Success comes in cans, not cant’s.

Since I have been getting up so early before work for over a year now, I almost always wake up right before I hear the CD turn on my alarm to wake up.  And yes, there are days I want to just shut it off and crawl back into bed, especially when its cold out, but I just grab my glasses and I am out of the bedroom.  Yesterday I woke up and thought “it’s seems really light out.  Huh.”  But then proceeded to close my eyes again.  Next thing I know Tony is shaking me and said “It’s 7:40!”  I usually have been up for an hour and a half at this point!  I showered, dressed and was out the door by 8:10.  I was already adjusting my day schedule since I had a food tasting last night, so it all worked out.  I hate the feeling of being rushed though!

I had time to make a taco omelet though – I love omelets because you can really set it and forget it while getting ready for work.  This one?  1/2 cup liquid egg whites, 1 ounce taco meat, baby spinach and 1/2 an ounce of cheddar cheese.  I put everything in my non-stick pan, put it on medium low, pop a top on it and get dressed.  I don’t flip it in the pan, I just let it cook through and toss it in my tupperware and I am good to go.  At work, just a minute in the microwave and breakfast is served.  On the side were some black grapes.  If you can find black grapes, buy them, and you will thank me later.  Super sweet, no seeds.  Yum.

On today’s strength menu was back and abs:

• Barbell Deadlift: 20 reps
• Bent-over barbell Row: 20 reps
• Wide-grip Lat Pulldown: 20 reps
• Seated Cable Row: 20 reps
• Hyperextension: 20 reps
• Roman Chair Leg Raise: 20 reps
• Air Bike: 20 reps

I had to do that set three times.  I rested 3 minutes between each set, and it took me 35 minutes.  It felt so good to be back in the gym!

I sometimes listen to the iTunes radio on my phone and yesterday was just listening to a Top 50 station.  I was listening to a song that I really liked only to look and find out that it was One Direction!  I know my niece and younger cousins LOVE One Direction!

The gym I belong to is mostly a Tennis Club – it was all decked out for the holidays – they even made a Christmas tree out of tennis cans!

Lunch was an old standby – taco salad!  Although it should really be called “throw shit that could go on a taco salad in a bag.”  I literally threw a whole yellow pepper, head of romaine lettuce, whole cucumber, etc. in my bag and just chopped everything up at work.

Work was busy yesterday and before I knew it, it was time to head over to the restaurant for Chef’s tasting.  I swung by the Village to pick up my bartender/server license, so now I am all set to work.  When I walked into the restaurant the Chef asked “what time is it?”  When I said it was 5:50, he said “I’ve got to get cooking!  Have a glass of wine while you wait!”  Okay.  Don’t have to ask me twice!  Most of the glasses are still in boxes waiting to be unpacked and washed.  I enjoyed a glass of chardonnay in a champagne flute.

They have chalkboard walls, and lots of sayings – I loved these two the most:

It’s so easy to just say “I can’t” and them move on.  It’s harder to say “I can” because it takes effort.  But that’s been my mantra these past six months.  I can do Insanity.  I can do strength training.  I can ditch the wine.  The more you say “I can” the easier it becomes to continue to say it!

On the tasting menu last night?  Burrata cheese with a fig glaze and roasted peppers (I picked off the purple onion).

If you ever have the chance to try this cheese, do it.  It’s silky on the outside, creamy on the inside.  You can find it at Whole Foods and Mariano’s, it’s just super delicate so you want to be careful when you take it out of the container.

Next up – lasagna pizza.  I know it sounds weird, but this was really good and did taste like lasagna!  I am loving the Chef’s pizza, it’s a crisp cracker crust.

Then one of the Chef’s signature dishes – chicken milanese.  Now we were just getting tastings, this dish would usually be placed on a bed of angel hair pasta with a tomato vodka sauce.

And while this picture does not do it justice, this 28 ounce Tomahawk ribeye steak is for two people!  It’s served with garlic mashed potatoes and a horseradish sauce.  Check out the bone on this one!  (That’s what she said).  And yes, that is a blanket of caramelized onions all over the top!  No thank you.  The meat was perfectly seared on the outside – you know when you get that perfect piece of cooked fat on the side of a steak – yep, that’s my favorite.  Growing up I used to ask for the steak fat, and ask my Dad to make me buttered bread that he would then dip in the steak juices.

Yesterday was a lower carb day, and I don’t think I did too bad.  I have no idea how to calculate my “dinner” but it was bites and tastes, so I am not going to worry about it.  I only had 45 carbs going into dinner so I think I still ended up with around 100 or at the most 125.

Tonight is another Chef’s tasting, computer training and on tap for strength at lunch is chest and calves.  Now I think I still have time to make another taco omelet so I am off to the races.

Make it a great day!