Yes, yes, yes.

That is EXACTLY what Friday feels like this week.  So, I haven’t posted since Tuesday, but I definitely have a legitimate excuse.  Here are Wednesday and Thursday in pictures:

Wednesday:

Woke up VERY snotty and sick

Still chose to go to the gym because I am determined to follow this program and complete it

I completed 20 minutes on the elliptical before doing this great workout from the Live Fit Trainer.  Workin’ those bombshell muscles! :)

Did loads of homework...

And spent the rest of the day/ night with my new bff…

 As far as food on Wednesday went, I honestly couldn’t tell  you what I ate.  I semi stuck to the plan, but my appetite was nonexistent due to a surplus of snot running down my throat, so I really didn’t eat all that much.  Boo for being sick and not being able to taste a darn thing.

Thursday:

Woke up early with a terrible sinus headache, but snot free!!

Deemed myself cured, so I headed right to the gym...

I realized immediately upon beginning my cardio however that my body was NOT having it, so I skipped out on cardio and just completed the legs/ calves workout from the trainer.  I have to say as a little side note that I have always been afraid of doing leg workouts like this because I don’t want to “bulk up” my legs, but from the couple of times that I’ve done this workout I have been proven wrong!  As far as leaning out and defining the muscles that are already there, this is definitely the way to go!

The rest of the day was spent like this…

Between class, two meetings, studying, a presentation and a midterm that lasted until 9pm, I pretty much came right back and passed out.  It was an INSANE day, but it felt so good once I realized that I had successfully made it through the week and aced every single test despite my stupid cold. :)

I woke up this morning at 5 am.  Why, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.  I have no freaking clue.   After laying in bed for about an hour trying to fall back asleep, I gave in to my hungry tummy and munched on a little bit of Fiber One while I checked some emails and then headed to the gym!  It was a MUCH better workout this morning.  I finally feel pretty much back to normal, so I did 20 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical before completing the final circuit workout for this week.

Shoulders are NO JOKE

I added in a few more ab exercises at the end because they are my favorite muscle group to work and probably the only exercises that I could do all day without getting tired!

Well it’s going to be another busy day today, but definitely the good kind of busy! :)

I’m heading to get my car inspected in about an hour (which I should have done 3 weeks ago, but I am a procrastinator) and then hitting the road.  St. Louis bound!!  My dad and Jen are headed to Vegas for a business trip, so I get to babysit hang out and have an AMAZING weekend with these guys:

But lets be real; babysitting is just a cover up.  The real reason I want to go home?  Well, I miss this handsome guy and can’t go too long without seeing him!  :)

I this that I miss him the most because he’s the only one who will share popsicles with me, lay on the couch and listen while I play the piano, and my favorite: lay on my bed and listen to 70′s music on my record player with me.  He has good taste.  :)

Time to shower and get movin’!!

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie

I have to admit that my early morning wake up was something that I am going to turn into a habit.  Completing my workout first thing this morning was great for so many reasons!

1. I had more time and was able to really focus on what I was doing
2. I had more energy than I do in the middle of the afternoons, which is when I typically workout
3. The gym was pretty empty, so I didn’t have to fight any meat-heads for the benches in the weight room
4. My attitude towards the day became significantly more productive

Morning workouts are CLEARLY a must for this girl.  :)

After showering and getting ready for class, I made up a quick protein smoothie to take with me in hopes that it would fend off any hunger during class.  It did just that, and it was the BEST smoothie I have ever made.  Instead of using a frozen banana, I decided to try using a plain Greek yogurt mixed with sweetener and it gave the smoothie a perfectly thick and creamy consistency.

In my cute pink tumbler :)

In this smoothie, I used:

• 1 scoop organic vanilla protein powder
• a handful of frozen strawberries
• 1 container of plain Greek yogurt mixed with Splenda
• a little bit of water

After class and a little bit of studying in the library, I headed back to my room and made up a quick and easy lunch of a grilled chicken breast and roasted brussel sprouts.

Want to know something funny?  I only love roasted brussel sprouts because of the leaves that fall off and get burned in the oven.  I love burned brussel sprouts.  Yep, I’m a weirdo!  They remind me SO much of kale chips, so I’m thinking that one of these days I may just take the time to pull apart each brussel sprout and burn them all haha!

Get in my belly!

