I stayed up way past my bed time last night, trying to make some vacation plans. I thought this post on my recent beer adventures would keep you entertained, but apparently you’re not beer fans?? Anyways, back to vacation plans… the last vacation Adam and I took was in October, and the one before that was a year ago. We are definitely overdue for one! We started with planning a trip to San Francisco, realized our miles cannot be used for a trip this soon, and switched gears (we’ll go to San Fran in the summer instead). How nice would it be to just relax on the beach with nothing else to do? I don’t remember the last time we did this. Maybe never. The sound of a Caribbean vacation seemed more and more appealing as we did more research… except it’s expensive! At the end, more research needs to be done so we can find a good deal, but I cannot wait. A Caribbean vacation may also just be the kick in the butt that I need to get back on the healthy eating wagon. The new kitchen is helping with that as well. I’ll keep you guys posted.

BREAKFAST

TJ’s organic moral fiber blueberry muffin + coffee

Those clementines in the box in the back were calling my name, so I finished breakfast with one

MID-MORNING SNACK

LUNCH

Lunch was SO good! I go home for lunch on Mondays… love that! I just threw a bunch of frozen and fresh veggies + cooked wild rice + shrimp in the wok and voila – delicious lunch!

Stir fry with cauliflower, broccoli, red pepper, carrots, wild rice, shrimp with Jenna’s sesame sauce + sesame seeds

Yes, it tasted as good as it looked

+ another clementine

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

I am once again obsessed with KIND bars. I need to stock up. These bars are a little too sweet but the whole nuts are the best. This bar had whole almonds and macademia nuts. I’m nuts for nuts!

WORKOUT

I went back to one of my favorite classes at the gym after work – Rack it Up. It’s basically Body Pump/Group Power with a different name, and I LOVE this class. It’s been forever since I’ve been but I was able to lift the same weight as before (surprised myself actually!). The only thing was my legs. I used to lift 53lbs (includes 3lbs for the weight of the bar), but yesterday 33lbs almost instantly gave me leg cramps. I went down to 28 for the lunges track and still my legs were shacking. I hope I can run today! Anyways, I felt super strong and find these types of classes very inspiring. The guy next to me said he loves when I come because I can lift more than any of the guys (that included him, btw). Haha, love that!

DINNER

Leftover turkey, mushroom, spinach and cheese lasagna. Still awesome!

LATE NIGHT SNACKING

Oops, another one caught mid-bite

+ an orange and a zbar. I’m going to try to start “closing the kitchen” after dinner + dessert (if I need it). All these snacks add up!

Where would you go on quick vacation if you had a few days to kill?

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I feel so accomplished right now. I had the most productive call with our credit committee in Japan today and got through to them on several points my colleagues tried to explain for hours over the past few days. I feel like such a good employee, hehe! That’s why the pay me the big bucks, right?

BREAKFAST

This morning I was quite productive making breakfast…

1 FFL english muffin with Barney Butter and apple butter + pear slices and pom seeds

Pretty and yummy

[388 calories]

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

3 AK MAK crackers with laughing cow cheese and avocado

[190 calories]

So creamy – I love this combo! Isn’t laughing cow cheese so versatile?

WORKOUT

I attended a pilates class during my lunch hour today. I planned on also doing a 3 mile run before or after class but I was “done” after pilates. I thought I’d be able to come back to the gym after work so I can cross both workouts off the list, but my husband surprised me with an earlier arrival from his business trip… so instead I went on a little date.

LUNCH

I bought all sorts of fun convenience foods at Trader Joe’s yesterday – mostly cut up veggies and lots of fresh produce but these fresh spring rolls with shrimp caught my eye and I thought they’d make a perfect lunch one of these days. I was right! Super fresh and fun!!

The rice wrapper was stuffed with vermicelli noodles, steamed shrimp, cilantro and carrots. The dipping sauce was sweet with a bit of spice. I really enjoyed this after my pilates class. I felt like I was at a spa.

[330 calories]

MID-AFTERNOON SNACKS

A bit of sugar was consumed in the afternoon… good thing I stock my drawers at work with lots of healthier sweets.

[120 calories]

These really satisfy my brownie cravings on a good day (sometimes I still need the real thing though!). It hit the spot today.

4 chocolate coconut macaroons – so satisfying!!

[120 calories]

After a super productive work day, I definitely deserved a little impromptu date my husband. I’ll share it in a separate post. Check back tomorrow afternoon if you want the details.

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