Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Blargh.

I feel like I have nothing to say right now, and I don't want to bore the, like, three of you that read this thing with more surveys.

I'm dealing with some personal stuff right now, so my mind is largely focused on that.

Don't worry, I'm not letting it affect my exercise or diet, but I am definitely preoccupied more than usual with analyzing my precious feels.


I could post some filler content about my favorite sippy cup or how I apply white eyeshadow up to my eyebrows, but really, what's the point?

Instead of a sexy picture of my lips, here are some mannequins that I saw in the Dallas airport last summer.


I'm going shopping for pants this weekend. Because none of my pants fit anymore.


Monday, July 29, 2013

Friend Makin' Monday!



If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!


Ten Things That Make Me Happy


1. Dogs. I love dogs. Old dogs, young dogs, purebred dogs, mutts. Dogs sticking their beaks (yes, beaks) out windows joyfully, running, pouncing on toys, sleeping. I LOVE DOGS.


2. A good night's sleep where you don't have to get up for anything in the morning and you can just sleep until your body says "Okay, I'm good."

3. Finding THAT SONG. You know, the song that comes on and you are just like YESSSSSSSSSSSS. It varies from week to week, month to month, and you probably listen to it on repeat and make yourself sick of it after awhile.

4. That feeling you get when your bills are paid and you actually have a bit of money left over and you're like "Hell yeah, let's go do something fun! I HAVE MONEY!"



5. Cheap sparkly nail polish.


6. Clean bedsheets and clean pajamas. Heaven.

7. When people send me links or post links to my Facebook wall because something they saw made them think of me. Usually owls.



8. Getting checked out in a non-creepy manner. Just having a dude look at me and do a doubletake with a smile on his face.

9.  Autumn. Taking a long drive, admiring the leaves, drinking pumpkin beer, and wearing hoodies and Chucks.




10. My parents when they are cute to each other. They've been married for over 50 years and are ridiculously in love. They give each other a hard time, hold hands, sing to each other, dance randomly in the kitchen, and are best friends.


Friday, July 26, 2013

My current song obsessions for Z25K training.

I have one more workout to go and will be done with Week 3 of Zombies, Run! 5K training.

So far, everything has been going fantastically. I am learning what paces work best for me and when I can push myself a little more. I ran/walked a little more than 3 miles last night on the local rail trail and it was just AWESOME. I felt strong and motivated, which is good, because I am dealing with some rough personal stuff right now.

Here are my current song obsessions to work out to:

Eminem - Till I Collapse

David Guetta - I Can Only Imagine (ugh, I hate myself for liking this song)

David Guetta featuring Sia - She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)


Blackstreet - No Diggity


Bloodhound Gang - Fire Water Burn


The Lonely Island - Go Kindergarten


Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull - Live It Up


Lorde - Royals


... I don't know who I am anymore. I usually listen to like, pop punk and emo crap. WHO AM I.

What's your current song obsession?

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

My weekend of food and my dog's giant arse.

I started this entry on Sunday morning, while watching Breakin' 2: Electric Bugaloo, and I just love this gif so much that I wanted to keep it in here.


My good friend Karen drove her awesome self all the way to my humble little town, which I really appreciated because a) it was hot and my car doesn't have AC and b) I got to sleep in.

Karen coaches Crossfit. She is a BAMF who does not wear shorts that are entirely too tight for her, unlike some people who also do Crossfit. Nor is she obsessed with pugs and disgusting food combinations.

We went to my bro's restaurant at Central Market and went nuts buying stuff. I bought a GIANT zucchini, a beautiful eggplant, pasta, and some local Southern style mustard barbecue sauce, which I had last night on some homemade pulled pork.

After that, we went to Park Street Pantry, a local spices/oils/vinegars store, and did a salt tasting, which we made fun of at first, but then realized was pretty awesome. I bought this amazing smoked salt (Alderwood, it smelled JUST like the PA Renaissance Faire), roasted garlic salt, and GHOST PEPPER salt, which is not for me, but for a friend at work and my brother.


