This week and this month is almost over.

I know that you may have already herd this from me but can you believe that this month is already over? I mean seriously....Where did it go? I would like to just recap what a wonderful month that October truly is. There are things about October that no other month have. October is the month when (In Georgia anyway) we get a peak of what winter will be like. A few cooler days in there along with the days starting to get shorter.

That is one thing that I dont like the most about Fall/Winter, the days are shorter and I get lazy. I tend to just want to crawl into bed when it gets dark. The sunsets and sunrises are amazing though. I absolutely love it when it is about a hour before sunset. Everything seems so much clearer and I feel like I can just see better. Some other things that are wonderful about October are the fairs. I did it once again...I didn't get a chance to make it out to one but I know what it is like...One of my favorite things to do in October is the corn maze here in Athens.

I love the corn maze in Georgia. I have really been fortunate to be able to go to quite a few over the years and it is always so much fun. Running around in the dark with a flashlight and not knowing where your going until you get there is my kind of fun! This years is the best yet! October also has some pretty amazing foods that come out. Almost everything has pumpkin in it!

All in all a very orange month....I LOVE anything that is festive. I have to say. I thought of more ways to cook pumpkin than I ever thought was possible! I am going to keep pumpkin around for a while longer I think ;)

Lets not forget though what October is really about though...

I LOVE Halloween and Halloween parties! They make me smile. I love watching the kids get dressed up and I have to admit....I love:

I never manage to get through a season without some Halloween candy action....It is my downfall. I buy the candy as close to Halloween night as possible but it never fails....the bags gets opened and a few pieces are bound to be missing! A few pieces of Halloween candy never hurt anyone.

This morning I kept with the October theme. I went for a fall breakfast!

I could eat this bowl of oats for breakfast, lunch and dinner! This one was the best yet! It was a pumpkin, berry infused yummy bowl. I decided that I am going to trade in my oats for some toast for the next few weeks to see if it holds me over longer. Just a experiment that I am going to try. So today and tomorrow's oats will be the last two bowls of the month! Today I am going to walk with my Fav Shelly for a hour and then head back to finish up my day. I am having the same eats for the rest of the day as yesterday. I have a great review for you all to read tomorrow so please stay tuned!

We are that much closer to Friday!!! Let's keep positive and our eye's on the prize!

-Heather

So much better!

Listening to your body sometimes is the best gift that you can give yourself. Last night I had a after work function to go to. It was raining and cold. I decided no more exercise for me...instead a glass of nice wine and some great food was in place. I got there in perfect timing and really had a blast. I am so glad that I decided this because this morning I hoped outta bed and was feeling great! Today is clear and should be a gorgeous day. I am going to enjoy it because it is suppose to be raining for the rest of the week. In the mornings as I am walking out of the house I try my best to stick something, anything in my mouth. I think that it is important to eat something as soon as possible when you wake to go ahead and get things moving! This morning I ate half of my amazing grass protein bar.

I think that I like this bar even more because everything about this bar is better than the others. Lower calories, higher protein and even the carbs are lower. I am so glad that they sent me one to try out. Go to their site! http://www.amazinggrass.com/ you dont have to take my word for it, check out their products. TRULY AMAZING!

This morning my breakfast is a little different.

BOB'S REDMILL GLUTEN FREE BREAKIE:

They had samples at the Co Op this week of the Gluten Free breakfast so I went for it this morning. I have to say that I was very pleased. It is a cross between oat bran and grits! In the mix this morning:

-1/3 cup of Bob's Breakfast

-a hand full of thick rolled oats

-1/2 cup of mixed organic berries

-.25 of a banana

-1/2 cup pf organic pumpkin puree

-1/4 cup of almond milk

-2 egg whites

-2 tbl spoons PB2

-Salba

and

-1 stevia pack

This all mixed together and popped in the microwave. I ended up with a divine breakfast!

