Top 10

Every other blog I read is doing a top 10 something of 2011...I think I'll jump on the band wagon and list my top 10 discoveries of 2011.  2011 was a HUGE year of discoveries for Ms. April Marie Floyd.  Well it all started around February 1, 2011.  I started a cleanse and through this year I've discovered some AMAZING things about myself and about who I want to be...  Here we go

My Top Ten Discoveries of 2011

TEN

I Love being a 90% Vegetarian.  I eat meat from time to time but I really love and almost always choose a vegetarian options.

NINE

Photo Journaling about my food is the BEST most EFFECTIVE way I've ever found to ground me about my food choices...well and you guys.  Anyone who reads this, you ground me!  I have to admit before I put anything to my lips or decide if I wanna wimp out on a run "do I want to admit this to my readers?"  I LOVE THIS!!!  Thank you to all of you in my little cyber world for being there (or at least letting me think you're out there)

EIGHT 

I can not and will not ever again try to survive without COFFEE!!  Oh and if anyone is listening I want a Keurig :)  LOL

SEVEN 

I discovered that I CAN HAVE IT ALL.  Excuses were a part of my life in the past but not now.  NO longer do I "not have time", "not have energy", you name the excuse.  I allow myself to be honest if I want to bail on something but where would I be if I allowed my knee pain from March/April of this year stop me?!?!  I certainly wouldn't be where I am today.  Oh and for the record?!  That pain was a result of my size *which has diminished now I'm smaller*

SIX

I really really really learned about nutrition.  I no longer take the word of others...I do the research myself.  As a result I can now decider for myself what is a real whole grain and what isn't.  I have learned how to truly read a food label and it has very little to do with the calories and fat.  I know this has had a HUGE impact on my success this year.

FIVE

I CAN STILL LOVE FOOD...hence this blog.  I can love all food and make healthier choices.  If I want something I can still have it (in moderation) :)  I REALLY LOVE THIS DISCOVERY!

FOUR

I discovered that I LOVE to run.  On February 1, 2011 I never would have believed it to be possible.  I'd NEVER run a day in my life...not even an inch unless it was to get out of the way of fast moving traffic, LOL.  I am truly amazed that I have accomplished this little feat.  I would have to say it isn't so much the running as the moving.  I only let myself have off 1-2 days a week.  I exercise nearly every day!  EVEN HOLIDAYS!  I HEART TO EXERCISE.  I love the way it makes me feel.  I love that if I feel yucky about my food, or stressed or overwhelmed...all I need to do is lace up my sneakers :) 

THREE

I can inspire people.  This is one of my most amazing accomplishments this year.  I have made a difference for other people and that isn't what I started out to do...an amazing perk of this transformation of mine.

TWO

I discovered the Green Monster and it has literally changed my life.

ONE

This isn't a new discovery but in my quest it has come more into focus for me... I LOVE MY LIFE!  I love my husband, I love my kids, I love my family, my friends, my dog, my house, my neighbors/neighborhood, my job, my health, my style, my quirkiness...well you name it.  I LOVE MY LIFE!

SO I guess that about does it for 2011...but before I leave you to go to bed (at 10pm on New Years Eve) LOL...I need to share my final 2011 Food Journal :)

Here goes:

Mom bought each of us (me, bro, sis) a Baby Cakes (donut maker) for Christmas and at first I thought..."does she even know who I am?!!?"  LOL  I quickly realized this could be a tool for me to make HEALTHY DONUTS.  YAY!!!!  I modified and created the most amazing Donuts this morning and they were AMAZING!  I swapped whole wheat flour for regular and used buttermilk *low in calories and fat, FYI*  The boys couldn't even tell I'd modified the recipe to make it healthier :P

It was fun to decorate and top them.  I made a lemon glaze and a ganache dip.  We topped them with jimmies, peanuts, Reese chips...you name it! 

 I was hungry around 10am and I grabbed this bag of chips, ate 2 of them and put them back.

 I decided to make a yogurt parfait instead...Mmmmm and GOOD CHOICE!

 I ran some errands and I at Giant for some groceries and decided I wanted a big salad for lunch.  This is a HUGE salad and I ate the whole thing...Mmmmmmmmm 

After lunch...the sun came out and the weather was GORGEOUS so Mason rode his bike and I took Rocky for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood.  It was GREAT and it was nice to have 60 degree temps on New Years Eve :)

Later this afternoon I prepped our New Years Feast... I made buffalo chicken dip and a stromboli.

