Remember when?

Remember when we first moved into our house, and the living room looked like this?

  

And then I tried really hard to make my living room look cool and failed it was purple.

 

Those pictures were taken a few years ago, I forgot to take a recent “before” pic. That furniture has now been moved to the basement to create a family/tv room.

If all the furniture is downstairs, what’s now there in its place?

Hello lovah.

Pretty much new everything: Paint, sofa, love-seat, coffee table, end table, curtains, pillows and rug.

 

I’m very proud of this room.

And especially of my cheap art. I used Ikea frames and scrapbook paper to create this. How very Young House Love of me!

I thought this little fake plant was a perfect splash of color. I plan to put it on top of the piano to add some height, but until I find the perfect lamps its handing out on the end table.

   

Not too bad eh?

I’d be lying if I said it was a breeze. First time around, it was pretty neon looking.

The picture really dosn’t do any justice to the horrid shade of lime it was. I really DO NOT have the talent of looking at a paint swatch and envisioning it on the wall. Same thing happened with the purple paint. I never loved it, but was too lazy to paint again.

This time wasn’t the case. I absolutely hated the color… although admittedly I slept on it, because I really did not want to a) repaint or b) go back to Home Depot.

3 trips to Home Depot, and 3 paint samples later the paint color was selected!

 

This was the first time buying paint samples, and after wasting 12 hours and $85 on the WRONG paint color I was happy to shell out a little extra money to ensure the right paint color!

It was a long process, but I’m so happy with the end result.

Not bad for an amateur eh? For the first time in my life, I actually feel like I’m not living with a student anymore!

Migraine

I post quite frequently about having migraines.

I think I might have figured out the latest culprit.

I change my patch every Friday, and just about every Friday I get some sort of headache. Usually more on the tolerable side, but I get a migraine sometimes too. The last migraine I had was on Christmas eve, which was a Friday.

I had to leave work today because I had a migraine with aura, and I changed my patch today.

I think its time I get rid of the birth control. And seeing as I tried to sleep it off, and woke up with a worse headache I just might rip it off right now.

Anyone else experience anything similar?

Creature of Habit

I am a creature of habit.

Pretty much every single day, I have "salad in a glass" for breakfast.

Lunch is usually some sort of leftovers. Often I will make a big pot of something on Sunday, and eat it every single day for lunch.

Dinner is some kind of protein, and a whack load of veggies.

Snacks: Yogurt, fruit.

Every day I read blogs that are filled with delicious eats, and food ideas.

I am a great cook.

I have a kitchen filled with appliances and gadgets.

Why do I eat the same foods every... friggin....day?

I'm in a serious food rut people. I'm getting pretty bored with my food.

Anyone else suffering from this? How do we shake our food rut?

Dentist Woes

Hey there! I can't believe it has been almost a week since I last posted. My bad!

First things first: Did you all see Jeff Mauler on Regis and Kelly today? How cool is it, that a DJ from Ottawa was on Live! I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I can't wait to see my favorite DJ on stage with Kelly Ripa!

I spent last week feeling pretty sick, but I recovered and things are back to normal in the healthy living category. Lots of healthy eats, and exercise. Speaking of exercise, the "new releases" are out at Goodlife this week and I'm loving Body Combat 46! I did it last night for the first time, and it was a lot of fun! I didn't make it to any of the new release special classes last week, so this week will bring all new releases for me.

Today's lunch was definitely blog worthy... well the meal I made on Saturday night was blog worthy, but you get the leftovers today! I adapted Michael Smith's (Cat and I's favorite chef... we have dedicated BBM conversations about Mike, Gabe and Tracey and the horrible things we'd do to them) recipe for Pesto Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Prosciutto and added some goat cheese and roasted red peppers.

Amazing.


I just topped mine with prosciutto as there was only a few slices leftover from the dinner party.

Oh, and I also used homemade pesto made with basil, spinach, walnuts and Parmesan... and very little oil. It was more like a paste.

Served with a salad. I'm loving salad of late.... but I think its only because I put avocado it in, even though it costs me 5 points, its worth it!

I had to go all MacGuyver on my chicken, and used my letter opener as a knife. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever actually used it to open a letter. Only as a knife.

In other exciting news... I'm wearing my shirt tucked in today. I think I look kind of svelte.

Ok, I actually look like a dork in the pics... But I had to take them fast so that no one came into the bathroom and discovered me taking self portraits in the mirror.

I find it somewhat entertaining that although I own a camera that cost more than a mortgage payment, the majority of my posts of late include pictures from my crappy blackberry camera. Must start using nice camera more.

One last thing: I went to the dentist yesterday. I will fully admit to not taking full advantage of my dental plan... it had been quite sometime since my last dental visit. Good news: No cavities. Bad news: I have to have a root canal redone by a dental surgeon. I asked why I needed to go to a surgeon to have it redone and my dentist merely replied with "Bad things can happen."

