3 Things that put me in the Christmas Spirit

Three things that put me in the Christmas Spirit:

•   Santa Squeeze-my-cheeks:  My grandma makes these out of yarn and plastic canvas and I just love them to pieces.  You put a little Hersey kiss inside and it’s like Santa gave you a kiss! So adorable.

•   Making sugar cookies (and eating the dough):  We used to always make sugar cookies and my favorite part was eating the dough scraps leftover from the cookie cutters.

• Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Fluff:  Is there anything better in the world than Fluff?  It’s even better now that I’m an adult and I can spike my hot cocoa. 

Last year me and the bf sent out Christmas cards to our friends and family.  They were pretty cheesy, but I thought they were cute.   See for yourself:

I plan to do it again this year especially since we have our nice camera now. We just need to take a nice picture!

Last night I went to yoga with my mom again.  I really need a new mat! The one I have has pictures of the poses all over it, and it's extremely slippery.   I'd love to get this one, but it’s a wee bit expensive.   Hey  Santa, are you reading this?

In other news, the race is this weekend! My brother picked up my number and t-shirt for me yesterday.  I convinced the bf to go and be my official photographer so I should have a few good pictures to share.

Here’s the official T-shirt and my number:

Dinner tonight is Chicken Pot pie.  Yumm! A good comfort food for the cold weather.  After dinner I plan to go for a run.  Should I brave the outdoors or chicken out and go on the treadmill?  hmmmm...

Oreo Balls (take 2) and Orange Clove Pomanders

Yesterday was a complete success.  I accomplished everything on my to-do list, and then some.  

I went for a run, and my first mile only took me 7 min and 59 seconds, which is really good for me.   The 5k is a week from today! I’m super excited about it, and like I told my brother’s gf, I’m not in it to win it.  I’m just in it to have fun.   However, I do want to finish it in under 30 minutes.

My brother's gf and I made Oreo balls, and they came out better than last time.  This time we blended the Oreos in a blender, and used baking chocolate to melt(it was way smoother than chocolate chips).

After making those, I ran out to pick up a few things.  I wanted to make some orange clove pomanders like I saw here.  They smelled amazing, and looked festive.

 The party was really fun and we took a ton of pictures with our new camera.  The drinks I made were a big hit. I made pomegranate mimosas, with Champagne, Pomegranate juice and seeds.  It was fun to drink in a champagne flute because the seeds floated up from the bottom.  I love the Holidays!

Red lipstick + Ornament earrings

Wine Night & a very busy Saturday

Last night when I got home from work I was starving and had no idea what to cook.  Not the best combo for me.  It’s safe to say I was a bit  “Hangry”  (hungry+angry= a term I read about in Health Magazine.)

So we whipped up a quick Italian dinner.  I mostly sat and watched the bf prepare everything while snacking on cheese and crackers and wine.  A good cure for a case of the “hangries.”

We made angel hair pasta, with tomato sauce, stir fry veggies(red, yellow and green peppers and onions) and some Italian sausages.  It was a great little meal, quick and easy.  

This morning I woke up super early for no reason.  Don’t you hate that?  I attempted to make myself a omelet using Chobani Greek yogurt, spinach and cheddar.  I got the idea of using Greek yogurt from one of my favorite bloggers. 

Halfway through the omelet cooking I noticed things weren’t going very well.  I abandoned ship and make it into a spinach and egg scramble.  I topped it with reduced fat cheddar and some Frank’s red hot sauce.  I am so predictable.  I completed my meal with a grapefruit half and some oj.

I have a very busy day ahead of me.  I’m going to a Christmas party tonight and I want to make my oreo balls again.  My brother and his gf are also going to a party tonight and they asked me to make some for them too.  They offered to pay me to make them, but I said “no way, let’s make them together.”

Today’s to- do List:

• Make Oreo balls with my brother’s girlfriend
• Go for a 3+ mile run outside
• Buy cocktail ingredients for party
  (I’m thinking of making pomegranate mimosas- Pom Juice, Pom Seeds &, Champagne)
• Assemble Outfit for party (because it’s a fancy party)

& That’s it!  Off I go!

Runing with my Bro

Last night, I asked my brother, Mike, if he wanted to go for a run.  To my surprise he said yes.

I know he's been training for the 5k as well, and I was a little nervous I wouldn't be able to keep up with him.  I wore my Nike+ band to track our mileage.  We did his route, which Google maps says is 3.4 miles.  According to my Nike+, it was 3.57 miles.  My brother reasoned that the difference is probably because Google maps doesn’t take "topography" into account.   He's very clever, that brother of mine.

It was nighttime so we suited up in our reflective vests.  Safety First!

I was fully prepared for the weather.  I had a fleece headband to cover my ears, running tights tucked into my sneakers, and fingerless gloves.  I was perfectly warm.  My only problem was around mile 2 when one side of my running tights came un-tucked from my sneaker.  I hate that!

When we started the run, he asked if I wanted to do the course the hard way or the easy way.  I chose the hard way.  Because I’m hardcore.

The hard way means that we run up a very large hill at the end.  I was up for the challenge.  When we approached it, he gave me a little advice.  He told me to keep my chest up when running uphill.  I tried it and it made a huge difference.  He said that position allows your lungs to expand all the way.  See? I told you, he is very clever

Overall, it was a great run, full of brother-sister bonding, challenges, and running advice.

Here’s my Nike+ report:

Angela's Coal Fired Pizza (&new camera!)

