I’m still alive… December 1, 2009

In case anyone is wondering… *blush* It’s been a brutal year for me this year… definitely not a favourite. My Grandpa passed away in January of 2009, which really put a bad start to  my year, then after that happened my mom was diagnosed with Cancer, another kick in the gut. You know what they say, bad luck comes in 3’s right? So let’s see what’s happened in the last month or so, besides everyone being sick with the flu, it really knocked the wind out of us for a good month i’d say. I still have a stupid cough and will probably have to get myself an inhaler… I have no idea what’s going on but my breathing hasn’t been so great. A couple weeks ago my grandma in law fell and broke her femur in 4 different places. She is 89, so a break like this is not a good one, not that it ever is but she also needed surgery on it and because of her age made it a very risky surgery. I was so afraid of losing her, I just couldn’t fathom the thought. We are so very close and I can’t imagine my life without her… She is now recovering slowly but surely, our goal is to have her back home where she belongs & wants to be. Needless to say i’ve been up at the hospital most days for hours at a time spending as much time as I can with her. It really makes her happy to have visitors and is helping her spirits and I believe helping in her recovery.

Other than that, i’m stressed out & tired, i’m not a stress eater. I haven’t gained an ounce, just the opposite actually. I’m below my goal weight, but as long as I don’t lose any more weight i’ll be happy, it’s quite a change from 6 months ago when I would have done anything to lose weight, now my focus is on not losing anymore. I don’t really want to post my weight, so i’ll leave it be for now. I’m ok really, just would like to get back into the “groove” again… kwim?

I’ve really been focusing on my family & getting grandma home and better! I’m exercising a few times a week, (would really like to build back up to 5-6x week, but with being at the hospital most days and running around doing this & that, I can’t seem to hit that lately…) When I do it’s usually my Wii Fit Plus, love the Yoga & Strength training routines the best! My eating is still mostly the same, clean foods, lots of fruits & veggies, but it’s too cold for my “monsters”, so I haven’t been having them lately.. more into warm comfort foods such as soups, coffee & tea seem to be my best friends lately..

Anyways, that’s my update. I hope to get back to more regular posting and i’ve missed so many of my favourite blogs lately but i’ve barely been around the computer…  so here’s hoping I can get back to it!

For those of you who sent me an email checking to see if I was still alive, thank-you! lol!! I’ll be back soon… hopefully with some pics to pretty up my posts!

Still dealing with the H1N1, regular flu, November 4, 2009

Chest infections, bronchitis, unknown ‘viral’ infections, etc… i’m so tired.. going on day 9 now and i’m so ready to have my healthy family back. Was at the clinic twice yesterday with my girls, my middle daughter has an “unknown” infection, but has had a fever for 8 days so was given a prescription to clear up whatever it is that’s lingering… ugh!   Oldest son seems to be on the mend, oldest daughter got the flu yesterday, I have something or other but too busy to care right now. Not sure if the Oil of Oregano is helping or not… I think with EVERYONE in my household being sick I didn’t stand a fighting chance.. I haven’t exercised for almost 2 weeks now…   But my ribs are soooo sore from coughing/sneezing that they feel bruised.. and when I start my posting again & everyone is back to “normal”  i’m gonna have to work on gaining back a few lbs.. how sad is that?!?

Anyways, just thought i’d post an update… sorry to be a downer, I can’t wait to have time to catch up on all on my favourite blogs!

Here’s an ad I thought i’d share.. someone showed it to my son who in turn showed it to me… I thought it was hilarious, but that’s just me.

Stay healthy!! Hoping to be back soon!

Happy Halloween & an update on us! October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween everyone!

Cupcakes my oldest daughter & I made today.. she says they're *delicious!*

How is everyone doing? I hope you’re all happy & healthy! Is everyone ready for Halloween night tonight? Who’s going out Trick or Treating? We will not be taking part this year, i’ve bought the kids all some special treats, and we have some Halloween specials & movies lined up, so we plan on staying in, staying warm, and hopefully getting healthy again!!

Here we’re a “sick house”… my youngest 2 are hopefully on the mend, my youngest has a bit of a “hacky” cough, my oldest a ‘regular cough’ and both a very low fever on/off it seems… I took them to the clinic here the other day and the dr. said it’s viral, she did a throat swab just in case but I haven’t heard anything back so I assume all is well. I has been a very long week and I have to tell you, i’m worn out! Trying to keep myself healthy while keeping my youngest 2 happy, hydrated, fevers down, & my husband has bronchitis pretty badly so i’m also taking care of him. He’s been missing a lot of work, so it’s going to be a tight month for us!