Has anyone had a root canal redone before? Will I die?

Sick Amy = Carboholic Amy

I spent yesterday doped up on cough medicine.

When I wasn't sleeping I was eating carbs.

Evidence is below.


Why, when I'm sick do I crave carby deliciousness?

Also, as a result of said carby deliciousness, I spent the evening feeling pretty guilty about my eats. This is something that has happened to me before while following Weight Watchers. I get so wrapped up in tracking, counting points, working out that I fail to see that I WAS SICK, and think of ways to cheat the system. I actually contemplated going to the gym, and truth be told, if the roads weren't bad I likely would have went.

When I was a WW newbie in university, on nights that I would go out drinking, I'd pretty much eat salad all day in order to spend my points on booze in lieu of food. While WW is an amazing program, and I'm currently following it again with success, I really think that sometimes it encourages disordered eating.

I'd like to think that I have the knowledge to avoid these disorders, but reflecting back on how I felt last night... sometimes I have to wonder?

Anyone else share these thoughts?

Recap/Thoughts/Observations

Its a balmy -29 degrees in Ottawa today. While we've had our fair share of snow, its mainly just been absolutely freezing the last couple of days.

I lost exactly 1 pound last week. Not bad.

In the exercise department, my week looked like this:

M- off
T- Body Combat
W - 5k run with Jersey
Th - Spin
F- Spin
Sat - Body Attack
Sun - Body Pump

Observations? I do way too much cardio, and rely heavily on group classes for my workouts. I don't really care though. The way I see it, any exercise is better than no exercise right? I am feeling a little on the 'soft' side, so I think I will make a conscious effort to incorporate more weights into my routine, even if its just using my own body weight.

In the food department, I was spot on. Friday night involved some delicious pasta with homemade carbonara sauce, sauvagine cheese, and a bottle of wine but I tracked it all and had a pretty successful weekend as a result.

I'm really looking forward to my day of rest this evening. With the temperatures being so cold, it makes getting to the gym a huge task. Tonight I will be happy to go home to my couch and pj's, eat some soup, and hopefully that furry friend of mine won't want to walk for a long time. I'm tired, and I need a rest.

You know... sometimes I look back on how my blogging style has changed over the last 4 years. I used to just spill my guts. No pictures, no recipes. I wrote for me, and the added bonus was that other people would read it. I've kinda lost that, and started making my blog all about nice photography and content more for my readers. Blogging became more about increasing readership than making it for me. But you know what? Sometimes, like today, it just feels good to write... for me.

Philly Cheeeeeeeeeese and a grocery store addiction

A huge shout out and THANK YOU to the lovely, amazing, and gorgeous Angie for inspiring this meal.

Actually, she didn’t inspire it. I flat out, totally copied her idea.

 

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches!

I sautéed some lean beef, onion, mushrooms, and green pepper, put in on a ciabatta bun that was toasted with homemade garlic bread, and then topped it with a little teeny bit of old cheddar and threw it under the broiler.

Served with some baked sweet potato fries, and a salad.

  

I ate it like a sandwich, not open faced as pictured above. The garlic butter made the whole thing come together. It was so tasty, and not that bad in the points department. I calculated it at 12 points.

Thanks for the great idea Ang!

I went spinning after work, and had to make a stop at the grocery store to pick up a few items to make a dessert for tomorrow night. I went with the intention to buy 3 or 4 things, and left with $50 worth of stuff. I kept seeing things on sale that I needed, so I kept adding to my basket. This wouldn’t be a problem if it didn’t happen all. the. time. You see, 70% of the time I go to the gym that's IN the grocery store which makes it soooo easy just to pick up a few things afterwards. My grocery store shopping is OUT OF CONTROL.

Intervention much?

My goal: Not to buy ANYTHING until Monday. I can do this, right?

Does anyone else suffer from chronic grocery store shopping? Please tell me I’m not alone?

Return of the Poocano Muffin

Poocano muffin, what?

Pronunciation: poo'cane'o

A poocano muffin is also known as the brownie bran muffin, which is a staple in any rookie Weight Watcher’s diet.

When I started Weight Watchers years ago, I was in university working part time at a pet store. A bunch of the girls were also following WWers, so we were always bringing in healthy treats. We also worked with a lot of boys who did not enjoy our healthy treats, so needless to say when they saw us feasting on delicious chocolatey muffins they were thrilled. So thrilled that they ate multiple muffins, which ending up resulting in numerous trips to the bathroom.

And that is when the “Poocano” muffin was born!

Even though I’ve cut my sugar way down of late, I still crave chocolate like mad. These little muffins totally satisfy my sweet tooth!

