Chocolate mother lode!

Wednesday and a busy day for me today!  Started out with a nice lifting routine.  After a warm up walk, I did the following:

  • Chin ups:  2 sets of 2, 1 set of 1
  • Barbell stiff-legged dead lifts: 1 set of 10 at 45#, 1 set of 8 at 65#, 1 set of 6 at 85#, and 1 set of 4 at 105# (go me!!)

Superset

  • Dumbbell side squat: 3 sets of 10 with 25# DBs
  • Upright row: 3 sets of 8 with 25# EZ curl bar
  • Cable squat-to-row:  3 sets of 10 at 60#

Superset:

  • Wide grip lat pulldown: 3 sets of 8 at 60#
  • Push ups:  3 sets of 10

Superset:

  • Preacher curls:  3 sets of 8 with 35# EZ curl bar
  • Nose breakers:  3 sets with 30# EZ curl bar
  • Decline sit ups:  3 sets of 10
  • Lower back extension (machine): 3 sets of 8 at 100#

Good workout, although it felt a little random.  Maybe that is because I wrote it out at 11 p.m. last night! 🙂

So, we hit up a different spot for bagels called Cool Beans.  We like this place, but it is a little further away and not much seating inside, so you never know if you can get a table.  In summer it’s okay because you can sit outside, but not in winter…

Look at the coffee urns!

I had a sunflower bagel.

I actually brought my own cream cheese today (yes, I am a dork).  I know you are all going to get tired of seeing the extra protein, but I need it for this lifting I am doing.  (I am trying to get to at least 100 g per day.)  So, I mixed some vanilla protein powder in cream cheese with a tbsp of pumpkin and spices to make my spread for the bagel.  It was pretty good and gave me about 15 grams!

Busy working today with a little helper.

I love her expression here.  It’s like she is annoyed that I am bothering her with my work.  This is how it is most days in the morning with Pixie.

A box came for me today this morning, and I opened it up and was thrilled to see this!

A dark chocolate jackpot!  I won a giveaway on Apple Crumbles (great blog, btw) and Hershey’s sent me this.  Yes – that is a case of chocolate bars there!  They are the 100 calorie bars, so not so bad. :mrgreen:  This stuff must go up high or John just might come downstairs one morning with me passed out and chocolate smeared all over my face.

I wanted chocolate for lunch after opening this box, but I resisted.  I made up this mix, which included 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon, protein powder, and some grapenuts.

It was quite good.  It was a little runny, but I sprinkled in some of that gluccomannan and it thickened up a lot!

I broke into the chocolate stash for the afternoon snack.

Good stuff.  Chocolate and coffee are like a match made in heaven.

It was so beautiful out today.  Wish I could have gone for a bike ride, but a lot of work to do, and then dog training in the evening!

Needed a quick dinner, so guess what that means?? Salad!

I tell you, having precooked meal components is really a lifesaver when you are busy.  It takes me about 5 minutes to put this together.  A meal that actually takes longer to eat than it does to make!

Had a good training session.  I think I might be working with Storm for real in May.  Kinda scary!   I stopped afterwards to chitchat with my sister at McDonald’s of all places.  That’s because this one wanted a happy meal:

I tried something from the McCafe for the first time ever.  I actually haven’t been in a Md’s in at least a couple years.  This was a nonfat latte:

The verdict? Not bad.  For an automatic espresso machine, it was about what I would expect.  At least it was fresh!  No topping bar available, though – so no cinnamon or nutmeg to dust on top (okay, I’m a snob, I admit it).  It was also hotter than the sun…  gheesh!  Why do places make their lattes so hot?

Now relaxing time.

Question: Do you precook foods for easy meal preparation later in the week?

24 thoughts on “Chocolate mother lode!

  1. Kimberley

    What a busy day and a great workout!

    I do prepare lunches for the following week on the weekend and then freeze them all.

    My dinners are usually quite fast and easy so I don’t worry about pre-making dinner.
    .-= Kimberley´s last blog ..Zzz… =-.

  2. Missa

    1. I really wish that I could do a chin-up. I have never been able to my entire life. So jealous.

    2. I prepare my side dishes on Sunday and use them throughout the week. This way, I get extra flavor and veggies in.

    Cheers,
    Missa
    LosingEthel
    .-= Missa´s last blog ..Strive To Be Happy =-.

  3. Kelly

    Look at all of that chocolate!!!

    I found a yummy way to get some protein today. I took a sugar free pudding cup and mixed it with half a scoop of chocolate protein powder. Oh wow! It was so good and low cal. 🙂

    I think hubby is going to take me to look at bikes soon. Can’t wait.
    .-= Kelly´s last blog ..Armadillo Dash 5K Weekend =-.

