mimm~

4/15/2013

1 Comment

 

This one will be short and sweet because I am crazy busy and we have had some last minute family emergencies come along that need my attention. Thanks Katie for the blog meet up!!
My ONLY sister is engaged! It is no surprise because they have been together for about 9 years now but it still exciting to say the least. The last few days have been comprised of work and all sorts of wedding plans. Did I mention they are getting married THIS summer? In Maine?? Stressed doesn't even begin to describe how this maid of honor feels.

Oh well at least I know the bridal shower theme...
Okay so it's just lobster themed...not lobster babies theme..so cute though right? 
On top of all of the wedding planning to be done I also decided to start an intensive certificate program over the summer. Two jobs, wedding planning and full time school sounds doable right? haha. Wish me luck blogger friends. This sick little puppy needs it. 

How was your weekend? 
Any advice for a wedding novice?
 

Another Monday and another mimm! I hate how fast these weekends seem to go by...When is the next holiday again?? Thanks Katie for hosting!

Saturday consisted of a couple hours of work, great workout and an evening out with friends. I am so proud that I have been keeping up with my goal of adding more strength workouts to my routine. Yay for muscles and being sore!!

Saturday also consisted of free jello shot. Hell yeah.
Sunday consisted of cooking, cleaning and watching trash tv. I was beat. I got to try a new product I found at the 99 cent store though. They are supposed to make boiling eggs easier and shell-free. They really just are a pain in the ass and make weird looking eggs.
I don't even know if I can bring myself to eat them. 
I have had no trouble bringing myself to eat these though. One week past Easter and they still have legit candy in the clearance aisle. Marvelous!! I may need to rush back out and buy more just to stockpile. My body is about to get a sugar shock that rivals the infamous cherry cordial binge of 2006. 
This is going to be short and sweet because my bed and book are seriously calling my name. Have a marvelous Monday!!!

What did you do this weekend?
 

Okay...So I have too many photos and not enough thoughts so here is a WIAW photo dump for your visual pleasure. Thanks Jen for the link up!! 
So much fun and SO many good times! Now though I am detoxing with some fresh juice!
Hope y'all are having a wonderful Wednesday and I hope your weekend was as good as mine! 

What are you eating this Wednesday?
Do you ever feel like you need a "detox" after an unhealthy weekend?
 

Whew it has been a while hasn't it?? Sorry! Work has been crazy and I have been so drained that trying to write or even upload pictures has felt just about impossible. 
Sooo about these photos...the only ones I got today were my "breakfast" which was fudge and my snack which was the apple rolls (so spicy, so good). I totally ate A LOT more but I was eating with co-workers and somehow found myself too distracted to take a photo. It was food truck day at work and they had a hot dog truck so you know I was there. YUMMM. I could eat that weirdly processed meat all day. It's sad and gross I know. 

Here is what I will be eating tomorrow though: 
It's an old photo but I promise it is what I am eating for lunch tomorrow! I already packed it and everything :) Kale with a black bean veggie burger and garlic ranch dressing. Yum.....I am drooling. It might not make it to lunch tomorrow if I keep looking at this photo. 
Besides the fudge my diet has also consisted of a little too much of the delectable eggs pictured above. They are my absolute favorite and I may be stock piling them for after the season is over and they disappear ;)

So thinking back to my meals I know I totally failed on basically every nutritional front. I lacked any sort of green and my protein consisted of a hot dog...Ugh. Well the nice thing about wiaw is that it allows you to look at your meals and realize what you are putting into your body on a daily basis. I know I workout consistently and have that part down pat but I need to up my food game hardcore! Easier said than done...

Anywhoooo.....

How has your week been so far?
Are you bet

mimm~

3/24/2013

1 Comment

 

I have been a horrible blogger lately. Work has been crazy and by the time I am home I am worn out and have no good thoughts (or pictures) that are worthy of anyone's time. I vow to change that though since work SHOULD be slowing down this week. Onto another Marvelous Monday! Thanks Katie for hosting!
Marvelous is the fact that I have  slowly started to do more strength work at the gym. I have been consistently doing wall sits, planks, squats, biceps and tri's. I know many people do this all the time and don't think twice but I have always only been a cardio girl. Running, walking, biking etc was all I ever did and all I wanted to do. I know that building muscle is good for me (and won't make me "bulk" up or anything) but I just haven't been able to get into a routine. I hope it pays off! 
Marvelous is my amazing tip I received today! I have a second job on the weekends that consists of serving birthday parties and today it definitely paid off. Now I just need to try not to blow it all on one trip to Target....
Something not so Marvelous is how my laptop has been misbehaving. Sometimes the bottom pane of applications will disappear and then nothing will work and I have to turn it off and turn it back on (and not the "proper" way). I am not sure if it is just getting old (it is 2 years) or if it has some sort of virus. I have had to turn it off twice so far while writing this post...Anyone with a Macbook that can lend their experience and expertise??

