Whole Damn Fam

My alarm came WAY too quickly yesterday morning, I had no choice but to shut it off and go back to bed. Or at least that’s what I told myself. The peanut gallery (my Man) also piped in, “Don’t go”. Alright, alright, no gym. When I finally got out of bed I made my Man some Oatmeal, this has a lot of perks like licking the pot and taste testing. I made his AHmazing oatmeal with 1 Cup Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, a whole smashed Banana, 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter, ½ Cup Oats and a few chocolate chips. Or at least I think so; I woke up with puffy half closed eyes so my vision was slightly blurred.

Of course I just grabbed my breakfast out of the fridge and was ready to go. I couldn’t WAIT to get to work to dig in. Actually, I’m lying. To be honest I was still a little full from all that pumpernickel in the middle of the night. SO I waited until almost 10:00 to eat it. I wasn’t lying about the excitement though.

Hip Hip HOORAY



Lunch


2 Egg Whites, 1 Egg and LOTS of Kale Chips. I made these Kale chips by drizzling Lemon Juice, Nutritional Yeast, Salt and Oregano ALL over some ripped up Kale. I popped them in the oven at 400 for 5 minutes? maybe longer? You have to WATCH.

Lunch Dessert


Sweetpea Bar covered in..

Maltitol


This stuff must be REALLY expired now. I'm no agist. Bring it.

On the drive back to work my Man informed me that we were going out for supper for his Grandma's birthday. He's the best at letting me know things ahead of time. This trait mixes well with a girl who likes to look good for family events but avoids showering in the mornings. I tried not to be rattled but this meant I NEEDED to fit in a shower RIGHT after work, a shower I WOULD have taken in the morning had I known (maybe not but STILL, i'm pro choice). Oh well, it was KIND of funny that he tried to non chalantly slip it in. "Oh and by the way we're going to Tony Romas right after work."

SO before I show you what I had for my afternoon snack, I have to start by saying that I'm trying to make my afternoon snack reach the 20 grams. Why? for muscles duh. All the carbs at night and right before bed are for my muscles too. Noooooo, that's for lack of self control. Self control is for suckas.

I started with a Flatout Wrap and spread it with a 1/4 Cup of Greek Yogurt which I sweetened with Dark Chocolate Stevia. So that's about 9 grams of protein in the wrap and about 7 grams of protein in the yogurt. 9 + 6 = ummm 15 grams.



I folded it up and had some "Chocolate Syrup" for dippin. The Chocolate Syrup is 1/2 Scoop of Chocolate Muscle Food (aka protein powder) and about 1-2 Tbsp Water. That's 10 more grams of protein.



Total Protein = 26 grams, Goodness level = 7 grams (out of a possible 10 grams)

I had half a piece of a Sweetpea Bar before heading to Big T's for Suppa.



Supper was SO fun. My Man's grandparents, his dad, his dad's gf, uncles, aunts and cousins were all there. It was nice to visit with everyone while being served. Oh how I love being served. I ordered the House Salad, a side of Shrimp, Italian Dressing and mixed it all together. I didn't snap a picture for obvious reasons. The last thing I wanted to do was try and explain blogging to the 5 different generations sitting at the table.

My Man's Grandpa is the best. He says the most OUTRAGEOUS things, I think outrageous might even be an understatement. Here's one of the many random things he said throughout the night, this one was directed towards my Man...

"You know who you look like? You look JUST like Dr.Oz"


Dr. O trying to look sexy in his scrubs.



Do you see the resemblance? I think my Man looks more like the lion eating his head.

Since Tony Roma's is only a few blocks away from the NEW Walmart, we just couldn't help ourselves. We stopped by on our way home and picked some essentials. Waffles, Soy Ice Cream Sandwiches, Amy's Burritos etc.. We have WAY too much fun at Walmart.

My Walmart excitement must have worked up my appetite again, because once we got home I was ready to eat again. NOT. What I meant to say was my NEED for a snack before bed kicked in so I kicked back and pulled out one of THESE



If you haven't had an Ezekiel English Muffin, you HAVE to try one. Seriously. I pull them straight out of the freezer, pop one in the microwave for 30 seconds, split it apart and put one side back in for 12 more seconds. I slather that side with Better Butter, eat it, and then put the second half in the microwave for 15 seconds. AND repeat. They're gooey like FRESH bread EVERY time. Plus if you eat the whole thing you get 8 grams of protein. Protein Power my friends.

My Man went to the gym and I went to bed. He got back an hour and half later (11:00) and woke me up. Damn it, you just HAD to go to the gym didn't you. Now I HAVE to have THIS..


