The Trouble With Growing Up

Recently, alot of my close friends have either graduated from, or stopped going to, university. For most, it caused a huge existential crises and loss of meaning in life. When one is a student, their purpose all academic year is to study, and their purpose all " summer" ( I've been on vacay for almost two months, and this s*** ain't summer) is to work and make enough money to be able to concentrate on school come fall. However, those of us who get our BAs in artistic fields (history, psych, poli sci) don't really have the technical skills to jump into a career right away. Before we get hired by anyone who will pay us, we need work experience. To get that, we often need to land internships, which is almost as hard as landing a job. To get a job, we need the right attitude, the right look, and the right timing (connections don't hurt either). This is where I start to get worried. I only own workout clothes. If I got an interview with friggin Shape magazine tomorrow ( dream job), I would have nothing to wear to the interview. So, I need Advice... What wardrobe staples should I get that I would still feel comfortable and like myself in?

Ignorance is Bliss

There are several steak houses in Montreal, but Moishes is the only one that is really unique to the city. Unlike the Keg and other similar chains, Moishes is, like Shwartz's or Fairmont (or St-Viateur )Bagel, unique to Montreal. Its located on St-Laurent, in the heart of the city. My dad has an in at this restaurant, so I've been lucky to eat there several times recently. Let me tell you something: Every. Single. Time. I have a steak at Moishes, I think of that part in the Matrix when the guy is eating the steak:
"You know, I know this steak doesn't exist. I know that when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, you know what I realize?
[Takes a bite of steak]
Ignorance is bliss.

If you've never eaten something so good that you feel like it alone is worth living for, you should really invest in a dinner of filet mignon at Moishes.

Recently, I went with my dad and one of my best friends (you can look her up at savvyselections) to the restaurant to try out their new "Three Hours to Midnight" Menu, which features an appetizer, a main, and a coffee for only $25! The menu is available from Thursday to Saturday, after 9 pm.

We tested out many things on the menu including:
Appetizers
-organic salmon tartar (as an appetizer - SO.GOOD.)
-chopped liver (once you get over the "liver" part, it really is delicious)
-chopped salad (with fun veggies like corn and radish, it was a classic salad with an interesting twist. Worth a try, definitely)

Mains
-filet mignon (no words)
-rib steak (huge portion, tiny price.)
-shrimp with sauteed spinach (I didn't get to try this, but it looked fantastic)
-chicken (I am really not a fan of chicken, but this one was really moist and flavorful, as chicken goes)

Here are some pics that I snapped with my Ipod, I apologize for the poor quality.

Here is the menu (You probably have to click on it to see it properly)

And Some other cool pics (copyright Stephan Cocke)

Back to the Gym

Hey people!
This week I have something very cool to look forward to. I am going to a class at Zoe's gym taught be Tommy Europe, from Slice TV's Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp! woohoo. I tried to get back to the gym to prepare (since the bootcamp is 2 hours long). However, its also the week before exam week, so time is tight. It warm enough now to run outside so thats what I've been trying to do. Also, I've been making all my meals at home! Heres a few pictures for ya.

Haha I tried to take a stealth picture of myself with my ipod.

Mahi Mahi!!

xxx

Look What my Boyfriend Can Do!

Last night Scott and I ate meatballs, salad and sweet potato fries. Scott decided to make the fries, and he made them SO BEAUTIFULLY. Like, restaurant beautiful.

Been going through some stuff

I've been going through some stuff recently. Everything was mostly due to pushing myself way too hard but I've decided that I had to let something go. It was not be the best, nicest thing to do, but it is what is best for me :).

On another note,, I made chicken nuggets!

Mini update

Update on the things i made yesterday:

Coconut Muffins: SO DRY. I could barely eat them with tons of butter. Next time, I'm going to try to add a banana or apple sauce to the recipe for moisture. Maybe more oil? I think banana is the flavor that will compliment the coconut best but we'll see!

Crab cakes: TO DIE FOR. Amazing.

Ciao for now!

Nom Nom!

For the longest time, I have followed blogs. Running blogs, fitness blogs, "healthy living" blogs etc. Recently though, I have pretty much stopped exercising, and fitness blogs sort of make me feel guilty, but I really do not have the time to work out as much as usual (used to work out 5x/week, now its 2-3). Anyway, i have been looking at healthy cooking blogs and actually making the food featured on them! Procrastinating, what procrastinating? As term papers loom,I have started cooking new and different (and healthy!) things. Among them:
-Chicken sausage and brown rice bowl
-Gluten Free coconut muffins
-Crab Cakes (Gluten-Free as well)

-Lemon Glaze Chicken

I have yet to taste the coconut muffins (though they seem a bit dry...nothing a bit of my new coconut butter won't fix!)

