Tiger Lilly Strikes A Pose

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Coco

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My Formula For Lunchtime Success

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Coco

I’ve always packed my lunch for work, but I’m not sure why. Maybe because I always brought my lunch to school, maybe because I grew up watching my Dad pack a lunch for work (a sandwich, a yogurt and an apple, if I had to guess), or maybe because I just can’t stomach paying $10 for a sandwich day in and day out. When I was dieting, bringing my own lunch was the only way I could be sure to follow my plan. Now I see bringing my lunch as the best way to guarantee that I will have a yummy meal that will get me through the afternoon.

I don’t have much time to spend fixing my lunch, but I’ve developed a formula that makes it easy to put something together quickly.

  1. I start with a Chobani yogurt for a mid-morning snack. (Can you believe I didn’t like Greek yogurt at all until I discovered Chobani?)
  2. The large plastic container has a simple salad (lettuce, tomato, a spritz of dressing)
  3. The small plastic container has leftovers from dinner (for this picture it was a stuffed pepper)
  4. The orange is to satisfy my sweet tooth after lunch.
  5. The apple is to tide me over through my drive home from work.

I also have a stash of snacks at work–like my favorite Cliff Chocolate Brownie Z-Bars–if I need an afternoon snack.

Since my family doesn’t like to eat leftovers, I usually have plenty of options for my lunch, but if we’ve had a busy week and I haven’t cooked dinner at home (or if we’ve had a hungry week and there aren’t any leftovers) I always have Lean Cuisine “spa cuisine” entrees or Amy’s meals in the freezer.

I enjoy my lunches so much that I even bring them to lunch meetings at the office. I’d rather eat something I know I will like than risk having to eat gloppy pasta or greasy stir fry. (Although if they serve my favorite type of brownie, I’m not too ashamed to take one of those!)

What do you eat for lunch?

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Crispy, Salty Chuao Chocolate (Product Review)

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Coco

When I was exploring the boutique shops at my hotel last week, I was not disappointed to find this one.

I was drawn to the unusual varieties of the Chuao bars. After browsing the extensive selection, I chose this one.


While I don’t usually like nuts or dried fruit in my chocolate, the combination of dark chocolate, a bit of crispness and salt sounded like it could satisfy all sorts of cravings.

It was good, but it wasn’t spectacular, so the next day I went back for this one.

I expected it to be similar, but was enticed by the promise of milk chocolate (perhaps it would be smoother?) and kettle chips (which I love). I definitely liked it better. 🙂

In case you think I am not dedicated to the pursuit of the finest chocolate, I paid $9 for each bar (including tax). I would only do that under the influence of a resort boutique shop!

Have you tried an unusual chocolate bar lately?

Have you bought something at a resort that you would never pay that price for at home?

Posted in Food, Product Reviews | Tagged , | 11 Comments

The $75 5K That Wasn’t

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Coco

This week I am at conference in San Diego, staying at a resort hotel that extorts me at every turn. ($4.75 for a cup of Diet Coke? No thanks. $4.25 for a tall Starbucks brewed coffee? Yes, please!)  Knowing that I would have to squeeze some work in between conference sessions, the only “acitivty” I signed up for was the 5K. The $75 entry fee is above my price point for a 5K, but it is for a good cause and my law firm will cover it.

I attended this same conference last year and actually “won” the 5K, but this year I had to take a different approach. My physical therapist doesn’t want me running at all, but I couldn’t resist the temptation of a run on the beach on a cool, overcast morning. I decided to treat it like an easy run, and had no goals for a finish time.


I was pretty impressed that the hotel had its own branded race bibs, but that didn’t make the course measurement any more accurate than last year’s course. (In all fairness, since we had a wide swath of flat, hard sand to run on, it’s possible that we didn’t follow the route that was measured.)

I reached the “finish” in under 25 minutes, so I kept running for an extra out-and-back segment to make sure that I ran at least 5K. (If I was going to break my physical therapist’s rules, I wanted it to be worth it!) I ended up covering about 3.6 miles in 33:30 (about a 9 min/mile pace). Even though we ran on packed sand, my shoes managed to get full of dry sand from the short walk to and from the shoreline.

Maybe next year I’ll remember to bring old shoes to use on the beach.

I have to confess that my SI joint has been bothering me since this run, but I can’t say that it wasn’t worth it, or that I wouldn’t make the same choice again.

Do you like to run on the beach?

Have you ever violated “doctor’s orders” about exercise restrictions?

Posted in Fitness, Race Recaps | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Three Things Thursday (The Skeevy Travel Edition)

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Coco

I am only three days into my seven day business trip but I am already struggling with being away from home. For some reason, during this trip more than others I have been skeeved out by the run-of-the-mill unsanitary conditions of traveling.

  1. Being barefoot in my hotel room. I try to avoid this at all costs, even if that means keeping my shoes on when all I really want to do is kick them off. I will lay a path of towels from the bathroom to my suitcase if I forget to bring sock or shoes into the bathroom.
  2. Using the bathroom near the end of a 5-hour flight. I try not to think of how many people have used the bathroom before me, but it is hard when I’ve seen the constant line for the only two lavatories. I know public restrooms get lots of use, but I’m pretty sure those are cleaned more frequently, and they have more room so it is easier to avoid contact with skeevey surfaces.
  3. Doing floor work in the hotel gym. I usually hop on the treadmill or elliptical, so I avoid being on the floor of hotel gyms, but my physical therapy routine requires me to spend 45 minutes doing plank variations, leg lifts, and other floor exercises. I am using several gym towels on top of the mat that I have no confidence has ever been cleaned. Ever.

Are there skeevy things about traveling that gross you out if you think about them too much?

Do you lose track of time when you travel? I keep having to stop and think to remember what day it is!

Posted in Fitness, Life, Work | Tagged , | 11 Comments