Happy Birthday Mom!!!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Blast from the Past!

 
Look at this old school little house picture! That's Aunt Carol and notice... no trees! no bushes! AND it's pink! I can't believe how much it has changed!

Merry Christmas!

Ironman

WATCH THIS MOVIE!!! It's so frickin' good!!! TWO THUMBS UP!!!!

Christmas Cards!

 

No, I haven't forgotten! Everyone will be getting their Christmas cards this week. It has taken me awhile to get mine out this year because I ended up making my own! I just finished tonight. Which one is yours, I don't know! You'll have to wait and see! ;o)

The Melting Pot

Tonight was my first experience at the famous Melting Pot Restaurant! For those of you who haven't had the experience, let me tell you it quite interesting to have a whole fondue meal! We only tried the cheese & chocolate fondues, but what I sampled was excellent and FUN! Not only was it great to catch up with my friend Tera White, but an interactive way to have dinner with someone! Very cool! Two Thumbs UP!!
 
 

P.S. - I was even able to zip home afterwards because I knew exactly where I was and have become familiar with a quicker way home by taking 33W to 198W. It was so much easier and I felt so city-ish to be able to take different highways here and there! :o)

Our Christmas Tree!

 

Merry Christmas!

Our work Christmas party was last night and tons of fun! We actually had a DJ this year instead of a laptop playing music! WOOHOO!!

In this pic is my boss Tina (middle) and her other assistant Bridget. We're a good team and work hard! And laugh hard too!
 

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest!

Supplemental always lets us do fun things like this at work! We all wore the most hideous, outrageous christmas attire we could find! It was a fun day with lots of laughs! Our winner was Mike in his blue belly sweater with the snowmen puff balls! LOL
 
 
 
 

New Year, New You

Something to start thinking about...

Five reasons to throw on a paper gown in 2009
1. Pelvic exam and pap smear.
2. Breast exam.
3. Blood pressure check.
4. Weight check.
5. Skin-cancer screening.

Five things to learn in 2009
1. How to read nutrition labels.
2. How to do a pull-up – even a single pull-up.
3. How to eat mindfully.
4. How to say “no” sometimes.
5. How to stand tall.

Five new ways to save money on health and fitness in 2009
1. Pre-pay for an annual gym membership; it’s usually less expensive than a month-to-
month renewal or daily pass.
2. Bike to work.
3. Hang out your gym socks, shorts and sports bra to dry; you’ll pay less on your electric bill and help the environment.
4. Refill a BPA-free water bottle at the fountain instead of buying a new plastic water bottle every time you go the gym.
5. Never grocery shop when you’ve got the munchies.

Five new places to try a workout in 2009
1. The local park – especially if it has retro fitness trails.
2. The swimming pool.
3. The bedroom (best with a partner).
4. The stairs up to your office – skip the elevator.
5. The airport: Walk laps to kill time during your next delay.

Five new old-school songs to add to your workout playlist in 2009
1. “Mama Said Knock You Out,” L.L. Cool J.
2. “The Seed,” The Roots.
3. “She Sells Sanctuary,” The Cult.
4. “It Takes Two,” Rob Base and D.J. EZ Rock.
5. “Ray of Light,” Madonna.

Five new foods to incorporate into your diet
1. Pistachios – They lower cholesterol and contain heart healthy fats.
2. Pomegranates – They’re packed with antioxidants and a 2008 animal study found they could help with inflammation.
3. Salmon – In addition to heart-healthy omega-3s, it contains bone-strengthening vitamin D.
4. Chamomile tea – A daily cup could help reduce your chances of diabetes.
5. Basil – Researchers are now finding that the yummy herb has anti-aging properties.

Five bullet-points to cross off your to-do list
1. Find a family doctor. Check out familydoctor.org/cgi-bin/memdir.pl for some help.
2. Schedule an annual physical and pap test.
3. Clean out your medicine cabinet, tossing all expired items.
4. Find a workout buddy in your city.
5. Get your flu shot.

Five healthy items to invest in
1. Pedometer.
2. BPA-free water bottle.
3. Well-fitting sports bra.
4. Workout journal.
5. Small, portable cooler.

Five words to incorporate into your every day
1. “No” (as in, you’re not going to have that second slice of chocolate cake).
2. “Natural” (as in, peanut butter and sweetener).
3. “Brown” (as in rice, cereal, bread and any other whole-grain item).
4. “Mindful” (as in eating and living).
5. “Healthy” (as opposed to skinny or fat).

Five ways to stay motivated right through to 2010
1. Learn at least one exercise you find intimidating each month.
2. Sign up for a weekly group exercise class.
3. Load your iPod with new, upbeat tracks.
4. Ditch the people and situations that get you off your fitness track.
5. Find at least one restaurant near your home or work that serves a clean meal you can eat on days when you don’t have time to cook.

Five things to put off until 2010
1. Organizing your gym-clothes drawer by color.
2. Topping your salads with radishes cut to resemble roses.
3. Perfecting every yoga pose.
4. Skydiving.
5. Doing your own taxes.

