Not a very healthy day

I woke up so late today, tends to happen when I take NyQuil the night before. I can't wait for this cough to be gone so I can sleep at night.

Once I woke up I didn't have enough time to fix breakfast so I grabbed a left over cookie from last night.

I got to work and made myself a cup of hot tea. I'm really liking the Tazo Awake tea, it helps keep me alert and is nice to drink on a cold morning.

I wasn't hungry for lunch but I did snack on a piece of German chocolate provided to me by a co-worker. It was a really smooth chocolate and tasted great.

Once I got home I was starving. I new this would happen since I didn't have time to eat lunch today. The first thing I did when arriving home was make a salad of lettuce and black olives.

Then I ate a burrito ordered for me by my husband. He got the burritos from one of my favorite Mexican joints, Flaco's Tacos. My ground beef, cheese, sour cream and potato burrito was amazing and totally hit the hungry spot in my stomach!

Tomorrow I will try to be a tad bit more healthy in my food choices. Shouldn't be all that hard ;)

Magazine Monday - Posture

I was reading one of my Shape magazines and came across a little item that claims to improve your posture. This is something I could totally use but I want to know if it works before I purchase it. So the item is called the iposture.

The iPosture claims to automatically sense when the body slouches. Once it senses you are slouching it will vibrate so you can correct the situation and straighten up.

I must say I'm intrigued but I need to do more research before I'm willing to shell out the 49.95 to buy it.

Leftover Thanksgiving - Yum!

Had a good lunch today. Salad, which is a food I love. I had lettuce, mushrooms, black olives, sprouts, sunflower seeds, toasted almonds, tuna and a light vinaigrette dressing. I put all the ingredients in a bowl.

I like my salads all chopped up into bite size pieces. So, I used this handy little tool to accomplish the chopping:

And my salad turned out just the way I like it:

I love being able to have a little bit of every ingredient in every bite.

Dinner consisted of leftover Thanksgiving food. Not sure if I'm alone but I prefer the leftovers over the day of Thanksgiving food. I made myself a sandwich with turkey, stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes. I then pressed it and had a delicious sandwich!

I will for sure have this sandwich again in the near future. I think it would be even better with some hot peppers.

After dinner I made Pillsbury simple chocolate chip cookies:

They were ok but not as good as homemade cookies.

While I baked cookies my husband made me a captain morgan cocktail, perfect for a Sunday night.

Time for me to sign off and mentally prepare for the Monday workday :(

Question:

What do you do the night before a work day to make the mornings easier?

I try to pack my work bag and figure out my clothes the night before. This way I don't have to think to much in the morning.

Until tomorrow.

Dreary Morning

I'm so glad I was able to get out and enjoy the weather yesterday because today is very dreary.

Once I woke up and walked the dog I had a cup of coffee with peppermint creamer. I'm using Coffee Mate creamer which I know is not healthy for me but I just love this flavor. It only comes out around this time of year and puts me in the holiday spirit with every sip :)

For breakfast I cut up a very large apple and sprinkled some cinnamon on half of the slices. I believe this was a Macintosh apple and it was delicious!

After filling up on coffee and apple slices I jumped on the Wii Fit and started having some fun. I haven't used the Wii Fit in a long time and forgot how addicting the games are. So much fun and the perfect activity for a day like today!

Couple hours in Chicago

Hello everyone!

The day was started off kind of late. I slept in until 11:00 am! I can't believe I slept that late but I guess my body needed it. When I woke up I had some coffee with peppermint creamer. The taste of the peppermint got me into a bit of the holiday spirit.

After downing my coffee, cleaning up the apartment and walking the dog, the hubby and I headed out for a walk. Check out some of the sights we saw around town:

Trump Tower:

Marina Towers (or as I like to call them, the Corn Cob buildings, because they looks like big corn cobs.):

The Chicago River:

The Wrigley Building (on the left) and the Tribune Building (on the right):

The Wrigley building was all decked out in the Holiday spirit:

Walking down Michigan Avenue was crazy. So many people out shopping and taking advantage of the nice November weather:

The Peninsula hotel had holiday decorations and they were fantastic! This is the hotel my hubby and I stayed at the night of our wedding, very nice hotel:

Christmas tree inside Bloomingdale's on Michigan avenue:

I love Chicago during this time of year. The city does a great job of decorating and it seems like all the stores go all our as well.

We decided to stop at a new restaurant in the loop, Flat Top Grill. This is an Asian-inspired create-your-own stir-fry restaurant.

