Three Things

Three things I'm loving this week!

Spring is in the air!! (It may be killing my lungs via allergies though.) I love the contrast of city and nature. I'm always forgetting that trees have pretty flowers on them before they bloom into leaves.

Kale in my smoothies! I'm really new to kale. We tried a frozen bag a few weeks ago and were sorta unimpressed. I would like to try this fresh next time and try making the hugely popular kale chips recipe.  Anyway, blending frozen kale into my smoothie is a great way to get some greens in before I leave for work. You can't even taste it in there! I swear!

My new rainbow sock monkey! My mommy bought this for me because I am 5 years old and she loves me. :D

Splash of Orange Juice

Hiii ohhh my how this week FLEW! I'm not even sure why or how or what happened. I took minimal pictures as well, which is probably why I wound up not blogging. I love to take photos and then creating a blog around those, and since all pictures this week were of the cats (#catlady) I chose to post nothing. This isn't Unchartered Shelter Cats.

ANYWAY yesterday and today I made some awesome smoothies! Yesterday's was thicker and I'm really not sure why since they were essentially the same.

In the mix:

• frozen 'naner
• frozen strawberries (like 5 sliced pieces)
• frozen pineapple (4 pieces..all that was left!)
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• spash of orange juice  * really makes it tasty!! Hence the title of this post :)

I topped the mixture with chia seeds and chocolate granola. It was really yummy! Look at that- I even broke out a nice placemat for y'all!

They're replacing all the water pipes in my neighborhood, and it's been really fun waking up to machinery noise. :p

The girls don't seem to mind. Speaking of, Lucy is adjusting wonderfully! She's been super shy and she slinks away with a worried look on her face all the time, but in the past week, she has made kitty strides.

The curtain is a fine place to sit.

We've been keeping her in the bathoom overnight and sometimes during the day so that Peach doesn't muder her.

I will murder you with my lasers!!

Lucy has been super sweet in the bathroom and I've taken to calling her Bathroom Cat. As soon as she leaves the room, it was like she forgets who we are and what is going on.

But she is getting better! She is hiding less and very playful. She even comes up to me in rooms now! I'm glad she's becoming well adjusted. Now I just need Peach to be nicer to her. She is....but it's going to be a long time before they're friends. Unchartered Felines.

In other news, I was excited to get my Oprah's Favorite Things O Magazine this month and was delighted to open up to an OOOPPPRAAHHHHH RAAAAAIIINNNNBBOOOOWWWW!

Have you started your holiday shopping  yet? I've bought maybe 3 things, and am a bit stumped on the rest.

Goals:

Sooo this was from last week - let's see how badly I did:

1. Blog 3x. Blogged 1x. Oops
2. Yoga 2x Yoga 1x
3. Gym 3x Gym 2x
4. Eat smaller meals wha?
5. Throw a kick ass brunch for Mom's bday Sunday :) Yea!

Mom's brunch was fun! My sister & her family came down and we all ate tons and tons of carbs and grapes. :) Mom had a blast.

This week!:

1. Gym 2x
2. Yoga 2x
3. Blog 3 god damn times.
4. Catch up with my bro!
5. Try not to go insane food-wise during the Thanksgiving holiday next week.

Watch out NY!

Holla!! Did all you east coasters survive the earthquake on Tuesday?? Are y'all ready to be blown over in hurricane Irene this weekend? Whew! I'm sure you all know this is happening because the world is ending in 2012. You didn't think it'd just end did you? It has to come to an end over time, clearly starting with eastern N America.

Anydelusions, I'm not giving up! I'm still going to set goals and be the best Laura I can! I started out this week with a wonderful smoothie.

Nom nom.
I don't really understand.... I've made tons of smoothies all summer long and while they're always similar, I have a hard time recreating ones I loved. It's so frustrating. Sometimes the texture is really thick  and what I want (that's what she said) and sometimes it need to drink it with a straw (no bueno). Well.. sorta bueno. I think I really just want some ice cream.

In the bowl:

• 1 & 1/2 frozen 'naners (small)
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup frozen blackberries
• 1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Great breakfast!

So this week has been pretty decent but I wanted to make some tangible, bloggable goals for the week. I read a bunch of blogs of girls who attended the Healthy Living Summit this past weekend and when I left comments on blogs about what MY blog was about, I realized I'm still trying to find that out myself! I started it with the intention of keeping me on track and helping me reach goals before I hit 30 in about a year. I also wanted to get back into writing and just have a space where I could be free and say what I wanted. But as much as I love what I've done here so far (sort of an internet scrapbook with some meals mixed in) I'd like to have accountable Fridays. Sooo here's my list for this week!

1. Work out 4x (2x at the gym). Why on Earth am I paying for this gym!?!
2. Bring lunch every day next week. (I'm normally pretty good at this but today I spent $9 on lunch :p)
3. Get at least 5 servings of fruits/veggies in each day. (Easy peasy!)
4. Spend 15 minutes each day keeping my home neat & clean.
5. Blog at least 3x this week.

