Today's sips so far:

Coffee - 2 cups
Tea - 2 cups Black, 1 cup Green

Breakfast:
Chocolate Oatmeal with cocoa powder, cinnamon, almond butter, truvia, and almond milk. Yum!
Snack:
Cashews again!
and Luna Bar
Lunch:
1/3 avocado, 1 medium tomato, 1 veggie burger (100 cals), all mixed up with baslamic vinegar and salt!
Fuji apple

Now I'm about to break into this juicy jewel:

Behold, the grapefruit.

OH! and compare my cashew bag to yesterday's:

My name is Candace and I'm addicted to cashews.

Of course, I'm still drinking my tea...probably will have a couple more cups tonight. This is my "main" mug, the one I use the most. I have a vast collection of mugs though! I just love them :)

Not sure what will be for dinner tonight, but I like to think about dinner on my runs! It gets me motivated to finish my workout strong!

Nutz

Today's Sips:
Coffee - 1 cup
Tea - 1 cup Green

 So today didn't turn out as planned...

Let me introduce to you my bag of crack - cashew crack that is!...

I found myself reaching for this bag at least 4-5 times throughout the day! Often, I found myself thinking about these babies and trying to resist the urge to reach for more! It's a bag of CASHEWS for goodness sake. I mean, I know I was just snacking for my lunch today, but jeeze...I wasn't starving! I think I had an equivalent of 1 cup of these yummy cashews today. Am I worried? Nah...I never have days when I splurge on nuts! It felt liberating :)

In order of my favorite nuts...

1. Hazelnuts
2. Cashews
3. Almonds
4. Pistachio
5. Brazil
6. Walnuts

 Now the grande finale...what I've been "saving" my appetite for all day...(without much success, lol)

This x2! and minus the tomatoes (they were filled with bacon, ew)

Artichoke Pesto dip

Carrots

Mary's Gone Crackers

Cheese Wheat Thins

Cream Cheese Dip with Blueberry & Wine reduction

Peanut Butter Bar (so good!)

I think I've met my nut consumption for the week!

 ________________________________________________________________________________
I was too tired to post last night, so today's will be a mash up!

This morning I had a bowl of overnight oats. My first time trying this and I was very pleased :) It was creamy, cold, and delicious.
It consisted of: 1/3 cup Oats, 2/3 cup Vanilla Almond Milk, 1 smashed Banana, 1 Truvia packet, and 1 Tbs Wheat Germ. Topped this with 1 Tbs Almond Butter. Yum!

For some reason, I didn't feel satisfied like I normally do after a bowl of oatmeal. Hm, maybe I'm in need of some minerals? Should have taken my muli-vitamin, but I only take this on days I haven't eaten enough whole foods!

What did I do? Break into my bag of cashews of course! I ate about two handfuls on the drive to work this morning...I thought I went crazy, but I did feel satisfied afterward :) Then ironically...I found this article in the newspaper at work this morning:

Guess my body knows what it needs! I have EXTREMELY high cholesterol for someone my age. It's hereditary, and the doc wants me on medication. I refuse to do this and I'm determined to lower it naturally.

Since I had such a high cal breakfast, I will just be snacking today. Not to mention I have to attend a work event tonight which will be catered by a personal chef! So I need room in my tummy for delicious gourmet fare :)

Snacks:

Love these mini Luna bars! Only 80 calories!! Also, I didn't think I would like the lemon, as I don't like "Fake" fruit tastes. However, this one hits the spot! It's not too sweet and has a REAL lemon taste.

(Oh, and I STILL don't have my camera back yet - so I borrowed my work's camera! hehe)

Yesterday's Sips:
Coffee - 1 cup
Tea - 1 cup Green, 1 cup Green Pomegranate, 1 cup Kombucha, 1 cup Earl Grey, 1 Cup Vanilla Chai

Eats:
Breakfast:
1/2 cup Kashi GoLean
1 Banana
1 Tbs Almond Butter
Snack:
Cashews
Lunch:
2 cups Spinach Salad with 1/3 Avocado, 1 tomato, 1 veggie burger (forgot brand! but 100 cals), and 2 organic carrot sticks
Snack:
Organic Fuji and 1/2 cup plain Greek Yogurt
Dinner:
Chocolate Egg Whites (1/2 cup), sprinkle of dried blueberries - only ate 2/3 of this...wasn't that tasty!
1 tsp honey
1 oz dark chocolate in Forest Mint
1 bag of dried Fuji Apples (28 cals)
Random dinner!!

