Frustrated (!!?!?!)

Do you ever have those days where you just want to SCREAM in frustration? Well, that has been the last two weeks for me. So, my apologies if my posts haven't been warm and fuzzy lately, but I think the worst is over. At least, I did until this week began. In planning my old roommate's going away party on Friday, the boyfriend's birthday party on Saturday, oh and work?, I've started getting the stress bug once again. Why I do this to myself is beyond me....

I know what you are supposed to do in these situations. Take a deep breath, make a check list and just get through each item one by one. Well, I tried that this morning and the list looks like a doodle page. I guess my brain doesn't always work like that. So I've decided that since I have some time before the weekend, for now, I'll focus on work. Thursday and Friday can be the focus for the weekend parties. Sorry, job, you're just going to have to take the backseat then.

Quick update on life: as most of you know, I booked a last minute trip to Florida to visit my family, and I couldn't have asked for a better mini-getaway. Every time I head to Tampa, it's always for a purpose...Christmas, a wedding, Gasparilla, a Gator game, etc. I rarely have made the time to visit for no reason at all. And it was a great feeling to have no plans...to not have to call anyone and say when am I meeting you and where? I got to sleep in my own bed, snuggle with my doggie, drink wine and just catch up with everyone. It was heavenly. I was sad to come back on Sunday but happy to have been refreshed. Call me a baby, but after several consecutive stressful weeks of work/life, going home and seeing my parents is the only real thing that is comforting. Aside from the mini-trip to Florida, I am FINALLY done with my cleanse! Here is a photo of what I drank as my first sip of alcohol in three weeks:


I'm a sucker for Pinot, and this was delicious! Thanks to my sister-in-law, I've been really into Oregon Pinots lately. Highly recommend this one. Anyway...

I'll admit, I obviously couldn't travel to Tampa with my meals for Saturday (which was my last day), so I took the "day" off but made up for it yesterday, and now I have successfully completed the 21 Day Cleanse. Here is what I've taken from it:

1. Eating small, healthy snacks after breakfast and after lunch helps you to feel full all day, thus allowing you to eat a smaller dinner. It also keeps your metabolism active all day, which helps to burn more calories throughout the day. Some snack ideas are an apple with peanut butter, string cheese and a handful of almonds, DIY trail mix, greek yogurt with honey, a slice of wheat toast with peanut butter and honey, etc.

2. Always eat a big breakfast (but not a fatty breakfast) and eat no later than an hour after you wake up. Good choices are oatmeal, whole grain cereals that are low in sugar but high in fiber (note: both of these will keep you full for a long time), egg whites and whole wheat toast, breakfast tacos with corn tortillas, egg whites and low-fat cheese...you get the idea.

3. Don't make drinking coffee every morning a routine...this is a tough one for me, but I'm slowly getting used to it. Three weeks off was good. Everything in moderation ;) I'm going to switch to tea now...any suggestions?

4. Eat your "most healthy" meal at night. Stay away from starchy carbs and fatty meats and focus on lean meats and veggies instead. If you have to have a carb side to go with your meal, try to choose brown rice, parboiled rice, barley or quinoa, which are healthy alternatives to white rice and pasta.

Okay, that's my first and last nutrition post to date, my friends! Hope you learned a little something. Hope everyone has a fantastic week - here's to praying mine gets better. Off to the checklist!