Sooo let's see how I do!  This past week I've done yoga 2x and Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred Level 3 (!!) so I am proud of that. These goals are a little easy/nothing life changing...but a million steps brings you a long way! Or some other cliche.
  
   6. Use less cliches.

Since you endured that long ass paragraph about myself and my vague life goals, here are some pictures of Peach cleaning her toes.  Happy Weekend! Be safe in the hurricane! Drink a hurricane instead!

Not my most flattering angle

Getting Back Into It

So, this week hasn't been a great one health wise. I mean, it was fine, just clouded with some poor choices. Going out for a birthday is great and a part of life and I will always find a balance to include such activities in my life, but it's not a reason for a full derailment! I could've drank a bit less on Saturday (shhh judgies ;) and I could've made better hangover food choices the next day. And Monday - Ok now that's ridiculous. There was no need to ruin Monday. I need to remember to keep my eyes on my goals. I did feel however that on Tuesday (the start of my health week) I felt a renewed sense of drive. I'm thankful for that and even paused to be a lil bit proud of myself. In the past, I would've just gone on for weeks, saying I'd start over in September, or on my birthday mid month etc.

I found that when I used my blog to keep me more on track I .... get this... stayed more on track!!  So here are some meals!

Yesterday morning I made my awesome tropical smoothie, but this time had some spinach on hand.

Greeeeen

Check out this green! :D I love this color! I want to paint my walls this color and buy matching throw pillows. You can't even taste the spinach in this. I recommend it as a great way to get more veggies in.

For dinner I had a great salad. .. But I need to remember to position each addition nicely so I can take a prettier picture!

In the mix:

• lettuce
• spinach
• tomato
• celery
• baby carrots
• corn
• jalapeno peppers
• black bean burger

I ate this dressed with Wishbone Honey Dijon. After tasting this dressing, I promptly divorced Pete and married the dressing. SO GOOD! I do want to check the ingredient list though. Whenever something is this tasty, there is usually high fructose corn syrup in it. I like to try to stay away from this. It's hard though since it's in everything!

This morning I felt I initiated myself into the "Healthy Blogger" world. I finally bought Chia seeds!!! :D

*Naturally I didn't take a photo*  *Still learning blogging*

As soon as I opened them, I had to resist the urge to mix them in water & slather them all over Peach to see if I could grow my very own Chia Pet.

Don't you dare.

I was excited to finally try these little powerhouses out. They have a ton of omega 3s in them and have a gelling action when exposed to water that makes them plump up, keeping you fuller *not a word for longer.

I added them to my usual sandwich thin with peanut butter, 'naner, & cinnamon.

I can't wait to try them in other recipes where they really plump up.

So that's all for now! I will be photographing more stuff that I eat soon & attempting to stay on track in the meantime :)

Smoothie Queen

This morning I woke up still sore from the 30 Day Shred DVD I did on Thursday, but kept the flow going and did Jillian Michaels Shred It With Weights DVD.

I'm trying to get into the habit of doing strength training more regularly. I love feeling my muscles respond and getting stronger! I really like most of this DVD. There is one move where you swing the kettle bell from between your legs to up over your head, but when I do this move my shoulders hurt. They hurt in a "might come out of the socket" sort of way. (I realize they most likely will not, but who wants to tempt it?!?) Plus when you get to the top of the swing you are supposed to flip the kettle bell over so that it's leaning on the back of your hand, and I also feel like this could cause wrist injuries.

Other than that move I really like this work out. I've yet to try level 2. One day!

I was starving after this workout and decided to make yet another summer smoothie. I wasn't in the mood for the usual chocolate one. I'm actually not a huge fan of chocolate. I much prefer vanilla but currently don't have any vanilla protein powder.

While I browsed the fridge & freezer, I decided to make something tropically.
 I LOVE frozen 'naners and always have a few on hand. I know some people who are smarter than me peel the banana and THEN freeze it, but I keep forgetting to do this. I find it simple enough to open though. I simply cut the banana in half, and then make vertical slits into the skin. It pops right off!

Do you like my blue, white & yellow theme? I felt brilliant when I added the pineapple Chobani instead of a plain one. It's the little things!!

ZOMG this smoothie was awesome! All it needed was some rum and it'd be perfect! ;)

I enjoyed this with another iced coffee that I made all by myself.

Did you notice the tiny spoon?

Tiny spoon!

How cute is it?! I also bought it in red. I love that this one matches my smoothie bowl!
Last night I dragged Pete to Crate & Barrel and nearly bought everything in the tabletop section. I should really design my own dishes, mugs and kitchen utensils! Pete always laughs at me because he thinks I love anything that is smaller than average. I immediately protested until I realized he's so right.  Anytime we're in a store and I see a small plate, mini sized colander or tiny spoons I get super excited. I don't normally buy the pieces, but I couldn't resist the cute spoons!*

*I did not wind up eating the smoothie bowl with this spoon as it would've taken 2 hours*

I plan on using the spoons for things like ice cream & pudding.

Lastly, I want to send out a Happy Happy Birthday wish to Ms. Emily!

You are the best and I love you to bits and can't wait to celebrate tonight 80s style!! :D xoxo<3