Eats, sweets, and sweats

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hello, lovahs! I have been making today a great day, so win for me! Imma get to the blog title. First up, eats and sweets.

Yesterday, I made a batch of beer bread to go with dinnah. I used this beer

…added a few other ingredients, and 35 minutes later, I got this

Yup, it was good. Too bad I had two slices of this stuff before dinner. No carbs to be had on my dinner plate! But for Tyler’s sake, I whipped up some chicken sausage with roasted mushies and zucchini ~~to accompany the bread.~~

I got even more creative in the kitch-kitch and threw together a fruit crisp. I had frozen strawbs and about 4 apples leftover in the fridge from a previous Costco run.

It was super simple. I just mixed the fruit with a few tbsp of honey then topped with a butter/brown sugar/oat/whole wheat flour/cinnamon mixture. Popped in the oven for 45 minutes and shizzam, dessert is ready

We enjoyed our dessert while watching the first Harry Potter movie. Since Tyler and I are on a series kick, we decided we are going to get through all 7. I might start referring to people as muggles and yell out spells (petrificus totalus) rather than swear. Not a promise, but I wouldn’t doubt it from happening.

Blah, blah, blah, cut to a bunch of hours later and this was my breakfast

English muffin topped with almond butter and a pear. ( I don’t know bout y’all, but I like my pears super ripe. Like, no crunch. Also like, I bought these pairs 9 days ago and they’re finally ready. Hit the spot.

Last eat to mention in this post is my post workout lunch:

Spinach topped with cooked sweet potato and onion poppyseed dressing. Then, a piece of beer bread topped with melted chocolate chips and banana slices

My favorite part were these little guys:

Ooooh, that makes my mouth water.

K, enough with the eats and sweets -sheeze, it looks like I eat a lot– I’m going to move on to the sweat part of my day…

I went to the Y and did a 20 min HIIT workout on the elliptical ( need to rev the metabolism like whoa) then took a 60 min Muscle Blast class. confession: I haven’t taken a class in A MONTH. Who am I?!!? I was really excited that I was able to add more than my usual weight to the barbell. Means I’ve been doing something right in my own workouts! 🙂 plus, I’m really loving these clean and jerks..

I then finished my Y workout by doing another 10 min HIIT session on the elliptical. About a 90 minute workout today…so far. I’m off to take Layla for an adventure before it snows ( we’re supposed to get a foot?! Say whaaa?!) and do a little at-home sweat sesh that I’ll post later.

Hope everyone is having a great day!
anyone accomplish/learn anything new in the gym recently?

Free laughs

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I thought I’d share some rather……odd pictures of myself tonight. Just for a little laughy-poo. I mean, this iPad does some hilar shizzz. So, while I am laying here in bed, I decided to give the ol’ photo booth a whirl.

BUT FIRST, if you are a new reader, I must share with you a ‘normal’ picture of myself:

Ok, that’s not really normal. How about this one:

Ah, good enough. And now for the real treat of the evening: my funny shots. Put down whatever you’re drinking, sit down, and grab your Kleenex to wipe your laughter-induced tears.

Tee hee hee.

I need a good laugh….anyone want to share something funny?!?!?!
(I can only laugh at myself so much before I get a serious case of the shifty eyes from Tyler. Understandable.)

Back to food, walk and workout recaps later.

This dog was made for walkin’

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I was able to peel myself off the couch after 4 episodes of Mad Men. Sheesh. I’m such a bum.

Layla and I ran some errands, then we headed over to Nose Hill Park for a long hike.

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That place is super hilly! We got in some running here and there as well, but I had to be quite careful not to twist my ankle on some of the rocks and holes along the path. Layla was in heaven.

Some great scenery, per usual for Calgary!

I’m a smart lady too, and brought lotsa aqua for the little one. She was huffin and puffin.

And my favorite pic from the walk:

Once we trekked our way back, I needed some protein and veggies to hold me over until dinner. I came up with this bowl:

Spinach topped with scrambled eggs, onion/poppyseed dressing, and a dallop of ketchup. It hit the spot!

Big to-do’s for dinner tonight! I’ve already got some schtuff in the ol’ hot box.

Here’s something to think about: how would you fill your day if you weren’t working?

