Archive for August, 2011

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August 31st, 2011

WIAT&W

by Tiff

Ready to see what I ate Wednesday? Actually, I ate this Tuesday, but I’m pretty much having the exact same thing today. Big surprise, eh?

After nearly entering a carb-coma** Monday, I decided to hit up spin class after work Tuesday. I usually hate exercising out after work, but I needed the extra burn of spin. 24.4 miles later, I definitely felt the burn! I also did this pilates workout in the morning and strength training right before the spin class.

**Seriously, I don’t know what came over me, but I had the maniac munchies on Monday!

Breakfast was half of a chewy Eat.Think.Smile bar (80 calories) before my workout. Second breakfast included plain, fat-free Greek yogurt (95 cal) with Kashi GoLean (70 cal) and 1 cup of blueberries (85 cal). That is such a filling breakfast!

Lunch was a turkey, cheese, and lettuce sandwich on Great Harvest Bread Co. bread (305 cal). That bread is daaaaang good! I paired it with Green Giant Baby Brussels (50 cal). Those frozen sprouts come in convenient single-serving pouches you can pop right into the microwave.

Snack was 7 almonds (50 cal) and a pear (105 cal). I also downed a rice cake (35 cal) as I was walking out of the office. It was just enough to get me through my workout… barely.

Dinner was a Tex-Mex scramble that I like to call Tiffos Rancheros. It came to approximately 380 calories and was a great post-workout, protein-packed meal. I can’t wait to make it again tonight!

This dinner made me very happy.

I took 3 pics of dinner because I’m a dork in hopes that at least 1 would look somewhat appealing.

See the fat-free re-fried beans poking out?

This dinner would have made someone else happy (she loves scrambled eggs), but I don’t think she’d like the salsa!

Sorry Leia - No Eggs for You!

My total daily calories only came to about 1255, which would normally be too low. However, given the aforementioned carb-coma and calorie overload yesterday, my body just didn’t feel like it needed much else. (Thank goodness!) Sometimes you’ve just gotta listen to the belly!

Check out Peas & Crayons for other awesome eats and meal ideas!

Do you ever have “hungry days” when you just don’t ever feel full? Goodness knows I do!

What’s the best thing you’ve had lately?

Posted in Food | 29 Comments »

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August 30th, 2011

Eat.Think.Smile… Win!

by Tiff

Yesterday evening, my giveaway came to a close. Thanks to all of you who entered. Now it’s time to announce the 5 winners!

Wait… nope… it’s not. First it’s time to talk about my workout, review some goodies, then announce winners! Ugh, I’m starting to sound like one of those reality show contests, but at least you don’t have to sit through awful commercials.

I had a great workout yesterday. I completed 35 minutes on the elliptical, and then I completed about 30 minutes of heavy lifting. I started a new workout, and I’ll share it with you a little later this week.

pumped up kicks

On a side note, having black cross trainers makes the walk to work less embarrassing. Stylin’!

I’ve had a chance to try more Eat.Think.Smile goodies since last week, but I still haven’t tried them all. I got most of them though, and it’s fairer to review the things that sound best to you, right? I think so.

The cocoa chewy bar was unique. It was a little too rice-y for me in texture (like Rice Krispies kind of rice), but the flavor was really good. I have mixed opinions on mixed berry. It was good, don’t me wrong. I’m just in the middle on this one, and I’m not sure why.

The salty thins were interesting too. They remind me of slightly puffed chocolate Teddy Grahams. These things weren’t particularly salty, so they won’t fix a salt craving. However, they seem like the perfect PMS food. They’re teeny, and you can eat 46 of ‘em before you reach 130 calories. Sweeeet.

I was most excited about the dark cherry baked nutrition bar and am so happy that I have extra to share with the winners. Eat.Think.Smile puts cocoa in their products for a big punch of antioxidant goodness, and what’s better than chocolate and cherry?

Not much. Unless it’s chocolate and cranberry! This cranberry & walnut granola was amazing! In fact, I pushed it deep into my pantry before I could polish off the entire bag. This stuff’s like candy – except better because I’m not a big candy person.

Okay… finally… and the winners are (drum roll please)…

  1. Allie at Forgotten Beast
  2. Lisa at Fit in the Midwest
  3. Jessica @ Stylish Stealthy and Healthy
  4. Claire
  5. Krissy @ A Philly Nerd Girl

Yaaay for giveaways! Yaaaaaaay for winners! Thanks to everyone for reading.

Posted in Fitness, Food | 27 Comments »

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August 29th, 2011

I joined the Dark Side.

by Tiff

Weekends go soooooo fast! After my relaxing night at home with a pizza, a little wine, and a book on Friday, I was ready to get out on Saturday. So here is a recap of my semi-healthy and super-fun weekend…

I enjoyed trashy magazines while getting my hair done (guilty pleasure) and stopped by the beer shop on the way home. Woohoo for fall ales, Oktoberfests, and pumpkin beers!

