Monday, Monday

Good Morning.  Another fun filled week ahead I suppose. :)  I am not a Monday morning person at all, though I AM a morning person every other day of the week.  Unfortunately, Monday just means the end of the weekend, and the beginning of a very long week of work and rush, rush, rush.  I should be happy that I have such a full life though, right? :)

I figured that in today's blog I would describe a normal weekday morning for me.  I won't always have time to post a morning blog right away, and this way you can know what my routine is on an average day.

I kicked off this morning by getting out of bed at 4:50AM to get ready to take Vlad on his walk.  Yes, it's March 1st today, and I decided that it was time that I again brave the early AM cold for my dog.  As long as there isn't ice on the streets, I think I'll be okay.  Is spring on the way???

It was about 19 degrees when I headed out the door at 5AM.  I bundled up pretty heavily, including gloves AND mittens (my hands get really cold), and my ear flap hat.

I did not bring my ipod along this morning like I usually do.  On my walks with Vlad, I normally listen to a podcast or two.  Some of my favorites are NPR Fresh Aire podcast, 60 Minutes podcast, and The New York Times Book Review podcast.  But, not this morning.  I had a lot of weird dreams last night, and plus it was "Monday Morning" - I really just wanted some peace and quiet.

Vlad and I walked about 30 minutes.  It was still dark outside, though the moon was very, very bright.  It's pretty peaceful walking in the early morning.  No cars, no other people.  Just me and my pup.

When we returned to the house, Vlad had his chow.  He eats Wellness, Healthy Weight.  I give him about 2 cups of chow for breakfast and for dinner each day.  You can buy Wellness at places like Petco and our local pet food store Pet Food Plus.

After doing my morning shower and dress routine, I headed to the kitchen to pack my lunch for the day, and make breakfast.  I bring my lunch to work almost everyday.  The exception is if I have a lunch meeting/date for work, or with a friend.  But, even when I have a lunch date, I still pack my healthy snacks for the day.

In today's lunch I have my
10AM snack:  Fiber One yougurt cup & a banana

Lunch:  1 bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Cereal, handful of grapes, 1 cup almond milk, and a piece of dark chocolate; a Yogi Green Tea, teabag for after lunch.

3PM snack: 1 honeycrisp apple (I'm going to have dinner a little earlier today because Carl and I are going to a show, so I didn't put a granola bar in like I usually do.)

Then, I made Carl's protein shakes for the day - one chocolate and one vanilla.  I'll post the recipe for these on the Recipe page.  I make his shakes every morning - yes, EVERY morning.  (By the way, Carl is usually at the gym at this time.  He leaves around 5:45AM and gets back around 7:15AM).

Breakfast on most mornings for both me and Carl is scrambled eggs and either whole wheat toast or whole wheat english muffin with about 1/2 table spoon of Smart Balance spread.  Carl usually has an orange, and I have a glass of orange juice (Trop 50).

So breakfast is usually:
3 egg whites, and 3 whole eggs (I have 1 egg white and one whole egg, Carl has the rest)
    - (I always use butter flavor cooking spray to cook our eggs)
1 Whole Wheat English Muffin with 1/2 tablespoon of Smart Balance Spread (Angie)
1 Piece Whole Wheat Bread with 1/2 tablespoon of Smart Balance Spread (Carl)
1 orange (Carl)
1 small glass of orange juice (Angie)

Here is my breakfast...

Here is what Smart Balance looks like too - it's a buttery spread, low in cals and fat and tastes great!  Smart Balance makes a lot of other products too.

Just like all the healthy eating and weightloss books say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I have a little fat here, a lot of protein, and a little fiber.  This will keep me going this morning, and I won't be hungry by 9AM looking for a snack (like a donut from the cafe at work!).

After breakfast I primed my coffee travel mug with hot water so my coffee would stay warm for most of the morning.  I let the hot water sit in the mug for about 10 minutes while I get ready to go.  Works like a charm.  If I don't do this, my coffee is cold by the time I get to work, and I'm grumpy. 

I also gave Vlad his morning Joint Care vitamin, and I took my Viactiv chew (for calcium).  I don't drink a ton of milk because I'm slightly lactose intolerant, so I have to find ways to get more calcium (so my doctor says).

Vlad was not amused that it was Monday morning either... he was mad at me for leaving for work.

When I arrived at work (I have about a 12-15 minute commute), I took the stairs to our offices on the 5th floor.  I take the stairs everyday both up and down a couple of times a day in our office building.  I also looks for stairs in other buildings that I visit.  Making a point to take the stairs is a great way to fit in some exercise.  There are about 88 steps on this particular stair route.  I know, it looks scary, but it's not.

Okay, recap of a typical weekday morning for Angie:

4:50AM, Get up!
5:00AM, Vlad Walk on M,W,F
5:30AM, Feed Vlad and get coffee going
5:40AM, Shower, hair, makeup, get dressed, make up the bed, etc.
6:40AM, Pack lunch, make Carl's protein shakes and prep breakfast
7:05AM, Vitamins (I'll post the vitamins I take on a regular basis on the Food page), scratch on Vlad
7:10AM, Finish getting my things together and warm up the car
7:20AM, Heading to work
7:40AM, Get started on the day (I like to get to work early to have some focus time before everyone gets in)

WHEW!