Flashback Friday: Beaches and Bikinis

Happeeee weeeeekend!!! I’m actually not all that excited. I have to be at work for 8:45am tomorrow :( Which means I have to be up at 6am to squeeze in some exercise before. Funny how when I was a student I never had days off, but now I’m so spoiled with whole weekends!

Despite only sleeping six hours last night, I was still up and ready for a 6am spin class today. I missed spin on Monday! It put me in such a good mood for the rest of the day. They must put drugs in the air exchange or something. I was glowing walking out of that studio :D

I’d prepped my favourite desk-breakfast for today…

• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• cinnamon
• 3 tbsp Grape Nuts cereal

The key is to let the Grape Nuts sit on top of the mix in the fridge overnight, then to stir them in in the morning. That way it’s a little mushy with a little crunch ;)

 
I’m a texture person. Sorry if this shot makes you gag Janetha (who only likes savoury cottage cheese). And I’m sorry if it also makes any other CC-haters out there gag. Meanwhile, I’m having a love affair with it :)

I was at work at 7:45am today!! That’s super early for my office. I looooove the quiet moments in the morning as I get to sit at my desk and putter through e-mails. Our blooming geranium in the sunlight also made me grin.

 
I can take no responsibility for this plant. Our cleaning lady is the only one keeping it alive.

I had my usual mid-morning snack of a homemade PB&J protein bar.

I eat one of these everyday. Much cheaper than eating the store-bought variety everyday.

Lunch was leftovers from last night plumped up with extra veggies.

Seeing as I didn’t buy groceries this week, the only green food I had was a bag of frozen brussels sprouts and broccoli. I polished them off with this lunch!

Also in there is quinoa and shrimp that I cooked in vegetable soup. It was good!

It was a gooorgeous day today, sunny and +9 C (48F). I spent a chunk of the afternoon skipping around campus hanging up posters. I even wore flats and a spring jacket! (the college kids were all in shorts of course – that’s still a little much for me).

I came back to another usual snack, eggs + cheese.

 
This cheese you’ve been seeing is Armstrong smoked cheddar. It’s probably my least favourite of their cheese sticks. It tastes too smoky.

I left work a little early so I could get back in time to show my apartment. I’d come home on my lunch break to tidy up, which is actually an awesome idea. I’m always too tired to clean at night, but coming home to a tidy place at the end of the day is so nice!

Anyways, the first couple who looked at it were so not interested. I think they were expecting a one bedroom. Or maybe a kitchen larger than a broom closet.

The second person however was a single guy in his 20s and he loved it!! He says he’s going to give me a deposit for it next week, so here’s hoping he comes through! My lease goes until September, but I’m moving to Toronto in June, so I need someone to sublet for the remainder of my lease. If he takes it, it will be a major item crossed off my to-do list :D

I was starving when I came home, but didn’t have time for dinner, so I snacked a lot. By the time I was done showing the apartment, I wasn’t hungry for a huge meal anymore. Or in the mood for cooking. Enter my current obsession:

PB + Protein sandwich. On the left is some crunchy peanut butter, on the right is a protein spread made from chocolate protein powder dissolved with water.

Joined together to make a delicious trifecta of carb, protein and fat. YUM. There was an applesauce after this too. Just so you don’t think I ate just a sandwich for dinner!

And I actually had something different for dessert for the first time in weeks! A protein cake.

• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butternut squash baby food
• 2 tbsp egg whites

Mixed up in a large mug and nuked for 90 seconds in the microwave. Topped with more PB. Besides protein pudding, this is probably my second-favourite night-time snack. 

Flashback Friday

Yesyes, I did a flashback on Tuesday. This one won’t be as heartfelt, but more like a fun look back :)

Exactly one year ago, I’d just returned from a week in Cuba. It was back in the early blogging days. I did a food recap here, a resort recap here and a Havana recap here. But I thought it would be fun to show some of the pictures that didn’t make it to the blog! 

We stayed in Veradero, that peninsula off in the distance. By far the prettiest beaches I’ve been to, especially in the city.

Cuba is of course known for still driving cars from before the revolution. Always makes for a good photo op wherever you are.

Another thing Cuba is known for….rum.

Ohman you guys. You know I’m a old-fashioned whiskey drinker, but there is nothing like fresh rum made with fresh sugar cane. Put that in some club soda with more fresh cane sugar, fresh lime, and some mint, and you’ve got Susan Heaven.

This photo was taken after trying for ten minutes to figure out how to flush the toilet. A lot of them had these nubby things on the top you had to pull!! Really though, I think it would take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

We also did all the tourist-y things. Like seeing buildings I’d never heard of.

And the dork that I am, I got really excited to see the building that houses Cuba’s Ministry of Communications.

That’s where the Propaganda People are!!

We also gallivanted through the streets of Havana and randomly posed in front of cars that matched what we were wearing.

One thing I will always remember about this Cuba trip (my second time there) is that it was the first time I ever wore a bikini.

Actually, it’s the only time I ever wore a bikini! Shortly after this, I bought a one-piece Roots suit for triathlon training. The bikini shown here is too big for me now! Perhaps I should buy a new one and find an excuse to wear it? Where do Canadians wear bikinis anyways? :P

 

That’s all for tonight kiddos! I’m off to prepare breakfast (an old favourite) and hit the hay super early so I’m on my a-game for work tomorrow. Have a great start to your weekend!!

 

Question of the Day: Bikini or one piece? I’m very comfortable in my sport swimsuit, doing my triathlon definitely beat that out of me. But bikinis still make me anxious. I feel like I’m wandering around in my bra and panties :P