Not-So-Quiet Brain = No Yoga

I normally come back to work after long holiday weekends feeling tired and in need of another long weekend.

Today, however, that is not the case. I actually feel rested, relaxed and rejuvenated. What a pleasant surprise.

I think I felt a little too rested because I just couldn’t get into the yoga class I planned to take this morning. I lasted about 5 minutes in the class but my silly brain wouldn’t shut up, so I headed into the cardio room at my gym to sweat it out.

My workout ended up a lil’ somethin’ like this:

• 15 min. elliptical
• 10 min. stair master
• 10 min. elliptical
• 5 min. stair master
• 10 min. elliptical

I was clearly in the mood to jump around a lot this morning. I also saw people drop off magazines I wanted to read, which made me hop on and off the machines a few times.

Breakfast

Breakfast was one of my favorites.

A simple peanut butter and fresh fruit sandwich, prepared on a toasted sweet wheat Alternative Bagel with juicy nectarine slices and a couple of dashes of nutmeg.

PB + Nutmeg

Nectarine + Nutmeg

You know I also enjoyed a peanut butter finger or two while making this bad boy.

PB & N Bagelwich

Dig In!

Not a bad start to the day, if I do say so myself.

Big Day!

Today is actually quite a big day in the world of Peanut Butter Fingers.

Here’s a clue…

What Could This Mean???

Any guesses? 😉

Stay tuned…

Our First Registering Experience

It’s amazing how three days away from the gym can feel like so long! 

My body was seriously craving a work out this morning. 

If you just aren’t feelin’ the gym these days, try taking a few days off (more than one!). It may be just the thing you need to get your mojo back. 😉 

Ryan and I hit up the gym for a good workout a little before 9 a.m. I did a total-body workout, similar to the weights routine I did last Monday. I had a yummy breakfast bagelwich before my workout to help me power through. 

Breakfast Bagelwich

To make my bagelwich, I toasted a sweet wheat Alternative Bagel and topped it with a wedge of Laughing Cow light original Swiss cheese, MorningStar Farms veggie bacon and an egg white. 

I actually cooked the egg white in a mug in the microwave, which worked really well. I just sprayed a mug with cooking spray, added the egg white and cooked it on high for around 40 seconds, or until I heard a little “pop.”    

Egg + Bacon + Cheese

Fast food breakfast sandwiches ain’t got nothin’ on me! 😀 

Registering at Williams-Sonoma 

After taking Sadie for a walk around the lake near our apartment, eating another snack (hummus & cheese wrap for me) and showering, Ryan and I headed to Williams-Sonoma to register for our wedding!    

What a Lovely Sight

 My hubby-to-be in front of Williams-Sonoma??? I may have just died and gone to heaven. Would it be weird if I framed this picture? 😉    

A Glimpse into Heaven

Registering at Williams-Sonoma was a breeze.    

Ryan and I both thought the employees struck the perfect balance between helpful and aloof. Neither of us like someone breathing down our back, but whenever we looked especially confused, someone seemed to magically appear. 

Guess who was quite a big fan of the registering gun?   

Man and Machine

We agreed going into the experience that we would both have to like anything we scanned, but that we could each get one “freebie” item that the other person didn’t really care for. Neither of us ended up using our “freebie” item and we seemed to see eye-to-eye on almost everything! Maybe we’ll use our “freebies” when we register at Bed Bath and Beyond next weekend.     

Post-Registering Smiles

Ryan and I listened to the advice of former brides and those of you who commented on my blog before about creating a wedding registry, and registered for a couple of “big ticket” items like a set of Caphalon pans and a Wüsthof Classic 12-Piece Knife Block Set. I can’t quite imagine anyone going all out like that for our wedding, but a girl can dream! 

Wedding Band Selection   

Once we were done registering at Williams-Sonoma, Ryan and I headed down the street and picked up a grande chai tea Frappuccino from Starbucks. 

Chai Frapp

We then walked down to a nearby jeweler to check out wedding bands. 

I think we pretty much selected Ryan’s band today! 

He loved a thick platinum band with light etching on the top and bottom of the band. I’ll definitely post a picture when it comes in and we fully commit. 

I really liked a band with several princess-cut diamonds on it. I am not sure how many diamonds or what size diamonds I prefer, so the woman we were working with is going to shop around and give me a call when she gets some possibilities in the store. I’ll keep you guys posted!   

Lunch 

We swung by the grocery store on our way home from the jeweler and picked up food for lunch and for the rest of the week.   

When we arrived home, I got to work in the kitchen making a childhood favorite for lunch. 

English Muffin Pizzas

Pizza, Pizza

English muffin pizzas are the jam! 

To keep the “crust” crispy, I toasted the English muffins before topping them with tomato sauce and cheese and broiling them until the cheese melted.   

Oh-so-good! 

Now I’m off to unpack and CLEAN! Please try not to be too jealous.   

My goal is to clean, take Sadie for another short walk and make a homemade dinner before the Bachelorette tonight. 

Aaaand I’m off!