I know what you’re thinking…more pizza??? Yes, more pizza.  I love it and I always make room for the foods I enjoy.

The BF and I met another couple here for dinner.  On Monday-Wednesdays they have half off cheese pizzas, which is awesome.  Their pizzas are amazing.  I love the sauce, and they sprinkle fresh basil on top before they serve it, it’s delish!

We ordered a family size house salad, and two large cheeses to split.

I really like their salads because they put a lot of stuff in it.  You know how some places just put lettuce in a bowl and top with croutons and call it a Salad?  Not Angela’s!  Their salad had red onions, kalamata olives, celery, hardboiled egg, chickpeas(<3), tomato, and slices of flatbread on top.

Now that’s what I call a salad.

Here's my portion

 When the pizza came, we all dug right in.  Official Mac&Cheese&Peas rating: 4 out of 5 peas!  It was just as good as the last time I came here.  

Since I ran a good 3 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday, I took Wednesday off.  Some days it’s impossible to find time to work out.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Tonight, I'm going for a run with my brother.  Yay for Sibling 5k training!

In other exciting news, the camera came in! Finally! Now I just need to learn how to use it.  Any tips?

Here’s a few of my first shots:

My Momiji

matryoshka

My brother's awesome face

Dad

Candle in the window

One thing I wish I did more often...

Is Pack my lunch the night before!  It's a great way to plan a healthy meal, and save money.

I love having a salad for lunch, but If I’m short on time, I just throw a sandwich together.  If we have lunch meats, I usually make a turkey, provolone, and hummus sandwich on whole wheat bread.

If I do have time, I make a huge salad packed with every vegetable I can find.  

This is the salad I made last night:

Mixed greens

Cucumber

Carrots

Olives

Broccoli

Chick peas

Feta

And I added Grapes, because I’m weird.

Yes, there's lettuce under there

Since I barely have time to make a lunch, I never have time to make breakfast at home.  Usually I throw some oats in a bag and bring along a tiny Tupperware of chunky peanut butter to mix in.  I make this at work and eat it at my desk.    

And I’m usually on the verge of passing out by the time I get to work.

Fact:  I need to eat often or I feel like I’m going to faint. 

Fact:  I have never actually fainted from not eating.

Fact: I have never actually fainted for any reason, but I did come close one time when I stayed in the sauna too long.

This morning since I woke up 10 minutes earlier than normal, I had time to make some eggs.  I made a egg sandwich on an English muffin with reduced fat cheddar and Frank’s(of course).

I take two eggs and scramble them in a bowl, then I pour it onto the pan and try to shape into something that would fit on an English muffin.  Most of the time I fail and end up with a giant flat omlette-looking thing.  Today was no exception.

This kept me full for a looooong time.

For lunch I had the salad, which was very filling, but I had a hankering for something sweet after.  I got a chocolate chip cookie from Au Bon Pain.  Yum!

Have you heard of the Traffic light or  Stoplight system of eating?  It's a rating system where foods fit into different categories like Red, Yellow, or Green.  It's a great system for kids.  Green means go, eat all you want foods like veggies.  Red is fatty or sugary foods to eat in moderation.  I've started using this system in my life.  Today, for instance, I had a cookie after lunch, and that was my one "red" food for the day.

 I had to work late today, because I left in the afternoon for a Dr’s appointment.  I’m starting Immunotherapy for my bee sting allergy.  I’ll tell you the whole story another time.

I didn’t get home from work until almost 7pm.  Luckily my parents had a plate made up for me waiting in the microwave.  Ahh... the perks of living at home.

It was baked fish, rice, mixed veggies, and asparagus.  Now there’s a vegetable I haven’t had in a while.

I was planning to go on a nice long run tonight, but the rain has put a damper on that (I’m not that hard core).  Looks like I’ll be spending some QT with the ol’ hamster wheel.

Yoga with Mom

A few weeks ago my mom mentioned that she wanted to do “hot” or Bikram Yoga.  When I asked if she had ever taken a regular yoga class, she said no.  She has only done the Yoga DVDs she has at home.  I suggested that she take a regular yoga class before the hot yoga just to get used to the poses, and to know what to expect.  Since you can bring a guest for free to my gym, I offered for her to come along with me. 

MG Fitness here we come!

 My lower back has been bothering me for a few days so I’m hoping this will help to stretch it out.  I can’t wait to do some cat & cow poses!

The class was packed so we ended up finding a spot in the back corner.  It started out very fast moving, which I liked, it really got my heart rate going.

I think the teacher was adding in some yoga fusion/pilates type things, which was good.  She did a few moves that really worked my arms and core.  She even did 5 minutes of ab exercise near the end.  My abs were burning!

At the very end of the class, we meditated.  Luckily, I had taken this class before, and I knew that the teacher goes around to every person in the class and places a scented tissue over their eyes and massages their temples.  I warned my mom about this before the class because I didn’t want her to freak out!

Now that I’m getting into yoga again, I really have to put my Living Social deal to use.  I bought a deal for 5 yoga classes at BSC in OCTOBER, and I still haven’t scheduled them.  I miss BSC so much, you think I’d be dying to go back there.  Truth is, I’m just lazy and I don’t like to plan my workouts.

New Goal:  Start planning weekly workouts (as you know that's not my strong suit)

New Mantra:  Commit yourself to constant improvement - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

What are your fitness goals and personal mantras?