Brunch Munch

I literally slept like a rock last night. I felt so heavy and sore from my summer cold.

I wasn't particularly hungry, so I just had a mug of tea before work. I probably should have packed something to munch on but I didn't give myself enough time.

I guess you can say I had brunch for lunch since I combined the two daily meals into one

Fresh red fruits!

Time for the main course

The remnants of my vegetable salad topped with sliced strawberries and grapes plus h2o.

I couldn't believe how much better I felt after eating these nutrient-packed foods!

After work I came home to some orange love

While snacking on those beauties, I conjured up a lovely green monster

I love how the sun is shining on it

2-3 handfuls spinach, 1/2 scoop of Isofemme chocolate protein, 1/2 cup water and 3 ice cubes in a blender all whirred up. Word up.

Today will definitely be an off day in terms of working out. Time to catch up on some well-deserved rest!

The summer cold

You know those people who get sick in summer, despite all the sunshine and good weather? Yeah, I'm one of them. I woke up this morning sneezing hysterically with 6 to 8 sneezes per interval. I thought it was allergies at first but after a work out and a bath full of exotic spices, fruits and herbs, my body was completely burnt out. This led me to believe my good ol' summer cold was ready to make its presence in my life.

My fridge was egg-less this morning, causing me to resort to protein powder for my protein fix

This monster included:

• 3 handfuls spinach
• 1/2 cup Isofemme chocolate temptation protein powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 ice cubes

I tried a sample pack of Isofemme chocolate temptation protein powder I received at work. It had practically the same nutritionals as Isoflex chocolate protein powder and from my understanding, tasted the same - at least in a green monster.

I coupled my monster with last night's salad

 featuring a sprinkle of flax and a mist of sunflower. I love leftovers in the morning!

Who says you can't have salad for breakfast?

I was happy to have managed to clean up my room a bit more today. I still have quite a ways to go, however I am making progress! I snacked on peanut butter, honey and cinnamon throughout the clean up.

I didn't want a very filling lunch, as I was not incredibly hungry. Naturally, I reached for the salad bowl and decided to serve my greens [reds, yellows, oranges and whites] with a side of cottage cheese.

I dusted some nutmeg on the cheese and sunflower and flax joined the salad once again. What a great combo of flavours!

I took an invigorating bath today in attempt to feel better. I actually fell asleep in my bath tub! Luckily I woke up two minutes into my snooze to do the Suicidal Sweat Work Out which was definitely killer. I was sweating like crazy! I came back home to shower and realized I was beyond exhausted! My nose and throat were completely congested and my head was really heavy and hot. I was supposed to attend a cousin's get-together but I had to pass due to my summer sickness.

I felt that the only thing I wanted was peanut butter, honey and cinnamon, leading me to give into indulgence. I sort of grazed through my fridge for "dinner" and realized I was full after eating little bits of randomness. I didn't have any fruit and was in desperate need for vitamin C. I decided to trek down to the local Asian grocery store to pick up some goods. The selection was very limited, so I picked up cherries, red grapes, clementines, fuji apples, bananas and strawberries.

Mmm! Tons of vitamins in this baby. Take that summer cold!

Anywho, time to kick it. Have a good night!

You can never go wrong with Indian food!

Yesterday my friend called me and asked me if I wanted to grab some take-out buffet food from a nearby Indian restaurant. That's right - take-out buffet Indian food. It sounds almost hard to believe but you're actually able to fill up two take out boxes for the price of $13.00. What a deal!

I filled my box with tandoori chicken, channa masala (chickpea curry), aloo mutter (pea and potato curry), a little bit of butter chicken and lots of salad. I came home and assembled my meal on a large plate for some visual appeal.

The amount of flavour on that plate was unbelievable!

Eating this meal reminded me how much I truly missed my cultural food. I plan to integrate various spices found in Indian cuisine into my own recipes. Spices like turmeric, cumin, cardamom, anise and curry all contain many health benefits and should be included in our daily diets in order to ward off infection.

After work, I had delicious grilled chicken breast stuffed with avocado and goat cheese with a side of colourful salad

Check out that stuffing!

The salad contained spinach, orange peppers, yellow peppers, green onion, celery, tomatoes, avocado and water chestnuts

Delish!

I had quite the flavourful day. I felt so relieved knowing I didn't have to work out at night. I did the Fat Fighter Work Out before feasting on my Indian buffet. Don't you just love a great work out followed by an abundance of amazing food?

Cooking & cleaning

I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking and cleaning. I unleashed my inner Indian by listening to some Indian music while cleaning. I'm not going to lie, I actually love my culture. I remember being embarrassed about my ethnicity and culture when I was younger, as I lived in a predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood. As Toronto grew more and more diverse, I found it easier to accept my heritage for what it was. I believe one's ethnic, cultural and/or religious background will always be a very important part of their life. It's always a good idea to understand many customs in one's culture in order to educate others, as well as maintain traditions.

I had a lovely tofu salad for lunch

Spinach, tomatoes, red peppers, apples, celery and walnuts with sauteéd tofu

My attempts at cleaning my room were pretty sad. I was rather ecstatic to get most of my jewelry untangled. I've decided it's probably best that I leave the rest for tomorrow.

Since I didn't feel like cleaning, I figured preparing dinner would be a better idea - especially since it involved eating. I decided on chicken salad aka CS for tonight.

