Tag: Goat Cheese

Why Not Today?

I saw this print hanging at a local eatery in Lexington (virginia) last week and had to take a photo. This is a question I ask myself when I feel resistant to change. Why not today?

Thank you for the birthday well wishes and encouragement to my goals. I know that this isn’t the first time I’ve made goals, or a plan on this blog and so yes, I’m aware, but I’m doing it anyway. Today I’m at a 13 pound weight loss and I know that this process will continue to snowball, I just have to do it.

I was so spoiled for my birthday last week, many times over. Josh took me to the Safari Park (near Lexington) and I laughed so hard I was crying.

I mean, where else in the world can you go and say “I had a camel’s head in my car!”?

or a Zebra? I wanted to take this guy home with me.

Lexington is such a cute little town, it’s perfect for a day trip, just make sure you get there before 5pm when everything in town closes down.

We had dinner at Michele’s, a French restaurant located right off the Lexington exit. We ate here on our first anniversary and it was just as good as a remember. This salad with fried goat cheese and prosciutto and citrus dressing was heaven. I had the poached salmon with lobster sauce for dinner with a side of heirloom carrots and mashed potatoes. Dessert was a deep dish apple custard pie with a shortbread crust and homemade butter pecan ice cream. Nothing else needs to be said about the deliciousness of Michele’s! He even took time to come out and talk to us.

And so now that things have settled, I’m back to regular eating and posting my food again. This was yesterday’s lunch which was simple and delicious, just arugula, cucumbers, red peppers and tomatoes in a spinach wrap. I made a dressing out of sour cream, half and half, garlic, dill and oregano. This was a feel good meal.

For exercise I’ve been doing a session of Jillian’s 30 Day Shred, I woke up with sore arms this morning and made sure to put ice on my wonky knee afterwards. Can I just say (for the millionth time) that having an issue with my knee really puts everything into a new perspective. I fell on a dog four weeks ago (five weeks?) and while I’ve been told that this kind of injury can take up to four months to heal properly, is makes me appreciate and see how much I take the ability to move for granted. It’s frustrating to not feel like myself and to wake up with pain, and have to take precautions, this is new to me, but I’m working through it.

I also got a knee band that I wear to sleep and during exercise and it’s helped tremendously.

For breakfast this morning I had an oatmeal and fruit smoothie. I didn’t love it, but I’m going to try again tomorrow. I think I had too many flavors going on: oatmeal, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, banana, honey, blueberries and coconut. Maybe plain almond milk would be best?

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I Will Wear Anything

The day started with an Insanity workout, which was insane. I skipped Thursday’s workout meaning that I will have to exercise tomorrow, my usual day off , to make up for it. I’ve learned that morning exercise is the way to go for me, especially in the winter and Thursday just didn’t happen.

I drank tons of water and made a mental note to carry my water bottle with me where ever I went today.

I made a fruit smoothie for breakfast. Granola was an amazing addition.

And then I got dressed for the day and realized something that I need to share: I will wear anything. Even if I probably shouldn’t. I’m sure there is some rule book out there for big girls in their late 20’s. You know the one about not wearing puffy vests, and bright colors? I laugh in the face of fashion rules! This is why I should never give fashion advice. I will try my darnedest to “make it work”. For real. Too old? no! too fat? no! too bright? no! Bring it! This is also why you should never take me clothing shopping with you. I will encourage you to buy anything that makes your heart pitter patter, even if fashion says otherwise. I will encourage and celebrate headbands on grown women, false eye lashes for the office and sparkly shoes that were trendy seven years ago. You’ve been warned.

Lunch was a big giant salad that I’m calling “fall salad”, because of the cranberries, of course. It was filled with other yummy things like goat cheese, pecans and ginger dressing. And then I hemmed and hawed over having baked spaghetti. Would the salad be enough? Do I really need the spaghetti? Will the salad keep me full? So I did was any rational person would do and ate the spaghetti. The cream cheese baked spaghetti that my bff Jasmine told me that I needed to “omg make right now!” because it was on pinterest and it’s delicious. So I made it with whole wheat noodles and vodka sauce and I’ll be darned if that didn’t come out to 530 calories per serving. That’s what happens when you put a whole block of cream cheese into your spaghetti. You won’t regret it. Luckily, I portioned everything out into single serving freezer cups to prevent it from tempting me too much.

