Update - Been a Few Days

I went to the gym this morning at 5:00 am to have a session with my trainer and guess what???

He didn't show up and he finally texted at 6:30 something when I was on my way to work that he had overslept. This was after he cancelled on me last night.

I got a good chest and back workout in though and a little cardio. I'm going back to my morning workouts - although not quite as early and at my gym instead of the one by the office. I am going to get up around 5:00 each morning and head out to the gym and workout till around 6:00 and then shower and head to work. I'll let you know how it goes after a few days.

Today's Eats (no pics - sorry didn't have my phone while eating)

Before Gym - banana
After Gym - Mojo bar (tomorrow will be a protein shake)

Breakfast - Light and Fit yogurt, string cheese made with 2% milk and two small oranges

Lunch - Salad with chicken and FF catalina dressing and pineapple

Drive Home - Planters Nutrition snack pack

Dinner - chicken soup (homemade from the next door neighbor) and some crackers

Good Eats

Monday was back to the routine for me and I had a normal eating schedule again. Back to lots of good veggies and protein. Monday dinner was the same as Friday dinner from last week - leftovers (first chance I had to eat them) since I made my pulled brisket.


Tuesday
Breakfast - yogurt and cheese for breakfast with some trail mix thrown in there
Lunch - chicken and broccoli and a couple of clementines
Afternoon Snack - some Kettle BBQ chips and a bag of peanut m&ms (fun size bag - about 6 pieces), and a wedge of cheddar cheese
Dinner - Chicken pot pie and green beans

Whirlwind Weekend

Saturday and Sunday were a blur and this morning I awoke to the alarm and say is it really time to get up. Stayed up late Friday night helping get ready for Saturday's weddings and laughing at my brother and Laura tease each other. They act like brother and sister and have fun picking on each other.

Saturday was wedding set up so breakfast was yogurt and fruit and some more protein with ham and a cup of tea. Then we loaded up and headed out. My awesome brother (James - the other one who doesn't blog) brought lunch so we stopped to eat a bite during set-up. I had a sandwich, Jalapeno chips, and fruit. Then, back to work! We finished up in the later afternoon and headed home. Got home unloaded and organized the boxes and containers for tear down of two weddings and then decided to go to dinner. The three of us (James, Lisa, and I) went to Clay's for burgers and fries. I had the queso burger (no picture - sorry). It is a burger served open faced with pico and queso on it. I love this burger!

Next, off to home to try to unwind and get ready for whirlwind day two! I got to skip the tear down of a wedding for once (my brother helped Lisa) because I had to be up at 3:30 am. Yep, you heard me right 3:30 am! Last year I started volunteering for the air show for a great friend of mine. He runs the motor pool at the air show. We are in charge of all the golf carts for all of the groups to use during the show. I really enjoy doing this! I'm glad he thought of me last year and I will always come back as long as he will have me.

The food was not that great on Sunday and my schedule got all out of whack, but I had a blast. I really enjoy watching the planes and talking with the people (mostly pilots and military) that I get to drive around during the day. It is a privilege to offer these people a lift when they are walking along the flight line from one end to the other and they really appreciate it to.

It's Monday now and back to a normal routine - told you it was a whilwind! Back to Sunday evening - one cool thing that I really enjoy is watching the planes leave Ellington field after the air show. As the sun sets and the jets begin to be taxied to the runway and take off it is really neat to watch a jet take off into the night sky with its jet engine glowing.

Next year - I will have to bring the camera.

Meal Time - Friday October 14

Same old stuff for breakfast and lunch, but dinner - now that's a different story. I love Fridays at my home! Everyone's here working on flowers so I cook for everyone. If you don't know it by now I love to cook! It is something that brings me much joy and I love to cook for others.

So, here's what I had today:

Breakfast - oatmeal and a yogurt
Lunch - Smartones mini burgers and edamame
Snack - hot dog from SAMS Club. I love their hot dogs!

