Lobster Shorts books, Food, happy mail, vegetarian, weight loss

Cookbook Haul!

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I went on a tear at bookoutlet.ca shopping for cookbooks. I love this store. I heard about it from Shannon’s Bookish Musings on YouTube. It’s a lovely store that sells books at discounted prices. I’ve ordered from there several times and each time the shipping was fast and the books in perfect condition. I love it.

This time it was a cookbook spree (I keep hoping From A Buick 8 by Stephen King, will pop up in there one day. I lost my copy in a move and I want to read it again. Stephen King is one of those authors I love to reread. What happened to that book??). Anyway, cookbooks. It was all about cookbooks. I’m not sure where that came from, I don’t buy them super often.

I’m not sure what exactly I was looking for, mostly quick and easy by the looks of it (and clearly cheesecake too. I love cheesecake). I’ve gotten back into bad habits of not cooking and getting takeout all the time. The new rescue dog is home from Turkey now and we’ve been focusing all our time and energy on the dogs. This is probably going to continue until we get our routines established and puppers has settled a little more. I’m feeling a little shell shocked (probably not as much as the dog!). I need to start cooking. For awhile I was making really fantastic, healthy breakfasts. That stopped after the second dog came home. I don’t recall cooking at all except once in the last week. All takeout! It’s terrible..

Something I’m really guilty for when buying cookbooks, is spending hours browsing through them… and then never making anything. What IS that all about? A lot of these cookbooks are hopefully going to check all the boxes, quick and light on dishes. I’ve got a recipe picked out for the sauce recipe book, tonight. I was going to chuck some veggies into the airfryer, add some pumpkin seeds and soba noodles and the top it with one of the sauce recipes. That sounds pretty easy.

This last recipe book Speedy Bosh, has fantastic sounding recipes. I hope they are as quick as it implies. I’m looking forward to trying them (possibly the cheesecake book will come in handy this weekend). I’ll post an unboxing video below, if you are into that sort of thing

Lobster Shorts lifestyle

The Newest Family Member

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Meet Oliver, Ollie, Oligurrr, sometimes Smalliver. He’s three months old as of this photo. We lost our 15 year old German Shepherd/Border Collie December 2021, almost a month shy of her 16th birthday. It was a hard blow and the shittiest Christmas I’ve ever had. I still can’t think of her without tearing up. I didn’t think I’d ever be ready to welcome home another dog. One day I found myself browsing through Petfinder (a website that lists all the animals available in rescue shelters), and I found the perfect dog. A black flat coated retriever named Cammy, and I fell in love. My spouse and I applied immediately. Unfortunately and fortunately, Cammy was adopted to someone else. I was very sad about that, I had really wanted that dog, but he went to a really wonderful home. Apparently, the adopter had another flat coat and the two of them got on wonderfully and it was “a match made in heaven” so how can I be too sad about that.

As I found out after applying for five other dogs, it’s not always easy. Talking to other people that have also tried the adoption route, they also found it discouraging and ended up buying a puppy. That is the case for myself and my husband. I wanted to keep trying for an older dog and my husband really wanted. We wanted two dogs, so while I continued to look at different rescues, my spouse found a puppy we both liked.

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That is how Ollie came to live with us. This photo is from the first week we had him. He’s a Spangold (Golden retriever and Spaniel)that was born on a farm. Neither one of his parent’s had black fur, but all the puppies came out similar to Ollie (black and floofy) He’s cute and I love him. and soooo looking forward to when he stops teething. This little angel can be a little devil and really likes to bite. I don’t know how many of you have had a puppy, but it can be A LOT. They are all teeth and little whirl winds. I’m usually finding myself chasing him to pull something he shouldn’t have out of him mouth. It’s clear our puppy proofing could use a tune up.

We had been hoping to get the older dog first, but that’s not the way it worked out. Niether of us expecting the adoption process to be such a, well process. It’s okay though. Ollie is starting to become a fantastic little member of our family.