Oxygen Article #114 By Sarah Tuff and Kasia Kurek

Thailand Koh Phi Phi

The most beautiful place on earth! I want to go on my honeymoon here!!

Is this not the CUTEST?

Holiday Decorations for Less!

I got the idea from Better Home & Gardens. All I did was buy two packages of candy cane and break them into smaller pieces! A $4 decoration that looks fantastic! ;o)
 
 

Pajama Party!

Today we had a pajama party at work! We were allowed to wear our pajamas, slippers, and bathrobes all day plus have a pot luck lunch!! I made a low-cal pudding dessert (Laura made us FBD chili so we could be good on our diets)and cookies for a new recipe I'm trying. It was a fun day, but with being sick I opted to dress warm & cute!

 

 

 

Flat Belly Diet FUN!

This post is a little late but definitely worth it! Wednesday night Laura, Heather & I got together to make another FBD recipe! This is Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Roulade! It was really fun to make, especially rolling raw chicken! hahaha But the meals was soooo good and delicious! And the roasted pine nuts on top were the perfect finished! We served with an orange and Sassy Water! Then Laura and I settled in to watch a movie, share a blank and knit!! Her a scarf and me... a special surprise!

 

 

 

Christmas Fun!

It's the time of year to start getting excited for Christmas festivities!!! Better Homes & Gardens has the best website for Christmas Cookie recipes that I need to share! They are all such good ideas that venture out of the box, not just for eating, but gifting giving as well! You can even decorate a virtual Christmas cookie and email it to a loved one! Make sure you check it out when you can!

http://www.Bhg.com/christmascookies

Shango

Yes I know I am on a diet, but I had a dinner-date I couldn’t resist last night! We went to a little bistro close to my house called Shango, and it was soooo good!! I got the Blackened Ahi Tuna with green beans and sweet potatoes! The meal ended up being not only fantastic and satisfying, but very portion controlled and without temptation… until the dessert menu was laid on the table! And readers, I faltered!! There was no way I could pass up the Molten Chocolate "Cup Cake" with fresh berry sauce!!! The best part was waiting 20 minutes for them to make it fresh!! It was still warm and gooey when I got it!! Delicious!!
I highly recommend this place!! Two thumbs up!
http://www.shangobistro.com/index.html

Bills Game!

We had a blast! It was cold and rainy, but we were prepared!
 

Zielonko's Thanksgiving!!

 

Turkey!!!

The Flat Belly Diet

FBD - Day 8

Man I'm loving this diet!! I've been very good sticking to the meal plans every day. I've starting to try the recipes little by little because I love the jump start plan so much! Tonight I had to Boca Tacos: Boca meatless crumbles, wheat tortillas, spinach leaves, salsa and avocado (your MUFA). I wasn't sure about the Boca crumbles, but they were delicious! And so quick to make! The recipe says you can have FOUR tacos, and I could only eat three! How awesome is that!?

On the side, my favorite Trainer (and manslice!) Brian has given me some extra pointers & workouts at the gym, chats with me about the diet and generally keeps me focused and motivated. Laura is doing well also and being good about being strict. Being able to chat with her and my mom about the different recipes, etc. has really been beneficial for staying on track!!

I'm feeling very happy about this folks!! We still have 22 days to go! Wish me luck!

And PS - I'm addicted to the Sassy Water! It's delish! And all the dark chocolate!!!!!!!! ;o)

Sunday Fun Day!

There is nothing I love more then spending the day shopping and hanging with my mom! She is my truly my best friend and someone I can talk to anyone about. It was great spendin time with her just bombing around Buffalo and showing her everything in my "life" up here. We even toured the gym! lol Our day was full of shopping, chatting and joking! We scoured the sales and found good things for us both!

We even had two FBD meals during the day! First we had breakfast tacos with scrambled egg whites, avocado, tomatoes & laughing cow cheese! They were super delicious!! For dinner I had two pieces of talapia with green beans and sauteed squash! And yes we had our sassy water too! :o) So I can officially say that this weekend, Day 6 & 7 of the Flat Bell Diet, have been a great success!

I love you Mom!! I'm so happy we got to spend the whole day together, just us girls! :o)

Side Note: The girls and I made another FBD meal Saturday night - Asian Stir Fry! YUM! We had shrimp, veggies, peanuts, chicken, egg and brown rice with low-sodium soy sauce!! IT WAS DELISH!!

PS – I Love You & Sex and the City

So I finally watched both these movies to see what all the talk was about. Laura and I had a girl’s night last night and watched PS – I Love You. What a tear jerker!! I won’t divulge any details incase you haven’t seen it, but watch it with a box of tissues! It really makes you realize you need to appreciate the here and now! Oh and there are some handsome manslices to oogle over! :o)

As I side note: I got PS – I Love You from Redbox at the local grocery store! Has anyone ever tried these? THEY ARE AWESOME!! It only cost me $1 to rent the movie! You use your credit card to retrieve the movie, and as long as you have it back by 9pm the next night, you’re only charged $1! I am so going to start using this more often!


