Boundless Energy

Do you ever have those days where one little thing happens during the day and sticks with you for hours afterward?? I had one of those moments today in one of the most random places from the most random person and it has kept my attitude upbeat and energetic all day from that moment on... I love random acts of kindness.. although this was more of a random act of motivation. Definitely a fan of this, also :)


But let's jump back to yesterday (my day off!) I love having days off from work that turn into uber-productive ones rather than the "lay around the house and do nothing with myself" days.. although those aren't too bad on occasion.


After my oats.. scratch that; DELICIOUS oats.. I headed off to the gym and got in a fab workout:

50 minutes treadmill / 4.1 miles / 486 cal

I felt awesome after this one... I had more energy than I thought originally and although I had to take a few walking breaks I killed plenty of calories and was good & sweaty afterward. After the gym I stopped at the grocery store to pick up essentials for "Date Night" planned for later that night. I told my parents I would make my vegetarian chili recipe (along with all-natural corn muffins.. thanks Hodgson Mills, you're a lifesaver) so once I got home it was time to get down to cookin...

Snacked on a few of these while I cooked because I didn't end up eating lunch today (oops) I didn't mean to "miss" lunch but I had a late breakfast and wasn't particularly hungry the rest of the day until I got home around 5pm and started cooking... A small handful of these cured the hungry beast that I had become...

For about 20 minutes of course... but thankfully I was able to enjoy a glass of Chardonnay while the chili simmered a little while longer & it was sooo worth the wait...
I had a bowl with 1/4 of an avocado chopped on top..yum!


The recipe is simple as pie....

Although I originally began making this chili following a specific recipe, overtime I've learned to just "wing it" and base the cook time on how it tastes, how the vegetables have softened, etc. I sometimes alter the original ingredients, depending what we have in the kitchen at the time & whether or not I'm planning on adding meat of any kind... Wednesday's chili was pretty close to the original.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic - minced (I usually add more.. love me some garlic)

1 large red bell pepper - diced

1 large white onion - diced (I used 2 medium yellow onions for this batch)

28 oz. crushed tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth (or any other kind on hand.. I used veggie this time)

Cumin, Chili powder, Cayenne pepper (I don't measure these, I just add & taste test until I get something delicious)

Salt & Pepper

1 small can sliced black olives

15 oz. red beans

15 oz. white beans

Cilantro

1. Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a large pot then add red bell pepper & onion - sautee until soft

2. Add garlic & cook about 5 mins

3. Add crushed tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, s&p, and a dash of cayenne pepper, depending how SPICY you like it... bring to a boil

4. Pour in chicken broth, stir, reduce heat, cover & simmer 30 minutes

5. Add beans & olives & cook for another 10 minutes or so

6. Remove from heat, add cilantro, stir.. serve.. consume... and love everyyyy bite :)

I whipped up a batch of quick & easy apple crisp for dessert using my stash from my apple picking adventure with my biotches....

It was a pretty basic recipe....


3-4 apples sliced
2 tsp lemon juice
Cinnamon
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup Quaker Oats
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil


Basically, just toss the apples with a little extra lemon juice, sprinkle with cinnamon, and place them in glass pan sprayed with nonstick baking spray...
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl until crumbly (is that the right word? haha) and then top the apples with the mixture, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, serve warm with Vanilla Froyo... if you're me. YUM!
Ohhh and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon if you're feelin sauce-ay... Heyyyyy ;)

I went to sleep with a very full (but happy) food-baby and awoke absolutely craving my Vanilla Caramel tea (say what!?) I'm usually a zombie until I've "attached" my coffee IV... so this was a change, fo sho. Enjoyed my steaming cup while Facebooking... no need to lie, the picture just outted me anyway...

And I strayed from the oats for a day because I really wanted eggs.. no lie.. I HAD to have them. And seeing as how I just bought a bottle of organic ketchup yesterday, it seemed only fitting to try it out in my fav way possible: atop of me lovely eggies.

With a side of 9-grain toast & Raspberry All-Fruit spread...

Delicious. And perfect pre-work fuel... I stayed full for most of the day. I packed lunch, per usual...

A WW wrap spread with 2 tbsp Teddie PB & banana slices, sprinkled with cinnamon...

Along with one of my beloved fruit friends...

And a Luna for my mid-morning snack...

Got to work and had a mere 2 tables before being "cut" Yeah.. thanks.. after making the 40 minute drive down to work this wasn't exactly making me too happy but I made the best of it and thought...

"More time for running"

Got dressed & headed to the gym..

30 minutes treadmill / 2.7 miles / 318 cal

30 minutes elliptical / 3.3 miles / 250 cal

Now.. this is where my happy moment of the day occured... While on the treadmill, going through my intervals aka me being the sweaty beast that I tend to be switching between 1 minute sprints and 1 minute runs & blasting David Guetta into my ears... I noticed an elderly woman in front of me on the stationary bike...

After she was done & cleaned up her bike she walked up to the front of my treadmill so I took my headphones off and she says to me "I could see you in mirror running. You have such boundless energy. Keep it up honey!"

After smiling & thanking the lady I couldn't stop smiling... OH and you bet I pumped up the speed for the last 5 minutes with those two words in my head. You have BOUNDLESS ENERGY I told myself.... now prove it. It felt amazing and I'm pretty sure I owe that lady another thank you for being my motivation today.

What do you tell yourself to keep your motivation up during a workout??

I usually repeat "You're strong and fast as hell" in my head (cliche, I know but it works!) and as long as I have some good tunes in my ears, I'm able to find hidden energy and keep going ...

After getting home, I stretched out for a looooong time... today required a lot of work from my ever-so-tired legs but it was well worth it. They're still feeling it right now. I'm thinking a yoga session will be my first priority tomorrow morning since I don't have work and will have plenty of time for it... my body is definitely asking for it at this point!

I snacked on a few more Pita chips while pondering what to make for dinner... hence the vegetarian cookbook (Thanks to my lovely boyfriend!)

Then I went searching through the vegetable options in the house which are seriously dwindling (me no like) but I did find a perfect sweet potato.... perfect for FRIES that is!

Sprinkled with paprika, salt & pepper, cinnamon & a drizzle of EVOO

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning the fries every 10 minutes or so and they came out sooo delish! Crunchy & browned on the outside, warm & soft on the inside...

I served them alongside my LAST MorningStar black bean burger (R.I.P).. all rolled up in a WW wrap with lettuce, red onion, FF all natural cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of medium taco sauce...

Uhhhhh-mazing combo!

Now I'm contemplating what to have for a little dessert... already stressing about having to make a dreaded trip to the DMV tomorrow (ew)... and then planning to hit the hay early tonight!

What's one errand you really dislike having to do??