This is the bar where you pick what you want to have in your stir-fry. The bar included everything from rice, noddles, broccoli, carrots, peppers (all kinds), bamboo shoots, pea pods, mushrooms, tons of sauces and a big selection of meat. Plus a ton of other stuff I didn't even mention!

A look at the dining room. I loved all the red, orange and yellow colors. Plus the art work on the walls were all Chicago related and explained how to order your stir-fry.

The menu:

Instructions on how to order, believe me it is needed and very helpful!:

Once you figure out how to order your food you go up to the bar and select what you want included in your stir-fry:

Next, you drop your bowl of ingredients off at the grill:

The grill masters work their magic and you get a fantastic bowl of food dropped of at your table. However, in my case I got 3 (small) bowls, did I forget to mention it is all you can eat?. Shh don't tell anyone I ate so much food.

I changed up the bowls between rice and noodles. My veggies were pretty much the same every time. Broccoli, green peppers, red peppers, snow peas and asparagus. Take a look at this food:

All of the dishes I had were really good and the bread they give you is made with your order. I will be going back to this place, no doubt about it!

Question:

What puts you in the holiday spirit?

Walking around Chicago and looking at all the decorations totally puts me in the holiday spirit.

Same thing different day

Nothing new this morning. Woke up coughing and popped a cough drop in my mouth.

Last night my cough progressed to an entire new level. I think breathing in the cold air on the 20 minute walk home from work was not good. This cough has been so much a part of my life for the past week that I feel like I should name it, any suggestions? Oh vey, this sucks!

Due to all the coughing I've developed a bit of a sore throat. To help with the throat I got a Starbucks hot carmel apple cider. So good!

I also snacked on a handful of Garden Salsa Sun Chips. I really like the taste of these chips I just wish they were as healthy as they sound.

I wasn't really hungry when lunch rolled around but I decided to eat something anyways. I had spicy chicken stir fry. This dish has chicken breast, tons of veggies, rice and spicy sauce. Really good.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Tuesday before Turkey Day!!!!!

No Appetite

Today was my first day in the office in over a week. Last week I was so sick I couldn't make it to work. I decided today would be the day I grace my co-workers with the ever constant cough I can't seem to shake off. I'm sure they are very annoyed but at least I'm no longer contagious, I'm just irritating.

My food intake over the last week has not been the greatest. It has consisted mainly of cough drops and NyQuil with a splash of chicken soup and some chocolate.

This morning started off with a Halls Honey-Lemon cough drop. These are the only drops that work for me. I do believe I've been overdosing on these, the directions on the bag say: dissolve 1 drop slowly in the mouth, repeat every 2 hours as needed. Every 2 hours is laughable to me, I've been popping these puppies every half hour!

Once I got to work I made myself some Tazo Awake tea and banana strawberry yogurt. I really didn't feel like eating anything but I need to eat some good stuff so I can get better.

My appetite has really been lacking so for lunch I just had an small Coldbuster smoothie from Jamba Juice. The Coldbuster is 100% pure oj, orange sherbet, peaches, bananas, Immunity Boost, Antioxidant Power Boost and ice. I hope this kicks my cold's ass!

I still wasn't hungry for dinner but figured I needed to eat something. I decided on some pasta and Ragu Traditional sauce.

My food has gotten so boring! Need to spice things up a bit.

Question:

What do you eat when you are sick and don't have an appetite?

Until tomorrow...

Magazine Monday - Fitness

I'm a total magazine junkie. My obsession started back when I was 10 years old and my parents needed to give me something to occupy my time while they went bowling. I remember sitting at the counter in the bowling alley, eating pickles and flipping through the glossy images of Bop and the Big Bopper. Little did my parents know that they created a monster by buying me these magazines.

Over the years the magazines I buy have changed but the love of flipping through the glossy images is still a favorite pastime of mine. I've decided to incorporate my magazine love into this blog. So on Monday's I will post information that I found interesting while looking through my magazines.

This last weekend I read the Fitness, Nov/Dec 2009 issue.

Interesting numbers:

3,000 - Number of calories in the average Thanksgiving dinner

4.7 - Number of hours you'd have to jog to burn them off

15 - Weight in pounds of the average Thanksgiving turkey

8 - Pounds the average American gains in a decade just from pigging out every November and December

Interesting Products:

The Vitaband

Saved by the Band a wristband that stores health info (you upload it to a website that medical pros can access). Bonus: No more stuffing cash in your sports bra; a chip holds up to $200, so you can make payments with a wave of your wrist at may retailers.

