Chili Chill Chill

I wrote this at 5am this morning......for me it's still friday regardless what the calendar/time says ;-)

Today I was suppose to weigh-in. I had planned to, but instead I spent the entire day in bed. Mostly because I went to bed late and was tired for yesterdays activities, but partly because I just wanted to.

I slept off and on until 7pm!

Thankfully, this isn't that big of a deal as I'm working the night shift right now so really 7:00pm, is my 7:00am!

The big deal is I forgot to bring my WW book with me to work so I could WI on my way home . Now it looks like I will not be weighing in this week as they are only open until noon on saturdays and saturday is  my last official day to weigh-in this week. Oops. Sure I could go home and then go back out to the WW office, but lets be honest people, that's not going to happen. When I get home, I want to hit the hay and hit it hard.

Vegetarian Chili - looks a little watery here,
but it's not too bad in real life! 

I was going to go to the grocery store after work, but I'm really tired now, so don't think I will. Thankfully I have some leftover homemade chili in my fridge that I made for a gathering I had last night. Yesterday I had about ten gals and their children at my house for our monthly potluck girl's night get together. Three of my friends have had babies in the last 5 months so it was a nice gathering to catch up and celebrate the little ones.  I was in charge of the main dish ( as I was hosting) so I decided to make chili. Why? Who know....because I'm not a huge fan, (or I wasn't when I ate meat anyway).

The chili I made this time of course was vegetarian. It was a hard decision to make it this way as I'm the only vegetarian in the group, but I decided to make it anyway as I knew I'd have leftovers and I didn't want meat in my house that I wouldn't eat. Thankfully my meat loving friends really liked the chili regardless (or so they told me)!

Once again I found the recipe on allrecipe.com - canada (I LOVE this website!). The recipe is called (surprise, surprise) Vegetarian Chili. This chili was perfect for me, espcieally since I'm not a huge fan of spice. This chili had enough, but it wasn't over powering. The best part about this recipe. IT's super fast and super easy to make! You literally throw everything in a pot and let it simmer for an hour. How easy is that?

  The only changes I made to the recipe were....

1. I added two cans of peach and cream corn (the small cans)
2. Added  two red bell peppers.
3. I used veggie ground round as it called for hamburger-style crumbles - some of the reviewers used veggie burger patties, but I didn't want to. That just sounded nasty!  
4. Veggie ground round was added 1/2 way through the simmering process as it takes less time to cook.

Fall flowers I bought for the party

I also did what those who made it before me recommended.... I topped the chili off with some ff sour cream and a bit of graded cheese. Oh. My. Goodness. Chili is sooooo much better with sour cream and cheese!!!!!  I've never ate chili that way and I have to say it was damn good people!!  I was so pleased. Mostly because I have a shit load of leftovers and if I didn't like it, then what? I think now I'll eat some more tomorrow and then freeze the rest. Then again  I might just eat it for lunch and dinner for awhile until it's gone. I doubt I'll get sick of this one!

My Thanksgiving...a week late.

I'm a bit afraid to say it, because I know you guys were cheering me on, but that lovely plan I had went down the toilet.

Friday after working my 12hr shift, I was exhausted (I have been sucking at taking my vitamins again and can feel the difference) I really tried to push myself to do something, but it wasn't happening. I ended up going to  bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

Yesterday I slept in (cause I needed it) and then cooked in the afternoon. It ended up taking me longer to cook everything, so I had no time to do anything with regards to exercise as I had to race over to my parents for our thanksgiving dinner.

Today however, I still do have my date with a friend and here's hoping I can burn some awesome calories.

I swear it's  not burnt, it's just the spices on top! 

My thanksgiving was wonderful. I ended up buying a tofurky feast from my local grocery store. It included the tofurky of course, along with some stuffing filled dumpling, vegetarian gravy and a tofurky wish bone! I  followed the instructions on the box on how to make everything of course as it was my first time making tofurky. My tofurky turned out great! Now my Mother made the majority of the meal (which was all lovely), but I brought my own tofurky and a few other things. One of those other things was stuffing!!!! 

Yummy Vegetarian Stuffing!

I found a vegetarian stuffing recipe online and really wanted to try it so I told my Mother I'd bring my own. I found the recipe on about.com. It's called Sweet Cranberry Vegetarian Stuffing. It was FANTASTIC!!!!  I ended up using WW white bread and as WW bread is thinner than regular bread, I added more of it. I also used less celery than it asks for. (1.5 stalks rather than 2), as two seemed like too much for this girl. I did use the whole onion and garlic though, and ALL the spices along with the right amount of dried cranberries and apple juice of course.  It was so good! I recommended it for everyone. Vegetarian or not. Stuffing is my favourite part of thanksgiving so I was one happy girl!

