These Sharks are hilarious.

I've been feeling sickly for six days now. It's a big mess of nasal congestion, sneezing, nose blowing, and medicine taking. I thought I felt better yesterday so I didn't take any medicine, but by 7pm I was at work and feeling miserable again! SO, I haven't been working out as planned.

Finally, I broke my week-long no-workout streak today! Although I should have been doing the Week 4 Ripped in 30 video during this week, I decided to do the Week 3 video today and wait to start Week 4 on Sunday. I wasn't originally planning on doing a video today, but I realized I was using my sickness as an excuse when really it was laziness.

See this super cute sports bra that Jillian is wearing? I thought I wanted one, so I looked for it online and found out that it's part of the Jillian Michaels Collection by K-Swiss. And it's $55. What?? $55 for a SPORTS BRA?! Oh, excuse me -- it's actually called a "Sexy Bra." Maybe because it's a halter v-neck and appears to be a push-up sports bra. Seems like an oxymoron to me, but it's still cute and if I had all the money in the world, I'd have 30 of them. That's how often I do laundry...about every 30 days.

So I haven't reviewed any more of the JM Ripped video after the first week, but as you probably guessed, Week 2 was harder than Week 1, and, not surprisingly, Week 3 was even harder than Week 2! I wonder what Week 4 will be like...maybe easier.

Anyway, as I do my workout video I usually play it muted on my computer so I can watch something on my TV at the same time. Lately, for approximately the past three months, I have been on a MAJOR Biggest Loser kick. Between Hulu and Netflix, I have access to every season of BL and I have been taking full advantage of that. I just love how inspiring these people are...and they're just regular people like everyone watching the show! BL makes me cry at least two times per episode, sometimes more, even if I'm in the middle of a hard workout.
I just LOVE it.

Anyone else love The Biggest Loser or another reality show that gets you way more emotionally involved than you probably should be?

p.s. Finally, a new Shark Tank is on right now and I'm loving it!!! YOU should be watching, too!

"On a scale of 1 to 10, I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

Anyone else watch The Bachelor this past Monday? Wow, those girls were huge bitches to Shawntel! At least there were lots of hilarious one-liners that made those bitchy girls sound dumber than usual.

Anyway...

I went grocery shopping today for the first time since starting my Ripped in 30 workout video. Actually, that also means it was the first time going grocery shopping in 2012 for more than just Lean Cuisine meals (delicious) and milk. Before going to the store, I got online to check out the free 30 day meal plan that Jillian recommends in combination with the workout video to get the best possible results. Looking through the breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners, I came up with a list of Jillian-approved items. Here's what I ended up with:

All of this was $68.12! I felt like I got a lot for that price. Thank you, Wally World!

[Random side note: I took seven reusable grocery bags with me because my list was so big that I wasn't sure how much space it would take up. Also, some of the baggers at Walmart really suck and only put a couple things in each bag, so then even if you brought reusable bags they still end up using some plastic bags because they're bad packers. I only ended up using four of the seven bags that I brought with me!]

I found a dinner recipe on Jillian's meal plan that I wanted to make for my roommate and myself:


Honey Lemon-Marinated Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
1/4 cup organic raw honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoon oil, vegetable
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed (I didn't have rosemary by itself, so I used Italian Seasoning)
1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 organic chicken breasts, skinless

[I didn't use organic. Obviously that's optional, depending on what you have. I just used regular Kroger brand honey in the bear-shaped container and it turned out delicious. Also, the chicken I used was what I had just bought at Walmart--boneless, skinless, vegetarian fed, humanely raised, no hormones or antibiotics (at least that's what the package said...)].

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients (except chicken) and mix well. Marinate chicken in honey-lemon mixture 1 hour in shallow baking dish. Broil chicken 5 minutes, brush with pan drippings, turn and broil 5 minutes longer or until juices run clear. If desired, bring marinade to a boil; simmer 2 minutes. Strain hot marinade over chicken.

Servings: 4. 189 Calories per serving. 5 g Fat (1 g Saturated Fat), 60 mg Cholesterol, 388 mg Sodium, 18 g Carbohydrate, 0 g Fiber, 23 g Protein.

For our sides, I made fresh green beans and I made an attempt at mashed cauliflower. It's supposed to be a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes, but it didn't really turn out very well. I think you need a full size blender or food processor (neither of which I have) to get it whipped and broken down small enough that it actually seems like potatoes. Unfortunately, my brand new hand mixer didn't quite do it, so we ended up with something that looked like mashed potatoes, but was really just little, itty, bitty, tiny pieces of cauliflower. Oh well! Now I know! Plus, potatoes are my all-time favorite food, so there was no way I'd give them up even if this tasted really good.