Here is my plate.  I had some chips with buffalo dip and a little piece of stromboli (I may of had another small slice of stromboli later) LOL

 Had to have a beer on NYE right?!

Then the boys were the most excited about this:

I made a little sundae bar for them to make their own sundaes.  I had a half scoop of ice cream, some melted PB, peanuts, sf caramel, ff whipped cream, banana and spinkles.  It was good but now my belly is upset.  Guess I should go for a run...LOL  (I'm not that much of a loser).  Tomorrow is a new day and a new year for that matter, LOL!

Alright, that is it for this year!  It has been amazing and I'm so thankful for so many blessings! 

Good Night Neverland - TTFN

Big Head

Today I overhead some amazing sweet words being spoken of me by my current boss...  She was talking to a recruiter about back filling my position and her kind words really touched me.  She is so supportive about this new opportunity and I will really miss her...

TODAY was Cafe Spice CELEBRATION day!  That just means we got to go to Cafe Spice for lunch today.  You all know how much I LOVE Cafe Spice.  Mmmmmmm, the best Indian food in Baltimore *in my opinion*  First tho...Breakfast :)  

And it true April fashion...here is Breakfast #2

Then it was time for CAFE SPICE...Mmmmmmmm  I had Veggie Korma, Chicken Tikka, Chicken Vindaloo, Naan and some other yummy stuff...it was so GOOD.  I'll miss Cafe Spice when I am downtown!

I didn't have an afternoon snack b/c I was so full following lunch.  On the way home I felt so exhausted I thought I could use a little caffeine boost...I sacrificed the 180 calories to have a Frap from CVS. 

 I picked up Chinese Food on the way home and had a little white rice with some lo mein and General Tso Chicken.  I only had 2 pieces of chicken and about 1/4 C of lo mein...not the best choice but not the worst portion either...it tasted good so I'm going to put it in the column of worth it.

Before I hit the road for a quick mile and a half...I had the last banana muffin. 

My run was a cold one tonight...EEK  for the first quarter, I had to wrap my scarf around my face so the cold air didn't feel like it was piercing my lungs...UGG

I'm sitting here on the couch watching Fast Five with the hubby and puppy.  I'm a little hungry so I'm gonna need to grab a snack here somewhere...what should I have?!?  What should I have??!  I know...I'm gonna have an eggo with some PB - Done!

That's all I got for today

TTFN

Cheated...

I can feel my brain re-clicking to remind me of the life style changes I've made over the last year.  I didn't get to run last night again (due to a family party) but I have EVERY intention of going tonight.  I'm also thinking that with my new work schedule, I'm going to start running in the morning.  I love to run in the AM :)  I made really good food choices over the last few days (minus the stress snacking) and I can feel myself resetting to my new normal...YAY ME!

Yesterday was delicious until dinner :(

Yogurt

 Banana Muffin

 Bean Soup with some crackers (this may look gross but it is SO delicious)

 Then I had some Stacy's chips

 GM

 Salad with nuts, dried fruit and blue cheese with some balsamic dressing

 One of Amy's cookies (yes JUST ONE)

 When I left work we ended up running around and getting ready for my Dad's family party (the Bossle's).  I made a huge salad for the party (identical to the one I had for lunch - above) and wrapped gifts, got the kids dressed and made it to my Aunt and Uncle's house by 6pm.  On the way the poor kids were starving so we stopped at McD (gasp) and got them some chicken nuggets.  I had 2 :)



I had a feeling it was going to be a bit before "dinner" was served and I knew the kiddos wouldn't make it so we had a "snack"...IT WAS A GOOD THING TOO!  There were some nibbles like buffalo chicken dip, veggies and dip, cookies, some crab puff things, cheese and crackers, etc...BUT  at 7:30 Livie was melting down (her bed time is 6) and the boys were exhausted from their beach excursion and dinner hadn't been completed so we ended up bailing and I got CHEATED!  I only had a few bites of horderves b/c I didn't want to blow too many calories and as a result, I didn't get to eat dinner :*(

DJ said to me on the way home..."want me to stop somewhere?!"  At which point I got snotty and said to him "exactly where do I stop for food anymore??"  LOL  I was pouting and not proud of it but I was disappointed.  I should have told my Aunt that we would probably be leaving around 7:30 so she could have planned better...my bad :(  The kids were good though b/c they ate a TON of cookies :)

I went home, chilled with the boys and went to bed.  I've been really exhausted lately, not sure what that's all about...Oh yeah, that's right...my Dearest Hubby has an upper respiratory infection and the poor guy coughs ALL NIGHT LONG!  It is a horrible cough too...I hope this ends soon and doesn't become too serious.  He and I need our beauty rest :)

That's all I got

TTFN

Stress Eating...