I myself have been feeling like i’m going to get sick, but bought myself some Oil of Oregano in hopes of warding off anything that may be looming…

I’ve been researching this stuff lately and it seems to be worth it’s weight in gold! I took a few (3) drops last night in a glass of OJ (this stuff is spicy HOT! I love spicy, but this stuff, I don’t think you’d want to take it ’straight up’! lol!!) and woke up this morning with my chest no longer hurting and my throat was feeling better… so i’m hoping for the best! I’ll let you know! I’ve been eating healthy as usual, perhaps not enough, but not much of an appetite. I haven’t worked out for a week, *sniff, sniff*, but between my runs out to the pharmacy, grocery story, variety store, etc..  for this and that, and getting up every couple hours to check on the girls and whatnot, I think i’m doing plenty enough for now until everyone is better. I just don’t have the energy to do “extra” on so little sleep.

So that’s my little update, hopefully i’ll be back to my ‘regular’ blogging in a couple days, but for now my family definitely comes first. Stay happy & healthy!! Thanks so much for your well wishes & prayers!! Back soon!

Sigh.. October 28, 2009

Sorry for the lack of posting over the last couple of days, I had a crazy weekend and now my 6 yr old daughter is sick with a cough & fever, and all the H1N1 (swine flu) media frenzy is stressing me out… a 13 yr old boy died from the H1N1 this weekend… 13! That’s just sooo sad!

I’m praying she wakes up and feels better. Her and my 2 yr old were hugging & kissing today, holding hands and playing together, so i’m guessing that my youngest may not feel so hot in the morning…   Anyways, if you could send your thoughts & prayers my way i’d *REALLY* appreciate it… I hate being so stressed out but when my kids are sick, I can’t help it.

I’m sorry but i’m off to relax for the night, my shoulders are so tense.. I need to unwind.

Stay healthy!!

And the rain, rain, rain, came down, down, down… October 24, 2009

How was everyones day today? Mine was rainy & dark, and very long. (My title is from Winnie the Pooh, anyone remember that song? lol!) My youngest has been soo cranky lately, I don’t know if she’s not feeling well, or perhaps getting in her 2 year molars, but there is no making her happy lately… I do my best, but with her not napping anymore, I feel like i’m counting down till bedtime somedays! lol! That’s the kind of day it’s been today… didn’t get in a workout today, was too tired by tonight, so today will be my “day off”. Here are my ‘eats’ today..

Started the day off with a slice of my Pumpkin Spice bread and a big ole coffee…

Lunch was a bowl of pumpkin goodness! Plain yogurt, pumpkin, coconut, Natures Path granola, pumpkin pie spice, lots of coconut & some maple syrup.

Snacks were some trail mix, probably about 1/2 a cup..

Then I opened up this juice I grabbed at the grocery store yesterday… looked pretty good..

However, it just didn’t measure up to  my green monsters, so I had a sip or two and gave it to my daughter… I didn’t even get in a Green Monster today! But now my youngest 2 are in bed and I don’t want to turn on the blender and wake them up… so i’ll be starting my day tomorrow with one for sure!

Dinner was a Knorr Yellow Soup… I *REALLY* love these soups… i’m going to start making my own soups, but these I like to grab when they’re on sale… soo good!

I also love to pair soup with grilled cheese.. nice & hearty breads with REAL cheese & butter..  yum! This is the bread hubby bought for me this week… 3 g. of fiber per slice! The last loaf I had was 4g per slice.. pretty good!

And I finished off my dinner with some Green & Blacks Mint Chocolate… O.M.G!! This stuff is soooooooooooo good! Wow… the Loblaws here sells ALL the Green & Blacks chocolate in their organic section so i’m a happy camper!

On my goals, I didn’t get in all my fruits & veggies today… (I did get in the “bare minimum”, but I aim for 8-10 a day) And I didn’t get in all my water either! Ugh!! When it’s cold I just don’t feel like drinking water all day… anyone else like this? I’m thinking I may start adding in a few Green Tea’s everyday… as long as it’s decaf it ‘counts’ right? lol! Didn’t get my menu plan done either, but I do know dinner tomorrow is a roasted chicken with all the ‘fixin’s’! Yum!! This week I got in 6 veggie days, 1 day with some meat in it. So I did well! So tomorrow starts a new week and my goal again is 3-4 veggie days!