Well, luckily I completed my workout this morning because after lunch my cold was fighting me with FULL FORCE and it won.  I felt super crappy, so I curled up and fell asleep for awhile unaware that I would wake up feeling even more crappy.  I made a quick trip to Walmart before my duty shift began at 5 to pick up the miracle drug…

I only resort to medicine that I have to drink (Theraflu or Alkaseltzer) when I REALLY feel sick because they typically trigger my gag reflex really bad.  I don’t know what it is… maybe the fact that Alkaseltzer is disgusting and bubbly and tastes like barf, or maybe it’s due to a new little fact I learned today.  Let me explain first that there is nothing I hate more in this world than a cough drop.  I literally will NEVER take one.  I would rather have a raw, swollen and bleeding throat than suck on a cough drop.  Well, I made one of the daytime Theraflu teas and was hopeful that the berry flavor would taste decent.  I must have completely missed the little text on the front of the box saying that it was MENTHOL INFUSED.  Oh my gosh.  Long story short, I rewarded myself for each sip of the tea with a huge drink of diet mountain dew because it each sip of the tea made me gag.  Literally.  Well, it is what it is, but I’m sure hoping that the nighttime tea will clear my head up so that I can sleep tonight.

Now… onto my dinner surprise!!  :)

While at Walmart, I remember that I was out of Tilapia and when I went to grab some, I noticed that Swai was the same exact price.  I had never heard of Swai, but it looked delicious so I decided to give it a try!

This is what I ate! (except not this big. obviously.)

Swai is a catfish-like fish that’s found in Vietnam.  It has a very mild flavor.  VERY mild.  It honestly didn’t taste very fishy at all, but I was ok with that!

I sprinkled it with a little salt and pepper and paired it with a serving of Alexia’s Sweet Potato Fries to make a delicious meal!  :)

The rest of the night is going to be full of homework, research and watching Jane by Design!  Pretty darn perfect, if ya ask me.

Hope you’ve had a wonderful day!

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie

This morning began quite early (7am..EEK) due in large part to the stupid cold that has taken over my body.  You know when you have a cold and you wake up all snotty with a dry throat and pounding head?  Yeah, me too.  Well, upon waking I made a very quick decision to scour my room for some sort of cold medicine, figuring that I must have something on hand from past colds.  Colds/ Bronchitis are pretty common for me around this time of year, so luckily I had some left over Mucinex and Day Quil stashed away in my nightstand! :)

Before I went to sleep last night, I was browsing around Pinterest and found a picture that stuck with me and kind of set the tone for today, so I figured I would share!

Well, that was the exact thought that popped into my head after taking my medicine this morning and, after chugging a bunch of water I decided to take advantage of the few extra hours that waking up early gave me!  I brought back the Jamie Eason 12 Week Live Fit Trainer today!!!  Hallelujah!!  I’ve decided to just start the program all over, because I want to do it right and life has kind of jumped in the way for the past week.

This morning’s workout was the exact same as my first one on the program, so I will just use a recycled picture.  Go green. I began with a twenty minute warm up on the elliptical to get my heart pumpin’ before completing a great (and tough!) chest/ triceps workout!

Today's workout!

I left the gym much sweatier than the first week that I attempted this program, but I feel like that’s probably due to the fact that I did do a cardio workout (bad girl.) and that I’ve been out of commission for a few days.  It felt SO great though!  Oh my goodness.  Upon leaving the gym, I ran by the grocery store to pick up a carton of eggs and returned home to make a delicious breakfast of 5 egg whites and two pieces of Healthy Life toast.  I kind of mixed it all up and put two of the egg whites on the toast with a dash of ketchup to make a sandwich and enjoyed the other three on the side with a little bit of garlic sea salt.  Maybe I’m weird, but I seriously love LOVE LOVe egg whites on toast.  It’s quite possibly the most bland meal imaginable, but it does it for me!

Breakfast was eaten while watching Dr. Oz, of course.  I feel like of like my mom in that I’ve developed a love for random morning television, but Dr. Oz ALWAYS has something interesting on his show that I didn’t know before watching, so I consider this educational television.  Better than those Kardashians…. (Sad to say… but I’m a sucker for them, too.)

Well, it’s time to shower and try to look a little less haggard today.  I don’t wear this tired/ sick/ stressed look well at all and, quite frankly, I would be perfectly alright with it leaving RIGHT NOW.  :)

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie

I was chatting earlier today with a few girls from my class about how funny the weekends are.  Either you have a very fun and productive weekend, leaving you mentally and physically refreshed and ready to take on a new week, or the weekend flies by, full of fun, but leaves you feeling a little rough come Monday morning.  This morning was DEFINITELY the latter.  This could possibly be due to the fact that…

This....

Went to…

This.

Or possibly due to the fact that Saturday was spent doing absolutely NOTHING.   Except lots of Twilight movies, ice cream and dying Hil’s hair….