I've made the crab cakes before, but this times I used gluten-free bread crumbs and a bit less oil, so we'll see how they taste tomorrow (I made them tonight for my lunch tomorrow)

Some terrible pictures:

Sorry, the Zucchini, Chicken Sausage and rice in a bowl in inexcusably bad :(

I been gone

Right now I am currently taking (another) break from writing my stupid dumb term paper about Canadian Law. I decided to fill everyone in on what has been going on. I have been slacking like crazy on workouts because I am being drowned by schoolwork and I also have relationships with family and boyfriend to nurture (FRIENDS, I LOVE YOU TOO I'M COMING BACK SOON). This week, though, I made a special effort to do at least 30 minutes of working out each day (except on days where I work, because I'm on my feet all day anyway, and that counts as exercise...right? So Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I ran 3 miles, and today I ran 4.5.
I have also been counting calories via caloriecount.about.com
The site says I should only about 1450 calories a day but i say *uck that s*it, and am concentrating eating all my nutrients and making sure what I am eating is balanced (they analyze the macro and micro nutrients that you eat on the site). So, as long as my carbs, protein, and fat content is okay, I'm okay.I have discovered using that site though that I eat alot of fat! that explains it...

Anyways, I gotta bizzounce.
This, by the way, is how i am currently feeling:

or donuts...whatever.

Motivation of the Day

Motivation

Song: Dog Days are Over (Florence and the Machine)

My New Workout Program!

i invented a new workout that is super intense and that I hope will get me back in the game and that will peel these 15 pounds I've gained off my body once and for all. I also have a new, very loose, diet plan.
Here is the workout:

cardio
10 minutes of sprints -->4.0mph for 1 minute, then 8.0 mph for the next minute, and so on an so forth (1 mile)
weights
1. swiss ball crunch with 10 lbs (2 sets of 25 reps)

2. Modified V-ups (2 sets of 12)

3. Plank on Swiss Ball (2 sets of 20 seconds)

4. mountain climbers on swiss ball (2 sets of 30)

5. Swiss Ball hip crossovers (2 sets of 30)

Cardio Again
10 minutes of sprints, 1 mile

Weights

1. Dumbbell Stepups (2 sets of 12 -per leg)

2. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts (2 sets of 12)

3. Box Jumps (onto a weight bench) (2 sets of 10)

4. Swiss ball hip raise and curl (2 sets of 12)

5. Reverse hip raise on swiss ball (2 sets of 20)

6. Back Extension on Swiss Ball (2 sets of 20)

7. Jump Squats (2 sets of 12)

Last Cardio:
10 minute sprints (1 mile)

The diet is just going to be healthy and I'm going to try to have starch only once a day. That's it!

Something to empower you:

V-day and MONEY!

Scott and I celebrated valentine's day at a wonderful restaurant...the IKEA restaurant!! I ate lox and green salad with lemon. Scott had rice, fries, bread,meatballs, and other gross stuff. hehe. He got my two boxes of chocolate, one ferrero rocher, and one assorted chocolates which he explained were for both of us. 15 minutes after the box was opened

Punished!!
Now I am watching the Suze Orman show because I obviously want to be rich, but i also want to do something I like for a living, not a soul sucking job. She is hilarious, but I really hope i never end up like one of the people on her show (owing almost 40 000 on a credit card with 20+% interest? i don't think so.)

Love you guys!

A Girl Walks Into a Gym

So, today was my last midterm of the week. I thought i was going to want to go to the gym after my last exam, since i haven't been able to go the gym all week as I've been studying. I went for 45 minutes on Tuesday and for like 20 minutes yesterday. So basically, after the exam I went to the gym, walked into the locker room, and then walked right back out. I was just so exhausted, mentally, that I could not bear the thought of the treadmill for even 1 minute. So i decided to go grocery shopping instead. After the trip, I decided that because i hadn't gone to the gym I might walk home, just to move a little. So I walked until my bladder told me it was time to get on the bus. Later maybe I'll do a workout video. I'm making pork, spinach, and potatoes for dinner. Maybe it'll be yummy!

Midterms and Eating Out.

