Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Day 3

All things considered, still going strong!  I haven't had any headaches, mood swings, or feelings of not being full.  I haven't gone to the gym the last 3 days which is the only negative thing.  Part of me was fine with not going because I was focusing on my diet.  The other side of me feels I'm defeating the whole purpose of a healthier lifestyle if I don't keep my butt in the gym.

Food run-down:

Breakfast:  Instant whole-grain oatmeal, 1/2 C blueberries, 1 T peanut butter, 7 walnut halves, 1 C of milk (with the oatmeal).  I must say, this was really tasty :)  I've had oatmeal like this before but never the instant whole-grain.  Yes, I know I was only supposed to have dairy and grain OR protein and grain, but I had dairy, grain, and 1 T of peanut butter.  Again, the meal serving of protein is 2 T, so I'm considering this 1 T of peanut butter stirred into my oatmeal as the snack serving size.  I'm learning that I can't stress over little things like this, I'm just gonna do it!  At least it's not Panera, Starbucks, or McDonald's breakfast which I was sadly becoming accustomed to.

Lunch:  Sauteed shrimp, peppers, and onions, salsa, avocado, and some extra black beans for a little more protein.  This lunch actually isn't bad, but 3 days in a row and I'm looking forward to a change.

Snack:  1/2 C cottage cheese and 14 peanuts.

Dinner:  ABSOLUTELY YUMMY - If I do say so myself.  I modified the fish in one of the Wave 1 Sonoma recipes using salmon instead of orange roughy.  I've never broiled fish before and I kinda liked how it turned out - crispy on the top, moist in the middle.  The recipe also called for a cilantro jalapeno pesto.  I was a little skeptical at first, but there's lime juice in the recipe which helped to add a little tangy flavor.

For the salmon: brush of Extra Virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper to taste.
For the pesto:  cilantro, 2 garlic cloves, 1 jalapeno, lime juice, 1 T olive oil - ground up in the food processor.
I made some wild rice and opted to split the liquid 1/2 water, 1/2 reduced sodium chicken broth.  The main dinner veggie was steamed broccoli.

Scott and I did eat dinner together - we normally do so this isn't really a big change.  Yes, we eat on the couch but our dinner table is currently occupied by his computer.  This arrangement really calls for a shopping trip so I can purchase another piece of furniture :)

Tomorrow is going to be tricky.  My sister and I bought tickets to a P!nk concert months ago.  I'm still contemplating eating in or getting a salad out.  The hard part will be the grain category since finding whole grain is a lot harder than requesting whole wheat.

Day 2 Menu

To recap day 2's meals:

Breakfast: 1/2 C Raspberries, 1 piece of Ezekiel bread (toasted), 1 T peanut butter

Lunch:  Sauteed shrimp, peppers, onions with salsa, cilantro, 1/4 avocado, and some left over chicken from last night's dinner

Snack: 1/2 C cottage cheese (1% milk fat), 14 peanuts

Dinner:  1 egg scrambled, 1 serving of turkey sausage (chopped), sauteed onions/peppers/mushrooms/grape tomatoes and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese

Notes:  I'm thinking I've had more dairy than I should, although I haven't read any where that specifies you can only have 1 serving.  I'm also confused about my peanut butter intake.  I'm using natural, which isn't the uncertainty.  As a main protein you can have 2 T, as a snack only 1 T.  Since this is my main breakfast protein, I'm thinking I'm allowed 2 T.

Overall, I was satisfied all day and night.  I even fought the urge at the Greene Turtle for weekly Trivia Night.  I ate dinner before going and watched as Scott consumed hot wings, a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and beer :(  He did offer up his celery, which was kind.  I got drunk off of unsweetened iced tea - my drug of choice.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Sonoma Day 1

So today kicked off the first day of the Sonoma diet.  The day started out with a bang with biometric screenings at the office, requiring a fast the night before.  All in all, not too awful aside from my blood pressure reading 136/87!  Absolutely absurd considering I just went to the doctor the other week and my blood pressure was the usual less than 110/70.  Needless to say, the high number could have been from eating a salty dinner, stress, or dehydration.  Stress and dehydration were quite possible since I hadn't been drinking water and I freaking out about having to have my blood drawn!  My veins are so small the nurse stated that next time I get my blood drawn, I should consider drinking a lot of water.  Good to know!  Sadly I didn't remember this from the last time I had blood work done and the nurse said, "Good luck drawing blood when you're pregnant, your veins will get even smaller!"  Yet another reason to fear the birthing process.

