Alright, I got my iced coffee mid-morning…a mix of my two favorite flavors no less. Yes, all is right in the world.
Unfortunately, someone couldn’t help himself from dive bombing my photo…
Talk about high maintenance.
By the time lunch rolled around, I really wasn’t interested in putting together anything that would take more than 5 minutes to throw together, so I went with my tried and true Monday Usual (even if it is Wednesday).
That above is a recycled photo, but today’s combo was almost exactly the same: mixed veggies with hommus, Kashi crackers, and a Chobani with strawberries and blueberries.
As good as this combo is, I can’t believe that I actually used to eat this same exact lunch every.single.day before starting STSL. Actually, at the beginnings of STSL, you probably noticed this lunch quite frequently. I guess I can be a creature of habit.
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Ask And You Shall Receive!
I’ve had a few different questions come in since I put a call out on Monday for things you may want to know about me. If I missed any, or you have any you want to add, feel free to ask! Heeeeeere we go…
Q: How much (on average) do you usually spend a week on groceries?
A: In a typical week, I try to stay anywhere between $50.00 – $75.00. The weeks where it’s on the higher end are usually weeks where I need to stock up on chicken, lunch meat and/or soda for hubby, or paper products. The bulk of my shopping trips are usually spent on produce, yogurt, milks, cereals, and breads.
Q: What’s your all-time favorite dessert?
A: Oh gosh…isn’t this sort of like asking a mom who her favorite child is? (It’s ok mom, it’s our little secret…). But if I really HAD to just pick one, it would have to be ice cream. Just don’t make me choose my favorite kind of Ice cream…not happenin’!
Q: I would love to start working out in the a.m. I just can’t seem to get up and go! How do you motivate yourself to workout in the morning?
A: I love early morning workouts for so many reasons.
- It gets me up at my favorite time of day.
- It leaves me with a huge sense of accomplishment for the rest of the day.
- It allows me to have the remainder of my day to do whatever I want (i.e., spend time with my favorite boys!)
One thing that I’ve found that helps a ton in getting me up early is having a class or workout buddy that I’ve already committed to. That way, I know I have a set time that I have to be ready for, and I’m not letting anyone down.
You can also see some of my favorite fitness tips here.
Q: What groceries do you buy when you go to Trader Joe’s?
A; Ahhhh, Trader Joe’s. How I wish you were not a 2+ hour drive to get to. I’ve definitely become a fan of a few TJ’s goodies, including cat cookies, almond butter with flax seeds, and chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. But to see a full rundown on my TJ’s purchases, you can see my stashes here and here.
Q: Tell us all more about your life in college! What did you major in? Where did you go? How was finding a job?
A: Oh, how I miss the simplicity of my college days! I began my undergraduate studies at The College of Saint Rose in August of 2002, right after graduating high school. Thanks to some AP classes I took in high school, along with some summer classes, I was able to graduate a semester early in December 2005. Immediately upon graduating, I found myself in a temporary teaching position, which had me working until then end of that school year.
After graduating with my B.S. in Childhood Education, I immediately began working towards my Master’s degree, and graduated in August 2007 with an M.S. in Literacy.
Finding a job was difficult, and I did a lot of substitute teaching before actually landing a permanent position. Well, almost permanent…
Q: What has been the hardest part about transitioning from being employed to unemployed?
A: I’ll be honest…the whole lack of a paycheck thing is definitely tough to get used to. But besides that, I’d have to say that finding a routine is my biggest challenge. Luckily, I’ve found a few things (i.e., early BodyPump classes) to get me up and moving.
I also talked about my struggles a bit more in this post that I wrote on PBFingers a couple weeks ago.
Q: What weight amounts do you use at BodyPump?
A: Alright, I’m no big muscle machine, but I do what I can! Here are my typical weight selections that I’m currently using for BodyPump.
FYI: Our weights are in kg, so I had to try to convert them to lbs, so they may be a little off. All weight amounts include 3 lbs for the bar.)