  4. Jane

    Oh, I could never have that much chocolate in the house at one time. I would die in a chocolate-induced coma for sure.

    I love that you took your own cream cheese. I used to frequent the world’s best calzone-making restaurant and they only used disposable plates and “silver”ware. You can’t cut into a mouth-watering calzone with a plastic knife! So we all used to bring our own plates and silverware and hand the plate across the counter when we placed our orders.
    .-= Jane´s last blog ..Grrrrr =-.

  5. Leah

    Sometimes I do precook, yes.

    That chocolate prize makes me nervous and drooling at the same time. You are so right that chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven! 🙂 Special dark is a favorite of mine.

  6. michelle

    Love love love the protein cream cheese idea!!! Never ever would have thought of that on my own. I am not a bagel lover but could definitely try it on Ezekiel or a English muffin. Thank you!

    I pre-cook foods more now then ever but typically do prep day to day.

    PS – That amount of chocolate wouldn’t be safe in my home either …

  7. Kat

    Great workout this morning. That chocolate would be challenging for me to have in the house…:-) I do find that I can be more moderate with the dark stuff. Pixie is very cute. I love it when my cats visit me when I am working…-)
    .-= Kat´s last blog ..thoughts from the abyss =-.

  8. Miz

    HOW CUTE IS YER NIECE (and mine was clamoring for a happy meal yesterday too 🙂 she doesnt even like the food—just the cr*ppy plastic toy!)
    and I am indeed PreCookMcGee.
    well, not cook so much as pregrill.
    chicken.
    lots of it.
    SUNDAYS 🙂

  9. Jody - Fit at 52

    Great workout, great looking bagel, great pic of you with Pixie, great looking food & coffee… way too cute niece! Had a good workout myself & ready for my post gym sleep! And yup, I do cook ahead… it may be chicken or a turkey meatloaf or protein bars.. but I try to plan that.
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Dr. J and PLAY! =-.

  10. Susan

    Oooh, I love the idea of mixing protein powder with cream cheese! Steal that idea for sure 🙂

    Isn’t that weird how some workouts fall together perfectly and others just feel random and thrown together? Oh wait, that’s because most of mine are 😛

    McDonalds coffee is actually my favourite of the drive-thru coffees available. It’s much better than Tim Horton’s which is like Canada’s version of Dunkin Donuts that everyone is OBSESSED with.
    .-= Susan´s last blog ..Three Generations =-.

  11. megan

    I always always always precook. I have to. If I don’t feed my youngest and get her to bed by 6:30 she’ll fall asleep in her food. (not exaggerating. lots of pics for proof). And since I don’t get home from work until 5:30, its pre-cooked food or PB&J.

  12. Shelley B

    Oooh, all that yummy chocolate! I would have to be very careful with that…one false move and it would be OVER for me, lol!!!

    Glad you found a new coffee shop – I’m still bummed about the other one!
    .-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Wednesday Workout Update =-.

  13. Ang

    I make a few things in advance. I like to roast a chicken and use the meat in several meals. I always cook extra brown rice for use later.

    I cannot drink McDonald’s coffee. I’ve tried but I just don’t like it. I call them crappes. lol!
    .-= Ang´s last blog ..Weary of winter but loving chai lattes! =-.

  14. Biz

    Wow – you hit the chocolate jackpot!!

    I love baking extra potatoes and then using them for chili baked potatoes for lunches – and in the summer I typically grill up extra chicken breasts for quick salads.
    .-= Biz´s last blog ..I cried. =-.

  15. Pubsgal

    Ooooo, look at that haul! Yum!!! Luckily, I can still work a little dark chocolate into my way of eating.

    I love having pre-prepped items around. We tend to keep chopped veggies on hand for salad, and we usually have enough leftover grilled meat for lunch the next day. Before my husband (our family chef) got used to my eating much smaller portions, we ended up stockpiling quite a lot of chopped grilled meat. I would use it for lunches and ate a lot of soup for breakfast (meat, broth, and veggies) when wrangling down my morning blood glucose levels. Sometimes I make some oatbran+flax the night before, to take to work the next day and eat after working out.
    .-= Pubsgal´s last blog ..Weekly Update, 3/10/10 =-.

  16. Taryl

    Ooh, what a yummy looking food day!

    As for precooking food, I have tried to precook items to use later or freeze meals ahead, and as much as I want to make it work it has ALWAYS seemed like extra work for me. About the only thing I will precook is spiral ham or a whole turkey, then divide it up and freeze it for lunch meat (fairly lean and low calorie, as well as about 80% cheaper than normal lunchmeat and NOT processed!). Other than that, I just make things from scratch every day.
    .-= Taryl´s last blog ..A Gummy Bear! =-.

Comments are closed.