Getting Ready

Yesterday may very well have been my last normal eating day for about two weeks.  Good thing there was coffee and a banana & almond butter sammich.

You see…I’ve let my fridge dwindle down to the near side of empty in anticipation of my leaving on a jet plane this Thursday.  Hence the leftover red Thai curry.

The snacks are getting all random up in here.  Iced coffee with ham slices?  Eat it up.

While running the 457 inevitable pre-vacay errands after work (nothing like driving to three stores to buy extra kitty litter) dinner was procured from the supermarket.  Clearly I’m addicted to pasta and mayo.

And because I don’t already have a two page to-do list and a double sided packing list that needs paring down I thought it would be fun to make a Peach and Blueberry Cobbler at 9:30 last night.

This is what I do.

I didn’t even get to eat it.  Just stared at it longingly while it cooled and I washed a sink full of dishes, cleaned my bathtub, and stared at my shoes trying to figure out which ones will be the most comfy and least touristy.

I’ll be sure to gnaw my way through this beauty today in between two big work projects, three loads of laundry, and choosing whether to bring an ugly (yet comfy) little daypack or a more stylin’ (yet uncomfortable) shoulder bag.

Travel prep is no joke.  Cobbler helps.

Grecian Times

Exciting news!  I just booked my flight to Athens!!  Tiffaney and I are off to Greece for two glorious weeks at the end of September.  We have talked about taking a real vacation together for ages and now is the time!  My bank account is going to HATE me for about a year but we are doing this. 

Next, we plan.  If anyone has been to Greece recently please feel free to send along suggestions, tips and blog links.  We have two weeks which gives us opportunity to check out Athens and hit up a few islands…there are so many to choose from!

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Talk about motivation to get fit!  Project Greek Goddess starts now.

Heading South

Don’t get excited…I’m only heading 2 hours South!  Nothing hot and sunny I’m afraid…just a quick weekend trip to Seattle. :)

Today I have been racing around like a madwoman.  I have a bad habit of not booking time off work when I probably should so I end up having to do my last minute stuff while I am working. Damn me and my committed work ethic!

Coffee served up a la Canada seemed appropriate…

And since I knew I wouldn’t have time to be making a big lunch I opted for a bigger than usual bowl of oatmeal.

In the pot:  oats, water, UVAB, diced Gala apple, cinnamon, vanilla and flax meal…

On top:  cinnamon, Craisins, toasted pecans, hulled hemp seeds, and brown sugar…

Supah filling.  It’s been 3 hours since I ate it and I’m just now picking at the leftover apple with peanut butter and a handful of almonds.

Also packed some snacks for the ferry and am about to run out for a latte to sip before boarding.  I’ve never taken the Victoria Clipper…I’m excited and worried at the same time.  I have heard horror stories about sea sickness and since I am prone to motion sickness…well, eeeeeeek.

I already warned my friend John that when he picks me up at the ferry he very well may be carrying my pukey arse to the hotel.  Yikes.  *cross your fingers!*  (Don’t worry, they sell Dramamine onboard!)

We have plans for a foodie paradise weekend as well as some touristy stuff and obviously a trip to Pike Place to get my hands on an SB mug. :)  I’m pretty stoked about my trip to a Trader Joe’s too!!  I’ve been writing up a list of things to look for, but I need you guys to help a girl out…

What should I add to my list?!! 

I’m still considering perishables…not sure about transporting them back but I have it on good authority that I can buy one of those insulated grocery bags so we shall see.  If there’s a Chobani section I will definitely figure out how to get it home!

Gotta run.  See you from Seattle!

Brewery Market

So after one last vacation cheeseburger with Tiffaney at the airport, and maybe some peanut butter M&M’s for an airplane snack…I landed in Halifax on the right healthy foot.

Since my flight arrived at 7am, Cosette and I went for a quick breakfast and then hit up the huge Farmer’s Market at the Keith’s Brewery.  I mean, after 7 hours of travel with 1 hour of sleep…what better way to start a Saturday?  :)

I had $20 in my pocket and decided to just see what fun stuff I could get…

On my list:  carrots, tender leafy spinach, baby mixed greens.

Fun finds:  fiddleheads!  kale buds!!  striped radishes!

And oatmeal molasses bread from Julien’s Bakery. 

After a hot shower and a long nap (including a major cuddle with my poor kitty that seemingly thought I wasn’t coming back!) I finished filling the fridge and pantry with fresh, healthy groceries.

 

I think that’s my favourite part of coming home. Restocking the groceries.  Nom!

Also exciting was making a yummy, healthy dinner.  It’s always nice to eat out and take a break from “having” to cook but I was happy to be back in my kitchen.