Okayyy well I guess I should sleep at some point. Have a marvelous Monday y'all!!

What did you do this weekend? 

mimm~

3/18/2013

1 Comment

 

Happy Monday! I am writing this on Sunday and am sure I will NOT be having a happy Monday after celebrating St. Patty's day tonight...Oh well. I did have a fairly marvelous weekend up to this point though! 
After work on Saturday I took my lovely grandma (who is in town visiting) out for lunch. I know she likes beer so I took her to a local restaurant that has a brewery. Sadly they were out of many of the beers we wanted to try but she ended up liking hers anyway and I still got to try their "Special Bitter" which was tasty. Yummy salads too. 


Not so marvelous is my realization that I need to rest my knee and should cut down on the running. My knee had felt really good throughout much of my training for the half but this last week it has been aching like crazy. Any tips to help a girl out? For now I guess I will stick with low impact and strength workouts...ugh
Morning add on! Last night was fun and I am going to go die at work now...Happy Monday
 
Hello lovelies! I hope everyone had a marvelous weekend and isn't having a too terrible Monday back in the real world (I would say I hope you are all having a great Monday but are Monday's ever that great??). I want to warn you ahead of time that this will be one looong post because I have both a Marvelous in my Monday post of all of the wonderful things that happened this weekend as well as recap of my first half marathon. 

Either skim the photos and move on or batten down the hatches cause it's gonna be a long ride.....

Marvelous was my Saturday night! Kings game with my sister and her bf and then a bar in Redondo Beach after.
SUCH a good night filled with way too many drinks and way too much cheering. Also check out those roots. I need my hair done asap.....

Also I steal props from bars apparently because I had no Bacardi all night. Oh well, I do what I want.

Half Marathon ~ By the numbers/photos

Thought I would save y'all from a long drawn out description of the 13.1 miles and just give it to you straight.

Starting time: 6:30 a.m.

Time I realized my toes were frozen and in pain: 6:33 a.m.

Time I started to creepily pace myself based on a stranger in a neon pink shirt: 6:39 a.m.

Time my toes went numb: 6:40 a.m.

Time I realized there was a lot of homeless people in Venice: 6:45 a.m.

Time I realized Venice kind of looked like Ensenada, Mexico: 6:47 a.m.

Time #1 that I started to speed up for no reason and then regretted it: 7:00 a.m.

Time I reached aid station #1 (meaning 5 miles were done): 7:20 a.m.

Time I felted guilted into stopping at aid station #1: 7:20 a.m.

Times I thought I was getting close to aid station #2 (meaning 9 miles were done): 4

Time I saw a man coming out of a weird underground tunnel (subway?? bomb shelter??): 7:43 a.m.

Time I reached aid station #2 and was again guilted into stopping: 7:50 a.m.

Time I realized I could no longer focus on anything except putting one foot in front of the other: 8:10 a.m.

Times I thought I was close to the finish line: 3

Time #2 I started to speed up for no reason and then regretted it: 8:13 a.m.

Times I was actually close to the finish line: 1

I kinda can't wait to do it again. Does that make me crazy or did the list above already do that? 

I also must say that this race was AMAZING as far as the organizers and what they offered. I chose this race mainly because of the date and the low price and for what I paid (I think it was around $28) I feel like I got so much more from it. The aid stations were great with all of the gels, bars, liquids and bananas that one could want plus they took free pictures (not to mention a medal!!). I believe it was organized by a husband and wife (can't be too sure) and they were SO sweet and friendly. The race was informal, which was nice because I didn't feel pressured to really perform, but it had all the amenities of a larger scale race. A portion of the benefits also go to the Semper Fi Fund and who doesn't love a Marine ;)  I you are in Southern California I definitely recommend Rocket Racing
a.) Pier before the race (it was still dark out and all lit up once we arrived) b.) barren (beach) desert as I ran c.) Yayy for under 2 hours!! d.) Is it wrong that I want to take my medal with me everywhere and show it off? e.) Huckleberry for a food coma after the race f.) MB Post for a cocktail after the race. 
My baby. Just to add some "awww" to the post.
Anyone still there? 


How was your weekend?
Did you do anything new or exciting this weekend?
 

Woot woot new theme people! Anyone else suspect that Jenn gets kick backs from farmers or something? She does REALLY want us to eat our fruits and veggies after all ;)

Anyway this week has been crazy and it is not slowing down. Some weeks there are just not enough hours! My eats have been fairly consistent and boring as I adjust to the no dairy, sugar, grains or processed foods lifestyle. 
Breakfast is usually fruit:
I have been on a HUGE orange kick. So sugary and juicy yum. Snack is usually raw almonds or pumpkin seeds. Boring but they get the job done. 
Veggies and easy protein. Again I am the most boring eater ever but at least it isn't "cheating". I usually snack on some more nuts or whatever before the gym and then come home to a monster salad:
Sorry for the uber close-up but I had to show all the stuff that is in that thing! Lettuce, chicken, olives, pickled beets, cucumbers and pepperoncinis. YUM. I could eat pepperoncinis (banana peppers) for dayz. I may turn yellow soon. I also usually have my ACV with dinner which is not as good as pepperoncinis.
Pepper Rings? wtf?

