Adding carbs back in.

Dinner last night was amazing! I unfortunately skipped the gym for an impromptu birthday party at Blue Frog (booze free) and then went to dinner. I met CP and her mom for a drink which was tasty sangria from Theory Chicago. I was not in the mood to drink but decided that the sangria needed to be tested out. Urban Daddy sent out their daily email about Theory's sangria yesterday so I had a taste and I give it 2 thumbs up! Nice work Joel.

We met a few others at Hub 51 for dinner and had some appetizers on the house to kick off our dinner. I didn't have more than a taste of each, but I loved every one. We had the ahi tuna poke, chicken nachos and the three green bites. I knew we would be having the carrot cake for dessert so I wanted to splurge on that. For dinner, Monster and I shared the Turkey Meatloaf sandwich. It was so good and perfect to share. I had my half with a side salad and M had his with cheddar mashed potatoes. Wow wow wow! They were so good.

The carrot cake was a perfect way to end the evening. 5 of us shared it and I had a small taste with a dab of extra frosting. Hub 51 knows how to do their carrot cake right. 2 scoops of additional frosting??? I have dreams about it.

As you can see I have been adding a few carbs back into my diet. I have taken the week off from them for the most part and excited to slowly add them back in. I'm not going to get back into the habit of bagels, rolls, sandwich bread, etc for all meals. I will continue to cut back and eat a good amount to give me the energy I need.

Today I had training for work from 9 - 4. It was a long day and I needed a lot of caffeine to keep me alert. I wanted a healthy breakfast to start my day and get me going. This consisted of a mug of eggs and soy sausage patty. I had a laughing cow wedge and splash of hot sauce in my eggs this am to switch it up.

For my mid-morning snack I had grapes and strawberries. I got a little nervous about the lunch menu, but planned on being strict and eating what was healthy. Usually these trainings have pizza or deli platters with salads filled with mayo and that did not sound good nor healthy. Luckily, my company planned something for everybody and I was able to make a delicious salad! I had a few more pieces of fruit with my lunch and plenty of water to get me prepped for my post work - work out. My mid-afternoon snack was a string cheese just to give me a bit of energy before hitting the gym.

I skipped the gym last night, but have plans to go 3 - 5 times this week. I got 40 minutes of cardio in tonight. I did 30 on the elliptical and 10 on the treadmill. I will focus tomorrow on weights and doing some abs. I like doing cardio one day and weights the next. Makes for a fun and new work out that doesn't get boring. I wish the gym wasn't crowded though. I bob and weave looking for a machine.

After the gym I grabbed a quick dinner with my friend Kyle and I had a spinach and apple salad with chicken with a miller lite. It was one of those days that I just craved a beer. The miller lite hit the spot :).

Tonight I plan on resting up and doing some work. Tomorrow is a sad day...my friend Collis has her last day at work. I'm sure we will grab lunch in the work hood to celebrate her next adventure. I'm just sad that I won't have a friend at work to talk restaurants and recipes. Luckily she is an email away.

Good night Chi!
PK