Drum roll please - Dinner - BBQ sliders with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli. I prepared a trimmed brisket in the slow cooker last night with some onions and BBQ sauce. Lisa put it on this morning and we let it cook for about 9 hours or so. Then I took it out and let it rest for a few minutes and cut the remaining fat off and pulled it. Strained the onions out of the liquid and skimmed the fat off the top. Then I whisked in some brown sugar and flour to thicken and sweeten up the sauce. Added the onions and beef back in and let it cook for about another 45 minutes or so. It was delicious!!! Here's a pic of the finished plate.

No Gym for Me

Well I was supposed to go to the gym yesterday evening to have another appointment with my trainer so I would have weighed in before our session, but it was a no go. I'm not sure what exactly I ate or what is going on, but I was not doing too good yesterday. Not sure what is going on, but my digestive system is all out of whack. We will have to see if today is any better.

Yesterday's Eats:

Breakfast - oatmeal and a yogurt
Lunch: chicken breast and broccoli and watermelon
Trail mix for a afternoon snack
Mojo Bar before my (what would have been) workout - things really wnet down hill from here on out
Dinner - a few potstickers (not fried) and that was it

I also had some cookies and a danish in the morning during my webinar meeting.

Good Eats

Wednesday Meals:

Breakfast was some oatmeal and a yogurt.

Lunch was a salad with chicken breast and FF Catalina dressing and some watermelon.

Snack before gym was a few crackers, some cheese and ham.

Smoothie after gym with protein powder in it then some chicken and broccoli when I got home.

I also snacked on some trail mix during the day at work.

Overall - it was a good day.

I've decided to just post pics of things that I eat that are different from the everyday. After all, how many times does everyone want to see a picture of broccoli and a chicken breast or a salad if it has the same thing on it. I will still update with what I am eating, but just not always in picture form.

For example - dinner last night (Tuesday) while reading my book at Panera Bread - Lisa was meeting with a bride at the next table over.

Scone - Strawberries and Creme at Panera Bread - it actually looked better than it tasted

Dinner on Tuesday - Half a steak and cheddar panini with potato soup

Today's Eats

Today I had some oatmeal for breakfast with some Canadian bacon.

Mid-morning I had some banana chips and butter toffee peanuts.

Lunch was a Smart Ones and some edamame and a few strawberries.

Dinner was baked chicken breast and some broccoli and some not so roasted squash (not sure what happened).

Dessert tonight - ice cream cone!

Eating the Last few Days

Here are a few pics from last week of some things that I ate that were different from my traditional eating patterns. I figured everyone was getting tired of seeing pictures of chicken breast and vegetables so here's what was different!

Ground Turkey, Edamame, and orange slices - I'm on an edamame kick right now - great source of protein and I like the fact that they take a while to eat. It helps slow me down.

Pei Wei - Chicken Lettuce Wraps (no mushrooms) - this was dinner on Sunday night

Pork Chops with Potato Pancake and Grilled Veggies - Thursday night dinner while at the Black Lab for a Spirit of Houston Alumni Board Meeting

Dinner Friday - James, Lisa, Laura, Debbie and myself were all working on flowers (or algebra homework) and I picked up a couple of kits from Sams and whipped up some Chicken Fried Rice and Beef with Broccoli

I cooked up a big thing of ground turkey last week instead of chicken so here was ground turkey and vegetables for lunch one day last week.

Boneless Pork Chops and Edamame (told you I was on a Edamame kick lately)

Breakfast on Sunday morning after wedding set-up (we had to be in Sugarland by 7:00 am). LaMadeline Smart Choice omelet - egg beaters with grilled chicken, onions, and cheddar cheese and a baguette instead of a croissant

Food Diary - October 3, 2011

Today was a good day - I had a small indulgence today at work. I'll get to that in a minute. My day started early and I stayed an extra two hours or so at work until the custodians kicked me out because they wanted to go home.

Banana this morning while on my quest for my wife - I had to go to Home Depot by 6:00 to by succulents for an event today. The 6:00 was so that I could make it to work on time - or at least as close to on time as possible (I made it by the way).

Then the normal day could start - I'm tired now and ready for bed. Good thing there is no real draw to stay up and watch Monday Night Football tonight or I'd be in trouble.

Breakfast: Egg beaters, canadian bacon, 2% cheese stick, 2% string cheese, orange, and vitamins

Lunch: Spinach, cucumber, and carrots with ground turkey salad and FF catalina dressing and some raspberries

Dinner was a boneless pork chop and some normandy vegetable mix.

