Splurgoween!

Oh yes I did.. Halloween candy was involved.. sweet pastries were at the party too.  Post exam she went allllll ouuuuttt.  Do I feel proud of it? No. Do I feel guilty? A tiny bit.  Am I Okay with it?  You bet.  I studied reaallly hard, and although the test didn't go as well as I had hoped, I deserved a little (well... to be honest, big) sweets party! I'll get back to my healthy eats tomorrow and do some major calorie-burning! Meanwhile, Happy Post-Exam Halloween !

Halloween Memories & Candy

Every year's halloween is quite memorable to me.  In my early 20s I would get dressed in a rather trite, semi ridiculous outfit (I was never into the slutty look) like a jelly bean or clown and go out dancing with my boyfriend at that present, and then scornfully look upon the sluttily dressed (or undressed) girls prouncing around in their underwear.  As I hit my mid to late 20s, I thought the entire thing tiresome and was also dating a German man who didn't understand the holiday- so the day came and went, just as any other ordinary day.  I haven't had a serious relationship since we broke up (a little over a year ago), and I've found the state of being single on such a holiday to be so profoundly liberating.  Granted, I've been too intensely busy in the past 2 years to even have time or room in my life for it, I still felt I had a choice not to do anything about the holiday on my own terms.  Last year, I gave out candy and drank tea while doing some work. This year, I'll have an exam late into the night, and then give out candy if there are any youngsters out by that time.  I'll probably drink tea again while catching up on some magazines that have been piling up, unread in my bathroom.  The following day, I'll probably allow myself 1 or 2 leftover Halloween treats. I really enjoy the minisize version of the candy. I feel like I can indulge without feeling too guilty.  Thursday therefore will be my 'sweet indulgence' day of the week.  Calories still exist though, so here's a Halloween Candy Calorie/Fat/Sugar Breakdown (in my order of favorites)!

Treat/Fun size Candy	Calories	Fat	Sugar
Kit Kat	73	3.7	6.7
Peppermint Pattie	47	1	8.6
3 Musketeers	63.3	2	10
Peanut M&M’s	93	4.7	9.1
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup	80	4.5	7
Nestle Crunch	51.3	2.7	5.6
Almond Joy	91	5.1	9.2
Snickers	72	3.7	7
Heath Bar	77	4.7	8.7
Milky Way	76	2.9	10.9
M&M’s	90	4	10
Skittles	80	.8	15
Milky Way Dark	81	3	11
100 Grand	95	4	11
Take 5	105	5.5	9
Nerds	100	4	13
Mike & Ike	50	0	9
Milk Duds	10	0	2.4
Babe Ruth	85	4	10
SweeTarts	10	0	2.4
Butter Finger	100	4	10
Jelly Belly Jellybeans	35	0	7
Dots	70	0	6.7
Hershey’s Bar	66.7	4	7.7

Tara Provides a great Visual here

Nail Polish Give Away!

I have the OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Polish Duo Set, and I'm giving it away! Just comment on this post if you want it! I'll randomly select a winner on Friday the 2nd!

Cramming my Cranium

Tomorrow evening I have a rather large exam for my Thermodynamics and kinetics class.  Due to added coursework in other classes and increasing amounts of work to do at the office, I've fallen a little behind in this class.  Fortunately, the professor uploads his lecture notes for all his lectures but it's still looking all very Greeky to me.. crap!

I've been having a bit of an internal freakout but since that doesn't really help any, I have created my own plan of attack.

Eve of Exam
1. Go through the lecture notes 2x to just get an initial understanding of the material.
2. Go through the lectures a third time and pull the major equations and concepts from it to a separate sheet of paper.
3. Go through the notest I've created 2x
4. Go through practice problem.  If I can't get them, go through the solutions.
5. Repeat each of the questions I had trouble with on fresh pieces of paper at least 2x.

Exam Day
1. Go through my notes again 2x
2. Go through practice problems again

How do you guys study last minute?

Out of the Woods

Storm hit my town with a senseless fury and shut off the power around 3 yesterday.  It was dark by 4:30 and my family had leftovers for an early dinner by candlelight at 5.  For some reason (maybe I'm sick?) I was unbearably exhausted, and I hit the sack around 5:30pm!  I woke up for a quick (and freezing cold!!) wash up around 7:30pm and then I was back to my solitary snoozefest.  I slept continuously for another 10 hours and woke up this morning to the unpleasant sound of my alarm system that had gone bonkers without power.  After disconnecting a few wires, I got all primitive and lit a fire so I could boil some water in a kettle to brew a little COFFEE.  I cannot do anything without it.  Breakfast was a single leftover banana muffin and coffee from my girl scout setup.  Not loving the no-power thing, but I have to thank God for our family getting through this hurricane safely.  When I see shots of NJ and NYC, I can't complain at all!