     So, this weekend (and beginning of the actual week) I have been so very busy! I worked Friday night, Saturday day and night, and Sunday day. In between,i spent every minute I had studying, or sleeping. On Saturday morning however, Zoe and I went out for breakfast with our long lost cousin Naomi! Naomi and i have been keeping in touch for a while via the internet, but it had been about 5 years since I'd seen her in person! Such a fun time. There, I ate the Veggie Patati-Patata, which is a baked mix of potatoes, veggies, and cheese. Yummerz. Saturday night i had to eat at work (i just started a new job at a sort of bar and grill), so I had a cheeseburger (no bun) with veggies. I finished work on Saturday night at around 9:30pm, and when I tipped out and everything, it was 10. I got home at 11, but I was still wired from my night, so I had a hard time falling asleep. Then I had to wake up at 5:45am to be at work (my other work, the work my heart belongs to) for 6:20am! So, I was tired. Then I felt sick from the burger all morning and it was just terrible.
     Anyhow, since Monday I've been studying all night and day, and eating out alot too. For dinner on Sunday, I ate like 10 of my moms chocolate chip cookies (epic). Monday, I had 1/2 a vegan wrap form a local cafe and 1/2 a brownie for dinner. The other halves I ate for lunch on Tuesday. Then Tuesday night was a friend's birthday, so we celebrated at the restaurant she works at. I had 2 glasses of wine, and one million pieces of bread. Then, a green salad, and pan-seared snapper with black rice (?). I didn't realize that the snapper was going to be breaded so I was a little bit disappointed about that, but it was still good. Then I had a few bites of the chocolate cake she had.
     Wednesday (today) I lunch and dinner out too. For lunch I went for sushi between classes with a friend. I had a spicy avocado roll and a California roll without mayonnaise. I felt like I'd eaten too much when I left the restaurant though :(. Then a snack attacked it at the library, eating baked cheez its from the health food store, dried pineapple, and a gluten-free chocolate cookie that I'd baked on Friday morning while procrastinating studying. All my snackies were small portions except the cookie, which was a normal size. For dinner I went with my bestie's cousin (who is also my friend!) to the opening of a new restaurant downtown (my bestie was doing a favor for a co-worker and waitressing tonight since they don't really have a staff yet). Being the opening, everything was a bit chaotic and disorganized and my friend and I had to wait 1 HOUR for our food. When the food finally came though, it was delicious. Our waitress, who only had two table, sucked really badly and we had to wait like 20 minutes to pay the bill (after we had waiting an hour for our food...come on!). I am really grumpy from studying so much so I'm probably extra picky about things though. We shared an arugula and parmesan salad with blood orange and an order of manicotti with cheese and spinach.
So, some of my eats included:

Soy, Dairy, Wheat..What?

So, I work at a restaurant/cafe/breakfast joint that specializes in serving Montreal bagels (which are made in the shop in a wood burning oven!) We also serve lattes, cappuccinos and the like. Recently, many women have been bringing in their own gluten-free bagels for us to toast. My cousin, who has Celiac disease, usually just eats breakfast and skips the bagel. I know that wheat, corn, and soy are in just about everything (they're mass produced and cheap).

Also, almost none of my friends drink actual cows milk, and I don't either (at home anyway, I'll drink it in a latte or whatever). I usually drink almond milk, its cheaper, lasts longer, has less sugar, so I feel like its a win-win. I eat meat and a lot of eggs, so I feel that if i have the choice to eat another animal product or something else, I'd rather have the other thing (that was not worded very well, but I hope you understand).

Here's the thing though, I don't really feel comfortable eating soy products (except edamame). I read somewhere that it isn't good to eat soy if breast cancer runs in your family, which it does in mine. Also, tofu and soy milk and pretty processed, which isn't ideal.

I'm really confused about whether I should shy away from soy/tofu, gluten, dairy or what? I would never ACTUALLY give up meat or dairy, but gluten I could definitely live without (have you ever had flourless chocolate cake???)...but tofu? I don't know. Its such an easy addition to sauces and chili when I don't feel like eating meat.

What do y'all think?

Facing the World (Midterms Looming)

Don't I look healthy and happy to be awake (Its 11am, I should have left the house hours ago. Whatevvvz, I had to watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, tu comprends?)

