Dancing and Running

First things first...I did a 5K this morning!!! Yes it was on the treadmill and I walked the first 5 minutes to warm up...but this was the FIRST TIME EVER I HAVE RUN THAT MUCH!! Very exciting for me. The past few weeks running has felt a little easier so I went for it. I also found a little function on the treadmill where the screen shows a 5K path (its windy and through the "mountains" on the screen haha), but to be able to see the little dot moving as I go was such a motivator. I could see how close I was to being done so I didn't want to stop! So my first ever 5K time was 32:49 (that includes my 5min walk in the beginning at something around 3.4mph) so its hard to judge my actual running pace...but I don't care I was just excited to do it! Plus now that I have a time I can work to beat it!

I have to thank all you running bloggers out there, it'd DEFINITELY been my motivation...Thank you!!

Back to eats:

Breakfast yesterday was what I will call Trail Mix oats!1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup skim milk, 1/3 cup water
salt and vanilla
1/2 banana

Added:
1 tsp pumpkin butter
random trail mix items - soy nuts, peanuts, dried apricot, dried date, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, choc. chips, PB chips
Spoon of White Choc. PB!

YUMMMM!!!

This kept me full all morning, no need for my mid morning snack even!

No lunch pics...ate with co-workers and the fiance came over to my office for lunch too (he works 1 mile away)

Last night was the first night of my dance rep show! It was fun, I love performing! Even though I'm there all night for a 4 minute piece, it's still worth it :)

I packed a half of a PB and J for a snack while at the theater.
I also ate an apple, and some snack mix.

My mom came to the show and afterwards we went to Eastern Standard Kitchen in Kenmore Square (right near Fenway). Neither of us were very hungry but we wanted to hang out for a little bit.

I ordered a salad, she ordered a dessert and we shared...I was shocked how busy the place was still at 10pm!! I never would normally eat dinner that late!

My salad was a delicious Chicken Confit Salad with apple, mustard greens, and red wine vinaigrette!

SO good! The chicken was so tender and flavorful (obviously since "confit" means it was once coated in fat then cooked til crisp)...but man, SO good! I love when meat is pulled apart like that, not just cut up.

For our dessert we split the Beignet's with Bourbon CaramelThey were like little clouds of fried dough with a decadent caramel sauce...mmmm heaven.

Maybe it was this late night food that prompted my run this morning hehe.

After my 5k I came home to make a traditional breakfast sandwich...I've been craving one lately. Mine consisted of 1 egg, 1 slice of American cheese, 1 slice of Canadian bacon on a whole wheat TJ's "British" muffin.Served with 1/2 banana, sliced, and coffee with milk and Nog!Now its time for errands and such before heading to the Theater tonight! Roomie and Fiance are coming tonight, and right after I am done we are heading to a cocktail party with all our friends at a bar in downtown Boston. Can't wait to dance the night away with my friends later!!

Random quick review... Z-bar Chocolate Brownie flavor. I've seen a lot of Z-Bars on blogs lately but don't think I've seen this flavor! It's AWESOME! It's so chocolaty, and tastes like a chewy Dark chocolate, slightly sweet brownie...yum!I think it would even be amazing heated up in the microwave a few seconds and served with ice cream :)

Have a great Saturday!!

Fun Packages and Fake Eyelashes!

Yes I just got home from dress rehearsal and I'm still rockin' the fake eyelashes. I never think to wear them other than for dance, but man I'm lovin' how my eyes look right now...I should try them out for other fun nights out!

Well yesterday I came home to a very pleasant surprise...Yay! My very own Larabar T-shirt! And a big box of all the flavors!!!!! SO excited because there are some I have not had a chance to try. Of course all I really wanted to do was open them all and take a bite of each one...but I restrained myself. THANK YOU LARABAR!

I was rushing to get out the door for rehearsal so I did grab one...well maybe two.
I broke off a piece of each on my way to dance. First was Pistachio!