PBF Overload

I have a very intense and passionate relationship with peanut butter. Most days our relationship is healthy and balanced. On some days, however, I get a little needy.

Like today, for instance.

One of Many PBFs

This morning I could not get my finger out of the peanut butter jar!

My victim of choice was Krema crunchy peanut butter which I received from the company to sample.

Krema Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter

I am a chunky-pb fanatic, and I couldn’t get over just how crunchy this peanut butter was!

Check Out the Chunks

There were tons of peanutty chunks in every peanut butter finger I enjoyed, and believe me, I had a bunch.

Since peanut butter fingers dominated my morning and I’m pretty sure I ate 300+ calories worth of the good stuff, I kept my breakfast on the lighter side.

I toasted a sweet wheat Alternative Bagel before topping it with two tablespoons of chocolate PB2.

Chocolate PB is Fine By Me

Thursday Breakfast

Like every morning, I also enjoyed a chocolatey calcium supplement (I switch off between Viactiv and Adora calcium disks).

Adora Calcium Disk

This was one PB-tastic way to start the day!

Workout

I think my body was craving the calories from peanut butter after a 5-mile run with Sadie.

During our run we were sprayed by three different sprinklers! Floridians apparently enjoy watering their sidewalks as well… 😉

Of Possible Interest

• Early Morning Exercise Tips (FitSugar.com)
• 10 Fat-Burning Carbs (Health.com)
• Good Post-Workout Meals (CookingLight.com)

Not a Veggie in Sight

I typically try to incorporate veggies into my lunch and dinner every day. Today, however, not even a little carrot popped up in my mid day meal.

Don’t worry though! My lunch was not completely produce-free.

I did manage to sneak an apple onto my plate for good measure.

Crisp Apple

Today’s lunch included a bagelwich, made with a sweet wheat Alternative Bagel and chocolate PB2.

Chocolate PB2 Bagelwich

On the side I enjoyed a freshly sliced apple with a dollop of peanut butter and a cup of Chobani Greek yogurt for a protein punch.

Peanut Butter

Tuesday Lunch

I think the combination of whole grains, fruit and healthy fats still make this a healthy meal even without a veggie in sight. 😀

Of Possible Interest

• Drop-Pounds-Fast Grocery List (Health.com)
• 10 Recipe Ideas for Ground Beef (RealSimple.com)
• Healthy Lunches Under 400 Calories (FitnessMagazine.com)

Question of the Afternoon

Do you typically use fruits and veggies in the same meals every day?

Viiiitamins

Do you take ’em?

I do!

Some readers have emailed me asking if I take any vitamins. I suuuure do.

Every day I take two vitamins.

Viactiv + L'il Critters

I take a Viactiv calcium chew and a L’il Critters Gummy Vites multivitamin. (Sometimes I pop a few of the L’il Critters. They’re like fruit snacks!)

I used to take a calcium supplement and a multivitamin that I would swallow, but for some reason I’d always forget. For me, when vitamins taste delicious, I’m excited to eat them and much more likely to remember to take them daily.

The calcium supplement is very important to me, as osteoporosis runs in my family. When I was an intern in college, the company I worked for had a free health screening for employees. What really scared me was learning that I already had osteopenia, a condition that is often a precursor to osteoporosis, characterized by low bone density. I eat a lot of yogurt and calcium-rich  foods, and strength train regularly, but clearly that is not enough for my body. I began taking a calcium supplement every day from then on.

Breakfast

After poppin’ my daily vitamins, I got to work in the kitchen.

First, I toasted a sweet wheat Alternative Bagel to serve as the base of my breakfast bagelwich.

These Alternative Bagels are the only lower-calorie bagel I’ve tried that actually resembles a bagel. Those bagel thins are decent, but a bagel they are not.

While my bagel was toasting, I prepped my chocolate PB2 to spread on the toasty bagel.

Chocolate PB2

Though it’s definitely not a substitute for the thick, creaminess of normal peanut butter, PB2 is pretty darn tasty in its own right.

For those of you who haven’t heard of PB2, it is a powdered peanut butter to which you add water to “bring it to life.” Eighty-five percent of the fat is removed from normal peanut butter to create PB2, which therefore reduces the calorie content to around 50 calories per two tablespoons (compared with approximately 180 calories per two tablespoons of normal peanut butter).

Creamy & Chocolatey

I like it a lot, but it is not as filling at normal peanut butter and the texture is a little different.

To complete my breakfast, I spread the chocolate PB2 on one half of my toasted bagel and topped the other half with frozen banana slices.

PB2-Topped Bagel

Open-Faced Bagelwich

PB 'n' B

Eat Up!

Taaaaasty.

Workout

I suppose I should back up a bit to recap my morning workout…

Per the usual Monday workout, I hit zee gym for the 5:45 a.m. BodyPump class, which I followed up with 20 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical.

I spent the entire time on the elliptical reading all about the new Sex and the City movie in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. I can’t wait to see it!

Question of the Day

Of the Sex and the City girls, which character is most like you?

I’m definitely a Samantha. Kidding! (I bet my mom just had a heart attack.) I think I’m most like Charlotte. 😀