Ok.. I promised i’d snap pics of the Cardio/Boxing routine I made up that’ll burn about 190 cals in 1/2 hr.. so I did! Here’s my routine and my shots from last night…

Here are the screen shots of the exercises I put in:

And my screen shots.. i’ve yet to burn close to the 190 cals, but i’m pretty good now and don’t work up much of a sweat like I used to at this stuff.. probably need to  make my routine longer.. but I do like to keep my exercise to about 30-45 minutes most days.. unless I do some in the a.m, some in the evening. But i’m “keeping it real”, so 1/2 hr a day I can fit in without a problem most days.

*I hate how this says, “even though you were walking”, I think I walk for about 20 seconds in this entire workout! ROTFL!!! Come on now.. give credit where credit is due! haha!!

And there you have it!

Sorry to cut this short but my  kids are waiting for me to watch a movie with them.. I promise i’ll reply to the photography ?’s tomorrow! Sorry!!

I’m off! Enjoy your night everyone!!

Mmmm… Pumpkin Bread!! October 23, 2009

Doesn’t this look heavenly? Well it taste’s that way too! Yum!! I made this yesterday afternoon and thought i’d share the recipe with you since we all seem to be obsessed with pumpkin..

I  made this recipe up as I went along and hoped for the best, and it worked! It’s soo pumpkin’y & spicy! And very moist! Just perfect!! Yay me! lol!

The first piece, hot & buttered! Yum!!

~Carla’s Low-Fat Pumpkin Spice Bread~

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sour cream (I used full-fat sour cream, the fat content will lower if you use “light” or “low fat”, etc..)

1/2 cup Rice Dream (you can use whatever type of milk)

2/3 packed brown sugar

1 egg

3 Tbsp flaxmeal

1 loving cup of pumpkin (*I was very generous with the pumpkin)

2 generous tsp of pumpkin spice (or a mix of nutmeg, cinnamon)

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions: *I always just mix dry with dry, wet with wet, then all together now! lol! Nothing complicated for me!

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Pour into well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350F for about 1 hr.

Tip: I grated some fresh nutmeg on the top of the loaf for good measure!!

Nutrional Info: (10 slices per loaf) *if you’re wondering how I get this info, I punch in the recipe stats at SparkPeople Recipe Calculator! Awesome tool!!

Calories		158.2
Total Fat		2.1 g
	Saturated Fat	1.0 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.2 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.6 g
Cholesterol		23.8 mg
Sodium		21.2 mg
Potassium		152.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate		31.3 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.8 g
	Sugars	0.9 g
Protein		3.2 g

***

K… i’m off for now, i’ll be back later on with a ‘regular’ post… my youngest is cranky so my computer time is officially up for now! Back soon, enjoy the bread, it’s fabulous!!!

The End of the Line… October 22, 2009

It’s another dark & gloomy day here, was hoping that the sun would come out, even if it’s freezing cold, or not the best day, the sun always gives me that extra burst of energy.. when it’s “blah” out I seem to feel it too.. go figure? Anyways.. on my goals yesterday I did pretty good.. but could have done better.. this is what I accomplished from my goal list:

8-10 servings of fruits & veggies: check!

Meatless: Yup! No meat yesterday, so out of the last 6 days, i’ve only had a bit of meat in my chili. Tonight I plan on going meatless again, this is MUCH easier than I thought for myself…

8 glasses of water: Nope.. think I got in 7. And a nice big glass of wine..

Exercise: Sure did! I made up a new boxing/cardio routine on my EA Active and managed to burn almost 180 calories in 1/2 hr! Sometimes I wish I had a heart monitor to see how many cals I really burn, but in the greater scheme of things it doesn’t really matter. I’m thinking that i’m going to move my exercise to after dinner… I usually exercise in the morning, but then I don’t get all my “stuff” done that I want to get done, so i’m rushing around all day trying to accomplish everything I want to… I figure as long as I fit it in sometime, it’s good right? When do you workout? That’s what I did last night, and it seemed to work for me. Here’s a screen shot of my “workout”. I planned on snapping pics of my actual exercise routine, but forgot, so i’ll do that tonight for you.

As for my other goals… didn’t read, didn’t get my menu plan done, didn’t get my housework list done.. nada. I tell ya… a cranky & miserable 2 yr old that won’t nap can throw the best laid plans into orbit.. let’s hope today is a better day.

My eats yesterday consisted of:

A Green Monster! This time I threw in it:

1 cup Rice Dream

1 cup frozen mango chunks

1 Frozen banana

2 cups spinach

2 Tbsp flaxmeal

These were on sale for $3.99 ($2.00 off I think, so I grabbed them for something “different”)

Lunch was a bowl of heavenly goodness!!

