Days 19 & 20 - Another two-fer

I've been excessively busy during the day and at night too tired to write. So here I am while I have the chance to check in and see what all the wonders of the universe have in store. Aside from catching up on my actual work-load, the only thing I have truly accomplished is watching some American Idol. There's some talent out there and then there are the others where you just have to plug your ears, cock your head to one side and go, "Seriously?"

Isn't rakish a great word? According to the dictionary, it means:

1. Smart; jaunty; dashing.
2. Of a vessel: having an appearance suggesting speed.
3. Like a rake; dissolute: rakish behavior.

I'm trying to figure out how I can best use it in a sentence, but at this time I haven't quite figured out how it fits in law-enforcement. A romance novel perhaps, but not here. Will have to keep trying.

Also, I can't say that this is a "new" feature to the blog, but from time to time, I figure I will share a few words I find interesting.

Life Lesson #19-20 Heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences

Health & Fitness #19-20 If you are finding it hard to workout because of a time crunch. A lunchtime workout may be the answer. Keep a bag with your sneakers, gym clothes, and basic grooming necessities stashed at your office so you’re always ready for a lunchtime workout. Women with long hair can tie it back to sweat-proof it. And Baby Wipes come in small packs and can get you cleaned up really fast so you don’t have to wait in line for the shower.(You might not want to share that particular secret with your work colleagues!) If you pack a nutritious lunch, then you are set. Just don't assume that you burned 300 calories and can then eat a cheeseburger. You'll just feel frustrated and not lose any weight.

Food & Drink #19-20 Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as many studies have shown and confirmed. So here are some great breakfast ideas for you to ponder courtsey of runner's world.:

Homemade raisin bran
Description: Mix one cup of Total cereal, a packet of raisins, and 1 cup nonfat milk. This simple home recipe with 244 calories fortifies you with 100 percent of the Daily Value for most vitamins and minerals, boosts your protein intake by 12 grams, and gives you a sweet, natural fiber and sugar source.
You'll Save: 50 calories, 6 teaspoons of sugar, and 5 grams of fat compared with ready-to-serve raisin bran doused with a cup of 2-percent milk.

Scrambled whites with greens
Description: This low-fat, scrambled-egg alternative provides 54 grams of high-quality dietary protein in just 255 calories. First, spray your frying pan with fat-free Pam. Then pour the equivalent of four servings of Eggology egg whites (or Second Nature or Egg Beaters egg whites) in a bowl and blend with 1/2 cup spinach and 1/2 cup mushrooms. Heat the pan until the Pam starts to bubble, pour in the eggs, and fry until the eggs are nearly dry.
You'll Save: 40 calories, 100 milligrams of cholesterol, and 13 grams of fat compared with two normal scrambled eggs.

Balanced Diet Shake
Description: For something cool, tasty, and nutrient-filled in the morning, try a shake or smoothie. The Balanced Diet nutritional drink provides 180 calories with lots of complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals in a naturally flavored French vanilla or chocolate royale. Each serving includes 5 grams of dietary fiber and 10 grams of soy, or 40 percent of the daily minimum now recommended by the American Heart Association.
You'll Save: 60 calories daily and nearly 6 grams of fat compared with many other similar drinks.

Frozen fruit smoothie
Description: You can prepare your own personal antioxidant-filled fruit smoothie like the following one that runner Bruce Shapiro used to lose 30 pounds over the last few years. Combine and blend: one cup frozen, unsweetened blueberries; 1/2 banana; 1/4 cup wheat germ; and water.
You'll Save: 200 calories for each 2- to 3-cup serving, compared with many store-bought and canned smoothie beverages.

Personally, I would prefer a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal, fresh blueberries, flaxseed, wheat germ, pecans, and a little bit of agave nectar. Filling and yummy. Scottish oats are great too. I used to hate oatmeal because dad couldn't make it to save his life...but I had a big bowl a few years ago at Inn of the Mountain Gods and been hooked ever since. Yum.



Food tally for the day - Friday:
Breakfast: Ribeye Steak Breakfast Burrito
Morning Snack: Cheese Stick,Grapes, 1 Giradelli mint-chocolate square
Lunch: Tuna fish, baby carrots
Afternoon Snack: TBA
Dinner: TBA

Feeding the Spirit #19-20 I've really been missing my BFF lately. After something in the neighborhood of 25 years of fun and frivolity, tears and torture and some great moments in between, I miss talking to her on a regular basis. True friendships are a rarity and dad used to say that there was a big difference between a friend and a friendly acquaintance. It's something I also try to instill in my kids. You have to know the difference and sometimes it takes a long time to figure out. So in honor of friendship:

"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit."
-- Aristotle (4th century B.C.)

"We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over."
-- Samuel Johnson

It's the ones you can call up at 4:00 a.m. that really matter.-- Marlene Dietrich

Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends. -- Czech. Proverb