Pumpernickle and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB. I'm not 100 percent certain but I think that jar might officially be ALMOST EMPTY.

I slept like a ROCK the rest of night.

Lunch Dates

I could barely peel myself out of bed. I’m not sure if it was because of the Kick class the night before or the fact that I woke up for that half of a banana at 2:00AM. Somehow I managed even though my body felt like 300 pounds of cement. Once I was up I headed straight for the gym, the faster I threw my gym clothes on the less time I had to decide otherwise.

I did 30 minutes of Elliptical and some legs. The Smith Machine is probably my favorite machine since I can actually feel my buns burning. I did 4 sets of 12 reps on that one (50 pounds), then I proceeded to lay on the ground with 50 pounds on my stomach and do bridge raises. I may or may not have crushed a few ribs. I quickly followed that up with the machine that starts with your legs wide open and then you push against the separators to close them. That was a really good explanation. Your welcome.

I came home and got my Swank on


½ Scoop Muscle Food, H20 and Cinnamon in my swanky wine glass. Swirl and sniff. Definitely expensive Protein Powder. I'm sucha Muscle Food Connoisseur.

I drank that and proceeded to shower. My Man and I had plans for a lunch date at the 13th Ave Coffee house. I’ve got to put my best foot forward, it’s only been what? 3 years?

Shortly after arriving at the office I went to town on THIS





I’m eating breakfast with TInkerbell until she’s gone. That or until she gives me a map and directions to Never Never Land. I don’t want to grow up.

The day has finally ARRIVED

Dun dah dun


Food meets shark. Someone obviously had me in mind when they made this restaurant. It’s like my two my favorite things, food and sharks. Now I JUST need to find out where this is so I can add it to my Bucket List and cross it off as quickly as possible. Why am I so fascinated by sharks? No seriously, why?

Somewhere around mid-morning Bailey dropped one at the door and things got complicated. Something got stuck and she did NOT want me to help her. As I walked over to give her a hand she immediately backed up into the wall. I don't know EXACTLY what she was thinking but it was something along the lines of..

Don't Touch My Bum







She stayed like this for a good 10 minutes, before I pryed her away from the wall and helped her against her will.

1:00 o’clock finally rolled around and my Man and I headed out for our lunch date. Nothing like a little lunch date to brighten a cold, windy, dreary day. I wasn’t sure what I was going to order considering the fact that I could feel the heartburn lingering around my esophagus (just a guess) just waiting to catch fire. This leads me to the question, just how well do Tums work since I’ve been popping them like candy. That and Tylenol. I had a headache trying to rear its ugly head too. Ugh, what a depressing couple of lines those were, I’d back space’em but honesty is the best policy. Back to LUNCH.

Food = Happy, I’m an advocate of emotional eating. Give me an e, EEEEE. Give me an m, MMMM. Give me an o, OOOOO. What does that spell? EMO. I got lazy, but that’s practically emotional.

I scanned the menu looking for the item that would make me the happiest and...

VOILA


Jackpot, I was totally elated by this dish. It was the Americana Veggie Burger. Can you say fantastic? Yes. It was a THICK JUICY veggie burger, I think they probably ground up my entire days worth of food into this burger.

After lunch I had to take a package to the post office and I picked THIS up while I was there


I needed something sweet after that burger and this totally hit the spot. This bottle of goodness gives you some Vitamin C, B, E and a cute purple mustache all for just 10 calories. Can’t beat that.

Once work was over, I had a HUGE job ahead of me... Cleaning the KITCHEN. Now I was going to take a before and after picture but I stopped myself for two reasons. 1) It was SUCH a disaster you actually wouldn't be ABLE to look at me in the sameway, EVER again (just ask my immediate family) 2) The after picture wasn't THAT clean.

When I finished that I decided to try do some baking. I'm going to share the recipes with you BUT the muffins need some work. I was definitely missing whatever it is that makes muffins soft.

First I made...

Sweetpea Bars

1/4 Greek Yogurt
1/3 Oat Bran
1 Cup Chickpeas
1/4 Egg Whites
10 Drop Stevia (I used French Vanilla)
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Cinnamon

Blend all the ingredients together (i used our magic bullet, AND got in trouble later).



Pour into a cake pan and toss in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. Keep checking though because I forgot to time this.





Annnnnd EAT immediately



Stats - Makes 8 Bars, 50 Cals each, 6 Grams of Carbs, 3 Grams Protein abd 1.5 Grams of Fibre.

I LIKED these. I drizzled Agave on a piece for myself and it was perfect. When my Man got home from Rugby I did the same for his piece, he taste tasted and approved. I'm sure I can still improve on this recipe but it's simple, easy and great for boredom snacking.