I'm going to chalk up today to stress eating...wait until you see?!?!  I'll gasp now...

Started out ok :)  Yogurt Parfait

 all mixed up

 then the stress of work and life hit and I hit the box (of chocolates)

Then to add fuel to the flame...I had a HUGE pretzel stick with chocolate

 lunch consisted of some apple/cranberry stuffing and a salad with some balsamic dressing

 The MONSTER is back!!!  I really enjoyed it too :) 

When I got home...I killed some cheese and crackers

Then we had dinner at Mom's for Ang's bday...she ordered Thanksgiving take 2.   

Birthday cake was GOOD...nothing is better than yellow cake with chocolate frosting...Mmmmmmmm.  I forgot to take a picture of my piece so I took a picture of the half of cake that was left :)

Oh and we had some chocolate chip ice cream too

To top it all off...I didn't run tonight...Boo Hiss:(  I now wish I would have but I'm exhausted...Excuses Excuses. 

So why did I stress eat today?!?!  Let's run through the list:

• Regular work stuff
• Tying up loose ends when you're leaving a job is very stressful
• I may have went a little crazy with Christmas spending this year and as a result...we're broke :(
• I had to DRIVE to the State Highway Administration to clear up an issue with our title (from the Truck) to close out the deal with the new car.
• I miss my babies.  The boys have been visiting their grandparents in Delaware this week and I miss them terribly when they aren't with me.  They are home again tomorrow (thank goodness)

This too shall pass :)

That's all I got - TTFN

GREAT NEWS!!!

Wondering what all my stress has been over the last month (or so)?!?!  In addition to Christmas preparation...I was offered a position with Under Armour to oversee their Employee Benefit Plans :)  I'm really excited about the opportunity but will really miss all my friends at TESSCO :(  This has been so stressful for me but now that the decision is made and I've told everyone...I can move on to this new chapter in my life - YAY!

I am trying to get back in the habit of taking a picture of EVERYTHING I EAT...even today I missed some stuff and didn't realize it until after I'd eaten it.  So new goal?!?!  take a picture even if it is the empty container.  Here we go...

Breakfast - Veggie Sausage English Muffin

 I also had a Banana Muffin that I made the other day (unpictured)

Lunch was a bad choice from Wegmans...some Sesame Chicken with (good choice) brown rice...it was just a little container and it tasted SO GOOD...totally worth it :)

After Lunch I had more coffee...did I mention that our big boss bought our office a Keurig?!?!  I love this machine...and I'm sure I'll be drinking ALOT of coffee over the next few weeks :)  After all the coffee I had some yogurt and Kashi (that was in the fridge at work from last week...love when this happens)

I shopped for dinner at Wegman's during lunch (in their prepared foods section) but when I got home...I was too hungry to wait for my DH (who went to Patient First for his Upper Respiratory Infection) to come home so I had a little snack of apple/cranberry stuffing I'd made for Christmas dinner...It is SO GOOD!  Livie and I had a little snack then hubby came home and we feasted!

We feasted on Cabbage Rolls or Galumpkis (polish) from Wegman's with whipped potatoes.  This is DJ's favorite meal and I never get around to making it so I got help from Wegman's today :)  They were good but gave me indigestion :/

At what point do you become a freak?!?!  Is it b/c my favorite gifts in my stocking this year were running gear?!?  Is it b/c everyone only filled my stocking with running gear?!  LOL  I got new running gloves, ear covers, an armband for my phone and the piece de resistance?!? My socks :)  My favorite running pants are capris so my mom bought me wacky knee highs so I can cover my legs when it is cold outside...LOL :)  I love this stuff

Last night I hit the road and did 16 minutes non stop and it felt great! 

When I got home I wanted a snack :)  These are cute bowls that my SIL, Ang got for the kids...I used Livie's last night to eat some Kashi and Almond Milk :)

Last night, First Knight, was on Encore...I LOVE THIS MOVIE!  Put Sean Connery and Richard Gere in a movie and you have one happy April!!!

