::happy:happy:halloween!::

Hmmm....I am getting really discouraged with food and the gym right now. >:( Or maybe it just isn't my day....not gunna lie, having a total 'fat day' today. Grrrr. 

Anyways...it seems like I have hit this massive plateau and I just can't get under it!!! And when I weigh myself there are small increments of increase in the number...wtf? Is that water weight? Muscle? Like?? I just want to see my ideal number...but I have to come to terms with the fact that this may not be the case...might not happen...especially since I am doing a lot of body weight exercises and lifting. Muscle weighs more than fat yes...but I still have that godforsaken spare tire around my waist and I am going to flip shit! 

Seriously considered the "Mommy tuck" the other day even though I never had a freakin' kid!!!! {the Mommy tuck is when you have that tiny pooch left over from a pregnancy and weight loss from that and just can't seem to get rid of it}. 

Anyways...whatever.

On another note... 

Happy Hallowe'en! 

I really am not doing anything today...just going to spend it on the couch with my man and pups watching the hockey game. ;) We live in an apartment building as well so we won't be handing out candy - which is alright with me. 

The weekend is going to be a BUSY one as well. I will try and take as many pics as I can to show you what's going on. ;) We are going to Travis' bro-in-law's bday dinner to Montana's tomorrow...and was looking into their menu and trying to find something healthy to eat but thought, what the heck...it's my night to cheat...so will probably end up getting a veggie burger since I have never tried one before. So will see. But I am excited to try something new and to go out for once. 

It's also All Saint's Day tomorrow so after Trav is done work we will be going to Mississauga to visit my Uncle who is buried there. We will bring some plowers. <3 font="" nbsp="">

Other then that, Sunday is going to be spent running a crapload of errands that we couldn't run on our usual Saturday's and hopefully relax as well. 

What is everyone doing on this Hallowe'en?? Must admit not a lot of students here at the University are dressed up! 

Here is a spooktacular pic I have to share with you of my cute-as-a-button pups. ;) 

-S.*

::incessant:rambling:&:covetable:items::

I can't believe that Winter is coming upon us...seriously....snow is right around the corner! They are calling for flurries on Friday {of course, every Halloween it's raining or snowing} but we will see what the day brings - because you know the weather network. 

On another note...I finally broke my plateau! Well, I think I did anyway...I was at this point a couple of times the last month or so...but I always fluctuate between 2-4lbs...and I don't seem to know why. Of course I have said in the past that I really need to tweak my diet and it's true. Starting off with portion sizes. Then, I am reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book "Eat To Live" and wow...I am blown away by some of the information in that book!! If anyone wants to change the way they eat and lose weight, feel great and all that jazz then pick this book up! 

::bookish:lass::

When you work and go to school full time you don't have a lot of time to do anything else...because on top of work and your studies you gotta also take care of your household, cook, clean, prep, take care of your pups and man and take care of yourself. So oftentimes I was always so exhausted and just irritable...now that I am done school I am not sure what to do with myself...well, except study for the final exam of course. 

The great thing though is that I have a bit of extra time to do whatever it is that I want to do. :) 

This means, reading!! 

I have more time to take that bubble bath at night without feeling guilty and reading a few chapters of a new book or taking time on weekend mornings to peruse through a cookbook. I haven't done this in a long time...and usually I am found reading at the gym while doing cardio if anything...or while waiting for Travis to finish work. But reading is supposed to be relaxing...and is one of the many things I do to unwind after a particularly hectic day. I just love books...and you will never see me reading digital copies (except at the gym...just one particular novel that I have on there)...I am all for the paper and smells. 

So here are a few books that I am coveting right now. 

Revival: A Novel by Stephen King - $17.99 CDN

This book won't be available until November 11th - but this is the kinda author that I just sit and eagerly anticipate new books from. He really doesn't disappoint. One book that I recently read of his that was pretty good was Mr. Mercedes and before that the follow-up to The Shining called Doctor Sleep. You can't really follow up The Shining...I must admit I was a tad disappointed, but it was still good none the less and wonder if they are going to make it into a movie. 

