Author: foodsweatandbeers

Six Pack Sunday: Gun Rights and Cheese Delights

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We’ve made it to Sunday, and the Super Bowl looms over us like a guacamole, beer, and chicken wing-filled cloud.  I’m hoping that soon, I’ll make it RAIN (but not actual beer rain… I think that would get gross and sticky really fast.)

Let’s stick with tradition, and make it rain some random bits and pieces with SIX PACK SUNDAY!

1. Right to Bear STYLE!

Looking for the perfect top to wear to that springtime wedding?

Look no further.

Fierce, right?

No, I didn’t buy it.

Yes, I had to fight every urge inside of me not to.  This top is HILARIOUS, but there were definitely a few ladies in the store looking at it genuinely.  Ah, living in the South…

2. BYOB(s)

So I went to a mixology class this weekend. It was fantastic, more on that later.  HOWEVER, I believe I committed the ultimate faux-pas for a a cocktail mixology class.

Classiest of all attendees

That’s right, I brought my own 3-pack of craftbeer from Tasty Beverage Co. across the street.  I may or may not have been more excited for the beer than the mixology class.  Luckily, over the course of the hour of the class, my mind changed.

I’m still excited for the beer.

3. Just Add It to the List

I don’t know about any of the rest of you that write blogs, but I know I can’t be alone.  I have a “List”. A list of things I’d love to write long, detailed (and probably hilarious) posts about…. but I’m just not ready to share quite how often I think about gross, weird, or vulgar.  Here’s a hint, though.

Bior-YAY!

If I could talk about the joy I get from seeing the nasty stuff that these pore-cleansing strips pull out of my skin for hours, I would.

But I just don’t know if you all need the gory details of what lies deep inside my pores.  Or my mind.

Trust me, it’s not pretty.

4. Kids These Days

Eek.

Spotted inside of a middle school: The Hydroponics Lab for kids!

Is this not sitting right with anyone else?

I’m just wondering how many kids are watching Weeds these days.  Apparently, too many.

5. Cheese, Please.

Three words: Grilled Cheese Party.

Sweet gods of cheese

I’ve never seen a more beautiful cheese drawer.

MAKE THIS YOUR NEXT PARTY!

6. SALE! (Sale?)

Ummmm….

Que?

Stopped by The Fresh Market for a few knick knacks the other day.

You know what’s NOT a sale?  Negative ten cents.

You’re doing it wrong, Fresh Market.

Do you have a “list” of topics that you aren’t quite ready to share with the world?  

How about a sweet gun-shirt?

 

 

Egg in a Bag and BodyAttack

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Ah, that old adage… A failure to plan (for breakfast) is a plan for (breakfast) failure.

While my standard fitbook breakfast entry says “Cereal + Almond Milk” with a smiley face next to it, I came to a crossroads in the middle of the week.  I tilted my cereal box as far as it would go, then, panic on my face, yanked the plastic bag out of the box.

It was as empty as my heart was the moment I realized I was cereal-less in Seattle Durham.

Silly me, I’d forgotten to pick up my usual box of cereal on my last Trader Joe’s trip so, while my almond milk flowed like water, a girl can’t live on milk, alone.  Thus was born my Open Faced Egg Sammy.

I knew I had a few eggs at home, but I like to eat my breakfast at 8:30 am, despite my arrival at work around 8 am (something about a pre-8:30 breakfast doesn’t work in my tummy). And since we don’t have a stove-top in my tiny office, I had to improvise.

Doggie Bag? No, Eggy Bag.

Since all of my tupperware was in use holding goodies like beans, carnitas pork, avocado, etc, this Fresh Market bag was the mode of transportation for a single fried egg.

That’s right, the only thing in that bag is an egg.

My coworkers sort of rolled their eyes, and were probably just glad that I wasn’t wearing a feather boa.

Luckily, my office DOES have a toaster.  And I also brought some spinach, and VOILA!

Topless breakfast!

I used a toasted everything Bagel Thin, some Laughing Cow spread, and spinach, topped the party with my totable egg, and didn’t miss the cereal a single bit.  In fact, it felt a little bit like a special treat on a weekday.  I gotta find more ways to enjoy eggs at work.

Can you microwave cook an egg without any special holder?

Bueller?

In other news, BodyAttack #75 was even MORE intense than last week (I think because I now have an understanding of the moves).

Boom, baby.

