Missy Maintains » The Lite Choice

I Can Cook but Just Don’t Want To!

MissyMaintains — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:10:50 +0000

Yesterday I was sitting at work thinking about how I would love to cook up a delicious dinner and post about it today! I have not cooked in ages and thought you guys would be so proud of me. I was thinking about all of the dinners I used to make:

Mexican Salads

Whole Wheat Pasta with Veggies

Homemade Pizza

Panko Breaded Chicken

Spiralized Zucchini Pasta

I guess I am pretty capable of cooking decent dinners! So…what happened between now and then? Laziness! Sometimes it just seems worth the extra couple of dollars to pick up dinner from somewhere else! I also find it hard to grocery shop and buy all of the ingredients because who knows what I will be in the mood for that particular night. Sometimes I end up spending more when I grocery shop because I don’t use half of the veggies I bought. I know the solution to this is to meal plan but I just don’t want to do that. Sometimes I get home from work and feel like going out to happy hour! I don’t want the stress of knowing I was supposed to cook that night! I’m sorry but I’m not sorry.

Instead of cooking my fancy meal last night, I got home and had Cheerios.

It was the best lazy dinner ever. I got home from the gym at 8:30 so the last thing I felt like doing was cooking! I also was not very hungry because I had a big lunch.

I got a turkey wrap from the Westside Market that ended up being big enough for 2 people. I ate the whole thing anyway just because it was good! I was secretly happy when they messed up and used mayo instead of mustard. I never use mayo for obvious reasons but I do love it every now and then! I was stuffed after my wrap but the Westside Market is across the street from The Lite Choice so I was forced to stare at the store while I was eating. I could not resist!

Sometimes I feel guilty for having TLC after lunch even when I am already stuffed. Then I realize it is only 80 calories which is less than a glass of wine! Bring on the soft serve!

The only meal I really “cooked” this week was breakfast!

And it was heavenly! I cooked 1/2 cup oats with a white nectarine and Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter. See…I am a good cook!

One more reason I cook less than last year- there is a Whole Foods next door to both gyms I take intenSati at! It is very hard to leave Equinox, look at Whole Foods, hear my belly grumble after an intense workout, and not walk in! This occurs 3 nights a week. I made a promise to myself I would only walk in there once a week to save the dough. I gave in on Monday. I made a giant salad and attempted to bring it home on the subway. I probably ate 1/4 of it while wandering Whole Foods but still ended up with this:

I bought some delicious new salad dressing while shopping around WF:

Nice, short ingredient list and only 14 calories!

I totally brought my salad home instead of eating it all at Whole Foods just so I could enjoy a glass of wine (or two) with dinner!

Much more enjoyable on a plate instead of in a cardboard box! The new salad dressing and wine helped too. I feel like it is worth the $8.00 to get to choose from 50 salad bar ingredients and create an awesome dinner in 5 minutes or less. Maybe once it gets colder out I will start to cook more but for now, I will enjoy my take-out and prepared food!

Do you tend to cook more when it is colder outside?

Do you prefer to spend a few more dollars for convenience or do you enjoy taking the time to cook?

Don’t forget to enter my Live the Live You Love Ticket Giveaway!

Summer Spirit

MissyMaintains — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:48:23 +0000

Is it really September? I am not too thrilled about this! I prefer hot weather 365 days a year. Yes, I know I live in the wrong state. Since I don’t plan on leaving New York anytime soon, I will just have to stay positive and make the best of the new season! I am very excited to eat this…

And drink this…

And can’t wait for another excuse to dress up my cat like this…

Okay…maybe I do like fall a little bit. Summer is not over yet though! The past couple of days have included some summery treats and activities like fruity sangria…

Soft serve from The Lite Choice…

Colorful salads…

And outdoor hikes…

I love summer. Luckily I still have some fun outdoor activities to look forward to this month!

This weekend: Electric Zoo Festival!!!!!!!

September 18th: Women’s Health “Are You Game” Event!

September 26th: Hike and Wine Tasting!

What are you looking forward to this fall?

What will you miss most about summer?

Reminders:

I am choosing the winner of the Core Fusion Yoga DVD tomorrow!
I still have a $500 scholarship to give away for the fall program at Institute of Integrative Nutrition! You must enroll by September 15th to receive the scholarship. Let me know if you are interested!

Since we are talking about summer and outdoor activities, I will leave you with a new video someone sent me yesterday! It is the entire dance from Zumba at the Phillies game last week!

Giveaway Winners and IntenSati Workouts!

MissyMaintains — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:27:46 +0000

Happy Friday! I will start things off by announcing the Uncle Sam’s Cereal winner! I am also going to pick a new winner of the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil since the winner never claimed her prize!

Uncle Sam’s Cereal Winner

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

12
Timestamp: 2010-08-06 13:30:56 UTC

The winner is…..Heather from Mile 26 and More!

She said, “Hi!! I would mix it in with my favorite Oikos caramel yogurt – YUM!!”

