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A Worthy Gain
What’s up.
That would be me in my new personal training uniform. So unreal to be able to wear it now!! My client roster is slowly starting to fill and I can’t believe how lucky I am that I get to go to the gym, help people get in shape, and call that “work” :)
Mucho gracias for indulging me in my last post about Jagerbombs. Despite being an employed trainer now, my behaviour has been decidedly “un-trainer-like.”
We’ve had people visiting these past few days, which should always be met with celebrations. When they said they were going to Smoke’s Poutinerie I had to go. I knew it was going to be bad. Real bad. But I seem to have this insatiable food curiosity that sometimes takes away from my better judgement.
I know a few people would be horrified by their treatment of the classic poutine – a dish of fries, beef gravy and cheese curds. Smoke’s has a large menu filled with various toppings and varieties. We’ll agree to call it a “fry and gravy” place ;)
I went for the Country Style: slow roasted chicken breast, double smoked bacon, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions.
Not gonna lie, I was a little horrified upon seeing what I’d ordered.
LOOK AT ALL THAT BACON!!!
I had to dig deep to find the actual poutine part…
Omg, I can feel my arteries clogging all over again just looking at this. I think I finally have my This Is Why You’re Fat submission.
I arrived to the Poutinerie after a heavy weight-lifting workout, which in retrospect was perhaps not the best idea. My stomach was loudly growling and I polished off the whole thing. The whole thing! In terms of how poutines go, it was just alright. I think I liked the Elgin Street Diner in Ottawa better. I prefer shoestring fries and mushroom gravy :)
We walked down to Trinity Bellwoods park to enjoy our greasy boxes. The same place as the blogger picnic, and my favourite park in Toronto!! Okay, the only park I’ve been to in Toronto…
Chris got the triple pork poutine with pulled pork, smoked bacon and Italian sausage. A little something he coined “poutirnalism.” Eating mass quantities poutine for the sake of mankind.
I of course immediately regretted stuffing myself with such food as I had to go directly to a job interview (part-time job at a coffee shop – fingers crossed!), and then to a fitness assessment!
I offered to be the victim of a fitness assessment at my new gym to get an idea of how they go about doing them. Keep in mind, mine was much harder than what they do to the average person. The trainer I was working with obviously wanted to see what I’m made of ;)
I tried to explain to him that I’d just eaten a pound of poutine, and that I’ve been feeding on hamburgers and cake since travelling to Banff in June. I can’t say I was surprised when I stepped on the scale and discovered I’ve gained 6 lbs in the last three months. Every ounce of that gain is the result of good food and good times I wouldn’t trade in for the world. But there’s always something about that numerical value that seems to sneak out of the scale and slap you across the face.
You mean I can’t eat a pound of poutine on the daily?? :P
Yeahyeahyeah, I guess now that I’m settled in my new home, it’s time to settle back into my usual eating routine as well. Noted Mr. Scale. Noted.
Weight gain aside, I did pretty well on the fitness assessment. There were a lot of lateral raises, ab moves and lunges among other things. My core strength needs work, but my legs and back are waaaay stronger than I was expecting. My shoulders are still struggling a little, but I’m workin’ on it :)
Lunch was eaten at 1:30pm and I didn’t start to feel snacky until 9pm!!
I reached for this Daryl’s All Natural Regular Elite Granola Bar. A Canadian-made protein bar that I spotted in the fridge section of a local natural foods store.
Ingredients and stats are okay…
But the taste? Meeehhh. Notsomuch. The texture was lovely and reminded me a lot of my own homemade bars. But I thought there was too much honey and the dried fruit was a little tart.
I awoke this morning with the determination to get back on the straight and narrow. This of course meant celebrating Waffle Wednesday!!
I whipped up quite possibly my best protein waffle recipe yet:
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup unflavoured soy protein powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- several shakes cinnamon
- 1 packet stevia
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Made two medium-sized waffles. While they were cooking, I also cooked peach slices with cinnamon in a frying pan.
Thrown on top with flaked coconut and sugar-free syrup.
They tasted like real waffles!!
The recipe has 270 calories, 3g fat, 25g carbs, 4g fibre, 0g sugar, 37g protein.
It’s love!!
Even though I woke up incredibly sore from weightlifting and the fitness assessment the day before, I was still pumped for a noon-hour spin class.
Pre-spin fuel was a few figs topped with my Easy Peasy Cream Cheese Icing.
All I did was mix together a wedge of laughing cow cheese and a tbsp of marshmallow fluff. SO good!!
Unfortunately, I got my days all messed up and there was no spin class happening once I got to the gym. Instead I just hopped on various cardio machines while watching Sex and the City. Just as well!