In a makeshift hair dye resistant shirt. :)

I think that it was mainly due to the fact that girls weekend was perfect.  Yep.  That’s it.  Sometimes a spontaneous weekend with a few of your closest friends is exactly what you need.   If I were to prescribe someone the perfect weekend to remind them just how wonderful life really is, the ingredients would be:

• Friends
• Strong drinks
• Lots of laughing
• Movies
• Ice Cream
• No makeup
• Sleep

Yep.  Perfection.

Well, Monday morning wasn’t quite welcomed around these parts, but regardless of my attitude; it still came.  I woke up feeling pretty darn crappy, which made my already wonderful attitude even better!   This stupid cold has been going around and it finally caught me. Boo.  There were no pictures of breakfast this morning, but it was perfect.  I had initially planned on an egg white omelet, but my sore throat fought that idea off right away and settled for oatmeal instead.

This isn't mine, but it looked just like this!

Included in the oatmeal mix was:

• 1/2 c oats
• 1 c water
• Dash of salt
• Cinnamon
• Splenda
• Splash of almond milk
• Diced peach

It doesn't look nearly as good as it tasted :)

 

Ingredients:

• Diced zucchini
• Chopped onion
• Chopped carrots
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Chopped fresh garlic
• Cumin
• Garlic Salt
• Pepper
• Italian Seasoning
• Basil
• 1/2 container low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

1. Chop the vegetables and place in a pot
2. Add chicken broth and seasonings
3. Bring to a boil for 6 minutes, then cover and simmer for about 25 minutes
4. Eat!

It was seriously the perfect sick meal.  I can’t even explain.  The cumin really gave it a great flavor without being too overpowering, which I was really happy about because I didn’t even know what cumin was until today.  I just randomly bought it, figuring that it might taste good in the soup.  Boy was I right!

After dinner; I cleaned up, did the dishes, took a long a shower, worked on some homework and now I’m watching the latest episode of The Lying Game before staff meeting!  I’m SO obsessed with this show.  You should watch it.  Right now.  :)

Sweats

The first three Twilight movies

Ice Cream. Duh

Afternoon naps

Pizza for dinner

Breaking Dawn Pt. 1

All in all?  A perfect day.  :)

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie

Aka… A good night. :)

Yep.

Talkatchalater,
Happy Hippie

Today has been NUTS!  I have never felt so excited to climb into bed with some popcorn and a movie as I do right now.  :)

I finished reading Medea for my World Masterpieces class and, let me tell you, it’s quite a disturbing story.  We’ve been reading a plethora of old Greek stories including: Oedipus, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Agamemnon and, while these all have a very interesting plot lines representing the values of ancient Greek culture, this one definitely took the gold.  The odd thing, though, was that despite Medea’s complete and utter insanity; her way of living by more masculine values (fighting back and seeking revenge when her strength was challenged) reminded me a lot of myself.  The discussion that we had in class definitely had me captivated the entire time, making the class fly by.

Since I am still working on getting life back in check, I completely forgot to snap food pictures today, but eh… it happens!  During class I snacked on a Nature Valley oatmeal raisin granola bar that I picked up at the Union after printing a few things this morning.  It was so good!  I looked for a box of them when I was at Target tonight, but sadly there were none. :( Thank goodness for dining dollars on my student account!  I’ll just have to keep getting them from the Union until I find some.   After class I went to a meeting for about an hour and once I finally returned home at 3 I was super hungry for some lunch!  I wish I would have snapped a picture because (prior to mixing it all up), it looked really cool!  I topped a package of Tofu Shiritaki Noodles with a Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken breast, roasted mushrooms, a spoonful of salsa and a spoonful of Greek yogurt.  I was craving something with a little spice to it, and added the Greek yogurt for a little bit of a saucier taste (or maybe because I was on a Greek kick after my discussion in class today!).

After taking about 45 minutes to sit down (lay in bed…lazy?  Yes.) and watch Dr. Oz, I headed out to Lee’s Summit for my class which I realized, once I got there, was online this week.  Whoops!  I had already driven the 30 miles out there, so I figured I would take advantage of the shopping scene and hit up Target.  I LOVE Target.  After browsing around for about an hour, I left with a big (and very cute) planner, a journal to start writing in, printer paper, Almond Breeze, and TWO new popcorn seasonings!!!

I got the Buffalo and Kettle Corn seasonings!!

I’m so pumped to try one of them tonight!!!  I’m even more pumped about the return of my beloved Almond Breeze!  Walmart stopped carrying the one that I like, so I switch to the So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla and, while it was good, I love my Almond Breeze.