They say that this new book is a masterpiece of King's. Let's see!

::lazy:weekend::

I wrote this yesterday but wasn't able to post it for some reason...

It is Sunday morning...well...almost Sunday afternoon as we are 4 minutes away from 12pm ~ and I am itchy. GAH! This is so annoying...not sure what the hell is going on so will be calling my doc tomorrow to figure it out. 

It's a very overcast day here in Ontario....no sunshine...no rain...just blah! I don't particularly mind days like this but would prefer if it did SOMETHING. 

This is the first weekend in a LONG while where I don't really have to do a damn thing!! My homework is all done and over with and so are all my assignments ~ weeee! But I am still keeping busy. Yesterday was all cleaning, food prep and doggy-food prep...I decided my dogs are going to eat a diet for a little while that I cook up for them...that took a long time but feel it's worth it if it gets their digestive systems back on track. That and I will be supping them a probiotic to get their little intestinal flora up and going again. Especially Maggie-Moo. So far....so good. They love their food. 

Travis wants me to help him get onto a healthier 'lifestyle' track...although to him I am sure it's a diet...but I so wish that he could get on board with me. It's hard living somewhere where you cook two meals and you watch your boyfriend eat the most delicious pizza while you're trying to detox with a green smoothie. :( LOL. 

Anyways...I feel like the next few days I am going to do a little detox...as I feel that we should be doing this at least once a month to give our digestive systems a break. So my fridge is packed with spinach, arugula, apples, cucumber, pineapple, berries and the like. As for Travis, it'll be baby steps. So no more eating off the coffee truck and I won't take his frozen pizza's away from him that he so loves but we will be portioning them out. So today is more prep work for me and tidying up the fridge...I personally hate it when the fridge is jampacked. :/ I need to figure out a delicious dinner too...

::upgrade:apple:pie::

I am beginning to slowly get over my cold ~ although now I am being met with some wicked digestive issues that I just can't even deal with. Why does one thing have to be replaced with another?? :/ Just the worst tummy aches...ugh. 

Anyways! I really pushed it on Wednesday...was not feeling well at all and since I did that I was waaaay worse yesterday so decided to stay home from work. I spent the entire day in bed with the puppies or on the couch with them. I did manage to get my ass up to make some chicken barley soup which I think really did the trick in whipping me back into shape. ;) That and the hot toddy before bed. Hehe. 

I had a pretty good sleep and am back at it...and it's Friiiday!! :)
So I see on the news that we are to be met with some flurries on Saturday...what?! I guess this is Canada and November is around the corner...so I really shouldn't be surprised. This means that the boyfriend is going to be super busy at work too...which means super long days and early nights....non-existent life for two months...that's why weekends are the best to just relax and cuddlebug. 

I decided I am going to try my hand at baking. 

I hate baking. 

It's just not my thing.
Baking is a science, I feel like and cooking is a bit of an art. 

Whenever I have baked before it just doesn't always end up the way that I want it to. Not like my neighbor who is baker extraordinaire and we are his official taste-testers and do not complain! 

Anyways, I found a great looking recipe in one of the recent issues of Women's Health...which would be perfect for a flurry kind of day! :) 

 Bon Appetit!

Homemade Upgrade: Apple Pie

Women's Health November 2014 issue, page 104.

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp almond butter

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup chopped almonds and walnuts

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 tsp cinnamon, divided

1 tbsp honey

1 Granny Smith apple

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp lemon juice

PREP

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Place 1 tablespoon almond butter in each of four 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. 

2. In a bowl, combine oats, nuts, coconut, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon and honey. 

3. Wash, core and dice apple; in a separate bowl, mix apple with remaining cinnamon, other spices and lemon juice. 

4. Divide apple pieces among ramekins, them top with oat mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 

This is definitely something that I could try out and make, 100%. Not too much to it and sounds like it would taste absolutely delicious - maybe with some cool whip as well. ;) 

Let me know what you guys think of this recipe and what is your go-to cold day comfort dessert? 

