ASOS

Arrrgh... I don't know why I didn't notice this blurry picture. I hardly ever take blurry pictures..especially if I have the right camera and not my Iphone. Weird!

I ran out of frozen fruit so I had to make due with a banana and spinach smoothie:

• 1 cup skim milk
• a couple heaping tablespoons of greek yogurt
• whole banana
• 3 cups spinach
• scoop of chocolate protein powder
• agave nectar
• ice

We ordered in last night and our excuse was because it was cruddy aka rainy and thunder all day. Okay.. actually no excuses, we just felt like eating junk food! :-D Hooray for junk food night and a couple episodes of Glee! We're getting caught up on the past season and btw..I can't believe Kurt got kissed by the jerk jock dude. didn't see that one coming!

I was awakened this morning by a pleasant surprise.. My clothes from ASOS came in! My friend recently told me about ASOS, an online shopping website. I immediately went on and ordered five new pieces of clothing. I'm going to return two of them because they didn't fit right. ahh the perils of online shopping. Here are the pieces I like:

It's got a sexy open back; perfect to show off a muscular or toned backside. Note to self. Must. keep. training. :)

love the fit but I'm not quite sure what to wear underneath it.. its kinda tight and sort of see through :P

for only 12 pounds.. not too shabby if I do say so myself!

Oatmeal breakfast

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 mashed banana
• wheat germ, flaxseed mix
• crumbled pumpkin muffin on top to sweeten it up

I did more Zumba today for exercise and to refresh my memory for tonight's class. I also did a 10 minute ab segment from my Quick Tummy Toner dvd.

Made myself a chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread with ketchup, mayo and American cheese for lunch w. a side of chips and an unpictured salad. Too bad I didn't get the salad because it had all sorts of vegetables like green, yellow, and red peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, and spinach. Yum!

My poor dog is stuck inside today because my hubby took both our sets of keys to work! :( Thankfully I was able to let her out to go pee while propping the back door open. Sigh... no one likes being stuck inside!!

Agenda: Zumba, then T is taking me out tonight but all I was told was a cryptic "dress up like you're going somewhere between Milk and Honey (the members only club) and a night out clubbing". Uhhmm..perdon?? Should be fun I hope!

Video of the day: The response from one of the patrons in this video is so touching.. inspirational really.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhl9MLno424

pumpkin spiced muffins

http://sweetandnatural.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/spiced-pumpkin-honey-muffins

I wanted to make something to top my oatmeal in the morning so I made spiced pumpkin muffins.

•  1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda

I made a mistake and added in too much pumpkin puree. The recipe called for half the 15 ounce can but I used all of it. Oopps!! It isn't baking with Hanna if there isn't a mistake or an accident in the kitchen!

• 1/2 can of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (substituted since I didn't have any applesauce)
• 1 cup honey
• 3 egg whites

176 degree celcius for 25 minutes

I kept waiting for the insides of the muffins to cook so I sort of browned the tops a bit too much. Sigh.. not perfect but still the pumpkin flavor I was looking for. If you like a lot of spice, this is the recipe for you. If not, I would tone down the spices and maybe use half the recommended amount.

T brought this back for me and I tried it for lunch. It's tasted alright. I wouldn't eat it again :/

I think I had a problem with eating the noodles. It just didn't taste very fresh.

I added some siracha for flavor and spice

leftovers for dinner

Crumbled pumpkin muffins on top of banana swirled oatmeal with raisins.

New reading material! I need a break from fitness reading material so I checked out a new book from Emily Giffin. She's also the author of Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Love the One you're With.

Back in the gym this morning:  12 reps, 3 sets, rest 2 minutes in between

• barbell row
• incline chest press
• seated low pulley row
• chest fly
• lat pulldown
• chest press
• bent over lateral raise
• calf press

I was starving after the gym so I stopped by Pret A Manger to pick up a tuna and cucumber sandwich and a side of sweet chili sunchips.

Agenda: Zumba, read, study Korean, relax, CSI Season 8 :)

The Fellow

We finally tried out the Fellow restaurant that is right by our house and that I nearly walk by everyday. It's pretty much full with either people eating or drinking outside. I was excited to try it with my friend who had a layover from Barcelona back to Chicago.  I love having visitors even if its only for one night!

http://www.thefellow.co.uk/

T ordered the duck leg

with potatoes and duck prepared two ways. I swear there are shredded pieces of duck under those taters.

Since T doesn't like bacon (crazy!!) so I ended up eating the fatty strips :-D yum!

side of greens

I also got the onglet steak and triple fried chips again. This steak was even better than the one I had at Market last Friday. I'm also getting used to this eating without any steak sauce kind of deal. The steak was already so flavorful it didn't need anything else.

We stopped by Gallipoli for some late night dessert and a quick show tour around Upper street. Can't go wrong w. some profiteroles

I got a biscuit crumb dessert with vanilla ice cream in the middle and hazelnuts on top. It was very delicious!

Breakfast this morning: The usual

I have some pumpkin spiced muffins in the oven right now that is perfuming the house. Mmmmm!! I'm not working out today because I'm still sore from two days again. I realize I probably pushed my body a bit too hard the other day. I'm still learning to take things slower and not push my body so hard!! Oh well.. lesson learned.

