely bread on Ryan's plate.


Also, I drank a lot of coffee.  It was cool, chilly weather so coffee hit the spot.  Thankfully, I have always been the type to drink black coffee so I don't need to worry about the cream or sugar, but I still know that it impedes my digestive system.
Let's see...other things that were consumed on the trip, in no particular order:
Cookies
chocolate
salmon
cheese
cream cheese
bread
bread
bread
sweet potato fries
creamy sauces
lobster and crab risotto
fish
scallops
potatoes
candy
cake...oh, so much cake








 In addition to eating though, we did a lot of walking and biking which probably helped keep the weight at bay.  I love BC so much, it seriously is one of the most beautiful places on earth and it will inspire me endlessly for my photography.  I could get lost in any of the woods in there and be transported to such a magical place!  I love it!













It was certainly a rewarding trip for me.  The driving and the ferry rides gave me time to think about myself, what I want for my business, what I need for my business, and what I need to do for my soul.  This trip was supposed to be sort of a celebratory trip for my 30th birthday and I think it encapsulated everything that I love: family, nature, photography, and time to me.  It was absolutely perfect.  Check out my http://keyholephotographyanddesign.blogspot.ca/ to see the ACTUAL images from the trip.  They aren't up there yet, but will be by the end of the weekend :D!

Date: October 24, 2013!
Current weight: 242
Goal for the day: get my ass to the gym
What is your plan for food today? 
cottage cheese with walnuts and cinnamon
snack: turkey peppette
lunch: salad
supper: asian chicken and noodles (Supper Central Meal)
Planned water intake: 108 oz (5 water bottles full)

Friday, October 18, 2013

Welcome to the Land of All Things Amazingly Detailed

So, yesterday I landed in Vancouver and today was my first full day here and I have to say it was an extremely pleasant day!  We actually accomplished a lot considering we didn't have a lot to accomplish, but sometimes I feel those are the best days.  You know, when you do a lot without planning, but know that if you had planned to do a lot, you wouldn't.  Anyhow, yah, that was my day.


Traveling has always been a weak spot for me as far as eating goes.  The good news is I usually walk a ton, so it usually keeps it at bay.  The other thing was that when I traveled alone, I was usually backpacking which = carrying an excessively heavy bag full of clothes and products and not a lot of money, so I would have to ration what I ate and therefore avoided restaurants as much as possible.  Now that I am traveling as part of a duo and visiting family members we go to restaurants and enjoy alcoholic beverages and good food in larger quantities.  This trip, however, I have been trying to make as good of choices as I can, while still enjoying myself.  Also, it is easier to justify eating a sandwich with yam fries if you know you are going to go for a 2-3 hour bike ride.



Ps. the chocolate bar in the above picture was literally THE best chocolate ever, it had bits of bacon, rose water, roasted salt, etc.  Amazing.  Did I eat the whole thing?  Nope, I gave an inch to Ryan and an inch to Raylene.  I ate the rest of it!!
I absolutely love it here, though.  Vancouver is a beautiful city with so much to do and see and I think even people who live here may feel this way. I did manage to get my thrifting in today which I was extremely happy about .




When I say that this land is amazingly detailed. I mean it! Everything has to be different to standout from everything else, so every one is extremely creative.  Did I participate in a regular mocha this morning?  Heck no!  I enjoyed a delicious pistachio rosewater mocha.  It was delicious.  Back to the chocolate.  What is it your standard run of the mill chocolate?  Heck no! It had bacon and roasted salt.  Was my hotel shampoo good old Pert Plus in fancy bottles?  Heck no!  It is delicious rosy smelling delightfulness!  I think it is so cool that many of the shops here, instead of competing with each other on the same playing field, seem to have truly understood that you should only compete with yourself and create products that are unique and representative of the brand.  It's just amazing to me because most giant stores are having price wars with each other and seriously downgrading the value of their products, instead of trying to find a creative way to just take their product to a totally different level.  Vancouver, you are on to something!



I feel that Vancouver (downtown Vancouver) is EXTREMELY supportive of the local artists and talent here.  Everywhere you look there is a different cafe, bar, restaurant, shop, etc. and other than Starbucks, you will be hard pressed to find franchises along the main streets.  I absolutely love that.  This means that many of the locals are able to be creative, do what they love, and more importantly, share what they love with the world!




Not only did I get in over 10,000 steps today just bopping around looking at all these little shops, I also went with Ryan & Raylene for a bike ride around Stanley Park.  Literally, AROUND the park.  It took us a good 2 hrs I would say to make it fully around, but that could be in part to me stopping every 5 minutes to take a picture of something else.  I haven't ridden a bike in ages, but when you have dedicated bike lanes beside pedestrian walkways, life is 1000 times easier!  Edit: my bum is bruised from the long bike ride. Ouch!






