Some Pasta, Some Shredding, Some Goodies!

Good Morning! Almost the weekend!! I have a few fun things planned including the Blogger Brunch! I get to meet a lot of the girls from last week’s meet up along with some new ones! Yay! Anyway…onto food! Let’s recap back to yesterday!

After my wonderful lunch at Pita Grill, I was super full but had those munchies. I think it was because I have been trying to not bring gum to work so I can kick the habit but I was craving it sooo bad that I turned to food. I had an apple and then a Banana Nut GNU Bar right before I left. Not necessary but I guess it could have been much worse!

I went to the gym after work and did a few machines instead of a class. The classes do not end till 8:30 and I knew I still had the 30 Day Shred to do so I wanted to get home a little earlier. I started out on the treadmill. I did 5 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of jogging, and 5 minutes of walking. I was planning on doing longer but I was not in the mood at all to jog. It has been extra tough for me lately. Maybe because my legs are sore from the shred!

There were no ellipticals open so I got on a stepper. I did another 25 minutes on there and then left the gym by 7:45. Much better than 8:30!! For the 40 minutes, I burned 318 calories, had an average heart rate of 142, and maximum heart rate of 175.

The boy met me outside the gym when I was done so we could head to the food store to get some stuff for dinner. We came home and I did Level 1, Day 5 of the Shred while he made dinner. The timing worked out perfectly! It was nice having dinner ready for me after my workout!

I wore my heart rate monitor during the shred to see my stats. I burned 138 calories, had an average heart rate of 142, and maximum heart rate of 175. I noticed from Caitlin’s blog that most people have been burning around 200 calories per session so I am not sure why mine is so much lower! I know I am working extremely hard so who knows!

I put my bf in charge of taking pictures while he cooked dinner for us! We bought Organic Whole Wheat Farfalle Pasta at the store!

He cooked mushrooms and red peppers with Italian seasoning and Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinegar for my plate.

He also made squash, Italian and red peppers to mix in with the pasta.

Of course some lovely green salads to start!

He used Garlic Powder and Smart Balance Spray Butter to give the pasta some flavor.

Our table!

I mixed everything onto one plate. It was so delicious and filling! The mushrooms had an amazing flavor from the Balsamic. Yum!

I had a lot of packages waiting for me but I was not allowed to dig through them until after dinner!! As soon as we finished, I ran over like a kid in a candy store!

The first package was bars and shakes from YouBar!

The shakes include: Vanilla Dream, Breakfast Shake, and Blended Bliss.

The bars are: Breakfast Bar, Honey Cashew, Magic Bar, Great Date with Chocolate, and Choc Cherry Bar!!

I planned on making the Breakfast Shake this morning after the 30 Day Shred but I did not give myself enough time! Reviews coming soon

The next package was from Sahale Snacks!

They sent me amazing looking snacks to try including:

• Pomegranate Cashews
• Almond PB&J
• Honey Almonds

These flavors sound so interesting to me! I am sure they will be gone by the weekend

The next package was from the wonderful Erica at Erin Baker’s who allowed me to host last week’s contest!

She sent me Organic Brownie Bites and the Breakfast Cookie Sampler!! Look at all those cookies! Can we say heaven!!??!!! I brought a Brownie Bite with me to work today so I will let you know how they are this afternoon!

The last package was a book!! At first I was very confused because I did not remember ordering any books from Amazon! I read the letter that came with it and it is from Diana at Pom Wonderful!

The letter said:

Enclosed is a copy of “Rubies in the Orchard” by Lynda Resnick, the co-owner and marketing force behind POM Wonderful, FIJI Water and Teleflora. We wanted to share the history of POM Wonderful with you.

So nice!! I already started reading it on the train this morning and it is really interesting! I was a marketing major in college and the book talks about the POM Queen’s Secrets To Marketing Just About Anything. It is really cool to see how POM started and what marketing tactics they used to make the drink a success. I already learned some great key points that could be very useful in marketing a blog or business including:

• Every marketing campaign begins with the same question: What is the intrinsic value of the product or service? Before you are able to convince consumers of the value of something, you have to be able to convince yourself.
• Business…is a matter of faith. Building brands is, first and foremost, not about numbers. It is about value and people.
• The answers are not outside the box, they are on the inside. This was in regards to choosing the shape of the POM bottle and the unique design would be a major marketing component to the drink.
• You get a lot further in life by showing what you don’t know and asking for help rather than you do pretending you know it all. I love this point because I can be shy when it comes to asking questions but I know you can learn a lot more that way rather than being insecure and quiet.

I am on chapter 3 and can’t wait to read more! Thanks POM!!

After digging through all of my goodies, it was time for ICE CREAM!!!!!

I found a new brand at the store that I have never seen before!

Fat Free, Sugar Free, and 80% Lactose Free Chocolate Ice Cream!! Sounds great to me!! It is only 80 calories per serving so it is also not bad for someone like me who eats much more than 1 serving at a time!

I brought out some fun ingredients to add to make it a sundae!!

I was not sure how good the ice cream would taste since it is so healthy but I was pleasantly surprised!! They had some other flavors like butterscotch that I plan on buying next time I am there!! The Newman’s Own Peanut Butter Oreos were also AMAZING! You know how I love my cookies n cream!!

MMMM! I went to bed shortly after the sundae and stopped myself from a second bowl!!

This morning I made sure to wake up in time for Day 6 of the 30 Day Shred!! I was so tired but knew it would wake me up a little! Level 1 is still pretty hard for me! As soon as I get done those last shoulder raises, I am the happiest girl ever! Those side lunges are torture! I burned 133 calories again this morning. Great workout! I think I will attempt level 2 on Day 10!

I got to work and made some coffee with skim milk to wake me up!

I also made a bowl of Kashi Honey Sunshine Oatmeal with 1/2 banana and cinnamon.

With my last packet of Barney Butter!!!

Related posts:

1. Pasta, Samples, Contests!
2. Artisana Raw Nut Butters and Single Edition Goodies!
3. Core Fusion Meetup and Pasta!
4. Package and Pasta Party!
5. Veggielicious Whole Wheat Pasta