I also LOVE Julia Ormond

That is pretty much all I got for now...TTFN

(197) not too bad considering the Christmas I had (only 1lb gain from Dec. 1st)

That was quick

I have to say...after all the preparation and stress...it seems to go so quickly :(  It was an amazing weekend though, where did I leave off?!?!  THURSDAY?!?!  WOW  Ok here goes :)

Thursday was good food wise...I had yogurt with blue berries and Kashi for breakfast

 Then we went to Stoney River Steakhouse for lunch...it was pretty delicious.  My 100 calories consisted of some of these blue cheese chips.

This meal was sanctioned (for the most part) 

 Delicious salmon with jasmine rice and spinach.  I actually got a side of greenbeans instead.  SO GOOD

Oh and I didn't even have a fried dough ball!!!  *this restaurant has the most amazing rolls which are like fried dough (you would get at a fair)*  SO GOOD but my willpower held strong :)

Now just some picture fun with Livie...she is such a gorgeous girl... 

She is def daddy's girl :)

Later on Thursday we went to a quick dinner...crab dip?!?!  yes please (minus meal points)

and a Ceasar salad...TOO MUCH DRESSING :(  Oh well I only ate about half of it.

Early this week, we started talk about needing to get a new car,..the explorer I was driving was on it's last leg and we decided to get a new one.  WE MOVE FAST...Thursday night I took livie home to bed (boys had a sleep over at Mom Mom and Poppy's) and DJ went to see our buddy at Heritage Mile One (he sold us our van) and together they found my new car...Merry Christmas Honey!!!  It is a Mercury Sable...it is loaded and I love it!  Oh and did I mention we got it for a STEAL?!?!  I HEART A GOOD BARGAIN!  FYI...if you ever need to buy a car?!  You need to see Larry Eaton at Heritage Mile One in Bel Air...he is AMAZING!

Now on to Friday!!!  We had a pot luck brunch at work for the morning...I had a little of everything.  The bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon was my favorite!!!  Amy made french toast casserole and it was TO DIE FOR!!!

I left work a little early and met my mom to get the kids picture taken with Santa...this is HYSTERICAL!!  She was fine until she looked at his face then she LOST IT! LMBO...he he :)

Christmas Eve (Saturday) is a blurrrrrrr....We did alot of stuff, ate alot of food and had alot of fun but NONE of it made it into my camera...THANKS TO GRACE tho...all is not lost :)

I was being irritated by the phallic elf hat...(don't wanna explain) :)  LOL

This is a good pic of me and Grace :)  We had a BLAST at my Aunt Sharon's house...the elf hat jacked up my hair...oh well I'd had 2 shots of fireball whiskey so I didn't really think about it! LOL

Believe it or not...I woke up hangover free on Christmas morning.  The kids were so cute but my camera died after I took a video (I really need a new camera now) :)

We went to my Mom and Dad's for breakfast (Mmmmmmm Potato Pancakes) 

Apparently Christmas is a blurr toooo...We had an amazing time with the family and everyone came over to our house for Christmas night and it was a little wild, I'm not gonna lie!  We had wine galore and maybe a little bourbon :)  I wasn't so lucky Monday morning...HOLY HANGOVER BATMAN!!! 

After some coffee and a breakfast sandwich I survived and we drove to Delaware to take the boys to their grandparents house for a few days.  We had a nice drive and a nice lunch with DJ's folks before we headed back home.  As we were leaving poor Rocky hurt his foot...I was bawling b/c it is like one of my babies got hurt.  We're gonna keep an eye on it but he is still favoring his front left paw...poor baby.

On our way down this morning...we made a quick stop at the Coach Outlet store in DE...I finally got a replacement coach from the robbery in September...YAY!!!!!  I HEART THIS BAG...I'm pretty sure I'm going to sleep with it!!!!

We brought Rock Star home to rest in his crate and went back out to make some returns and have some dinner...We went to the Lodge *local joint* and I got a salad with grilled Chicken...It was pretty dang good! 

We came home...put the girl to bed and I organized all the presents under the tree...I was hymning and hawing about how I really should have run and DJ reminded me it was only 7...I got out of my head and hit the road.  I did a full 16 minutes which means I've met my week and game goal of adding one minute a week to my total run! YAY me...LOL

Now we are chillin on the couch and DJ is playing a hunting game on the Wii *he is in heaven* LOL  I LOVE this guy! 

That's all I got for this amazing and crazy holiday I hope yours was GREAT TOO...TTFN