Two hours later and right before my 50 minute weight lifting freak out I ate these. x3

Karen, my roommate, best friend, sex in the city partner and walking buddy bought me some goodies from Trader Joe's. We don't have one in Athens so she was a saint and got me a few things. Two of which will be appearing here! To start, these individually wrapped raw almonds. You know that I cant be trusted with nuts of any sort. This is my saving grace! These allow me to have what I want BUT CONTROLLED. For once, I am handing over the control to someone else! Mr.Joe, take control anytime ;)

These held me over until the workout was done. A random piece (or two) of dark chocolate may or may not have made a appearance with these yummy almonds. :)

When I got back from the YMCA it was time for lunch, my stomach was SCREAMING at me today. This was had:

A mixed veggie salad and a Arnold Sandwich Thin I also had a whole can of light tuna in water. It was goooood! I also had a chopped raw bell pepper dipped in mustard. As you can see....There was multiple cups of coffee on my plate today. Sorry! I have a bad habit on my hands people. It is getting to be unstoppable.

When I got home I decided that I needed a little bite of something to get me through my walk. It is so nice today that I wanted to go for a nice 45 minute walk. It was lovely. Before that though I ate some un pictured tofu and veggies. When I got home, I showered changed clothes and decided that dinner needed to be had....

Oh yeah!

Check it out! I got some Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup from Karen and I add some really hardy things to it to make it a REAL dinner. I am sorry but the soup itself is just not enough! I think that they want you to add things to it anyway to make it a meal. I added some lentils, onions, beans and spinach to the mix. I also put in some PB2 and siracha to make it a spicy peanut buttery squash soup. HOLY YUM!

This was dinner and I was SO incredibly happy with it. Hot, hardy and handy! It is the easiest winter meal EVER! This will be making another appearance, and soon!

Hot tea was had later just to keep my belly happy and I passed out as usual early. That is just what happens when it gets darker sooner. I am ok with this but only for a few months. I want SPRING back...I may be getting a head of myself though. After all, Winter hasn't even started.

Well, chickens! It is that time. Time for me to get to WORK! I will see ya tomorrow peeps!

See ya!

-Heather

Already a much better day....

This morning so far is going smoothly. Yesterday turned out to be a pretty stressful day for me and it flew by. Today will not the the case, not if I can help it. I came in this morning and was greeted (like most days) by Jessica (my co worker) she is always in a cheerful mood usually in the mornings and it is so nice to walk into the office and be greeted in a cheerful way. Thanks Jess!

Who is the first person that you see when you get to work? Are they pleasant?

This morning I ran to get some hot coffee (It is cold here) and my water and got started on my work. I have a after work social event tonight so I am going to try to allow some room for a glass of wine and some yummy finger foods later. I am thinking that it will be pretty simple but good food considering where it is coming from. Today's Oat bran is going to be a bit different. It is not going to be pumpkin goodness. It is going to be berry delicious! Here she is! This morning was Bob's Redmill 10 Grain oat bran mixed with egg whites, almond milk, and mixed organic berries! Yum! Simple but should do the trick for a little while anyway!

Now this is not what was the first thing that went into my mouth this morning...In fact I tried something NEW! I contacted the folks at Amazing Grass when I herd that they had some new flavors and of course being the best company on earth...They sent me over a few to try out. This morning I had to go for the chocolate peanut butter bar....Oh my.

If there is one thing that you should know about me....It is my love for peanut butter. I LOVE it more than anything (almost!). I opened this bar and took a bite first thing this morning to get my metabolism going and I was so pleased. Chocolate and peanut butter is the perfect marriage. They never fight!

I give this flavor a 10! It tasted seriously like a candy bar (in a GOOOOOD way). I always stick my bars in the fridge and I am telling the truth when I say, this bar would be perfect for breakfast, pre-workout snack, post workout snack or even desert. Seriously, just give me 20 of these babies! Of course I am raving about them to everyone that I see at the office. I have told so many people about this company, I am a walking add. I love my t-shirt and wear it all the time too!

Please go to their site and check out all of their AMAZING products. I am not kidding when I say....I love this company!

www.amazinggrass.com

So, needless to say my morning is starting out MUCH better than yesterday. I am counting down for this MONTH to be over. It should be much much much easier from here on out as far as stress goes. Or so my horoscope says so ;)

I am not going to bore you with the same snacks and lunch. I had it yesterday and I am more than likely going to have it for the rest of the week. I am going to give yo a peak of my dinner though....It is AMAZING. I am in love with soup, more than you know.