Now with my very first vegetarian thanksgiving over, as I said before, the rest of the week I'm going to have to be super careful as to what I choose to eat.  Okay well, it's not necessarily what I eat, but how much I eat of it!!!!  It's going to be tough as I'll be up at 5am and to bed around 10pm Monday to Wednesday (WI is thursday). My points don't really stretch that well sometimes, but I'm going to try my best!  I really am trying to keep my eye on the prize. Lets hope my stomach cooperates!

Post thanksgiving dinner (which lets face it, I ate like a pig), I decided to weigh myself on my bathroom scale. I knew it would be bad, so when it showed I was down a pound I was shocked! Keep your fingers crossed it wasn't a fluke and I can keep it that way as I know weight gain can show up later. 

Bean Curry Anyone?

I really wish my camera was working because I wanted to 'show you' what I made yesterday, but this non-picture post will have to do. Stupid Camera!

I made Vegetable Bean Curry yesterday. I found it on allrecipes.com as I find most of my recipes these days. Since it was very well reviewed and totally vegetarian (actually vegan) I thought I'd give it a shot. The best part of making recipes like these is there is little measuring involved, it's quick and super easy! Right up my alley! 

As I was making it, I was getting scared though, as I'm not a "super spicy" kind of girl and this recipe has a lot of curry in it along with cumin and cayenne pepper.  I'm trying to branch out and try making new things though so I sucked it up and finished making it and ate some. To my surprise it didn't give the inside of my mouth 3rd degree burns and I actually thought it was really yummy!!!!  YAY! 

A few modifications I made were....

• I cooked my lentils separately and added them at the end to the mixture as one reviewer stated to do.  
• My cans of beans were bigger than what they stated to use, but I just used the whole can of each anyway. Like hell, I'm going to waste any beans! 
• I ended up just adding a bit more water to compensate for the extra beans to ensure the concoction was moist enough. 
• I added 2/3cup of raisins rather than just a 1/2cup, but next time I might add a full cup. The raisins in this recipe are the best part!!!! 
• I also thought I had garlic in my fridge so didn't pick up any at the grocery store and then got home and didn't actually have any, so I didn't add that. I didn't miss it either.

Anyway...if you feel like trying something different give this one a try. I was pleasantly surprised. The first night I placed the bean curry on a bed of rice and ate it, but today I just ate it on it's own. I think I actually preferred it on it's own. 

Just a tip though....you might not want to eat this on the same day as an egg salad sandwich like I did....lol..... it might make the tummy go into overdrive!

Cooking in the Kitchen

I haven't slept yet, but I'm doing okay. The key is to just keep moving!  This afternoon I ended up making Pumpkin Spice Scones that were featured on Lynn's Blog The Next Chapter and (like I said I was going to) I made Mama Mia Vegetable Pie. It ended up taking me longer to make these recipes, hence the no sleep thing *sigh*, but it was worth it!

The first batch of pumpkin spice scones I made I forgot to add the almond breeze. Oops! They didn't turn out too bad though. The second batch I ran out of wheat flour so they were a bit more wet than I'm assuming they should be, but they also turned out okay too. Oh yeah, just call me Master Chef!  I have enough spice scones to last me until next year now! I'm thinking of freezing some.

Luckily I made the veggie pie without any mishaps. It was super easy to make, tastes great, and is low in points. What more could a girl ask for? It's definitely something I'll be making again. Servings = 6 pie shape slices.

Veggies, Sauce and Tofu

Whole Wheat Pasta in a Pie Dish!

Pasta, Veggie Mixture topped with Cheese! (pre-oven!)

Now does that look like a WW dish? I don't think so, but it is!!!!! 

Give it up!

I have to say I was pretty proud of myself when I was reading Skinny Bitch last night. Most of you have probably already heard about this book. Apparently I was one of the last on the planet!  Chapters states that Skinny Bitch is "tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin".

It's also funny as hell..... and to be honest,  I love that they say "shit" and "fuck" throughout the book. It's so refreshing! It's so real....and for a girl who has a tad bit of a potty mouth it's well.....relatable.

At the start of the book the bitches (Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin) talk about quitting (among other things) smoking, coffee and pop (a.k.a soda for my American readers!).