Sex and the City had me shedding a few tears as well. There was one part I was very disappointed in and wished would have been different. So upsetting! The girls were a little more quirky than on the show, but I’m sure it was to please the TV crowd that followed them season after season. All in all, it was good though.

Both were total chick flicks and I advise you’re in that type of mood before you watch. Tonight I plan on going back to the Redbox for GET SMART! That movie is soooooo funny, I can’t wait! :o)

FBD – Day 3

The diet is going well so far! I’ve made sure to follow each day to a tee, with no snacking! This four-day plan is a lot easier than I thought it would be. Normally you would figure the meals would be next to nothing, but I find them to be so bountiful and filling! Yes they are portion controlled, but I still feel like I get a lot at each meal. Also I feel more energized. I don’t know if it’s the food, or the exercise or the fact that I’m being productive in the evenings… but I LOVE it!

I thought that the evenings would be the hardest part, but truth be told, I’m too full for snacking! By the time I get home from the gym there is just enough time to make dinner and prepare the next days breakfast and lunch. I have been reading my Flat Belly Diet book at night to keep me in the mood to “be good.” I’m surprised at how motivational it is! It really makes you focus on putting yourself first to achieve your health/fitness goals. Plus there are a lot of “did you know” sections throughout each chapter that give you tidbits of information to keep yourself going. It’s great!

YAY!! I’m still pumped for this healthy change!!! :o)

It's herrrre.....

Flat Belly Diet

I don't know how many of you know this about me... but I'm a snacker! I can sit for hours and eat, thinking only about how delicious my food is... and what I'm going to eat next!

That is why starting tomorrow, I will be on the Flat Belly Diet for the next 32 days. My mother turned me on to it and I'm excited to start! For the first 4 days I need to "jumpstart" my system so it knows change is coming! I have my breakfast and lunch measured out and ready to go in the fridge! Then I will continue for the next 28 days with the healthy eating plan and hopefully lose lots of weight!!! (In the meantime I have tried to satisfy all cravings to get them out of my sytem!)

This diet calls for basically no carbs (as is my diet of choice), no sodas and no salt. As if that didn't sound torteous enough, I'm taking it to the next level and elimating alcohol as well. I am allowing myself two "get out of jail free cards" for previous planned events: 1) Bills vs 49ers (how can you tailgate and not drink!?) and 2) Us girls have signed up for Pub Golf! More details to follow on that one!

So starting tomorrow until 12/17, I will be on a STRICT diet. I'm pretty pumped and have made the decision that I need to make changes in my life to see the changes I want in my body. That my motivation: CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE!!

Although the diet does not call for any work outs, I will continue on my current workout plan, allowing only Wednesday and possibly Sundays for rest.

Any encouragement you could give will be greatly appreciated, espcially as I get more into the diet. I know you're all behind me and I thank you in advance for you support!!

Thanksgiving #2

Hello everyone! Saturday was my 2nd Thanksgiving of November! My friend Laura always has a "friends" Thanksgiving with all her college buddies from UB. A lot of them either are still in school or live in the area, and don't venture home for the turkey holiday because it's too far for most of them (Laura's parents are in Los Angeles!).

This year I was invited to partake in the festivities! And believe me when I say, I've never see anything like it!

First of all, the guys did ALL the cooking! Us girls were pretty much not allowed to help! There was turkey, Ham, lasagna, vegetarian lasagna, to-furkey, corn, peas, appetizers, 3 pies, and MORE! Plus a keg!

Tofurkey! YUCK!

My plate! YUM!

(Mom this pic is for you because you always say I take pictures of my food! LOL)

Amigos

Last night I went with my friend Kristie to the best place to eat! Conveniently located right between our apartments, Amigos was a pleasantly surprise to what I was expecting... because no, it's not mexican like I originally assumed it would be! LOL

We started off with wine (of course!) and a bread basket complete with oil & balsamic vinegar to dip it in, whipped butter AND apple butter! Clams casino was our appetizer, followed by my FABULOUS mesulcin asiago salad!! It had grilled chicken, olives, asiasgo cheese and tomatoes! IT WAS HEAVEN!!! I love trying new places!

Afterwards we went back to Kristie's and played her Nintendo Wii! I really got into play WarioWare and had tons of fun! I'm so glad Kristie & I had a chance to relax and catch up! Yay for good girlfriends!!! :o)

This is for you Aunt Molly!

The best pumpkin decoration ever!

Donnie Wahlberg

I just found out Mark Wahlberg has an older brother!! I'm in heaven!!

(Oh and he's part of New Kids on the Block, but we don't need to dwell on that!)

Isn't Buddy just the cutest!?

hello

Applesauce!

Nothing screams fall more than making your own applesauce!! And how satisfying as well! The smell itself was worth it! Every time I walked in to the apartment, I was hit with the fabulous aroma! Out of 3 batches I ended up with 12 containers, 8 sweetened and 4 unsweetened. I may even make more! And let me be the first to pat myself on the back because it turned out PHENOMENAL!!! Very good!