I do have big news… We were approved by one of the rescue agencies and a 6 year old golden retriever will be coming home later this month! More on that story later! For all those trying to adopt, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get approved right away, Keep trying. It didn’t happen for us right away either. It has taken months and many rejections. I’ll update you all on the new dog when he comes home

Lobster Shorts Food, lifestyle, vegetarian

Advent Calendar Day!

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It’s that magical time day of the year when many a folk get to open their first advent calendar surprise. Day one, the day you find out if your advent calendar sucks, or will be full of joy. You always seem to know by that first peak. I’ve been enjoying advent calendars most of my adult life. We had them sporadically as kids, but not very often. I so love them. I’ve had tea advent calendars and many many chocolate ones. I haven’t splurged on a wine one yet, but I hope to… I really hope to.

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This is my second cheese advent calendar. The first one I had was last year. It was a commercially made one, but I don’t remember the brand. It was really good and I loved it. This year the local cheese shop was offering the commercial cheese advent calendar, or a homemade from the store version. I jumped on the in store version and I’m so glad I did.

It was packaged so beautifully and has decently large chunks of cheese (which is great since I am sharing with my spouse. We’re splitting each day between the two of us). I love that all the cheese is labeled. What a perfect way to discover new favourites. I’m not sure how many different kinds of cheese there are since I’m only on day one, but I’m hopeful it’s a lot, dare I even hope for a different kind each day??? Either way, I can already tell this is going to be an awesome advent calendar.

Lobster Shorts lifestyle

Death By Scarf

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This is an actual fear of mine. The fear of having my scarf hang out the car door, catch in the wheel and strangle me to death (or pop my head right off). This, or some sort of accident involving a scarf and the car, death or severe mangling being the outcome. So, as soon as I get in the car, I remove it before the car starts, and put it in my lap until I’m ready to leave the car. It’s not even enough to make sure it’s not hanging out the door, I have to have it off completely. Just in case…. Just in case…

My fear is not completely unfounded. This was the tragic end for one unfortunate lady, Isadora Duncan. She was driving her convertible when the end of her scarf got caught in the wheel, killing her instantly. I’ll link the story here. You know, you think these things are so unlikely, and then you Google it and you find out about poor people like, Isadora. Unlikely, but likely, you know? It’s bound to have happened to someone.

Stay safe out there my friends, and check your scarves.

Lobster Shorts weight loss

Weddings and Weight Loss Updates

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet/nutritional advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional.

November 18 2021

I’ve ghosted you guys for awhile, which usually means I’ve fallen off the bandwagon. I haven’t worked out in quite awhile, probably not since my last post about it! Two weeks before my wedding and my dress was a slight bit snugger than I was comfortable with. I decided to switch back to OMAD (one meal a day) until the wedding.

I was down to 169lbs on my wedding day and the dress fit perfectly (thank goodness!). I’ve decided to stick with OMAD for the weekdays again, because it gave me results. The cons are I’m definitely not eating all that healthy. I’m getting a lot of take out and after the wedding I’ve had cheesecake daily (it’s all gone now lol).

I’m hoping to get back into exercise again soon, but haven’t felt like it lately. I know I should prioritize it. I actually pulled a muscle in my chest about a week ago, while I was reaching for something over my head. It hurt for days and I had trouble sleeping. I’ve really gotta give yoga a proper try. I think it would help immensely. I’ve started getting an achy back in the mornings sometimes and I know it’s from being sedentary.

I’ll keep you all updated!

Lobster Shorts Food, vegetarian, weight loss

August 31 2021

Shark week has begun and I am getting cravings. I want cookies! I am trying my best to ignore them. Last night I got take out at the Pita Pit – a small halloumi pita. I finished the whole thing. In the future I’m hoping to cut that down. I’m not sure how many calories are in a pita, the small size is pretty big. I’m hoping to shrink my portion sizes down and polishing the whole thing off isn’t helping. I recall not being able to finish one back when I was 20lbs lighter. I’m sure I’ll be getting pitas again in the near future.

