Whale watching in the AF pool

I just got home from swimming and yes it is 10:14 PM. What kind of lifestyle is this? I actually feel really refreshed and energized to do some homework that I totally neglected over fall break. So today was an awesome day. I got up early and went to spinning which kicked my butt (it always does) and then came home and made the best breakfast I think I've ever made. This doesn't mean it was the most delicious but it kept me so full and so satisfied for 5.5 hours!!! I mixed 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese with half of a Yoplait light yogurt and then tried making oatmeal in the microwave. If you're an oatmeal lover and haven't tried it in the microwave, it's time!! It took much less time and was much less of a mess to clean up. I'll post the recipe at the end for those of you who would like to try it. While I'm at it let me mention that a serving size of brown sugar is a TEASPOON not a TABLESPOON. I added a tablespoon to my oatmeal thinking that was a serving size but no, it's a teaspoon. It was so sweet and delicious though so my innocent mistake tasted so yummy.

My Mondays are super busy because I have a voice lesson and piano students in Salt Lake so I have to plan my whole day. Today was not my good planning day- lots of distractions so I left my house without packing a lunch. I blame this on the bomb oatmeal because I wasn't thinking about food until 3:00 when my stomach started growling. I'll spare you the details of my day but the only fast food place near my student's house was a Wendy's so I got a grilled chicken wrap which wasn't bad! Dan and I got treated to an early birthday dinner tonight with his parents. I picked Happy Sumo because 1. Dan will only go along to a sushi restaurant if it's my birthday and 2. It's my favorite sushi place and 3. They told me I got to pick WHEVER I wanted to go. They were all troopers as they experienced sushi for their first time. Even Dan had a nibble!! After sushi I knew I had to go exercise and since they also gave me a kickboard for my birthday I was psyched. This leads me to the title of today's post.

My new goggles are like a video camera and magnifying glass in one. I put them on and I swear I can see to the other side of the pool even if it's set up for long laps. I can see all the bubbles, individual hairs on my arm, anything lying on the bottom of the pool which is actually kind of freaky, but you get the point. I ordered them on Sierratradingpost.com. They seal completely and never fog, even after an hour of swimming!! I have taken some pictures for your viewing pleasure. I sometimes get scared when I first start because I'm so distracted by the clarity under water that sometimes I'm afraid I'm going to forget to swim and I'm going to drown. I imagined that there were whales swimming with me tonight because the sound of the fans around the pool could be heard under water and the blue water made me think I was filming something for the Discovery Channel. I only swam for 30 minutes but boy did I swim hard. I really pushed myself to get all I could out of a 30 minute workout. Well as always here's the journal of today.

BREAKFAST: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 light yogurt, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tablespoon brown sugar
LUNCH: Wendy's grilled chicken wrap
DINNER: 1/2 crab cake, edamame, sushi, chocolate cake shared with everyone

WORKOUT:
70 minutes of spinning
10 minute afternoon walk
30 minutes of swimming laps

One-Bowl-Oatmeal
1/2 cup oatmeal
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups water (Yes, the box only says 1 cups but do 1 1/2 cup)
Microwave on high for 5 minutes but after 2 minutes keep an eye on it and stir it before it boils over...maybe about every 10-20 seconds once it starts boiling. It will seem like there is too much liquid but after it starts to thicken just let it sit for a few minutes while you do some dishes and your oatmeal will be nice and thick and creamy. Use a big glass bowl for this because the oatmeal will bubble up and spill over a regular cereal bowl. Go for the gold and grab one of your awesome pyrex bowls for this oatmeal bomb.