-S.*

::takeout!::

You will have to bare with me if my posts don't make a whole lot of sense - I am dealing with a wicked cold at the moment and my head is *swimming*. I am a little scatterbrained and probably should have stayed home to rest up. But didn't. So let's hope this day goes by super fast because all I really want right now is my bed and puppies. 

I have no energy....I think I completely ran myself down into the ground from the past two weeks or so with school and stressing out and everything that I got this cold from Travis. I thought I was free...but apparently not. 

Anyways....on Saturday, when I was feeling FABULOUS - I tried a new recipe! I haven't tried a new recipe in a long while...and I was a little skeptical of this one. But it ended up turning out great! I wasn't the biggest fan of it to be honest because I don't like sweet and savoury but it was a huge hit with Trav and he had seconds! So I thought I would share the recipe that I got from Martha Stewart's site. Loooove her. I wish I had gotten some pics but didn't! Only the prep, which I will share. 

By the way, I am not exactly sure why this is called "Lighter Sesame Noodles" it would make more sense if it was something like Noodles in Peanut Sauce or something...I don't know....so don't let the name totally fool you, unless I am missing something...lol.

Bon Appetit!

Lighter Sesame Noodles

Whole-wheat spaghetti complements the zesty sauce while adding fiber. A little less peanut butter plus a lot more vegetables makes this a no-guilt meal.

PREP: 15 min    |     TOTAL: 25 MIN     |     SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

Coarse salt

12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers {ribs and seeds removed}, thinly sliced

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli, bell peppers and onion. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables. 

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

::lovely:lively::

I must admit...I am/was a huge Gossip Girl fan. I used to {make} my boyfriend sit and watch marathons with me after they were released on DVD. It became a tradition where we would watch GG and order fried chicken and drink our wine. LOL. 

Anyways...I was never a Serena fan. Even in the books...I didn't like her style...I was always Blair Waldorf all the way! 

But I've cracked and I've fallen under the Serena spell! Lol. 

Meaning...Blake Lively - yea I didn't like her much on the show or if I saw her on magazine covers and whatnot. She just wasn't my cuppa joe but now I am just obsessed with her. Love her love her lover her now. I am so happy to hear that she is going to have a baby with the super hunky Ryan Reynolds {best looking couple ever next to Brangelina!} and that she has a lifestyle blog too {although it isn't particularly what I expected but regardless, good for her, I'd want one too! Lol}. 

Anyways...saw these pics of her baby shower that she posted on her site...and then decided to share a few of her style hits. :) 

::rip::

Rest in Peace Oscar De La Renta. 

-S.*

::O:M:G::

OMG.
I am finally done. 

FINALLY DONE my case studies....and then when I scanned them all and printed them and bound them all up - I noticed a freakin' typo. WITH MY LUCK A FREAKIN TYPO!!! And I can't change it because I don't have any Mac's at work!! >:( These things are the bane of my existence. :(
BUT. They are done. Finally. I can rest easy...I can't believe they are all finished...so why does it not feel like there is a load off my back...actually there is a bit....I think I am just so damn exhausted that I can't even think straight. I pretty much forgot what the hell happened this morning. :O 

On top of it all...I got Travis' cold...he was cold all weekend....and I am not looking forward to going through THAT so I need to up the dosage on the vit-C. 

So you can imagine why I am so tired. 

Thankfully Travis is feeling better and so is Maggie-Moo. 

::the:freakin:weekend::

Well...last day of tweaking and working on my assignments for school and tomorrow I will be sending them off in the mail and hoping for the best, so wish me luck! 

So my weekend has been spent pretty much studying, cleaning, cooking and looking after my babies and man who has a wicked cold. Thankfully I didn't get it but there is something else that is driving me crazy and it's this incessant itching I have been feeling the last week or so! It's just the worst today and is driving me nuts! Feels almost like I took a tab of Niacin...except there isn't that overall flushy feeling. 

It started off this morning on my neck, went to my back and now is back to my neck. WTF? 

