New Routine

Hello there.  It's been awhile.

I'm still adjusting to the transition from school to work.  I really like routines, and when I have to change my routine, I kind of get thrown for a loop.  So right now I'm trying to establish a new routine for myself, and I think it's finally starting to come together.  At least I hope so.

This morning I had a delicious and extremely filling breakfast, which was perfect because I didn't get to eat lunch until a little later than I'm used to.

My breakfast bowl contained 1/2 cup 1-minute oats, 1 cup boiling water, lots of cinnamon, a sliced banana, fresh blueberries, a spoonful of peanut butter, and - here's the kicker - a huge spoonful of cottage cheese.  Yup, cottage cheese in oatmeal.  I thought it sounded strange at first, but both Kath and Julie mix cottage cheese into their oatmeal on occasion, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.

The verdict:  I like it!  As long as I don't put too much in.  I don't like plain cottage cheese, but if I get the ratio right, I don't mind it in my oatmeal at all.  (One time I added too much and it was a little gaggy.)  The great thing is that the cottage cheese adds a nice burst of protein and helps to create a really filling meal.

I've been pretty good about eating healthy breakfasts, but I need to get better at packing food to take to work with me.

So far I've been packing raw fruits and veggies (apples, grapes, sugar snap peas, bell peppers, carrots), raw nuts, and a granola/ protein bar.  These are all good options and tasty, but not too exciting.  I need to put more thought and effort into my lunches instead of just grabbing things to quickly slice up as I'm getting ready to head out the door.

I got a great treat while I was working today:

A freshly made chocolate cookie!  (Thank you, Terri and Kaylynn! <-- the talented bakers.)  It was so delicious, and a great afternoon-pick-me-up.

Last night, my mom, sister and I went to our church for Girls Night Out, which is always held near Mother's Day.  I was SO excited when I found out that one of my favorite local restaurants, Aladdin's Eatery, was catering the dinner.

Normally these kinds of all-women functions have food which I don't really like, such as chicken salad, so I was especially thrilled to find out that we'd be having Mediterranean food.  I have had an ongoing craving for stuffed grape leaves lately, so I was extremely happy to see them on the buffet!  I also had a delicious salad with pita pieces in it, and a stuffed pita.  I asked for the vegetarian pita stuffed with tabbouleh, but was actually given a pita stuffed with chicken - I was looking forward to the tabbouleh, but went ahead and ate the chicken since I had already unwrapped it, and it was very good.  Small chocolate peanut butter cake for dessert.  Such a great meal!

In addition to improving my lunches, I also need to work harder to incorporate more exercise into my daily routine.  I really like to work out in the morning, but lately I haven't been getting up in time to exercise before work.  I got a great workout in at the gym tonight after dinner (elliptical, stair climber, treadmill, and some assisted pull-ups), but I find that it's much easier to come up with excuses not to work out at night than if I exercise first thing in the morning.

While I'll still go to the gym in the evenings or go on a jog, I decided to go ahead and finally buy some Physique 57 DVDs after lusting after them for awhile.

My plan is to do a workout DVD before work a few days a week, and then cardio after work a few days a week.  We'll see how that actually works out, but right now I'm excited to try these DVDs - I've heard really great things about Physique 57.  And I need all the excitement I can get to motivate myself to get out of bed and exercise before work.  I'm planning to do one tomorrow morning - I'll let you know how it goes!

I mentioned in my last post that I worked on laying down straw (which I erroneously called hay) over some newly-seeded patches in my parents' yard, and I was also given the task of watering these areas every day.  This actually takes quite awhile, about an hour, so I decided to listen to a podcast to help pass the time.

Well I guess I was engrossed in a podcast because I didn't hear my visitor until I caught him staring at me.

I was actually really startled and jumped a little when I finally realized that I had a watering buddy.  It might not seem like it from this picture, but he was pretty close to me!  He would look right at me, then eat a little, walk a little, and look at me again.  I went back to watering, and he made his way across the yard.

I was fascinated to watch him eat because sometimes he would crouch down a little...

and then rise up on his hind legs to eat some leaves!  Pretty cool, right?  At least I thought so!  I don't remember ever seeing a deer do this before.

So that's your wildlife lesson of the day.  Come back next time to learn all about the Mallard ducks who frequent our creek.  Just kidding.  This is not going to turn into a wildlife blog.

Well, I've got to go to bed so I can get up early and try out my new workout DVD.  G'night!

Song of the day:

"Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men.  I can't get enough of this song right now - it's so good, and really catchy.  And I can never resist a song with female and male vocals.