Show me that smile again...

Hi lovely ladies! I hope you’ve all had a relaxing weekend! I can’t believe it’s over already…at least we’re that much closer to spring break! (By the way, are there any bloggies near Santa Barbara, CA who would like to do a meet-up? I’ll be there for a few days during my spring break in March!)

Last night after posting I went over to Jillian’s apartment. We watched old episodes of Growing Pains (hence the title) with her roomies…anyone remember that show? I’d forgotten my hubs Leo was in it once upon a time. He was 16 and looks like a baby! We also made some pancakes, which I topped with PB…yummy! It was a nice, relaxed way to spend the evening. Even though it wasn’t too cold, I hate venturing out in dressy clothes when it’s chilly!

This morning’s breakfast was a bowl of Simply Fiber, Kashi GoLean and Arrowhead Mills spelt flakes with raspberries and almond milk in my new Progresso mug. I love this bowl already!

A little later, I went to the gym for some weights. As I start running longer distance, I’m trying to balance out the cardio with more strength- I want to give my knees plenty of rest between runs! I followed Gina’s Winter Shape Up plan again:

-10 minute walking warmup on the treadmill at 4 mph

-10 dumbbell frontal raises (7.5 lb weights)

-15 plie squats (10 lb weights)

-25 medicine ball twists on each side (14 lb ball)

-10 hammer curls on each arm (10 lb weights)

-15 good mornings (14 lb ball)

-25 bent knee leg raises

-50 bicycle crunches

-50 crunches on each side

-1 minute plank

            Repeated x3

I left the gym sweaty and tired...strength training takes it out of you, but in a completely different way from running! For one thing, it leaves me far hungrier. Enter: apple oats for lunch.

 

¼ c steel cut oats, 1 c almond milk, half a Fuji apple, Maranatha almond butter, Ezekiel Golden Flax cereal, cake spice and cinnamon. I remembered to add some chia seeds after the pic! Plus a side salad of arugula and a HUGE sliced cucumber with a drizzle of balsamic and EVOO, and the remainder of my apple

I just love oats for lunch after a workout. They’re so filling and feel rewarding! After lunch, I wasted time for awhile before finally heading out to do some errands. It was gorgeous today! It felt like spring was coming as I walked around the city. I made a quick trip to the health food store to restock my produce, and picked up this little guy for my afternoon snackie:

 

I’ve never tried goat’s cheese yogurt despite loving the cheese, and it didn’t disappoint, but in all honesty, it made me realize how little I miss dairy since cutting back my intake! I can’t claim to be a vegan, since I still eat animal products when I’m eating out, but I’ve made an effort to cut back my dairy consumption lately for a combination of reasons. Personal preference, treatment of farm animals and health-related arguments all play a role in this decision. I realize that it’s hypocritical of me to list animal treatment as a reason if I continue to consume animal products on occasion, but I think that every little bit counts! Furthermore, I’m not against animal products per se; rather, I think that they should be treated humanely in food production, which they sadly are often not. Therefore, while I’ll continue to eat purely pescatarian at restaurants or in others’ homes, I’m happy with my largely vegan diet at home.

Other afternoon snacks included this olade drink I bought on a whim at the health food store, and a banana with AB:

 

I’d never seen this lemonade before, but it was actually delicious! The perfect combination of lemon and strawberry, without being too sweet.

A few hours later I threw together a quick and easy din:

 

Arugula, tomato and two Dr. Praeger’s Texmex burgers on an Ezekiel tortilla with humnut sauce; salsa for dipping the tortilla remnants

Delicious. Not only do I love Dr. Praeger’s, but these days I could devour just about anything topped with humnut! For dessert, I had an unpictured apple with AB for dipping…I think y’all know the drill on that one J

I’m currently snacking on some organic raisins and will probably break into the cereal stash soon. I’ve got a lot of reading to do tonight, and snacks always help! Have a great night chicas!

What’s your favorite 90’s show or sitcom? Boy Meets World is definitely my #1, but Growing Pains is a close second!

What’s your favorite post-workout meal? As I said, I love oats!

PS- Giveaway alerts! Kristi and Amazing Grass, Averie and Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil, Julie and a Domino’s gift certificate, Kristen and Maranatha nut butters, Michal and her veganversary treats, and Gelareh’s Tempt Hemp!