After a quick stop at my house, it was off to Brown's Orchards, which is my favorite place in the world, and bought even more veggies, fruits, sweet things, coffee, had a beverage, and did a wine tasting from Logan's View Winery.




While we were there, they told us about Old Republic Distillery, a moonshine distillery nearby, and we were just like HECK YEAH, so we went and did a moonshine tasting, which was cool. The woman doing it was super knowledgeable and really nice. I am definitely not a hard liquor lady, but the apple pie moonshine was tasty.


On Sunday, I made a ridiculous goulash/ratatouille thing for my lunches this week. It combined:

  • eggplant
  • zucchini
  • Vidalia onion
  • garlic
  • Roma tomatoes
  • Campari tomatoes
  • toasted onion pasta
  • Boca crumbles

All with some reduced fat mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. DELICIOUS. Although I think I added too much crushed red pepper.

I also made a batch of my breakfast burritos, balled (heh) a watermelon and some cantaloupe, and made pulled pork in the crockpot. I was a cooking fiend!

Unrelated:

Here is a picture of my dog's giant butt, taken last night.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Friend Makin' Monday!


If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links there too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Let’s Talk About TV

1.  Share your current “Must-See” TV shows.

True Blood, Under the Dome, Dance Moms (damn right), Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition.



2.  Do you prefer reality shows or sitcoms?

Reality shows. I swear to God, if one more person asks me if I like "The Big Bang Theory", I am going to lose it. NO I DO NOT LIKE THE BIG BANG THEORY.

3. Who is your favorite talk show host?

I.... don't watch talk shows. Sorry.



4. Which network(s) do you turn to for news?

Usually CNN or MSNBC. Never, ever Fox News. NEVER.



5. Do you have Tivo or DVR?  If so, which programs do you have set to record?

DVR. And good lord, what DON'T I record. The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Barefoot Contessa, Dance Moms, various tattoo shows, science-y stuff for the boyfriend.... we have a ridiculous amount of stuff set to record.

6. Have you ever started watching a show simply because you heard so much about it on social media?  If so, which one did you watch?

Yep, Game of Thrones! And True Blood. Everyone was talking about them, so I watched a few episodes, became hooked, and promptly signed up for HBO.



7. List any TV series that you own on DVD.

None because INTERNET.


8.  Do you have a subscription to Netflix, Hulu, etc?

Nope. If I want something, usually one of my friends has it.


9.  If you could star in a TV show that already exists, which one would you choose?

True Blood!


10.  If you could bring back one TV show that is no longer on the air, which one would you choose?

I honestly can't think of anything, besides maybe The Black Donnellys?



Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments, and don’t forget to take a little time to welcome some of our new FMM friends!  Happy Monday everyone!

survey

A to Z

A. Attached or single?

Attached. We’ve been together 10 years and married 3. <3

B. Best friend?

S. He’s my partner in crime.

C. Cake or pie?

This is a no brainer. Tiramisu cake is my all-time favorite. But, it’s got to be the old-school cookie type.

 tiramisu

Why hello there gorgeous!

D. Day of choice?

It’s a toss up between Monday and Saturday. I love the newness and freshness of Mondays. Starting a new week always motivates me to start things off on the right foot.

Saturdays are pretty awesome too. S and I are always up to something fun on the weekends.

E. Essential item?

Calgon Morning Glory. This stuff smells so fresh and incredible. I love it.

 calgon

F. Favorite color?

Red! It speaks for itself doesn’t it!?

 IMG_4347 (550x411)

G. Gummy bears or worms?

Bears! I have an issue with self-control when it comes to these things. I can eat a ton of them and make myself sick if I’m not careful. The solution, I just don’t buy them anymore.

H. Home town?

Montreal, Québec.

I. Favorite indulgence?

Chocolate chip Cannoli’s.

 cannoli

This speaks for itself I think.