Pistachio - I really enjoyed this one, it had a mellow but rich flavor...just like eating pistachios from the shell but with a little sweetness from the dates and cashews. It's not an intense pistachio flavor but that's why I like it, it tastes just like the nut.

Next...

Lemon! - Holy lemon! Let me start by saying I LOVE citrus flavors and love tart lemony things...but this was just pushing it a little too much. The lemon was a little too intense for me, and could of used a bit more sweetness to cut the tartness. Not my fav, but I still like it. I will try it again though because the tartness may have been more pronounced because of the pistachio one I ate right before.

When I returned to the apartment I was still in the mood for more of a dinner. I made mini pizzas on Arnold Sandwich thins, and these Turkey meatballs we had in the freezer.I heated up 2 turkey meatball, and cut them up to place on my sandwich thin with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Before toastingAfter coming out of the toaster oven and served with 1 carrot cut into 3 piecesAnother terrific use for Arnold Sandwich thins!!

As I was packing my foods for the day this morning, I packed up my Advent calendar treats of the day for a sweet snack later
On the left is a coconut, almond, milk chocolate bite...like an Almond Joy but better! And a Dark chocolate nonpareil.

Another amazing oatmeal day...maybe I'm just getting better at making it at work, but its been so so good this week.

Today's Oats:
1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup skim milk
salt and vanilla
1/2 banana

Microwaved, then added:
1 tsp pumpkin butter
random toppings including: pecans, Tempting Trail Mix, Kashi Go lean, random dried fruit from a different trail mix.Oh! And a spoon of White Chocolate PB... by the way the PB chips from the trail mix taste just like that White choc. PB, and I've never had regular chocolate chips in oats...but when they melt its like heaven!!

Busy busy work day, had to make my lunch fast! So I didn't have the soup I packed but the oats were holding me over for a long time!

I did make a wrap using:
1 Josephs Low carb tortillas
2 slices honey maple turkey
1 slice American cheese
Broccoli Slaw!
Drizzle of Annie's honey mustard dressing
The slaw added a great crunch!

I ate a half of a PB&J during dress rehearsal, but when I got home I made a mini dinner since it was late!

1/2 Sandwich thin toasted with a garlic and herb Laughing cow
Some peas (frozen...cooked in microwave)And some TJ's Greek with Apple sauce!! I went back for more apple sauce after....it was cool and refreshing.
I was asked about the comparison of TJ's Greek to Chobani...

I love both first of all. The TJ's is cheaper so that's a big reason I buy it more often. Another difference would be the consistency, I think TJ's is a little thicker, but Chobani a little creamier. I think I'd have to say the TJ's has ever so slightly more tang, but nothing too noticeable.

Well I see I've managed to be up too late AGAIN!! Yay for Friday tomorrow :)

Dance Week

No post yesterday...busy work day then dance class and dance rehearsal til 10! I was pooped when I got home. In between class and rehearsal I had half of a PB&J on Double Protein bread, and a granny smith apple...tart and juicy! When I got home I still wanted a little somethin' somethin' else, so I had a very mini bowl of Autumn Wheat and Annie's Honey Bunnies with skim milkAnd then got to bed as fast as possible.

Pretty sore today...this is Show Week!! Blocking rehearsal tonight (basically the first chance to practice on stage), Dress rehearsal tomorrow night, then shows Friday and Saturday!!

I wish I was in more then 1 piece but it's so expensive to try and take more than 1 class a week...at $15/class it's like spending about $60 a month. And to think between dance and my current gym membership I could join a really nice gym...but not worth it to give up dance classes.

We are doing sort of a lyrically jazz piece of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"...by Oleta Adams (same as the Elton John song though). It's really pretty, and we tend to do more upbeat, faster dances with my instructor so its a nice change to do a more emotional piece...plus more challenging for me! If anyone is looking to see a great dance repertory show in Boston this Friday or Saturday shoot me an email and I'll give you the ticket info!