I had intentions of getting my workouts done early in the day, but they seem to still revolve around the evening hours. I do, however, get to be out with Layla a lot more, so I am moving a heck of a lot more than when I was sitting at a darn desk all day. And I get to actually make meals rather than whip a quick smoothie or have hard boiled eggs when I get home from work and have to dash off to the gym. Even though I enjoy these luxuries, I do miss the regimen that requires me to be places at certain times. Thoughts?

Chicken breasts in a bag

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Big things are happening here. I started season 1 of Mad Men today. I have a strong feeling I’ll be sucked in to the Mad-ness (pun intended). I’m going to have to restrict myself to only so many episodes per sitting so that I can get stuff done around here. Like, walks with the dog and domestic errands. OooOOoo.

I was busy on the Internet box last night but managed to quickly whip up a dinner that Tyler actually liked.

Potato chip chicken and Brussel sprouts with walnuts and raisins. In case you ladies need to make dinner in a jif (dare I say male readers want to get creative in the kitchen. Oof sexist comment? Nah, just praise for lady kitchen genius over here-me,) here’s how it’s done:

Potato Chip Chicken
In a bowl, whisk an egg and 1/8 c of milk. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Take 1/4 bag of potato chips (I used BBQ popchips), and crush the chips still in the bag. Take two large chicken breasts and soak them in the egg wash. Then throw both breasts in the crumbled bag of chips and shake to ensure the breasts are completely coated in chips. Put chicken on a baking pan lined with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Brussel sprouts with walnuts and raisins
Cut the sprouts in half and simmer in a pan on medium high with olive oil. Cover and let steam for 10 minutes. Toss in a dash of cinnamon, raisins and walnuts, and a bit more oil, and stir. Cover the pan and remove from the heat and let sit until chicken is ready. (I added a dash of red pepper flakes since Tyler likes spice. The sweet/spicy combo was actually great!

Dessert was a modified banana split. I melted 1/4 c chocolate chips, topped with rainbow sprinkles and a banana to dip.

Then, another sleepless night. More reading under the covers, tossing and turning, and according to Tyler, I was sighing all night. I even got up at 3:30am to shower in hopes it would help me sleep. Meh, no such luck. I really think I need to get out of the house and keep busy so that I konk out at night. Today, I shall do just that! (after a couple episodes of Mad Men, of course).

But first, breakfast!

I had leftover batter from Sunday’s whole wheat pancakes. Except this time, I made them with bananas, then topped with almond butter and a drizzle of honey. A glass of OJ ~~Simpson~~ on the side. Terrific way to get my intended busy day started!

I walk in KILOMETERS now

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Layla and I went from laaaazy to insane today. We started off with breakfast in bed ( for me, not her. She slept).

And we watched Live with Kelly since she’s in Banff, Alberta this week. Ok, I said ‘we’ but I really just meant me. Again, the dog was sleeping.

See? Sleeping. And she’s quite cute while she does it.

I honestly didn’t sleep at all last night- I was too caught up reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James. Um, you guys, the book is borderline pornographic. Ok, perhaps it’s beyond that. Ladies: read it. Then decide for yourself how satisfied you are in your current relationship. For realsies, this book is intense.

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After I caught up on some sleep (and Layla too) the two of us went for a nice LONG walk. It was 3.57 miles (5.74 km, I did the conversion. Plus it sounds so much longer and badass in kilometers. Like it was a race or something). Most of the walk was on the sidewalk in a residential area, but some of it was on a trail, where I was able to get some nice scenery pics.

..and just when I thought my dog was SOL for anymore snow to roll in this year, it turns out she also loves rolling in hay (hay is for horses!)

I then found the need to take a picture of this sign because it said ‘defecation,’ and I’m like 5 years old and laughed out loud at it.

More scenery shots:

So pretty.

******
I had a dream last night that I woke up and it was Monday morning and I was furious with myself for not having signed up the night before for spin class. I guess old habits die hard. But seriously, there is nothing worse than intending to make a class and getting stuck on the wait list.

That’s not a problem for me any more! I plan on whipping up a good dinner for Ty and I tonight then getting a solid workout in afterwards…more on that later 😉

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