Next I TRIED to make Chocolate Protein Muffins, key word being TRIED. After seeing Naomi's (onefitfoodie) protein muffins I figured I could make them with the ingredients I had.


Dry Chocolate Protein Muffins

1 Cup Oat Bran
1/4 Cup Egg Whites
2 Servings Protein Powder
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1/4 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a muffin pan.



I added Chocolate Chips to a few for my Man.



Tossed them in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 350.

And done.



Looks can be deceiving. Verdict? My mouth was desert dry after one bite of these. Water. Someone pass the water. Funny I should try to alter a recipe when I don't know the science behind baking. I don't even know what the difference between Baking Powder and Baking Soda is. I do however know the stats on these. Well two stats. There is 8 Grams of Protein in each muffin and 65 cals. Obviously, it's missing something since no muffin in 65 cals. Help? Naomi?

I hung up my Oven Mitts and sat down for some Suppa


Bnut Squash Fries and 2 Egg whites, 1 Egg. That reminds me of 2 girls, 1 cup. Ewwwww.

I wanted to have a snack before bed but could NOT decide what I felt like. I've been scared of Greek Yogurt all day because i'm pretty sure that's what gave me heatburn. Anyway, I thought maybe I wanted Cereal..



After a few bites of that I realized I was wrong. Instead I had an Ezekiel English Muffin with Better Butter.



I woke up in the middle of the night and had THIS


Pumpernickle and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB.

Fudge me, I woke up twice..

The Hills are alive with the sound of...

I woke up at 7:00 yesterday morning. That’s right, 7:00. I was talked into attending Kick in the evening yesterday so I opted out of the AM workout. Two a days are just not my style. It was kind of nice to sleep in a little longer, but it would have been nicer had I planned that out ahead of time. Instead my alarm went off at 5:20, 5:30, 5:40, 5:50, 6:00 and finally I clued in that I wasn’t going to the gym and set it for 7. Then 6:35 rolled around and it was going off again. Or was it? Turns out, 6:35 is the start of my Man’s snooze marathon. 6:40, 6:45, 6:50, his is on the 5 minute increment circuit. I should have just went to the gym.. Despite my extra time I didn’t shower. I really want to like blow drying and straightening my hair but I don’t, instead I’d rather rock a high slightly greasy bun.

I arrived at the office and started my day off with THIS


1/3 Cup Oats, 1 Tbsp Almond Butter, 1 Tsp Maca Powder, Cinnamon, 2-3 Tbsp Almond Milk and ¾ Smashed Banana.

So I haven’t mentioned this yet, but we’ve added a new addition to the company as of this past Monday. Guess... Who... It... Is...

MY MAN


Professionalism comes naturally to him.


Him and his Dad on our Sin City trip.

I know what you’re all thinking, “DISASTER” or “are you kidding me? your sister, her husband, your mom, your dad and now your MAN? That is just ridiculous.” You're right, It’s so ridiculous and I like it. I’ve watched my parents work together for the past gazillion years (okay 15, maybe?) and i've seen how it's done. PLUS he works upstairs and I work downstairs, so it just means I get to see him a little extra everyday. AND now I have someone to carry Bailey's house into the office from the car. Everyone's a winner. And if you have to come bail me out of jail for domestic violence THEN you can tell me you told me so.

Lunch was a repeat of yesterday, what? I was in a rush okay. I have no excuses for liking this combination, all signs point to weird.


TVP, Oyster Mushrooms, Miracle Noodles. So far, so normal.

annnnnnnnd Ketchup. Weird, so weird.



My Man had some Lunch by Amy




He LOVED it. He also added more cheese in the above picture. If you're ever craving pizza pick up one of these bad boys.

My Afternoon Snack


3/4 Cup Greek Yogurt, 5 drops of Hazelnut Cream Stevia, Cinnamon, Tbsp PB and Tbsp Prairie Berry Jelly.

On the drive home from work my Man kept asking me what was wrong and I kept answering, "nothing". This didn't stop him from asking more questions. "You look like you're going to cry, how come?". BECAUSE I HAVE to go to Kick, that's WHY. "Well why are you going if you don't want to?" BECAUSE I ALREADY told the Kick instructor I was coming and Kristin is saving me a spot. "Well what's SO bad about Kick?" Everything. It's hard and it's not FUN. See the problem with Kick is that for someone who hates pushing themselves in this class you have NO choice. You can't fake jumping up and down. I was dreading the fact that I was going to hate my life in 21 minutes and that feeling was going to last 60 minutes.