We topped the evening off by enjoying an excessively large supper at The Cactus Club, where I enjoyed a delicious garden salad with lemon thyme dressing (not just italian, balsamic, or thousand island here!).  But I should say in addition to the salad I also enjoyed a lychee martini, shared yam fries and shared flat bread and shared peanut butter crunch dessert.  The good news after all of that? We were so full and didn't know what to do with the rest of our night....so we went to the hotel gym.  I did about 10 minutes on the elliptical, a bit of shoulder workout with weights and practiced my ballet (I missed it tonight :( )  So I felt a bit better afterwards.  Tomorrow will also be a fabulous day because we are going to Capilano to walk the suspension bridge and hang out in another forest! YAY!  For now I am super tired and will sign off! 
Date: October 17, 2013!
Current weight: dont know
Goal for the day: no goal set, but surpassed steps goal :D
What is your plan for food today? 
                                                                   all the things :D
Planned water intake: 108 oz (5 water bottles full)

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

What the fennel?

Today I leave for BC which I am SOOOOO excited about.  Not only do I get to visit one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada, but I also get to meet up with family that I have not seen for awhile!  It should be an awesomely good time, but of course traveling usually means a bit of a difficulty in keeping it together "health wise."  I shall try my best.

  In fact, this morning I started the day off by juicing fennel.  Do you know what fennel is?  When I first saw it I thought it was an onion type device, however, I had fennel-pear juice and it has the taste of black licorice~ yum!!  It is also loaded with a ton of healthy properties and you can check some of them out here at this website:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23

    (the juice in the picture in the book is the cabbage one, hence the color difference in beverages)

It was kind of funny though, my mind had a hard time getting over the "it's an onion" thought and even though the drink tastes sweet and good, I gagged a bit.  So weird.  Stupid mind.  Anyhow, I'm sure I will get over it.  I would also like to try to use it in other foods as well, but that will have to wait until next week when I am back in Winnipeg!

In other news I finally got my hair cut and BOOM! I got bangs!  It has been a few years since the last time I had bangs, but myself and my hairdresser discussed it and if I was interested now was the time to do it.  Fall/winter is the best time for bangs (especially curly hair that needs to be straightened) as there is less humidity.  There is just something about getting your hair did that makes a lady stand up taller, walk a little peppier, and buy new clothes/makeup to complete the change!


I love it! Yay!  Will I love the bang straightening every day? Probably not, but change is good and it will make me do more with my hair than just let it go wild. 
Here's a little picture to show the difference :P
 
Oh yes.  And I removed half of my eyebrows and had them shaped which was lovely and now I can SEE!!

Date: October 16, 2013!
Current weight: 240
Goal for the day: lifting luggage and bopping around Vancouver!
What is your plan for food today? 
Fennel-pear juice, Stella's lunch (salmon maybe...or veggie burger) after that, who knows.....
Planned water intake: 108 oz (5 water bottles full)




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Let's Give Thanks...

...for stretchy pants.  Like most Canadians, this weekend was filled with the 3 F-words: fun, family, and food.  'Twas that joyful occasion of Thanksgiving and to be honest, I feel it is actually more dangerous than Christmas.  It is 2 days of non-stop eating and traveling from home to home, giving thanks for all the amazing, beautiful things in our lives, whereas Christmas is pretty spread out over the month of December.

I did pretty good this weekend, however, despite the large piles of food set in front of me.  Did I enjoy some pumpkin pie? You bet I did.  Did I participate in a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes?  Yessum, I did.  Did I consume lots of water and avoid super large portions? On most occasions, yes.


The funny thing about holidays is that we always wait for them to be over before we decide to embark on a healthy eating journey.  The thing is, there is always another one around the corner.  Walk into any Dollarama or Walmart the day after a holiday and you will be seeing the evidence of the next upcoming one.  You cannot wait until "the perfect time" because it will never happen.  If you don't learn to cope through these joyous occasions during your journey, it will never work in the real life.  For me, I was cautious to limit my breads, my starches (potatoes and perogies) and my sauces.  I loaded up on salads, protein, tea, water, and enjoyed smaller portions of the not so healthy items.  I also didn't deny myself anything because I would have been frustrated watching everyone else chow down on some delicious pumpkin pie.

In addition to delicious Thanksgiving suppers, my sister bought me a Juicing book for my birthday and I am super pumped about it.  Not only does it have beautiful pictures in it (which I like!!) but SO many different combinations that I never thought would exist.  My goal (when I get back from BC next week) will be to participate in a new juice every day!



Due to the groceries I had in the house yesterday I enjoyed the pear-carrot-apple juice!  It was quite delightful!
This morning, I whipped up some scrambled egg wraps for myself and Ryan which consisted of eggs, egg whites, salsa, lettuce and a small bit of mayo.  Quite delicious if I do say so myself!

My first round of hormone testing is almost done then I can send those in to the lab to get processed and find out more.  I am quite excited to be done spitting into a vial every 2 days or so.  I have to do one over the course of a whole day and I have to start no later than 8am :( ugh.  And have no coffee. Double ugh.
Once I am done those tests all that is left is an ultrasound and blood test.  Then I go back to the naturopath the first week of November to go over all of the results.  As for right now, I am signing off to go get my hairs cut and eyebrows waxed....thank God, I feel kind of like a bush baby these days:

Date: October 15, 2013!
Current weight: 237
Goal for the day: go for a walk and PACK!!
What is your plan for food today? 
egg wrap, protein bar, chicken for supper, salad for supper, use up ALL the groceries before our trip tomorrow
Planned water intake: 108 oz (5 water bottles full)