I then stopped at the pretty grocery store for lunch stuff. Delish! Even Kevin liked it.

After a few hours of boating, (no pics to share), I made the most awesome lasagna for dinner. It was waaaaay better than restaurant lasagna, and it was vegetarian and cheap. Winning!

We then went out around 10 p.m. and had a unique experience. For a buddy’s b-day, the group of us rented a cabana at a rooftop club. Then, believe it or not, we saw Bret Michaels. I didn’t believe it at first until his bodyguard escorted him away from the crowd. So crazy!!!

Can you see his headband??? Did you notice that I joined the Dark Side by going brunette???

Yup – that about summed up my Saturday. It rocked. Sunday on the other hand = chores and grocery shopping, but at least I got leftover lasagna and frozen yogurt!

Even if I had to eat it all by myself since Mr. No Sweets didn’t want any.

What was the best thing you did this weekend?

Posted in Food | 33 Comments »

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August 27th, 2011

Unexpected

by Tiff

I have to workout, shower, get my hair done, and clean the house a bit for company, so this will be a short post. If you ask me, that’s too much to accomplish before 1o’clock in the afternoon!

I’ll start off by sharing my unexpected Friday. Nothing went as planned, but everything went relatively well. I planned to do easy cardio in the morning. Instead, I showed that stair climber who was boss and got ridiculously sweaty.

that's my do-you-believe-this-amount-of-sweat face

I planned to go out with friends, but instead, I didn’t. It was nice -not worth doing often- but nice. I planned to review a new ale for you, but I went with Spanish table wine instead of beer. It was dry, delicious, and cheap (maybe $7).

I planned to cook an Amy’s for-one frozen pizza, but instead of the for-one size, I found the larger one in my freezer. I planned to only eat 2/3, but I ate it all instead. It was pretty good, and it went great with the wine.

little plate, little wine glass, but lots of pizza

I’m such a planner that this rarely happens. Are you a planner? Or are most of your days full of the unexpected?

Since today’s post was short, I’ve put together a few extra links of good stuff.

If you haven’t entered my delicious giveaway, go do it! Good luck!

Posted in Food, Link Love, Uncategorized | 12 Comments »

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August 26th, 2011

Snack Attack

by Tiff

First, I want to start off by saying that doing a full-body pilates workout before swimming laps is not the best idea. Tiny little muscles I barely notice were super tired, but at least I got a good workout!

Cooking with Shirataki noodles is another bad idea. Lots of people love these, but I am not a fan.

yummy... sike!

They look good, but they smell like fish. Gross. I have never wanted a 10-cent bag of Top Ramen as badly as I did while I stared disappointingly into my bowl of bleck.

Now on with today’s post… If you hadn’t noticed, I like snacks. Snacks help maintain your metabolic rate and keep you from eating off your arm come 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. They also help you fuel for or help recover from a hard workout.

not all bars have beer and bad music

Keep in mind that I have no degree in nutrition/medicine/biology/physiology/whatever. I also have no certifications to help validate my musings. This is just what works for me. Maybe it will work for you too.

kitties need snacks too

To me, a snack should be under 200 calories but probably more than 100 (depending on your hunger level). I shoot for less than 2.5 grams of saturated fat when possible, that’s no die-hard rule. Here are a few tips from Shape Magazine:

I also try to pick snacks with fiber, protein and/or fat because they help keep you full and satiated. Your snack may not have all 3 like your meals, but that’s okay. I find protein is the most important for keeping me full. Here are a few examples of the snacks I’ve been loving lately:

  • 2% Cottage Cheese + Carrots
  • Yummus + Broccoli Florettes
  • Nature ‘s Path Hemp Bars (good for on-the-go)
  • Apple + Almonds***
  • Nut Butter + Brown Rice Cake
  • Half an Eat.Think.Smile Bar + Small Peach
  • Ice Cream Plain Greek Yogurt + Berries
  • Natural, Whole Wheat Crackers + 2% Cheese

***I have been riddiculed for counting my almonds. Those little buggars add up fast at 7 calories per almond! Healthy fat still makes you fat. (Sorry for using the “F” word too; don’t hate me.)

healthy fat = cashew

You can find tons of healthy snack ideas online. I think most ideas from magazines are over-processed, over-priced, and paid product placements, but they still occasionally have good finds. Here are just a few links to snack lists to get you started:

My biggest snacking rule – don’t eat something that you think tastes awful just because it’s “healthy.” You’ll be reaching for something yummy in no time!

Are you a snacker? What are some of your favorite snacks?

Posted in Food | 23 Comments »

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