I went. I hated my life (although it was kind of fun). I was sweaty. I had heart burn. I thought I was going to throw up. Then it was over. I was happy. I was pumped up. I could do ANYTHING. Five minutes past. I was tired. I couldn't move. I was dead to the world.

Oh and I have to comment on the fact that the super buff instructor (who's workouts only consist of group fitness classes)shared the fact that you can burn 500 calories in one class if you're a beginner and once you're more advanced you can burn up to 900 calories. No wonder I hate it..

I got home and made myself a 1/4 cup of Egg Whites in the Microwave


Protein Action.

And then some SUPPA


Despite my SERIOUS heartburn I made something that revolved around Ketchup. Acorn Squash wedges and tempeh. My heartburn turned into heartFIRE half through, I managed to finish the Acorn Squash but only half of the Tempeh.

Then I busted this out


Slathered it in Better Butter.

After supper, it was time for the HILLS!!



5 Reasons to Watch the Hills

1) Heidi's Mom
2) Spencer Pratt's Insanity
3) Heidi's Mom
4) Girl Drama
5) Heidi's Mom

Thank you Heidi's Mom for stealing the words right out of my mouth. Heidi was SO cute BEFORE she went to town with her plastic surgeon and now she looks, well, awkward, weird, kind of creepy. I've also decided that injecting fat into your cheek bones and having your eyebrows raised at 23 makes you look more masculine than feminine.

Before and after the Hills our TV watching consisted of the Detroit/Phoenix game. My Man watched the ACTUAL game while I looked for section 113. I knew the odds were stacked against me in my quest to spot my parents, BUT I just had to give it my best try. I was also intrigued by some of the last names skating around. One guys last name was practically Larabar and another was Millet Bread. Okay not quite. It was Labarbera and Miller, but at first glance I could have sworn..

Before packing it in for the night I had some...


Pumpernickle and Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB, SO good.

I also made my Man a Costco Sized Almost Empty Almond Butter Jar. These next series of photos look a little messy/gross but as per usual I'm still sharing..


In the background you might spot an Eyelash Curler, my Bstorm, Almond Milk, Crumbs.. I like to give objects and important words capital letters if you hadn't already noticed.




In this background you might spot some Stevia Drops, Mental Calmness Pills (my Man diagnosed himself with ADD), My Laptop, a Container. Imagine what the rest of the kitchen looks like.

It's much more fun making his Almost Empty Jars because no measurements are required. For me I have those damn self imposed rules that I have to measure. Self imposed rules suck. Anyway, I tossed in Heritage Cereal, Bran Buds, Puffins and Almond Milk. He also ate 4 waffles with maple syrup. He woke up this morning feeling like butt, nothing like a sugar/carb hangover.

I ALSO woke up in the middle of the night and had this with PB

Hi5'n Facebook

I went to ride yesterday morning and now that my Man’s done at the refinery I got to stay for the whole thing. This is both a good and a bad thing. Yay for more exercise, boo for more exercise. So “my bike” of choice used to always be this one in the front row (keener) right beside my sister.

However, this was for no other reason than to chat with her. After giving it some thought I realized that DOESN’T happen in Ride. If I can manage to get ANY air into my lungs I use it to breath not to talk. So lately I’ve started using the spot I've always admired from a far. The bike in the back row closest to the door, obviously the best seat in the house. What? I didn't leave early. Its refreshed ride class in a way that trying harder could not. See the trouble with being front row is that I’m way too close to the mirror for someone that can’t help but stare at their own reflection. Being that close is too much of a distraction, especially considering the faces I make during the interval track. I never took myself for a tongue hanger…

I came home for THIS, duh


½ Scoop Muscle Food, H20 and Cinnamon. I consider ride to be like weight training for the legs AND for the record in my books this counts as HIIT. One down, 2 to go.

Got to work AND


Over excitedly shoveled this in. I heart the shape of this plate.

Yesterday, Christina (my South Carolina soul mate from Hungry Meets Healthy, LOVE her) and I got to talking about the BOOK.



We were discussing being creeps and how it’s the perfect place to prowl for men and stalk people. This reminded me of a funny predicament I was once in. SO back in the day pre man I used to just accept friendships left and right. Hugo Siuehg? Sure I must know you. Anyway, last year my Man started working at a new job and actually managed to make some decent friends. He came home with stories of this one guy, from Kelowna (far away from the city I live in); he was one of the only other “cool” people there. He couldn’t wait for me to meet him, the two of them figured that we could double date the four of us (he was engaged).

So the day finally came, I stopped in at the dealership and met his new friend for the first time. Or was it the first time? He looked a LITTLE familiar but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. He had just moved here from Kelowna, I couldn’t know him.