I got Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup (from my BFF in the whole world K) and added tofu. spinach and red onions to make this a totally hardy dinner. I never liked soup before in my life. I always felt like it was just a waste of time. It never filled me up in the past, I dont like the thought of drinking my dinner....This is not the case anymore I am thinking that I am transformed my way of thinking, about soup anyway.

Ok, on to some other things. Yall...I am getting some great things to try this week so you better believe that I will have some great things to review. I cant wait!

Today I am going to run on my lunch break. I plan on doing 40 minutes (4 miles) while on lunch. After work today I have a function to go to which means this:

Food spread and wine that I can expect at a after work function today. These things usually are awful as far as food goes but this one is being catered by a restaurant that I love. I am excited! That does mean though that I have to get in my exercise before hand. I will be running like crazy!

Well...I better run. I have a lot to do today and need to get on it!

See you all tomorrow!

Oh and check out this great give-a-way!

http://healthhappinesshope.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/its-the-great-giveaway-charlie-brown/#comment-4012

-Heather

Mondays, I could do without.

This morning went just the way I knew that it would....sort of.

I woke up right when my alarm went off. Got ready and then scurried into work. Mondays usually go a little quicker for me as far as getting ready goes, I think that it is because I have all evening Sunday to get myself prepared and through out the week I get slacker and slacker as far as laying my clothes out and getting outta bed on time. This morning was no exception. I got dressed this morning but just as I was about to head out the door I though "It's actually not that cold out, I think that I want to wear a skirt." I dashed to my closet, grabbed mt skirt, threw it on and out I went." With a new outfit on and my arms full of my Monday eats (really I bring on Monday my food for the whole week with me) into the car I went. Warmed up and ready I ran into the building with full arms and a Monday mindset.

Some Monday you just know that you are in for it. Some Mondays come as a surprise and become busier than you imagined and some Mondays (and I stress that word...SOME) are very quite and run smoothly. Today, not the case. This Monday could be labeled as busy, hectic, crazy or just the work "Monday" could be used to describe this one. I got into work with a ton of e-mails. A full "things to do" list and voice mail box. Ahhhhh. I knew that the end of this month would go out with a bang!

After a hour of getting settled in and barely making a dent in my task list I decided that breakfast needed to be had. I went into the kitchen at the office to make my oats. As usual I was putting my ingredients together in my bowl and was mixing everything up when my boss walked in...I was minding my own business and just really wanting to get the oats made and get back to my desk when this came out of my boss's mouth. "Heather, did you know that you have a disorder that I was reading about in one of my health magazines over the weekend." I became frozen. I was standing there for one of the first times in my life not knowing what to say. I waited for a few minutes in silence and then she said. "Well, would you like to know what disorder you have?" This kind of shocked me but I already knew what disorder she was going to say. I didn't hear it come out of her mouth yet but I knew what she was going to say. I said "Orthorexia?" she said "Yes, you know about this disorder?" "I have never herd of this disorder until I read about it. I said "I do know about the disorder and in fact own the book." "I am aware that I have this disorder....thanks for letting me know." That is not really what I wanted to say. What I wanted to say was "Why in the world would you at 8:30 in the morning come in the kitchen for anyone to hear you say that I have a eating disorder??? Couldn't you ask me about this in your office or in private? Couldn't you ASK me if I had this issue instead of TELLING me I had this disorder??? This has caused me this morning to be very upset. I just recently found out about this disorder myself and it did shock me when I bought and read the book Health Food Junkies. It is me to a T. I usually end my posts with questions but I am starting one today with a question. What do you think about this disorder? Orthorexia? Here is the definition if you would like to know.