Sleeping Beauty

Today's sips:
Coffee: 3 cups
Tea: 1 cup Earl Grey, 1 cup Peppermint, 1 cup Kombucha, 1 cup Yerba Mate

SLEEP! Is on my mind. I have gotten less than 5 hours of sleep a night for the past 4 months and I am so over it.
I am ready to move closer to my work! Less than 4 weeks, thank goodness :)

This is my typical day:
5:00 am: Wake up
6:30 am: Rush out the door for work
7:45 am: Arrive at work
5:20 pm: Leave work
6:45 pm: Arrive home
7:30 pm: Work out
8:30 pm: Eat a quick meal - usually a green monster
9:00 pm: Shower
10:00 -12:00 pm: Toss and turn bc I'm so amped up from my evening work out session.
REPEAT

Sounds lovely huh?
Lack of sleep = so many problems. I blame this accumulation of sleep deprivation for my horrible week last week, my face breaking out, and my recently ridiculous amount of coffee consumption.
So tonight...I will be sleeping beauty! I decided to forgo my workout, crawl into bed at 8:30 while the sun is still up! And rest. My body needs it. My mind needs it. And quite frankly, I'm just damn tired. Yay for me!

On to my eats:

Breakfast:
Extreme wellness wrap smeared with 1 Tbs Almond Butter
Sliced Banana
1/2 Organic Fuji Apple
(Approx.  325 cals)
Snack:
1/4 cup Cashews
(Approx. 180 cals)
Lunch:
Whole Foods Salad Bar:
Spinach, Romaine, Squash, Chickpeas, Bean & Corn salsa, White Beans, Edamame, Beets, Wheat Berry mix, Mushrooms, (take a breath), 1 Tbs dried cranberries, Artichoke hearts, and I think that's it  :) This was a Goliath of a salad, so I only ate half.
Am I the only person who can't control themselves at a WF salad bar? I try to reason with myself before I go, tell myself that I don't need to pile on every. single. vegetable. But it's like I get into "the zone" once I start piling on veggies! Oh well, could be worse - at least it's not an ice-cream bar, because I'm unstoppable with those too!
I paired my monster salad with a Guava Goddess Kombucha (favorite so far!) & Runner's World magazine, which = $20.00!! I must not do this often...
Snack:
1/3 cup cottage cheese with 1 tsp pumpkin seeds
(Approx. 120 cals)
Dinner:
The rest of my WF salad, mixed with about 2 more cups of Spinach and 2 organic Carrot Sticks
Dessert:
3/4 cup FAGE Plain Greek Yogurt mixed with 1 Tbs cocoa power, and 1 Truvia packet. Delish!
(Approx. 100 cals)

I hope I dream about these...

Nighty night.

Chocolate Kind of Day

Today's Sips:
Coffee - 2 cups
Tea - 2 cups Yerba Mate, 1 cup Green

Chocolate was on my mind today! And in my belly :)

Breakfast:
Chocolate infused egg whites (1/2 cup egg whites, 1 tsp cocoa powder - trying to simulate chocolate souffle seen on this lady's blog). Topped with 1 Tbs Almond Butter, and a small sliced banana. (280 cals)
Snack:
Grapefruit (90 cals)
Lunch: 
Xtreme Wellness tortilla, stuffed with lowfat cottage cheese, sliced tomato, 1/8 cup vegan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. I slapped it in a frying pan to get the outside crispy. The texture of the tortilla turned out awesome! the perfect crunch and chewiness. However, the insides weren't so awesome texture wise. Note to self: never try to stuff a tortilla with cottage cheese. It was a soupy mess!! Also, little bits of cottage cheese would spill on the pan when I was searing, and they would literally EXPLODE in my face. Lesson learned :)
Snack:
1/2 Organic Fugi apple, sliced and thrown into a 1/2 cup of Fage plain Greek yogurt. (about 100 cals)
A teeny tiny peice of "Dark Forest Mint" chocolate (about 40 cals)
Dinner:
Family wanted to go to another buffet tonight. Luckily, the salad bar was phenomenal - well, for a buffet restaurant. Salad consisted of: Romaine Lettuce (found a gnat in it! ew!), Beets, Mushrooms, Cucumbers, Broccoli, 1 hard boiled egg (ate only half the yolk), black olives, banana peppers, and small portion of kidney beans. No dressing as usual. Finished that bad boy off with a fruit plate of strawberries and cantaloupe. (about 350 cals)
Before Bed:
Hot Chocolate - 1 tsp cocoa powder, water, stevia. It turned out too watery :( So now I'm trying to decide if it needs to poured down the drain...
It went in the drain. Opted for Brothers-All-Natural Fugi crisps. Only 28 cals, feels like I'm eating air, but it nixed my sweet craving!