Simple BBQ’d Salmon on a Bigass Salad:

Small salmon filet, dressed with a simple marinade of: olive oil, grainy dijon mustard, drizzle of real maple syrup, dill, salt & pepper

Cooked in a loose foil tent on a med-hot BBQ grill for about 15 minutes. 

Served over a fresh and delicious salad…dressed lightly with the same marinade. 

I’m back, baby!  :)

Clear Skies

Well wouldya look at this…posting on the right day!  :)

Last night I did end up walking back to the mall for a late supper.  Toast just wasn’t going to cut it.  I admit, I didn’t make the best choice…chicken soft taco and Mexi fries…but it hit the spot and it could have been worse I suppose.

For dessert I savoured this Rogers cream…Coconut.  Definitely my new favourite!

I was actually working until around 11pm, then crashed out on the couch for a bit and it was glorious.  Went to bed by midnight and slept pretty well…although all of this couch surfing, laptop working, and general stress and lack of activity have left me in desperate need of a massage and chiro treatment.  Since the day I took off I’ve had a stabbing pain in my ass that is stemming from somewhere around my sciatic nerve/joint and is actually aggravated from all the way up by my neck!!  Oh dear body, why do you hate me so?

The view from Nicole’s deck is pretty sweet on a clear day.  That’s Hurricane Ridge and the Olympic Mountains in Washington State you can see way in the distance…and there’s a cruise ship in at Dallas Road!  (well you can’t see the cruise ship in the picture, but I can see the stack from the window!)

As Nicole isn’t a coffee drinker (how do I keep staying with friends that don’t make coffee? gasp!) I took a nice walk to the mall this morning to get my misto on…

I made the conscious decision that I would find something healthy to eat for breakfast and lunch at the apartment today because my spending has been out of control…and I still have two more dinners out to deal with before I leave.

Pumpkin granola with skim milk…

Apple I brought from Mom’s…

2 hour conference call later and it was lunch time!  I’d been eyeing up Nicole’s cupboards and saw some tuna calling my name.  Mixed with a chopped dill pickle and squirt of light Miracle Whip…

She even has Squirrelly bread!  I told y’all…everyone on the West Coast loves themselves some deeeelish squirrellyness.  :)

With some baby carrots.  Never has my body been so happy to eat a fresh little carrot!

It’s gorgeous outside so I am going to tackle a little more work then hopefully head out for a walk around the block.  I need to move these aching muscles.  Working at a kitchen table and leaning down to use my laptop is not helping! 

Tonight I’m off for my favourite soup for dinner with Tiffaney and then we are going to finally meet Liane and Jenny!  I’m excited!!

Two Fer One

Ya, I just posted but I have time to actually get back on the right timeline…so you get another blog…for free! 

Tuesday was a bit of a race around so not much got documented. 

Another cute Starbbies mug at Mom’s.  Like Daughter, Like Mother! :)

She also invested in some of my beloved Squirrelly bread and some Crofter’s jam.  It ain’t Supercrack but it was still mighty tasty!

 

For lunch I had my leftover Keg deliciousness…

 

That’s a side plate…just so you know I’m not totally silly!

And then things sort of fell apart from there.  I had a full work day, then packing and racing out the door to be heading back to Victoria at a decent time.  By the time we got into the car we were both starving so made the quick and easy decision to get A&W. 

I shouldn’t beat myself up because it’s really the first fast food I’ve had this whole trip, but my eating has been sooo unhealthy that I do feel bad.  My Teen Burger was deeelish though!

I’m now staying at my friend Nicole’s place as she’s in the Navy and away this week.  So kind of her to offer me her place!  I was happy to cuddle into a real bed with episodes of HIMYM on my laptop and a much enjoyed bowl of Cheetos. 

This morning I had to meet my realtor yet again so I ate my way through a small bowl of granola with skim milk while I got ready…

On the road he and I shared a KitKat and he got me a Diet Coke because we were both thirsty, frazzled and in need of caffeine.  When we finished up I got him to drop me at the mall so I could get a coffee…

And grabbed lunch in the food court to bring back to the apartment.  I opted for Greek because it seemed one of the healthiest options…

What a good deal!  $8 for this HUGE Greek Salad (could use more feta, but lots of yummy fresh veggies!) and a very tasty chicken pita wrap also loaded with veggies and really good tzatziki sauce.

Who knew?  I may have that again tomorrow!

It’s been about 5 hours and I’m now sitting here pretty hungry for dinner.  My options are either tuna on toast, pb on toast, or another trip over to that food court.  The mall is only a block away but anything else is too far to walk from here.

Have I mentioned how glad I am that I’ve at least been doing a fair amount of walking?!  Because in 10 days I’ve only had one workout but eaten the calories of a trainload of people!  I am so totally looking forward to getting home and back to the gym.  I kinda miss my strength training!!