Symptoms of orthorexia nervosa may include obsession with healthy eating, emaciation, and death by starvation. Orthorexic subjects typically have specific feelings towards different types of food. Preserved products are described as "dangerous", industrially produced products as "artificial", and biological products as "healthy". Sufferers demonstrate a strong or uncontrollable desire to eat when feeling nervous, excited, happy or guilty.People suffering from this obsession may display the following signs: Spending more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food, Planning tomorrow's menu today, Feeling virtuous about what they eat, but not enjoying it much, Continually limiting the number of foods they eat, Experiencing a reduced quality of life or social isolation (because their diet makes it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home) Feeling critical of others who do not eat as well they do, Skipping foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the "right" foods. Eating only foods regarded as healthy, Relying on only natural products to treat an illness, Feeling guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet, Feeling in "total" control when they eat the correct diet.

I will admit...this is me.

I prefer to eat things that are alive. That have less than 5 ingredients, that are organic, that have no preservatives and that are local. So Sue me!!! Is this bad? Yes, I will admit I don't like to go to pot lucks or gathering where food will be there because I don't know how it was prepared or with what it was prepared with. I have limited restaurants that I will eat at (actually only three). That doesn't stop me from being social though. It doesn't inhibit me from going anywhere or doing anything though. It is just a preference. I wonder why is it that it is so easy for people to want to make things into a disorder when maybe it is just healthy. Has America been so use to being over fed with horrible for you foods that now if someone is actually picky about what goes into their bodies that now they have disorders??? This upsets me. I will tell you a short answer for why.

I have spent so much time and effort to take care of my body and to truly treat it as a temple that I will be damned if someone will cheapen that by placing a word like Orthorexia on me. I exercise 6 days a week, I eat 6 small meals a day and I get 8 hours of sleep a night. I drink a gallon of water and stretch daily. I also eat chocolate, have a cocktail two or three nights a week and take a day off completely from my routine every once in a while. I try to have a good balance. I try to be "good" about 90% of the time and have the other 10%. I do all these things and try my best to be well rounded and this morning I was told I have a eating disorder. Sometimes you cant win for loosing! So here is my question:

How do we get the right balance between eating healthily and healthy eating obsession?

With this being said. Here is my malnourished breakfast.

1/2 cup of thick rolled oats

1/2 cup of almond milk

1 tbl Salba Oil

1/2 cup of pumpkin

1/2 banana

3 egg whites

chopped walnuts I also had a piece of dark chocolate. (Totally eating disorder food....)

after about two hours I was hungry again and I knew that because I was going to the gym in 45 minutes I needed some fuel! I went for it....Big time!

Trader Joes Greek yogurt, raw almonds, blueberries and strawberries with one stevia packet. Oh so good!

I went to the gym and lifted weights for a hour. When I was done I was ready for a nice lunch. Today I decided to go back to good Ol' tuna. I was glad that I made it back to my tuna induced lunches. I was getting sick of tuna there for a while but all that I had to do was just stop eating it for a few months and then add it back. I am a happy camper with this meal. Almost a whole can of tuna, Avocado (which you cant see) mustard and some carrot and Romain on a wheat Arnold sandwich thin. YUM! I also had a chopped green bell pepper dipped in mustard on the side. It was great!

After work I went home, went on a 45 minute walk to get the work day off of me and decided that it was time for some din din. I am having something different this week for dinner. Low Sodium Butternut Squash Soup!

Of course having the eating disorder that I have I had to ADD MORE FOOD! Ok, I am sorry for being so sarcastic....

I added steamed chicken, roasted veggies and mushrooms. You know I added some siracha! It was a spicy bowl of heaven!

Whew! What a day and I am just so glad that it is over. Tomorrow will be MUCH better!

Promise!

-Heather

Rabbits!

Goooooood Morning! Man oh man am I glad that it is FRIDAY! I am so glad that today is the "last" day of the week for me. Something that is already different about this morning is I got to try something new....I will get to that in a minute though. Lets talk more about Fridays. This morning I was at my desk getting ready for the last work day of the week and I thought to myself. "Friday? Where does your name come from?" Well the English like to call it POETS day is a term used by workers in England and Australia, to jocularly refer to Friday as the last day of the work week. The letters in "POETS" are an acronym for "Punch Out Early Tomorrow's Saturday": hence Friday becomes a Poet's day. Just thought you would like to know. Sometimes I like to start out the day with learning something new.