I usually (always) have a snack before bed and it is usually hummus or guacamole and baby carrots. I have been snacking on a LOT of baby carrots. They are just so easy! I may turn yellowish orange on second thought...

On another note my first half marathon is Saturday!!!! I can't wait. I read everyone gets a medal. I want a medal for finishing. I can't wait. My momma's bday is Sunday so I am saving my "cheat" for homemade fried macaroni and I could not be more okay with it. I will be turning down cake and ice cream after all...
What's an easy snack for you? I want ideas!
What do you put in "monster salads"?
 

Hello! I hope everyone had a marvelous weekend and isn't suffering from the Monday blues too badly. Let's talk about some marvelous (or not so marvelous...) things shall we? As usual thank to Katie for hosting the link-up!

I am a week into my 30 day Whole 30 hell! Technically at the time of writing this post I am not a week in yet since it is currently Sunday but by the time you read this I will be 7 days sober of sugar, grains, dairy and basically anything else that one might crave. Here is a peak at some meals/snacks....
Lots of veggies, chicken, tuna, hardboiled eggs, peanuts-only peanut butter (no yummy sugar or honey added) and fruit have been eaten over the past 7 days. I never realized how much I rely on easy/unhealthy snacks until I was no longer able to eat them! I REALLY miss hot sauce too. Damn added sugar... 

On the marvelous side though it has gotten easier and I have noticed that I just plain feel better. I feel more strong and less of the carb bloat. So far so good!
My run on Thursday was not marvelous at all but completing it was one of the best feelings ever (once I picked myself up off the floor). I knew I only had one long run left before my half (next Saturday btw!!) and wanted to get between 10 and 11 miles. The longest I ran before that was only 9. I hit about every mental wall I thought was possible and was super close to quitting at about 10 1/2 but I knew I could finish one half of a mile so I pushed through. The time doesn't seem to shabby either :)
Marvelous will be the margarita I will be enjoying this evening because my extra-marvelous grandma is in town!! I know what you are thinking "Wtf Caitlin didn't you JUST post about how you are giving up all that ish and blah blah blah?!" I know. I am a low down dirty cheater today but hear me out! Homegirl needs a cocktail. All week (before the good feelings of eating healthy came into play) I was feeling the cut backs BADLY. I will not looking forward to any meal and was basically pushing myself through every workout with what felt like no energy or drive. Thinking about one little cheat on Sunday is what made saying 'no' to breaking my challenge everyday a possibility. This margarita is for every cracker, hershey kiss, splenda, and Sriracha sampling that I said no to. I applaud those that can do this challenge and not cheat at all, you really are my hero, but if I am going to do it I know I need to have at least one tiny thing to look forward to at the end of the week. Okay, my spiel is done.
This is kinda marvelous but it is more so just random. Isn't this just Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Whatever I still want it. 

Okay I am off to go distract myself until dinner by enjoying my book that came in the mail. Happy Monday all!
What is your "cheat" meal/treat?
Anything marvelous you have going on this Monday?
 

Another Wednesday and another attempt to blog about a day full of eats! Thanks to the momma-to-be Jenn for hosting!

On Monday I started a 30 day challenge that is similar to the Whole Life Challenge except for a few (major) differences. We all know I can't follow directions and don't like being told what to do so of course I don't want to do the exact WLC. I am sticking with the idea of giving up grains, dairy, and added/processed sugar (even artificial!) and am also adding the 10 minutes of stretching they recommend. The challenge also says you must do at least 10 minutes of working out which I know I usually do so I don't really need to "add" it to my routine. Here are a few of my day 1 & 2 eats:
The picture on the left is my Monday lunch which consisted of a grilled and then chopped turkey burger and some steamed kale. I love kale but steamed was just...odd. Oh well. The other picture is from lunch today which was much better and was a sweet potato and some green beans. I miss my hot sauce :(
I also had to stock up on some snacks to get me through the cravings for carbs and sugar. Raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, raw juice (nothing added as far as I could tell!) and some baked plantains. The raw almonds were a life saver when 11 a.m. hit and it was too early to eat lunch!

So far I am feeling okay. I worry about my 10 mile run on Thursday and need to plan out a good lunch to get me through it and a good dinner to help me recover from it. Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!! I am really hoping to learn more about why I eat and why I crave what I crave. Wish me luck because 30 days seems like a long time for this impatient girl!

Well I am off to go finish meal prep and then sleep! I do love how well I seem to be sleeping and cannot wait to drool over all your food pictures! I can live vicariously through others on WIAW...
How is your week going?
What are you eating this Wednesday?