I also had a new Clif Mojo bar today - trail mix - not bad and a twix bar this afternoon at work.

The Weekend - Wow is it over already?

What a weekend! It has been a whirlwind. The nice thing is that Lisa and I ate breakfast outside on the deck and patio on Saturday and Sunday. No pics from the weekend, but let me break it down for you. I ate more carbs than I had over the last week, but I made sensible choices and didn't stuff myself - well maybe I indulged a little last night at dinner.

Lisa and I went out on a date last night - yep you heard it right a date on a Saturday night! She did have a wedding, but it was a small one so while I ran to pick up a few groceries and dog food (oops - we ran out) she took the flowers to the bride. We got back home at similar times and we went to dinner at a really good Sushi and Steak place. It's a little place out in Katy and if you are ever in the area you need to go to Nikko Sushi and Sake Lounge! We had a gift certificate so we enjoyed ourselves and had an appetizer and dessert with our meal. Here's what was on the menu for us:

Chicken Katsu for our appetizer
I had the steak hibachi (steak tips, vegetables, and white rice) and a green salad with it
Then we had a custard style dessert with strawberries and whipped cream

Lisa had a california roll and a tuna roll and my mushrooms off of my steak hibachi and she also had some hot sake.

It was a great place and a great time and we will definitely be going back again (and taking my brother so he can have sushi - lots of that on the menu). But wait - the date didn't end there. Are you ready for the excitement of what came next - we went to.........

Academy to buy new tennis shoes! ( I know we are so exciting and young and hip)

Today I had cereal and protein for breakfast a chicken and spinach salad for lunch and then pork chops, small baked potato, and veggies for dinner.

I also worked on a project for work for about 10 hours or so this weekend. Not what I really wanted to do, but it needed to be done and I feel really good about what I accomplished. This is a massive undertaking that I am working on and have redone it twice now to settle my perfectionist tendencies. I am making a flowchart in Microsoft Visio of our electronic course submission system - every click, every action. It is getting quite massive.

So tomorrow is another day and I will start all over again and we will move on!

Food Diary - Sept 30, 2011

It's the last day of September and I'm in full swing with my food diary. I am actually enjoying this - taking pictures of my food with my cell phone.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Sausage, watermelon, 2% cheddar cheese stick and 2%string cheese and my vitamins

Lunch: Salad with spinach, chicken breast, cucumber, carrots, cheese, and FF catalina dressing

Before the gym I had my Clif bar - the peanut butter one that I love!

At the gym I had a 12 oz smoothie from the smoothie place with whey protein in it right after my workout

Dinner: Chicken potstickers and edamame (after the gym)

Dessert: The infamous Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

Daily Eats

Here's the low down on what I ate today:

Before leaving for work I had a banana when I got up.

Breakfast: Sausage, 2% cheddar cheese slices, and two corn tortillas and my vitamins

 Morning Snack at work: some diced watermelon that I didn't eat at breakfast

Lunch: Fuzzy Picture - Jason's Deli salad bar with two eggs, cheese,  bacon, lite ranch, and 3 cornbread muffins and I did have a small ice cream cone for dessert

Afternoon Snack: Pre gym snack Clif Mojo bar and half a banana

Dinner: Post workout - chicken breast, sausage, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts

Food Diary for Wednesday - Sept 28, 2011

Here's what went in the body today. I discovered that I ate my carbs a little too early before going to the gym today and I was feeling a little weak when I finished the workout today. I will need to eat it a little later tomorrow so that it stays in my system a little longer to sustain me through my workout.

Breakfast: Sausage, hard boiled egg, 2% cheese stick, and 2% string cheese, watermelon, and vitamins

Morning Snack: some nuts - minus the pecans - I don't like pecans

Lunch: chicken breast, broccoli and cheetos (I know - I needed something that crunched and the wending machine was calling)

Dinner: sausage, broccoli, and edamame after the gym - protein and veggies

I also had a Mojo bar - chocolate dipped peanut before the gym. This is what I will have to eat a little later tomorrow so that it stays with me a little longer to sustain me through my workout.

