Recap Whilst Resting

Well, aside from getting my first blog post out just before midnight, Monday was pretty uneventful. Wouldn't it be amazing if Mondays were our "transitional" days? You'd accomplish work/business-wise what you would on a typical Sunday (nothing), except you'd be sitting in front of your desk, doing whatever else you wanted (shopping online, folding laundry, etc.). That way, on Tuesday, you're ready to rock-n-roll. Makes perfect sense to me.

I did manage to get some good food and a good-ish workout in.

Breakfast consisted of 1/4 C Quaker Oats cooked with vanilla soy milk and topped with cinnamon and a dollop of almond butter.

Snack Time #1 is usually around 10 am, unless I'm starving, then I'll sneak it in a little early. But that only happens, oh say, 4 out of every 5 work days. So I walk into the break room and BAM. Panera cookies. EVERYWHERE. It's like Santa himself dumped his sleigh of goodies all over the counter and told me what a good girl I'd been. I look through them, trying not to drool. Double chocolate...chocolate chip...sugar..oh my. BUT - I scowled and pouted my way to the fridge for my Greek yogurt, blueberries, raspberries and bananas. And after I ate that (ended up adding a little Agave nectar, coconut and almonds because it's delicious that way), I felt like I conquered a huge challenge. I don't ever want to deprive myself of something I want, but it's all about moderation. And with it being only Monday, there were bound to be things I'd give into the rest of the week (like beer(s) at last night's sand volleyball game - DUH).

Nice try, Satan.

Lunch was a thrown together salad, consisting of spinach, celery, carrots, lemon pepper tuna, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. {Side note: Goat cheese makes everything better.} Then I chowed down on some celery and hummus.

For whatever reason I was so full after lunch that I didn't snack until I got home from work. Banana, cashews and raisins. Then before hitting the gym, threw some almond butter on a rice cake and headed out.

I'm following Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Half Marathon Training Schedule, so Mondays are scheduled as a "rest" day. I didn't really feel like resting, so I took advantage of Day 1 of a 2 week free trial of a gym near my apartment. Since it wasn't a run day, I figured I'd at least get some low-impact cardio going and hopped on a stair-stepper. This is the particular stair-stepping machine where the steps actually move, like an escalator. I set it at an interval workout on level 11 (I'm in shape, right?) and begin at a slow speed. Ok, not bad. Bump up the speed in 3-2-1-go...It's still manageable. I begin to take in the scenery around me, ready to people watch and maybe browse through some TV channels when I suddenly realize I am nowhere near coordinated enough to not watch my feet hit the moving steps and grab what I've now dubbed the "oh shit!" bars as I panic to figure out how the hell to pause this thing. Once I get it stopped, take a look around me and am fairly confident nobody saw me, I resume my workout, hands never leaving the oh shit bars and eyes never leaving the stairs. After 30 minutes of that, I hit up a core works class and left the gym glistening like a lady sweating like a muthafucking pig.

Dinner - I went grocery shopping for a few things (like Peanut Butter & Co's Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (OMG yum, except it was almost $7 at my store for that little fucker). It was late when I got home and I was in no mood to cook.

Always making room for the important things

I also wanted something sweet. Off  I surfed to search for a healthy mug cake. JACKPOT, people! Found this little nugget of a recipe from Andrea Smith Fitness and I'm hooked. 
 

Almond flour - FREAKING EXPENSIVE.

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 scoop of chocolate casein protein powder (I used regular chocolate whey protein powder)
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon of coconut or almond flour (I used almond flour)
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder used for baking
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 cup of water or coconut milk (I used water)
  
  
  
  
  
  Mix it all together in a bowl and then pour it in a sprayed coffee cup. Pop it in the microwave and cook for 30-45 seconds. For mine, I had to do 10 second intervals after that, as it was still a bit gooey. Once it was done, I popped it on to a plate, and though initially it looked kind of disgusting, I dressed it up with some raspberries and butterscotch chips and OHMIGOD. That thing was devoured in a matter of minutes. Best. Dinner. Ever. 
  
  
  

  

  The blurriness of this photo is credited to my inner
  fat kid dying to dive into this dessert.

I'll leave you with the highlights my Tuesday and today:

• Got a solid run and arm workout in before volleyball
• We won our volleyball game
• The beer tasted great
• This isn't so much a highlight as a confession - utilizing today as my rest day. Giving the ole creaking knees a break and going to attempt to catch up on some sleep after a few late nights!  

Is anyone else ready for it to be Friday? Happy Hump Day!