It’s the third day of my Vegetarian Challenge!

I made a delicious yogurt bowl for breakfast this morning.  I started with a base of vanilla yogurt and added 1/2 of a banana, vanilla granola, and a spoonful of peanut butter.  I loved eating it, and Miles loved licking my spoon when I was done.

I snacked on some apple slices when I got to work.  This was a lazy purchase:  the Trader Joe’s pre-sliced bag.  But they’re so crispy crunchy and tasty!

Laughing Cow cheese is incredible.  I used another slice today, this time as part of a sandwich with tomato basil hummus and mixed greens.  The cheese is so smooth and creamy.  As soon as I took my last bite, I craved another.  I still have 1 Arnold Thin and some hummus so I can make another one, but it won’t be the same without the cheese.

Here’s an interesting article from Divine Caroline that features 10 foods with surprisingly high amounts of sugar:

Ten Surprisingly Sugary Foods

I was really cold when I woke up so I knew stove top oats were in order.  I threw a bowl together using:

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of oatmeal
• 1 tablespoon of blueberry flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• pieces of dried apple
• 1 tablespoon of cranberry apple butter

It was tart and delicious.  The pieces of dried apple added nice bits of chewiness to the mix.

I made a sandwich using leftover BBQ chicken from my Calzone Success Story.  I put 2 tablespoons on an Arnold Thin and added shredded cheddar cheese and a few slices of cucumber.

I’m snacking on red grapes right now, but they’re less than photogenic..slightly damp in a plastic baggie.  At least you have a mental picture.

I brought enough ingredients to make a 2nd BBQ chicken sandwich later this afternoon.  I’m planning on taking a spin class tonight and I don’t want to work out on an empty stomach.

*Today is the last day to enter my Chobani Giveaway so make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a case of Greek yogurt*

Shoes on my chair

Shoes on my chair

My feet are bare

Got my shoes on my chair

My shoes were a little too tight, because I bought a size too small and because they haven’t been worn in a while.  Had to use the old fall back plan and stretch them on the arms of my office chair.

Special K with Red Berries for breakfast.

Clementine for a snack.

Turkey sandwich with cheese and lettuce and cheddar cheese crisps for lunch.

I almost wimped out of the noontime Body Pump class.  I’m SO glad I didn’t.  The instructor was awesome.  We did the latest version.  (Last time I was there, the instructor had us do version 70 which isn’t as fun)  Even though she claimed she had a cold and was low energy, I thought the instructor was awesome.  She gave great cues and encouragement.  I can’t wait to  go back next week.  I’m also going to find out what other classes Julie teaches because she’s a lot of fun.

Besides enjoying the hour in class, I got a great workout.  I made good decisions regarding the amount of weight for each muscle group.  I started off strong but by the final reps, I was really feeling it.  I’m not going to be painfully sore but my muscles got an amazing workout.

Sorry for the sideways photo.  I snacked on a Clif bar after the gym.

I snacked on a kiwi towards the end of my workday.  I was a little nervous to eat the furry skin.  But it felt funkier to the touch than it did when I actually ate it.  I love kiwi fruit.  Eating one reminds me of when I was young:  I’d visit my grandparents and my grandmother would carefully peel and slice a kiwi for me to enjoy.  It was such a treat because I never ate them at home. 

I used some of the leftover meat sauce to make my own version of a Sloppy Joe.

I had an eye doctor appointment and got hooked up with a fresh pair of contacts.  Finally!  It’s been wayyyy too long.  I also bought a small box full so I can keep changing my contacts every few weeks.  Gotta keep my eyes healthy.  I decided to wait and think about what type of new glasses to get.

I didn’t wait to get new sneakers.  I stopped at City Sports and got a pair of Asics meant for runners with a neutral gate.  I’m normally a Nike girl, but hopefully these work out well for the treadmill portion of my Half Marathon training.

I probably should’ve eaten more for lunch.  I was starving so I grabbed a low calorie Vitamin Water and a Special K bar to snack on while I drove to the gym.  I also rocked out to Lady Gaga!

I met my coworker Molly for the 5:30 spin class.  I walked on the treadmill for 10 minutes before class to get my blood flowing.  Just like the other 3 spin classes I’ve attended in my lifetime, this was an awesome workout.  I was a sweaty, sweaty mess and it felt great.  The instructor played Motown music and encouraged us to do more if we wanted to add intensity.  Sometimes I felt like I was working my hardest, but a few times, I was able to push through and really go all out.  I sat in the sauna for 5 minutes and showered before heading home.

My snack was definitely a distant memory when I got home.  I was starving!

Jared and I went to Francesca’s Cafe to get sandwiches.  I ordered pork, cheese, pickles, and honey mustard on ciabatta bread.

YUM!  So filling and so good.  I can’t even think of adjectives right now.  I’m too tired from spin.  But trust me, this was an excellent sandwich.

I’m really liking this book, though I’m still in the first of three sections.  I can’t wait to finish and give it my full review.  Also can’t wait to watch the movie version when it is released, and read Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book Committed.

I LOVE to read and I’m trying to get out of my bad habit of reading too many books at once.  Right now I have bookmarks in The Bourne Identity, Fear of Wine, and a biography of Marie Antoinette.  I resolved to read one book per month during 2010 and I really want to do that with only one book at a time!  Even though I can keep up with the plots of multiple books, I lose appreciation when I tackle too many at once.

I sat in the sauna for 10 minutes before getting ready to go back to work.  Even though I’ve only been back to my sauna routine for 2 days, I’m already noticing an improvement in my complexion!

I snacked on a Clementine and some Food Should Taste Good yellow corn chips.  2 for 2, last night’s and today’s Clementines didn’t have seeds.  I guess I bought the right box!

Even though there’s a fridge full of groceries, I didn’t feel like cooking.  Plus I can’t remember the last time I ate a fresh turkey sandwich.  I shoved turkey, American cheese, pickles, and lettuce in between slices of an Arnold Thin.  Always needing a crunch on the side, I had more yellow corn chips.

Before leaving my parents’ house last night, I made a turkey sandwich with the last of their leftovers.

And had plenty of room for a piece of apple pie.  I think the sugar high was needed to keep me awake on the drive back to Boston.  I was home by 10:30 pm and I couldn’t wait to start putting my Christmas decorations up.

I slept as late as I possibly could this morning.  Ok, so maybe I stayed up too late reading New Moon last night.  I only had time for a bowl of cinnamon Puffins cereal before leaving for work.  I took a mug of Boston Common Coffee to go:  I can’t wait to publish my full review because this Costa Rican brew is amazing!

I snacked on a Clementine.

Since I didn’t bother to pack my lunch this morning, I went next door  to the HealthWorks Cafe to buy something.  There was a special that I couldn’t resist on such a damp day:  Tomato soup and grilled cheese!  The tomato soup was chunkier than any I’ve had before, and I liked it.  The tomato chunks made it seem heartier and it was much more filling.  Grilled cheese is always a sure bet.  Unless it’s burned, you can’t really mess it up.

I’m going to work for a little longer and try to motivate myself to go to the gym.  I’m really leaning towards just sitting in the sauna for 20 minutes.  Hey, it’s been 5 days since I’ve been able to sweat it out!  That definitely means I should choose the sauna over cardio, right???  Plus, I’m saving my Whittle My Middle exercises for later on tonight.

More pieces of leftover pizza for lunch.  Here’s an extreme close up of the chicken, broccoli, and artichoke goodness.

I almost skipped the gym today, but Jared convinced me to go.  I was supposed to do my strength circuit and then run 1 mile on the treadmill.  Because I wasn’t in the mood to go to the gym to begin with, I decided to just do what I felt like doing.  I ran 2 miles on the treadmill at a 9:13 pace.  Then I used the foam roller and stretched for 5 minutes.  I showered and used the remainder of my lunch break to walk to CVS to pick up a few essentials.

Around 4 pm I decided to snack on some hummus and pita chips.  I got this sample from the Boston Vegetarian Food Fest.

There were not enough chips and way too much hummus.  But I guess calorie wise, it worked out better that way.

When I got home, I had a package waiting for me.  The best way to transition to the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons is to enjoy Halloween leftovers.  Made up for the fact that I haven’t heard any Christmas songs on the radio yet.  Even though it was dinnertime, I couldn’t resist snacking on 2 Hershey kisses.

I decided to make sweet potato chips.  I washed and peeled one large sweet potato.  I  cut it up  and put the slices in a bowl.  Then I added olive oil, cinnamon, maple syrup, and pepper.  I mixed everything to make sure each slice was evenly coated and then threw the slices in a pan and put it in the oven set at 425 degrees.  I’m not sure how long I baked them for, possibly 30 minutes.

The sweet potato chips were the best part of dinner.  I wish I could’ve eaten more!  But I split the chips with Jared and made a sandwich with vegetable hummus, American cheese, and 2 pickles instead.