COFFEE: Coffee is an event for me. I have been spoiled, and you could call me a coffee snob. Usually it will have about 10-20 calories, depending on how much Vanilla or Chocolate Almond milk I use. Today I used Vanilla because I'm trying to finish my half gallon carton! :) The organic coffee beans are then ground fresh! With my Aunt's awesome coffee grinder. Then I put the grinds in the Keurig 1-cup coffee maker, infuse it with organic Saigon cinnamon (about 1 tsp), and ta da! Coffee perfection. I don't need froth or whip, just an intense taste and smell will make me wake up and enjoy every sip!

TEA: Oh where to begin...Tea can make me happy at any time of day. I love to brew it fresh with loose tea leaves and sweeten with raw honey (only occasionally - watching sugar!) or most of the time, stevia. I like to drink it straight up too! Tea has endless possibilities with body, flavor, and effects on my mood. I could go on, but I will refrain.

Workout:
HIIT - Only 20 minutes today! I just wasn't feeling it for some reason. Lifted weights and abs for about 30 minutes.

Like I said in my last post, this was one of the lowest weeks I've had in a long time! After 1 week of no exercise and eating whatever I wanted, this is what resulted:

• Crazy sugar cravings! And yes, I indulged.
• Face broke out like I was going through puberty! Not cute.
• Less energy. I had to sing like a banchee and turn the music way up in the car just to make it home without nodding off. Dangerous and I can't sing.
• Woke up with charlie horses in my legs. Probably due to not using my muscles at all!
• Scale went up 1 lb :(
• Bloated
• Digestion issues - hated this!

So to conclude this post:
I love chocolate. I have more motivation to continue my healthy lifestyle than EVER before. And I really need to get pictures up! I'll get my camera back soon!

Dresses, Tea, & Oatmeal Messes

Today's sips:

Coffee: 2 cups
Tea: 1 cup Green, 1 cup Rooibos Orange, 1 cup Yerba Mate

So today was somewhat productive! Shopping-wise I would say it was very productive =D

Took advantage of Ann Taylor LOFT's 40% off any full-price dress offer. Bought these beauties:

Dress # 1              Dress # 2 

Then I made a pit stop in this herbal tea shop that I've grown to LOVE. They have about every kind of loose tea you can think of and you purchase it by the ounce. My mission was to get Yerba-Mate. I have heard of the benefits of yerba-mate or "mate-yerba." Potato Potata. The guy in the tea shop let me get a good whif of it from the barrell just to see if I was hardcore enough to stand the strong smell and flavor. It smells like grass. I told him that I could handle it and got 2 ounces. I want to see for myself how energized it makes me feel. Here is some info on yerba-mate, courtesy of this website:

• a good detoxifier
• produces deeper sleep
• boosts the immune system
• relieves allergies
• increases energy
• possibly reduces the risk of diabetes and hypoglycemia
• relaxes muscles
• burns more calories
• increases mental focus
• improves mood
• possibly increases the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the heart during exercise
• decreases hunger cravings
• possible prevention of some cancers
• possible reduction of heart attack and stroke
• beneficial to the digestive tract

Though, I've read conflicting stories that too much yerba is not good, I will take that with a grain of salt. I don't plan to chug the stuff like water, just a couple cups a day (:

Today's Eats:
Breakfast:
HUGE oatmeal mess - 1/4 cup steel cut oats, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 banana, (half mixed in, half on top), dollop of greek yogurt for the creaminess, drop of vanilla, shake of nutmeg, and 2 tsp cinnamon. All covered with 1 Tbs Sunbutter, 1 Tbs chopped hazelnuts and...the grande finale...a mini Luna Peanut Butter bar crumbled on top!! Wow, that makes me full just typing it. This oatmeal mess probably equaled to around 550 calories. It was delicious and kept me full for hours!
Lunch:
Salmon salad from Atlanta Bread Co. I only dipped my fork a few times in the dressing to smear on my salmon, but it's hardly worth mentioning calorie-wise. The salad consisted of romaine lettuce, a small piece of salmon, and about a handful of a bean and corn mixture. Very low cal and so filling.
Snack:
Marble Slab was conveniently next door, so I just had to get me some! I got a small no sugar added, fat free vanilla with dark chocolate chips and blueberries. I had to scrape some of the yogurt in the trash, because it was too much. Perfect lunch cap!
Another Snack!
Grapefruit. I like to peel everything off and just eat the flesh.
Dinner:

A small portion of one of my favorite Kimchi's: Ojing-Oh kimchi! That would be squid ;) with a mixture of different veggies like rhubarb, cabbage, and peppers. Extra spicy and extra tasty! Looks something like this:

Hm, I don't feel quite right. I think it's because my Green consumption for today is pretty low. Maybe I'll whip up a green monster after my workout, we'll see.

Going to run to the gym (1.5 miles), do some weight lifting for about 45 min, then run back!