When I got home from work I went for a jog on the treadmill. My speed was 3.7 again and I went a little further on the distance and for a longer duration. My goal on the treadmill is to keep it at around 30 minutes, but to increase the speed. My legs are tired, but so far my hip muscles aren’t bothering me like last time. I think that’s pretty fantastic, but I usually feel the previous days workout in the evening the next day, so I might still be in for some more discomfort.

I was sweaty. I snacked on a banana before I went to bed and had some sparkling water. I would have had more water, but I didn’t want to be up all night peeing. I need to improve my water intake. I’m pretty sure I live in a constant state of dehydration. I don’t seem to care to drink anything unless it’s coffee or alcohol. I never seem to be thirsty.

Breakfast started with a smoothie bowl and coffee. For lunch I had a can of Campbell’s Moroccan Chickpea soup. I’ll be going out for sushi after work today and I’m really not sure how I’m going to make that healthy. It’s a buffet. I’ll have to make up for it by eating healthier on Friday and the weekend.

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional

Lobster Shorts Food, vegetarian, weight loss

Sunday Too Much Funday and Week One Weight Loss Results

Sunday started with “Epic Breakfast” (that’s what I call the big breakfast I cook on Sundays. There’s no restrictions). It was air fried potatoes with salt and a bit of avocado oil, a croissant, two fried eggs, and coffee. I massacred those eggs. Sunny side up was not happening this day.

Here I am taking the kayaks for a walk. It was going to be another scorcher today, so we went for a paddle on the river. We tried out the new kayak racks. They worked very well, but the tie downs that came with them were crappy and kept slipping. I tied the tails to the boat seat and that helped a lot.

I saw some pretty things and cool creatures along the way. There are tons of clams in the river. Don’t worry, this one was put back in the river after a quick snap shot.

There was a clear spot that is a little deeper further up the river. We were super hot and decided to take a quick swim to cool off. It was very refreshing but I don’t know if there are any leaches or craapy things in the river, so I made it quick. I must have snapped this pic before I got crispy fried. I don’t know why I always assume I’m not going to burn. I did. A lot. My spouse was putting aloe all over my face and neck when I got home and calling me his cherry tomato.

Lunch was a bowl of leftover green curry and for dinner I had a 6inch veggie sub. Between lunch and dinner I managed to have a bottle of a vanilla mudslide (the boozy kind), and a strawberry banana Palm Bay. The mudslide was amazing and I want to drink a million of them.

I also had these cookies with the sub. Later I had a slice of pie and a glass of wine too. It was a decadent day. Because I went kayaking, I counted that as my workout for the day. I was planning to do the stretching video, but I was burnt and didn’t feel like it.

Time to see my results after a week:

I’m down 0.2lbs… That’s it. After all these really tough workouts. I am annoyed. Apparently, my cheat days include too much cheating. I was very irritated with the results when I got on the scale this morning. I had planned to make a green smoothie bowl for breakfast but I was in a foul mood and didn’t make anything. I ended up stopping in at Tim Hortons for an egg and cheese sandwich on the homestyle biscuit and a coffee. I had a bowl of soup for lunch today and plan to have a healthy dinner, but no idea what that is yet.

I’ll give my measurements to compare as well:

August 23 August 30
Waist 37″ Waist 37″
Hips 43.5″ Hips 43.5″
Mid Thigh 22.5″ Mid Thigh 21.5
upper thigh 26″ Upper Thigh 26″
Mid Calf 14″ Mid Calf 13″
Bust 40″ Bust 40″
Upper Bust 36″ Upper Bust 37″
Bicep 12″ Bicep 12″

Even though I’m down in some spots, that could be a measuring error, so I’m not counting it as a win yet, plus my chest is up an inch. Overall I’m pretty unhappy with the results. I’m going to have to do less cheating on cheat days and reduce the amount I’m eating. I didn’t see the results I was hoping for, which would have been a loss of a couple pounds. I’m grumpy.

