Fancy a sandwich
Hey hey hey! Hope your night is going well. Today was a DOOZY. Jammies have never felt so good 🙂
A couple thingamabobs:
1. I’m SO thankful for all of your comments on the inspiration board! When I posted it, I was thinking that you’d either like it, or think I was a giant goober 😉 Thank you so much for your lovely words- if any of you make your own, I’d love to see it!
2. I didn’t donate blood today. It was just some blood work I’ve been meaning to get done, since I messed it up last time by eating breakfast 😉 I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to donate blood eventually, when I can handle the needle and blood part without causing havoc. By not fainting or crying today during the blood work, that was a huge milestone! Hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be able to be brave enough to donate!
3. With work and the holiday insanity, I’ve been an email slacker. I’m still trudging through the inbox and promise (!) to give you all the answers and responses you deserve. Hang in there with me, friends! 😀
I have to post the pics the pilot took of his meal last night.
He had organic chicken waiting in the fridge for him to make with the polenta dish, and a can of enchilada sauce to make the chicken a little more exciting.
He was skeptical:
He seared the chicken, sliced a “pocket” into it and filled said pocket with cheese, then baked in enchilada sauce and topped with more cheese.
Blanket of cheesiness 😀
He loved it! The polenta dish came out amazingly, too:
There’s corn in there! I had a two bowls! I’m not a huge corn fan, but this meal was glorious. Two more points for Rachael Rizzle 😉
This morning, I made the most aesthetically-unappealing breakfast cookie…
Nice, right?? Haha.
It had to be portable since I couldn’t munch before the blood work, so I had it with me (and a giant container of water) to have immediate after 😀
Some of today’s eats:
Raw Chili Cheese Crackers that I made the other day (HEAB is going to have to be the official taste tester, since I included some in her bday package)
Salad beast and egg whites:
Sweet potato with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg:
And I had the choice to either make something amazing for dinner and head to teach and train, or make a sandwich and use the extra time to nap with the puppies……
I’m pretty sure you know which one I rolled with 😉
Almond butter and Polaner on millet bread. Dinner of champions 😀
Well I’m off to chillax a little before crashing out. Tomorrow we’re going to start packing for Tucson! We leave Thursday 🙂 I’m ridiculously stoked.
Have a wonderful night <3
G$
Today’s tip: Adding muscle mass helps your metabolism! As you increase muscle, your body’s basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories you’d burn if you laid in bed all day) elevates as well. So more lean muscle = more calorie torching action. Pump some iron! 😀
52 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Great job on the blood work today, Gina. That’s a HUGE step!
Go pilot! Awesome dinner. That polenta looks amazing. 🙂
I love quick and easy dishes for dinner!
I loved your inspiration board! Such a great way to start the year. I need to pull some of my magazines out to make one for myself. Congrats on making it through the blood work. That is definitely the first step to giving blood!
The lasagna looks SOOOOO good!
Love the pilot’s face in that pic! I know you’ve mentioned this before (so I apologize) but could you tell me what brand of millet bread you use? Thank you 🙂
hey girl,
it’s food for life 😀 SO good!
awesome, thanks!
Why is sweet potato so good with cinnamon? Why is everything so good with cinnamon? 🙂
Oops! I meant polenta! Silly girl! The polenta looks SOOOOO good too! 🙂
😀 thanks!
Raw chili cheese crackers?! Holy yum! Congrats on getting through the bloodwork- it can be traumatizing! I have to lay down when I get it done, otherwise I get lightheaded and pass out. No fun!
dang, i’m going to have to look for that millet bread stuff next time i go to whole foods.
good job on your bloodwork today! relatedly, i haven’t donated blood either (due to low iron levels). fixed the iron thing when i started eating healthier but haven’t had a chance to try donating again. the thought of it kind of makes me nervous!
I used to donate blood as often as they would let me, but then I had some bad experiences with passing out & crying, as well. Ha. Luckily, my blood type isn’t rare, so I don’t feel TOO terrible.
Congrats on being so brave today!!! Did you do anything in particular to help you not faint/cry? I am notorious for my fainting and freakouts when it comes time for shots, and the only thing that ever helped was when a doctor prescribed me some Xanax to take right before. Drugs scare me too though, so I’d love if there was a more natural way to get through it!
nop, i think the thing that helped was that the guy who did it didn’t baby me at all. i think when i get babied, i freak out even more, even though i kind of ask for it with how i’m acting. he just told me i wasn’t going to faint and asked me to count out loud backwards from 100. by the time i got to 85, he was done, and i was fine.
I’m excited to hear how HEAB likes those crackers 🙂 I’m sure she’ll love them! I’m planning on having my inspiration board done this weekend, I’ll be sure to send you pictures 🙂
Oh please God, let said birthday package arrive on my doorstep tomorrow. 🙂
Can’t wait to taste your raw goodies. Flew through my package from Pure2Raw. I NEED an Excalibur. Thank you for being such a thoughtful friend!
Oh, and your breakfast cookies? They will always look good no matter what. 🙂
Quick question sort of related to your tip: A lot of my friends (who aren’t pros or anything, but are thin) have told me to lose weight via cardio first & then work on weight training… is that right? Or should I go ahead and incorporate weight training to build muscle & increase my metabolism? Thank you 🙂
hey rachel,
i say do both. cardio and healthy eating is what is going to “shrink” you, but weight training is going to tone you. you definitely need both in a balanced fitness regimen 😀
That polenta dish looks delicious!! Im in love with polenta – it reminds me of being little. My mom used to make it for my brother and I because we were allergic to just about everything else.