- So the gym key didn't work :( I don't know why?! So I turned around and did some light weights: arms and abs. Calling it a night with my Yerba Mate. I think I brewed it a little too lightly, because the taste is not very strong. It's not bad at all though! Quite earthy, but refreshing :)

Flavor & Savor

Today's Sips:
Coffee: 3 cups (!!)
Tea: 1 cup Green, 1 cup Grey, 1 cup Korean Orange

Today was full of yummy and savory foods! I am a FLAVOR girl and turn my chin up at bland foods. Don't get me wrong, I love my plain greek yogurt, plain oatmeal, and Kashi GoLean. But all these have to be kicked up a notch with something flavorful or savory. Greek yogurt with Kashi, almond butter, and banana = heaven.
On to my eats:

Breakfast:
1 piece of whole wheat toast, 1 tbs Sunbutter, 1/2 banana.
Snack:
Mini Luna bar (80 calories)
Lunch:
Amazing Caprese sandwich from Highland Bakery in Atlanta. Fresh mozzerella, basil, and tomato on grilled sourdough (threw half the bread away). Grapes. Delicious brownie.
Snack:
Pumpkin seeds eaten on the drive home to keep me awake!
Dinner:
Egg cooked in bowl in micro, topped with 1/4 cup vegan cheese, BBQ sauce, and hummus. Perfection in a bowl. Afterward I had a Green Monster to get my greens in for today: 3 cups spinach, 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk, 1 tbs cocoa powder, 1 banana, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt.

Definitely met my bread consumption for the week. I'm just not a big fan of bread - unless it's a buttery croissant or hard cracker bread drizzled with olive oil, yum! Oh, and there might have been a few candy pieces munched on throughout the day...

Wowee - I really have "let myself go" this week. No workouts and lots of indulging. Sadly, I have been paying for this with my tummy troubles and breakouts, but this week is over and it's time to get myself straight again. Odd how I start my blog on the lowest week I've had in years. Maybe I didn't start this venture with the best mindset, but it's all about the journey and I'll look back on this and have motivation to stick to my healthy lifestyle!

If anyone is in the Atlanta area, I highly suggest you try Highland Bakery. They have fresh ingredients in all their entrees and the desserts all look magical. They also offer vegan and vegetarian options! Highland Bakery will be featured on TLC this Monday, May 10th at 9pm!

Lazy Blog Head Fog

Today's Sips:
Coffee - 1 cup
Tea - 1 cup Green, 1 cup Earl Grey, 1 cup Peppermint

My head is still in a fog, but it's getting better! My stomach has been upset from the crap I've been eating this week, but today was a much better day! It's amazing how well your body treats you when you feed it the right foods. This will be a lazy blog, as it is late and I'm trying to get an extra hour of sleep to reach my health goals! Survey time - saw this on Peanut Butter Fingers' Blog.

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Open, but the bedroom door and bathroom door is closed! I feel like it's bad energy to leave them open, am I weird?
2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?
No, never. I don't like to hoard things and I know they will just end up in my junk drawer, unused.
3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
Don't have sheets! Just a mattress sheet. Sheets make me feel claustrophobic and I just think they're unnecessary!
4. Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?
Oh my, both seem scary. Probably a bear. I always feel like I can "tame" animals and they always have a gentle side to them. Heh, maybe i'm too positive.
5. Do you have freckles?
A few on my nose and cheeks, not really noticeable though.
6. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Unkind people. And people who don't let me over in traffic!

7. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Oh yes. Love camping and usually peeing in the woods is required. 
8. Do you ever dance if there’s no music playing?
I never thought about it, but I don't think so. Unless there is music playing in my head :)
9. Do you chew your pens and pencils?
Oh no no...and it makes me wince when I see other people do it.
10. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
Sure! I don't mind it...as long as they don't tie a sweater around their neck and look prettier than me.
11. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
I dip it in the trash. Better off eating plastic...blech.
12. What is your favorite food?
Oh, so many foods to choose from! Mangoes, Watermelon, Chocolate, Cheese...Mmm. Combine all of these with Fro Yo and it's quite possibly the best thing ever created. (Cheesecake bites of course!)
13. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
I Am Sam
14. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
Nope, but I do support them each year by purchasing their cookies. Have to do my part ;)
15. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
No, most likely not.
16. Can you change the oil on a car?
No. I only know how to put oil in it...lol.
17. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Yes.
18. Ever ran out of gas?
No, but have come close.
19. Are you lazy?
I can be...I hate dropping things (I'm fumbly) because I hate bending down and picking it up. But I will take my time with other things...like precisely chopping veggies and preparing a good meal.
20. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
From a cowgirl --> witch --> gypsy --> dominatrix. The latter was in college, obviously. Good times.