Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Good morning! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Last night we did the cardio dvd in P90X. I enjoyed it and it was a nice break from the weights/bands. We were lazy and had leftovers for dinner. Chili was still delicious!

We went to the gym this morning and I lifted with my Dad:

3x lat pull downs (70 lbs/80 lbs/70 lbs)

3x tricep pull downs (40 lbs/50 lbs/40 lbs)

3x curls (40 lbs/45 lbs/40 lbs)

3x seated rows (70 lbs/80 lbs/70 lbs)

I went to Target when I got home because I need a few ingredients for a recipe I'm making for dinner. I also got a block of tofu (who knew Target carried that?!), La Croix sparkling water, which I've seen in the blog world but never in the store, and Truvia!

Here is the recipe I plan to make:

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

4 – (6 oz) chicken breasts, diced into 1” cubes

1 medium onion

2.5 cups chopped broccoli

1.5 cups (volume when cooked) brown rice

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of plain yogurt

3/4 C. shredded cheese

salt & pepper

directions:

in a saute pan, combine brown chicken & onion and cook through.

steam broccoli.

cook rice.

combine cooked chicken, onions, broccoli, rice and remaining ingredients in mixing bowl. mix well.

pour mixture into casserole dish. sprinkle with cheese.

bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes (since all ingredients are already pretty warm from cooking them).

After Target I made a delicous bowl of chocolate peanut butter oats:

1/2 C. oats

2 C. water

1 TB. raisins

1/2 scoop choc. protein powder

1 TB. peanut butter

Yum! I love the crunch that the crunchy p.b. adds to the oats :)

Now I'm going to apply for some jobs, work on Pat's anniversary present and begin the dinner recipe. The weather is not looking too promising, but if the sun comes out I may lay out by the pool.

Bachelor/Bachelorette Party

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Well, about the interview on Friday, I was all dressed up and ready to go, found my way there, found the right building, only to walk in and be told that they are so sorry but need to reschedule. Apparently the doctor that will be interviewing me was still seeing patients and she is away next week. So, we rescheduled for 8/25. But, I did get a call to come in for a 2nd interview for another position, so keep your fingers crossed!

When Pat got home from work Friday we dropped Carmel off at my parents' and headed to A.C. for the bachelor and bachelorette parties. We had a great time! We spent most of the evening at a cabana that we rented at Harrah's pool bar. On Saturday we took a trip to Ocean City, which is not far from Atlantic City and then came home. We went to my Uncle's 50th birthday party last night and then came back and did another P90X dvd! DEDICATION :) We did the biceps and back dvd and it was tough! Today marks one week since we began the program, so I'm hoping to start seeing some progress soon! I can't wait for the 30 days pics.!

Pat made breakfast this morning: whole wheath peanut butter pancakes and bacon. YUM :) I made a peanut butter syrup mixture by combining about 1 1/2 TB. of P.B. with 1/4 C. of syrup. It was delicious! We will probably catch up on housework and possibly lay by the pool later today. A nice, relaxing Sunday is just what I need.

Here is a pic. of us at the bach. party:

My First Overnight Oats, Swimming, Interview and Bachelorette Party!

Good morning! I have a busy day today, as I'm sure you can tell from the title! First off, I FINALLY tried my first "overnight" oats yesterday afternoon as a snack between my early lunch and dinner. I used:
                                                                          1/2 C. oats
                                                                        1 C. skim milk
                                                                1 blueberry Activia yogurt
                                                                            1 banana

                                                                           Delicious!

We did the Chest, Shoulders & Back dvd in the P90X set last night. Again, it was intense! During certain points I was literally so exhausted and my muscles were so tired that I couldn't even complete a move. I made a pot of chili for dinner, which we enjoyed with mixed vegetables. We took Carmel for a walk around the neighborhood and then watched the Phillies beat the Dodgers again! :)

This morning we headed to the YMCA for a workout. Pat ran on the treadmill (can't wait until I can join him!) and I lifted with my Dad. Here is what we did:

Smith Machine:

3x flat bench 40 lbs./45 lbs./40 lbs.

3x incline bench 20 lbs./25 lbs./20 lbs.

3x shoulder press 15 lbs./20 lbs./15 lbs.

100 crunches

My Dad is trying to convince me to start swimming laps in the pool. I realize that sounds like a normal suggestion, considering my doctor's orders which are to do non-weight bearing activity every other day. However, I can swim but I do not feel that I am good enough to swim for exercise - as in laps in a pool. Do you have any suggestions?