J. January or July?

January. I love winter. There’s snow and I can Ski!. It’s wonderful and I love it.

K. Kids?

4 Angels. :/ Read this – it explains everything.

L. Life isn’t complete without?

Love and laughter!

M. Marriage date?

May 15, 2010. <3

 wedding

N. Number of brothers/sisters?

2 half brothers!

O. Oranges or Apples?

Neither! I’m a melon girl!

P. Phobias?

Small rodents. *shudder*

Q. Quotes?

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.”  ― Mahatma Gandhi

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

 loss

R. Reasons to smile?

My husband. My fur kids. Great family and awesome friends!

S. Season of choice?

Winter! I love love love Christmas, snow and winter sports.

T. Tag 5 People.

Ladies: Shelly, Jes, Lee, Emily & Mlal!

U. Unknown fact about me?

I’m fluently trilingual. I speak English, French and Italian.

V. Vegetable?

Fava! You can check out that recipe here!

 IMG_4644 (570x426)

W. Worst habit?

I was a nail biter but that’s now been replaced lip biting. When I’m deep in thought or ultra concentrated I bite on my bottom lip.

X. X-Ray or ultrasound?

Ultrasound! They’re way more effective for diagnostic purposes.

Y. Your favorite food?

Pad Thai.

 padthai

(Source)

Z. Zodiac sign?

Capricorn!

Your turn! Do the survey, blog about it, ping me, tweet me, leave me a comment! I want to know your A to Z!!!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Throwback Thursday, huh?

So this is a thing, eh?

Alright, here you go:

Summer of 2005. Yes, my hair was that short. Yikes.

200-Calorie (2PP) breakfast burrito.... yes, really.

Have you tried the McDonald's Egg White Delite?

If not, don't. They are flavorless and unsatisfying. Eat these instead. They will fill you up without weighing you down, wake up your tastebuds with some zing, and give you a great boost of protein and fiber PLUS a serving of veggies.

I eat these every. freaking. morning. Seriously. I have been eating them for, oh, six months now? And I am not sick of them yet. Sure, I occasionally stop at Rutter's (local gas station, like Sheetz or Wawa or 7-11) and get a healthy breakfast sandwich from there on payday or something, but my McDonald's breakfast habit? Completely gone. I'd rather have this breakfast burrito any day.

Liz's "Holy Crap, That Smells Good" Breakfast Burritos

- 2 16 oz. bags of frozen green peppers/onions
- 1 container of egg substitute (not the quart size, the smaller one)
- 8 oz. diced ham
- 1 bag of shredded reduced fat Mexican/Fiesta/Colby Jack/Cheddar/WHATEVER cheese blend (approximately 1.75-2 cups)
- 1 4 oz. can of green chiles (optional)
- 1 bunch of asparagus, chopped (optional, i add as many veggies as possible to make the burritos as filling as i can for the fewest amount of calories) (approximately 1/2 pound raw and trimmed)
- pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce to taste
- 12 Ole! Extreme Wellness brand high fiber/low carb tortillas

-----------------------

Add frozen vegetables to large nonstick pot sprayed with cooking spray (not a skillet or saucepan, I use a pot that you'd boil eggs or pasta in) and cover until vegetables are soft. Add asparagus and ham and saute until veggies are just starting to get a tiny bit brown on the edges.

Add egg substitute, green chiles, and spices.



Stir until cooked through and there is minimal liquid at the bottom of the pot.



See that liquid? You want to get as little of that as possible. You won't be able to get them completely liquid-free, but try to get as little as possible.


Turn off heat and stir in the cheese.


This is how it'll look after you stir in the cheese. It'll be a little wet/gooey, but that's because of the cheese. If you cooked off as much liquid as possible earlier, you'll be fine.












Use a 1/2 cup measure to scoop it into the tortillas and roll them up individually in foil and freeze. Then I just microwave them for 3m15s-3m30s in the morning. It makes 10-12 depending on how generous your scoops are.