Breakfast yesterday was an amazing bowl of oats
1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup skim milk, 1/3 cup water
salt and vanilla
1/2 banana, sliced
Microwaved at work, 2 min with plastic wrap over it, then another 30 sec. or so (being careful watching to prevent overflow!)

Added:
about 1 tsp Pumpkin butter
1/2 package Kashi pumpkin spice crunchy granola bar...chopped up
1 spoon of White Chocolate PB!

It was exceptionally delicious.

Yesterday I also had shrimp leftovers. The broccoli slaw didn't hold its structure as well over night, and the cabbage color kind of rubbed off a little making little blue/purple spots. It looked kind of funny but tasted pretty goodFor an afternoon sweet I had a little sip of this holiday treat...I saw this on another blog somewhere (can't remember) and immediately knew I had to go find it...3 stores later :) So yummy!! Can't wait to dive into it today.

For breakfast today I wanted to try one of the English muffins I purchased this weekend at Trader Joe's. I haven't had an English muffin in forever! I forgot how soft and fluffy they are. I enjoyed this whole wheat muffin with PB, Pumpkin Butter, and sliced banana.

Before topping with banana...
Oh yeah, I also ripped off a little piece to have with the Honey Walnut cream cheese we still had at work ;)


Topped!Melt in my mouth satisfying and kept me full for a while.

Around 11 I had a light string cheese because I had to go out to a meeting and didn't to end up starving for lunch afterwards.

Lunch was another super tasty soup and sandwich combo!

I can't even tell you how much I love this stuff...
It's so creamy and tastes awesome! It reminds me of the old school Campbell's tomato soup in a can...but way better for you :) These soups in a carton are also great bases for any add-ins. So again I added a good amount of Soycuttash (edamame, corn, red pepper mix...frozen). Heat it right up in the soup...so easy. I also had some Everything Bagel chips crushed for soup croutons.

With my soup I had an Arnold's Sandwich Thin toasted with Dijon mustard and a slice of American cheese, then added 2.5 slices of honey maple turkey breast.
This is such a delicious lunch. My belly is very happy with me.
I'd also like to make another shout out to my delicious Ginger bread coffee, with skim milk, splash of egg nog, and 1/2 tsp Agave...heaven.
Can this count for BSI this week??? Haha...just kidding.

Hopefully rehearsal won't go too late tonight...it shouldn't. I'd love to come home, relax, finally unpack my laundry and such from the weekend and maybe get to bed before 11!

Shrimp!

Lunch did not make the camera today...no good opportunity. I did have, whats becoming a favorite cold weather lunch, soup from a carton. Today's was TJ's creamy tomato and roasted red pepper with added soycuttash! Along with a turkey and cheese sammy on Arnold's sandwich thins!

I had a great workout at the gym, I'm happy that running is becoming easier for me :) Now maybe by the spring I'll be all set for my first race.

I had ideas for dinner, but I needed food in my mouth within 30 seconds of walking in the door...the victim: a carrot and hummus

And I actually cooked dinner! I've had some frozen shrimp in the freezer for a while, and after my earlier post about PF Chang's I wanted some soy sauce in my life. I had recently bought a bag of broccoli and remembered about these in the freezer:I started the shrimp with some garlic, ginger, and soy sauceThen added the broccoli slaw while I tossed one of those veggie cakes in the microwave
The slaw cooked in like 2 min, and the veggie cake done in 1min 10sec...perfect timing.

The veggie cake didn't look too promising on its own but I put all the shrimp and veggies on top along with a few more shakes of soy sauce...for a delicious dinner!


There were a LOT of shrimp, I definitely got my protein for the day in this meal...along with a healthy portion for lunch tomorrow.

For a nice warm dessert I made some WF's organic hot cocoa, to which I added a splash of egg nog!! DELICIOUS combo! With 2 mini TJ's cranberry pistachio biscotti on the sideNow it's time for some Gossip Girl and catch up on an episode of 90210.