I got back to Warrensburg, attended a quick training session for my job, came back and showered (yay for smooth legs.  you have NO idea how bad it was hahaha) and now it’s time to curl up with popcorn and a movie.

Overall?  This day has been a success.  One really important thing that I’ve learned this week is that things will happen in your life that will bring your world to a complete halt.  They will push you down and knock the wind out of you, leaving you and your world motionless and breathless.  The real kicker?  Even though your world has stopped, life doesn’t stop for you.  It doesn’t wait around, but instead gives you the option to lay down and let it pass over you, or to brush yourself off and fight back.  To keep living.  To choose courage and strength.

Things that I’m thankful for today:

• The sun shining
• The strength to push forward
• Popcorn seasoning
• Razors and smooth legs

I’m sorry it’s been literally a week since I’ve posted.  Life kind of REALLY got in the way this past week, but that happens from time to time I guess!   So, now that life back back in action, I figured it was time for a quick blog post before class! :)

After playing a lot of catch up last night and being on duty, I fell asleep around 1am and slept until 10 this morning.  You have NO idea how much this girl needed some good sleep.  I feel much more refreshed this morning and I’m excited to tackle the day!  The first thing that I thought upon waking was GET SOME FOOD IN MAH BELLY!  Between being in Oklahoma, Arkansas and St. Louis over the course of the last week, I obviously haven’t stuck to the Jamie Eason plan, so I plan on starting the workouts back up either tomorrow, or just start completely fresh on Monday.  As far as the eating plan, I wasn’t too worried about straying from it because I’m less focused on that side of the program and more focused on the actual workouts, but I think that I ate semi clean about 70 percent of the time at home.  So yay!  The other 30 percent was definitely delicious and included a cookie dough milkshake from Steak and Shake that definitely put a smile on my face and a smile in my tummy. :)

So… anyways.. breakfast this morning was an egg white, mushroom and tomato sandwich.  It was AMAZING.  I toasted two pieces of  Healthy Life 100% Whole Wheat bread and threw on a little squirt of ketchup and put together this little guy to make a delicious and savory breakfast.

I also decided to cook it in the dorm kitchens rather than my room to make the egg patties a nicer size for the bread.  Sometimes cooking the egg whites in the microwave make them take on a very odd form and them come out looking like some kind of alien blob.

Cooking them on the stove definitely helped a TON! :)

Time to go print some paperwork and finish reading Medea for class!  It’s going to be a really busy day, but I promise I’ll post again before bed tonight.

Hope you’ve had a great week and that you have a wonderful day! :)

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie

1. Caffeine is your friend

2. Rain and semi’s are NOT your friend.

3. Pandora will play through your iphone the WHOLE way wherever you’re going.  Thank you Augustana Radio for giving me great tunes!

4. Snacks are KEY in keeping your energy up and your belly happy. :)

5. Modern technology isn’t always helpful when travelling…

6. When you see a Pike Pass, don’t just go through it.  Even if your dad says (via telephone) that it’s just for semi’s. It’s for you too.

7. When you don’t see signs for miles, but you know that you should have been to your destination 20 minutes prior.. start getting worried. 

8. When you realize that you got on the wrong highway in the dark.. and rain… and have driven to Oklahoma instead of Arkansas… make the best of your stupidity adventure: pick up a box of  Rice Krispies at the local Walmart, snuggle up in your bed at the Super 8 and laugh at yourself.   

Not that I know anyone who did this tonight… I just thought the travel tips might help you out sometime! ;)

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie

Here’s a quick update on the Jamie Eason Live Fit 12 Week Trainer thus far!  I decided to check my measurements this morning to see if there was any change over the course of the week because a lot of people see changes in the first 5 days and I was actually surprised to find that I have results too!  Now, I didn’t post my measurements to begin with, and I probably won’t, but I might post them in a chart at the end of each of the three phases in order to show the results/ benefits of the program.  Well, I was pretty excited and figured that I should carry my happy mood over to breakfast and get my body going for the day!

Breakfast was the same as yesterday, except I threw a little bit of ketchup on top of the egg whites that didn’t make it into the tortilla because, well, I love ketchup.  And I decided to put the breakfast burrito on the George Foreman for a minute to make it crispy and delicious!

There’s nothing like a hot breakfast on a cold morning.  :)

Well, I’m off to study, go to class, get in a great workout (shoulders and abs today!) and tie up some loose ends before packing my bags and heading to Fayetteville tomorrow morning!  I seriously cannot wait to see my sissy.

See ya at lunchtime! :)

Here’s a Thought:

Talkatchalater,

Happy Hippie