Overwhelmed

Hey kiddos… how was your Tuesday?  Mine was lame.  I know you wondered… 

First off, thanks for all the comments.  Not to freak anyone out about salt intake, I just like to keep it lower (being as how many foods have sodium in it already without me adding it in).  Because no one likes that gross “salt hangover” the next day.  I’ve had it one too many times…  And I do want to point out- I love gnocchi.  LOVE it.  It’s by far my favorite pasta.  But I just wasn’t a fan of that particular brand.  I still have high hopes for sweet potato gnocchi.  And will stuff my face research more to find a better kind.    I don’t mean to scare anyone away from trying gnocchi- because seriously, it rocks.

So anyhoo, why was Tuesday lame?

Welllll…. work was nuts.  Without getting too into it, we’ve got a big event coming up and it seems that trying to stay on top of it and organized is just mission impossible.  I think my lovely friend Mon read my mind because I got an email from her that afternoon that basically said, “it’s Tuesday.  Just reminding you to take a breath.”  I needed that.

I also needed to dip into that chocolate collection from Prague that she left for me last week.  Seriously needed that, too.

What else did I need?  A lunch hour with no talking.  Just reading.  And my super sassy salad, of course…Yeah, I’m desperately trying to use up all the cauliflower before it goes bad.  I swear it’s like I do it on purpose when I’m grocery shopping.  I get over-excited with all the fresh produce.  And here I am scrambling to get it all eaten and not waste… But I digress.

What’s a pretty regular addition to your salads?  (And you can’t say “lettuce”- that’s cheating)  I think broccoli or squash are the two that show up the most in mine… not sure if that’s because I think they’re awesome in salads or because I just really really like them on their own?  Hmmm… deep thoughts for the day…

The book, Cocktails for Three, is still going well.  I’ll admit, it was a little slow for me to get into.  But now I’m a few chapters from the end.  And am seriously curious about what’s going to happen.  Thanks for the recommendation, Jill! 

I crept in traffic the whole way home.  I blame this partially on the rain and partially on the construction.  Stupid orange cones… all I want to do is plow over them and drive through the construction.  My uncle calls it “orange city”.  I call it “orange shitty”.  Because I’m clearly more vulgar than he is.

Finally I got to the gym for a good session.  Ahhhh… is it weird I find relaxation in the gym?  I’m sure the majority of you guys would say no.  I’m sure the rest of the people I know would say yes.  That’s ok.  Us healthy living bloggers are kinda crazy- don’t you agree?    Elliptical for 32 minutes.  32- again with my random numbers.  I sort of find it fun now.  I also did 16 on the stairmill.  No running was included today.  Because I did spend a little more time on the other cardio machines and also because there was another girl using the good treadmill.  I wasn’t crying about it, though.  It gave me a reason to focus more on arm weights (free weights and machines) and spent much more time on my abs.  It’s all about the core work, right?

Dinner was a veggie wrap.  With veggies on the side.  It was veggie-tabulous.  I would have taken a pic, but I was on the phone catching up with one of my fav girls, and sort of missed the chance.  So I’ll show you breakfast instead:Oats in a Jar.  Seriously one of the best things I’ve picked up from the blogs.  Sure it tastes good, but I just really like eating it like I’m 12.  Because sometimes I think while my body is aging one way, my mind is going in reverse.  I’ll admit it.  But I’m not concerned.  I have a lot of fun this way.    Anyways, this concoction had oatmeal, almond butter, Special K, and coconut.  This seems to be my “go-to” combo out of all my oatmeal creations.  And just so you know, the coconut is key.

My usual rest days are on Thursdays, but I’m switching it up a little bit this week.  After the work day was over, Mon and I agreed a wine night would need to come sooner than later.  Sooner as in tonight.  You gotta do what you gotta do…

Welcome to the hump day, my friends.  I assume my day will be similar to yesterday.  Good because the day flies.  Bad because I’m stressed because the day flies.  But ahhhhh…. that’s life. 

What are ya waiting for?

Thanks for making me not feel so bad about not getting into the World Cup games.  Like I said- kids in the area that I grew up in just don’t play soccer as much as they do baseball and basketball.  I guess we’re yet to get swept up in the craze…

I was slow getting into my run last night.  My warm-up walk went a little longer than normal.  I don’t really know why I wasn’t feeling it.  I almost let myself settle on just one lap (which would have been a little over 2.5 miles) and call it a day.  Then I almost decided to walk the whole loop and call it an off day.  Then I said, “what the hell are you waiting for?” and just went.  And I did ok!  I just needed a little push to get started.    Four miles at 8:28.  It was over before I knew it.  Sure, I didn’t enjoy the run like I usually do.  And sometimes I feel bad because earlier this year when I was off the leg, I would have given anything to get to run just a half mile- so I should be grateful.  But I know it’s ok.  You can’t expect to like every run, right?  If you do, let’s chat so I can figure out how you do it.  Thanks…

Then I got home and decided to make this for dinner:Some sweet potato gnocchi I picked up at my local grocery store (I believe it was Jewel-Osco?).  I’ve had it for quite a few months.  And have no idea why it’s taken so long for me to make it.  I mean, come on- sweet potato gnocchi!  Sounds awesome!  What was I waiting for?  Really, I guess it’s because I don’t do as much with pasta as I used to.  I got a little burned out on it after making it almost every other day for a meal back in the day (don’t judge- it was just so easy!).  I was obsessed.  I still adore gnocchi, but I just don’t have the urge to make it like I used to.

I just used a little olive oil and garlic powder as a light sauce.  Then put it over some spinach and topped with feta. Eh.  Maybe I had overly high standards, but I didn’t love it.    I guess I assumed it would be a bit sweeter?  And it was waaaay saltier than I expected.  Through deductive reasoning, I could have known it would be that way if I had read the nutrition label closer.  25% of my daily value?  Considering I rarely add salt to anything, this was a bit much.

Do you guys watch over your sodium intake?  Or are there other factors you consider more serious?  Like I said, I rarely add salt to anything because I know that most things (such as my dinner) have quite enough sodium to get me through.  And so now, when I do have something like that gnocchi, I feel like I have a food baby in my stomach.  Sassy…

I love gnocchi, but next time I pick some up, it’ll be my favorite mushroom-filled stuff that I get from a fresh market.  Can’t beat it.  Trust me.  I tried.

Well it’s Tuesday again.  Ick…  I’m hoping to keep busy enough at work not to notice this.  Wish me luck.  Because it’s easier said than done.