Day two and I feel like poo

(see what I did there? Two and poo rhyme? hehe)

Don't worry, I still made it to the gym! It would be awfully sad (and unfortunately quite like me) to give up after just one day. But I didn't! Somewhere during the course of the day yesterday my allergies hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm blaming the yard work I did, namely pulling up all the day lily plants around the tree in my front yard. I know I am allergic to whatever kind of lily you buy at the florist, but the day lilies never seemed to bother me before. Either way it was a good excuse to not mow my lawn today ;)

But since last night I've had it all. Stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy throat (in my opinion the WORST allergy symptom), itchy eyes...and I mean hardcore. I've had allergies my whole life and never had them knock me on my ass like this before. I feel like I have a severe cold. And this is with taking Singulair, Claritin and using a perscription nose spray. I know, I know. Boo hoo Stacy has allergies. But this is my blog and I can complain if I want to!

Anyway, I didn't let it stop me from making it to the gym from my strength training day. (Although I did ditch my gym buddy so I could pick up my prescription. LAME!) I warmed up on the elliptical for 5 minutes then kind of wandered around choosing random upper body machines/exercises to do. I need to get a better game plan down as far as that goes. We'll see tomorrow if I did a good job or not! I think I did alright. I was hoping working out would knock the ickies out of me and make me feel like super woman, but instead it made me extremely tired and I came home and took a nap. But enough about that! Lets talk about food!

Healthy Baked Nuggets with Baked Seasoned Fries and Skinny Garlic Aioli

If you read my last entry I planned on making healthier versions of chicken nuggets and french fries for dinner last night. I won't go through a full play by play but I'll just give you my opinion of the two recipes.The Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets were awesome and really simple. Cut up chicken breast, season with salt and pepper, toss with olive oil then coat in a bread crumb mix and bake. I am definitely keeping this recipe around!! I'm also going to experiment with it to come up with a buffalo version since I'm a huge buffalo wing fan and they are far from healthy. I don't watch football, but if I did it would be a great game day treat!

 The Baked Seasoned Fries with Skinny Garlic Aioli were a little disappointing. Going by the picture and the seasonings in the recipe they sounded amazing! But I found them lacking salt. That little addition could make a world of difference in this recipe. The Garlic Aioli however was phemoninal!

Look at those expert knife skills!

Baked Seasoned Fries

 I also mentioned in the last post that I had made Low Fat Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies. Incase anyone was wondering what they looked like, here ya go! Now I just need to find a recipe to use the rest of the pumpkin puree I have left over. The recipe only called for 2 Tablespoons!

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

And if you've ever thought, "I bet Stacy made a really cute Girl Scout!" you're in luck! I found my old vest! It doesn't quite fit anymore but I can still rock it! Also, a glass of wine has cured my allergy symptoms (for now), screw you modern medicine!

Ya guys want some cookies?!

I finally made a 30 day comitment

Ok, so I finally decided on a 30 day plan to test myself on before committing to a 90 day program. I cancelled my gym membership and yesterday they let me know I have access to the gym until October 12. As I was getting ready for bed last night saying to myself how I should get up and go to the gym in the morning, how I'd feel so much better if I did (a conversation I have with myself almost nightly) it hit me. "Tomorrow is September 12, giving me exactly 30 days left to be able to use the gym. That can be my 30 day tester program!"

So, tada! My 30 day plan is to go to the gym every day for at least 30 minutes for 30 days. I will most likely alternate between a cardio day and a strength training day. As far as the nutrition part of the 30 days go I'm going to start by counting calories as I always have then switch to diet with mostly whole foods; lean protein, fruits, veggies, potatoes in moderation... I'll start that once I finish up the foods that don't fit into that category that are already in my house. I can't afford to just throw it all away. I'm also going to cut out sugar and mimimize dairy besides what I use in my coffee and minimize alcohol (after I just bought a 12 pack of miller light last night).

I went to the gym this morning and did 50 minutes on the elliptical in aerobics mode (burning 470 calories) and now I'm heading outside to do yard work ::grumbles:: I'm thinking of putting out an ad that reads

Wanted: Lover and companion who is willing to do all yard work in exchange for a well kept house and home cooked meals. Must be willing to keep up with the weeding, leafs, grass, snow shoveling etc...to keep the yard presentable during all seasons. I will help with in home maintenance and upgrades. Applicants subject to compatibility test. Send pictures and wooing description to JaneDoe@mail.com.

Oi...now I understand why people get married.

I made some really good  Low-fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies a couple days ago. You can tell their are low fat but they are still yummy with a glass of 1% or nonfat milk. Next time I would add more pumpkin spice to it though. I love the fall and can't wait to start cooking fall recipes! SkinnyTaste.com is my new favorite website for low fat recipes. Tonight I plan on making a grown up version of a kids favorite! Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets with Baked Seasoned Fries with Skinny Garlic Aliol. Sounds amazing! I'll let you guys know how they came out tomorrow. After I get home from the gym of course!

Despite all my slacking and not staying on track I am happy to report I haven't gained any weight! Well, there was 2 weeks I weighed 3lbs less but overall for the last 2 months I've weighed exactly the same. Which is awesome. At least I know weight maintenance shouldn't be too difficult once I get to that point. Being aware of what you're putting in your body is very important. Once you get the attitude of "Whatever, it tastes good, I'm gonna eat it" and turn a blind eye then you're in trouble.

Alright, I need to stop stalling and go get my yard straightened out. Until next time!