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Lobster Shorts Food, vegetarian, weight loss

Saturday Breakfast and Workout

Every Saturday, my spouse and I go to the Stone Town Cafe. We go every week, it’s a tradition we started back when our dog was still alive. The three of us would get egg and cheese sandwiches. The owner of the café always had a couple cookies for her, sometimes a few of the café regulars too. She was stuffed by the time we went home. I miss her a lot. She loved her Saturday morning treats.

We’ve kept with the tradition, and still go every Saturday. Lately, I’ve been having a lot of eggs at home and have wanted something different. I’ve been getting the Mediterranean wrap. It’s healthy with lots of veggies and light on the cheese. I get it with a coffee.

On the way home from breakfast, I went to Kitchen Smidgen for some sweet treats. They had one of my favourites, custard tarts. One for both of us and a meringue to split. One bite each lol. It’s probably lucky for me that the bakery is only open Fridays and Saturdays. I feel it’s okay to splurge on weekends.

Lunch I made an attempt at green curry without a recipe. It was okay. It had tofu, green curry paste, coconut milk, and veggies. I served it over brown rice. I did some weeding today and I just sat on my butt in the garden to do it. My thighs are still burning like crazy from the Start It Up workout I did two days ago. I’m making sounds when I sit down and stand. You know… huhhhhhhh what did I do to myself groany sounds… Every time I sit or stand. I did the Slim In 6 Ab workout. That’s all my legs would allow. I wanted to save the stretching video for tomorrow.

This was dinner this evening. Avocado and egg on a whole wheat bun, a piece of cheese. I’m still craving this non stop. No signs of getting sick of it anytime soon. I had a slice of pie this evening and a glass of red wine. I forgot to take a picture of the pie. It was strawberry rhubarb pie with a sugar crumble topping, homemade. I’m going to be splurging a little tomorrow too. Sunday is big breakfast day. Once it cools down a little I’d like to spend some more time outside. It’s still very hot here in Ontario.

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Lobster Shorts Food, vegetarian, weight loss

Snack Boxes, Cookies, and Pizza… Oh My

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Here we are again, avocado and an egg on an English muffin, served with coffee. I love this breakfast. I could eat this every day, multiple times over and over and over again. Just talking about it, I want to eat it again.

I didn’t bring my lunch to work today, I was going to make something when I got home. My snack box from Vegan Cuts came in and I dug into it on the way home.

I split this rice krispie square with my spouse. Then novelty of having rice Krispy squares again was wonderful, the square was okay.

I split this cookie from the snack box too. I don’t want to dump on a product, but this was really gross. We both took only a bite and didn’t want anymore. It tasted really plastic like.

We tried these Snacklins and I really liked them. Lots of snacks, right… well there’s more.

I stopped in at the Snapping Turtle again for a dreamy latte and a cookie. This time the cookie was MY idea. I had forgotten I hadn’t had lunch yet. They didn’t have my favourite peanut butter cookie, but they had these chocolate covered coffee bean shaped ones and they left the café with me. One for each of us.

I didn’t really need lunch at this point, but still wanted something else, so I tried the new cheese from the Cheese Of The Month Club from the local cheese shop. I’m not sure what kind of cheese it is, but it has chili peppers in it and super good with a wonderful nip to it.

To make my day even healthier, I had pizza for dinner with wine, again. It was tasty.

I got everything I needed to do today done around 8:00pm and I really wasn’t feeling up to a workout. My legs were still really sore from yesterday and I just didn’t have it in me. I am trying to form a habit, (don’t they say it takes around 30 days?) of daily exercise and I didn’t want to start slacking off before I’d even hit a week. No days off. So I did this arm workout again. I didn’t do well. I had to put my arms down constantly and give them a shake many many times. I was doing push ups (very very modified push ups) yesterday with Slim In 6 and I don’t think my arms had recovered enough for this one. It was probably the day I should have done stretching, but I really wasn’t in the mood to set up the DVD player and change my clothes.

It wasn’t my best day, but I was saving Friday to Sunday for cheat days. I didn’t want to eat quite this badly on Friday, but I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’m hungry, so I’m going to snack on some pickles before bed.

Which turned into a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie