The weather was absolutely beautiful yesterday I am told (damn you Mother Nature) so the hubby wanted to go for a run after dinner.  I decided to peel myself from my desk chair and join him.  Sitting at a desk from 7am to 7pm does not do good things to the legs.  My entire body hurt to run and my legs felt like cement blocks were attached.  I drug my exhausted self 2.21 miles and called it quits.  It looks like I will have to work my butt off to get back to where I was endurance wise.

Breakfast this morning was out of the ordinary for me (i.e. not a GM or oats).

I found this lonely english muffin in the back of the pantry and figured I should probably eat it.  I filled it in with 1/4th cup egg beaters and strawberry jam.  (Love the savory/sweet combo).  On the side I ate a few strawberries and slices of banana.  It was nice to change up breakfast but I am worried it won’t keep me full as long!

I also used a Dunkin Donuts coffee sample I received in the mail the other day.  I have never actually been to a Dunkin Donuts before.  There weren’t any where I grew up and the only ones I know of here are in real shady parts of the Loop.

Results:  It smelled pretty darn good, but I was not very impressed with taste.  I blame that on my snobby fresh ground Central Market coffee habit.  A lot of the bloggers I read swear by their iced coffee, so maybe one day.

Here is a review of my Monday:

I sat here all day.  Literally.  I was in the chair shortly after 6am and didn’t get out until our run at 7pm.  Sadly, this is pretty organized as far as my desk area goes.  (And yes, I make piles and know exactly what each one is for)

Survival kit.

Lunch.  Joseph’s Lavash wrap (you must try these!), hummus, veggies, veggies on the side, and pita chips (x about 5 more servings as snacks).

Dinner.  Cereal, strawberries, bananas, and lots of cinnamon.  Yes, I drink iced coffee with dinner.  I also had an unpictured protein cake after my run.

That is it folks.  I still have class today and tomorrow (don’t even get me started on that topic) and more to cram into my brain than humanly possible.

Fun fact: I now drink coffee like I take tequila shots:  fast and in multiples.

P.S. I finally updated my About Me page, so check it out if you feel so inclined.

I was really excited for my run this morning because there was hardly any traffic and only a few people out on the trail.  (Note to self:  run at 8am on Easter Sunday more often)  I had planned a 9 mile run, but within the first mile I knew that wasn’t going to happen!  It was unearthly humid!!!!!  I am entering my second summer here in Houston and still cannot believe the humidity!

I could actually feel myself running into particles of moisture.  Gross.  I ran slow.  Slower than I have in a long time.  I honestly couldn’t breathe.  The air was too thick to breathe and the allergies were horrible!  After 59 minutes and 6 miles I threw in the towel!  My hat was so completely soaked that sweat was pouring into my eyes…YUCK!

Anyway, it is hot here.  And humid.  But time to recap the weekend anyway.

Saturday started with a nice 6 mile run.  Finished in 54:50.  Not too shabby.  I wasn’t pushing too much, just enjoying the run.

During Saturday errands we stopped at Whole Foods to find this sweet deal:

Buy 1 Get 1 Free take and bake pizzas.  Yum!  These things are so huge!  Clearly I had a slice of this monster for lunch Saturday.

Dinner was a HUGE sweet potato with vegetarian beans and cinnamon.

The hubby and I also split a sliced apple with dinner.  Yes, more cinnamon.

After dinner I couldn’t beat my sweet tooth.  I gave in.  I will conquer my sweet tooth this week-hopefully!

On the plus side I made this delicious protein cake!

Chocolate covered strawberry protein cake

1 scoop Lean Dessert Protein-Chocolate pudding

1 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp egg substitute

1 Tbsp applesauce

about 10-15 mini chocolate chips

Strawberry jam of choice

I used a bigger, shallow Pyrex bowl to cook in.  Spray with non-stick spray.  Add in wet ingredients.  Mix in dry ingredients.  I use a small whisk to make the dough fluff up a bit.  Sprinkle mini chips on top of mixed batter. Microwave about 2 minutes depending on microwave strength.  Take out and cover with strawberry jam of choice.

