Cottage Getaway…. in pictures

Overall it was a great, albeit WET, weekend!

My loving husband took thought this moment should be photographed for the blog. Busted eating pizza! 

 

There was an Anonymous comment on left on my Baseball Rant post stating “you are the only real person in food blogging. everyone else is like woohoo 40 lb bag of spinach = best moment of my life.”  To this commenter: YOU MADE MY DAY!  I thought of this comment when posting these pictures today… while trying to live a healthy lifestyle, man, I sure know how to have a good time!

Below, we are playing the game Catch Phrase… not quite sure what I was doing. Note the 16 types of alcohol in front of me? :)

   

This is Jersey’s cousin Sierra. Isn’t she pretty?

Jersey's foot got cut while swimming. Poor doll!

   

I feel like I’m finally getting caught up with life. I’m ready to make my blog and The 15 Week Challenge one of my top priorities again!

Booty Camp Winner

….and the winner is: KERRY!

Can’t wait to hear all about your Booty Camp (horror?) stories. I’m sure I’ll have quite a few of my own!

Quickie

So... I'm back in the city after a wonderfully relaxing weekend.

I had every intention of treating this cottage getaway weekend, kind of like a "fat camp". I armed myself with tons of healthy eats. Friday was perfect. I ran, had nutritious eats ALL day long.

Thats where my 'fat camp' mentality stopped.

Family and friends joined us for the remainder of the weekend.

Booze, s'mores, ribs, cheese'n'crackers, twice baked potatoes, and burgers were just a few of the selected delicacies on the menu.

Wow. I didn't actually think it was THAT bad until I typed it out.

Gah. Another weekend failed.

Tomorrow is a new day. I will redeem myself. I promise.

Bliss

Post run, I enjoyed a delicious bowl of oats and a homemade latte. Did you know and entire bottle of sugar free cinnamon dolcer syrup is only $9? Yet my latte is $5.70 I'm onto you Starbucks! I love cottage life!
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FYI

I am on a mini vacation in cottage country.... Just started my day out with a 5k run. Boo Ya!
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Ooooops

I forgot yesterday was Wednesday… without further adieu:

Check out SH’s at home workout here!

Sorry guys, its been a busy week!

Baseball Rant

So tonight was a big night in Ottawa. Our Co-ed slo pitch league began their play offs.

I play on a team FULL of egotistical men.

Here’s a little play by play for you to envision.

• I get a base hit.
• I’m on first base.
• Big strong amazing a-hole gets up to bat.
• Hits it down the right field line.
• It gets by the fielder.
• I run home.
• A-hole runs home.
• A-hole is thrown out at the plate.

A-hole’s comment “I could have run faster, but I couldn’t pass her”

I am livid by this and promptly tell A-hole to fuck off and to play smarter baseball. I’m not a sprinter by any means, but I’m certainly not THAT slow.

Coincidentally, we lost that game by that very same run. This did not impress me in the slightest.

I was pretty fired up the rest of the game. Yes, I’m bad and hold a grudge.

We had 2.5 hours to kill between games (6:00pm and 9:45pm. Seriously, who made this schedule? Its Tuesday!)  and rather then go sit with my team and listen to all the men make excuses for why we lost… I decided to hit the gym. It think fate intervened. When I got to the gym at 7h30, I noticed there was a 45 min Combat class starting at 8pm SCORE! I did 30 mins of upper body and the Combat class. Punching and kicking air does wonders for a temper!

Since the gym was in Loblaws… I grabbed sushi and salad for supper as opposed to wings and beer. Go me.

Of course I return to ball, only to be harassed by my team for going to the gym instead of drinking beer. Then, I’m asked by another female player on the team:

“Oh, so you must have just started going to the gym… do you feel like you’re toning up?”

Fuck you princess. I’m chubby, yes, but I’m in shape. And I’m a good ball player to boot.

God… what a night. Off to cool down for me.

To to the A-holes on my team who ruined my night by bruising my former-chubby-self-ego: FUCK YOU.

A personal challenge of sorts…

Last week I got lazy, which means I bought my lunch 3 out of 5 days, which means I spent WAY too much money.

I hate wasting money, especially when I can make something that is more nutritious AND cheaper!

My challenge this week? To spend only the change I have in my purse currently:

$6.76 (I actually thought I had less)

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. Today I spent $1.75 x2. Looks like I may have to get inventive with my morning coffee and afternoon tea! :)

Weekly Challenge – Week 9

We all love an admire all the food blogs out there, so now is your chance to become a FOOD BLOGGER for a day!

Take photos of every single bite of your food and post it to your blog.

Not only is this a great way to share meal ideas, but its also a great way to stay accountable!

Be sure to leave a comment to this post with a link to your Food Blogger-for-a-day post!