----------------------------------


Stats for the brands I normally use (may vary depending on what you use):

Calories: 202
Carbs: 20
Fat: 4
Protein: 17
Sodium: 818
Sugar: 3

Weight Watchers Points Plus: 2

-----------------------------------

GO YE AND MASTICATE.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Friend Making Monday!!



If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Foodie Questions

1. Do you make grocery lists?  Yes! I inevitably forget something if I don't.

2.  Do you have a routine when shopping in your favorite grocery store? Oh yes. I have it down to a perfectly choreographed dance.


3.  What is your favorite seasoning?  I could not live without my giant shaker of garlic powder.

4.  What is the healthiest food in your fridge right now? Greek yogurt, hummus, carrots, zucchini, almond milk, broccoli, tomatoes....

5.  What is the most unhealthy food in your fridge now?  A Freschetta pepperoni pizza (the boyfriend's)

6. What is the most exotic produce you’ve ever had? Hmm. Jicama? I am not sure... I'll try anything once.

7. Tell us about your favorite local restaurant.  My brother's restaurant, Mezzogiorno. He makes breakfast and lunch food with an Italian twist. It's seriously the best breakfast ever. His home fries are deep fried and his potato chips are made in-house, and it's all housed in our awesome farmer's market downtown.



8.  What kind of pasta do you prefer (regular, whole wheat, etc.?)  I like that Smart Taste stuff by Ronzoni, but I also tried this amazing basil garlic pasta from Pappardelle's Pasta that I got at the farmer's market, and it is so tasty and chewy and yummy.

9. If you could make one food calorie-free for an entire week, which food would you choose?  Pizza or straight up fresh loaves of bread. Or cheese. Man, I love cheese.

10.  If you had to choose would you rather give up french fries or chocolate? Bye, bye fries. I'll find something else to eat, but when you're craving chocolate, nothing else will do!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

NO GIF POST, hah.

Bought my first pair of running shoes Friday night. I went to the salesgirl and was like I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING, and still ended up buying the ones with the colors I liked the best that were in my budget, lol. But they felt good on my feets, so yay? Apparently, they are "neutral". I am pretty sure they are the most expensive item of clothing I own, seriously.

Sure would be nice to get sent 238957239857 pairs of shoes for not doing shit but take selfies and talking about the color of my hair all day.

I bought this shirt last night to work out in for only $2.50, and of course I thought of my friend KT, who is a shark fiend. 

No tech tees here. We rock $2.50 shirts from Five Below.

Speaking of t-shirts, I love that this shirt fits again, it was a gift from my friend Laurah a few years back, and I got too fat to wear it; totally fits again. Yaaay.

SELFIEEEEEEEEEE

My dog is snoring, The Wedding Singer is on, I just drank some coffee, and now I am going to go in search of some peaches, which are prolific here in PA right now.

Oh yes, and I also purchased this on Friday night at The Christmas Tree Shops, which is the best store ever, and it will take HomeGoods out back in the alley and kick its butt:


$6.99. It's not a $250 faucet, but I'm hoping I will use it often.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Herpin' mah derp on Friday.

I am so ready for this week to be over. It just seems to have dragged on and on.

Wrong drag.


I am frustrated with the scale, yet again. It inexplicably went up two pounds a few days ago and has stayed there, despite being under my calories, exercising, and getting at least 8 glasses of water in a day. What gives, scale?

I know, something new for me, whining about the scale. But then I tell myself "Self, at least you are like 'okay scale, you suck' and go about your day." I work 45-50 hours a week, I work out for an hour 3-4 times a week after work, I cook and shop for two, I clean (sometimes) and try to find time to volunteer at least once a month. I think I am doing okay.


I am going to drop a very big (to me) amount of money on a pair of Real Running Shoes this weekend. I am trying not to hyperventilate because you will never catch me spending, say, $279 on a kitchen faucet or $100+ on a freaking trash can. I am frugal to a fault. No $8 jars of nut butter here!


This entry was completely random and used too many gifs.





