Thanksgiving is waiting in the wings...

Woohoo! Thanksgiving is so much fun! I just can't wait. I know I shouldn't be that excited and plan on eating a lot but I am excited and I will probably eat a lot. The good thing is that we are going to try to ward that off by hitting the beach for a morning workout before getting going with the food. Good thinking, huh?

So, on the menu tomorrow will be the following that I'm making:

Oma's Candied Yams
Green Bean Casserole
Monkey Bread
Cranberry Sauce
Norwegian Cranberry Salad
Pumpkin Pie

And Gelson's will be making the rest:
Turkey
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Stuffing

Oh, man! It's going to be delicious!

Now I must get back to my duties of hostess and finish whipping my place into shape for my guest and whipping up a few of the dishes for tomorrow. Wow, that's a lot of whipping! Hmmmm...what does that mean? LOL!!

Have a great day and great Thanksgiving weekend!!

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.  ~E.P. Powell

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
 

Eating chicken salad

Today was a good day. I didn't do much but it was a good day nonetheless!

I'm eating my post workout snack of chicken salad and rice cakes. Yummy! I just cooked some chicken in the crockpot and then just chopped it really well, added some light mayo, dijon, capers, red onion and some pepper. Yummy!

Had a good workout today but tried to kill myself with shoulder press though! Felt awesome. I did drop sets. Started with 20, then 15 then 10. First set I did 10 of each, 2nd 10, 10, 7 and last set 10, 7, 6. Pretty hard! I also did lat pulldowns superset with cable row, rear delt squeeze, side leaning lat raise, front delt raise superset with rear delt raise. Then I did 20 HIIT on the elliptical. Good workout!

Ready to relax and watch The Soloist. Thanksgiving is coming! Woohoo!!!!

Ciao for now!
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Saturday again!

I guess I've been slacking writing on my blog here! This week I was a little off, a little sick so that would be the reason. Of course last Saturday and Sunday were essentially spent in food comas. Hmm...what does that teach us? Not a whole lot, huh? I'll probably do it again! I mean, who can resist Korean BBQ? It's the best! And Persian food too. Yummy.

I have quite a lot to do this weekend. I must clean and prepare my home for my Thanksgiving guest. I have to buy food for Thanksgiving. I also need to cook some meals and of course do my workouts. It's going to be a great weekend! Woohoo!

I'm off to eat my breakfast and get started on my water consumption for the day. I started a new liquid vitamin yesterday that actually isn't all that bad tasting. I'll let you know how it makes me feel over the next few weeks.

Have a really fantastic weekend!

From Calvin and Hobbes:
"I've been thinking Hobbes..."
"On a weekend?"
"Well, it wasn't on purpose..."

Saturday!!!

Well, it's another gorgeous day here in sunny Southern California! It's cool but that's okay because it's clear and sunny. I was up very early today. Don't know why but decided I might as well get up since I was just lying in bed.

Ate breakfast already. That was a roasted veggie egg scramble, 1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 T honey and 1 T walnuts
2nd meal was Shake Cake (recipe below)

Heading off to the gym in a minute here to get a workout in then return home, shower and get ready to hit the Korean all you can eat buffet with my friends!!!!! I'm so excited. I can eat the sesame chicken wings, my absolute fave! And lots of yummy rice, kimchee, kochuchung, kalbi, pulgogi, spinach salad, bean sprout salad, etc.Yummy, yummy!!!!!

Then I will head back home for my comatose nap and relax, do laundry, etc. It will be grand. I can just relax and get ready for more socializing tomorrow.

Thai Basil Chicken Recipe

 Thai Basil Chicken

4 t canola oil
7 Serrano chilies (this is a pretty spicy amount)
6 cloves garlic
1 lb ground chicken
18 drops stevia
2 T fish sauce (can substitute low sodium soy sauce)
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 lb green beans
1 pkg (4 oz) basil

Mince garlic & chilies together. Fry in oil over high heat. When garlic starts to brown, drop chicken in. Stir constantly breaking up chicken. Keep stirring till all the juice is gone. Add stevia and fish sauce. Add red peppers and green beans. Put lid on pan for a few minutes to let veggies steam a little. Add basil. Quickly turn over a few times to mix basil with meat. Serve hot with rice.

Additionally you may want to make an over easy egg to put on top if you like that runny yoke thing. It adds some good flavor!

 I think this quote is funny and accurate some days!


"We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A little tired today

I didn't sleep enough last night so I was a little tired today. I know better so tonight I'm going to sleep early and having a good sleep until morning. It makes such a huge difference. This is what I ate today:

Meal 1: 1/2 c yogurt, 1/4 c almonds, agave
Meal 2: 1 egg & 2 egg whites, yam, 1/2 apple
Meal 3: Thai Basil Chicken, 1/2 c brown rice
Meal 4: protein shake, 2 rice cakes, 1 T PB
Meal 5: Pad Prig King (green beans & shrimp)
Meal 6: 1 cup Dabo kolo

20 minute HIIT elliptical workout

I'm going to bed early. I've got to get up ready to go tomorrow. Today was a little off but that's okay. I've been going hard for a while now and I think I just needed to give myself a break. So I took it and enjoyed it. Tomorrow will be a great day!

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Lower Body workout

Got in the gym and got it done tonight! Great leg workout.