Yes, this is another freebie for those who food blog daily! :)

Surf and Turf

Tonight’s meal was FABULOUS!

On the menu: M&M Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon and M&M Garlic Shrimp. 5 Jumbo shrimp are only 80 calories. YUM!

 

On the side: Garden salad and fresh sweet local corn.

From above:

I’m off to watch the new episode of Dexter…. Husband dowloaded it after we heard rumours it was leaked. :)

I’m extending the deadline for the Booty Camp contest until tomorrow night… Come on ladies, you are better then that. ENTER NOW!

Post Run Latte… In photos.

 

1) Make instant espresso

2) Heat up skim milk

3) Froth milk

4) Add to espresso

5) Add 1 tsp of maple syrup (I don’t own any starbucks syrups)

6) Sprinkle with cinnamon.

ENJOY!

I enjoyed mine with a bowl of peaches, strawberries, raspberries topped with a little Liberte Coconut yogurt. YUM.

In case you’re wondering… I had an amazing 12k run. :)

I love running

....except I don't particularly feel like it right at this very moment.

But I am going to go for the following reasons:

a) I didn't workout on Friday (dinner party) or yesterday (house hunting early in the morning)

b) I ate too much on Friday

c) I had ice cream yesterday

d) I'm feeling chubby.

Yes, these are the wrong reasons to go running... but hey, if thats what it takes to get me out the door. BRING IT!

Take me down to the MIGRAINE city

Gah.

I had a great day. Great eats, and amazing workout.

And at about 7:00pm I got this with a migraine. FAST.

To bed I go.

Lunch of Champions

Broccoli salad with mixed grilled veggies topped with grilled chicken. Holy yum!
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New Bathroom

 

I forgot to take official before pictures. All I have are these quasi scandalous pictures that were taken a couple of years ago on Valentines Day.

Before: Grey paint, cheap builder hardware, no window treatments.

After: White walls, new light fixture, new hardware, flowy curtains, new brushed silver tp holder and towel bars (not in the pic). What do you think? I think it kind of makes the horrid tile a little more tolerable, no?

Workout Wednesday a la Lynne!

Head over to Lynne’s post for today’s workout.

She’s brought out my nemesis: MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS!

I’ll report back later on my workout, if I’m still alive! ;)

Amy does Booty Camp!

So… we’ve all been following the Halibloggers doing Booty Camp and watching with green eyes as they whittle their middles and tone their tushy’s!

Well now all MY readers are getting the chance to win their own Booty Camp session starting this fall!!

Check out their website here to see if there is a location near you.

To enter, you must do a little research. Leave a comment telling me:

1. Who the creator of Booty Camp Fitness is  (info is found on their website)
2. What you hope to gain (or lose) by taking Booty Camp

To all the Ottawa area ladies, I’ll be taking Carolyn’s class in the Glebe on MWF evenings at 7h30. I’ve taken her cardio classes before when she was teaching at Florida Fitness, and I was SOOO excited when I found out she was teaching this class. Be prepared to WORK HARD! Enter so we can take it together and document our Booty Camp journey together… :)

Enter today! Contest closes on Sunday August 23rd at 5:00pm.

Unfortunately this contest is open to Canadian citizens only. Sorry!

Mojo = back

   Sorry for the lack of posts of late. Still going through a lot in the quest for a new home… renos, painting, and house hunting have pretty much been consuming my entire life!

My weekend was crazy busy, but I managed to workout both days. On Saturday I went for a 20k bike ride with my friend Lisa, and yesterday I ran 12k in the sweltering heat.

Despite not posting, I have been a good photographer in terms of my food.

Many of you have been asking for my zucchini boat recipe, so here it goes:

1) Cut of both ends of the zucchini

 

2) Slice in half and hollow out the ‘guts’

3) Lightly brush with Kraft Fig Olive Oil dressing

   

4) Fill insides with goat cheese crumbles (feta would also be tasty) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I buy the goat cheese pictured at Costco.

 

5) Place zucchini on the upper rack of your BBQ and grill for about 20 mins or until soft. ENJOY!

Weekly Challenge – Week 8

I can only speak for the weather here in Ontario, but it seems as though SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE! Woo hoo!

Along with the summer, comes MANY temptations in terms of healthy eating…. BBQ’s and fruity cocktails are the first two things that come to my mind when I think of summertime!

Your challenge this week is to make a figure friendly summer dish.

Everyone is always looking for healthy alternatives to bring to summertime get togethers, so I thought this would be a great way to share some ideas.

This challenge is worth 2 points. Be sure to link your blog entry in the comment section of this post! :)

Not feelin' it

I feel horrid.

I feel bloated.

I feel puffy.

I feel unmotivated.

Blah.