My roommate contributed the salad with pomegranate Craisins and sliced almonds. And she brought home a lovely Chardonnay called The Dreaming Tree. Guess who makes it? Dave Matthews! I love wine and I love Dave Matthews, so it was a match made in Heaven.

Overall, a successful shopping trip and a tasty meal for two!

Operation: Cookie Drop

So I got to work today and what was on the counter? A very tempting piece of paper from one of our customer's daughters--a Girl Scout Cookie sign up sheet! I love GSCs. They are delicious and they take me back to the days when I was a Girl Scout! But there was one important question I asked myself before picking up my pen and quickly scribbling down my name and that I wanted one box of each, please.

The question was...how's a girl supposed to get RIPPED IN 30 when she's eating GSCs all day and all night? She's not. So I decided I just wasn't going to buy any this year. That is, until I saw a spot called "Operation Cookie Drop." I didn't know what this was, so I did a quick google search on my phone and found out that I can still support the Girl Scouts and this particular Girl Scout's sales goal by donating some cookies! I chose to donate two boxes (you don't get to pick which kind of cookie, I guess thy pick for you) and those two boxes will join all of the other donated boxes of deliciousness to be sent to US Troops overseas!

How nice, I thought. Now I can feel really good about supporting Girl Scouts while still supporting two of my New Years resolutions of getting RIPPED IN 30 and maintaining healthier eating habits!

If you are planning on buying some GSCs this year, maybe think about buying one less box for you and one more box for the troops :)

My mind goes wild while I'm sleeping.

On Saturday morning, I had a dream. In my dream, it was Sunday morning and I had just woken up. I went out to the kitchen to find my roommate, Michelle, baking lots and lots of fudge. There were probably 10 to 15 different flavors of fudge all over our kitchen counters.

      

 M&M fudge, caramel fudge, chocolate fudge, Oreo fudge... every kind you could think of. I asked Michelle why she was making so much fudge and she told me she was having a party for lots of her ADPi friends. They were going to come over to our apartment at 9:30pm to drink alcohol and eat fudge. There was also a pet closed in a room close to the kitchen so it wouldn't get in her way while she was baking her 20 pounds of fudge.






This pet was a goose. And it somehow figured out how to squeeze under the door and get out. Then it started trying to bite my foot. Also, for some reason, Sarah and Chris were also at our apartment and after I dropped some crumbs on the floor, Chris told me he "hates when people do that" and picked up after me.  



I don't know what all this means, the fudge, the party, drinking, hanging out with friends, the goose, the crumbs? All I know is I never, ever have normal dreams. Ever.

What are your dreams like?

Legal Drug Dealer

Ok, I'm not really a drug dealer. I have been working as a Pharmacy Technician at CVS for over two years now.  At first, I was only working there because I couldn't find another job and my wonderful, amazing, incredible cousin/best friend [one in the same] knew I was looking for a job and when a full-time position became available at her pharmacy in Louisville, KY, I knew I had to accept the offer.

My coworker Amy and me at our store in Louisville right before I moved to Avon!

I worked in Louisville for one year before transferring two and a half hours north to Avon, IN. I was very lucky that my store was actually looking to hire someone because my boss is awesome, my coworkers are awesome, and our customers are usually pretty nice to us! I am still working at CVS because I have begun a Masters program to become a School Counselor, hence the second part of my blog description. I have finished one semester and in two weeks I will begin the second semester of my first year! I'm very excited, but the program is three years long, so I still have a while to go!

My new coworker Megan and me a few months after I moved!
[the pink jackets were for breast cancer awareness]

That's all for today, just since I added my blog description I wanted to clear that up :)

Have a wonderful Sunday . . . it's off to work for me!

Big Gray Elephant

I was just looking through my photo album on my phone and I came across these three photos.

Once upon a time, I was driving in Plainfield, Indiana, and I got pulled over for speeding. I thought the speed limit was 40 mph and I thought that I was driving 45 mph. Turns out the speed limit was 30 mph and I was driving 46 mph. That's 16 mph over, in case you're not good at math. The cop was young and probably felt like he had something to prove about how he's so much better than me because he's a cop, so he gave me a ticket. I didn't necessarily think that was fair because A) I told him I thought it was 40 where I was driving, which is why I was driving only 5 mph over the speed limit, and B) I have never even gotten pulled over for speeding, let alone gotten a ticket! It was my first speeding offense (...first that was caught...) and he didn't even give me a chance to try to talk it down to a warning! I was mad. I was allowed 60 days to pay my $150 speeding ticket so I waited until I had about two weeks left and I needed an envelope to mail my ticket...

If you aren't familiar, that's sarcasm.