The salad contained spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, red peppers, carrots, kidney beans and soybeans, along with some grilled chicken breast and crumbled cranberry-cinnamon goat cheese

This one definitely hit every taste bud!

I decided not to work out today. I probably could have if I had planned to go earlier in the day. My plan at 10:00 pm was to work out at 11:00 pm. Unfortunately my fascination with peanut butter took over my body, which ultimately prevented me from performing any exercise. In all honesty, I worked out pretty hard for the past two days, leaving me to believe my day off was definitely deserved.

Tomorrow's plan is to work out in the morning or early afternoon. I find that the more time I have to work out, the less stressed I feel about working out. This ultimately allows me to work out for longer periods, which results in a better physique!

I'm so exhausted. Time to call it a night!

Green "fauxmeal"

I typically don't include gluten in my diet. I'll have the occasional Oreo or chocolate chip cookie, but I don't prefer to have it in my daily meals. When consuming products with gluten, my body does not feel satiated and I usually want to eat more than a serving. I find that my blood sugar levels are very high, causing me to feel as though I need more food. I've come across many articles with mixed reviews about whether oats contain gluten or not. I find that when I eat oatmeal, I'm never truly satisfied. My body also feels this way when consuming wheat, rice and other starchy foods.

The best part about living gluten-free is that you can still achieve similar tastes and textures found in foods containing gluten. This morning I attempted to make protein pancakes, which I got from Katie!

I wanted to sneak some veggies into my breakfast, so I got out some stems!

I think it's so important to keep stems which are edible. You can always use them in green monsters or sneak them into a regular dish for some added nutrition and colour!

I didn't have any egg whites, and believed tofu would be a sufficient replacement. I'm pretty sure I also added too much water to the mixture. The combination of these two errors caused my pancakes to turn into oatmeal - or should I say fauxmeal

Pancakes or no pancakes, The fauxmeal was AMAZING!

Here's what I put in the mix:

Fauxmeal

• 2 large handfuls spinach (I used the stems)
• 1/2 cup Isoflex chocolate whey protein
• 1/5 block of tofu (70 calories worth)
• 1 tbsp soy flour
• enough water to get the blender moving

Blend ingredients until smooth. Spray a non-stick pot with cooking spray and set stove to medium high heat. Pour mixture into pot and let it simmer. Gently mix contents until desired clumpiness. Serve plain or with fruit, nuts and seasonings.

I added diced apples, almond butter sauce, sunflower and flax seeds and cinnamon for garnish. 

Check out that texture! I'm definitely going to be making this again.

Yoga makes everything better

I absolutely love yoga! I always feel so amazing after a class. When I used to mainly work out with weights, I often thought of yoga as a light work out that didn't really work any muscle groups. What I didn't realize was the fact that your own body weight will always be a challenge and gravity will always be a force of resistance. By understanding these principles, I've realized that you truly don't need a gym to get a good work out. What I love about yoga is the fact that there is so much stability involved, making it exciting and challenging for my body to do. The longer I can maintain a certain pose, the better I become with my overall balance.

After yoga, I did the Hotel Room Work Out. This work out was awesome! I find that by doing HIIT work outs, I am able to improve my overall speed, agility and stamina. I couldn't believe I was able to do this work out without stopping. I thought I would find it rather difficult - especially after yoga. Fortunately, my body is learning how to keep up with my new routines!

I was starving by the time I got home! Here's what I made for dinner:

Tofu salad!

After my meal, I had some sweet dessert

• 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
• 5 medium strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 naner, sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp Splenda
• a few cinnamon sprinkles
• a sunflower seed sprinkles
• a few flax seed sprinkles

Mmm, I love sweet desserts - especially when they're are also healthy!

Time to crash. Goodnight everyone!

It's almost that time of year

I can already smell school around the corner! I'm still having a few issues with enrolling in my courses of choice; however, I'm sure I'll get a spot by the time the year starts up.

As promised, I've captured some photos of last night's mass production of salad

This concoction featured:

• red peppers
• celery
• cucumbers
• spinach
• broccoli leaf
• red grapes
• carrots
• kidney beans
• chickpeas
• mushrooms

I almost want to eat the picture!

I included this masterpiece in my breakfast this morning

The salad paired well with 3 scrambled egg whites

along with some orange pekoe  tea with 2 tsp Splenda and a splash of So Nice original.

I woke up rather early this morning. I think it was my hunger that woke me up, along with a stress-filled mind. I got a few errands done today, and am feeling a little relieved. I was not sure whether I wanted to go boxing or do yoga today. I've decided yoga will be better for my mind right now. I'm feeling really uneasy about things since school is starting soon and I don't have everything quite in order yet. It's funny because the weather is fluctuating by the hour today. In the past two hours, it's been extremely bright and sunny, very dark and cloudy, as well as super damp and rainy.

I took a well-deserved afternoon nap which lasted an hour. I woke up hungry and prepared some lunch

I had the same salad with a side of fat free Nordica cottage cheese. I felt like a needed a salad dressing, so I made some Almond Butter sauce, which I got from Heather!

The sauce included:

• 1/2 cup natural almond butter
• 1/2 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened Almond Breeze)

Give 'er a wisk and voila!

I added about 2 tbsp Splenda and a few sprinkles of cinnamon for some sweetness. I have a HUGE sweet tooth - especially when it comes to nuts and nut butters!

Alright, it's time to get movin'!