Playing Hooky

Bronchitis is the pits. So is not sleeping. Three hours of sleep, in my humble opinion, is not enough to be expected to participate as a fully functioning member of civilized society. Keeping that in mind, I stayed home from school on Tuesday. Monday night, I used a nebulizer a little too late, which made me feel like I was on crack (not that I know what that's like).

Me and my crack pipe. Just call me Miley Cyrus.

 This resulted in an inability to get to sleep until about 1 AM. Then for some reason, I woke up at around 3 AM feeling sick, most likely due to the combination of vitamins, probiotics, and other get-better supplements taken on an empty stomach. Geez.

So I spent my day lounging around, eating, sleeping, and cleaning. Bo-ring. But, instead of being my usual stir-crazy self, I felt completely ok with being a bump on a log. Major indication of sickness in my case. So I'm rolling with it. I figure, the more of a break I give my body, the faster I'll be in the clear. Here are some of today's eats:

Yogurt, flax, pear, almonds, and dried cranberries. Yum.

Chopped salad and cottage cheese with blueberry jam.

Chicken soup dinner

My Biff and creator of Fashionably Plate, on the other hand, had a fantastic day! I just want to take this time to congratulate her on her acceptance into Northwestern University! I am so proud. All of her hard work paid off. Well deserved.

Another side note, a fellow blogger, Gillian Young, is hosting a giveaway to help out with the tragedy in Japan. By donating a dollar or more to the Red Cross, you can win some goodies from Gillian! Here's the link to Confessions of a Young Woman.

I've obviously had time to browse the web today and find a few interesting reads. Have a look-see:

7 Unhealthy Foods Masquerading as Healthy
How to be Hot
Avocado Lime Fro-Yo

Tomorrow promises to be another unproductive day. Gotta find some blog-spiration.

Positively Pitiful

I know this post is a teensy bit late, but honestly, I couldn’t get around to it until now. Such has been the nature of this weekend. Usually, a post that encompasses 4 days worth of life wouldn’t fit into one post. But, since most of my weekend was spent sleeping, this won’t be a problem.

Friday:

On Friday, Mumsy and Mons were out. I woke up at 7 AM, a reasonable hour for me under normal circumstances, and got busy with my day-today doings. 

Bagel with cream cheese and a grapefruit.

 I went to the craft shop for some wedding do-dads, then to The Pub for some ingredients to make this bad boy

Quinoa Salad

• 1 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2-3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3/4 cup of almonds, chopped
• 1/3 cups dried cranberries
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 6 oz. shredded cheese
• 1/2 can of beans of choice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves pressed
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1-2 tsp cumin

Mix it all up and enjoy!

Quinoa salad topped with parsley, cyooks, carrots, and a sliced boiled egg.

 So tasty, and perfect for a springtime lunch, or a party dish!

Then, like an idiot and completely ignoring my health, I did some strength training and Zumba. Stupid idea. I am convinced that the hour that I spent draining my body of every last ounce of energy catapulted me into full-blown bronchitis. Yikes! No fun. The rest of the night was spent hacking and regretting my earlier decision to choose fitness over health. Hello!! Ashley, what happened to all that stuff about “Listen to your body,” and, “Lead a balanced life?” Way to go. Self-critique aside, I have acknowledged the error of my ways and have taken a vow of laziness until I am well again.

Later, I had breakfast for dinner, albeit a “different” breakfast.

GF sausage, biscuit with jam, sliced apple, and apple/Cheddar quesadilla (sounds weird, but so good).

I ended up going to sleep incredibly early due to my mom’s urging and her claims that I was “looking pitiful (code for “You look like crap and need some sleep”).”

Saturday:

I slept WAY in until 9:30 and then came up with a new creation I like to call Oatmeal Hotcakes.

Plentiful

Then the fam continued our fairly consistent Saturday morning movie-going ritual. There was a debate between The Adjustment Bureau and Red Riding Hood. Amanda Seyfried won out in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, although it was a little Twilight-y. No matter, it was a nice twist to the classic fairy tale.