56 minutes, 843 calories, and an average HR of 165!!  As you can tell, the end is the ab track and the cooldown track, I don’t just get super lazy around 53 minutes.  I do, however, start to get insanely sweaty at about 16 minutes.

It’s for this reason that I always bring my own, full-sized towel to the gym. Whether or not I shower at the gym, I normally leave looking like someone just poured the post-game Gatorade all over me.  This translates to my signature post-gym outfit.

Always fierce, Always wins spring fling queen

You might be wondering “Is that a fashionable scarf?”

The answer is “No, friend, you need to have your eyes checked out.”  Because I rock the towel scarf every.single.day.

Despite the fact that it’s not a pashmina, I still get noticed by all the major fashionistas in the Triangle area.  Especially the little girl in the grocery store who (not-so-quietly) asks her mom “Why’s that lady wearing a towel in the store?” and points her bony finger at me.

Don’t worry, I didn’t get mad, point back and say “HEY, lady, who’s the tiny curious critter clinging to your pant-legs? WHY’S SHE SO SMALL?” though I may have wanted to…  I simply smiled and said “Well, it gets pretty cold in grocery stores, and I didn’t have a blanket.”  She giggled, and walked away with mommy dearest.

I just hope that, due to my powerful influence on her life, someday she’s toting fried eggs to work and towel-scarves to the store.

I’m basically a role model.

Any sweet in-office egg cooking methods for me to try?

 

Eggplant Stack Attack!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

You know what I don’t use enough of?

a. My grill pan.

b. My loaf pan.

c. Eggplants.

d. All of the above

If you guessed d, you might already have an idea of what I whipped up for dinner the other night.  One of this week’s goals in my fitbook was to try a “Meatless Monday” this week. It had nothing to do with plans to be vegetarian or vegan (I have 3 pounds of pork in the slow cooker right now, and just used bacon grease to cook my beef burger for dinner).

Might as well be a burger. (not.)

Part of the move followed an episode of The Chew from last week, in which the entire hour was devoted to meat-free meals and snacks, which is normally what they mock Daphne Oz for pushing.  But as often as I’m laughing AT Daphne and not with her, I like the idea of reducing my carbon footprint.  It’s so hot, right now (by it, I mean the Earth… global warming and all).

It was actually easier than I thought it’d be due, in part, to the fact that I can’t resist a good deal on a giant purple fruit tube.

Sorry tube, you go in a tummy

I cut the eggplant into slices and pretended that they were like the noodles in a lasagna.  This is especially important to note because I don’t really love lasagna all that much.

But I loved this meal.

Sauce Boss

I loved it even more when the cheese melted.

Loaf Pans are supposed to be full of cheese, veggies, and sauce. Never bread. Is that right?

So I missed that part of the Healthy Living Summit where everyone learned to write perfect, printable recipes.  Here’s what you get, instead:

Ingredients

  • 8 slices of giant eggplant (cut relatively thick)
  • Sauteed spinach (I prefer fresh, but have tried it with frozen and it worked A-ok!)
  • Sauteed onions, peppers, or whatever you like (If I ate olives, I bet there would’ve been some in there)
  • Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese
  • Sauce (Sockarooni if you’re a smarty)
  • Crushed red pepper and oregano
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a loaf pan with some cooking spray (I like the Olive Oil kind)
  2. Grill those eggplant slices.  I did it in olive oil and salt and pepper, on a grill pan.
  3. Layer them in a loaf pan, four across.
  4. Top THAT layer with your sauteed spinach and veggies.
  5. Top THAT layer with a sprinkling of parmesan and mozzarella.
  6. Repeat steps 2-4 again
  7. Top the final layer of cheese with a flew blobs of sauce
  8. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes-ish, or just check it periodically until you like the “done-ness” of it all.
  9. Spatula it out of your loaf pan, cover it in crushed reds, and serve!

    You should have about 2 servings, so save one for the next day’s leftovers (it just gets better after a night in the fridge).

Certainly won’t be featured in the Joy of Cooking anytime soon, but that’s exactly how I did it.

Hot enough for ya?

What’s your favorite “Meatless Monday” recipe?

Share, it’s a new thing for me! I’m always late to the party (especially when the party has no meat.)

Fit with Fitbook: Week 2

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Another week, another dollar.  Only it’s been a week and a day, and I’ve only spent dollars (you know, on important stuff like wine tastings and half-pints of beer). So, in truth, that phrase doesn’t apply, whatsoever.