Its a Mental Block

So, today I was discussing my issues with eating with a friend (over lunch, appropriately). i was explaining to her how I am always thinking about food. All. The. Time. And I'm not necessarily thinking about, say, how delicious it is. Its what should i eat now, calorie-wise, what should I eat for lunch. Blah Blah Blah. Incessant "food noise". I have serious trouble with this and at the end of the day, this type of thinking makes me sabotage myself. Another thing I've noticed? The one time I really don't feel guilty, or even think about what I;m doing, is during my Sunday dinners with my family. That dinner, with all its indulgences, quiets my food noise and guilt. So, as I was trying to explain to Chanel, The reason that I guess I'm doing the blog is to overcome the mental obstacle that I face every time I eat, think of eating etc. I really wish I could eat McDonalds one day, and not be upset and depressed about it for like two days afterwords. Physically, I'm sure i could stand to lose a few pounds (I weigh between 137-140, and am 5'6). However, I know that my body is comfortable at this weight and i know that I'm healthy. So, I don't want to change my physical appearance as much as I want to change my relationship with food, eating and exercising. That relationship really torments me and dominates my life, like a bad boyfriend I just can't let go of. I don't know if I need therapy or what, but I'm really ready to just enjoy the endorphins that come with exercise (instead of thinking how much food I canceled) and just enjoy the experience of eating and be grateful that I CAN eat. I find that these feeling about food are so self-indulgent when there are tons of people in the world who can't even get their hands on food, while I just take it for granted, resent it etc. Anyways, I know that was le dramatic, but...I thought I'd share I guess. Because I find that its really getting to a point where I just want to have lunch and not think about it SOOOO much. There are more important things in life than how many calories were in the pint of Stella I drank last night, ya dig?

Soph

Also: my healthy, delicious, and guilt free dinner of : Mahi Mahi with 2 zucchini, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. yum.

Snack Attack!

Right now I am sitting at Cafe Indigo (a Starbucks-type cafe in a bookstore) taking a small break from studying. I just had a lunch of two pieces of ww toast and some vegan chili. The bowl of chili was massive-ola, and guess what people? I MANAGED TO STOP EATING WHEN I WAS FULL. I RECOGNIZED FULLNESS. Somebody give me an award right now.
On another note. I had a snacky (I'm actually eating this right now) a Camino dark chocolate and almond butter chocolate bar. At a fair 180 calories, with tastes so friggin' good. And because I'm delusional and I decided that dark chocolate and nut butter are fine in my "diet", I don't even feel guilty.So far, so good?
I took pictures of errthing which I will post later when I have the cord to connect my camcam to my computer.

Later Haters.

I Basically Suck

So today I ate:
-A breakfast cookie
-A coconut cream larabar (aka dates, nuts, and coconut)
-A sandwich (on ezeikel bread, 1/2 the sandwich with avocado and ham, 1/2 with almond butter, honey, and banana)
-Fruit salad (blueberries, strawberries, 1/2 banana, pineapple)
At a restaurant:
-Salad with 2 kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumber, chicken.
- 1 piece of garlic bread (I suck)
- 3 fries (I suck)

Dessert <- I SUCK. 2 whippets 1/4 cup chocolate ice cream 4 cherries. waaaaaaaah. (in Snookie voice)

Maybe Tomorrow?

This Week is a Challenge!

This week I'm going to try to follow a meal plan that I'm going to create for myself. No grazing, No cheating, No EXCUSES. Starting tomorrow, I'll also take pictures of everything to hold myself accountable. Each of my meals will be half fruits and/or veggies. No white bread, No white rice etc. Whole grains, fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy... Instead of sweets I'll eat fruit, dried fruit, dark chocolate, chocolate drankS. AKA. no cookies or buttery, carby treats. If I feel like i NEED SUGAR (!!!!) I'll have a Larabar. Also, no fried foods.

For workouts, I'll do boxercise, yoga, fitnessista's workout of the week, and random cardio.
Tomorrow I'm going to plan to eat:
bfast: Breakfast cookie (fitnessista again)
lunch: taboule with Zevia Ginger Ale
snack: carrots
dinner: greek salad

Update tomorrow to see how I did (I can do it for one day! I can, I can!)

So...

Leonardo Dicaprio must do SOMETHING right.

Howd it go?

Our date turned out pretttty fun! Turns out we were on a pretty even playing field when we were bowling. I won one and he won one! We played pool,and by some miracle, I won! Can you believe it? For snackie we shared a poutine and chicken wings (we're fat!) For dinner (Even fatter) Scott had steak and I had eggplant with goat cheese melted on it. Yummmerz.
Where school is concerned I am so overwhelmed and a little bit stressed out because I'm juggling quite a few hours at work and I'm too money-hungry to give up any shifts. I keep thinking that if I manage my time right, I can do it! (I CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT)

on another note, why in the hell would any parent give their child juice or gatorade or sugary drinks IN THEIR BOTTLES, before they even really know or ask for that kind of drink. Its like child abuse.

Date Night!

Hey all!
School has been overwhelming, and I haven't been working out or even eating very properly. Maybe today? So far I had a blueberry and almond milk smoothie, with half a banana and some peanut butter. Im bringing some Amy's butternut squash soup to school for lunch (if I can find a spill-proof tupperware). So tonight I'm having a date night with Scott. Our date night will include Steak Dinner, Bowling, Movies and MORE woohoooo