5 new slim down strategies from Women's Health Magazine
1.) Eat it if it grows on a tree (or bush, stalk, or vine)
-fruits, vegetables, nuts. Eating from a tree will also give you more omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight abdominal fat. Some great plant sources of omega-3's are walnuts and flaxseeds. A study at the University of California Los Angeles has shown that eating fruit at the beginning of a meal reduces overall calorie intake by 15 percent.
2.) I will eat protein with every meal and snack.
-Muscle growth is triggered by protein-rich foods. (for every pound of muscle you have, you may potentially burn an additional 35-50 calories per day). Aim to eat between 0.54 and one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Base this on your goal body weight.
3.) I will eat before and after exercise. 
Eating a snack of protein and carbs right before and after working out speeds muscle growth and recovery.  Have a carb and protein snack 30 minutes before working out (ie: cheese and whole wheat crackers, 1/2 a turkey sandwich on wholegrain bread, yogurt w. fruit) and a protein rich meal after.
4.) I will become a salad savant
-salads with leafy greens contain important vitamins and minerals that help with weight loss. Eat as many leafy greens as you can. Examples: arugula, kale, romaine, swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, dandelion greens
5.) I will never have the world's worst breakfast
-The world's worst breakfast is having no breakfast at all. If you don't eat, you lower your metabolism, starve your muscles, and wind up taking in most of your calories late in the day.  Eat 30-35 percent of your daily calories early. Eat proteins with whole grains, produce, and healthy fats.

Agenda: skip the work out, study Korean, salsa

One cup raspberries=64 calories

I did something last night that I don't usually do.. cook dinner on my own initiative. I tried out some new recipes from my Women's Health magazine.
Chicken lettuce cups. The recipe called for roasted chicken but I just baked to chicken breasts in the oven and sliced em up.

Gem lettuce cups

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/easy-recipes

Polenta with a mushroom tomato ragu. Everything was pretty simple to make minus me running around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off because that's just how I roll!

T had a crook in his neck this morning and Sonoma wanted to help! How cute :)

Breakfast then Zumba time!

scrambled eggs with more of that delicious bread T brought back from Ireland. It has sunflower seeds on top and apricots and cinnamon in the middle. So tasty!

sauteed chicken, onions, and cilantro

http://recipes.runnersworld.com/Recipe/chicken-goat-cheese-quesadillas.aspx

Chicken goat cheese quesadillas on corn tortillas.Yum!

Today's Agenda: Korean, salsa, entertaining friends who are on a layover back to Chicago tomorrow.

Fun food fact of the day from Women's health: Did you know that one cup of raspberries have more fiber than the amount in four slices of whole-grain bread and twice as much as in one cup of blueberries. One cup of raspberries also measures in at 64 calories per cup. Not too shabby!

Sandcastle workout

There was a time once in my life where seeing this fish on my kitchen surface would have scared me "Eeewww it still has its head on!!" I would have said. I'm not sure what happened to my phobia of seeing a dead whole fish but thank goodness its gone! T bought this yesterday at the Chapel Market fish monger. Two whole seabass to be prepped for dinner.

As he was prepping for dinner, I got started on lunch.

Stuffed peppers for lunch yum!

Shallots, coriander, garlic powder, salt, and pepper sauteed in EVOO.

with some shrimp and brown rice mixed in

Stuffed the rice mixture in the peppers and popped them in a 200 degree celsius oven for 45 minutes. They turned out soft and delicious!

I love healthy lunches that leave me full and satisfied :)

T prepared a miso coated seabass dinner with brown rice, avocado, and japanese rice seasoning. It was quite tasty although my stomach didn't really agree with the miso :(

Roasted some broccoli on the side

Breakfast then gym time:

I had an awesome workout today. I did Tone it Up's Sandcastle and Bikini strap workout. I like switching my workout routine so I don't get bored by only being in the weights room.

Here are the workouts that left me sweating!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFfHhRi4dpI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2tzsjVfiz0

veggies and chicken sauteed in soy sauce for lunch

Song of the day: Paramore "Ignorance"

Women's Health tip of the day: Get Flat Abs
1.) Work on those hidden core muscles such as your transversus abdominus, multifidus, and internal obliques. You can't just do a million crunches and expect to see flat abs (although I'm sure some people that are predisposed to a flat belly could be like this). Incorporate different ab exercises to see quicker results.
2.) Don't neglect your bum. Do exercises to work and lift your butt. A neglected butt can create a small stomach bulge. Sort of what I have, eww I must. get. rid. of. it . asap!
3.) Eat flat belly foods:  try and eliminate unnecessary sugar (think sugar in coffee, fruit juices, soda, flavored yogurts- try eating plain yogurt with agave nectar mixed in and some fruit). Substitute more protein for less carbs, eat good for you monounsaturated fats such as olives, nuts, avocados, avoid foods that make you look bloated like soda, broccoli and beans (especially if you plan on being at the beach in Yo bikini!), and keep your sodium intake low.
4.) Try not to stress out because anxiety causes your cortisol levels to rise which then in turn tells your body to store fat. 
5.) Work your abs less often. Like any muscle group, you should rest your abs at least once every other day, if not more. This article says you only need to work your abs 3 times a week. Good news for me because I find ab work to be a chore!
Here's the article:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/get-flat-abs