1/2 cup plain organic yogurt

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup Nature’s Path organic granola

Some pumpkin pie spice, flaked sweetened coconut, 1 Tbsp. maple syrup… sooooo good!

A couple snacks in the afternoon…

*I know I have “old lady” hands.. haha! I have dry skin and it’s worse in the winter, and I can’t seem to find that *perfect* hand cream without fragrances, etc… such is life.

Dinner I didn’t snap a pic of ’cause my 2 yr old was busy having a temper tantrum and not wanting anything.. I ended up having rice with brocolli & cauliflower in it with some mozzerella cheese sprinkled on top for protein. The heat of the veggies melted the cheese and it was SO good.. yum! When my 2 yr old calmed down she decided to inhale a bowl of it too.

After I got the girls to bed I sat down at my table to do some card-making, i’m on a couple design teams and this one project I had to do was s.t.r.e.s.s.i.n.g me out. lol! So I grabbed myself a nice big glass of wine, the brand was Vineyard Estates, French Cross Vineyard Blush… I am *FAR* from a wine expert, so I just asked the lady in the winestore for something in between for sweetness (this is a 4 i think?) and when she suggested this one, I liked the colour so grabbed it. LOL!! I’m easy to please huh?  I needed to unwind and relax.

I also threw on a documentary about overfishing called The End of the Line… i’m not a big fish eater, will have it once a month at most, but I found it interesting and sad at the rate we seem to be killing off everything.. the greed of humans is amazing really.

The End of the Line is not against fishing. It is not against eating fish. But it is for a responsible attitude towards the oceans.

The film has three messages for consumers, citizens and companies:

1. Ask before you buy: Eat only sustainable seafood.

2. Tell Politicians: Respect the Science, cut the fishing fleet.

3. Join the Campaign: For marine protected areas & responsible fishing.

Please check out the site link I gave you for more information!

***

Ok.. i’m off to work on my “to do” list.. on my must accomplish today:

* Pumpkin bread. I’ll post pics & recipe tomorrow as long as it’s edible.

* Cupcakes (hubby wants these, and i’m sure the kids will help him eat them.

* Menu Plan (Thurs-Thurs) Since today is payday, it makes sense.

* Christmas List (I want to get a list of what I want to buy for each of the kids written down in pen! lol! I have a general idea, but this will help. I have my Christmas account almost fully funded and my shopping day is Nov.16th. My best friend & I are going trying to finish our shopping in one day!! Wish us luck! lol!)

* Hubby needs Spectro Gel (he had more work done on one of his Tat’s, so I need to run out and grab this for him before I get my borrowed kid).

* Return  movie that came in the mail ’cause I didn’t return the stupid reply card in time. Blah!!

***

And I think that’s all of my “must do’s” for today.. tomorrow i’ll post a bit about my camera, editing, lenses, etc… but for now I need to get it in gear! Have a great day everyone!

 

 

Gloomy Wednesday.. October 21, 2009

Morning everyone! It’s dark & gloomy here today.. raining with no sun to be found. Nothing on the go today really except the “usual” kid stuff, house stuff, etc… yesterday I skipped my workout and went for a long brisk walk after dinner, so that along with going up & down a long flight of stairs a gazillion times doing laundry was my exercise. Today I plan on doing my EA Active and some Wii Fit Plus Yoga tonight along with some of the games during the day for good measure I think, they’re so much fun!

Yesterday was my first day in 5 days that I ate meat, and it was only at dinner, so that makes it 5/7 meatless for this week so far… today I plan on going “veggie” too, no idea about tomorrow, but that puts me at my goal for the week of meatless meals anyways!

Yesterdays eats consisted of:

A Green Monster for breakfast…

This one consisted of:

2 cups of spinach

1 cup of Rice Dream

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen pineapple

2 Tbsp flaxmeal

And this pic looks kinda candy-cane’ish doesn’t it? lol!!

I think my blender is going to bite the dust soon…. it was smelling not right when I was making this one… eek!! I’m thinking I need to save my pennies for a GOOD blender… i’m leaning towards a Kitchen-Aid blender which go for $160 at Loblaws… ouch! What does everyone else use? I want one that will last for YEARS, so I am willing to spend the $$ on one, just wanna get a good one for the best deal if possible! (Keeping in mind i’m in Canada, so there’s no ‘target’, etc.. here). Any suggestions on a good blender?