After movie time, we traipsed over to the house-warming party for a friend of mine. Thirty minutes of chatting had me exhausted, and Mama took a good look at me and said, “You look pitiful. It’s time to go.” I came home and plopped right down in my bed where I stayed for the next 3 hours. All you need to know about the rest of Saturday night was as follows: Woke up. Ate Dinner. Watched TV. Went back to bed.

Sunday:

Sickness aside, Sunday was awesome. It began with a filling breakfast…

Over med eggs on torts with slices strawbeezies on the side.

…followed by yoga, which is supposed to be good for bronchitis. I am not very into yoga under normal circumstances, buti t made me feel surprisingly relaxed. I think might started yoga-ing it up more often.

Before Mama, Mons, and I left for our adventure, I noshed one some naturally cough-relieving foods:

Gigantic apple and almonds

Finally, we 3 musketeers headed over to O-Town (Orlando) for Wicked! 

Sixties-inspired sheath dress. $8 at TJ Maxx.

Mama, got us tickets for Christmas and we’ve been dying to see it ever since. We made a day out of it by stopping off at the Mall at Millenia before the show. While we were there, we dived into some Chinese fare at P.F. Chang’s, or Chang’s, as I so lovingly refer to it.

Large bowl of brown rice and chicken lettuce wraps.

Mons with her gluten food.

Luscious chocolate dome split three ways.

I thought this fortune was incredibly appropriate.

  I ate entirely too much food. So much, in fact, that I felt as if I would burst. I never eat until I’m stuffed anymore, and this experience reminded me why. Lord, help me.

With way too full of bellies, we headed to the Bob Carr to see the shizzy! 

 

 I’ve performed several songs from Wicked, so it’s a show that’s especially near-and-dear to my heart. I’ve been wanting to see it for so long, and I wasn’t at all disappointed. It was absolutely uh-mazing. 

And so begins the series of blurry pics...

Glinda was hilarious, Elpheba had a breath-taking voice, the costumes were gorgeous, and the set was so realistic. I really loved it.

Monday: Slept in. Ate. Errands. Ate. Mama said I looked pitiful and had dark under-eye circles. Napped.

Future plans are: Eat chicken soup. Watch TV. Sleep again.

I know, I know. I’m positively pitiful.

Dear Senior Thesis

Dear Senior Thesis,

Here’s the deal. I’ve decided to spend Spring Break at home to finish you off and now I’m sick. I’ve really been trying to ignore it and trudge through my usual routine. However, I woke up this morning not hungry, which, as you know, is completely out of the ordinary for me, and did not eat breakfast until almost 9 am.

Blueberry oats with 1/2 a banana

It was less-than-stellar, but due to my foggy state of mind, I wasn’t concerned.

Working on you for 3 hours did me no good. I did not appreciate how you teased me by first lengthening, and then shortening again as I tweaked you. You sapped my brain power, stealing all my lunch creativity. This was the result:

Chocolate banana protein shake with greenies

 I dry coughed my afternoon away with you constantly on my mind. If only I could just get you out of my head.

In an attempt to rid myself of thoughts of you, I made sweet potato fries that promised to be delish.

 Sadly, even though they tasted good, they were sorely lacking in the stiffness department. Had I felt well, inappropriate jokes would have ensued.

Heh.

 Just FYI, my sickness has not yet improved, and I am seriously considering subsisting on tea, honey, and lemon tomorrow.  

Dinner is done and the kitchen is cleaned, and now here I am, about to work on you again. But before I begin, I have one question that, although I know will be rejected, I must ask anyway: Would you be ever so kind as to finish yourself?  

 Please?

                                        

                                             Sincerely,

                                                 Your regretful author

P.S. I plan to be rid of you by tomorrow.