Fun Weekend Recap plus Wedding Plans - Registering

First I must mention that my last post (Thanksgiving) was my 100th! Yay :) I love having this blog, and as much as I've really like to post 3 times a day sometimes it's just not possible...esp if I want to keep my job :) Anywho...where did this weekend go!?

It was a long, jam packed, fun filled 4 days off from work...esp filled with lots of amazing food.

Mom and I were up bright and early to hit up the mall for Black Friday...I love the feeling in the air when its busy with holiday shoppers. For lunch I wanted something the opposite of turkey!! So we went toMmmm. I love that they have their nutritional info online as well. We always order a bunch of different items and share...then lots of leftovers. The little cup on the napkin is their "special" dipping sauce for dumplings and lettuce wraps...so obviously we got both.

Steamed veggie dumplings
And Chicken lettuce wraps...
I love those little airy noodle things...they add a little crunch.

Then for the main meal we ordered (what looks like a ton of food, but we split it and had a LOT of leftovers!!)

Oolong Marinated Sea BassThis fish is awesome, and probably one of the most healthy things on their menu...served over some baby spinach.

The Kung Pow scallopsThis dish in itself is not the best thing for you...fried...BUT, it packs SO MUCH FLAVOR you just need a taste, plus I love the peanuts in the dish...so good!

Side of Scheshwan asparagusAnd some cold cucumber salad
and Brown rice of course
Posting all those pictures just made me so hungry for Asian food right now!!!

I also got in a pretty good run (for me) that afternoon...I haven't figured out how far I went yet, but it was a lot more running than walking which is big for me! Plus it just felt better...yay!

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures from Brian's moms Thanksgiving on Saturday, but you know the deal, however this time she had lots more veggies (she's on Weight Watchers so there were many healthier options!!). As much as I would never try to healthify some of my classic Thanksgiving dishes, by the time I get to her dinner (my 3rd) I am SO grateful that she does make it healthier!

I ended making some asparagus hors d'ourves! Some wrapped in delicious salty prosciutto, and some others using Ellie's recipe for Smoked Turkey wrapped Asparagus wrapped with a cute little chive! They were both a hit! I think you could wrap anything in prosciutto and it would be good.

Sunday, when Brian and I got back to his apartment in early afternoon, we decided to head out and do something I've been dying to do...start a Wedding Registry!!! First we needed some fuel and since he hasn't hit the grocery store in a few weeks we went to WF's. I wasn't super hungry but was excited to see a little yogurt parfait station...I filled a small containerThis contained:

- some FF Strawberry yogurt
- FF vanilla yogurt
- blueberries and raspberries
- melon
- granola
- a few walnuts
- a few dried cherries!
This hit the spot!

I also had another small container with protein and veggies- shredded carrots
- bell pepper strips
- grilled pepper pieces
- chicken salad
- tuna

Then it was time...REGISTERING!!! I have been so excited to start this!!! I know the wedding's not til Sept, but I've heard people will sometimes use it for Christmas gifts, so that was my justification. That and we just did a little, we still have a lot more to go.
This is like my toy store...well that and William Sonoma (I think we'll be having a little registry there too hehe)

It was awesome just picking out everything, unfortunately the dinnerware I love is only around temporarily and will eventually go to the outlets :( So I'm looking for a back up.

Side Note Product Review - TJ's Tempting Trail Mix
Try to control yourself when eating this delicious mix, but it contains the most amazing items...

- peanuts
- cashews
- almonds
- dried cherries
- chocolate chips
- peanut butter chips!
That bite immediately went into my mouth after the picture. I think I need to make like a yummy trail mix cookie using this stuff!!

This morning I enjoyed a wonderful Cinnamon Sticky Bun Coffee with milk
And some puffins, TJ's plain Greek yogurt, and fruit!And what do you know...just about lunch time!

Have a wonderful Monday (or at least try to)