For a mid-afternood treat I drank a mug of Tazo passion tea, unsweetened.

For dinner I made the most popular Fenn household dish. Are you ready? Vegetable and peanut stir fry! Not kidding, it’s the very best thing that I make. We both love it, it’s easy, it’s quick, it’s healthy, it’s bulky, it’s vegetables, it’s cheap, it’s everything I could hope for.

It’s so easy and fail proof, just vegetables, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, peanuts, rice vinegar, water and honey.

I had another tea right after dinner. This time it was caramel black tea with a little milk and sugar.

And then I succumbed to an after-after dinner treat while re-watching Mad Men. I really went back and forth on this. I rationalized heating a little cookie dough in the microwave. I really truly did. It wasn’t much, and I ate it slowly. Did I need it? no. Did it derail my day? no. Did I end up eating more? no. So I’m okay with that. I did have a real moment with myself when I wanted more, because I will always want more in that, more wouldn’t taste any different and would make me sick. I’ve been there. I just wanted a little. But, I’ve been here before with “just a taste” which has turned into a weeks worth of calories. I’m realizing that eating more of anything when I’m full is never fulfilling, I just need to keep reminding myself of that every day.

Stuff I liked about today: I had a plan with food, exercise and even my work. I got a lot done today and I feel good for that. I also feel good that I drank lots of water and had servings of fruit and vegetables at each meal. I net about 1,600 calories.

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INFP, Yeah You Know Me

The morning started late again. For some reason I haven’t been hungry until mid-morning. I’m just going with it and waiting to eat when I am.

About a half cup of yogurt with 3 T of Crofter’s Blueberry Spread with about 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Oats.

Lunch was a fried chicken sandwich with lots of pickles. This eat-out lunch thing is going to be cut off tomorrow.

Chocolate chip fudge bites.

About 23ish minutes of intense exercise with Insanity Fast and Furious. Review on this DVD to come. I was pleased with myself for making the decision to exercise. I knew I was in need of the stress release and feel good endorphins. I had a meeting with friends later in the evening and knew I had a small window to exercise in. Normally I would have found an excuse not to. Not wanting to get sweaty, not feeling like I had enough time. My tank top reads “Never Give Up”, it’s one of my favorites.

Worst camera photo ever! At the meeting I enjoyed a plate of delicious food brought in by everyone. I started with a glass of white wine and then enjoyed a slice of sausage pizza, quinoa, goat cheese and wheat crackers, pickled beans, cucumber thingies, and fruit salad. I stopped eating when I was full. Everything felt healthy and light, and delicious as always.

At our meeting, my friend Sarah gave us the Myers Briggs personality type test. I showed up as an introvert, not too surprising. And my type as INFP which she said makes up 4% of the population. According to wikipedia my type is:

The polite, reserved exterior of INFPs can at first make them difficult to get to know. They enjoy conversation, however, taking particular delight in the unusual. When INFPs are in a sociable mood, their humor and charm shine through. Disposed to like people and to avoid conflict, INFPs tend to make pleasant company.

Devoted to those in their inner circle, INFPs guard the emotional well-being of others, consoling those in distress. Guided by their desire for harmony, INFPs prefer to be flexible unless their ethics are violated. Then, they become passionate advocates for their beliefs. They are often able to sway the opinions of others through tact, diplomacy, and an ability to see varying sides of an issue.

INFPs develop these insights through reflection, and they require substantial time alone to ponder and process new information. While they can be quite patient with complex material, they are generally bored by routine. Though not always organized, INFPs are meticulous about things they value. Perfectionists, they may have trouble completing a task because it cannot meet their high standards. They may even go back to a completed project after the deadline so they can improve it.

INFPs are creative types and often have a gift for language. As introverts, they may prefer to express themselves through writing. Their dominant Feeling drives their desire to communicate, while their auxiliary intuition supplies the imagination. Having a talent for symbolism, they enjoy metaphors and similes. They continually seek new ideas and adapt well to change. They prefer working in an environment that values these gifts and allows them to make a positive difference in the world, according to their personal beliefs.

This couldn’t be more accurate. Do you know your personality type?

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