Going to War

After two days of shenanigans, I deemed it necessary to get back to work on my senior thesis. I figured since it was Spring Break and I had nothing to do this weekend, it would be ok for me to sleep in past my usual 5 AM on Saturday as long as I worked in the afternoon. Now let me explain something. I have said it before and I’ll say it again. I work best in the mornings. By “I work best,” I mean “I work.” Once 1 PM hits, my brain is no longer capable of doing anything school related. The cause of this predicament eludes me.

Here are some Saturday eats: 

Toast with cream cheese and an apple (on top and on the side). What what.

Ke-sah-dill-uh with a turkey pastrami salad beast.

 So, instead of doing work as I had planned, I ended up wasting time by attending the yooj Saturday shopping trip with my mama in America’s Friendliest Hometown. When we returned, we treated ourselves to some hazelnut cappuccinos.

Yumalicious

 Di-Vine. It has been way too long since I’ve had a proper cappuccino, and I fear a reversion back to flavored creamer…

That evening, I had the house all to myself since Mama and Gigantor were attending a friend’s birthday party.

Sauteed greens with sweet potato.

 I had brief intentions of taking advantage of the alone time and doing some work. Regrettably, Netflix lured me further down the path of procrastination with the promise of a beautiful story about “a young duchess who indulges in extravagant vices and begins a scandalous affair with politician Charles Grey to balance her unhappy marriage to the duke of Devonshire.” I’ve been dying to watch The Duchess for weeks now and simply couldn’t resist. Movie trumps thesis.

While watching, I played beauty shop.

Crazy curly.

 Then I indulged in a little chocolate decadence.

Gigantic fresh strawberries with "chocolate mousse" (plain yogurt with cocoa powder and Stevia).

 Toward the end of the movie, I started feeling a little scratch in my throat, which I attributed to the karaoke I was doing earlier in the night (self-entertainment).

 I woke Sunday morning and quickly realized the scratch was not a product of my singing, and that I was, in fact, getting sick. I refused to accept this “problem” and protested by ignoring it and conducting business as usual.

Protein pancakes with 1/2 banana.

Super yummy. Review coming soon!

It melted in my car but still tasted Great ;).

 I planned (again) to work on my thesis after my morning workout (AKA sickness protest), but was “sadly” informed that the fam and I would be going to see The King’s Speech. The Oscars brought the film to my attention and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. We were not disappointed in the least. The movie was fantastic.  I, however, was not. My scratchy throat had by this time become quite painful, and although I was excited about going out for an early dinner, I was also longing for a warm bed and some hot tea. After the movie, we traipsed over to a nice little Italian joint where we were waited on by an extremely rude dude. I was incredibly perturbed by his nasty attitude, but feeling entirely too crappy to do anything about it. Instead, I listened to my family talk and enjoyed my delicious eats.  

Mahi-Mahi with steamed veggies.

 The rest of the night consisted of the Bourne Ultimatum, about ½ a gallon of colloidal silver, and an 8:30 bedtime. I was not about to let this “problem” (I refuse to call it sickness) get me down.

Unfortunately, “sickness” is exactly what it was. I finally did work on Monday on account of me being banned (by my mother) from any form of physical exertion. Pretty much, all I did was thesis, eat, sleep, work on wedding invitations, and eat some more. 

Messed up eggs (didn't have butter) on corn tortillas and a side of grapefruit.

Mexican quinoa: quinoa, salsa, onions, chickpeas, corn, cumin, and chili powder. Topped with sour cream.

Betty Lou's Peanut Butter Ball.

\

Incredibly dense ball of peanut-y goodness.

 I ate this ball at 4 PM. It was better than real peanut butter. This Betty Lou's Nut Butter Ball kicked the Coconut Macadamia Nut one's arse. I want to eat them all day 'er day. It's almost 7 PM. I am still full. Enough said.

Here are the stats:

Calories-190
Fat-8g
Carbs-18g
Protein-15g  <-- take a good look people
Dietary Fiber-3g
Sugar-9g

Tonight, I will be taking an entire bottle of Vit C washed down with a cup of colloidal silver and going to bed at a ridiculously early hour again. Immune system, this is war.