Another 8 days, no dollars.  BUT I can chalk another week off in my fitbook endeavors.  I’ll be honest, this one wasn’t quite as successful as the first.  Then again, when you have two days where entire daily food entries read “Didn’t eat much other than brie… but there was a lot of brie”, a one pound gain isn’t really worrisome.  In fact it’s somewhat impressive.

I only eat carbs when they're paired with wheels of brie. #healthy

Luckily, the half-pound of soft cow’s cheese that I inhaled over the weekend and the massive quantities of beer and chocolate from Wednesday at Big Boss did not actually translate to the gain that I feared when approaching the scale.  And I’m gonna give a lot of credit to this little guy:

I haven't come up with an official name, but it feels like a fellow

Looking back at my weekly wrap up, here’s a little summary:

  • The Good: Worked out before my glass night on Thursday, avoided my standard fare of pickle chips with my beer buddies, burned 4,140 calories during the week (over a quarter of that was just from Monday’s INSANE workout), and despite a few minor/major bumps on the road, I never fully “gave up” on a day by succumbing to fully eating awful from start to finish
  • The Bad: 2 days where “Brie” was a major food group, skipped dinner on Saturday, missed my workout on Sunday due to kind of feeling sorry for myself (I know rest days are great, but this was just laziness).
  • Notes: Unless I’m like… on an epic vacation, there’s really no need for an entire day of indulgence, it’s nice to treat treats like what they are: special. Meal skipping makes me cranky and hungry and lame. My weekend eats need more structure.
Other updates:
  • This “no soda” thing is really easy now that I’ve stopped, you know, buying soda.  I think it’s one of those “out of sight, out of mind” things.
  • Grapes are nature’s candy.  Seriously. They’ve totally owned my sweet tooth.  Gotta stop at Target to pick up more.

    Grapes should always be eaten out of wine glasses. New life rule.

  • I did my first official “Meatless Monday” last night and it was a SMASHING success!! More on that later.
  • I love the calm post-sweat session where I just sit down in the gym and write up my workout and my daily eats in the fitbook (if you’re interested in getting one, and don’t wanna click through to the last post, here’s a link to the fitbook store!)
  • I forget how amazing wearing a HRM during a workout is. Remind me to never forget that again, thanks.
So yes, abbreviated update:  Weekend spent eating brie by the chunks + overindulgence on Wednesday – two rest days = 1 lb gain
However, I felt so much stronger in BodyCombat and CX30 on Monday, and the moves are getting easier, so I’ll say progress is progress.
UNRELATED: Anyone have a favorite method of cooking 4 lbs of country style ribs/pork butt?  Because when I see it on sale for $6, I can’t resist.  And now I have 4 lbs of meat.  And I live alone. And ate vegetarian last night.
Smooth, Jordan.

 

 

Vineyards at Southpoint and a Ladies’ Day Out!

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You’d never think a day that started out riding in the bed of a truck could get classier, right?

Wow, it's much breezier back here

After confirming with our lawyer buddy that having passengers in the bed of the truck was “legal… enough” (what does that even mean?), I accompanied 6 of my coworkers to the picturesque Vineyards at Southpoint. Sometimes, even beer girls like myself need a few antioxidants in the form of a few glasses of the fancy stuff.  Located only a few minutes from Southpoint mall, this is a little taste of wine country virtually in my backyard! Impossible to pass up.

The weather was glorious and, as we dismounted from our spacious truck bed (trust me, it’s the only way to travel), I spotted this little sign outside the vineyard welcoming us.

This is bound to get fun

I knew we were in for a treat.

Moments later, we were set up with souvenir glasses, tasting sheets, and some tasty things to nibble on while we boozed.  For $6, this was quite a deal.

I'm ready to drink learn!

Our tasting was conducted by our friendly and knowledgeable hostess, Kasha.

This was a PERFECT way to spend a day with some buddies.  Vineyards at Southpoint was fully welcoming, and had brie and gorgonzola cheese, a fig spread-type thing, and fancy chocolates.  Also, after we tasted about 6 wines, we were able to pick our favorite by the glass for $6 (and enjoy them on the deck, in the sunshine, in January.) Love that NC weather!

What a day!

Though, I’ll be honest, none of the wines really blew me away, I think that the day wasn’t made by the wine, but by the experience.  If you’re in the area and in need of an affordable date or a day out with some buddies, look no further than Vineyards at Southpoint! Plus, it gives you a reason to day drink AND eat chocolate and cheese.

As if you needed an excuse….