POETS DAY is a term used by workers in England and Australia, to jocularly refer to Friday as the last day of the work week. The letters in "POETS" are an acronym for "Piss Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday": hence Friday becomes a Poet's day.

This morning I had a pre breakfast. I am not sure if you know this about me but I could eat breakfast foods for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. I love breakfast I guess....Anyway, this morning I kinda had two.

The first breakfast to join me on this wonderful Friday was this:

KIDDING!!!

More like this:

YES! Something different and something I enjoyed for a pre-breakfast. This morning I grabbed one of these for the first time. I got a package in the mail yesterday and I was so excited to see these. I have been reading a lot about these in the blog world for a while now. This morning though when I got the bar out of the fridge (by the way they are SO good cold) I wondered....why call them 18Rabbits? Well I wanted to find out so I went to their website and this is what I found out:

How did it all start?

It all started down a gravel road in Farmers Branch, Texas in the kitchen of Two Lost Valley Lane. I liked to play outside with my four brothers and sisters and our rabbit, Blackjack, while Mom watched from the kitchen where she made her special granola.
On days Mom made granola, the aroma of oats, coconut, honey and nuts wafted through the house and out the windows, and we’d all leave off playing and head inside. One day we ran off and forgot Blackjack, leaving him to a rabbit rendezvous. Soon he had a family of 18, and our yard was hopping with more rabbits than we knew what to do with!
I created my own recipe for 18 Rabbits granola because I like for people to feel good—the kind of good that comes from enjoying the most delicious, most nutritious food. Like the way your favorite childhood memory gives you a spring in your step, wherever it comes to you—even as you head down a busy city street far away from where you grew up. Eat some and see where it takes you.-Alison Bailey Vercruysse, Founder

I loved reading this. That these bars come from a real vision! Bright and early I grabbed the bar and a cup of the darkest coffee I could find. A sumptuous granola bar, Cheeky Cherry Chocolate enhances the mood, but not the belly. Reach for this bar to satisfy that sweet tooth or craving for chocolate after a savory meal, on a long airplane ride or during a road trip.I gotta be honest here for a minute....These bars would be good just about anywhere any time. I LOVED this bar. I loved the chunks of almonds and granola in it, I loved the sweetness but not overly sweetness of the bar, I love the bright packaging and the name. Something else that I noticed and LOVED was that it comes from my favorite place on Earth. San Francisco!!! I bit into this bar with my coffee this morning and it was perfect!

Showed up yesterday and I am not kidding, these things just may be in my life forever. I love 18Rabbits.

Product Mission: To share the value and health of pure food. Our passion is to remind our customers of the joythat handmade food and a sense of community brings to life.
Company Mission: We believe in a holistic and transparent approach to business where profiting positively impacts all of our stakeholders including our employees, the community, the environment and our customers.
Social Mission: To continue supporting local farmers and artisans in the Bay Area while spreading the values of sustainable agriculture throughout the world. We also cultivate foods that are inherent to global cultures and have been grown through tradition and ancient wisdom.

18Rabbits sells more than just these bars they sell Granola (which I want to try more than anything) too. Go to their site and check it out for yourself. You wont be sorry that you did.

http://www.18rabbits.com

I cant wait to try the other flavors. I totally give this company two thumbs up! You get four stars from me. Thanks so very much to be so kind to send me a few. I absolutely love them.

Something tells me they are going to be awesome.

After my pre-breakfast I wanted to get down to business about two hours later. This had to be had.

Pumpkin oat bran in my favorite oat mug with flax seeds and raw almonds. MMMMMMM. I also drank that HUGE glass of water. It was filling and just what I needed for my walk. Today is Friday which means a lot of things to me. Walking and no crazy exercise, going out and staying up past my bedtime and happy hour! I am siked! This 60 minute walk today is going to be intense. After all I am walking with Shelly today and she is puts the S in speed walking! I am excited to get outside and sweat a little.

After my walk I am coming back to the office for this!

