So after a nice run this morning in the most perfect running weather, I decided to opt for a bowl of warm cereal versus the cold I've been having all week.

I added a cherry soy yogurt, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and a scoop of almond butter to the mix.  It was delicious and entirely hit the spot.

Today is a bit of lazy Sunday here in our household seeing that I've been off from work one full week and tomorrow is the dreaded Monday I return (Actually, it's not that bad ;-), and Ryan has been off for five days and tomorrow is the dreaded Monday he returns.  I keep saying we won't win the lottery until we start playing it...

For lunch today I decided to get a little creative, and started with this.

I didn't have any hummus on hand, and I don't have a blender (it's on my most immediate to-buy list), but I was determined to make a sort of chickpea topping for my rice  cakes.

So I portioned out a serving of chickpeas in a bowl, coated them with a teaspoon of olive oil, and grabbed some additional ingredients; i.e. a carrot, a garlic bulb, and some spices.

I ended up transferring the chickpeas to a plate so I could really get in there and mash them. 

Then I transferred them back to the bowl to add in all the other ingredients, and voila!

Fresh chickpea spread-topped rice cakes.  Divine. 

So post acupuncture, post spin class, I was proudly able to get up this morning and get a good run in to start the day.  I think my body was still feeling a bit worn down from the extra intense spin class last night, but still it felt good to get going.

Before I headed out to the gym (which I opted to do because it was already hot outside at 8:30 this morning) I ate a light breakfast of yogurt with rice cereal mixed in.

The crunchy texture was a fun change of pace from the hot cereal I eat most often. 

Afterward I definitely had a spoonful of almond butter straight from the jar, but alas there is no picture of that.

After running errands and such, I threw together a light lunch of rice cakes topped with hummus and baby spinach.  Light and nutritious.

No Ryan and I are off to do some last minute shopping for his mom's birthday which is  ... today!

Catch ya later.

As I'm sitting here finishing my pre-spin class dinner, I just realized I've eaten two salads today ... Guess my body had a craving!

So I did in fact survive my acupuncture experience.  Was I almost on the verge of tears and panicking most steps of the way ... Yes.  But that's why Ryan was there to support me =)  It's a well known fact that basically everything freaks me out.  No big deal.

It was actually quite impressive.  Basically the Dr. checked my pulse and told me what all my ailments were down to a tee.  And after freaking out before and during and maybe a little right after, I had a few of the most relaxed hours of my life this afternoon.  A feeling that can solely be contributed to my acupuncture session.  Hey maybe it's benefits will be two-fold; my pain stops and I'm not ridiculously anxious in life ... It seems probable at this point anyway!

So I'm scheduled to go back Friday morning.  The Dr. recommends I do two sessions a week initially and then taper until my symptoms are no more (Ideally!).  Ryan's still going to be my support buddy Friday, but then after that when we're both back to work I'll have to man up and manage alone.  (The office is right around the block from my parents' house so I'll have to schedule it in to score a free home-cooked meal as an incentive of surviving on my own ... You reading this Mom? ;-)

Post acupuncture we stopped by Moe's to grab a quick bite, in the hopes that we'd go bowling right after.

(I also ate a small cup of rice with this but have no photo.)

But alas, Wantagh Lanes forever has closed lanes for leagues and parties.  Boo.  So instead we did some laps around the mall ... and I compulsively shopped a bit ... oops!

And now (phew, this is a lengthy post) I just wrapped up dinner and am about to gear up for spin class.  Last week I went on  Monday and so met the Monday instructor, and tonight I get to meet another instructor.  It'll be fun to see how the classes compare.

For dinner I had a light salad dressed with flaxseed oil and ground black pepper,

and a bowl of butternut squash soup sprinkled with cinnamon.

Clearly this is not enough food, but I wanted to keep it light so I wouldn't have a heavy tummy for spinning.  I'll be sure to replenish with protein later tonight!

I'd like to preface this entry by saying I think I'm going through caffeine withdrawal.  I've been off the caffeine since Saturday ... Friday morning being my last time of ingestion ... and I sure am one sleepy chica.

Food shopping with Mom was quite the success.  Between Wild By Nature and BJ's, my pantry and freezer are fully stocked at this time.  I'm super eager to use the cans of pumpkin and butternut squash I stocked up on ... just not sure what for yet!

Because my sisters attend a hub-site right by my home, we decided to pick them up this afternoon rather than have them journey home on the bus.  So in between food shopping and picking up my sisters' I scarfed down a yogurt,

and sampled some gluten-free, dairy-free banana nut bread.  Delicious, of course.