I whipped up a batch of them tonight, and look forward to enjoying one as an after dinner treat!

Tonight I followed the recipe, but I think I like them better without the baking powder. It makes for a denser brownie like texture, as opposed to the muffiny texture the baking powder adds.

For an extra kick of chocolate, I’ve also added extra cocoa powder and some mini chocolate chips… which I will definitely do next time.

Welcome back poocano. You’ve been missed!

My hidden talent

...tell me thats not a little bit funny? :)

Just words

No fancy pictures today folks. Just words.

Since this blog is mainly about health, fitness and WEIGHT LOSS I thought maybe I should touch on that topic and steer away from coffee makers and ski helmets.

I rejoined Weight Watchers Online on December 11th. I'd like to tell you I now look like Jennifer Hudson. But I don't. But what I can proudly tell you is that I'm down 5.2lbs.

(Side note: I just about puked when I saw her at Times Square and the first thing out of her mouth was "I had such a great 2010 thanks to Weight Watchers)

Slowly but surely, I'm getting back into the swing of things. The weekdays are a breeze. I pack all my breakfast/lunch foods to bring to work, go to the gym, and then make a decent supper. Easy peesy.

Weekends, and I know I'm not the only one here, are not so easy. They always start out right with a healthy breakfast and a workout, but they tend to go downhill from there. This weekend though, I kinda rocked it. Despite enjoying some poutine, cheesecake and baby shower nibbles, I tracked it all and managed to come out ok. I worked out both days and spent Saturday night skiing.

My menu for today looks a little like so:

B: Coffee, Salad in a glass = water, spinach, greek yogurt, banana and berries
S: 2 clementines
L: Leftover spaghetti, 2 Source Yogurts and a Lindor Mint Truffle
S: 2 more clementines, I'm obsessed yo!
D: Lentil Loaf, roasted veggies
Sweet tooth cure: Fudgesicle

AP's: Body Pump, 30 min treadmill run.

Random observation: Ever since watching Breaking Bad, I channel my inner Jesse by saying "Yo" too much. If you haven't watched this show, do it NOW!

Protect your noggin’

Confession: I’ve been skiing since I was 8 years old, and I’ve never worn a helmet.

Ever since Natasha Richardson died at Mt Tremblant (a hill I frequent) as a result of a head injury, it really got me to thinking.

Not only did it make me think that I should really wear one, but it also made me think what would happen if I collided with someone wearing a helmet when I wasn’t. Could you imagine?

Enter my new ski helmet.

I realize I look like I ride the short bus, but hey… at least my head is protected. I was doing a mental survey last night at the hill, and it looks like helmets are about 50:50. I look forward to the day that they are mandatory.

Seeing it was my first time out skiing this year, I was anticipating sore legs this morning. Good news is my legs feel fine, so I’m going to hit up Body Combat with my buddy Lisa. Even though I went to Body Attack yesterday morning, and ate well for the majority of the day… it ended with a little poutine, and maybe some cheesecake and hot chocolate. Hence, a sweat session is extra necessary today!

Side note: I made the hot chocolate in my NEW Keurig. I returned the other one I posted about here. I ended up going with the Keurig Ultimate at Costco. This one suits my needs MUCH better. It was 3 different brew sizes, and an adjustable temperature. I’m sipping a rather delicious Kona Blend as I blog this morning, and I couldn’t be happier.

Shit, look at the time. Gotta get dressed for the gymbo. Have a great Sunday!

I like hats

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I wear a lot of hats.

So what’s the point? Hats almost caused a break up between my brother and I several times when we lived at home. You see, I fell in love with Titleist hats. My brother was golf freak growing up (and is now a CPGA Professional and teaches here, if you’re in Montreal and need lessons look him up!) so I ALWAYS stole his hats to use for workouts. Not a big deal right? WRONG. I’m a very salty sweater, and would end up ruining his hats. This caused A LOT of tension.

As a result, there is not a holiday that goes by that he doesn't get me a hat and Foot Joy socks. (Foot Joy makes AMAZING technical socks!) This year was no different.. I got 2 great Nike Golf hats in both pink and black.

Sorry Patrick, I have managed to sweat up my new hat already.

Spinning is sweaty work!

I originally started wearing hats when I started my weight loss journey, as I had very short hair. I liked that a hat kept the hair from bouncing all over, while acting as a sweat absorber all at the same time.

Speaking of short hair, remember when I made the chop in April?

Turns out, short hair wasn’t really for me. I loved the way it looked, I really did. I think though, it drew attention from the opposite sex… if you know what I mean?

I’ve been growing it out since June and I’m happy to report: I have a pony tail! WOO HOO!

Yah, its a little pathetic… but its still a pony tail!

Wow.. there are a lot of pictures of me in this post. Sorry about that.

Have a great night!