Wednesday, July 10, 2013

A quick check-in.

I think I am starting to understand why people dig running. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I look forward to my treadmill workouts. Maybe it's just because I enjoy running from zombies (I'm using the Zombies, Run! 5K program to work up to running).


I really, really, really need a new pair of athletic shoes that are properly fitted. Mine are two years old and crosstrainers. I may do it this weekend if I can find the money for it. The doggy needs to go to the vet and get a lumpy bump looked at. And her nails trimmed. My princess.

GIVE ME SOME OF WHATEVER IT IS YOU ARE EATING

I am loving the crap out of Songza.

I made creamy peach popsicles last night. Gonna have one tonight, and will share the recipe if they work out! Only 42 calories each, seriously. YAY.



Saturday, July 6, 2013

Blueberries and funnnnnnnn.

Busy day yesterday! I was up early to see the good ol' lady doctor (yay for finally having insurance after five years) and get the full workup. She was happy to hear of my almost-40-pound weight loss in the past six months, but I still have a ways to go. Also, I have to get my cholesterol checked, and will most certainly be taking medication to combat it. Thanks heredity! 


I then met up with a friend to go blueberry picking. I was thrilled that the 1/8 mile gentle hill walk to get to the bushes didn't phase me at all; I definitely would not have been able to do that easily 6 months ago! 

We got a little over 2 pounds of blueberries each for about $6.00, and they were nice and big and juicy. :) Very happy with my haul!

Why yes, I did crop my friend out of the picture and hide my double chin with blueberries. WHY DO YOU ASK?

She and I had lunch, where I made a good choice of a turkey sandwich with lots of veggies on wheat with mustard, and half a serving of chips. 

Annnnnd that's where my good choices ended for the day, hah.

The bf and I went to a friend's house for a BBQ, and I ate all the things. And they were all delicious: a burger, corn and black bean salsa with tortilla chips, veggies and dip, taco dip, potato salad, a couple potato chips, blueberries and fruit dip, and peach/cream cheese coffee cake. Oh, and a beer. I tried the things I wanted in moderation, didn't get overly full, and drank as much water as I could remember to. 


We played Cards Against Humanity for a good three hours or so, and I am almost positive I got the equivalent of a small workout with how hard I was laughing. That game is awesome and so, so inappropriate. It also helped that there was a fuzzy corgi butt there to offer cuddles. I could not get over her cute little pants and "buttstache" as her mom calls it.


OK, off to hang on for dear life on the back of a motorcycle in the raging heat and go buy some veggies. FUNNNNNNNNN WILL BE HAD.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

July pics!

So, calorie counting has been going really well. I am really digging My Fitness Pal. Add me if you want to be friends! I am a total food voyeur, so I love seeing what other people eat.


I even got up this morning and did some walking/running. I tried out a new app to start working toward a 5K... "Zombies, Run! 5K". I really enjoyed it, until about 20 minutes in, when the commentary and my playlist just... stopped. It kept tracking my time and steps, but the rest? No dice. Very disappointing. Also, it was hot as hades and humid this morning, so I was DRIPPING by the time I was done.

Then I tried out an Egg White Delight from McDonald's.

What they say it should look like.

Pretty much what mine looked like.

What a waste of calories. I'm still hungry and the English muffin tasted stale, and there was like, ONE egg white on it. I should have just come home and make my own breakfast sandwich, but noooooooo. Oh well. Lesson learned.

And here is this month's progress pic... official weight yesterday was 222.6, which is a total of 52.4 pounds under my highest weight ever of 275 and 38 pounds lost since January 7th. I am happy with that!!

(Don't mind the white blob... I put the wrong date in there first, derp.)

See on the right side of the picture where the jeans are baggy? Yeah, go back and look at March's photo. Used to be tight. That's not my jiggle in there anymore, that's my missing fat. Wait, here's a gif so you can see for yourself.


OK, I am off to hit up some yard sales and get a delicious lunch with my man... today is our 5-year dating anniversary!