Hello and happy Monday! I am glad you enjoyed my winter pictures from yesterday. I love my camera (even though I drool over DSLR!). I made up a lifting program to do for the month of December. It will be 2 alternating workouts for the next few weeks. Today:
Big muscle group start:
- Chin up (I am just going to keep trying a couple of these to build up strength each workout): 2
- Barbell squats: 3 sets of 8 at 85 pounds
Then alternating sets of a pull and a push move:
- Widegrip lat pull down: 3 sets of 8 at 60 pounds
- Pushups: 3 sets of 10
Then alternating sets of lower body, upper body, and core:
- Static lunge: 3 sets of 10 with 25 pound plate
- Prone Cuban snatch (video below): 3 sets of 10 with 10 pound dumbbells.
- Incline reverse crunch: 3 sets of 10.
Here is a video of the PCS – since I know you are all giggling about the name (turn the sound down before starting 😕 ):
Hit the treadmill after that. I loaded up my mp3 player with Christmas music!
Came home and made up some of my patented layered Cream of Wheat:
Half of the blueberry sauce is under the cream of wheat. I could bathe in these Wyman’s blueberries! I love them so. Sometimes brands really do stand out.
Busy work day. They are moving over to a new platform, and I was one of the first to use it today. Gotta love being the guinea pig! It went pretty well, though.
Stopped for lunch. We had some egg whites in the fridge and I decided to make a sandwich with them. Just stuck them in the microwave and got a *giant* puff of egg whites (from 4 eggs). I had to mash this sandwich down to what you see below. Hello protein!
I used laughing cow and a slice of Canadian bacon on it as well. I kind of missed the yolks, but the cheese and bacon made up for it. How could they not? 😉 It’s quite a low calorie and lowfat sammie, too, which is a bonus.
Ornament of the day:
This is a blown glass acorn. I love glass ornaments, but I am scared to have too many. John and I call stuff like this ‘breakware’ because that is what we do to it. My mother bought this for me last year and I love it. It fits all my requirements of shiny and sparkly. 
Please forgive dinner, as it is another of my BBQ chicken salads!
Even the gourd snowman was getting ready to enjoy it. Plus a plate of strawberries on the side:
These are really, really good berries. We’ve been here for 3 years and I still cannot get over $2.99 a pound strawberries year round. I don’t know who the buyer is for Hannaford, but they should get a raise!
Question: Are you brand loyal?
Product review coming up tomorrow……
Love that you can get strawberries year round for a great price. I had some today in a smoothie for breakfast but I had to use frozen. Do you have a recipe for the bbq chicken salad? I run a facebook group for a residential weight loss facility and am always looking for great recipes to share with them. It looks great!
It’s so easy! I just use chicken breast that we have cooked already (I cook it in bulk). Use 3 to 4 ounces and chop up fine. Add in 2 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce and warm in the microwave.
Add that to a big bowl of lettuce and sprinkle on 1/2 an ounce of reduced fat feta cheese and a tablespoon of slivered almonds!
I can’t stop laughing at Prone Cuban Snatch. Yes, I am that immature.
Looks good though…you are such a power house! Soon you will doing 5 chin ups. That is my prediction.
Your food always looks so good. Especially the breakfasts.
.-= Kimberley´s last blog ..Birthday Pictures =-.
I always hated the PCS. Silly name and all! 😛
That salad looks sooooo good! Can’t wait to try it!
I am sometimes brand loyal. Honestly I usually buy Kroger store brand stuff. Now that I’m not eating gluten I find brand loyality to be a bit more important though!
.-= Ang´s last blog ..Busy, busy, busy… =-.
Love that PCS – bet it makes you feel powerful! Very cool that you have designed your own workout…five years ago, would you ever have thought you’d be doing something like that?!?
Thanks for what you said on my blog today – sometimes I worry that I’m posting too much “look at me” stuff…but I really am that excited about all the new things I get to enjoy!
.-= Shelley B´s last blog ..Cookies and Clothes =-.
I am completely jealous that you get beautiful, fresh strawberries year round. If only.. 80% of my year is spent eating frozen berries! Sure, they look nice in the store, but they’re expensive and taste like water!
I would say I am “brand loyal” to only 2 things – Chips Ahoy cookies (for hubby, of course) and McCann’s steel cut oats. I haven’t yet found a store brand that stacks up to theirs so I’ve given up trying 🙂 Otherwise, I shop for what’s most affordable, but always look at the nutritional info!
.-= Heidi´s last blog ..Brr! =-.
Frozen berries really don’t do much for me either, with the exception of blueberries. I would rather do without than have frozen strawberries.
I love fresh strawberries and fortunately my stores sell them year round. We usually get in Driscolls. They are really good!
.-= Foodie Girl´s last blog ..Today Was A Good All Around Day =-.
ok SERIOUSLY THANK YOU as I was beginning to think only *I* giggled at the name.
the husband rolls his eyes at me every time I do 🙂
.-= Miz´s last blog ..Pediatricians: are you listening? (part two) =-.
Strawberries are year round here too. I don’t know where they come from this time of year though. I’m kinda afraid to look!
You look amazing and strong!
.-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..Self Imposed Limits =-.
Looking forward to your product review tomorrow! nice job on the weight lifting. That must be really hard and tiring and you make it look so smooth and easy! There’s a store in IL that was selling Strawberries for 99 cents a lb! I stocked up. They’re DELICIOUS also!
.-= Alissa´s last blog ..Frustrated =-.
99 cents a pound! I would be seriously stocking up LOL!
I am brand loyal on some things. Some things I don’t care about. I guess it has to do with the quality of the item.
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..Obesity Gene? =-.
Lori, you know I love to see that weight stuff!!! Love the weights! Congrats on that!
OK, I was so gonna say something about the snowman eating your food but you had it right there in the post! I noticed that guy right away! 🙂
I am brand loyal for a few things but in general, I try to save $$. I have to save with not any extra around here!
.-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..I CAN vs. I Don’t Want To =-.
Hey Lori,
Thanks for the answer about the jogging — I appreciate it. I think I’m going to take it easy for awhile and really ease into it. Seems the smartest way. The insights are helpful, thanks.
.-= Ishmael´s last blog ..Plus Four =-.
Cool video!! I’m not brand loyal at all. It’s store brand for me!
.-= Anne Marie@New Weigh of Life´s last blog ..Peanut Butter Fudge =-.
I’m brand loyal on a few things. Like sodas , i don’t buy the store brand. Cottage Cheese Breakstones is the BEST! Canned veggies i’ll buy the store brand. Except i LOVE Leisure brand baby peas and carrots. I’m much more price conscious than brand loyal. But if it doesn’t taste good you won’t eat it then its a waste of money. So its trial and error.
Loved the weight video. And as always thanks for your comments on my blog. Jinx!
I think I need some Christmas music on my Ipod, thanks for the idea. I always love your pictures. We finally got a new camera so I need to start taking some.
.-= Dawn´s last blog ..Monday already? =-.
layered cream of wheat? who woulda thought! it looks amazing though…
what else do you layer it with…other fruits?
I too think christmas music would be a nice change!
.-= Cindy´s last blog ..It’s snowing =-.
I just divide up the blueberry sauce and layer some on the bottom and then the cream of wheat and top with the rest. It’s like diving for treasure LOL