Six Pack Sunday: I Live My Life from Bathrobe to Bathrobe

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Wow, long time, no Six Pack Sunday. Let’s get right into it.

1. More like No-Tein

Grosser than Gross

Once, long ago, I got a coupon for some free Sambazon product.  It wasn’t until much later that I remembered said coupon.

This protein “Superfood Smoothie” was narsty. It was chalky, very low in flavor, and made me just wish I made my own smoothie.

No bueno

The stats weren’t even that impressive, and and after finishing almost half, I tossed the rest. I hate to waste, but I hate to drink gross things more.

2. It’s Britney, Bitch.

Stolen shirts always fit best.

Years ago, I borrowed this little gem from Shaina, one of my best friends from high school.  And now, when I’m feeling particularly badass, I’ll wear it to the gym.  And then, I just assume that I look as good as Brit, back in her glory days.

Bonus, if I ever slip and fall, I’ve got the best catchphrase around.

“Oops, I did it again!”

3. Heroes with the Half Pint

The Very Best options

Know what’s an excellent option at bars?

Half pints.

Spanky’s in Chapel Hill had a cellar clearing event with so many different NC beers, I would’ve been wasted had I not stuck to half-pints. It’s a great way to try several beer options without getting more buzzed than you’d like to.

Hear that, restaurants?! OFFER MORE HALF PINTS!

4. All Bathrobes, All the Time

Basically me. Mostly.

Basically me. Mostly.

If you ever wonder what I do the moment I get home from the gym (I know that’s all you’re thinking about), here’s the answer: change into a bathrobe.

And if you’re wondering how I sleep, it’s in a Slanket.

(The ORIGINAL blanket with sleeves, this fleece dream-come-true was an ACTUAL dream come true for me. I woke up in the middle of the night, arms freezing, and texted Ryan a very simple message. “Sleeves on a blanket. Keeps your arms warm. blanket sleeves.”  After a careful search online, I realized this was a reality, and immediately ordered one.)

Anyway, as many folks already know, these sleeved blankets are really just bathrobes backwards. And, I realized the other day that, after I take off the bathrobe I wear around my cold apartment to get into bed, I’m really just putting on another bathrobe.

This is my life.

5. Romance Corner

In two weeks, I’ll be celebrating four years with my boyfriend, Ryan. And guess what we’re doing to celebrate?!

Sparkling Wine and Tasty Treats!

Although I don’t know if I could afford to STAY at the King’s Daughter Inn in Durham, for $30, we can pretend for a few hours that we’re as fancy shmancy as the other patrons while sipping 5 different sparkling wines and food pairings!

I love bubbly.

I love Ryan.

Can’t beat it.

6. Say No to Say Yes to the Dress Marathons

Because I certainly can’t.

So many tears, so many emotions.

I can’t pull myself away.

Coconut French Toast and Body Attack 75

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I’m officially a dirtball.  At this very moment, I’m gearing up for today’s BodyJam class.  But here’s the dirty part: I still haven’t showered from last night’s workout.

Oops.

Oh, Les, you know my body so well...

As you can see from my Garmin Connect report, it wasn’t just some easy-peasy workout, either.  I was a sweaty mess, my booty is sore, and I LOVED the new release!  However, at track four, a super plyometric-heavy track, my tummy started going nuts.  And that’s when I knew I had to GET OUTTA THERE! It felt like my body was a soda can about ready to explode.

So I booked it.

Moments later, as I was washing my hands, feeling so much better post-bathroom break, I raced back in to finish the tail end of the arm conditioning track. Walking burpees…. not my friend.

After getting home, whipping up a fantastic, cheesey, melty, eggplanty dinner (Save that for later), I realized that the next time I’d leave the house would be for another workout. So I washed my face, did a little mini-body wipedown, and said “Fuggetaboutit!”

Yup.  Next morning, still no shower.  But, at least there’s coconut french toast on the menu.

The cast and crew

My past experiences cooking with coconut oil have been kind of meh.  I realize now that it’s because I was cooking the wrong treats in that coconut oil. I bucked up, grabbed some coconut shreds, and said “Let’s DO THIS!”

Sizzling in coconutty goodness

When I scrambled together my egg batter, I used 2 EB eggs, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, AND sweetened coconut shreds (though it would’ve been just as tasty sans sweetened, I’m sure).  Also, next time, I think I’ll drop a little bit of almond extract in the mix, just for a flavor punch.

