Blog Archives
The Job Collector
Please, do not adjust your monitors.
Yes, I know it is Thursday and not Waffle Wednesday. But some weeks, one day of celebration is just not enough.
Same protein waffle recipe as yesterday. But today topped with Lori’s buckwheat honey marshmallow fluff and almond butter mixed with syrup.
So much decadence for 9 in the morning. I almost couldn’t handle it. But then I got a grip on myself and gobbled it all up :)
Other wonderful eats from the day included a homemade shrimp burger. I remember seeing shrimp burgers on the menu of a burger place in Calgary. I desperately wanted to try it, but knew that when in Calgary, you eat the beef. Needless to say, the idea of a shrimp patty has been teasing my taste buds ever since.
Started with a dozen large raw shrimp (bought frozen then defrosted). Cut up small then mixed in:
- 1 tbsp bread crumbs (I used a smashed up rye cracker)
- 1 tbsp egg whites
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise (Yes a whole tablespoon. Do it.)
- Pinch dried garlic
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Pinch black pepper
It’s not a sticky mixture like beef or turkey burgers. Very wet and sloppy because shrimp is so, well, wet. I plopped it on my George Foreman grill, but you could also put it in a frying pan or the oven. Just make sure it’s at a low temp and as time to cook on one side so it doesn’t crumble when you try to flip it over.
Makes one large patty. Eaten on an english muffin with spinach, red onion, ketchup and mustard.
Ohmy. It was goooood. The mayo in the mix is what really made it tasty. I have a feeling my taste buds will be wanting this more often!
On the side I had some of my microwave sweet potato chips. All you do is slice up a sweet tater real thin, spread it out on a plate, season, and nuke for a ludicrous amount of time. For these, I microwaved them for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Once cooled, they get crunchy like a chip!
While not eating today, I was also exercising. Almost done the first week of my new lifting split and I really like it! My body was completely hammered after a week off exercise. Major DOMS after my first couple days. Even from just doing sprints on the elliptical! Anyways, if you’re curious, here is what my Shoulder/Abs workout looked like today:
Warm-up: 5 minutes walking on the treadmill + 1 mile run
Straight sets:
Arnold press @ 10 lbs x 15
15 lbs x 10
20 lbs x 5
10 lbs x 10
Alternating sets (x3):
Cable lateral raise @ 2.5 lbs x 12
Cable horizontal woodchop @ 12.5 lbs x 12
Superset (x3):
Mountain climber x 60 sec
Plank ups x 10
Superset (x3):
Russian twist on bosu 6lbs x 30
Plank on bosu x 60 sec
Superset (x3):
Squat with front raise x 20 (holding swiss ball)
Prone jackknife x15
Cool-down: 1 mile run + 5 minutes walking
That opening press set killed my shoulders. It was all downhill from there ;) And in case you can’t tell, I hate doing crunches. Give me a plank any day!
Kind of ironic that I just started myself on a weight lifting focused workout routine, as I suspect I may now be doing a lot more running!
You see, I got a part-time job! At a running store!!
Even though I am a full-time personal trainer, I still don’t work the usual 8 hours a day. My client base is still increasing, but I am finding myself with a lot of down time. Especially on weekends. So I’ll be selling running shoes, clothing, gadgets and apparel to Toronto runners in my spare time. The extra money will be great and I’m really looking forward to meeting some more fitness-minded folk! They also do a run club and running clinics that I’ll probably start participating in as well. I’m pretty stoked about the employee discount. I’m desperate for a new pair of running shoes!
I’d just like to say, as for my full-time job of training, I am loving it. I’m to the point now where I’m starting to see results with my clients (one guy has already dropped 8% body fat with me!) and it is so rewarding. Not to mention, I’ve already had a few clients renew training packages with me, so it’s nice to know they like and respect me enough to want to keep working with me!
Now I am off to pack! I’m heading to Buffalo, NY for weekend with some friends. A special edition Fitness Friday post will be going up, but it will have to last you until I’m back on Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone! xo
Doggone It
Happy Saturday friends!! This is my last weekend as a working woman. Or, at least until I become an employed Torontonian. <—that word looks silly
I was thisclose to calling it a rest day today, but I got my butt out of bed and managed to stay pretty active!
I passed out at the usual time last night and was up at the usual workweek time. My body likes to stick to a schedule, what can I say.
I’ve actually been going through nut butter faster than I can eat oats out of them! Not today though. I’ve been saving this baby ;)
I savoured this so slowly that it actually got cold by the end. Something that never happens in the insulated jar. Maranatha should just sell near-empty jars ;)
That held me over for a while because there was probably a quarter cup’s worth of almond butter in there (exaggeration, maybe). Grabbed a “treat” for a snack to power me through kickboxing.
I want to like this flavour, as in my head it should taste like a chocolate chip cookie (probably my favourite food on the whole planet).
But I think I rather just eat a buttery cookie. Still a decent bar though – Maple Nut is the best!
Body Combat was not as tough this week! It’s a new “release,” which means the songs and moves have all changed. A lot less jumping around, and a lot more punching. Meant my heart rate was lower, and my already sore biceps are now super angry at me. Incline curls kill them every single time.