With regards to smokes...

"They are so 1989 and totally uncool. Not only do they screw up your whole body chemistry, but they also kill your taste buds. It's no wonder you eat shit and garbage!"

With regards to coffee.....

"Coffee is for pussies.... It may seem like the end of the world to give up our daily dose, especially if you rely on starbucks as a good place to meet men. But it's not heroin, girls, and you'll learn to live without it."

With regards to Pop.....

"Brace yourselves, girls: Soda is liquid Satan...It is the devil. It is garbage. ....say goodbye to soda and hello to a sweet ass."

Now after reading all this I laughed of course and then thought...sweet! I've never smoked and I've given up the other two!!!! Woooohoooo, who rocks the house? Me. Me. Me!!!!! But, then I got to the artificial sweetener stuff and the alcohol stuff and then realized......I don't rock the house.....I'm only making the house wobble.

Here I was using splenda because I thought it was well...the lesser of the evils. I know the controversy around sweeteners, but lets face it, I didn't care. Sugar is bad so anything other than that was good! Did you know Splenda has arsenic in it though? Damn.... and here I thought I was doing okay. Agave nectar here I come!!!!! Aparently the verdict is still out on Stevia in Canada. See, the Bitches aren't always right. Mind you this book was published five years ago, and lets face it, in research a lot can change in five years.

The skinny bitch authors go on to talk about dairy and of course eating raw carcass (their words, not mine).

One chapter did disturb me a lot. Chapter 6 - You are what you eat.

This chapter should have a warning on it or at least a 4/5 Kleenex rating . I've only made it through a few pages, and I've needed to take a break. This chapter explores what animals go through when being killed.

I remember about 15 years ago my father told me how a cow was killed. At that time I cried.....and then I ate a cheeseburger. I remember watching a video where they showed how a rabbit was skinned. That video scarred me for life, but still I ate meat that night. I empathized with the chick on the show survivor (when I use to watch it), who cried when the chicken she named became her dinner, but still I couldn't give up meat. I was even the girl who cried in her biology class in highschool when we had to disect a fetal pig, but then had bacon for breakfast.

Somehow back in March I finally did give up meat and I'm so thankful that I did. Finally I don't feel like a hypocrite. Finally my actions now match my values. Finally I can pass a truck stocked with pigs and not feel guilty. Of course I still feel sad, but there is no more guilt. Finally, pretending the meat I picked up at the grocery store came from just some company rather than an animal is reality. My meat (or shall I say meatless meat), now does come from just a company! Yay!

I'm pleased with the changes I have made. I know they are not for everyone and please don't for a second think I look down on you for eating meat or coffee or pop because I don't (hello, I ate/drank all that back in February!). I'm just very proud that I finally decided to make the change myself as I had been contemplating it for far too long. I've always loved animals, but now I just enjoy them  a little more off my plate!

WI tonight

So I had to kind of laugh at myself this morning. For the 3rd time in a row I started dieting the week before TOM came. Yup, yet again my first WI will also be when TOM comes knocking on the door. Do I plan this? Hell no! Apparently the week before TOM arrives I have the most determination to diet and always seem to jump on the wagon. Who knew! Just sucks my first WI always seems to be when I'm bloated and feeling gross.

WI is tonight at 7pm.  I'm sort of excited about it regardless of TOMs arrival. I know I've lost, but I'm not sure by how much. I'm hoping for a awesome number (hopefully above 5lbs), but now with damn TOM here...who knows. So discouraging!

Nothing to exciting about my eats while working nights. I did chowed down on Veggie Patch MEATLESS Buffalo wings though at around 12:30am. I found them really quite tasty, but I still needed to dip them in something (as that's what I'm use to) so I opted to dip them in hummus. I know, but it's what I had. It actually tasted pretty darn good!  Cal are 190 for 4 wings. These puppies helped keep the tummy at bay for awhile.  I ate them with some green beans. I also had more carrots and celery, watermelon, an apple, an all-bran bar and 2 eggs today and some toast. All in all a good food day.  Here's hoping the scale cooperates tonight. I'll let you know! I hope you all have a great day. I'm off to bed yet again.

Winner

Hey there, Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Life has been pretty boring though due to working lots of night shifts lately. Thank goodness they are over for a bit. I do get to work this weekend though. Woo-Hoo! Not.