Quick Exercise Options At Home

I've discovered some great exercise options that you can download and do at home, for whatever amount of time you have in your schedule.

10 minutes?

Peak Performance Abs workout

Jumprope.  If you're going moderately, you'll burn ~11 calories/ minute.  If you step it up in intensity, you can burn ~20 calories/minute.

20 minutes?

Strength Espresso workout

Total body Workout

KBC (Kickbox, Booty and Core) Workout

30 minutes?

Cardio Kick Butt Workout

Jog for 30 minutes.  If you jog a 10 minute mile, you'll burn ~300 calories in 30 minutes!

45 minutes?

Strengthen & Condition Workout by Brooke Burke

Jog for 45 minutes. Again, at a 10 minute mile, you'll burn ~450 calories!

The trees are waving

No, I'm not on something; the trees are literally waving in the wind as Sandy makes her way up here.  It feels a little bit like the part of a Disney movie where the evil queen is entering the scene.

It feels a lot worse than it looks.  The trees are shaking back and forth, and Sandy's not even that close!
We've seen the power go On and Off 3-4 times already.  Yikes...

Weight Update

After 2 days of following the guidelines I detailed on my Sunday post , I've lost a little bloat. Yay!

Down 2.4 lbs.  I wasn't as good as I should have been with my water intake so I'll work on that.  Then, I'll work on the portions.  I've been eating massive quantities.  Even though it's all healthy stuff, it's still a lot that I'm pushing through my system.  That is not really good for my body... or my poundage.  Still, I'm gonna pat myself on the back for the 2.4 lost. 

Hurricane Sandy Muffins

Since it is storm day today (and I had a few too many over ripe bananas) I thought I'd take the extra hour in my morning to make some banana muffins (a nice swap for my scheduled oatmeal)!

I made a batch of five muffins, each around 160 calories.  Amazed?  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 bananas -mashed up (300 calories)

2/3 cup Atkins bake mix (300 calories)

1 scoop CVS Brand Whey Protein Powder (150 calories)

1/2 cup Egg whites (50 calories)

1/2 cup Baking Splenda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all of the above thoroughly

3. Spray Muffin tray with non-stick spray

4. Pour mix into the muffin wells (I like the jumbo muffin-size tray)

5. Pop muffin tray into the heated oven for 15-20 min

6. Take out & EAT

Future improvements? I might add a small container of nonfat plain yogurt to make it a little more solid,  and a few extras like cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little vanilla extract for enhanced flavor.  This recipe tasted pretty good but it isn't A++.  It's a solid B. Calorically, it's a A++.  I mean who else has a 160 calorie muffin?!

I scarfed down 2 of these babies, one before my work out and one after.  Love that I don't feel bad about it!

Monday Mania

I think labor laws should instate half-day Mondays.  Mondays are normally so crazy.  I am drained at the start of it, during it and most certainly, by the end of it.  Lol, maybe that's just me.  Although my Wednesdays are usually even longer than my Mondays, I dread Mondays even more.  Agh.  I usually end up inhaling a very unhealthy after a long Monday (actually any long and/or stressful day) so I thought I'd meal plan this week to prevent these sorts of anticipated stumbles.  After all, don't they say the failure to plan is a plan for failure?

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
Breakfast	Oats with Chia seeds	Oats with Chia Seeds	Oats with Chia Seeds	Oats with Chia Seeds	Egg White Turkey sausage Omelet
Lunch	Egg White Turkey sausage Omelet	Protein Bar	Turkey in an Oat bran Wrap	Protein Bar	Protein Bar
Snack	Salad with Turkey	Apple	Greek Yogurt with Chia Seeds	Greek Yogurt with Chia Seeds	Greek Yogurt with Chia Seeds
Dinner	Veggie Egg White Omelet	Veggie Egg White Omelet	Veggie Egg White Omelet	Protein Bar (evening exam)	Veggie Egg White Omelet

I know it looks a little chia seeds and protein heavy but not only will I be working out and need the protein, but I'll also be doing a lot of studying which requires steady blood sugar levels and omega-fatty acids.