What Resolution?

Now that 2009 is coming to a close many people are making their New Year's Resolutions. Now personally, I have never been one to do this. I guess it's because I have the memory of a goldfish I would rather make the necessary life changes as they come along - not wait until that one special time of year to change myself. It's not an insurance plan, it's YOUR LIFE. You don't have to wait for the enrollment period to come around every January 1st in order to fix what's broken.

.

One thing I DO make a habit of is purging my cabinets at the beginning of each year. You know that old bottle of lotion in the back of your medicine cabinet? What about the 2 year old bottle of relish in the bottom shelf of the fridge? These items can pile up over time and I like to take a few hours each January to toss any old containers that may have passed their expiration dates.

.

Skin care products and makeup examples: (information from About.com)

• Skin and body care products - Simply look on the back of the container. Many times you'll see a number on the bottle or tub. The number is usually 6, 12, 24 or 36. What this means is that you can safely use this opened product for the number of months it says. But remember that dipping your fingers into product does bring bacteria into the mix so be sure to use your best judgement. Any unopened products that are still sealed usually have a shelf life of 3-5 years.
• Lipstick - Some experts say 1-2 years. Others say up to 4 years. What everyone agrees on is that if it smells rancid, throw it out, it's spoiled. Extra tip: If you store lipstick in the refrigerator, it will last longer.
• Nail Polish - Up to 12 months, depending on the quality. Dollar store nail polish? Toss it.
• Concealer - Up to 12 months.
• Powder - 2 years.
• Cream & gel cleansers - 1 year.
• Pencil eye liner - Should be sharpened regularly. Will last up to 3 years.
• Eyeshadow - Will also last up to 3 years.

Condiment/food examples: (information from ehow.com)

• Mayonnaise - Good for two to three months if not opened. If opened, it is good for two months in the fridge.
• Ketchup - This will last for one year unopened and eight to twelve months opened in the fridge. If opened and kept at room temperature in the pantry, the shelf life is 1 month.
• Mustard - Mustard holds up pretty well. It is good for two years unopened. Once open, its shelf life is six to eight months in the fridge or the pantry.
• Jam, Jelly & Preserves - Store these unopened for up to one year. In the fridge, they will store opened for one year.
• HALF & HALF - Store it unopened in the fridge for up to four weeks. Once it is opened, its shelf life is only one week!

One thing I like to do is to take a Sharpie and mark the date when I opened a new container. Works well for anything that I've thrown into the freezer too.

Breakfast yesterday was a melty, crispy banana and almond butter "quesadilla". It takes a bit longer than I like to spend on breakfast in the morning but the end result is worth it. Not that I don't like a nice leisurely breakfast but if you learned anything from my timeline post, it's that I prepare and eat my breakfast in about 8 minutes flat on weekdays.

Mid-morning snack: Dr. Kracker Sunflower Cheddar flatbread w/LC and an apple.

This snack ended up being a lot more filling than I had anticipated. I generally eat lunch a couple hours after my snack but when the time came I wasn't very hungry. Unfortunately I have a pretty specific "lunch window" that I have to take advantage of.

.

When that time came I got out my "salad" and orange and just kind of looked at them for a bit. As stupid as I think it is to eat when I'm not hungry I really had no choice.In the "salad" -

• garbanzo beans
• 2 chopped carrots
• whole red bell pepper, chopped
• sprinkle of baby spinach (this is why I put salad in paretheses, this is really just a pile of chopped veggies w/beans)

Topped with Annie's honey mustard dressing.

Yeah. It was good but definitely lacking that certain spice - hunger. I also realized that I don't really like oranges. They're ok but not very special to me. Looking back I should have just waited because once I mess with my hunger cues the rest of my day doesn't go so well.

.

After work I came home on a mission to eat some protein. I made my favorite McFlurry protein shake with Cookies & Cream Spiru-tein, soy milk and ice.I also had some Dr. Kracker Fire Roasted Crisps for a salty contrast.Like I said before, messing with my hunger cues is never a good idea. I polished off this bag of pretzels right after the shake & crisps.

Then I took a short nap to try to get back to normal. I felt the snack monster roaring away inside and that usually means I'm tired.

.

Usually, but not this time. After a short 20 minute nap I had another sunflower cheddar flatbread with Sunbutter.

Funny story, when I took the first couple bites of this I must have inhaled a whole sunflower seed because I started coughing like crazy. I couldn't seem to get it dislodged so I drank a bunch of water and started to feel better. Right after that I had a sudden sneezing fit. I think it went into my nose?? I must have sneezed 15 times which is funny because I've never been a multiple sneezer. Are you a multi-sneezer?

.

Anyway, after I sufficiently ruined my appetite for dinner I decided to eat anyway. Stupid. But I feel bad not eating that one meal per day that I get with the husband. We had meatloaf which was good, and some sort of potato-veggie mix that was gross. Tasted like processed plastic.

Irritated with myself and overly full I changed and went downstairs for a sweat session on the treadmill.

.

Workout: 2 miles speed-walking (3.8 mph) with incline

.

Post workout snack: A small handful of raw almonds.

I think I may have an idea for an actual New Year's Resolution - Follow the Intuitive Eating principles more. I like that one and I'm pretty sure I can remember it.

.

What's your biggest vice from 2009?

.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

.