Ladies and Gentlemen, we are one day closer to Friday! Can I get a WOOT WOOT!!
***********
So I got my Thursday started nice and early with an early morning workout combo; and I will say that the 5:30 alarm really didn’t seem all that bad when it was accompanied by the sounds of chirping birds outside my window. Loooove that!
Today’s combo started with 20 minutes of HIIT which looked like this:
- 0-2 mins – Warm up @ 4.5mph
- 2-22 mins – Sprint 20 seconds @ 9.5mph / Recover 40 seconds @ 4.5mph
- 22-24 mins – Cool Down @ 4.0mph
To finish up today’s workout, I ended with some yoga:
- 10lb. Slimdown YOGA <—It had been a while!
After showering and getting ready for work, it was time for some breakfast. Last night, I was rummaging through our freezer and happened to come across some loaves of Manna Bread, so I took one out to thaw overnight.
This loaf was a Fig, Fennel & Flax loaf, which I was really excited to try. But to be honest, I’m not really sure if I was diggin’ the flavor. I don’t think I realized just how strong of a flavor fennel has. It almost reminded me of licorice…does that sound right?
To try and mask some of the strong licorice flavor, I lightly toasted it in the oven and topped it with some peanut butter and Polaner all-fruit.
PB & J always make a situation better. 
Along with my Manna Bread slices, I enjoyed another delicious cup-o-Chobani. Lovin’ this lemon!
Lunch
Today’s breakfast was fairly small, especially after working out, so as you can probably imagine, my stomach was definitely grumblin’ by the time lunch rolled around.
A little bit of everything happening today…
Red peppers + celery + grape tomatoes for some hommus dippage, along with a little Clif Z Bar action. 
And another fun, favorite combo bowl of mine:
- 3/4 cup 1% cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1/4 unsweetened applesauce
- Raisins
- Cinnamon + Pumpkin Pie Spice
This is really one of my favorite ways to incorporate pumpkin into my meals. There’s just something about the cottage cheese + pumpkin combo that really rocks my socks. Especially when you get the sweet bites with raisins…mmmmm, so good!
Dinner
Thanks to having my workout done this morning, I was able to make a quick stop at the grocery store then come right home after work and get started on dinner…I love that!
And you know what else I love?
Tonight’s meal:
I enjoyed a lovely glass of red wine while cooking up some special pasta (which I’ll explain in a second) for tonight’s dinner, which I topped with:
- Roasted zucchini, peppers, and onions
- Roasted red pepper-marinated chicken (Jay and I split one breast)
- Marinara sauce (which we bought back at Harvest Fest)
- Fresh basil
My veggies were hiding, but I promise…they were under there!
So now let me tell you about my pasta…
While I was at the store today, I picked up a bag of Sam Mills Gluten-Free Pasta d’oro.
For the past few months, I’ve been toying back and forth with the idea of trying to go gluten-free – just for a few days – to see how my stomach feels.
As you know, I experience I great deal of stomach discomfort on a daily basis, and still can’t quite tell what’s causing it. I can tell you that last night’s pizza definitely did a number on me, and my elimination of oats and carrots really hasn’t made too much of a difference.
My good friend, Eileen, started going gluten free a few months back and it has made a world of difference for her. After speaking with her a little bit last night and picking her brain on a few things, I came up with some thoughts…
- I still want to try out a few days of going gluten-free – I will just need to plan more in advance.
- I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go completely gluten free, unless my life depended on it. I love my breads, cereals, and baked goods WAY too much.
- If there are options available to me where I can lessen the amount of gluten I consume, I will try it. Such as this pasta!
The pasta, which is a corn-based product, tasted just like regular pasta, and has actually left my stomach feeling fairly good (knock on wood!) compared to what it normally feels like after a pasta dinner. I’m pretty excited!
Perhaps with some careful planning over the weekend, I’ll attempt my stab at gluten-free eating next week? I’m on vacation all week (SQUEAL!!!) so I think it would be easier to follow. We’ll see what happens!
Questions for the Evening:
A call for any and all gluten free readers out there! Any tips / advice / recommendations you can give??
If you are NOT gluten free…do you think you ever could be?
Comments