Barley Pudding Attempt Round 2

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I just got home from my job interview and a trip to the gym.  It’s been 5 years since I’ve had to look for a job, and because I practically live in yoga pants and workout clothes for my current career, I had to dig deep in my closet for any professional attire.  All my trendy little suits went straight to Goodwill the day I started massage therapy school, and I have not missed them one bit!  So, despite my lack of business sense these days, I think the interview went extremely well.  We’ll see, but I’m trying not to get too excited even though I think I would love this job!  I’ll give you a hint about my possible future employer…Let’s just say I’d be surrounded by fitness minded people…and their gear.  My second interview is scheduled for Monday afternoon, and I’ll definitely keep all of you posted.  Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers!

After my interview, I hit the Y for an upper body workout courtesy of Gina.  This was a challenging workout, especially since I’ve never done much work with a stability ball.  You think push-ups on the floor are hard…just wait until you try these.  For the cardio intervals, I walked on the treadmill at 3.0 mph.  Talk about BORING! That incline button was so tempting, but I resisted.  Heal hamstring…soon…please! Oh well, I just kept telling myself to be thankful that I could even use the treadmill.  Thank you legs! I’m grateful that y’all are strong enough to carry me around.  

Breakfast included an egg white omelet and another barley mishap…with a jar of almond butter on the side.

Veggie omelet - eggs at their finest!

Chocolate barley smoothie and almond butter

The goal was once again chocolate barley pudding topped with almond butter. Too much liquid went into the mix this time, but I drank every last delicious drop. Instead of adding my almond butter and watching it sink to the bottom, I just ate it straight up outta the jar.  My smoothie consisted of 1/2 cup cooked barley, 4 ounces of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, 4 ounces of vanilla hemp milk, and 1/2 scoop of Jay Robb chocolate whey protein. I started off this breakfast adventure praising a well balanced fat/carb/protein breakfast, but my morning meals have somehow evolved into high carb, low protein, and moderate fat.  Somehow…yeah right, it’s called 1 1/2 cups oat bran every morning!  After today, I’ve decided I need to up the protein factor because I was so incredibly full all morning after this feast!  The stats: 497 calories, 15 grams of fat (26%), 51 grams of carbs (42%), and 40 grams of protein (32%).  I will continue to do my heart healthy servings of oats, but maybe add some protein powder to my bowls. 

March is going to be an exciting month.  First off, I have my yoga workshop…hamstring willing, and I’ve also decided to go dairy free!!!!  I experimented this morning by using nutritional yeast in my omelet instead of my usual Laughing Cow Light cheese.  I always keep nutritional yeast on hand to make my favorite vegan cheese sauce, but I forget to use it in place of cheese in other recipes.  It added a lovely nutty flavor to my omelet, and the nutritional profile is quite impressive!   Plan on seeing much more nooch in future posts!  There has been no cottage cheese in our fridge for one whole week (huge for me!), and I’m finishing off the last of my yogurt supply. Dairy products were not always my friend growing up, and I think they’re giving me problems once again.  To any non-dairy folks out there, help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

OK, off to Valentine’s Day dinner with my hubby…I know, we’re one day early, but our favorite restaurant was all booked for tomorrow night.  We’ll just have to celebrate the love TWO days in a row…trust me, Chris is worth it.

Tagged as: Almond Butter, Breakfast, Exercise