The forecast called for rain today, but it hadn’t started yet by the time I got home. Archie was aalll over me to go for a walk, so I tempted fate and took him. Ten minutes in the sun came out and it was beautiful!! Ended up taking him along the river, for just over an hour. Archie was a total rockstar and made friends with everyone we met. People are never that friendly when it’s just me ;)
I also did a lot of observing of my fellow dog walkers – it’s true that people and their pets resemble each other.
It was almost 3pm by the time I sat down for lunch and I was starved.
Nothing fancy, just food in my belly as quickly as I could get it there.
Hummus, laughing cow, tuna and tomato sandwich.
Lemon yogurt mixed with plain (to cut back on the sweetness) and some All Bran Buds for crunch.
This was crazy delicious. It was probably part hunger, but definitely a satisfying meal :)
Archie had something to eat too, and then passed out from exhaustion.
Poor fella, he was really struggling to keep up towards the end of the walk! He definitely doesn’t have the same energy he did 13 years ago…
Dinner was a quick and simple stir-fry.
Shrimp and chicken breast with a plethora of frozen veggies (Europe’s Best Imperial Blend) sesame oil, Bragg’s and a drizzle of teriyaki.
And just so we’re clear, I had a piece of chocolate after every single meal today ;)
After dinner, I went out for another walk with a friend! 90 minutes in and all around downtown. T’was fun, but my feet are hurting after being on them all day. Going to spend the rest of the evening curled up, finishing Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: The Pioneer Woman’s true life Harlequin romance story . Love her.
Question of the Day: If you could get any (additional) pet, what would it be? This is something else I think about a lot, because I reallyreally want a dog someday. Probably the only thing that makes me desire settling down. Depending on where I live, I want either a basset hound or a cavalier king charles spaniel. Both of which probably resemble me in some way ;)
Random.Blog.Com
Heyo!!
Ch-ch-check out the sweet headband I got from Matt at No Meat Athlete. Thanks Matt! You’ve just helped me plump up my future personal trainer wardrobe ;)
Okay, honestly, I had no idea how to start this post, but at least I now have your attention :)
Totally loved hearing all the personal items y’all need with you at work. Hand cream and chapstick were definitely the most popular, with pictures and post-its slightly behind. Although Emily has rubber bands in the shape of zoo animals and Janetha suggested a day-by-day calendar. I was actually quite entertained by the responses!!
In other news, I was up at 5:30 am for spin class today. It was stellar as per usual. I’m actually starting to get to know some of the faces in the class. Not to mention, I feel hardcore in the bike jersey Chris got me for Christmas.
Came back home after to shower and celebrate Waffle Wednesday.
Two Nature’s Path maple cinnamon waffles topped with a blended ricotta-cashew butter-cinnamon-maple syrup mixture. I was pressed for time, but still managed to get in a fantastic waffle feast :)
Work eats look disgusting, but I promise they were fantastic.
Morning snack was yogurt mixed with vanilla protein powder and strawberries. For lunch I had leftovers a la Leah! I have a fridge next to my office, and I’ve been eating in a cafeteria with a microwave. It feels like such a luxury to have a hot lunch! (how sad is that?). Anyways, it was Indian Cauliflower Stew with added shrimp. Afternoon snack attack was two carrot cake protein squares and a cheese string.
Nothing exciting to report from work. I ran into an old colleague at the drug store after, and he was asking me all about switching from journalism to communications. Or as reporters call it – “going to the dark side.” PR work is a whole different ball game. Totally different than journalism work. I feel like I have so much to re-learn (and forget!).
I bought a can of baked beans a while back after seeing them on Caitlin’s blog so frequently. I suddenly had a hankering for them and eggs for dinner. Breakfast supper of champions.
With an egg scramble. Various veggies from the fridge with cottage cheese and laughing cow cheese. What really made it was the green olives I added. Green olives and eggs are such a fantastic flavour duo!
Dessert…
My three addictions wrapped into one. Date + PB + M&Ms. Times two.
So a while back, I was a recipient of a Beautiful Blogger Award by Averie – a beautiful blogger herself ;) It’s about time I display it proudly!!
With the award, I must divulge seven random facts about myself. I’ve done this a few times, but I suppose I can always dig up a few more things to share…
- I don’t like wine. I’ve tried, numerous times. But I just never developed the palette for it.
- Babies scare me. They’re cute to look at, but please don’t ask me to hold or interact with one.
- I refuse to have the colour pink anywhere on my road bike.
- A childhood friend died downhill skiing when I was 10 years old. I’ve since developed a fear of ski hills and have only ever done cross-country.
- I only own two exercise bras. Instead of doing laundry every day, I often hand wash them in my sink between washes.
- The Beatles are my favourite band of all time. You will be “shushed” if one of their songs comes on the radio.
- I’m still wearing that headband. It’s keeping my forehead warm!
I must pass this on to seven other bloggers. In order to keep this fair, I randomly picked seven people who commented on my last post. Kinda like a giveaway, except it’s a jpeg and not something you can eat ;)
Lizzy (random.org actually picked you three times!!)
Lisa
Paula
Katie
Jessie
Diane
Angela
Wow, random.org is pretty smart. All totally deserving and beautiful bloggers in my opinion!!
Speaking of smart websites, I urge you to go check out www.cleverbot.com. Ask it something, although the responses aren’t always that clever..
Okee, bedtime! See ya tomorrow!
