My mom came to visit me yesterday so I spent the afternoon with her.  We enjoyed walking around Boston, even with the gale force winds blowing sand in our eyes.

I had a headache for most of yesterday evening.  I just wasn’t in the mood for food.  I had a bowl of cereal for dinner.

Boston’s real “Green Monster.”

(For you non-Bostonians, the Green Monster is the nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park.)

A little bit of pampering, I gave myself a facial with Love Lettuce from Lush.  Love Lettuce is “an effective exfoliating face mask which gives normal to oily skin a softened, smoothed and radiant glow.”

Each batch only last 3 weeks so I have to hurry up and use the 2 oz container I bought earlier this week.  I have to store it in the fridge so with each use, it’s nice and cool on my skin.  I took a peek at the Ingredients on the back of the jar.  True to Lush‘s standards, it’s all-natural.  It includes honey, almond oil, ground almond shells,  and lavender oil.

Since my cereal dinner didn’t keep me full for very long, I snacked on a bag of pretzels.

I also ate an orange popsicle.  Almost matches my orange fingernails. 

Something weighing on my mind:

For someone who’s dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle, exercise has been absent from my life for the past week.  I had a tough training run last week in preparation for this weekend’s Half Marathon.  I also have plans to run a full Marathon in October.  So I just felt like taking some time to rest my body and its minor aches and pains.

I miss the gym!  I REALLY miss the sauna!

I’m hoping to go for a short run tonight, just to get my legs moving again.  But it will be great to line up at the starting line on Sunday morning with a VERY well rested body.

After this weekend’s race, I have a month and a half of down time before my 18 week marathon training program begins.  So starting on Monday, look for more physical activity.  (Especially since I found a new South End yoga studio offering $5 classes for the 1st week of May!)

Another bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins cereal with Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter.  Simple, filling, and it tastes SO good.

Preppy work attire and some new ballet flats from the GAP.  Plus I think I deserve extra credit because it’s been a long time since I’ve bothered to straighten my hair for work.

I order a vegetarian wrap from HealthWorks at least once a week.  Sorry for the lack of variety, but it’s tasty and healthy.

Plus cheddar Pop Chips on the side.

I finally downloaded the program necessary  so I can use the Gruve that I received at FitBloggin.

Once I complete a new assessment week, I can use my Gruve to monitor my daily calorie burn and activity intensity.  The Gruve is also going to come in handy because it’s programmed to alert me after I’ve been sitting still for 50 minutes.  For those who work in an office environment, it’s really important to take a minute or two every hour to look away from the computer screen, stand up, and stretch.  As the Gruve changes colors throughout the day, I’ll know how much more I have to do to reach my burn goal.  The Gruve’s motto is “Get to Green.”

Plus I love that when I connect my Gruve to the computer, I can create charts and graphs tracking my calories and activity over various lengths of time.  I can record my personal stats:  height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.   I like to take time to hit the gym each day, but overall I’m pretty sedentary.  I can’t help it; it’s the nature of an office job.  Hopefully the Gruve will help me make some positive changes.  I’m so geeky, but I really can’t wait to see the chart after a month.  Hopefully there will be an improvement in my daily activity level. ::fingers crossed::

And when I get home and do my “cardio cleaning” around the apartment, I can wear my Gruve so I’ll know just how effective each household chore actually is. 

I snacked on an unpictured bag of almonds and on this Mojo bar.  I need my energy because I’m taking a spin class at 5:15.  I was THIS CLOSE to skipping spin so I could go to a shopping event, but I decided I really needed a good sweat session.  (Plus I’ll still be home in time for an event at the South End Athletic Company so stay tuned…)

After an uneventful plane ride home from Baltimore with Ali and Julie, I faced my worst nightmare: Unpacking!  (Borrowed this gorgeous airport shot from Ali!  Picnic lunch, yay!)

I may have lost the battle, but Unpacking isn’t going to win the war.  I swear I’m going to put everything away when I get home from work.

I’ll even make some room in my closet for these babies.  I’m sending 2 pairs of OLD sneakers home so I can enjoy my New Balance sample.  3 days later and I’m still excited!  Free shoes are a BIG deal, especially cuz I really like them.

Sipped and slurped on a big glass of water with a lemon.  Love the vintage Harpoon glass.  I think this one is from St. Patrick’s Day 2006.

Jared made dinner: chicken and whole wheat spaghetti.  He overserved me, as usual, but I saved a piece of chicken for lunch later this week.

While we were at the airport, I told Ali and Julie that I was craving a smoothie.  I ended up ordering a Chai Smoothie and while it was delicious, my craving was still there.  So I decided to make my own smoothie at home.

• 1 banana
• 1 container of POM juice
• a few handfuls of frozen berries
• a few handfuls of spinach
• 1/4 cup of water

Mmmm!  Delicious Banana Berry POM smoothie.  I was sneaky and didn’t tell Jared there was also spinach in his smoothie.