So I must admit, even though I tell myself I'm ready to lose this weight, I obviously am not, as my eating has been crap lately. I've ate too many french fries and other crap. I plan to get out there and get some groceries though so hopefully things will improve soon. I did try some tofurkey sausages today though. They were okay. Okay enough that I ate two!  *sigh*

I haven't ran since my graduation run either. I was going to run last night but with the combo of rain and feelings of exhaustion I decided to pass and I'll run tonight. Lets hope it cools down a bit around 8pm though. It's hot out there right now! I also feel still pretty tired so fingers crossed I can find some energy. My 5K is not that many days away and now my friend that will be running my first race with me has convinced me to try out a 10K in July. AHHHHHHH.

I must admit I'm not super excited about running yet. It's more a "oh man, today is run day", but I run because I like the way it makes me feel after. Before and During...not so much.  I do it because I know it has helped me build confidence in myself and although I've not lost weight, I know my body is stronger for it and people have commented. These comments make me happy. It's like in some way, all this hard work is paying off.

With this new found confidence, I decided to try out the dating world again. *sigh* Dating intimidates me a bit. Okay, a lot. Here's  hoping I meet some nice guys this time around, instead of the guys that tell me they shave their balls. Oh yes...one guy did tell me that in the past (during our first conversation). Can you say winner? lol...

Back to Cooking!

I found the recipe! Yay!!!! I knew I had it somewhere. It's called Vegetable and Polenta Casserole and is only 189 calories per serving. Not too shabby I'd say! I was hoping to find ready made Polenta at my local Superstore, but had no such luck. Luckily a european saleswoman told me that polenta is really just cornmeal (who knew?) and handed me a package which she knew would have instructions on how to make polenta on the back! I thought, what the hell, I'll give it a try....and I did!

Making Polenta! 

Cutting out slices of Polenta

Onion, Garlic, Zucchini, Red Peppers, Mushrooms,  Broccoli and Tofu (which I decided to add to the recipe)

After 'President's Choice' Marinara was added

Making Layers

After adding Cheese!

After cooking!

YUMMY!!!!

I RAN 5K!!!!!

That's right ladies and gents, this fat chick ran 5K!!!! Goal = achieved! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not too shabby for a girl who just started running three months ago!

On Sunday, my best friend (who has been running  for just over a year herself) and I went down to the lake (lake Ontario) and ran on the waterfront trail. It was GORGEOUS! The weather was awesome, the view was amazing and the trail was fantastic! It was my first time running there (or really being there for that matter), but you can bet it will certainly not be my last.

My first 5K was still part of my couch to 5K training. I'm in week 9 and this week is all about running three 5K runs. After my third, I've officially graduated!!!!!  I got to say, I found this run easier than my last three runs of 4.46K. I'm not sure why. All I can think of is that the trail had more hills than I'm accustom to, and what goes up, must come down. I love running downhill!!!! I actually was a bit faster on this run than my last couple runs. I ran the 5K in 40 minutes. Not cheetah fast, but not snail pace either...more tortoise-ish. My goal was to run it in less than 45min and I did it. I'm hoping on 'race day' to finish it in less than 40min. I do wish of course I was faster, but speed will come with time. Lately I've just been concentrating on going the distance.

Not much else is new around my neck of the woods. I made Polish Style Lasanga for dinner last night, but I have to say I will NOT be making it again. First off, I realized it's not that healthy. Secondly, I found I had to use two packages of instant potatoes to cover the noodles, and then I didn't have enough cream cheese to mix the potatoes with so they ended up being soooo dry. Plus my oven ready noodles were not so oven ready. As the potatoes were so dry, the noodles didn't have enough liquid to help them soften. As you can imagine, this dish was a disaster! lol.... I really should have just made potatoes with onion in them and called it a night!

Tonight I'm hoping to make a new dish using polenta. I went out and bought all the ingredients for the dish, but now do you think I can find the bloody recipe? Hell No. I thought I e-mailed it to myself or facebooked it to myself, but nope. I can't find it. Gurrrrr....now what the hell do I do? lol.....Here's hoping I find it before my veggies go bad!

Dole - I love you!

Okay, I have a confession to make, I'm currently addicted to this....

I wish I could say I didn't eat the whole bag in one sitting, but I'd be lying. I blame it on my coworker. She introduced me to this devil of a salad and now I can't stop eating it. It's the pefect lunch when working midnights. It's not too heavy, it's not too light, it's juuuuust right.  I've had a hard time figuring out what to prepare for work and with little time I've  been grabbing this from the grocery store on my way to work. I'm not kicking myself too hard considering I use to head to the drive thru on the way to work all the time, (so I'm a far cry from those days), but I'm sure the dressing isn't the healthiest...it's so damn yummy though! So, so good!