When I got home I showered and had this familiar breakfast:

1 C. Kashi Go Lean

1 C. skim milk

1 banana

iced coffee

Vitamin D/Calcium supplement

I have an interview at 2:00! Until then I will be straightening up the house and packing! Once Pat and my brother are done work we are heading to A.C. for a joint bachelor/bachelorette party!

Any interview tips to share??

Rain, Rain Go Away

Good morning! Well, last night was the "core" dvd in P90X. This morning I'm feeling a "good" pain in my core, so I guess that's a good sign! Again, the routine was difficult, but that's why it will pay off. :)

I made a big salad for us to share with dinner. We also had leftover pork and peaches and rice for a snack later in the evening. Peaches and rice is a recipe I've been making for as long as I can remember. It's something my great-grandmother used to make, and we enjoy the tradition. Plus, it's delicious! Here is how we make it:

1 box of cooked rice (original recipe is white, but I use brown to make it a bit healthier)

5 peaches (diced)

few Tbsp. of vanilla

1/4-1/2 C. sugar

cinnamon

enough milk to make it moist

We watched the Phillies beat the Dodgers, which was exciting! I'm celebrating this morning by drinking my coffee in my pink Phillies mug :) :

I met my Dad at the YMCA this morning and we did an upper body weight workout:

3x chest press

3x tricep extensions

3x lat pull downs

3x curls

100 crunches

I was supposed to go to New Hope for the day with my grandmom, however the weather is not cooperating. We're supposed to have thunderstorms all day...so, I'm going to meet her at her house, go out to lunch and do some shopping. :)

I am thinking about making chili for dinner tonight. I know it's August, but I've been craving it and the cloudy/rainy weather makes it seem more appropriate! Before dinner will be another P90X dvd, but I'm not sure which one.

My interview is tomorrow! Please send your interview tips my way!

Interview Tips?

Good morning! Last night we did the yoga dvd in the P90X set. I could not imagine yoga being very difficult compared to the plyometrics and arms/shoulders, but boy was I wrong! I started to have some pain in my leg (where my fracture is), so we stopped the dvd half way through and then did the ab ripper. These dvds are intense! I'm kind of enjoying the pain though. I guess I'll see how long that lasts! I threw dinner in the crockpot last night, knowing that it would be pretty late once we were finished up P90X. We had a seasoned pork loin, mixed veggies and sweet potatoes. Carmel (our puggle) decided to pee all over our bedroom last night. Obviously, that's not the most exciting thing to see just as you're about to step into bed. We spent about a half hour with the resolve bottle and rags trying to clean it up. I have no idea why she did that. I need to shampoo the rug now, so I made a trip to Walmart this morning for carpet shampoo. When I got back I had a quick breakfast:

1 C. Kashi Go Lean

1 C. skim milk

1 banana

calcium/vitamin D supplement

iced coffee w/Truvia & skim milk

Yes, boring, but delicious nonetheless!

In other news, my job searching/applying for has paid off! I have an interview on Friday for a project manager position. Wish me luck! Do you have any tips on effective interviewing?! I need all of the help I can get. :)

Later this afternoon I'm going to spend a few hours at my parents' pool with my Grandmom. Tonight we will be doing another P90X dvd (I forget which one!), so as always, I will post an update!

Now, I'm off to shampoo carpets....

Back to the Grind!

Good morning!

Pat and I survived day 2 of P90X last night, which was arms and shoulders. I can feel it today, but my legs are definitely more sore than my arms. I'm not complaining! We had crab cakes, grilled corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and grilled peaches for dinner last night. It was delicious, but I forgot to take a picture. :( We watched the Bachelor Pad too. I am a fan of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows, but was not really into the Bachelor Pad. Oh well! This morning we headed to the gym and I did 3 sets of seated rows, curls and tricep extensions. Then I did 5 miles on the stationary bike. It felt great to sweat again! I can't wait to run!!! :) When I came home I cleaned a bit and had breakfast:

1 C. Kashi Go Lean

1 C. skim milk

1 banana

Now I'm going to apply for more jobs, then possibly bring lunch to Pat, stop at a few stores and lay out by the pool! Tonight is day 3 of P90X...I will keep you posted!

Target and Lunch

Good afternoon! I've had a somewhat productive day of job searching so far...

I did take a little break to go to my brother's and borrow some of his girlfriend's dresses for this weekend. We also took a quick trip to Target. When I came home I made a huge salad for lunch, which I enjoyed alonside a honey oat muffin:

I'm waiting for Pat to get home from work and then we're going to do day 2 of P90X. I'll keep you posted!

What's Next?

Hello!

I hope everyone had a good weekend! I enjoyed my relaxing weekend and I'm feeling like it's going to be a great week!