When The Biggest Loser started, I started my strength circuit.  Jared was the official timer and the photographer.  It’s so much easier when I have someone else to watch the clock and tell me when to move on to the next exercise.

I did 15/10/10 push ups, lunges/squats for 1 minute (I did lunges during the first circuit and then squats for the next two), overhead presses for 1 minute (nope, didn’t alternate!  I lifted both arms at once), and crunches for 1 minute.

Even though I only went through the circuit 3 times instead of 4, I’m happy with myself.  I feel like I got a great workout, and now I’ll sleep better tonight.  Plus, earlier this afternoon when I promised myself that I’d do my strength training tonight, I had a feeling I might try to skip it.  Now I feel like I won the game.  Melissa: 1; Laziness: 0!

Time to finish watching The Biggest Loser.  I like the inspirational stories but the product placement kills me.  I think they go a little bit overboard.

In the spirit of Halloween, I made my first batch of pumpkin oatmeal.

I mixed 1/2 cup of oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, and a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin.  I topped it with a dollop of cream cheese that tasted amazing when blended into the bowl.  So yummy!

Beautiful autumn day in Boston!!!  It’s typically COLD and miserable weather on Halloween so this was a nice treat.

I got free tickets to the BC football game.  We ate lunch on campus at Hillside.  I ordered the “Turkey with Brie” sandwich.

Turkey, brie, lettuce, and honey mustard on cranberry bread.  Served with homemade chips and a pickle.  The cranberry bread is the star of this sandwich.  I love it!

We met Molly and a few of her friends for some pregame partying.  I had to keep the pumpkin theme going with some Dogfish Punkin Ale.  Mmm!

BC vs. Central Michigan

My parents enjoyed the game too!   Jared and I left a few minutes into the 3rd quarter, but kept checking the score to make sure that the Eagles got the victory.

Halloween time:  Jared dressed as an 80s rocker.

I was a 50′s Diva.

Jared just yelled that the dog is staring longingly at my Haunted Gingerbread House and whining.  So I’d better end this post now and tend to the crazy dog!

Lunch was a turkey sandwich that Jared kindly prepared while I was doing my makeup.

My meeting did NOT go well.  Boooo to the Woods School.  But at least a few candy pumpkins made me feel better.

I crunched on some baby carrots.

I had to install Office 2007 so while my computer was hard at work, I took my break at the gym.  I used the Elliptical for 20 minutes.  I know my plan was 30 minutes on the Cybex but I just wasn’t in the mood.  I finished reading my magazine while I tried to chill out in the sauna.

I finished this Clif bar (snacked on the first 1/2 yesterday) when I came back from the gym.

I was still hungry so I tried a brand new bar.  Because of the fruit, the pistachio flavor wasn’t as strong as I had been hoping.

I made a small salad to eat with my dinner.

I also enjoyed a meatball sub made with turkey meatballs.

Hello, Cupcake!

So excited to try a sip of Cupcake Vineyard’s Cab Sav.  PLus the cupcake pictures helped cheer me up.

Dessert was a warm VitaBrownie (Mmm, much tastier when heated) and my glass of wine.  I was quite pleased!

I’m really liking all of the Vitalicious samples.  I haven’t tried every flavor that they sent me, but so far so good!

Another attempt to create delicious stove top oats.  This was my best recipe so far!

I made 1/2 cup of oatmeal.  While it was still cooking on the stove, I added cinnamon, brown sugar, and blueberry flax seed.  I liked adding flavors this way because the heat helped everything melt together.  I added a tiny bit of water before pouring everything into a bowl and stirring a spoonful of peanut butter into the mix.  Warm and delicious!

The heat in my office is struggling right now so I wanted something WARM for lunch.  I’m already sitting with my space heater dangerously close to my feet.  I strolled over the HealthWorks for a sandwich and some soup from the cafe.

Photo of THE most amazing sandwich ever: Turkey, brie, onions, and raspberry spread on a freshly pressed panini!

I also had a cup of chicken tortilla soup.  The soup was decent, but lacking in flavor.  I was able to find some pepper in the office kitchen to kick things up a notch.

I forgot my gym clothes!  I’m messing up my workout schedule for this week.  Disappointing!

At least I arranged to work through the afternoon and take my lunch hour at 4 pm.  I’m going to head home and take the dog for a walk.  He’ll appreciate the exercise and I guess I’d rather get 30 minutes of easy cardio in while walking outside instead of on the treadmill.  Gotta do it while the weather is still nice enough!