Ups and Downs

A Monday lunch like this makes it so much easier to face work after the weekend :)  Since my husband didn't love the salmon recipe, I got all the yummy leftovers for myself. I don't generally think of myself as a carrot stick lover, but I needed a veggie and carrots were a quick and easy option. I actually really enjoyed them.

After I ate my lunch, I was working away at the office when I notice a super cute guy walking up to the door. It was my trainer.  Since he has been doing his program, every month he plans a treat (yes, usually pizza).  I had completed my first month and he wanted to carry on his little tradition for me. So, he stopped by with a special treat - ice cream from one of our favorite places. I think  he might have been trying to "butter pecan" me up for the next month of workouts. 

It seems my trainer is moving on, but I am refusing to let go of Double Light, at least in name.  The big change is that I have graduated to three circuits of the listed exercises. Monday was the first time I attempted three circuits and I survived. Actually, not only did I survive I got many compliments on how hard I was working. I believe I even heard "this was your best workout yet!" It made me happy because I truly believed it too.  I went into the workout with the mindset that I was going to give my trainer more than he expected. I had planned the next time push-ups came up on the schedule I would attempt a regular push-up (no modifications).  And I managed one on all three circuits!! They weren't pretty and I could have gotten down a bit lower, but I will absolutely take them. Then I continued with the modified push-ups and actually increased the number in each circuit - 12 on circuit three :)

I have some work to do on my planking. I believe the longest one I did was 15 seconds. Can't wait to look back at that and be amazed how far I have come :)

Nothing too exciting for dinner.  I grilled some corn to use throughout the week. Check out the top ear.

I think someone is eager for his workouts. I found this on the washer Tuesday morning.

Tuesday I had to work early, so I wanted something extra quick without getting off track of my goals. The peanut butter sandwich was delicious!  I knew it would be a long time until lunch so I added the egg for extra staying power. It still didn't seem substantial enough so when I saw the carrot sticks in the fridge I threw them on the plate too. Odd for breakfast, I know, but I liked them and got in an extra veggie for the win.

I had planned to be at the conference all day, but my boss ended up having me go back to the office mid-morning. I didn't mind not having to stay at the conference. However, my concern was lunch. Since I knew I'd be eating at the conference, there was no need for me to bring my lunch. I have been doing really well on packing my lunch and not eating out. I ended up with a bit of compromise. On the way back to the office I stopped at a grocery store that has a good salad bar. My plan we to make myself a nice healthy, filling salad.  And then I got sidetracked by the guy making sushi in the deli. I decided to try these.

I vaguely remember having sushi from this store before and I didn't love all the rice.  When I saw the crazy rolls, I noticed they didn't have rice in them, and decided to give them a try. You know I have been all about the salmon lately.  However, I couldn't make myself get the salmon or tuna crazy rolls because the fish is not cooked and that didn't sound okay to me.

In addition to the crazy rolls I picked a few items from the salad bar to give my meal a little more substance. I can never pass up beets on a salad bar. I love them, but very rarely make them because of the mess.

I will give my lunch about a 7/10.  I liked it fine, but won't be rushing back to have it again.  This morning, I made sure to pack a lunch in case I go back to the office again before lunch. 


One of our ladies posted this Fitness Blender video as a mini challenge to the group. It is a quick 6 minutes of stretches you can even do at your desk in your work clothes. This might make more sense for someone like me who works alone several days a week. However, technically it can be done in a cubicle. I tested it this afternoon in the small space around my desk. It worked out well.  It felt good to loosen things up in the middle of the day. Of course, you can also use if for cool down or warm up.

I don't really want to write this part, but in there interest of honesty - here it is. Tuesday's workout went horribly. By the time I got home from work, I was in a terrible mood due to some work and some family-ish stuff. I had a whole plan for the dinner based on getting home early. Well, I did get home a little bit earlier, but too late to do as I planned. I know it is stupid to let things get to you, but sometimes it happens before you even realize it and it can be difficult to dial it back. My solution was to just "get the workout over with" and then make figure out dinner. I am sure as a result of my attitude the difficulty of the workout pushed me to a bad place. I ended up only completing half of a modified version. I was very upset with myself because I knew I'd let down my trainer and of course, let down myself.  Even though exercise can help improve your mood, I think in this case I should have waited until I got over a bit of my "mad" before I attempted it. Something like a walk may have made me feel better, it was way too hot and humid for me to be outside. All I can do at this point is live and learn....moving on.

Later in the evening I came back around to making dinner - Turkey Enchilada Stuffed Poblanos Rellenos from Skinnytaste. Because it was still hot outside I decided to char my poblanos on the stove instead of the grill. It worked out okay. After they are charred they are sealed in a bag and the skins start to peel off.

While the pepper were cooling I made the filling - ground turkey, veggies and spices.

Peppers assembled and ready for the oven. The sauce is the enchilada sauce I made on Sunday. Of course, I could have used canned, but I am sure this was tastier. 

After 30 minutes in the oven dinner was finally ready for my tummy at 8 p.m. We normally eat between 5-6 p.m.

I was extremely pleased with how this recipe turned out. I don't really like the flavor of cooked green bell peppers, but the poblano was delicious. Sometimes they can have a kick, but it is a mild flavor. To me, green bell peppers overpower a dish. If I use bell peppers in a recipe 99% of the time it will be red, orange or yellow. I did add just a bit of corn because I had it on hand. I will definitely be making these again.

I was happy to end the day cooking something then turned out delicious and was healthy. As crabby as I was I didn't allow myself to make bad food decisions. Sometimes, you can't ask for better than to end well.