Yum yum your food looks great, I can’t seem to make anything right with polenta, it always comes out all lumpy and disgusting!! Hope the packing for Tuscon goes well. I’m guessing Tuscon is in Arizona or Nevada and it’s nice and hot there. Soo cold here in Ireland but we got out of work yesterday and Monday because of the weather, here hoping it’s an early day today as well. Have a great day. Just a quick question if you had to pick a strength training dvd which one would you pick? I have Jackie Warners, Jillians and Jari ( but don’t know if Jari’s is a beneficial if it’s low weights and very high reps.
Have a great day and happy packing!
hey susan,
try the pre-made polenta rolls.. that’s what i did, all you have to do it heat it up 😀
tucson is in arizona and it was 76 yesterday… i can’ wait!
i think all of those strength training dvds sound good- low weight and high reps are beneficial, as long as you still get a good burn going. i would just recommend alternating between 2 or 3 dvds and not doing them on consecutive days, so your body doesn’t get used to anything.
I read your posts and look at your pics and wish you were my neighbor.
The polenta sounds amazing. I can’t even remember the last time I had polenta!
PB&J is the way to go for a quick meal. Yum.
The polenta dish looks amazing!!
That cheezy chicken idea sounds good, I’ll have to try that for my hubby.
Raw chili cheese crackers — yum!
Sometimes a sammie is what you need!
That polenta dish sounds fabulous!
xo
Kris
Yum! I love polenta. I always make the mush myself, and I’ve been wanting to make the cakes. It’s easy, but it’s an extra step. 😛
Good work on the blood draw! I’ve learned that I have to cry in order to get a successful stick. Otherwise I get too stressed out and either faint or can’t relax enough for the draw to work. It’s pathetic.
Yummy about the polenta..is the recipe on the foodtv site? Or is a modified version? Also, I love how you get your eggs so round! The picture of the egg made up for the un-aesthetically pleasing breakfast cookie picture, LOL! Have a great day!
it’s pretty much the same version (yes on foodnetwork.com) but i didn’t use cheese and added cumin and extra garlic 😀
Hi Gina,
Could you tell us how u make those eggs/ egg whites. I would love to make them. I’ve joined Vinyasa Yoga class at my Gym. And i’m lovin’ it! 🙂
Take care and have a great time in Tucson. 🙂
hey geetha,
i just microwave them in a glass bowl, sprayed with nonstick spray
Wow. I have to make that chicken for PB. I never thought to slice a “pocket” in it to add more cheese, but I bet he would love that!
Have so much fun with your family. I wish you were going to be in Orlando instead~
With regards to #2, I’ve never been able to give blood but I was able to volunteer by passing out cookies, drinks, and ringing the bell incase people passed out. It was a lot of fun and I felt good for helping but it was during high school so I’m not sure if you can do it now.
There’s nothing better than a nut butter sandwich. Mmmmm! The chicken looks really good too!
Your husband is so hot! lol. sorry..but he is! I love your training tips, currently using your eliptical and treadmill workouts everytime I go to the gym. They are awesome! I gotta try that millet bread, looks yummy.
ahah don’t be sorry.. he is a perfect hunk of man haha 😀
Pilot done good!
Oh and I didn’t think your inspiration board was goobery at all. In fact, I just finished the new Dan Brown book, and I’ll just say that it made me think way harder about the power of our own minds as far as achieving what we want. Plus I’m a sucker. 🙂
Congrats on the incident-free bloodwork!
Your man does look pretty skeptical! Looks like he did a good job though!! Luck you 🙂
Indeed- HUGE step with the bloodwork today. Hooray! I, too, am in recovery from major major needle phobia and have successfully and dramalessly (yes, I probably made that word up) given blood twice now 🙂 You’ll get there! And I LOVE nut butter sandwiches- I usually put a little nanner on there for an extra kick. Delicious!
Oh ya forgot to ask, did you post the Raw Chili Cheese Crackers recipe? They look gooood.
not yet, i’m waiting to see what my taste tester says 🙂
I could eat sweet potatoes all day every day 🙂
Great call on the sandwich. I’ve been on a simplicity, kitchen clean-up friendly kick these days. I probably could research this myself, but what attracted you to millet bread? I have not seen that one around.
You are not a goober–only incredibly inspiring and awesome!
I think you made a good call on dinner too…sometimes there are more important things than gourmet meals, like pets 🙂
The pilot made a nice dinner!!
Yay for vacation 🙂
Hi Gina, do you believe that your body can get used to a cardio routine? I’ve been doing intense cardio for awhile and tracking everything I eat. Most calculators put my bmr around 1400. I wear a polar and I’ve been averaging a 600 calorie burn while eating 1600-1700 calories a day and haven’t lost anything and am still in the same shape. What do you think the problem could be or what should I try to remedy the situation?
As always, love the blog and thanks so much for your input!
hey ashley,
your body can definitely get used to a cardio routine and you may need to vary your calorie intake and workout intensity to change things up a little.
i’d recommend alternating interval, steady and hill cardio workouts with lower intensity days along with weight training. hope this helps a little!
Your inspiration board is amazing Gina! kudos!
oh yum!! almond butter on millet bread is great. Love the sammie pick=) The polenta dish looks fabulous as well! Have a great day!