After seeing everyone eating pumpkin this, and pumpkin that, I had to get myself some pumpkin! So hubby grabbed me a can of ED Smith Pure Pumpkin…

I made this for my lunch… 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/2 cup nature’s path pumpkin flax granola (my fave!! Yum!!!) 1 Tbsp maple syrup, & 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice! (Found it at my bulk store, yay me! lol!) It was sooooo good!! I think i’ll have this today again for lunch! And I plan on doing some baking today… probably a Pumpkin Loaf! The only ones here who will probably eat it are myself, & my oldest & youngest daughter.. oh well, more for us.

Then for a snack hubby was out yesterday and bought me 2 bags of the Trail Mix I love… Tropical mix with NO nuts! Soo hard to find trail mix without nuts in it! So I had to break into this…

Dinner was leftover chili I had thrown in the freezer from last week, topped with mozzerella cheese over some french fries with brocolli & cauliflower on the side. Delicious and SO filling…

Well it’s already 10:30 and I haven’t done much of anything… I really need to get going on my goals I posted yesterday!! I think i’ll work on them today and post them tomorrow so I know they have to be done! If not someone call me on it! lol!!

K.. i’m off for the day, have a fabulous day!!!

Healthy You Check In & some goals! October 20, 2009

Good morning!! How was your night? I had a good one! My hubby had mentioned to a guy that he works with that I enjoy watching documentaries (yes, i’m a dork, love them all! lol!) and he suggested that I watch Black Gold since he knew I loved my coffee. So I sat down to watch it, and what an eye opener. The documentary is about The Coffee Bean industry and how of course the ones that do all of the hard work see  next to no profits, yet big chain coffee places & the BIG buyers (Kraft, etc..) are coming out WAY ahead of the game. Well it convinced me to buy Fair Trade coffee from here on in… it’s only fair. The more I learn about our food industry, the more I want to do my “share”, to hopefully make at least a very small difference. Did you know if you spend $3.00 on a coffee, the coffee farmer only see’s $0.03 from that? How is that fair!?

 

I encourage you to watch this fabulous movie and see how you feel!

Ok… onto my Healthy-You Check In now… I figure i’ll weigh in once a week to keep myself accountable and make sure i’m staying on track! As long as I stay *around* my goal weight i’ll be a happy camper!! I also want to make some goals for this week! I weighed in this morning on my Wii Fit (don’t use the Wii Fit Plus for weighing in ’cause you can’t use lbs. only Kg’s, which really annoys me… lol!) So here’s my weigh in today!

And no, i’m not trying to lose any weight, but I think my body is just getting to my “set point”.

And my goals:

* Exercise 5-6 days a week. I always do this without fail, so shouldn’t be a problem.

* Get in 8 glasses of water, i’ve been pretty bad with this only making about 6 glasses a day.

* 8-10 servings of veggies & fruits a day. I hit this most days too.

* Go “meatless” 3-4 days this week. I haven’t had meat in the last 4 days, so doing pretty good!

* Fit in 5-6 servings of fruits & veggies in my Green Monsters!! This is SUCH a super simple way to get in the “recommended” suggestions, everything after this is icing on the cake! So to speak of course… lol!

And some non-health related goals to make my life easier:

* Menu plan!

* Make up a “housework schedule”.

* Sort through my clothes, donate what doesn’t fit, make a list of anything I need.

* Start making my Xmas list!

* Read for 1/2 hr a day. I keep saying i’m gonna do this, yet I never seem to get to it.

***

Here are my eats from yesterday:

My Green Monster was soooo good yesterday! Definitely a HUGE improvement over my “melon monster”… gag! lol!

This Monster included:

2 cups of spinach

2 Tbsp Flaxmeal

1/2 cup of pineapple

1/2 cup of strawberries

1 frozen banana

1 cup of Rice Dream

I let this settle then did my workout, 45 minutes of EA Active, I did a full cardio routine today, put it together myself (you can program your own workouts, which I LOVE about this game, it said I burned about 250 cals, but I think unless you have a heart monitor, you don’t really know, and I don’t really care. lol! As long as i’m getting in my exercise most days of the week, I feel good!