First sip…and he loved it.  I dropped the Spinach bomb, but he was so impressed with the taste that he drank the whole thing.

My back/butt/hips were bothering me last night.  Maybe cuz I spent a few days away from my foam roller???  I spent a lot of time whining and a little time stretching.  Hopefully I feel ok to run tomorrow cuz my next workout calls for a speed run.

This morning I had an overflowing bowl of PB Puffins cereal with a spoonful of Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter.

When I left for work, I saw this chaos on Tremont Street.  ABC is filming a cop show on Union Park until 10 pm tonight so there are trucks and equipment all over the place.  Jared and I normally walk down Union Park to go to the laundromat.  I wonder if they need any extras in the background cuz we had 2 bags of laundry to drop off…

Leftovers for lunch.  Annie’s hamburger helper with a few pieces of broccoli.  I love Annie’s mac and cheese, but I don’t care for this meaty version.  It was ok when fresh, but ehhh as leftovers.  I need a huge glass of water to wash the taste out of my mouth!

I had a bowl of Kashi cereal for breakfast.

It didn’t keep my full for very long.  After an hour at work, I started munching on some Cinnamon flavored Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips.

Aptly stated on their web site:  “With a brand name that says it all, Food Should Taste Good chips are made from the highest quality, all-natural ingredients baked into the chips.  All chip varieties are gluten free, cholesterol free, have no trans fats and do not use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs).  They are also certified Kosher, low in sodium and are a good source of dietary fiber.  The chips combine the crunchiness of a chip, the crispiness of a cracker, and the dippability of a tortilla chip.”

Like mother, like daughter…

Body Pump starts in about 1 hour (Yay!) and I convinced my mom to continue using her HealthWorks pass and join me again this week. (Yay again!)

I loved having lots of fresh fruit leftover from dessert yesterday.  I added blueberries and strawberries to an otherwise boring bowl of cereal.

Plus ate more fruit when I got to work.

I made a salad with the only leftover piece of BBQ chicken from yesterday’s lunch.  Plus I used greens, carrots, red peppers, grape tomatoes, and baby carrots.  And for the first time in a while, I didn’t overdo it with the salad dressing!

I spread Laughing Cow cheese on a leftover corn bread muffin.  Corn bread can be really dry so the creamy cheese was a great topping.

I hit the gym and chose to run 2 miles for speed.  I remembered my plan to run a bit faster so this time I completed my miles at 7.5 mph.  Yay for 8 minute miles!  I was breathing heavy and had to push myself to make it through.  I think I’ll stick with this pace for a little while until I get more comfortable.  I had enough time to use the foam roller and then sit in the sauna for 5 minutes before getting ready to go back to the office.

Late afternoon snack.  I get so hungry during the last 2 hours of my workday.  A snack is essential!

I made a black bean burger for dinner and topped with with shredded cheese and pieces of celery.  I didn’t end up liking the celery on the sandwich so I took it off and replaced it with some of the cucumbers I was eating on the side.

Someone had to eat the last piece of pound cake.  I topped with with mixed berries and FROZEN Cool Whip.

So my Ask Me Anything post wasn’t very successful. 

Q:  Do you really think you’re “fashionable”? Half the clothes you wear make you look like a grandmother or a little girl. It’s very odd…

A:  Bahahaha!  I like clothes, I like to read fashion magazines.  So I do have knowledge of fashion and style.  But do I always dress my best?  Hell no!  I’m really lazy, I hate to iron, and I like to be comfortable.  Most of the photos of my outfits are what I wear to work.  So while I prefer to be called a librarian rather than a grandma, I know I don’t look amazing.  It’s just fun to share what I wore w/ everyone who reads my blog.  I’m not expecting everyone to love everything…though I do get compliments and I always appreciate them!

Okkk, I’m off to watch Food Inc. (finally!!!) and gather my thought to write about my 5 days as a vegetarian.  Oh and I might just have to see who Jake gives his final rose too.  Gotta stay on top of the important news…

I had a bowl of Mighty Bites for breakfast.  This is Jared’s favorite breakfast cereal.  Since I’m following a relaxed vegetarian diet for my Challenge, milk and milk products are ok.  Have patience with me please. 

Later today, I’m going to be researching how animals benefit from a person’s vegetarian diet.  This will include milk and other dairy products.  I’m looking forward to some new knowledge and the ability to make well-informed decisions.  (And wait for it…when I challenge myself to a vegan diet, I’ll learn even more and all animal products will be out the window.  Baby steps folks, baby steps!)

I had a homemade ice coffee blend on the way to work.  I was feeling a little jittery so I snacked on a Z Bar.  The Chocolate Brownie flavor’s texture and taste really reminded me of a brownie.  In fact, I might prefer this to the real thing.  I hate brownies with crunchy edges so this moist chewy bar was totally my thing.