*I bought Smuckers sugar free jam yesterday because that was all that WalMart had–YUCK!  This had nothing on Polaner’s sugar free with fiber.  I will have to go to Kroger and get the good stuff next time!

Trooper has been a real spit fire this weekend!  Here he is protecting his squirrel.

Easter Sunday started with pre-run fuel…

Kashi Go Lean Truly Vanilla packet with banana, AB, and sprinkle of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Then I went on a run through a tropical rain forest, erh, went on a run around Houston.

I got home (showered first, no worries) and then unwrapped this baby.  All I can say is… WHY DIDN”T I BUY THIS SOONER????  Ahhhhhh….felt so good on the leg muscles.  This thing probably would have helped a lot when training for my 3 halfs.  Oh well, I am enjoying it now!

Lunch started with this WalMart find.  Just 100 calories for this monster sized wrap.

Stuffed the wrap with hummus, mushrooms, cucumbers, onions, and pickles.  On the side some pita chips.  The wrap tore a little bit while I was eating it (when doesn’t that happen?), but I loved the slightly chewy texture.

Currently snacking on a bowl of fruit, writing this post, and starting homework.  If you haven’t noticed I am a massive slacker when it comes to school.  I just really dislike all my classes this semester so I have no motivation whatsoever!  Off to read, read, read!

Anyone do anything special for Easter?  Family traditions?

Clearly the hubby and I don’t do a lot of holiday celebrations.  We live 1,000 miles from our friends and family so there isn’t much of a point.  We just did what we do every other Sunday.  (I didn’t get any Easter candy…disappointing but good for the abs)

The hubby is now officially an old man.  He turned 25 today!  Ahhhh!  Personally, I plan to turn 24 for the next 5 years or so.

Since I am in class until after 7 on Tuesdays I made the hubby birthday dinner last night.  It was a fun dinner!

Dinner (really breakfast) started with this pink pancake mix that I won from Erica at Fashion Meets Food

Man, these are some fluffy pancakes!  Just how we like em!

I also made him a mushroom and sausage egg scramble.  He loved the pancakes so much he went back for seconds.  After stuffing his belly with pancakes the hubby enjoyed one of his birthday cupcakes from this weekend.  The hubby then spent the evening relaxing and hanging out with Trooper.

Being the wonderful wife I am I also prepped some beef strogonoff and left it in the fridge so he can heat it up tonight after work.  The hubby’s bday celebrations will continue this weekend because we have tickets to see Purdue play here in Houston in the Sweet Sixteen!  I don’t think Jordan could have asked for a better birthday present!  We have already got our game clothes laid out and ready!

P.S. The hubby and I made the local paper back home (Purdue country).  Click here to check it out.

Okay, now on to my eats.  I have made a conscious effort to watch what I eat.  I tend to keep up my race mentality and continue to carb load after my racing events (not so great on the waistline) although I am in complete rest mode.  I think I have done really well of adjusting back to normal chowing.

Monday’s breakfast was a GM with the last of my spinach.  Sad.

We haven’t grocery shopped in about a week and half, so for lunch  it was time to dig into the pantry.  I found Cream of Wheat Healthy Grains sample that I had gotten awhile back.  It was instant, so I decided a 3 minute lunch sounded good to me!

As a kid, I always had Cream of Wheat when I stayed over with my grandparents.  My grandma made plain ol’ cream of wheat with a little honey.  So simple, so good.  Today, I tend to stick to whole grains and feel the need to add endless toppings.  The Cream of Wheat Healthy grains definitely had a “heartier” taste then regular and I also thought it had a tad thicker texture.  I added banana, AB, and jelly to my bowl.  For instant hot cereal it was pretty darn good.  I would definitely eat it again in a pinch for time.

Although I made the hubby a wonderful Bday dinner, I just wasn’t feeling pancakes (nor were there any left once he was done) so I made soup and a sandwich.

I had a 1 cup serving of Lentil soup.  Yummy.  So filling for soup.

My sandwich was toasted ww bread with hummus, tomato, avocado, and a few apple slices.

Unpictured today were snacks of popcorn, handfuls of Honey Nut Cheerios, and dessert of 2/3 frozen banana sandwich.

Be back later today to give a post-race leg update, and foods for Tuesday!

Well I am up bright and early to go spend the day in a MPRE review course.  Ah, the perks of being a law student.

But let me recap Saturday for ya:

Lunch was a Boca burger with mushrooms, ketchup, mustard and unpictured side salad.  Yummy!

A caramel rice cake was eaten as dessert on the way to the watch party.

At the watch party I had a Strongbow Cider.

After the watch party, we ran to the grocery store for a few necessities then came back home for dinner and a movie.

Dinner was a wrap with hummus, mushrooms, mozz, artichokes, carrots, and some honey mustard sauce.

On the side the last of my baby spring mix, and carrots with hummus.  Random I know.

These two silly boys and I watched My Sister’s Keeper.  Has anyone else seen this?  And did you cry the entire movie? Because I seriously think I cried the entire movie, it was incredibly sad!

Dessert was another caramel rice cake topped with some PB and a small cup of hot chocolate.

After the movie I decided to make these babies for later:

Frozen Nana Sandwiches

1 banana sliced long ways, then slice into 3 parts

Spread with nut butter of choice

Add a few mini chocolate chips

Wrap and freeze for a delicious dessert!

I am sure one of these will be enjoyed for dessert tonight!

What better way to start the last day of the week then by making oats so good that you smile!

YUM!  I just heated up some overnight oats (no stove involved).

1/4 cup oats

1/8th cup oat bran

1 tbsp flax meal

topped with the crushed end of a bag of Kashi

banana

AB

cinnamon

honey

AMAZING!  This was exactly what I needed to brighten my spirits.  Getting my butt up and hitting the gym this morning also helped.  I did 30 mins of quarter mile intervals (about 3 miles total).   I then came back to the apartment and did a little bit of ab work.  I should have had a plan, because I ended up mainly just watching Buffy and throwing in a few random ab moves.

On Wednesday I did a bunch of squats/lunges in my strength set and my legs are still killing me!  I find it somewhat ironic that I ran 13 miles with little leg soreness; I do about 40 squats and I can barely walk.

Dinner last night was made in about 5 minutes because I was exhausted after 12 hours of school.

Multi-grain wrap with hummus, artichokes, mushrooms, carrots, and the rest of the bag of pretzels I had to buy at the vending machine to make it through my last class.

By the end of the week my meals lack all effort and creativity, I am just too worn out to come up with something.  Hence eating things like oats for dinner ,frozen pizza, or leftovers.

Do your meals get less creative towards the end of the week or do you meal plan?

I predict an iced coffee this morning before class.

Given my school schedule Tuesday/Thursdays I have to pack a lunch and multiple snacks.  Jordan and I traveled outside the loop yesterday to find a Walmart and I bought some pretty cool lunch box gear:

New built in ice lunch holder.  The top also opens to store silver ware.

My lunch was nice and cool without having to pack ice packs.  I had a hummus and mushroom sandwich, with blueberries and carrots dipped in hummus on the side.  Yes, there was a lot of hummus consumed today.  I loved my lunch gear though, and can’t wait to try out the cups with a frozen lid.

Breakfast was boring this morning and consumed on the cold walk to school:

I do enjoy this flavor though.  Zesty, you might say.  My hands were freezing this morning because I discarded my only pair of gloves on the race course Sunday.  It is Houston, and I didn’t expect it to be near freezing!  Spring better hurry its little butt up!

I loved the comments on BBQ joints.  Anyone ever notice how different BBQ is in different parts of the country?

I  like my sauce a little bit sweet with a nice smoky taste.  The hubby and I went to the self-proclaimed BBQ capital of TX and they served their meat with no sauce!  I guess BBQ there meant a slow-smoked process for the meat.  Personally I like the sauce more than any of the meat.

What is your favorite BBQ?  Favorite tastes or region?