It's super annoying and I want to take a Benadryl except that that stuff makes you so sleepy...so I will pass and maybe instead take it before bed. The crazy thing though is that if I am occupied with something then I don't itch! Again...WTF!? 

Anyways...will keep you posted on what is going on with that. 

Oh! Last night I tried a new recipe off the Martha Stewart website {my favesies} and I wasn't the biggest fan but Travis LOVED it. So will share, because you guys might like it and there were great reviews on the site too. It wasn't bad by any means, just not my cuppa joe. 

So stay tuned for that recipe. 

::waffles::

Recently I have had some sort of weird obsession with waffles...I think it's become Trav and I went to the 50's diner a while ago and while there I ordered a pecan waffle with honey and poured on the maple syrup...now usually I am not a sweets girl...I just prefer savoury. But I was in total l*o*v*e eating this breakfast. OMG. So ever since then, I have been on the hunt for a waffle-maker...but could never find the one that I wanted and at a cheapish price...my BFF then recently got me one as a gift!! I couldn't be more excited! 

My new baby. ;)

::foods:that:outwit:even:the:healthiest:people::

A lot of people feel that when they go on a diet or change their lifestyle around for the better that they can eat so called 'healthy' foods with abandon.

That's soooooo not the case unfortunately. Just because quinoa is healthy for you doesn't mean that you can sit down to a huge bowl of it - did you know that you have to portion these little seeds just like your regular old pasta? And it packs just as big of a caloric punch! Of course that doesn't mean that you should go back to eating unhealthy - these beguiling foods ARE good for you and do the body good - you just have to realize and pay attention to your portion sizes. 

I am in for one rude awakening...as I am sure some of you will be too. 

To be honest...I have hit quite the plateau after losing 50+ pounds. I am just STUCK...the scale will NOT go any lower than 129, no matter what I do....and I know that I still have work to do...as I am carrying around a spare tire and just feel flabby in all the wrong places. :/ So I need to overhaul my diet. I KNOW THIS!! And although I sit there and say to myself "geeze, I eat so freakin' clean all the time, what gives?" I know it's my portion sizes. I keep skipping that chapter all the time. It's SO important for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight as well. Everything is super-duper-sized and it's not our fault...we were brought up that way. Everything is supposed to be bigger and better, right??
But that's not the case....with bigger {but not better} foods, comes super-sized waist lines and ridiculous cravings {addiction, anyone? thanks food industry - NOT!!}.
Trust me. I know. When I eat my pasta my Mom says I eat like a farmer...I can probably put away a good 4 cups if not more!! But that isn't right...not for my little ol' organics and gut...no wonder that damn spare tire is there to stay! :/
So it's time to recondition this ol' diet of mine...and get back to kicking some ass.

But first...I am here to share with you some foods that are taking you to the cleaners...if you don't edu-ma-cate yourself on them and reign in those suckers - portion wise. 

::freakin:weekend::

The weekends always go by so ridiculously fast....well, this one did - probably because we were so busy! 

And I must admit, I was terrible when it came to my diet and fitness...well, I did work it out on Saturday...but....all that shitty eating probably didn't help. I do really try to be good on weekends but sometimes it just doesn't work! I felt awful yesterday and after dropping the puppies off for a grooming we stopped by the side of the road to get some cheap poutine from a food truck {and it was sinfully delicious}. 

Then I also had pasta the same day...and.....wait for it, Mr. Noodles. I know I know! One of the worst things you could ever eat and I cracked and bought some!!! I literally have no had ramen in a good 8 months or so....

But still...I got up on that scale this morning and kicked myself in the ass. The thing is, I didn't feel terribly guilty after doing it yesterday...but I am feeling the after effects this AM. That is why I am going to seriously kick ass in the gym this week and eat so clean it's not even funny!! 

So although I skipped out on breakfast {not even sure why}, I will have an ultra healthy lunch, do some fasted cardio and I think quinoa and mushrooms are on the menu for dinner tonight. Yumyum. I have a new obsession with quinoa by the way. 