Big Ole Salad from Earth Fare that I picked up while out. This is going to hold me over big time. I also drank half of a Gingerade Kombucha, something else I heart.

After work today I am meeting a lovely co worker of mine to have a happy hour drink before I make my way home. I plan on having a glass of champagne. Gosh I have been craving a glass for a few days now. i never liked it before but I just love how light and bubbly it is. Tonight I am going out to dinner but I dont know where just yet. I will have to fill you in later. I am sure though that you are getting the theme of my post today though, all my food/drinks will be great! It Friday....Why not?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend I will see you on Monday with more reviews and a re cap of the weekend as usual.

Peace!

-Heather

I want to blog for a living...

I have a dream. My dream is to blog as my job. How great would that be? I would love more than anything than to review products, travel and blog for a company. I have so much to talk about...I mean it would be endless. I could talk about how to eat healthy on the road, my experiences while traveling, how to squeeze in a workout anywhere and of course my pictures would tell the story. I would love to just have my laptop and camera and go! How would I start? How would I go about trying to find something that would be a good fit? Well my people, I am going to give it a try. I am going to put myself out there and see what happens. This is going to take some major positive thinking, visualization and work. I am willing to put forth the effort though. For sure.

On to breakfast. I know, I know, I know....Every morning (for the last week or so anyway) it has been the same thing. I hope you are not getting tired of it just yet but just so you know. THIS morning started out a little different but had a turn a round in it.

This morning while sipping my coffee I herd from across the office "they have breakfast upstairs! Biscuits, grits, bacon, eggs and sausage." I hoped up out of my chair and for some reason wanted to join my co workers upstairs to take a peak. I thought I was just going to go upstairs to make make some hot green tea, look at the food and then head back down to the first floor. Well, that SORTA happened. I did make the tea but I ended up with this in hand.

A sausage patty that smelled REALLY good. I got a napkin and grabbed one. I thought to myself "what are you doing??? You dont really like real sausage, you would rather gimmie lean." But for some reason my nose was saying "YOU WANT ME!!!" I got downstairs with my sausage and by the time it too me to get to my desk (which was a minute if that by the way.) My napkin looked like this.

By this point my mind kicked into high gear and said "Heather, look at that grease....you have amazing oatmeal in the cabinet just waiting for you." I did something I am pretty proud of. I threw away the sausage (sorry for wasting but I doubt anyone wanted it). I got up and headed for the kitchen. Instead of that ickiness up above I had this. My love. Pumpkin oats and a BIG spoonful of all natural crunchy PB. It doesn't get better than this and I have to say, sausage...you got nothin on this lady!

A few hours later I was ready for another snack. I am walking for a hour on lunch today for my lunch break so I wanted a little more fuel to get through it. Here lies something that looks so bad but is so goood, for you too!

Chocolate Fage. It is so easy but so good. All that I did was mix in a table spoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and some stevia and BAM! You have yer self there a chocolate pudding. Good for you and will get that chocolate craving under control (for a little while anyway).

After my walk I was ready for lunch and so I dug in to the Arnold Sandwich thins again. These little guys are wonderful. Next time though I am getting the ones that dont have enriched flour in them though. That was a Ooooppps on my part.

This was a wonderful lunch. I tore up a Boca burger on top of my salad and managed to get that "sausage fix" that I needed this morning. See...There are ways.

I also ate a whole raw bell pepper dipped in spicy mustard and I also had some un pictured raw cashews and peanut in the shell. Today is a hungry day... Dove dark chocolate may have made a small appearance as well....

Today is my 4 miler. I am going to run today 4 miles and then call it quits. I plan to do this during the lunch hour that I am given. I am not in the mood today, I must admit. I am not really looking forward to running. I purchased two things to get me ready for my running experience this winter. I have never been a runner and I have no idea what the heck I am doing. All I know is that I am trying.

I bought this pair of shoes yesterday and hopefully will be getting them in the mail very soon.

Nike Air Max Moto+ 6 (Narrow) Women's Running Shoe
I have never purchased a "narrow" shoe. I have no idea if this is going to be a good fit for me. I realize that you only have one pair of feet...you better take care of them. I have been running 4-5 miles three to four days a week now...It is time for some proper running shoes. These should be good for the middle (arch) area, that is where my feet KILL me. I also purchased this.

I know what you are thinking "what?!?" I am a baby when it comes to winter and I just dont think that I will want to go for my walks and runs in the cold weather. This I THINK will help me. I am a weirdo...I know.

With that being said at least I am trying! I am trying to take care of my feet and when it gets cold at least I will want to go outside. I will be looking like a freak but at least I will be warm ;)

After coming home and going for a walk I wanted this! Baked Chicken salad. You know that after this I doused it with hot sauce, it is just the way I roll.

I did some laundry, checked my FB account and made some phone calls and then it was time for bedtime.....Ahhhhh, tomorrow is FRIDAY and boy I cant wait!

See you tomorrow for my "get ready for the weekend" post!

-Heather

In the middle.

Wednesdays....here we are again in the middle of the week. I like Wednesday because that means two more days of the work week but it still allows me enough time to get things done. I am here again, in the middle and feeling just fine about getting all my things done. I am thinking that this could be a great weekend...Why? Because I have nothing planned!

This morning flew by. I mean REALLY flew by. I once again. Indulged (well it feels like it anyway).

I made a slammin bowl of pumpkin oatmeal. WOW! Every morning (well, the last week anyway) I think to myself "It's just oatmeal, it is nothing special..." Well, my friends. It IS something special and I swear I am amazed every single morning at how much I love this stuff. If I could I would more than likely eat it at every meal. I need my veggies though :)

Yesterday a lovely package came in the mail. It was a surprise! I had no idea what was in it. So I opened it quickly and boy was I glad that I did.

The folks at Frontier Soup's sent me some Wheat Berry Chili Mix, Tortilla Soup, Corn Chowder Mix and Oatmeal Mix yesterday! With the nights growing cooler and cooler I knew just what was going to be for dinner last night. No problem! It was this package of tortilla soup mix that went into my belly at around 7:00 p.m.! Lets get closer shall we?

Check out all the goodness in this package. Packed with dried beans, corn, tomatoes and a spicy (not too spicy though) mix that made the most wonderful soup. This is the final product!

Tortilla Soup Mix Ingredients:
Black beans, corn, red and green peppers, onions, garlic, epazote and chili spices. No added salt, preservatives or MSG.
Allergen Information: Gluten-Free
Recipe Additions:
6 cups chicken broth1 cup water 2 whole, boneless, fresh chicken breasts, cut up into small pieces or shredded leftover cooked chicken8 ounces salsa4 ounces tortilla chips, crumbled (a thicker chip works best) or 4 to 6 fresh tortillas, cut into strips and fried quickly
Tortilla Soup Recipe Directions:
In a 3 or 4 quart pot bring broth and water to a boil, add tortilla soup mix and chicken. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add salsa and simmer, covered, 10 minutes more. Crumble chips into bowls, pour hot soup on top and serve.
Inventive Soup Recipe Variations:
This tortilla soup is so good it may call for a party. With your pot of soup, small bowls filled with optional garnishes of chopped fresh cilantro, diced fresh avocado or thin slices of fresh lime make a festive presentation! If you prefer, try shrimp as an addition instead of chicken for a delicious Mexican menu.
Nutrition FactsServing Size: 1/5 Cup (17g) Dry MixPrepared Serving Size: About 1 CupServing Per Container: About 8

Amount per Serving
Mix
Prepared
Calories
160
Now you cant go wrong with this. I decided at the last minute to add a grilled chicken breast to mine and it was simply DIVINE! It totally filled me up and most importantly. It WARMED me up! I will be reviewing the other soups (and oatmeal) as I try them so keep reading!

If you would like to try one of their soups yourself PLEASE go to their site....You wont be sorry that you did!

http://www.frontiersoups.com/

There you have it. Soups for the day! I love me a gooooood cup of hot soup. Thanks Frontier, you guys know what you are doing. Two thumbs up from me ;)

My eats today are very much like yesterday so I wont bore you with the same photos. My workouts today will be weight lifting for an hour and then yoga tonight. Nothing too big. After all it is only Wednesday and I still have two more days before a rest. Boy am I looking forward to it.

