It’s all about ME!

Awww, sooooo sorry to those of you that didn’t win this morning.  I had no idea so many of you were crossing your fingers and toes.  :)  Rest assured, there will be many more opportunities for fun freebies in coming weeks!

For any new people stopping by I thought I would throw out a few links to help you see who I am and what my blog is all about.  I’m slow on the road to getting an About Me page happening! But I know it’s a pain in the arse to arrive at a new blog and not know what the heck is going on…so here’s bit of insight into the life of moi!

• Embracing Balance – What it’s all about.
• A little insight – How I got here.
• How I keep the balance – Reader question.
• Keep it Real – Reader question.
• And…if you are reeeeeally interested and have some time on your hands…here’s the link to my original blog (started almost 4 years ago!)…which dates back to when I was on Weight Watchers and adapting to life as a Navy girlfriend.  The dog and cat learn to play house!

OK, enough self-promotion! Wanna know anything else, just ask.

Until then, look at my food. 

Lunch!  Leftovers make the best salad toppers. 

Last night’s chicken chopped up and reheated with couscous and black beans…

Piled on top of a mix of baby spinach (because the two cups in my smoothie just weren’t enough!), grape tomatoes, and Fig Balsamic dressing…

The topping was a bit bland so I lived it up with some homemade Italian vinegrette I had hanging out in the fridge.

Deeeelish.  I love something warm on top of a spinach salad…it gets a bit wilty and extra yummy.  :)

Tossed few multigrain Tostitos on the side because no salad is complete without something crunchy.

Afternoon snacky is some red grapes and light cheddar.  Keeping it light and simple because tonight I’m meeting some girlfriends for a Thai food feast!  Soooooo excited!!!!  I haven’t had Thai food in like two years.  FH doesn’t like ethnic food so I rely on friends for these tasty meals.  Can’t freaking wait!!

And… as if I haven’t talked about myself enough already…

…head on over to FoodFashionFitness and check out the interview I did for Ali.  Maybe you’ll learn something about me you never knew!  :)

 

 

Question & Answer

A bazillion years ago I had planned to include regular Q&A posts but somehow I just never seem to find the time.  (by a bazillion years I mean a few months…haha).  I always think I won’t have something to write about so can use a reader question to fill in the gap, but wouldn’t you know I’m really never lacking for things to blather on about! 

Now, I admit that I forgot to note who asked this particular question so if it was you give us a holla and take the credit.  :)  Going forward I was smart enough to save emails so I know who left the comments!

Question:

“You are so healthy!  Does everything you eat make it to the blog?”

Answer:

Honestly, HELLS NO!  :)  You all know my motto is “keep it real” and this Q&A seems like a good time to come clean.

• it’s not always possible to include every single thing I eat.  Bites of ‘this-n-that’ are not always photo worthy, are often forgotten, or I sometimes don’t feel like sharing.  Sometimes I’m pressed for time or a post is already too long.
• sometimes a girl doesn’t want to share her dirty little (*cough* evening snack binges) secrets with the world.  sometimes I eat a lot of chips that you all don’t see…which is why once in a while I get hard on myself about not working out. 
• if I’ve already finished blogging for the day, i’m done. so if I feel like having a snack, I’m not going to edit or throw up another blog post just to document a bowl of cereal or extra cookies with my tea. 

Now, this is not to say that this happens all the time or that I’m hiding anything.  It’s just a little insight behind the life of this food blogger.  You are all aware I’m human, correct?  :)

And since no post is complete without food porn and/or a recipe here’s the little drinky-poo that snuck into my belly after last night’s post… 

Light Egg Nog with Diet Ginger Ale

This is a family thing…I think my Grandma may have started it.  She was diabetic so obviously wasn’t supposed to have egg nog but would have a bit mixed with Diet Sprite as her Christmas treat.  My Mom and I started doing it too, and now I can’t go back.  I like it with Ginger Ale as opposed to Sprite, but to each their own.  Yes, it sounds weird…but try it!  It makes your egg nog frothy and fun…and cuts that thick, sickly sweetness that a lot of folks don’t like about egg nog.  Deeeeeelish!

(and FYI: this particular glass is only about 50 calories.  Light Egg Nog is 80 calories per cup…I used just over 1/2 cup.  And Diet GA is zero cals…so there you have it.  I don’t do diet pop too often, but this is one time that it’s a “must have”!)

Fresh Friday

I have a REAL coffee and my desk is TIDY and CLEAN.  Happy Friday to me! 

This morning’s coffee brought to you by a trip to Starbucks because I forgot to buy coffee yesterday.  Oh darn!  :) 

Grande Half-Sweet Non-Fat Pumpkin Spice Bold Misto - (tis not half-caf but I’m only having one coffee today, so I splurged!)

For Shirls:  translation: coffee with a couple squirts of pumpkin spice syrup topped with steamed non-fat milk.  I often prefer a misto over a latte for a couple of reasons…

1. less milk (only about 1/4 cup) means less calories
2. less milk lets me actually taste the coffee
3. it’s cheaper.  :)  $3.33 for this drink vs. $5ish for a PS latte

You might ask “why not just add milk after the fact?”.  You’ll just have to trust me that steamed milk makes all the difference, plus you still get a little foam action on top. 

Enjoyed with some Yogurt-Zucchini Bread…

And then *drum roll please* I cleaned my desk.  It had gotten ridiculously out of hand.  No wonder I am unmotivated to get any work done. 

Before:

After:

Now I can rock out some work and go into the weekend feeling on top of my game!

Another Guest Post Opportunity!

Yes, that’s right! I’m going to be incommunicado yet again. Bwahahaha. I know you are all jealous right? OK, maybe not…but you might be glad to know that I am looking for more guest posts. This is your chance if you missed out last time.

I’m not going to ask for specific topics this time (ie: last time I requested recipes). Instead I leave it open to you…as long as it’s about health or fitness then I’m happy. If you include photos I’m even happier!

If you are interested, please email me at embracingbalance@gmail.com and let me know your ideas. I’m leaving this Thursday afternoon so it’s short notice, but I have faith in you!

Also, I am thinking about doing some Q&A posts to fill space while I am gone…so if anyone has any questions for me to answer now’s your chance! Leave them in a comment on this post, or email them to me. I will do my best to get the answers together before I head off.

I will be gone for 4 days and will have no computer access during that time (hellooooo lovely cottage on a lake in the boonies of Ontario!) so your help is much appreciated!!

Q & A

Amber from Girl with the Red Hair asked:

“I really like these posts you're doing! I'd love to hear more about how you achieve that balance. For example, do you have a treat once a week, or just whenever you get a craving etc.?”

Good question, Amber!  Honestly, I try not to put too much thought into it.  I found myself super stressing about what I was shoving in my mouth a lot of the time and it made my treats that much less enjoyable.  It also led to a lot of binging if I deprived myself.  Not fun.  Once I was able to take a step back, relax, and realize that treats aren’t the end of the world it actually made it easier to not want them all the time.

As a general rule I try to stick to my clean, healthy eating during the week (especially during the day) and save my indulgences for the weekends.  Obviously this doesn’t always work because things come up, but most of the time it does.

On the days that I do know that we’ll be enjoying some cocktails, or hitting a fabulous restaurant, or just kicking back with some ice cream I make an effort to keep the rest of my daily menu healthier.  Example:  huge salad for lunch yesterday, knowing I’d be enjoying some dessert with friends last night.  :)  When time allows, I will also throw in some extra calorie burning to “earn” the anticipated indulgence.

This process is what works for me.  It may not be for everyone, but it is worth a try to achieve some balance.