Tuesday - Wrap Up and Review

Well after being at home for a couple of days I have decided it is considerably more difficult for me to keep the momentum going when the structure is not there. Not that I made bad choices on Monday or Tuesday, but I noticed that I wanted to snack more when all I had to do was walk to the kitchen. I wasn't really hungry it was just the fact that it was there. This would be different if I was actively doing something, but just sitting around not doing much due to a splitting headache gave me an urge to want to raid the fridge and pantry.

Here's a wrap-up of Tuesday's eating and activity (pictures are giving me difficulty in loading today):

Breakfast: Quaker lower sugar instant oatmeal with raspberries in it, two hard boiled eggs

Lunch: Turkey breast and cheddar sandwich on wheat bread, cucumber slices, and baked bbq lays

Dinner: Smoked beef sausage, steamed broccoli, green beans, and some corn

Afternoon Snack: celery sticks with reduced fat peanut butter and 5 ritz crackers

Dessert: Skinny Cow Cookies n Cream Ice Cream Sandwich

Not much activity today or Monday due to lack of motivation and splitting headache - will all change on Wednesday - three days of 1 hour sessions with my trainer over the next few days means I will be sore, but it will feel so good!

Food Diary - Sunday and Monday

Here's my food diary from this past Sunday and yesterday. Schedule was a little off, but here's what I ate.

Sunday Breakfast: Clif Mojo Dipped Chocolate Peanut Bar

Sunday Brunch: Eggs, raspberries, and vitamins

Sunday Dinner: Grilled pork rib, broccoli, green beans, and grilled onions

I also had a slice of a fruit tart and two min cupcakes (vanilla and red velvet) with some friends that came over for dinner.

Monday was oatmeal with sliced bananas and two hard boiled eggs and my vitamins - no picture I forgot to take one before eating

Monday Lunch: Spinach salad with grilled chicken and a small baked potato with light butter and 2% cheese

Snack: Celery with reduced fat peanut butter

Dinner: Same thing as Sunday night - leftovers and a half a chicken breast

I also had a slice of leftover fruit tart with lunch and a Skinny cow ice cream sandwich after dinner. I indulged a little yesterday.

Food Log - Sept 24

My first weekend day and I was a little nervous because during the week everything is very structured for me - I make my breakfast, lunch, and snacks the evening before so the only thing left each day is dinner and then Lisa and I keep quite a bit of staples on hand that we can choose from to have a very nutritious dinner.

Still trying to get my water back up to over 100 oz a day. It's a challenge and it really flushes out your system - a lot!

I did splurge today for dinner - I have had a craving for the last few weeks for these and resisted it until today. I figured since Lisa was enjoying an evening out with friends I would enjoy dinner in with my football games. The only thing better would be if I was watching my Coogs right now!

Breakfast: Oscar Mayer turkey breast, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2% cheddar and 2% string cheese, raspberries, black currant tea, and my daily vitamins

Lunch: Spinach, cucumber, 2% cheddar, 2% string cheese, chicken and FF Catalina dressing

Dinner: James Coney Island - chili cheese dogs and small fries

Food Log - Sept 23, 2011

It was a good day today. I have realized that I cannot deny myself some of the things I love to eat, but I can limit how much of them I eat. Here's how the day shaped up for me.

Breakfast: two hard boiled eggs, Oscar Mayer turkey breast, 2% cheddar and 2% string cheese, watermelon, and my faithful vitamins

Lunch: Chicken breast, edamame, and watermelon

Afternoon snack - Cliff Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel

Dinner: Chicken, green beans, jasmine rice, and baked beans

I splurged a little at dinner and had about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Jasmine rice and about the same amount of baked beans - not the best thing for me, but like I said before it's a lot better than eating a cup or more of them.

My Food Today - Sept 22, 2011

Here's what I ate today:

Wake - up: 2 Clementines

Breakfast: Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal, Oscar Mayer sliced turkey, watermelon, vitamins - Yogurt was my mid-morning snack

Lunch: Chicken Breast, Edamame, watermelon

Before Gym: Cliff Mountain Mix Mojo Bar

Dinner: Cauliflower, Green beans, Baked Breaded Tilapia