We’re trying to postpone a trip to the grocery store until later in the week so we can buy essentials for our Super Bowl party on Sunday.  In the meantime, there will be lots of random meals using whatever is left over.  I had the last of the Special K with Red Berries for breakfast.

My tentative Super Bowl menu includes chili, corn bread, chips and homemade salsa, and veggies and dip.

I made a wrap with cucumbers and Garlic and Herb cheese.  I was really excited to give this combo a try.

Then disaster…try wrap broke apart and I lost the everything.  Oh well, I just ate with my fingers, made a mess, and enjoyed my lunch.

I packed a bunch of snacks for this afternoon because I can tell this wrap won’t keep me full for long.  I’m also psyched to go to the gym in an hour or so.   After spending the weekend hibernating in my bed, I want to get up heart rate going and work up a sweat.

*After taking a few days off, do you start to miss hitting the gym and working out?*

I was feeling pretty snackie last night.  I had 1/2 of wheat bagel with homemade veggie cream cheese and a small bowl of cucumbers with French dressing.

It seemed impossible to fill myself up so I had a handful of Triscuits and cheese.

I also got a little stir crazy.  So while watching the Biggest Loser I did some abs and arms.  Sometimes I like working out while watching TV rather than lounging on the couch.

I took NyQuil and thought I’d feel even better when I woke up in the morning.  Wrong.

I woke up at 3 am cuz my nose was SO stuffy I couldn’t breathe and I was nauseous.  I tried to go back to bed and rest up, but when my work alarm went off, I knew it was going to be a sick day.  My office has an unofficial policy to keep your germs at home!

I took some meds and ate the other 1/2 of my bagel, this time topped with peanut butter and blackberry jam.  I had a watered down cup of apple cranberry juice on the side.

I snoozed on and off until lunch time.  My appetite was ehh, but my stomach was growling.  I knew I needed to eat something.  I just made a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats and a banana.

Thank you guys for all of the get well wishes you’ve been sending my way.  I really appreciate it!  Everyone ends up getting sick at least once every winter and this is my turn to deal with a head cold.  Hopefully the worst is over!

My soup and grilled cheese was so tasty that I knew it would be on the menu again today.  I wasn’t in the mood to mess with a good thing!

But first, there was breakfast…

I had a bowl of Special K with Red Berries.

I would love to follow the Special K diet mainly because I would be thrilled to eat several bowls of Special K every day.  Specifically the kind with Red Berries.  I don’t know what it is about those freeze dried strawberries that I like so much.

Even though I still have a cold, it’s so much more bearable today.  I have a slightly stuffy nose.  Feeling better, but still being lazy, I wore my glasses to work and the same pair of pants I wore yesterday.  Just being completely honest with you guys.  (And I really need to get a stronger prescription for my glasses because I can’t see very well!)

I made a cup of chai from the office coffee machine.  I normally avoid the machine like the plague because the coffee packets are NOT good.  But the chai actually had a decent spicy flavor and drinking something warm made me feel better.

The moment I’d been waiting for finally arrived:  Lunch!  The only difference from yesterday’s meal was that today my grilled cheese was on a wheat Arnold Thin.  Thank you Jared for going grocery shopping last night!

Plus I found a packet of oyster crackers in my desk so I added it to my tomato soup.  With a high of 29 degrees in Boston and my space heater on full blast, this was the perfect meal!

I had a bowl of Raisin Bran before I left for work.  I probably should’ve poured a mug of coffee before I left but I was running short on time.  I decided I’d power through the day instead.  I’m a little bit sleepy!

I snacked on a Clemintine.  This is an especially good box since I haven’t found any with seeds yet.  I took a risk because I couldn’t find a sign to let me know whether they were seedless or not.

I was hungry before 11 am, but waited until then to dig into my leftover American Chop Suey.  I wish I could’ve added a bit more tomato sauce but we ran out and haven’t been to the store.

Plus a side of cucumbers with garlic vinaigrette dressing.  Cucumbers are my #1 salad ingredient.  I will admit to stealing the cucumber out of Jared’s salad during dinner last night.  I couldn’t stop myself; cucumbers are my favorite!

Giving Thanks

I am thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to travel.  In summer 2009, I went on a trip to London and on a trip to several cities in France.  Both vacations were such amazing experiences!  I love seeing new sites, trying SOME new foods, and taking lots of pictures.

London

Stonehenge

Paris

Gates to our house, Chez Miton, in Chadurie (France)

I’ve also been to Spain, Chile, and Trinidad…and I’m hoping to add more countries to the list during my time off in 2010!  Traveling is such an awewsome opportunity.  I’m grateful that my parents took me to London so we could visit my brother while he was doing a work/study program, and that my friends Matt and Natalie got married in France and gave me an excuse to take a vacation.