180s Women's Performer gloves with touch-sensitive fingertips

Great gloves to wear when you are out and about and need to actually do things with your hands. For example, mess with an iPod while out for a run.

I can't wait to get my hands in a pair of these gloves!

Interesting Info:

What to drink before a workout:

Water - Sip it. Starting a workout well hydrated will help you go longer and harder.

Sports Drink - Sip it. If you need the extra carbs before you start. Otherwise, save your swigs for when your energy starts to flag during longer sessions.

Coffee - Sip it. Consuming a large coffee cup's worth of caffeine an hour before you work out will up the number of reps you can do, according to a recent study.

Energy Drink - Skip it. A new study shows that drinking Red Bull Sugarfree before you hit the gym doesn't increase endurance. The study author says the drink may cause nausea, irritability and increased blood pressure instead.

Vinegar fights fat!

* In a recent study, obese people who consumed two tablespoons of vinegar daily lost an average of 5 percent more belly flab than those who didn't eat it.

Other interesting articles in the Nov/Dec Fitness magazine:

Say Spaah! - No time or money for professional pampering? You can treat your achy muscles and stressed-out skin at home. Bliss out with DIY tricks.

Burn More Fat in No Time - 8 ridiculously simple rules for netting maximum body benefits from your busy day.

Sleep Well - Discusses how eating smarter will maximize the quality and power of your zzz's.

Eat, drink and still shrink - Trim the tree and your waistline this holiday season with our fixes for every fattening situation.

Question:

I'm sure I can't be the only magazine junkie out here. What magazines do you read? Do you have subscriptions or purchase in the store?

Sick and tired of being SICK AND TIRED!

I've been absent from the blogging world for over a week and it has sucked!

Since last Saturday I have been battling the flu. Basically laying on the couch and not moving, except to sit up and down some NyQuil every couple hours.

I've gotten much better but am still fighting a pretty nasty cough. I will beat this in no time. Can't wait!!!!

Until tomorrow....

Phone Photo Friday

Today I decided to do all my pictures with my phone. No I didn't forget my camera, just trying to see what all my camera can do.

This morning I woke up relatively early, got ready in about 10 minutes, walked the dog and jumped on the bus to get to work. As I was waiting for the bus it hit me how cold it has gotten. I totally need to get my winter coat out of storage, soon!

Once I got to my desk I made myself some Tazo Awake tea. My thought was it would help me wake up as well as get warm.

My breakfast consisted of an Odwalla Banana Nut bar. If you haven't tried these I would run out and get one right away. They are delicious.

Here is a picture of the actual bar:



Around 11:00am my husband surprised me with a Starbucks vanilla latte at my desk. This was greatly appreciated and I must say he is the only person who is able to order my Starbucks drink just the way I like it!



I didn't get hungry for lunch until later in the afternoon. Once I did need something to eat the cafeteria was closed so I had to make due with something in the local store. With no healthy choices in sight I ended up with this:



Yep, not the most nutritious lunch but if you look really close you can see what is supposed to be peas and carrots! Those have to count for something, right?



My friend and I decided to get a couple drinks after work. We stopped at The Martini Bar and caught up on some girl talk. I had two drinks, started off with the pumpkin spice martini and ended with a Kettle one cosmo.

Martini's are so pretty!

Not sure what is for dinner but I'm sure it will be good!

UGH....Mornings!

Mornings, mornings, mornings. I'm just not good at waking up on work day mornings, on these days the snooze button is my best friend.

This fine Thursday morning I didn't have time to make or pick up a hot coffee. I settled for grabbing a bottle of Starbucks frappuccino to help me beat the morning blues. It has been awhile since I had one of these drinks and I forgot how sweet it is. I was only able to drink half of this bottle:

Breakfast was not the best. I grabbed a couple sticks of cheese to combat my hunger.

Once lunch time rolled around I was starving. I made myself a salad with hard boiled egg, tuna, mushrooms, green peppers and balsamic vinegar. It was really good.

After eating my salad I was getting sleepy so I needed some kind of caffeinated drink. I went out to grab myself a skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks. I really do love these drinks. They taste great and are totally filling!

Currently I'm munching on some sliced cucumbers. I love the smell and taste of fresh cucumbers!

Question:

What helps you get up in the morning?

Hope everyone had a great day! Until tomorrow....