See you all tomorrow!

-Heather

Roommates are not fun sometimes.

I am 28 years old. I have a career and I am pretty low key. I am quite, go to bed early and I am super clean. In my mind I am a pretty darn good housemate. I have four more months of this current living situation and I can say one thing....I am never going back to roommate world. I am going to take the next four months and save as much as I possibly can so that I can move into my own place. For some reason my roommates love to party during the week. Last night (Monday none the less) was no exception. At around 2 a.m. both of my roommates came home and not just the two of them, instead they invited the band that they went to go see at a club to come home with them. With about 10 people partying in my house while I am trying to get some sleep it was impossible to get back to sleep after hearing constant walking around, doors slamming and laughing. I am not in the best mood this morning needless to say. I have never complained in a post nor do I usually get too personal on here. Most of the time I am in a great mood and I stick to diet and exercise. What do you do though when your living situation effects your mood, rest and routine. I am so tired this morning I feel like eating things that are not so healthy, exercising is not on the top of my list and I am not my chipper self which will be effecting my job today. I feel like I am over the early twenties of partying and staying up until the sun rises. What do you do when the people that you live with are not though? I hate to be the party pooper but I do have a real job and a real routine. My roommates dont. Young, free and careless, they are. They have no respect for me, if they did there is no way they would continue to keep me awake until almost 5 a.m. when I have to be awake at 7:00. Anyway, I am glad that you allowed me to get this off my chest. So sorry to complain but for the next four months I just may have to suck this one up.

So this morning I wanted something that would make me feel a bit better. I went for the Fall treat that I have so enjoyed the last few days. Wow! If this doesn't look like Fall I have no idea what does. This is one of the best breakfasts that I have ever had and you better believe that I was smiling the whole time. See...Life can be turned around by a yummy, warm, colorful bowl of oats!

A few hours later I was ready for a little mixture that I made up last night. Fage 0% with unsweetened cocoa, chia and stevia. It is my version of chocolate pudding. So goooood! This is the pre-work out snack that I needed. Today I plan on walking for 55 minutes at a really good pace. When I get back I will have another great eat and something that I have yet to try....

I have seen these all over blog world and never was able to find these at the grocery store. I FINALLY found it last night. In fact....It found me. I went to the store last night to get some hot tea and I ran into a friend of mine. We were standing there talking and all of a sudden the Arnold Sandwich Thins were staring at me behind her. I lost all my concentration and blurted out "So sorry, but I have to get some of these things." She turned around and said "Hey, I was looking for these too!" I grabbed the wheat and finished our conversation. I am so excited to have my burger on this today. This boca burger has some mixed greens, avocado, mustard and thin slices of zucchini. I toasted the bun and it was perfection. I also had a un pictured side of sliced bell pepper that was pleasantly dipped into mustard. Yum!

After work, I plan on going to the gym and getting some of this frustration out! I plan on going there and running for 4 miles. I also will be training a friend of mine with some weight so that will be a added bonus for me! I love it when that happens. Before though I will be going home to change, bunt heads with my roommates and then eat this.

This is one of my favorite combo's! I love love love my PB2 almost more than my pumpkin oats :)

I plan on running 4 miles at the gym that usually takes me about 42 minutes. Is that good? I am new to running and I just dont know if this is a good time or not. Please let me know if it is.

Dinner tonight is going to be good to go!

Steamed chicken and veggies galore. I doust this with siracha!

After I get home I am suppose to go to a pot luck but instead I am going to opt to stay in and eat the food that I have prepared for this week. I dont want the temptation of other food around me and I want to stay on this clean diet if at all possible this week. No alcohol for me this week either. So anyway, I am going to shower, relax and HOPEFULLY get some rest tonight. I am hoping that my roommates apologize to me today at some point. I hope that you all have a WONDERFUL day. The sun is shining and it is gorgeous out today.

See you tomorrow!

-Heather