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Winner!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

40
Timestamp: 2010-08-06 13:34:42 UTC

40- Anne Renolds,“I would love to try this coconut oil. The brocolli and mushrooms looked great and I would probably start there. I could also fry or braise veggies from my garden as they come in.”

Congrats Heather and Anne! Please email me your addresses so I can get your prizes out to you!

I just got back from a great intenSati class! Friday is HCB (high calorie burn) day! I was already sore from yesterday’s classes so today was extra challenging! It was nice to see some familiar faces like Tiffany and Mari even though the challenge is over! I did miss Norn dancing in the front of the room but I hear he will be there Monday! Today’s class involved hip rolls, mountain climbers, kicks, punches, etc! So much fun! I was so tired this morning but always get really energized when I hear the fun dance music. Natalia’s amazing energy always rubs off on me too!

I got another smoothie this morning after class!

It contained super acai powder, banana, vanilla protein powder, and soy milk. It was so good but a very expensive habit! It is just hard to think of things to bring myself for breakfast besides oatmeal. I leave my apartment at 5:00 am and don’t eat breakfast till around 9:00 so I don’t like to bring anything too cold. Guess I’ll have to go back to oatmeal again to save some extra dollars.

I also just had a piece of Mari’s fabulous banana bread with guava paste!

It was so moist and perfect! I officially like guava paste! Thanks again Mari! I enjoy being the taste tester of your baked goods.

Back to yesterday….

I had a delicious lunch from my work cafe:

Goat cheese and grilled vegetables on a whole wheat wrap.

After work I went to another intenSati class. Sorry, you guys are probably sick of hearing me talk about it! It was the first time I was ever called on in class to shout out the affirmations! It was so scary but luckily I remembered what to say! I can’t believe I yelled in front of at least 30 people! This morning she called on me again! I forgot what the affirmations were but got them on the second try! A few more months of this and I’ll be ready to be a leader (I wish!)

After class I grabbed some dinner at Westside Market. Had to switch it up from Whole Foods for a change.

I got a salad with broccoli, avocado, black beans, and feta cheese. Great combination!

I finished the night off with some Lite Choice!

1/2 Strawberry Banana and 1/2 Chocolate German Cake with crunchies!

Never gets old. This weekend should be a nice and relaxing! Nothing planned yet other than a Core Fusion class, an Equinox class, some sun, and cocktails of course!

1) What are you looking forward to this weekend?

2) Any suggestions on what I can bring for breakfast that will last for 4 hours with no refrigerator (besides oatmeal and cereal)? I do use my lunch bag with a cooler sometimes but smoothies never taste as good after sitting in there for so long!

Have a nice weekend!

IntenSati Addict and AADP Certified!

MissyMaintains — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:53:34 +0000

Morning! It’s Fridayyyyy! I’m on a little exercise high from intenSati this morning. The class today today was labeled, “HCB” on the schedule (high calorie burn!) It was intense but amazing as always. I did not wear my heart rate monitor but Mari burned 690 calories! Our awesome instructor, Natalia, mixed our routine up a little today and made us do everything backwards with sprints mixed in. Loved it. Mari and I stayed after and did some arm exercises with free weights. We were asking Natalia what else she does besides intenSati because she has such an amazing body! Of course us food bloggers asked her what she usually eats as well!! I am so grateful that she let me on her guest list this whole month! I have one more week at Equinox on guest lists and then I need to figure out what to do. I really want to join Equinox so that I can continue intenSati! Nothing at New Yorks Sports Club excites me like intenSati does! It is about $100 extra dollars a month though so I would need to cut back on something big! We’ll see! I have this debate with myself almost every month! I do think it would be worth it because I leave there feeling so happy every day. They also have a million other great classes too. I have a week to decide so I will keep thinking about it.

After class today, I refueled with a delicious breakfast sandwich from the deli nearby. I got egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, and feta cheese on whole wheat toast.

I also got a ~~beer~~ iced coffee!

Last night after work I went to intenSati again! I told you I was an addict. It was a great, hot class! The air was broken but hey…more of a detox right? I love that we were twice as loud yelling the affirmations at 6:30 this morning than at 6:30 last night. There was just so much energy today. Maybe because it is Friday? I liked the trancy, fast music today too!

Mari and I headed over to Whole Foods for dinner last night after class. I made a salad beast!

It contained vegan tuna salad, steamed kale, bean salad, zucchini, edamame, broccoli, quinoa, feta cheese, and probably 5 other things! We both wanted something sweet afterwards so we decided to go to The Lite Choice! There is one in Union Square where we were but we decided to walk 2 avenues further so we could use my Living Social coupon. I bought a coupon for 8 servings of TLC for half price! We got to the 7th Avenue location and it was closed because of an electrical failure. We decided to walk another 10 blocks to the 23rd street location. They did not take my coupon but it was completely worth the $4.00!

I got 1/2 Chocolate and 1/2 Scoopstachio with crunchies. Scoopstachio is their brand new flavor so I had to try it! It tasted like a mix of peanut butter and mint. I loved all the different flavors going on in my cup! We decided to walk while eating so we ended up walking another mile and a half to the subway! We like our exercise!