Description ( from their website)

Southwest Salad brings the deliiously adventurous spirit of Tex-Mex cuisine to your salad.

Savory Cheddar tortilla strips, sharp cheddar cheese, rich sour cream, and crispy Iceberg and Romaine lettuces create a fusion of irresistible flavors. Dole’s Own Taco Ranch Dressing makes it a true Southwestern treat. All Dole dressings made exclusively for Dole.


Ingredients:
Dole’s Own Taco Ranch Dressing, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Tortilla Strips, Iceberg Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Carrots, Red Cabbage, Radishes.
 
During my week off next week, I hope to share some new recipes with you all. Like I said, I haven't been doing much cooking at all lately. Nothing exciting to share anyway so hopefully things will soon change in that department!

Following in Jamie's Footsteps

I was soooooo  HUNGRY today!!!!!!!! Dear god, I was hungry!!!!!! I ate healthy today. I drank my water as I should, but I DID NOT eat enough protein at all. How do I know this? Because myfitnesspal told me and my stomach did too!!!! AHHHHHHHH......HUNGRY!!!!!!

To make sure that this doesn't happen again,  I came home after working a 12 hour day shift and cooked.  Something that might not seem that big of a deal to you, but let me assure you, it's a huge lifestyle change for me! I usually come home and just vegetate on the couch. After all, I get home at 8pm and that's prime time TV time people!!!  Tonight I did turn on the TV but watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution while I cooked along side him (great show btw).

As Jamie attempted to bring 1000 people through his kitchen,  I was busy in mine making two easy/fast recipes tonight. One called Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling. I thought it would be great for making sandwiches for work for the next two days. Unlike most of you, my work week has just begun! I haven't taste tested it yet, so will have to post my review tomorrow! FYI - It's missing the mayo still in the picture.

The second recipe I made was called Easy Vegetarian Red Beans Lasagna.   A few changes I made was using UVAB instead of the called for milk. I also used a whole can of diced tomatoes (28oz) instead of the 14.5oz it called for. I  sprinkled 1/3 cup shredded old cheddar on top instead of gruyere cheese (which I couldn't even begin to pick out in a grocery store) and lastly I used thyme and basil instead of oregano as I didn't have any in the house.

The fat content is high for this one, but with switching the milk to UVAB and using cheddar instead of gruyere I'm hoping it would be less brutal. By reducing the serving size I hope to be okay as well. I still made it because I bought all the ingredients to make it before I decided to join myfitnesspal. Plus I must admit I just really wanted to. It looks damn good! Was it you ask? Damn right, it was FAN-FREAK'N-TASTIC!!!!! I loved it.  I will definitely make it again if I can figure out the calorie/serving size thing. It's soooo good guys...so good! I'm sitting here wanting more, but I'm forcing myself to stop. I am still hungry and when I'm in this state I could eat the whole damn casserole if I'm not careful, so this girl has got to walk away!!!!!! Sorry for the ugly 'cooked' photo. I was too damn hungry to take a nice picture before I ate some! The lasagna doesn't really come out looking like lasagna normally would (doesn't help I didn't use a 9x9 pan), but in my opinion who the heck cares? I just stuck it in a bowl and ate it anyway. Scrumptious!

Today was a nice day at work.  It was my student's last day of her placement with me, and she was kind enough to give me a gift!   She knows I have made some significant changing lately with my diet, so going on that, she gave me my very first vegetarian cookbook! She also gave me loose leaf green tea! How nice was that? So sweet of her. I'm really going to miss having her around, but I know we'll hang out in the future. Other than that, not much is going on. I was going to do day two of the EA Sport Active Challenge, but opted to cook instead. I'll tackle the Wii again tomorrow! I promise!

Night night everyone!

Light Cool 'N Easy!

Look who forgot it's not called a diet anymore, it's a lifestyle! Ocean Spray came out with this new (okay, well I guess it's not super new anymore) diet cranberry juice which I just love. I'm trying to take in more liquids and this tasty juice is helping!  It's only 10cal for 1cup/250mls.

