Pardon the Interruption...

I'm back in action!  Sorry I haven't had the opportunity to post for the past 5 or so days, things have been a bit crazy!  I returned from Chicago the night before last.  The trip went really well and other than the first night (death by room service!), I ate really well!  I also forced myself into the surprisingly well-equipped fitness center at the hotel every day but Sunday!  (due in large part to the fact that I could only find 3 clean sports bras when packing lol)  I also did a lot of walking to and from the hotel/merchandise mart so that DEF helped.  When all was said in done, I ended up losing 2 pounds while I was gone! 
There was a restaurant called Au Bon Pain in the lobby of the merchandise mart (I don't think we have any in the cincy area?) and it was a wonderful asset for lunches!  Their menu has the calorie content clearly labeled for each of their menu items and they had 'Create Your Own Salad/Sandwich' options - which I happily took advantage of :)
So for lunches I had a Mixed Spring Green Salad w/ Chicken, Mandarin Oranges, Cucumbers, Red Onion and Almonds for garnish with FF Raspberry Vinaigrette.. all for 290 calories (and it was a good size)!
I was really happy about that and my boss/traveling partner, Amanda, helped me stay on track for the rest of the meals :)

I didn't go to the gym yesterday or this morning b/c I got a giant blister on the bottom of my foot and it has been KILLING me!  It's finally feeling better today so I'll definitely be hitting up the good 'ol Fitworks tomorrow morning! 

Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ 2% Milk (out of Skim - grocery shopping time!)
Medium Organic Orange
1 slice dry WW Toast

Snack:
Lite Vanilla Yogurt w/ berries and grahams

Lunch:
Running out to get a salad

Snack:
Skim Mozzarella String Cheese

Dinner:
WW Pizza w/ Chicken and assorted veggies (I'm making - not pre-made/frozen!)

I'm feeling really good!  Since the beginning of this blog, I've lost a total of about 9 pounds.  Not too shabby.  Obviously, I prefer immediate results but I think the pounds will start coming off even faster once the weather decides to STAY nice and warm and I'm able to be more active outdoors :)

OH and by the way, the plane ride went really well!  It definitely helped that Amanda is tiny so we were relatively comfortable sitting next to each other.. and the seat belt fit just fine :)

Well, until tomorrow!

Oh, Spinning!

Hello!  I went to spinning last night.. I'm still a little undecided as to whether I actually enjoyed it or not? It was definitely a great workout - no doubt about that!  I was completely drenched with sweat and my heart was pumping!  It just wasn't quite as upbeat as I had hoped.. I got kind of bored.  I found myself wondering how much longer we had to go.. and I didn't do that in Zumba.  However, the guy that was on the bike next to me (who appeared to be a seasoned spinner) was very surprised to hear that it was my first class and he said that I did really well!  Maybe I'm not in as bad of shape as I thought? ;)  Honestly the absolute worst part about the class was the damn SEAT on the bike!  My butt is hurting today, and it's not because I worked the muscles!  That was the most uncomfortable seat on the planet!  A few of my friends were joking about needing padded shorts for the class and I now see why.  Branden said maybe it would stimulate my butt so I would actually grow one.. (I have the terrible disease of noassatall) he's just SO hilarious.

Lauren and I went to the gym this morning and worked on arms.. we completed the workout up until the last 10 minutes on the bike.  We skipped that, for obvious reasons : )

Turkey meatballs and WW Spaghetti were really yummy last night!  I used a small dessert plate and had some spaghetti and salad w/ fat free raspberry vinaigrette. 
Here's the recipe:
Meatballs:
1/4 C Liquid Egg Whites
1/4 C WW Bread Crumbs
1 Small Red Onion, grated (rough on the eyes!)
1/4 C Chopped Baby Spinach
1/4 C Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 Cloves garlic, mashed
3 tb Ketchup
1lb Lean Ground Turkey

Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Jar of Pasta Sauce (I used Prego Heart Smart)

*Pre-heat oven to 375

- Measure all ingredients up to Turkey in large bowl.  Mix all ingredients until well blended.  Add turkey and mix well. 
- Line cookie sheet w/ aluminum foil (for easy clean-up!) and spray foil w/ non-stick spray.
- Make round meatballs approx 1" in diameter and place on cookie sheet
- Bake in 375 oven for approximately 30 minutes or until browning on top.
- Boil WW Spaghetti and drain, do not rinse. (*try to time spaghetti to finish cooking around same time as meatballs coming out of the oven)
- In a large saute/sauce pan, heat jar of pasta sauce.  Add meatballs and spaghetti and mix carefully so as not to break-up meatballs.

Salad:
Baby Spinach
Chopped Green Apple
Chopped Strawberries
Raisins
Chopped Red Onion
Croutons
Raspberry Vinaigrette

Mix and enjoy!

Serve and enjoy! : )

I did end up ordering Chipotle for lunch yesterday.. before you go crazy, I did healthy Chipotle!  I got a salad w/ black beans, chicken and all of the salsas.. which totaled to about 500 calories.  Not bad! 

Food for Today:
Breakfast:
1 egg white
1/2 WW bagel w/ natural pnut butter
Chocolate Protein Shake

Snack:
LF Vanilla Yogurt w/ Berries and grahams

Lunch:
Undecided - I still have my turkey sammy from yesterday but my cold is getting worse and I'm super congested so I REALLY want something spicy.. just trying to find something spicy and healthy at the same time!  I think I may run to Kroger as opposed to running out to a restaurant..

Snack:
Pretzels

Dinner:
Chicken Chili w/ Brown Rice

Well I'm DEFINITELY back into gym mode!!  I'm totally obsessed, I would spend my entire day at the gym if I had the opportunity!  I've been doing well with my eating this week too!  There's a constant supply of candy/cookies sitting out at my work and I have not given-in to temptation ONCE!  I'm pretty proud of myself b/c the candy sitting out right now is mini reese's peanut butter cups and those are my freakin favorite.  Oh well!  I'm interested to see the scale at the end of this week.  I've been busting ass all week long and I'm hoping to have lost 5 pounds.. we'll see, I guess?

I'm getting a bit nervous about Chicago.. having to eat out 3 meals a day for 4 days is really scaring me.. I'm going to have to pay VERY close attention to the food/ingredients/preparation... and workout extra hard in the hotel fitness center :)

I'm not doing any extra classes tonight.. mama's tired!  I need to go find a pair of flat, comfortable shoes for this weekend.  Wish me luck!

Until tomorrow..