Then for lunch I made some frozen veggies (Nature’s Best) along with some leftover brown rice… I *REALLY* don’t like frozen veggies… (ick!) i’m tryiing so hard to eat them, as hubby bought me 3 bags, but they’re just so soggy and totally not the same as fresh.  *sigh* Do you like frozen veggies? How do you cook them? I’ve stir fried them (like these in a Tbsp. of EVOO) steamed them, etc.. nothing makes them taste better to me. The texture actually is what I think does me in…

My youngest daughter and I shared this bowl…

I ate about 1/2 of it.. just couldn’t eat those frozen veggies… then I had a snack of some plain yogurt and some mini organic cookies crumbled & thrown on top for good measure… Ate most of this..

*My youngest trying to swipe one while I snapped the pic… LOL!! She knows good food when she see’s it!

Dinner was the yummiest today!! Some Campbells V8 Tomato Herb soup.. I thought it was great! Yum! Grinded some sea salt and garlic on top, along with a grilled cheese with real cheddar on whole wheat toast and I was good to go!

Later on in the evening I had a tea, did 40 minutes of Yoga on the Wii Fit Plus and that was it for yesterday.

Today I have no big plans, going to work on my ‘to do’ and really want to get myself organized as per my “goals” posted above!! So i’ll be menu planning, making myself up a housework schedule, etc… all that glamorous stay at home mom stuff! Don’t be jealous… haha!!

Question: Do you prefer fresh or frozen veggies? Will you eat frozen? If so what’s your fave way to cook them?

Some of this, and some of that… October 19, 2009

Morning ladies! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good, went to see Couple’s Retreat on Friday night with hubby, great movie! We laughed a lot!! And we had ‘dinner’ at the movies also.. I wanted to order a Veggie Ciabatta, but it came with Pesto sauce on it… since i’m allergic to nuts I asked for it without the sauce, well the waitress says to me, “Ok, i’ll see if we can scrape most of it off”. Huh? Come again? Well apparently these sandwiches are *pre-made*… so there would probably still obviously be traces of nuts in it… so needless to say, I passed on that one. lol!! I ended up going with the Supreme Cheese Nacho’s. They were pretty good, some multi-coloured nacho chips with sour cream, salsa, cheddar cheese, and guacamole. This was my *first* time trying guacamole and it was sooooo good! YUM! Along with with the nacho’s I got  Key Lime Smoothies like last time, so after I was done that drink I wasn’t overly hungry, so I only ate about 1/2 of them and passed the other half onto hubby.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful, did my EA Active workout yesterday, hung out with the kids, etc.. you know, the “usual” stuff!

So i’ve decided to go “veggie” 3-4 days a week. I do enjoy meat, so at this point can’t see cutting it out *completely*, but I think 3-4 days a week of “meat-free” days is a good start! The last 3 days I haven’t had an ounce of meat, so i’m at my 3 day point now. I was vegetarian many years ago for about a year and half, but with my nut/soy allergy, it wasn’t the easiest at that point, and I wasn’t into healthy eating like I am now. I was one of those “french fry vegetarians”…LOL!! Which isn’t the healthiest of ways to eat obviously.

 Ok, so here are a few pics of some random eats yesterday… I wasn’t hungry at dinner, so ate a little late, which i’m trying not to do, ’cause I find it SO much easier to keep my weight in check when I don’t eat at night… so last  nights late dinner (no pics) was some brown rice & brocolli, a couple oatmeal organic cookies, and a small bag of Sun Chips. (carbo loading.. lol!!) As you can tell I was very “snacky” yesterday..

*1/3 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, banana, sucanat.

*2 Boiled eggs, carrot & yellow pepper sticks.

*Nature’s Path Pumkin Flax Granola & 1/2 cup plain yogurt

*Black & Green’s Orange Spice Chocolate

*just so you know, this is the **BEST** chocolate EVER!! I usually grab it Zellers, but checked last time and they were completey out!   I’m hoping that they still carry them and haven’t discontinued carrying them… i’m out today so i’m going to check again ’cause this one is almost gone. And like fresh air & water, I need this. LOL!!

So the other day I went to make my “Green Monster” and put the following into my blender:

2 cups of spinach

1 Tbsp Flaxmeal

1 cup of Rice Dream

1 1/2 cups of honeydew & cantaloupe

1/2 banana

Now I know it *sounds* good.. but GROSS. To be honest i’m not a big “melon” person, (that sounds nice doesn’t it? hahaha!!) so this I honestly couldn’t drink… I had a few sips and had to pour it down the drain, just couldn’t do it.

Today i’m skipping the melon… K.. i’m off for the day! Enjoy your Monday ladies!

Question: How many times a week do you eat meat? Or are you a vegetarian? Have you ever considered going vegetarian? If you eat meat, do you buy grass fed/free range/organic meat?