I mixed some frozen berries and granola into my vanilla yogurt.  I think vanilla is my favorite flavor of regular yogurt.  It may not really contain less sugar, but to me, it tastes less sugary.  Just creamy and delicious!

Down to the wire…  I made it over to the Museum of Science on the final day of the Harry Potter exhibit.  Being a huge HP fan, I thought it was awesome.  There were lots of costumes and props from the movie.  I walked by the portrait of the Fat Lady to enter the Gryffindor dorm, pulled a mandrake, and wished that I could really attend Hogwarts.  I’ll have to settle for the theme park when it opens at Universal this spring. 

We wandered around the rest of the Museum of Science, crossing between Boston and Cambridge.  And even standing in 2 places at once!

We walked all of the way from the MoS back to our apartment in the South End, strolling down Charles Street and stopping for coffee.

Mmm, ice chai!  I was craving an ice chai and this one was PERFECT.  Plus the croissant wasn’t too shabby either.

As the final event for my Vegetarian Challenge, my parents, Auntie Pam, and cousin Becky came over for lunch.

It was great to spend the afternoon talking with Becky.  We discussed the Challenge and our stance on vegetarianism.  I need to collect my thoughts and I have a great reflection post in the works.  Plus, having the family gift for gab, we compared running stats, shared old memories, and planned another time to hang out in the near future.

And….  Becky and I started seriously discussing running a full marathon.  Yup, all 26.2 miles!  I’d love to run in the 2011 Disney Marathon, but nothing is set in stone.  Becky and I are going to look at races scheduled for the fall and see what works best.  We agreed that whichever marathon we run, we’re running for fun.  We’re looking for a race that will make 26.2 a truly memorable experience!

Jared took care of the appetizers:  2 types of hummus, chips, vegetables, fresh mozzarella, grapes tomatoes, French bread, and olive oil for dipping.  Quite the spread!

Becky brought BBQ sauce and was the chef, making BBQ tofu and chicken.  A special thanks to Nasoya for providing the tofu!

I’m actually such a fan of Nasoya that I contributed a video for their site.  Check it out!

After so many bits and bites of appetizers, my lunch was on the smallish size.  Squash fries, tofu, salad, and a corn bread muffin.

My mom was responsible for dessert.

Pound cake with fresh strawberries and blueberries, and a dollop of Cool Whip.

Miles was really excited to have company!  He was sad to see everyone go home.

and thank you Becky bringing me soap in the shape of a cupcake.  It’s vegan, smells amazing (like rosemary and mint), and if it wasn’t such a cute decoration, I’d put it in the shower right now.  Instead I’m going to be ordering a bar from the Stella Marie Soap Company and keeping the cupcake soap as part of my growing Cupcake Collection.

I had leftover tofu mixed with red sauce so I brought it to work to make a wrap.

Yeah, I’m a wrap phenom.  The thing broke apart, but I still made it work.  I ate this with a fork instead of my fingers to cut down on the mess factor.

I realized that now I really do like tofu.  I used to think I could tolerate it mixed with pasta.  But eating forkfuls of tofu cubes made me realize that if prepared correctly, I really  love the stuff!  (I have to thank Nasoya for being my #1 tofu of choice)

At the gym, I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a 6% incline then stretched.  I didn’t want to do too much because I’m going back to the gym tonight for a spin class.

Baby carrots.

Monster baggie filled with kettle corn.

I snacked on a Clementine x2 before I went to the gym.

I’m glad so many of you commented that when you’re away from workouts, you start to miss exercise.  But that it’s ok (and sometimes necessary) to take gym breaks.

I hit the treadmill for 20 minutes of walking/running, used the foam roller, and then sat in the sauna for 10 minutes.  It was a light and easy workout, and a good way to ease back into exercise after a head cold.

I munched in a kiwi as soon as I got back from the gym.

I also unwrapped a little present.

And ate my last 2 pieces of my Lindt mint chocolate bar.

I had been planning on making tofu for dinner, but didn’t decide on the combo until I got home and looked at the contents of the cabinets/fridge.  I boiled water for fettuccine and heated the tofu with red sauce, some spices, and scallions.

Topped with some Parmesan cheese, this dinner was quite tasty.

I made dessert healthy by choosing a VitaBrownie with a small scoop of frozen cool whip.

I thought ahead and put this lunch together when I was cooking last night.  The leftovers didn’t disappoint.  Gnocchetti with green peppers and tofu.

I was feeling feverish and still dealing with a sore throat so I walked on the treadmill instead of running.  I did crank up the incline and felt like I still got an ok workout in.  I used the foam roller and sat in the sauna for about 10 minutes.