For lunch, I stir-fried every fresh veggie I had in the fridge and added tofu balls.
I tossed the whole thing in Averie’s peanut sauce and it was divine. Stir-fries are becoming one of my favourite summer meals!
I’ve been trying to avoid the chocolate cake my roommie brought home, so I snacked on my own version later in the day.
Deep Chocolate Vitatop with Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter.
That right there, really is the stuff dreams are made of ;)
I will leave you with the above image to drool over. My dad, big sis and little step-sis are arriving in less than an hour and I’ve got things to do! I’m superduper excited to see them and show them my new city :)
Kombucha vs. Beer
Some great suggestions on how to save moulah at the grocery store in my last post! Ironic, because I definitely spent a lot of money on food today. But let’s start at the beginning…
Ever have those mornings when you just can’t decide what to put on your toast?
One piece was smothered with Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams + Marshmallow Fluff.
The other piece had a slice of bacon and a fried egg.
Sweet + savoury, gotta love it!
Plus some fresh figs for good measure. These are definitely ripe, but still bland. I’m thinking they’re just sub-par figs? Anyone in Italy wanna send me some? :P
Kept the theme of fresh fruit going for my mid-morning snackage.
Cottage cheese, almond butter, cinnamon, maple syrup, blueberries. Amazing combo.
No workout today, I like to give my body a break every 3-4 days. I still went to the gym though – but for work!! How weird is that? I love it. I’m training my first client on Monday and I’m pumped. Also, I got a call today for a second interview at Starbucks! Pretty excited for that too, as I genuinely love hawking lattes for people. If all goes well, work shouldn’t feel like too much work ;)
I’d gotten a few recommendations to check out the restaurant Kale, so I decided to hit it up for lunch while I was in the ‘hood.
Kale is a vegan & organic buffet where you pay by the weight of your plate.
When I first walked in, I was a little disappointed by the lack of choice. Usually these types of places have sooooo much to choose from.
I tried to go small with my servings, but my plate still came to $12!
Let’s see… there was a cabbage salad, dill and avocado salad (didn’t realize the avocado until I sat down, risked it and didn’t die… yay!)
…sweet potato stew…
…shephard’s pie made with lentils…
…soba noodle salad and curried tofu. I’d say my favourite thing on the plate was the above pasta salad. I really liked the parsley in it. I was disappointed with the shephard’s pie, which is too bad because it had so much potential! I probably won’t be going back based on the price for what you get, luckily there are tons of other great places nearby :)
Including a store dedicated solely to organization.
I couldn’t help but walk in. It’s full of plastic bins and shelving, little trinkets and gadgets, it was fascinating. I walked out with a closet organizer I convinced myself I needed. Remind me never to go back in this store :P
By the time I made it home, I was hot, sweaty, and in need of refreshment. I pulled out the kombucha I had chilling in the fridge. For those of you that don’t know, kombucha is fermented tea. That means it’s regular tea that has sat fermenting with a hunk of of yeast and bacteria in it. Averie has been making it at home and the whole process fascinates me.
I’m all for a little healthy bacteria in my life, but this stuff scares me. I thought the peach flavour would mask any grossness (a proper word according to my Windows Live Writer), but it kind of tasted like vinegar. Expensive peach-flavoured vinegar. I think I will stick to my yogurt and fermented soy :)
By this time, my vegan lunch three hours prior had left me hungry again, and the kombucha left me still thirsty. There are only two remedies in circumstances such as these.
Beer + Burgers.
Let it be known that I only ordered a 12oz draught of PBR, but ended up drinking two. My friends each ordered their own pitcher and the waitress said she couldn’t serve one table that much liquor at once!! Baahahaha. This is what happens when you get a group of Maritime journalists together.
Chris + Nick on the left are visiting from Fredericton. That’s my roommie Billy on the right, aka “Marshal” ;)
Me and Meg! She’s my other roommie/soon-to-be biking partner.
Don’t worry about all this beer you are seeing though, I balanced it out by going bun-less ;)
Beef burger on bib lettuce with beets, chipotle ketchup, French’s mustard and pickles. W Burger Bar is one of those restaurants where you choose your patty, bun, and then toppings for no additional cost. Thumbs up!!!
The Maritime journalists continued on, while I hopped on the streetcar home. I had tofu to attend to.
The main ingredient for the dish I’m bringing to a blogger potluck picnic tomorrow. You’ll have to wait and see what it is!
Now, if you don’t mind, I have to go pick the tofu out of my hair :P
Take Heed
Ahhh, it was yet another glorious day around these parts. Mid 20’s and clear blue skies. Felt like a summer day!
I loved reading through everyone’s goals for May. One of the reasons why I keep doing it! Here is just a snippet for inspiration ;)
- Kristin: “Run at least 20 times… that is 5x a week! I am officially in race training”
- April: “My new goals are to STRETCH!!”