In other news, I can now write A.A.D.P next to my name! I got my certificate for the American Associatian of Drugless Practioners yesterday! I also graduate from Integrative Nutrition this weekend! It went by so fast! I am officially a health coach and am offering free one-hour health consultations so let me know if you are interested! We can do it over the phone if you don’t live in New York. You can also sign up for my health coaching newsletter below for more wellness tips and recipes.

Besides school this weekend, I have a Core Fusion class planned, Mari’s birthday dinner at 5 Burro, and some other celebrations since tomorrow is National Tequila Day! Can’t wait!

1) Are you planning on celebrating National Tequila Day tomorrow? I plan to celebrate all weekend!!

2) How do you like your coffee? Lately I’ve been getting iced coffee with soy milk from the deli. No sugar necessary!

Thanks for reading! Have a nice weekend!

The IntenSati Situation

MissyMaintains — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:10:33 +0000

Morning! I just got back from an awesome intenSati class with Mari!We were up at 4:45 in the morning again for our 6:30 am class! Crazy but worth it. Unfortunately I’m not sure if I can go 4 days a week now. Last week I mentioned that I may not be able to participate in the July Warrior Challenge. The final decision was no. I am still very upset. The rules of the challenge said that you would have to attend 4 intenSati classes a week for the month of July. Two of the classes had to be morning classes. It also said that you cannot participate in a challenge twice. I did participate in one back in January but I figured I would apply anyway just in case they had extra room. I thought that I would have a chance at getting in since it was summer and the challenge involved 6:30 am classes! Turns out there are 90 people in the challenge! Who knew? Anyway, a day after I applied, I was accepted. In fact, I got this email 3 times:

CONGRATULATIONS!! You have been accepted to our Warrior Challenge Rise & Shine!

Your Team name is Team Determination!

We are looking forward to meeting you and supporting you on having an awesome summer!

Go to satilife.com to order an IntenSatiDVD for a friend before July 2nd. We recommend intention and power. Send us your invoice number to verify you have ordered the dvd no later than July 2nd.

I was excited and figured they had enough room for me! I was extra excited when I found out Mari got in too! Mari and I planned our first class together last Friday morning. As I got on the subway at 5 am on Friday, I saw an email on my phone. It said:

Hi Melissa,

You were in a prior challenge.
Requirements:
Only open to non members who have never participated in previous challenges. If you despute it could you let us know how?

Thank you,
The Sati Life Team

This was sent to me at 12:30 am the night before the first class! I would have been fine with the whole thing if they had never accepted me in the first place. As soon as I got the acceptance email, I put my gym membership on hold! I also spent $23.00 for the intenSati DVD that I was required to purchase. They should have checked to see who was in previous challenges as soon as people applied. Instead they just accepted people right away and checked the night before. I was able to attend the kick-off class but my name was taken off the list after that. I emailed the Sati-Life Team and told them my situation. I explained that I put my gym membership on hold after they accepted me so now I was stuck with nowhere to workout for a whole month. I also said that I wanted to review the challenge on my blog and asked if there was any way they could make an exception. They still said no.

Luckily I still have some other options. Even though they rejected me, they were very nice about it. They gave me all of the instructor’s emails and said that I could try to get on their guest lists. As soon as I heard this, I emailed 3 different teachers and asked if I could be added to their guest list for classes this week. All of the teachers said yes! I was able to go last night and this morning. I am also on the list for Friday and Sunday morning. I am good to go this week but I am kind of worried about the rest of the weeks in July. I’m not sure how often they let you on a guest list. I will definitely email them again for next week though and give it a shot. Luckily I have a 10-pack of Core Fusion classes as a backup plan! I think I should be fine!

Wooh…I think I got a workout just from typing that story! Let’s move onto some eats from yesterday. I know this looks nasty….

…but it was delicious! That brown stuff is apple butter! It gave my mushroom omelet a deliciously, sweet flavor.

Lunch was another wrap!

Tuna, lettuce, and Eggland’s Best hard boiled eggs. I made a ton of hard boiled eggs last week so I’ve been trying to figure out new ways to use them!

As I mentioned before, I went to intenSati after work with Mari. We were both starving afterwards and Whole Foods happened to be down the street! I made a nice big salad of course.

It contained yucca fries, quinoa, kale, bok choy, sweet potatoes, beets, etc. Mari got some great looking sushi! I am getting it next time!

I always crave soft serve after Whole Foods so I finished the night with The Lite Choice!

I got half Vanilla and half Chocoleche with crunchies. It never gets old. I needed the cold dessert because my air conditioning is broken so I had to sleep in a 90 degree room. Luckily my dad is coming to New York later to save the day. He used to own an air conditioning business so I am good to go! Okay, I am off to go chug some more coffee! I’ve been awake for way too long!

1) Besides going to the gym, what other kind of workouts do you enjoy?

2) What is your favorite way to use hard boiled eggs?