- Warm Up: 20 lbs
- Squats: 42 lbs
- Chest: 20 lbs.
- Back: 29.9 lbs
- Triceps: 20 lbs. (or 5lb dumbbells, depending on the track we’re doing)
- Biceps: 20 lbs. (I just recently upped this from 14 lbs…I’ve been feelin’ the burrrrn)
- Lunges: 29.9 lbs or 20 lbs, depending on if the track includes squats
- Shoulders: 14 lbs. + 5 lb dumbbells (<—these are my weakest)
- Abs: None, or a 5lb dumbbell when necessary
Q: Does your hubby not eat your healthy versions of meals?
A: Most of the time, Jay will at least try to eat the “healthy” meals that I make. If there’s something that I really don’t think he’d be interested in (i.e., crab cakes, qunioa), I make sure that there’s something else here for him to have. While I can get away with having a dinner of roasted veggies and sweet potatoes, he will almost always need some sort of meat with his, so I’ll just add that to his plate. Luckily, he’s not too hard to please.
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If you want to find out some more fun, random things about me, you can also check out this post or my Q&A page. I’ll betcha never knew…
Carrie (Moves 'N Munchies) says
I LOVE Q+As!! woah.. who asked the dessert question??? that is just not possible to answer!
Khushboo says
Guilty as charged :)
janae @hungryrunnergirl.com says
SO SO FUN!!! I love getting to know you better:) Um, you are STRONG WOMAN!!! I LOVED your tangents yesterday!! You are so right, carmel is the best ice cream topping and if ice cream is on sale, you HAVE TO BUY IT!!!
Paige @ Running Around Normal says
TJ’s is 2 hours away from me too :( It’s such a sad thing! Or maybe it’s a blessing in disguise… :-P
Courtney says
Haha, yes, I’ll say it’s both :)
Jamie aka "Sometimes Healthy" Girl says
I have never been to a Trader Joe’s in my life! There is only one that i know of here in NYC, and I think it’s about time I trek over there. I’ll definitely reference your lists!
Sarah says
You HAVE to get to the TJs in Union Square! After 5pm it’s a zoo, but if you can manage to make the trek over around 10am, it’s SUCH fun!
Alexis says
I love the q&a! and your lunch looks awesome. I love “snacking” lunches where its’ a bunch of random things thrown together
Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles says
I always enjoy reading Q&A posts. It’s so fun to learn about other bloggers in a quick & simple way!
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy says
I am a recent grad and also currently unemployed. I agree with you…trying to find a routine is struggle!
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy says
I am a recent grad, and also currently unemployed. I agree with you…trying to find a routine is a struggle!
Katherine says
Love the Qs :)
And the simple lunch, they always seem the best!
Lauren@LittleYellowKitchen says
Chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels from TJs…my faaavorite!! How do you live with TJs being so far away?! I would move…heh :)
briana says
I also work in education and I find it so sad that so many educated teachers can’t find a job teaching! Right now I work in special ed but am dying to teach preschool and I can’t find a job! Good luck girl!
Mac says
I’m glad I’m not the only one with a significant other that doesn’t like all the healthy food I like… If I could only get him to try more of the stuff… Any tips?
Gigi says
Long time reader, recent blogger :) I love when you throw Cody into your posts! I also love Q & A’s, cause we get to know so much more about how wonderful the blogging community is ;)
Krissie J says
Cody the camera hog, what a ham! Love it. I spend about the same on groceries, but if I let Scott come with me I somehow end up spending a lot more than usual. Hmmm!
Khushboo says
Ice cream is my fave dessert too..even during winter !
Farrah says
I long for the day that we get a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods here in the capital district. I think I will make that trip to Trader Joe’s soon. The Fresh Market is my favorite in the area, but I hope the other two make their way here at some point soon.
Here are a few of my questions for you:
– If you could only pick one, would you choose hot coffee or ice coffee? I know…hard question!! lol
– Besides being a teacher, would other careers have you considered?
Farrah says
Make that “what other careers have you considered.” lol