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It's gonna be one of those days...

I've been hit by the plague that has been taking down my office, one member at a time.

I will prevail!

Old school

I went to highschool in the middle of no where. There wasn't much to do at lunch time, so just about every day we'd play Euchre.

We were invited to play in a Euchre tournament this weekend with some friends from our baseball team. I was kind of embarassed, because I associate euchre with old ladies... but let me tell you, it was so much fun!

Good times, great friends, delicious food, crazy-amounts of rum and diets.... AND, the best part?

I got a trophy and $15 for the most 'lone hands!

....and a hangover. But that's ok. All in the name of euchre!

What's for lunch?

I've been doing a lot of whining lately about the lack of time I've been spending at the gym. Work gets in the way, I miss my workout, and then I'm a miserable bitch for the rest of the day.

I've come to the conclusion that I must stop whining.

I can't control the chaos at the office, but I can control what I put in my mouth right?

YESSSSS.

Here's what's on tap for today:

Apple, banana, peach Oikos, strawberrries, a Clif bar.

In the orange container: Salad with chopped chicken breast and avocado.

And pretzel crisps with some masala hummus.

I've been eating pretty well all week and drinking lots of water. Even though I've only exercised twice, I'm still feeling ok about that. It's all about balance, right?

I gave up chocolate for Lent again this year, and the first few days has been ROUGH. Especially since I procured 3 huge bags (45 per bag) of Lindor truffles last weekend. I can do this.

...and I was running

I have a love-hate relationship with running.

I go through phases where I'm gung-ho for it. Followed by phases of pure hatred.

Whenever a long period of time passes without running, admittedly, I'm always afraid of that first run.

"It's going to hurt."

"I've lost too much endurance."

"I suck at running, I want to eat peanut butter truffles instead".

But you know what? After that first-run-in-a-while, I'm always surprised.

I don't actually suck that bad. Yah, it was kinda uncomfortable... but I could still physically do it.
Having a good running buddy always helps too.

I don't know what my running future holds for me, but I just know that it feels pretty awesome (and sweaty).

#31

The best part of being a year older?

Free Starbucks. A treat without blowing my budget. Score!

Family Day - Outfit of the Day

Today is Family Day in Ontario. But I don't get it off.

As a result, I'm rebelling by wearing jeans. I know... very scandalous.

I did a little cross-border shopping on the weekend. I picked up this cute top from New York and Company. And now that I see it on the model, it looks way better on her. The thing with those tops that are supposed to be flowy? I don't want to look flowy. I don't need to look any wider than I already am. Regardless, I'm feeling pretty sassy!
...and you can't forget the shoes. Picked up these little babies, 60% off. There's a 2.5" heel under there. Perfect for walking and not making me look like a giant.

And you know that no trip to the US isn't complete without a plethora of greek yogurt. I'm all stocked up again. Weeeeee!

Happy Monday to all.

Processed

Sometimes it's ok to eat processed crap and not feel bad about it.

You can be Judgey McJudgerton, but at least hear me out.
The only real food on this plate is the broccoli. I even chased it down with a can of diet pepsi.
And I'm perfectly fine with that.

I think sometimes we spend so much time trying to eat cleanly, that it just becomes a chore. Of late, I've been spending many long nights at the office. As a result, Andrew has been doing a lot more of the grocery shopping which means a lot more 'Amy unapproved' foods have been gracing our freezer and pantry.

When I saw the breaded chicken breasts in the freezer, the first thing I thought was "What the eff Andrew? Why would you buy those?". I can tell you though, I was pretty thankful to have them in the freezer. They're quick, effortless AND to boot they actually taste good.

I've loosened my "must be perfect and eat amazing" strings for now.

I'm happy to have the help from my husband, and I'm extra happy to not have to be a stepford wife all the time. Boys will eat anything - thank god for that. In fact, I suspect Andrew is enjoying my looser strings more than I think. :)

The world’s ugliest cake-balls

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day… not even a little bit.

But I do enjoy having an opportunity to make something delicious for my colleagues.

I had a box of red velvet cake mix in the cabinet from our last US road-trip so I decided to whip up some cake balls.

I’ve made them once before, so I should have known tackling them at 7pm on a Monday night was ambitious.

I used white chocolate to coat them, but it gets pretty goopy, resulting in the cake ball crumbling when dipping.

Usually when I’m making things that need to be dipped, I dip them using a fork and leave a little bit that isn’t dipped on the top of the ball. Then after I’m all done, I use the back of a spoon dipped in chocolate to smooth it out. Works great with dark/milk chocolate. Not so great with white.

 

By the time I went back to cover up the “holes” there was a ton of cake crumbs (even though I froze them prior to dippage) in the chocolate so it was tainted pink.

My vision for gorgeous cake balls was promptly shattered, so I decided to opt for creating the world’s ugliest ones instead.

 

 

Mission accomplished.

I also attempted to create Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut Truffles, but my batter never firmed up. Booo. I used the last of my coconut, so I might try adding some more to save it. The batter is too delicious to throw out!

 

My valentine left me a beautiful surprise this morning. Gorgeous!

 

I’ve never owned an orchid before. Any tips?

Happy Hearts!

Bangs

Once a year, I generally get sick of my hair and cut bangs.
I did it again. I think I like it.

One of my colleagues commented "It's different".

That's code for "Your hair looks like shit" right?

Snack Attack

Firstly, Thank you for all your kind words. Funks take a while to shake, but last night I decided enough was enough. I hit the gym (although the new RPM release = snooze-fest) and sweated out my frustrations. Baby steps, right?

...and now back to regular programming.

Usually, I have carrots and hummus as my afternoon snack. Yesterday my carrots were a little rank tasting. I think my ginormous Costco sized bag went bad. I decided to supplement with almond crackers. Long story short: Almond crackers + artichoke/spinach hummus are a match made in heaven.

While I was feeling adventurous, I decided to change up my morning snack too. Dates!

I dipped them in a tablespoon of almond butter. Great combination.

I'm very much a creature of habit. Changing up my snacks really made my life feel a little less Ground-hog-day'ish. I like it.

Today I have one simple goal: Leave the office at quitting time, and hit the p-a-r-k with my dog. It's good for the soul.

struggling

Last week was pretty rough on me. That cannot be denied.

But that doesn't excuse my lack of motivation to hit the gym. Nor does it give me permission to eat like Miss Piggy.

I'm struggling. Badly.

I want to fix it. I know how to fix it. But the motivation is missing.

Words of wisdom anyone?