Romanian Deadlift - 3x10 -> 5 @ 85 lbs
Standing ham curl - drop sets 3x12 -> 7, 20 drop to 10
Lying leg curl - 3x12 -> 7 @ 40 lbs
Straight leg deadlift w/ cable - 3x12 @ 57.50 lbs
Superset with Bulgarian split squat - 3x10 @ 10 lb plate

3 sets of decline ab raise w/ 10 lb plate
2 sets of hanging knee raise (10 forward, 5 obliques each side)

Great workout. Didn't have energy for cardio so went home and made a yummy meal and watched a movie instead. Recharging...

Spontaneity

When life is too planned it can become a chore. I was reminded of this today when a friend that lives about an hour away called me to see if I could meet him for lunch since he was in the area. What a great break from the regular everyday hustle and bustle. We had a good lunch, some good laughs and got some fresh air!

It's important to have most things in your life planned but it's also important to have room for spontaneity. It makes life more fun and gives you a little boost.

Tonight I'm off to hit the gym and then make another batch of my fine Thai Basil Chicken! Yummy! I can't wait!!!

I'll keep you posted for more later.

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” ~Gail Devers

A fine quote!

We acquire the strength we have overcome. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wow! I've really done it now!

Today was quite a day for me. I started as early as you can read in my first post, then worked, went to lunch with my coworker, did weights at the gym, home for about 20 minutes then off to the other gym for hi/lo aerobics class and some socializing. It was a good day. I'm beat now though and I need to get my booty into the shower so I can go to sleep. I'm pretty sure I'll sleep well tonight, what do you think?

Ooh, and I got in my 6 meals today! Yeah for me. Of course it was easier to do since I worked out so late tonight. Good job me anyway! I rock!

"Go as far as you can see, when you get there you'll be able to see farther." ~Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and essayist

Self Expansion

"The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature."  Arnold Bennett

Oil Change

Good morning! Wow! I'm off to a great start. Look at me go.

This morning I was awakened by my neighbor bumping my car and setting off the alarm. In the past I would have spent a great amount of time and energy being mad that a) I was awakened a good 30 minutes before my alarm went off and b) that my neighbor had the audacity to bump my car at all. I checked in with myself and decided to take the extra time to make a couple of batches of zucchini loaf. While it was baking I showered then made breakfast. This was a much better option than my old self. Change in one's self is so great to see, particularly positive change!

And now I'm getting my oil changed and then I'm off to work! Yippee for me.

Have a great day!!!
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A fine quote!

Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, love is knowing I am everything, and between the two my life moves. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj

And while you're living, stay as close to love as you can.
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Life is interesting

One thing I will say about life is that it surely is dynamic! You just never know what is going to happen from day to day, how you will feel, who will surprise you, who will lift you up, who will let you down. I'm so glad I have a goal that is attainable and measurable. It just makes my life have purpose and that is great! I don't remember the last time I had that. Probably about 20 years ago when I was graduating from college. Nothing was going to stop me then. I was going to graduate no matter what it took and wouldn't you know it, that last year I got the best grades I got in my entire 4 years in college? That just shows you how you can do something really well when you're focused and you have a goal.

Dynamic living...what a concept. Life is constantly changing and you had better too if you want to keep up with it. I love seeing what's around the next corner, what the next challenge will be, what new adventure awaits, what funny story will come out of today or tomorrow. Life is so fantastic that way. You can't count on it to behave the way you think it might. And aren't we lucky it doesn't? Can you imagine how boring that might be?

The new people that may appear in our lives, the old ones that remain, the changes in relationships, the changes in one's self. So great! Really so amazing. Life is fascinating to me and I'm glad to be alive to experience life to its fullest with all the wonder it has to offer. Love it!

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." ~ James Dean

Meals and Workout

Today was a good day. I woke up when my alarm went off and put a smile on my face. As you see from my earlier post, I ate my breafast and was to work on time for a change! Worked hard today and the day just flew by.

Meal 2 was 4 hard boiled egg whites, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/4 cup oatmeal
Meal 3 was Chicken salad w/ cottage cheese dressing
Meal 4 was 1/2 apple and Pina Colada protein shake (post workout)
Meal 5 will be eggs and vegetable fettuccine

I thought my workout was going to be terrible today because I just didn't really feel like it and wasn't really prepared for it. But, guess what?!? It was FANTASTIC! Funny how that works sometimes. You just don't feel like it until you're there and then you just figure what the hell?

Bodyweight rows on smith machine 3x10
Pushups on smith maching 3x12
Pushups on floor 1x6
Seated cable row 3x10 at 70lbs
Alternating hammer curl 3x8 at 15lbs
Shoulder Press 3x6 at 25 lbs
Skullcrushers 3x12 superset w/ tricep extension again incline bench 3x8 all with 10lbs
Triceps pushdown w/ rope 1x15, 2x12 at 17.5

Then HIIT on elliptical (10 rounds) - 1 minute (incline 15, resistance 10) on 1 minute off (incline 15, resistance 5) and not holding handles!

Good Monday Morning!

Good morning on this fine Monday! I'm just finishing breakfast. I ate 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt, 1/4 cup mixed nuts with agave and vanilla. Then just because I wanted it I had 1/4 cup Cheerios. I took my fish oil, vitamin D3 and calcium!

It's going to be a great day!