Didn’t matter, the coconut was the star of the show. And cooking in coconut oil WITH coconut shreds… can’t beat it.

A taste of the islands

There was coconuts in the batter, coconut shreds on top, chia seeds sprinkled for a nutritional boost, and LOTS of lite butter flavored syrup (it’s all I have left in the apartment!).  Good to the last bite.

Or, in my case, the last lick. Because I licked my plate clean, not unlike an animal.

At least animals don’t have to shower.

What’s your favorite sweet treat for breakfast?

Ryan’s a pancake man, through and through, but I’m ALL about french toast.  Somehow, though, I’m sure we’ll make it work.

 

North Carolina Girls’ Pint Out Takes Big Boss by Storm

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There’s been oodles of fitness lately, and plenty of  food, but you might be wondering where the beer’s been.  Well, don’t worry, because Wednesday night, I’m pretty sure I drank all of it.

See, one of my goals that I wrote in my fitbook was to drink less during the week. Namely, limit myself to drinking one weekday.  And yet, when there’s a special occasion like this one: NC GPO Big Operator Tour and Belgian Beer Tasting, hosted at one of my favorite Triangle breweries, Big Boss.  My resident beer buddy, Melissa, and I headed to Raleigh after work and, after cashing in a coupon for a free pizza at Brixx, hit up Big Boss for our private tour, tasting, and some other shenanigans. For $10, each lady received a tour of the brewery, a tasting of three Belgian style beers, a box of Elemental Chocolates, and a gorgeous etched glass to take home.

Sweet glassware

Talk about the deal of the century! But, as with all GPO events, the company stole the show.

New friends!

Oh goodness, the company and the beer.

Big Operator Lovin' by Melissa!

Big Boss was releasing their divine Big Operator black ale.  The brewery describes the beer as so:

Big Operator Belgian Black Raspberry is a full-flavored black ale.  The beer is infused with locally roasted cacao from Elemental Chocolate Company of Raleigh with added raspberry overnighted to us from the Pacific North West. Coming in at 8% abv please enjoy responsibly in a chalice of your choosing.

It was a truly decadent brew. It smelled malty and rich, a little chocolatey.  I didn’t really get the raspberry on the nose, but when I tasted it, that’s when I got it.  It was a hint of fruity perfection. So smooth, and not as boozey as expected.  It drank dangerously easy, but no worries, I wasn’t driving.

Ah, the tongue came out. Classy.

And the chocolate…. wow! I don’t throw around fondness for chocolate lightly, and tend to be more of a vanilla girl.  Well, consider me a convert.  From Elemental:

Elemental Chocolate brings you dark chocolate with whole, shelled cocoa bean centers. They are picked by hand. Roasted by hand. Crafted by hand. Just for you.

The company sources direct from co-ops and purchases certified organic cocoa beans. We are committed to sustainable business practices that help conserve the rain forests and let farmers make more than a living wage. We do not use GMO ingredients to make chocolate.

Elemental Chocolate is based in Raleigh, NC.  Thank you for supporting independent specialty food artisans, like Elemental Chocolate, & spreading the love that was used to make our fine products!

Fair trade, gourmet, and oh so dark.

Dig in, ladies!

I could eat my way through the entire rainforest that they get the cocoa from, it was that tasty.

Chocolate and beer, a match made in heaven, right?

As always, I had a blast with my fellow ladies and it made me wish that I lived closer to the Raleigh-based brewery so I could bask in its glory more regularly.  Then again, with beer, chocolates, and food trucks all around, I can’t imagine my waistline would appreciate that proximity.

Huge thanks to Dave and Robin at Big Boss for being such wonderful hosts. Oh, and for being adorable and in love.

True true true

I know everyone had a blast.  And for the sake of all you voyeurs, here’s some more pictures!

Educating us on the ingredients in the Belgian style beers

Trying a little Abita Abbey Ale!

BEER SCIENCE!

Lovely ladies

Now my tummy is full of shrimp & grits, and all that Wednesday night partying makes for a sleepy Thursday night. Fingers crossed the white noise app knocks me out fast.

 

Don’t Skimp on the Shrimp (Omelet)

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Ooooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?

OOooh, Heaven is a place on EARTH!

And that place is in my kitchen. Or, I guess, now, my belly.  But first…

CX30 + BodyCombat = WHOAH!

Les Mills, you’ve done it again.  O2 Fitness Clubs launched the newest releases of their infamous Body____ classes and, since Saturday, I’ve tried BodyJam, BodyCombat, and CX30.  Each one was more hardcore than the last.