Today I have a day off so headed out to where I volunteer this morning. The horses just got moved to another stable so it was my first time heading there on my own. Lucky me, did not get lost. I didn't even use my GPS! Got to say, that's a first. Anyone who knows me, knows I suck at directions. Sadly I got there and the boss man (okay well, he's not really my boss, hello, I'm volunteering) wasn't there. Since it was the first time at the new stable, I wasn't sure what he wanted me to do etc..etc...so ended up leaving a note and left. Bummer. First because I love hanging out with the horses, and second, I got my fat ass out of bed when I didn't have to! Ugh... Hate that. Gurrr.

Now I'm home and just relaxing. Pondering what I should do today. I think I might head out and check out Chapters. My vegan colleague had this book at work which when I read the first few pages I really enjoyed. I think I might pick it up. I have a gift card to burn so why not, right?  The book is called "Skinny Bitch" I'm sure most of you have heard of it. If not, well you have now!

From the Publisher

"Not your typical boring diet (there's that word again!) book, this is a tart-tongued, no-holds-barred wakeup call to all women who want to be thin. With such blunt advice as, "Soda is liquid Satan" and "You are a total moron if you think the Atkins Diet will make you thin," it's a rallying cry for all savvy women to start eating healthy and looking radiant. Unlike standard diet books, it actually makes the reader laugh out loud with its truthful, smart-mouthed revelations. Behind all the attitude, however, there''s solid guidance. Skinny Bitch espouses a healthful lifestyle that promotes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and encourages women to get excited about feeling "clean and pure and energized."

Not too shabby, eh? I thought so. I don't know if I can give up pop/soda (although I'm trying to cut down due to my damn heartburn), but I know there will be some awesome tips I'll find in this book.

This morning after coming home I also did some editing/adding to the blog. I have to laugh though. I put up those little vegetarian badges, but I got to be honest, I still feel weird calling myself that. It's too early. After all I've only been meatless for 2 weeks. It seems a little premature, doesn't it? Oh well, those badges keep me in line I suppose. Plus those who are new to my blog, know right away what I eat and don't eat! I also had to laugh when I saw my dailymile badge to the right. It looks like I've been running 3.75km straight...hahhahaha.....that's funny! I'm soooo not there yet, but let me tell ya peeps, I will be!

Tonight I'm going to hang out with friends for dinner. We all get together once a month for a girl's night potluck. It's so fun and great to catch up with people, as life is busy and I don't always get to see them in between. For tonight I made Light Cool 'N Easy Pie from the Kraftcanada.com website. I've had it before and it's very good. I still need to add the cool whip on top, but that's done just before I serve it! I used raspberry sugar free jello instead of lemon or strawberry. I went to find the other at the grocery store and they didn't have it in for some reason. Oh well, raspberry is yummy too!

Well it appears I've wrote a novel, so I'll stop for now. Have yourself a good GREAT rest of your day! Until next time as Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod say at the end of their cheesy commercials. Keep fit and have fun!

Week One - Done!

Week 1, Run 3 - Done! I have to say I felt better this time around. Not as winded, but of course it was still tough.  I'm ready for week two though. Bring it on! After the run I took the big girl out for a walk again. This time I decided to let her lead the way and went at her pace as she's still getting use to going out for so many walks after hibernating all winter (much like her Auntie). She too is building up her cardio endurance! We're quite the pair. Anyway, that's the last time I let her lead the way let me tell ya!!!  She took me too the soccer field across from my house and silly me let her! Let's just say my feet were soaked in two seconds! I forgot it just rained for two days here! Ugh.... She didn't care though.  She loved her walk, but now my shoes are the colour of dirty pavement (hence why I took them off outside, not inside) and are about to be put in the wash!

Before I went out for  the run I had some yogurt with bran buds and one piece of toast with peanut butter and low fat jam. It was just enough. I can't eat a lot before exercising, but I needed something. Later this evening I made myself dinner (cause no one else is going to), and although I made all that food yesterday I just didn't feel like a heavy mac and cheese tonight. Instead I had Blue Menu's Meatless Breaded Chicken Strips! Oh that's right, it looks like chicken, but it's not!!!  These little puppies have 14g of protein. I ate these once before I went entirely meatless, so now that I have, I'm sure they will become a staple in my freezer. I dipped them in a bit of honey garlic sauce and one word. YUM!!! I had some sweet potato, and spinach to go with it and it made for a perfect meal. I was a little hungry about 1.5 hours after eating this (despite the protein *sigh*), but I think it's because I still need to shrink my stomach. I also didn't drink enough water today so just poured myself a glass.   I have to say though, this meal is much healthier than the whopper with poutine combo I would have bought a month or two ago, so at least I'm making some improvement.