- Morgan: “my goals are to relax and enjoy the little moments. I spend a lot of time thinking about my future but I don’t live in the moment very much. I need to change this!”
- Julie: “My May goals are no beef or bread. I’m also working hard on Weight Watchers and trying to lose 5 pounds.”
So now when I check in every week this month you can keep me updated on how it’s going! I think I’ll make Sunday check-in days again. Seems to be the only day of the week I can remember…
Once again I am putting my ugliest photos at the top of the post. Probably not the best blogging technique ;)
But this has to be shared!
Last night, I microwaved 3/4 cup egg whites in a mug, then added blueberry jam and peanut butter.
Are you gagging yet? I assure you it was delicious. I’ve had eggs with fruit before, but the nut butter really brought it up a notch. Scrumptious snack!
I was up at 6am with a growling tummy. It required a special remedy.
Hey, it was never specified which type of jar oats in a jar should be eaten out of ;)
The last of my marshmallow fluff now that I’m trying to lay off the refined sugar. Cream of wheat cooked with egg whites, topped with PB and chocolate chips for good measure.
The fluff melts on the hot oats and it transforms into the thing dreams are made of.
I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it before, but I added a splash of vanilla extract to my coffee today – delightful!
Thankfully, I don’t drink regular cow’s milk or cream, so reducing my dairy consumption should not affect my coffee consumption. I normally just use a splash of almond milk. Cow’s milk has always made me squeamish :\
Are you singing it now?
Naner and dates with crunchy almond butter. I’m back and forth with crunchy and smooth. I just can’t decide which is best.
Then it was off to Body Step! I went to the big gym again and it was beyond stellar. My heart rate skyrocketed because I was pushing myself to the max. It’s such a motivating class. I credit it entirely to the instructors – they bring it out of me!
My whole life, my eyes have always been bigger than my stomach.
Except in the case of salads. I’d say they’re on par here ;)
Highlights being spinach, kale, rotisserie chicken breast, and pickled beets. Dressing made out of watered down hummus.
I’m trading in my usual romaine lettuce for dark leafy greens to make up for some of the calcium I’m missing out on without the usual dairy. I’ll also add a little more tofu, almonds and sardines which are all notably high in calcium as well. And of course, I take a daily calcium supplement! There’s tons of conflicting research out there about calcium absorption. Unfortunately, it’s an issue that’s been highly politicized.
After lunch, I took the pooch out for his walk in the sunshine. It was hot out!
He passed out at the bottom of the stairs again after. This is probably my favourite picture of the bugger yet. Archie + Running shoe = <3
I think I’m losing my love for honeycrisp, it’s been replaced by galas. This snack powered me through cleaning out my closet. I am getting rid of exactly half of my wardrobe!
I had full plans of eating up my cupboards this week, but I just couldn’t do it. I caved and bought fresh produce
I’ll throw out my 2-year-old box of lasagna noodles and expired box of soup. The fresh veggies were worth it.
Steamed green beans + broccoli, topped with 2 whole eggs that were scrambled with smoked salmon, capers and honey mustard. Scrambled eggs + mustard may be my new favourite thing. Awesome pairing!!
And some butter on hot toast. Nothing like it my friends!
I was supposed to meet a friend to practice for my personal training practical – but the gym was closed! I dropped her off at home, and intended to drive back to my place. But I drove right past the turn off to my neighbourhood and kept driving.
I drove across the river to the other side of town, and kept driving.
I rolled my window all the way down and turned up Death Cab For Cutie’s Narrow Stairs album.
In the two years that I’ve been driving, I’ve never just driven. I’ve always been on a mission, a deadline, somewhere to be.
I had no clue where I was going tonight, but that didn’t stress me out. Instead I relished in the scent in the air and the feel of it on my face. It was fantastic.
It’s helps that I live in a gorgeous river valley. I may be sick of this city, but that river definitely stole my heart.
I effortlessly found my way back home and hour later. I took the dog out for another evening stroll. Again, soaking up every minute. Day 2 of my May Goals, and I’m already reaping the benefits.
Finished the night off with some Averie inspired protein popcorn. Microwave popcorn tossed with a little water and chocolate protein powder. Another fabulous treat :)
I am off to go cuddle up in bed and read magazines. Busybusy day tomorrow packing up!
Questions of the Day:
1. Nut butter – smooth or crunchy? Flavoured or natural? I’m back and forth, but I think I like crunchy best. Definitely natural.
2. What moment recently made you stop and take heed? Tonight, I walked up the hill and looked over the river as the sun was setting. And the smell of freshly cut grass coming in through my car window!