Even though I was home today, I wasn't planning on preparing a huge dinner because I was anticipating I'd be at 7PM spin class this evening, but at the last minute I decided it was more important to stay at home with Ryan and enjoy the season premiere of House together.  (We are pretty strong House viewers.)  Monday spinning can resume per normal next week =)

Still, it was nice to not really have too much to do to get dinner together.  All I did was re-heat the rotisserie in the oven, steam some carrots, and mix up the instant mashed potatoes.

Simple and divine.

Now I'm just struggling to keep my eyes open at uh ... 9:30!  Oh well ... I can sleep in tomorrow if need be ;-)

The weebly website was acting a little funky over the past couple of days, so I was never able to actually get any posts up.  So let me just share with you a few highlights of my eats since Thursday. 

Stay tuned, and welcome to the weekend!

I've gotten so caught up in the work week that I just realized there's only two days left until I have a full week off!  Yes!

So snacking on that yogurt post-run last night seemed to do the trick ... I slept soundly through the night sans hunger pains =)

When I woke up this morning I ate a couple of waffles,

and later on at work I ate a banana.  (The yogurt came home with me and is back in the fridge.  I guess I maxed out on yogurt yesterday!)

For lunch I was actually looking forward to another turkey sandwich today, even though I had two in row this week ... but I wasn't sure if the turkey was starting to smell a little ripe.  So that got tossed and I opted for hummus instead.

On the side I ate a bunch of grapes.  They were really good and hit the spot.

When I got home from work I had the whole night ahead of me and wasn't quite sure how to spend it.  Predominantly, it was spent on the couch =)

I ate some split pea soup and a little popcorn for dinner. 

I really wanted some crackers or tortilla chips or rice crackers with the soup, but had none on hand. 

I did leave the couch briefly to go for a short walk ... the weather was beautiful of course.  But now here I am ... back on the couch.  I've been looking forward to this lull in my schedule all week.  It feels just as good as anticipated.

So today was a little on the slow side ... not necessarily in a good way, but I know tomorrow will be more chaotic so I guess I should just appreciate today for what it was!

I got hungry again mid-morning and snacked on a banana.

And by the time lunch finally came around I was absolutely starving.  I had a turkey sandwich again today, with spicy mustard, hot sauce, and baby spinach.  It was quite tasty.

Also with it I had a yogurt (My newest featured food on my Food Allergies and Sensitivities tab, check it out!),

and I also had a really small serving of walnuts ... but my camera seems to have eaten that picture?  I'm sorry!

After work I stopped at Ann Taylor Loft and snagged some really great deals on work pants.  I always have such a fun time shopping in the Fall ... best time of year to shop if you ask  me. 

Tonight Ryan and I were going to have a bowling date night, but all the bowling alleys nearby have leagues tonight so lanes wouldn't be available until about 9:30 ... no good.  Instead I decided to cook us a nice dinner.

I baked some potatoes and pork chops, and steamed some green beans.  I also added a little applesauce to my plate.  I absolutely love applesauce with pork chops.  Mmm.

Now I'm spending some time digesting on the couch and maybe, possibly plan to get a run in around 8pm or so. 
 
Oh and by the way, I joined that spin/pilates studio for 6 months.  I'm super psyched and can't wait to go back to spinning next week!

Hello everybody ... sorry to leave you hanging!

Yesterday was sort of a wishy-washy  day, so while I did take pictures, blogging just never came to be.  Sometimes life just takes priority and so it goes ...

So today I sleepily awoke to the beginning of another work week ... but now I'm just four days away from a full week off!  Woo hoo!  I grabbed a yogurt, some nuts and a banana to eat for breakfast at work.   I never did get around to the banana though. 

Later on for lunch I had a turkey sandwich, some baby carrots, and some popcorn. 

Similarly, I never got around to eating that apple ... I guess I just wasn't feeling the fruit too much today?

And now that I'm pleasantly at home, I'm going to scrounge up a light dinner because I have to head out in about an hour to try out a spin class!  About four years ago when I was living in Syracuse while going for my masters, I used to go to spin classes every Sunday morning at the gym I belonged to.  I loved, loved, loved spin classes and was so upset I could never find a class to attend back on the island that was compatible with my time schedule. 

But last night I was researching various exercise classes/studios on Long Island and came across a studio that accommodates spinning and pilates!  I thought it was too good to be true and immediately signed up for a class.  So tonight I'll see how I like it/explore the studio, and decide if it's something I'd like to add to my daily routine. 

I better get a move on!