Yesterday, it was a double whammy. CX30 was up first, followed by BodyCombat.  And I kept the HRM on the whole time.  An hour and a half later, 1,227 calories blasted, and approximately a hand towel’s worth of sweat drenching my body, I felt like a superwoman.  I also felt like I needed to eat a house.  I didn’t, I enjoyed a homemade whole wheat, eggplant, spinach, Parmesan, mozzarella, and Sockarooni pizza (I should’ve shaped it like a house).  And then, with the help of my new favorite app, I slept like a rock.

But today is a new day.  A day that I was craving seafood.  The pickin’s at home were slim, but there was something beautiful in the fridge.  Well, a few somethings beautiful.

Shrimp, avocado, tomato

Come to MAMA!!

Inspired by this Shrimp and Avocado Omelet recipe from Whole Foods, I scrambled the heck out of two eggs, chopped my ingredients, and hoped for the best as the eggs fried in some EVOO.

Sizzling

I have to use up my never-ending supply of spinach, so I added that to the innards of this omelet, along with the (pre-cooked) shrimp (from Target… not exactly the local fishmarket, but it’ll do in a pinch.)

This totally screams “throw me inside some eggs!”

And, after a flip and a fill, followed by a fold, this omelet was ready to be topped with the always-decadent combination of tomato and avocado.

You should want this in and around your mouth

This protein-packed omelet will certainly get me through the rest of the day and, though it was jam-packed with shrimp, I can’t help but feel like I have a seafood itch that needs scratching. And I know just the shellfish to scratch that itch.

Yummmmm

Yummmmm

Oh, Aqua Grill, take me home…

Do you eat seafood? If so, what’s your favorite? ANYTHING I CAN MAKE?!

I don’t think I even tried fish (other than canned tuna) until the past year or so….  Now it’s become one of my favorite ways to eat flavorful AND healthy meals.

Getting Fit with a fitbook

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Long ago (March 2010, to be more specific), I started Weight Watchers with the help of my mom, aunts, and cousins. I’m the only one of us that really stuck to it, long term (I know that they gradually dropped off the plan one by one), with busy things like children, jobs, running households, etc. I was lucky enough to have a fairly empty plate, though (not literally!) which allowed me plenty of time to focus on meal planning and the like.  It was a fantastic method, for me.  However, after about 6 months, with a weight loss of about 40 lbs, I was working out 3-5 times a week and was much more active in my life. Ryan and I were living together, I started playing volleyball, I met new friends, and started getting interested in craft beer.  The idea of tracking my points was getting a little boring, and there were too many things I wanted to try without adding up points and doing math all the time. Plus, tracking all the craft beers I was drinking was getting a little shameful.

450 calories for 12 oz? I'll take two!

Well, new year, new you, all that jazz. Only it took me a week or two of the new year to really kick into high gear.  After a busy first weekend with all sorts of St. Anthony Hall fun times followed by a crippling sickness (ok, I’m being a baby, it was just a nasty flu), Martin Luther King Day was the start of my new year.  And, since I fare better with a plan, I had a handy tool to help me out.

Presenting the FITBOOK!

My fitbook was sent to me after participating in a little Twitter chat, and it’s been waiting for me to open it up for quite some time, now. When I opened it, there was a WEALTH of information to fill out including weekly goals, daily logs, and spots for inspiration!

Week 1 Wrap Up

The fitbook has room for 12 weeks of recording and normally costs $22.95, with a 4 pack going for $79.95.  The focus is both on nutrition AND fitness, which I like (instead of just tracking my food). There’s not a specific focus on calories, but a more general attitude relative to food (and SMILEY FACES!)

Easy peasy

The left side is for fitness.

Shakey arms are the sign of a good workout, right?

I think this section would probably make more sense if most of my workouts weren’t group fitness classes, but would be great to record weight-lifting sessions.  It’s nice to have somewhere to record my fitness workouts other than just on Garmin Connect, though.

Can't really tote this JPEG along with me

Anyway, I think I just needed a handy, portable way to track my eating and exercise in one location. And, since I can basically palm the fitbook, it works out perfectly.

Note of progress?

At my doctor’s appointment a little less than 2 weeks ago, I weighed in at 178 lbs.  Today’s weigh in? 173 lbs!!  I also tested my body fat percentage, and am happy to report 24.8%.  Making progress, folks.

And, don’t worry, calories or not, there’ll always be room for craft beer…