To recap my food for the day, I think I did great!  It's 7:00pm and I'm completely full and satisfied.

For breakfast I had: 1 piece of toasted whole grain Ezekiel bread, 1 T natural peanut butter, and 1/2 cup raspberries.

For lunch I had: Sauteed peppers (red, yellow, orange) and onions in 1 tsp extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil.

For a snack I had:  14 peanuts (yes, 14) and 1 part-skim string cheese.

For dinner I had:  1 small whole wheat tortilla with grilled chicken (lime juice and cilantro), sauteed peppers and onions, black beans (cilantro and garlic added), salsa, spinach, and less than 1 oz of parmesan cheese.

I think the only thing I did wrong was double dipping on the cheese.  When I had my snack, I didn't think that I would be putting cheese on my wrap.  I still need to confirm that only 1 serving of dairy should be consumed in a day.  As far as the parmesan cheese - weird choice, I know.  However, it's what's allowed.

I didn't go for a run today (I did run 3 miles Saturday and 3 miles Sunday).  I think I was being a little extra cautious about working out and eating so little.  Tomorrow I plan to run just 2 miles and see how I feel.  I did stay pretty well hydrated, drinking water and green tea throughout the day.

I should have taken photos to post, but I've never really been good at remembering in the moment.  The plan is to go to bed around 9:30/10 after watching as much of the Biggest Loser as I can.

On a personal note, high five to me for blogging :)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Um ... hello? Yes, we meet again!

Well hello there, Blog!  Fancy meeting you here!  I've been nothing short of absent the last year and a half.  Side note: where did a year and a half go?  Well let's see ... I last left off posting about my sister's upcoming wedding.  Since then, I've had a wedding of my own :)  Scott and I got engaged October 27, 2011 (I'm pretty sure) and were married September 1, 2012.  I must say wedding planning was great.  I don't think I earned the official title of Bridezilla, but I do know I had my moments.  Mostly those "moments" came when I would try and explain my "vision" and no one would understand or rather, no one would get it the first time.  I guess lesson learned from it all was to appreciate the people around you, accept help from others even when you are caught up in a "I must do it all myself" moment, and stressing over the small stuff is really overrated.

The honeymoon was great - we relaxed at an all-inclusive a little north of Cancun.  We drank, ate, and soaked up the sun until our heart's content.  Needless to say, I have a new definition of vacation and I don't know if I ever want to look back!

In other news, we will continue to live in our apartment until December 2014 - maybe longer.  I'm trying to make small decorative improvements to make the space feel like a home, at least that's what I like to think.  I've finally bought curtains in hopes that the darkness will allow us to sleep in later than 7:30 on the weekends.  We have a new duvet cover, rug, and dresser knobs in the bedroom.  I will try, try, try to keep my clothes as picked up as possible to maintain a calm environment!  The spare room still needs a little work.  Aside from hanging a few pictures, curtains, and updating the bedding, work still needs to be done.  I have some tidying to do, which includes organizing my yarn.  Crochet has become my new found hobby!  I made a few infinity scarves during the winter and actually sold about 15.  I plan to continue through the summer to have a bigger stock of product, allowing me the option to sell at other local craft fairs.  I still need a business name and don't think Scott's suggestion of "Juggernaut Jillian's Junk" will cut it!  I just keep picturing some huge robot (not the Juggernaut), holding a scarf in a pincer grasp, looking quizzical.  I'll doodle something out!

So the plan is to keep up with this blogging.  Work is doing another fitness challenge, which was my primary motivation for keeping the blog last time.  This time things are different.  There's no flashy trip to St. Thomas involved.  Our challenge is a 30-day mediterranean diet, known as the Sonoma diet.  A much welcomed snow-day yesterday helped me prepare for the diet.  Sunday will bring the cleaning of the pantry and grocery shopping.  I have a plan in place and am looking forward to March 11.  I can admit I'm a little nervy (Word of the Day), but was assured that feeling that way is normal when you are making a lifestyle change.  I'm hoping to replace thoughts of eating with blogging, crocheting, exercising, and crafting.  I have a few projects in queue I'd like to get to: reupholstering the kitchen chairs, painting the light switch plates, freezer paper stenciling some clothes, and a hell of a lot more pinteresting for other ideas!