It's hard to believe that I've been out of work for almost 3 weeks. While I'm happy that I don't have the stress of working there any more, I do find myself with quite a bit of free time, wondering what to do and what's next. I need to find a job, even something part-time for now. For now, I'll just keep searching...

Pat and I have been having a hard time getting around today after doing the P90X Plyometrics last night! Those squats must really work!

I had a dr. appointment this morning and we stopped for a nice cup of coffee afterward...then when I got home I made "OIAJ":

1/2 C. oats

2 C. water

handful of raisins

splash of vanila

1/4 scoop choc. protein powder

remainder of P.B. jar

Enjoyed with iced coffee and my cacium/vitamin D supplement :)

I'm off to my brother's and his girlfriend's to try on some dresses for the bach. party in AC this weekend! Have a great day! :)

P90X

Hello! We had a great time at the Phillies game last night, even though they lost :( We were starving when we got home and ate the leftover pizza from Friday night - I did not take pictures. This morning we went to Perkin's for breakfast. I had never been there before and probably won't go back. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I bought P90X about a month ago after reading about it on several other blogs. Since I was just cleared to start doing some cardio, I figured today was the perfect time to start! Pat and I took before pictures and did the fitness testing before completing the first (plyometrics) video. Here are my before shots: 

I expected the program to be intense and we both worked up a good sweat during that hour. Our legs are burning from all of the squats! I think they are good signs. Beforehand I had some blueberries and a protein shake with the following:

1 C. skim milk

1 Tbsp. P.B.

1 scoop choc. protein powder

1/2 frozen banana

ice cubes

Pat grilled tilapia filets, corn, onions and sweet potatos for dinner:

It was delicious! We will probably just relax the rest of the evening :) I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Change of Plans and PHILLIES

Good morning! :) My day didn't exactly start off so great. I had plans to work at the Y from 7:30-2. I got up at 6:15 (early for a Sat.!) to get myself ready, start wash, etc. I got to work and someone else was scheduled for that time! So, I headed home. Now I'm actually glad to have the extra hours for the day! I was able to go to the produce stand with my Dad (we usually do that on Saturday mornings) and have a leisurely breakfast at home :)

1 C. Kashi Go Lean
1 C. Skim milk
1 Banana
(Enjoyed with an unpictured iced coffee :) )

Pat is working this morning, then we have plans to go to our fav. lunch spot, run a few errands and get ready for the Phillies game! After watching last night's game, I'm really excited!

Cleared for Cardio!

Hello!

I am so excited to report that I've been cleared to do non-weight bearing cardio exercising for the next 6 weeks! That means I'm allowed to bike, swim or use the elliptical every other day. It seems as though my fracture is healing as it should. I went out to lunch with my grandmom and then to the pool for a few hours. I had the 1/2 salad & soup at Panera Bread with a whole grain baguette. Yum! A few hours later when I got home I had a "SIAB" (smoothie in a bowl). I used:
                                                            1 C. skim milk
                                                            1 banana
                                                            1 TB. P.B.
                                                            1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
                                                            sprinkle of cinnamon

This may have been the best snack I've ever had...

Right now I'm just catching up on email and job searching. We'll be having pizza at my parents' tonight :)

Operation Beautiful!

Good morning! I went to the gym and lifted for upper body (again!) this morning. I've been continuing the job search since I got back. I did get to watch Caitlin's Operation Beautiful segment on the Today Show! It was very exciting and inspiring :) I made chocolate peanut butter oatmeal for breakfast: 

1/2 C. oats

1/2 scoop choc. protein powder

1 TB. chunky P.b.

2 C. water

handful of raisins

sprinkle of cinnamon

Delicious! Enjoyed with my coffee and calcium/D supplement :)

I wanted to go to the pool today, but I think it may rain. I'm hoping it holds off. Otherwise, I will probably keep busy cleaning! Tomorrow is my follow-up appointment with the sports medicine doctor. I'm excited and hoping he'll tell me I can start some form of cardio again! Have a great day! :)

First Post!

Hello! I'm so excited to officially be blogging! I finally decided to start my own blog after years of enjoying reading others. Please feel free to read my "About Me" page to learn more about me.

This morning I went to the gym and lifted (upper body). I can't wait until I can start to incorporate cardio (hopefully after Friday)! When I got home I had Kashi Go Lean with skim milk and a banana for breakfast. I made a batch of brownies and got my hair highlighted:

I took this cute picture of Carmel as she snoozed...ah, what a life!

I'm having my parents and grandparents over for dinner tonight. I'm making spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread, and we'll enjoy the brownies I made earlier!