Bliss

I slept until 8:30am today! WEEE!

Just loaded up my MP3 player with some fresh tunes, and I'm about to hit the street with the most dedicated training buddy a girl could ask for:

You know how most dogs get excited when you mention the word walk? We avoid that word like the plague, but now she even gets excited when I change into my workout clothes! :)

On a quest…

Not only am I on a quest to get skinny, but I’m also currently on a quest to procure a new home. Our offer expired 1 hour and 8 mins ago and we haven’t heard back. These sellers are UNREAL!

My evening began with spin class… lots of climbs today which are always good for the heart AND the legs!

Supper tonight was quite possibly one of my FAVORITE meals. Salmon, broccoli, 1/3 cup rice and zucchini boats.

 

I treated myself to a tasty desert tonight. We stopped by Costco this evening and I picked up some mini angel food cakes. Topped with a little FF vanilla yogurt and some balsamic strawberries.

I decided to take tomorrow and Friday off. I’m overwhelmed at work and at home… so I need some quiet time. Looking forward to some quality sleep in time tomorrow!

Have a great night!

Up, down… Up, down!

 

This workout will not only work your entire body, but it will also get your cardio level up from all the UP/DOWN movement! As per usual, this workout is worth 1 point! HAVE FUN!

Get your stop watch ready and do each of the following exercises for 30 seconds each.  

1. jumping jacks
2. crunches
3. squats
4. plank
5. lunges right leg forward
6. push ups
7. butt kicks (each side)
8. bicycle crunches
9. lunges left leg forward
10. V-Sit
11. skipping on the spot
12. lower back extensions
13. squats
14. side leg lifts
15. tricep dips
16. tricep pushups
17. 1 leg squat – right leg
18. oblique crunches – right side
19. 1 leg squat – left side
20. oblique crunches – left side

Still going strong

I actually have a moment to sit down and blog! WOW!

Last night was busy as we went to see Bachman/Cummings with my Dad and Anne. It was a great show. I did manage to sneak in a run before hand, so that was good!

Tonight I had big plans to hit up spinning, but when I called the class was full. Usually I bring my runners and my spin shoes but today I just brought my spin shoes… so needless to say I was SOL for a workout.  Today shall be my day of rest.

Like everything else in my life these days, I’m behind in even grocery shopping. Tonight’s supper was composed of things I had on hand. Homemade chicken nuggets, baked fries and carrots. Random, yet tasty!

Tomorrow I have something to share with you… stay tuned! :)

Weekly Challenge – Week 7

 

Your challenge this week is to design your very own WORKOUT WEDNESDAY workout for your fellow participants!

Guidelines:

• Should be about 10-15 mins long
• Must not use any equipment
• Can include both cardio and strength moves

Now, this challenge has a little extra incentive. I will randomly select 4 participants to receive a prize. From who? The lovely folks at POM juice sent me some coupons to share with my readers, so I thought this would be an excellent time!!

How to participate: Design your workout and leave a comment on this post, linking it to your blog. For those video bloggers, do the same… and for those without a blog, leave a comment on this post and send me your workout via email.

I will feature the 4 random winners’ workouts for the next 4 weeks. I can’t wait to see all the great workouts.

Its your chance to seek revenge on me for torturing you! ;)

Shambles

Is how I would describe the state of my house right now. I can barely stand it!! It dosn’t help either that we have to go out of town for a baseball team party and a wedding reception tonight. At least the current chaos at home will be incentive for me to behave myself tonight so that I will be in tip top shape tomorrow!

I was up early today with big plans to go to Body Pump after dropping Jersey off at her babysitters. We ended up chatting over coffee and before I knew it, it was 10h30! I will say though, Michele (old coworker, now Jersey-sitter) makes the BEST coffee! She made us lattes…. espresso, frothed milk with a little maple syrup! It was SOOO good.

Upon my arrival home, I lubed up myself and my handsome deck staining husband in sunscreen and hit the pavement. I was feeling fast and strong today. I banged out 8k in about 45 mins. This is lightening fast for me. Post run glow, below!

 

I whipped up a delicious post recovery shake: 1/2 cup milk, 1 cheapo banana (Just for you Cat!) handful spinach, 1/4 cup Liberte Coconut yogurt (who needs Oikos?!!) and one scoop of Amazing Grass. YUM!

  

I then had to hit the kitchen to whip up a desert to bring to our ball party. For those of you who are new to my blog, you may not know about my love for trifles! Its my go to party dish. I shake up the flavours to keep it fresh. Today’s creation is Blueberry/Lemon. Lemon cake, vanilla pudding, coolwhip, blueberries and lemon zest. Looks pretty, tastes great!

Anyways, I have to go paint my nails and get ready to head out. Have a lovely Saturday!