Next, I recently painted the alphabet for my cousin, Meredith. She is obsessed with the alphabet, so when she asked me to paint the alphabet for her, of course I said yes! I have painted it for her once before, so I actually have four photos (forgot that I had a picture of the first alphabet!).

First alphabet painting, January 2011

Second alphabet painting, December 2011

Lastly, I'd like to leave you with a picture of me. This outfit is what my best friend Sarah refers to as the "Big Gray Elephant." I enjoy wearing this because it's extremely comfortable. Having a regular hoodless sweatshirt is sometimes more comfortable than a hoodie, especially if you happen to fall asleep while wearing it. Hoods can really make you feel like you're choking in the middle of the night, unless they are up on your head, but then that's kind of weird to sleep with a hoodie hood up.

I didn't take this photo specifically for this post.

Sooo comfortable. Currently I am half of a Big Gray Elephant and it's about time for me to change out of my jeans and put on the other half, so that's all for today. Goodnight!

Jillian Michaels...

...is the devil. Not really, but right now I feel that way. As part of my "get healthy" New Year's resolution, I bought three new workout videos. I love workout videos because I can do a workout without leaving my living room and with no one around watching me. In reality, people at gyms probably aren't watching other people, but in my head, everyone standing behind me is watching me suck at working out.

One of the videos I got is Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30. It was appealing to me because I would like to be ripped in 30 days.

It's awesome because it's only 24 minutes per workout, so you think, "Oh, 24 minutes? I can do that no problem." Then you start doing it and you're five minutes in and completely out of breath.

The video has 4 workouts. Each workout corresponds with whatever week you are on in your 30 days.  So far I have only done the Week 1 video because I just started on January 1. I was super sore on the 2nd but I still pushed through and did the second day of the week's workout. Today while I was hobbling around at work (standing/walking for 8 hours when you're super sore from two days of working out is torturous), I kept dreading the workout I was going to put myself through after I got home. Luckily, Jillian recommends working out 5 to 6 times per week and giving yourself at least one day of rest, so today is my day of rest for the week.

So far, I really like the video. I was thinking that if I haven't mastered the Week 1 video by the end of the week, I might continue it for next week and just use each week's workout for two weeks instead of one. I'll be ripped in 60 days instead of 30, but that's still before swimsuit season, so I'm happy with that goal.  Jillian is a really good instructor and she's just as motivating in her videos as she is when I watch The Biggest Loser, but not quite as terrifying. She explains things well and I love that she has two other women doing the video with her, one of them demonstrating a modified version and the other demonstrating the "badass" version (as Jillian says).

Hopefully I'll make it through the next 30 to 60 days alive and I'll be able to give more feedback with each new workout on the video!

2012

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions.  I think the pressure to actually follow through with a resolution is part of the reason that I don't make any.  However, after eating the crap (very, very delicious crap) that I've been eating for the past month, I decided that the new year is a great excuse for a new, healthy beginning.  My healthier life will come with three changes: eating foods that are as fresh as possible and not processed, doing some form of exercise every day, and changing my drinking habits (less alcohol, more water).

In my attempt to makeover my diet, I am planning on blogging about the meals that I make, including how you can make them and also my personal review of the recipe.  Tonight, I bought some zucchini and yellow squash at the store.  I knew I already had some penne pasta, so I went to AllRecipes.com (LOVE this website!) and clicked on the "Ingredients" link at the top of the main page above the search bar.  This feature allows you to list what ingredients you want to be in the recipes that you are searching for and also has another section for ingredients you don't want in the recipe.

After searching for a recipe with zucchini, yellow squash, penne pasta, and olive oil, I came across a recipe for No-Cream Pasta Primavera.  I changed the recipe slightly because I only had 9 of the 21 ingredients, so my version of this dish compared to the original is much simpler with fewer ingredients, but I think that's what makes it so delicious.  This is the recipe I ended up with:

No-Cream Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
2 yellow squashes, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese [not pictured]


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. [I just ran out of aluminum foil a couple days ago, so I used a cake pan sprayed with Pam and it worked just as well!]

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.

3. In a bowl, toss squash and zucchini with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Arrange vegetables on baking sheet, and roast 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.

4. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet.

Stir in the cooked pasta and roasted vegetables.  Gently toss and cook until heated through.

Sprinkle with Romano cheese and serve.

Overall, I though this recipe turned out really well!  Of course there are changes I will make for the next time I make this, but for the first time making it, I really enjoyed it.  Other vegetables in the original recipe were carrots, red bell peppers, grape tomatoes, fresh green beans, and asparagus, and it also called for some lemon juice and chopped fresh basil leaves and parsley.

I'll be back soon with another recipe!