Other then that the weekend was great! We ran errands and cleaned up our place, puppies went for a groom {thanks Kevin!}, we went and did our part at the Breast Cancer Awareness walk early Sunday morning and then were suuuuper duper lazy for the rest of the day yesterday. Now it's back to our routine - so will be on the straight and narrow especially since I have TWO WEEKS of school left! So I have two more case studies to do this week and then next week is all about tweaking and adding final touches and mailing it out. 

Anyways! Here are some pictures to catch you up on what it was we did! :) 

::first:recipe:in:a:while::

I need to overhaul my diet....not because I am not losing weight, because I feel like I still am...but because I am half-dead between the hours of 2-4. NO ENERGY. And literally could fall asleep while sitting at my computer. It doesn't help I guess that I stare at a super bright screen all day either. But my energy levels just totally fall flat and all I can think about is my bed or hiding under my desk to take a power nap. 
Or eat everything in the cafeteria that is 20 feet away from work. Ugh. 
I really could eat EVERYTHING in sight right now. No joke. 
I don't usually have crazy cravings but today I do - anything from a huge bowl of potatoes, to barley soup, peanut butter cups or chicken wings. I can't get away from it! 
If I wasn't so broke I probably would have ordered 40 wings from Buffalo Wild Wing {their garlic-parm wings are to diiiie for} and I don't even eat chicken!!! Well...unless it's organic. 
I really need to overhaul recipes too. I am always eating the same thing every day and it's starting to get hella boring. I just can't be bothered standing in my kitchen everyday either since I am so busy with school. 
I am jealous of those people that get to go home after work at 5:30pm and make a decent meal and relax by 7. I am usually still in the kitchen at 7...another pet peeve of mine, I get so irritable and crazy if I eat too late. 

::update::

I wrote a few bloggy blurbs on my phone over the weekend but can't be bothered to post it right now! My close friend said that I need to blog more - so here I am! 

I have been floating through my life lately so need to get my butt in gear! I think it's because I have only a few weeks of school left - am really trying to finish up - and then it will be time to study for my final exam which I am really trying not to think too much of. I will cross that bridge when I get to it!! 

I did have a great weekend though! We cleaned our carpets - got it professionally done - I will never get the extra's again - as it cost me $200!!! Then they wouldn't take anything but cash so I had to give my 2-hundo I was saving up away. :( I was seriously considering a pair of Hunter boots. I guess carpets at this point are more important {no they are not!!!!}. 

We spent a lot of our weekend cleaning and tidying up - so now our apartment is just amazingly cozy and am loving it. :) We are also keeping our two crazed beasts away from the living room so they don't peep in there! So far so good. ;)
It was a gorgeous weekend overall though - and this weekend is going to be another busy one. I am going to try and post as many pictures as I can of the festivities.
Sunday particularly, Trav and I are going to a walk/run 'thing' for breast cancer - his sister is doing it, so we are all going as a team along with his brother and mom. That's going to be at 8am (OMG!) and I hear it's supposed to be cold. Ugh. No sleeping in this weekend for this girl! That's for sure. Then later on that day we have to take Lou'e and Moo for their haircuts! They haven't had one in mooooonths and are in desperate need for it, especially before the Winter months hit - don't need stinky doggies! 

Then Thanksgiving is coming up! I am so excited for that - particularly for the turkey! NOMNOM. I am going to post some Thanksgiving-esque recipes in the next few days with you and just some overall Fallish recipes that will comfort and warm you up on those cool and crisp Fall evenings. 

I'm not going to keep making promises though about what I will do with this blog - I am just going to wing it! I will try and update you all on what is going on as I slowly finish up school! 

Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Everywhere! This is above my fireplace. :) 

Absolutely  *obsessed* with everything Bath & BodyWorks....especially this candle - which I initially got as a miniature version from a friend in the States....this smells amazing. I really want to get my hands on a few more before they are completely sold out {or the wallflowers} because it would be a great smell for Christmas too. 

This has totally been my life the last few months!! Non-stop studying. It's insanity!

Miss Moo and I - I call her girlfriend. ;) Hehe. She is just too cute. Definitely needs a hair cut! That's coming up. ;) 

-S.*