I nibbled on this Clif bar when I got back to work, but I wrapped up half of it to eat on another day.  Just wasn’t feeling it.

I was craving grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup.  I used my last box of Pacific Natural Foods organic tomato soup.  Really really good!  I also had a Clementine for some added Vitamin C.

I went back for a small second helping…and then I gobbled up a small bowl of Annie’s mac and cheese.  I’m not sure why I’m wasting my evening watching The Bachelor.  There really must be something wrong with me!

I love love love Nasoya’s cubed tofu when it’s mixed with pasta and vegetables.  I heated the tofu with a bit of sauce and green peppers while my gnocchetti pasta was boiling.

Hmm, I wonder why it seems like I’m always cleaning..  Jared emptied his junk drawer to find the receipt for the space heaters we bought last month.  Thankfully it was buried somewhere in this mess!  (Miles kept trying to steal papers from various piles.  Pain in the neck!)

Here’s my bowl of gnocchetti, tofu, and peppers.  I added some feta cheese and enjoyed a delicious dinner.

I wasn’t feeling too great (think I have a cold coming on), but I wanted to get my blood flowing so I found a 20 minute yoga workout On Demand.  I did LessMore Yoga with Lizbeth Garcia.  This Exercise TV feature was fun, with lots of easy poses and constant movement so my heart rate stayed up the entire time.  Plus I love that Exercise TV workouts feature a countdown clock so I know how many minutes I have left.  After I finished, I did a few Downward and Upward Facing Dogs and Planks to get more stretching in.

I whined a little via Twitter and mentioned that I had a sore throat.  I took Erin and Julie‘s advice:  I drank a cup of tea and took Tylenol.  I didn’t sleep well at all and I felt lousy when I woke up this morning.

I made another bowl of berry oats and ate slowly, savoring each bite and hoping that it would help me perk up and get on with my day.  My oats included:

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of oatmeal
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of frozen berries
• 1 tablespoon of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter

I planned a week’s worth of workouts last night.  But I think I’m going to wait and see how I feel when I get to the gym.  Today was supposed to be a running day, but I might have to switch it to an easy walk on the treadmill.  I want to get rid of this icky feeling before I get full-out sick!

Pretty sure I don’t like today’s outfit.  The pants don’t fit quite right.

I actually didn’t read most of your comments til after I had come back from the gym.  But I’m glad you all were pro-sauna because that’s the only thing I did.  I sweated in the sauna for 25 minutes.  It was a challenge to stay in there that long.  It was HOT, but felt great once I got out and showered.

It was my first time trying the Maple Nut Clif Bar.  As soon as I opened the package, it smelled like breakfast syrup, and that’s exactly what it tasted like.  I loved this bar and I ate it so fast that I can’t even think of more ways to describe it.  Snack time success!

I made a bag of frozen Trader Joe’s Pasta Italiano with a package of Nasoya cubed tofu for to make it more filling.

I sprinkled feta cheese on my portion.  Delicious even though there was a lot more tofu than pasta/veggies.

Looks like Miles wanted a taste of Jared’s dinner.

I was feeling a little dehydrated, but before refilling my water glass, I snacked on a Clementine.  (I tried so hard to get a close up of Tom Brady on the TV in the background but I just missed him.  Sorry to all of my fellow Pats fans!)

After eating and drinking, I did some exercises to Whittle My Middle.  I can’t remember exactly what I did cuz it was mindless stuff while watching TV:  crunches, windmills, plank, superman, standing twists.

Right now New England is down 17-7.  I’m hoping they’ll turn things around before  I’m ready to head to bed.

I read this quote on the blog Hop, Skip, and a Giant Leap.  I thought it would be great to keep it on my desk at work as a constant reminder never to give up on myself.

When I got home from work, I started on dinner right away.  I made a frozen Pasta Medley from Trader Joe’s and added fresh cherry tomatoes.  I decided to add some of Nasoya’s extra firm tofu cubes for protein.  I also added pasta seasoning and fresh ground black pepper.

I added some feta cheese crumbles to my portion.  I am SO happy with how this meal turned out.  The tofu cubes tasted great, much better than the BBQ tofu I attempted.  I think I did a better job of pressing the moisture out, plus extra firm has a better texture.

Jared chose a bottle of Zinfandel to go with our dinner.

We went to the 9:45 showing of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men at the Kendall Square Cinema.  John Krasinski introduced the film and even answered a few questions before it started.

J.K. Photo Shoot

Does he see me?  Nope, just some people wearing t-shirts from the summer camp he worked at.

So proud of his directing debut.

John had a real appreciation for David Foster Wallace and recommended we all read Wallace’s books asap.