Well their friendship progressed to Facebook status shortly thereafter, and that’s when it all came together. I got home from work one day and was greeted with this question, “So umm how do you know Jason?” How do I know Jason? Well through you, OBVIOUSLY. Is this a trick question? I have a feeling this is a trick question. “Well, on Facebook, the only friend I have in common with him is YOU”. Hmm.. Well that is weird, isn't it? I explained that clearly that’s because I used to just accept everyone’s friendship requests and that I had no idea I was “friends” with him. “It’s still strange” he said. Admittedly, it was kind of strange. Sketchy much?

After scanning my 550 friends I came across the J’s and look who it was, Jason. Annnnnd it clicked. So here’s how mine and Jason’s friendship came about. Back in 2005 I attended Calgary Stampede; the stampede is basically one huge city wide party. I went with a couple girlfriends, which slowly dwindled as the weekend went on. Anyway, my one friend and I started on a pub crawl early one Saturday afternoon (red flag) and after too many shots, too many bars and too much fun we lost each other. I’m still not exactly sure how it happened but I’m assuming one of us forgot to get on the bus. Regardless, we were split up, both at different bars and SHE had MY cell phone.

So there I am in some HUGE bar ALONE, drunk and cell phoneless. I started asking random people to use their cell phones. Correction, I started asking random guys to use their cell phones. Enter weird blonde guy. He agreed to let me use his cell phone if I gave him my email, nope not my cell phone number, my email. I settled for this exchange and being drunk, I gave him my REAL email. This was actually a REALLY bad deal since she didn’t pick up and I ended up having to ask and use the cell phones of several more guys.

When I got back home from that trip (alive surprisingly) I had a friendship request awaiting me. I believe at the time it may or may not have been Hi5. Our friendship later transferred over to facebook, when the book became the new Hi5 (this guy was persistent), and this is where it all comes together. Weird blonde guy had a few friends who were obviously creeping his list and added me as well. Of course I was on the other end accept happy as usual. Turns out one of these friends was... Jason.



I thought about going back to my Man with this story and clearing things up. Luckily, I quickly smartened up and realized that might open up a WHOLE new set of questions. Like how did I end up finding my friend? How many more guys did I give my email and phone number to that night? Who was the guy that walked me half way across the city to the bar my friend was at? Who lets me drink? That stories too long, as if that’s actually how Jason and I became friends? All valid questions; None I wanted to answer. That really is how the two of us became “friends” though.

Lunch Time


Everytime I upload my pictures and find a sideways one a little part of me dies inside. TVP, Oyster Shrooms, Miracle Noodles annnnd I wasn’t going to show you this but…

KETCHUP



My Man's Lunch


He asked if I wanted to take a picture of his. Well if you're going to be THAT cute, OBVIOUSLY.

I ate my lunch at 1:45 and by 4:00 I was ready for some PB and J action, not because I was hungry but because that was my plan

JELLY get in mah Belly


¾ Cup Greek Yogurt, 3 drops of French Vanilla Stevia, Cinnamon, Tbsp PB annnd Tbsp Jelly.

After work my Man asked me to go to centregy (aka Yoga everywhere other than Gold’s Gym). At first I thought, NO WAY MAN I already did my stupid workout for the day I'm DONE, but then I realized that was mean. He didn’t want to look like a fruit cake attending yoga without his girlfriend who “dragged him there”. SO he dragged me there. Keeping up appearance, ya know?

Doing yoga in that hot sweaty room worked up my appetite (I really thought it'd have the opposite affect, color me shocked) so when we got home I was ready for Suppa


Bnut Squash Fries and 3/4 Cup of Egg Whites, with the common variable in all my meals.. KETCHUP

While this cooked I taste tested my new Stevia drops. These drops have gotta be laced with something cause i'm ADDICTED.


On the left we have Dark Chocolate and on the right we have Hazelnut Cream annnnd in the dishes is Greek Yogurt. The verdict? AHmazing, both of them.

The Hazelnut Cream was obviously the winner since I used it in my last Snack of the day


3/4 Cup Greek Yogurt, 4 drops of Hazelnut Cream Stevia, Cinnamon, Tbsp PB and Tbsp Jelly. What can I say? I'm hooked on this combo.

Do you creep on facebook? I’m barely on there anymore, but back in the days of Hi5 (possibly more of a Canadian than US thing) when Kim and I were living in Lethbridge we LOVED it. We logged A LOT of hours stalking, judging and messaging people. It was like the perfect tool for stringing along guys and spying on girls. I still remember this day like it was yesterday. What day? The day we thought our lives were over, the day that Hi5 added the “who’s viewed your page” application. I believe our reaction was “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”.