Good morning!

It's nice to be able to write a post at the beginning of the day. Normally, I'd be at the gym right now, but I've been waking up pretty stiff (and very sore!) lately, so I decided to give myself a break, and take a day off. Because I wasn't rushing off, I got to enjoy a delicious and relaxed breakfast, and take my time eating and enjoying it. I couldn't decide if I wanted something sweet or savory, so I decided to have both.
My plate included:

• 1 1/4 cups nonfat plain yogurt with a teaspoon of pure Quebec maple syrup (thanks, Steph!) and 2 tablespoons of Glucerna Crunchy Flakes 'n Strawberries
  
• 2 thin slices of roast turkey breast
• half of a peanut butter-chocolate chip bran-style muffin
• 1 piece of whole wheat toast spread with a tablespoon of roasted red pepper hummus

Oh, and a great cup of Celestial Seasonings' Lemon Zinger; it's so delicious and good for you that I really should drink a cup more often!
I love that Lemon Zinger is caffeine-free and all-natural. Plus, the hibiscus and rosehips give it a really pretty cranberry color. It's doing a great job perking me up this morning!

Breakfasts count came in at 381 calories, 63g of carbs, 3g of fat and 24g of protein. As a whole, it's a little more than I usually eat, but the stats are still really good, so I'm satisfied.

This weekend was actually really fun. Saturday, E and I started off to the gym bright and early for boot camp, which was broken up in three parts: sliding, spinning and toning. I'd never tried sliding before, but I knew from past experience that for me, spinning = hyperventilating, so I decided to do sliding for both periods, totaling an hour. I'm glad I ended up taking it as long as I did, because it took me almost 20 minutes to be able to slide back and forth without freaking out about falling! I had a blast sliding, but man, is it hard - it definitely works up a sweat, and really gets the job done. For me, the best part of boot camp is meeting up with the other participants and getting to hang out, chat and compare notes. The exercise is a bonus, granted, but it's an added one.

After boot camp, E and I decided to work in our 'garden', and work on getting the yard into shape for planting. After 2 hours or so, I developed quite a tan (and I use the term loosely), and decided that it was probably time for me to get out of the sun. Being the industrious, hard-working wife that I am, I then took a nap.
May I just say that it was the best nap I've had in a long time?
Just saying.

The next morning, while I let E sleep in, I locked myself out of the house, and spent an hour banging on the door and ringing the doorbell until E woke up. That pushed breakfast back just a touch...okay, by 3 hours. Thankfully, I made E Very Berry Pancakes, and he forgave me. Don't worry, this stack was for both of us!

The mix included:
- frozen mixed blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
- Bob's Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix
- egg substitute
- sugar-free apple butter
- nonfat milk
- vanilla extract

Once the pancakes were cooked, I sprinkled a little pure Quebec maple syrup on top, and we dove in. We each had 3 pancakes, and the stats (including syrup) came in at 359 calories, 51g of carbs, 4g of fat and a whopping 13g of fiber and 38g of protein. This is the second time we've used the low-carb baking mix, and it's really great. The pancakes were less dense and fluffier than last week's banana-maple chip version, but both were amazing! I haven't tried much of Bob's Red Mill products, but I've loved every one that I have tried.

Because breakfast was so filling (and late), lunch never happened, so I moved on to dinner. It was awesome, and took 10 minutes to prepare, start from finish. It was also really, really good, and E noted that he could eat it once a week for sure, which is a glowing endorsement.

We had:
- spinach and mushroom salad with cucumber ranch dressing
- whole wheat couscous cooked up with a little red enchilada sauce, - sweet corn niblets and green chile
- It's All Good Santa Fe style black bean and corn stuffed chick'n

I'm a flexitarian who loves her meat, and the faux meats usually don't do it for me at all. But this? This was amazing! It was juicy, flavourful and tender without any weird aftertaste or smell. It looks small, but at 5 oz., it's a perfect portion. I'd definitely eat this chick'n again. I was so shocked by my sudden love of chick'n that I decided to do a little research. I discovered that It's All Good is a Gardein brand, which is a Canadian company specializing in vegetarian products made with a "garden-grown protein". According to the packaging:

Really, protein from the garden? You bet!
Gardein is a savory blend of nutritious vegetable and grain ingredients (soy, wheat, peas, beets and carrots) prepared and slow-cooked to have the authentic taste, texture and nutrition of premium lean meat.

The nutritional information is also impressive; one 5 oz. serving has only 160 calories, 5g of fat, 9g of carbohydrates (3 of which are fiber), 19g of protein and 35% of iron's RDA. Take that, chicken! In all seriousness, I think this a great product not only for those who lead a meat-free lifestyle, but for everyone. It's a great alternative source of protein, free of cholesterol and saturated fat and tastes great. Plus, it's easy to prepare, either in a microwave, boiling it in a bag, over the stove top or baking it. I chose the microwave method, and it came out perfectly. For those of you in the Tri-State area, we got ours at Drug Emporium/Healthy Life Market out by the mall.

I have the Glade Sense&Spray giveaway going on until midnight tonight - there's 5 coupons to be had, and only 2 entries so far, so if you enter now, you're pretty close to being guaranteed a winner!